ARC OF INFINITY

BY: JOHNNY BYRNE

Part One

First Air Date: 3 January 1983
Running time: 24:37

OMEGA: You have made your choice?

TIME LORD: Yes. We are ready to begin.

OMEGA: Excellent. And your choice?

TIME LORD: It has not been easy, but time, present location, personality, for these and other reasons, it must be the Doctor.

OMEGA: The Doctor? Yes. Clever. Most ingenious. The perfect choice, Time Lord.

DAMON: The security circuit. Cut the scrambler.

DAMON: That's odd. Photon cell burnout?

TALOR: Okay?

DAMON: Yes.

DAMON: I don't believe this. Talor, look.

TALOR: What is it?

DAMON: Someone's transmitting the biodata extract of one of the Time Lords.

TALOR: Cut it! This is treason. I must report it at once.

DOCTOR: And such a simple repair job.

NYSSA: Why didn't you do it sooner?

DOCTOR: Well, you know how it is. You put things off for a day, next thing you know it's a hundred years later.

NYSSA: It'll make quite a difference to have audio link-up on the scanner again.

DOCTOR: Mmm.

DOCTOR: Let's see if it works.

FRAZER: No, everywhere is full. You got to sleep rough tonight. Yeah, the hostel from tomorrow. That's the number I gave you. Look, I'd better go. I'll see you at the airport tomorrow. Take care.

STUART: Okay? Oh no, a policeman.

FRAZER: Steady. The Dutch are a very civilised race. They don't put people into prison for losing a passport.

STUART: No, but they can deport you.

FRAZER: Oh, come on, let's grab something to eat. Anyway, our real worry is where we're going to sleep tonight.

STUART: I know a place. Not the most appealing, but central and very cheap.

FRAZER: Sounds perfect.

STUART: And literally as quiet as the grave.

DOCTOR: Perfect.

NYSSA: We have an audio system, but nothing to listen to.

DOCTOR: And now we have nothing to look at. Couldn't be better. Peace and quiet is just what the doctor ordered.

NYSSA: Doctor? There are many other repairs to do.

DOCTOR: Well, there's nothing urgent, is there?

NYSSA: The navigational system? That must be faulty. We never seem to arrive where we intend.

DOCTOR: No. Well, you see, ever since the Cybermen damaged the console

NYSSA: And that's another thing. The TARDIS used to be in a state of temporal grace, you said. g*n couldn't be fired.

DOCTOR: Yes. Well, nobody's perfect.

NYSSA: Doctor.

NYSSA (OOV.): Doctor, come quickly!

OMEGA: The data has been received, Time Lord, but not the booster element. Why?

TIME LORD: I had to close down transmission. A fault developed.

OMEGA: What will you do?

TIME LORD: Check to see it wasn't detected.

OMEGA: And if it were?

TIME LORD: I'll deal with it. Perhaps we should delay until I have.

OMEGA: It is too late. Already the TARDIS is under my control.

DOCTOR: Sensors show we're converging with a massive source of magnetic radiation.

NYSSA: But there's nothing out there. Just light years of black empty space.

DOCTOR: Well, something's causing it. We must change course.

NYSSA: To where?

DOCTOR: Anywhere, so as long as it's away from here.

STUART: There we are.

FRAZER: We're spending the night there?

STUART: Yes.

NYSSA: What's happening?

DOCTOR: I don't know.

NYSSA: These readings don't make sense.

DOCTOR: I know.

FRAZER: Hey, where are you going?

STUART: Just follow me.

FRAZER: What is this place? It's so dark.

STUART: Here, take this. (a torch) Trust me, Colin. Have I ever lead you astray?

FRAZER: There's always a first time. Who owns this place?

STUART: The state. It's a kind of forgotten national treasure. No one ever comes here except the odd gardener during the day.

FRAZER: Wait a minute. This is a crypt!

STUART: So?

FRAZER: I thought you said this was a cellar.

STUART: Didn't you see the ornamentation? The fountain?

FRAZER: Are you serious about staying the night here?

STUART: Of course.

FRAZER: Now I know you're crazy.

STUART: Come on. Our nest's through here.

STUART: Not quite the Ritz, but it's dry and warm.

FRAZER: What's in the pipes?

STUART: Water. We're below sea level here. Stop the pumps and Amsterdam would take up its stilts and float. How'd you like it?

FRAZER: Well, I'm not too keen on the neighbours.

DAMON: The analysis checks out.

TALOR: You're sure?

DAMON: Yes, it's the Doctor's biodata extract. What did the Castellan have to say?

TALOR: In spite of the urgency of my request, he chooses not to be available until tomorrow.

DAMON: You realise only members of the High Council could have transmitted that data?

TALOR: I know. We just have to wait.

DAMON: Do you need me any more?

TALOR: No. Good night.

DAMON: Good night.

TALOR: Good evening.

TALOR: Impulse laser?

STUART: Are you really going to sleep like that?

FRAZER: What's the matter with that?

STUART: You're still fully dressed.

FRAZER: I'm not taking any chances.

STUART: Oh, come on. It's only a pump house. The worst that can happen is that we're caught by the police.

FRAZER: I find this place spooky.

STUART: At least take your boots off.

TIME LORD: As I feared, transmission was detected, but it has been dealt with.

OMEGA: How?

TIME LORD: An accident has been arranged.

OMEGA: Bonding can take place immediately?

TIME LORD: As long as you are positive there is no other way.

OMEGA: I am not of your dimension, Time Lord. I have the means to enter, but without the physical imprint of bonding, I cannot remain among you.

DOCTOR: I can't control the TARDIS!

NYSSA: Can't you override the control?

DOCTOR: I just tried.

NYSSA: Doctor!

NYSSA: What is it?

DOCTOR: Something's coming through.

NYSSA: A materialisation?

DOCTOR: No, extradimensional.

DOCTOR: Quick, Nyssa, out of here!

The Doctor and Nyssa slow to a halt. The Doctor turns around to see Omega, who then glides inside him.)

DOCTOR: No! No!

NYSSA: Doctor!

FRAZER: Robin! Come on, wake up. There's something going on inside.

STUART: What?

FRAZER: There's somebody in there.

STUART: You're imagining it. Go to sleep.

FRAZER: I tell you I heard something.

STUART: You sort it out. I want to sleep.

FRAZER: That wasn't here before.

NYSSA: Doctor? Oh, thank goodness you're all right.

DOCTOR: How long have I been here?

NYSSA: Not long. What was that thing? It just appeared from nowhere.

DOCTOR: From another dimension.

NYSSA: Has it gone?

DOCTOR: From the TARDIS, yes.

NYSSA: For a moment I thought it had taken you over.

DOCTOR: Well, for a moment it did. What you saw was an attempted temporal bonding. The molecular realignment of two basically incompatible lifeforms.

NYSSA: I checked the sensors. This creature is formed from anti-matter.

DOCTOR: Are you sure? Then it's worse than I feared.

NYSSA: But the creature failed. It's not in our dimension now.

DOCTOR: Oh, it is somewhere, and halfway to achieving its purpose. It won't have given up that easily.

NYSSA: To remain in this universe, the creature would have to reverse its polarity. I mean, if it failed

DOCTOR: Matter and anti-matter in collision. Yes, I take your point. Come on, we've got work to do.

STUART: Colin? Colin?

STUART: Colin? Okay, very funny. Now cut it out.

ZORAC: Well, Lord President?

BORUSA: The Matrix confirms what we already know, Cardinal Zorac. The creature is intelligent, immensely powerful, and formed from antimatter.

ZORAC: Damnable business. Thalia, you're the expert on this, what do you have to say?

THALIA: Well, in theory, movement between dimensions is possible. In practice, less so. But the same was said about time travel, and that has long been a reality.

HEDIN: Has the Matrix fixed the location of the creature?

BORUSA: It can't. Temporal distortion is extremely severe.

THALIA: At present the creature is shielded, but that will soon decay.

ZORAC: Then we shall know precisely where the creature is.

CASTELLAN: But that will be too late, unless the bond was severed.

THALIA: That, of course, is another matter. But we all know what that would mean for the Doctor.

NYSSA: (reads) Rondel, intergalactic region devoid of all stellar activity. In former times the location of collapsed Q star.

NYSSA: Q star?

DOCTOR: They're very rare. On burnout it creates quardal magnetism. That's what the sensors picked up. It's the only force known to shield anti-matter.

NYSSA: That's what's shielding the creature?

DOCTOR: Has to be. But it's known to decay rapidly. Anything else?

NYSSA: Not much. Just the name the ancients gave to this region. The Arc of Infinity.

DOCTOR: That's it, Nyssa. That's how it came through. What we saw was the gateway to the dimensions. The Arc of Infinity.

OMEGA: The bonding registered in the Matrix?

TIME LORD: Very clearly.

OMEGA: And the High Council?

TIME LORD: They had no choice but to act as we predicted. But you, I detect a weakness.

OMEGA: My concern, Time Lord, not yours. Carry out your instructions and all will be well.

NYSSA: So, if this creature can't bond with you, it can have no real existence in this universe.

DOCTOR: Right.

NYSSA: But to do that, it would have to have detailed biological information about you.

DOCTOR: Which in my case exists only in the Matrix on Gallifrey.

NYSSA: So someone there passed it on.

MAXIL: Feed this into the Matrix. Well, don't you recognise the Lord President's seal?

DAMON: I will need to confirm your authorisation.

MAXIL: Arrest him.

DAMON: Please, please. Well, perhaps I spoke in haste, but to recall a TARDIS, and without prior announcement, well, you must understand my position.

MAXIL: It's not without due and proper consideration that this decision has been made.

DAMON: Where do you want the TARDIS located?

MAXIL: The security compound. And only I am to have access. Tell my men when the TARDIS arrives. They'll be waiting outside.

NYSSA: There was a massive energy transfer.

DOCTOR: Hmm. This creature controls the shift of the Arc. Just think of it, Nyssa. With such power you can unlock the door to travel between the dimensions of matter and anti-matter.

NYSSA: Doctor, we've changed course.

DOCTOR: High Council of Time Lords. We're being taken back to Gallifrey.

NYSSA: Why?

DOCTOR: I don't know. It must be urgent. Only twice before in our history has the recall circuit been used.

STUART: Colin! It's me, Colin. Come on, let's get out of here. I was just about to fetch the police.

STUART: Come on, let's get out of this hell hole!

MAXIL: The TARDIS has arrived.

DAMON: Yes, I was about to inform you. The compound is secure.

MAXIL: Excellent.

DAMON: Commander Maxil, why are you treating the Doctor like a criminal?

MAXIL: I'm simply following orders.

NYSSA: Where are we?

DOCTOR: The security compound in the heart of the Citadel.

DOCTOR: Well, they're taking no chances.

NYSSA: We're locked in.

DOCTOR: Handprint activated, from the outside. Fetch my indent kit from the workbench, will you? I might just be able to trip it. Quickly!

RECEPTIONIST: Look, come back in half an hour, okay?

MAN: Okay, thank you.

RECEPTIONIST: Bye.

MAN: Bye-bye.

STUART: You have a room booked for me.

RECEPTIONIST: What's your name, please?

STUART: Stuart.

RECEPTIONIST: Ah yes. How long will you be staying for, Mister Stuart?

STUART: I don't know. A few days.

RECEPTIONIST: No problem. You are in room thirty four. Oh, one moment, please. Are you the Mister Stuart who reserved with Mister Frazer? Mister Colin Frazer?

STUART: What about it?

RECEPTIONIST: Well, will Mister Frazer be checking in today?

STUART: Don't count on it.

RECEPTIONIST: Sorry?

STUART: What I said. Colin Frazer won't be coming here. Not today, not tomorrow. If you want the details, ask the police. Perhaps when they stop indifferent they might start looking for him.

RECEPTIONIST: I'm sorry. I wish I could help. I'm only asking because there's a telephone message for him, that's all.

STUART: Oh. What message?

RECEPTIONIST: His cousin will arrive at Schiphol Airport tomorrow morning at ten thirty.

NYSSA: I don't understand, Doctor.

DOCTOR: Not now, Nyssa.

NYSSA: Why are we locked in? Surely the Time Lords have brought you back to help find the creature and prevent its bonding with you.

DOCTOR: I wish I could believe that.

NYSSA: What other reason would there be?

DOCTOR: It won't be that easy to track this creature down. The universe is rather a big place. And there is an easier alternative.

NYSSA: To k*ll you? Is that why they've brought you back?

DOCTOR: Possibly.

NYSSA: You did it!

DOCTOR: I doubt it. Not with this kind of lock. And certainly not as quickly.

DOCTOR: This way.

GUARD (OOV.): Commander?

MAXIL: Yes?

NYSSA: Where are we trying to get to?

DOCTOR: The computer room. It's not far now.

NYSSA: Will it be guarded?

DOCTOR: Well, they certainly know we've arrived.

DOCTOR: Quickly!

DOCTOR: Hello, I'm the Doctor.

NYSSA: Doctor!

NYSSA: Doctor!
{"type": "series", "show": "Doctor Who", "episode": "20x01 - Arc of Infinity - part 1"}