katherine_b (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
katherine_b) wrote2009-12-29 06:47 am
katherine_b) wrote2009-12-29 06:47 am
Entry tags:
Transcript for The End of Time Part II
And here is the second part of End of Time. The first half can be found here
[The scene cuts to the Master’s wide eyes. He sniffs, realising that the Doctor has found him, and then turns. The sound of something metal dragging in the dust is repeated.
The Doctor and the Master walk towards each other.
The Master glances at his hands, which sparkle and glow. The Master uses the power to shoot bolts of lightning at the Doctor, but they strike the building behind him and the Doctor keeps walking.
Fire briefly illuminates the Doctor’s features. The Master rubs his hands together to generate a greater force and then shoots the bolt and the Doctor. It hits him in the chest and he stops, wavering on his feet, arms flung out, his face working in agony.
He staggers towards his adversary and then falls to his knees, but the Master runs to grab him before he can drop to the ground.
For a moment, the Master stares into the Doctor’s face before letting him go. The Doctor falls to the ground, panting and grunting for breath, fighting the pain. The Master sinks into a squat, his arms resting on his knees, only a short distance from the Doctor.]
M [disdainfully]: I had estates. D’you remember my father’s land back home? Pastures of red grass, stretching far across the slopes of Mount Perdition. [as the Doctor continues to struggle for breath] We used to run across those fields all day. Calling up at the sky. [settles back against a mound of debris] Look at us now!
D [still lying on the ground]: All that eloquence, but how many people have you killed?
M [warningly]: I am so hungry!
D: Your resurrection went wrong. That energy… [struggles for breath] Your body’s ripped open. Now you’re killing yourself.
M: That’s human Christmas, out there! [gestures angrily] They eat so much! All that roasting meat. Cakes and red wine. Hot fat blood food. Pots and plates of meat and flesh and grease and juice and baking burnt sticky hot skin. Hot this, hot that, oh…
D: Stop it!
M: Sliced… sliced…
D: Stop it!
M: It’s mine, it’s mine, it’s mine, it’s mine. Eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it.
D [at the same time]: Stop it!
[There’s a moment’s silence.]
D [weakly]: What if I ask you for help?
[The Master laughs at the ridiculous suggestion.]
D: There’s more at work tonight than you and me.
M [mockingly, in a normal voice]: Oh, yeah?
D [slowly, clearly still in pain]: I’ve been told, something is returning.
M [victoriously]: And here I am!
D [shakes head]: No, something more.
M: But it hurts!
D: I was told – the end of time!
M: It hurts! Doctor, the noise! The noise in my head!
[The Master gets on his hands and knees and begins crawling in the dust towards the Doctor.]
M: Doctor! One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four. Stronger than ever before. [confused, as drumming becomes audible] Can’t you hear it?
D [shakes head, apologetic]: I’m sorry.
M: Please! Listen, listen, listen, listen. [the drumming becomes louder] Every minute. Every second. [looking suddenly helpless] Every beat of my hearts. There it is. Calling to me. [begging] Please, listen!
D [helplessly]: I can’t hear it.
[The Master gets down so he’s only inches from the Doctor’s face.]
M [growls]: Listen!
[Finally he grabs the Doctor’s face in his hands, pressing his forehead to the Doctor’s, his eyes closed in intense concentration. The Doctor suddenly startles back, wrenching himself free.]
M: What?
D [breathless]: That’s…
M: What?!
D [shocked, horrified]: I heard it.
[The Master straightens up, as if vindicated.]
D [on his haunches on the ground]: But there’s no noise. [as the Master gets to his feet] There never has been. It’s just your insanity! It’s – What is it? [breathing hard] What’s inside your head?
[The Master begins to laugh hysterically, triumphant.]
M: It’s real! It’s real. [screaming] It’s real!!
[Bolts of power come from the Master’s hands, propelling him into the sky. The Doctor staggers to his feet, still in obvious pain, running but glancing up into the sky for the Master. The Master laughs and the Doctor chases the sound, stopping to see the Master on a nearby mound of dirt.]
M: All these years, you thought I was mad! [raises an arm in victory]
M: King of the wasteland. But something is calling me, Doctor. What is it? What is it?! What is it?!!
[A light suddenly illuminates the Master from above. He looks up to find a spotlight on him. Another light snaps on above the Doctor, who also stares upwards, staggering back as he tries to see the source. Ropes drop on either side of the Master]
M: Ahh!
[Men in black outfits slide down the ropes as the Master laughs, his hands held out wide as if being celebrated. The men grab him, injecting something into his neck and the Master goes limp.]
D: No!
[The Doctor runs for the group, but men begin shooting at him and, as the men on the ropes signal for the helicopter to winch them up, the Doctor has to run to avoid being shot.]
D [referring to the Master]: Let him go!
[Something hits the Doctor, who lies spreadeagled on the ground, unmoving as the helicopter takes off. The spotlight trails away over the rocks and dirt.
Wilf opens a wrapped present and finds a book called Fighting the Future by Joshua Naismith.]
DN [breezing in]: Now then, steady on. It’s never too early for margaritas, that’s what I say. I forgot to get lemons, so I used oranges instead. It’s all fruit, same difference.
SN [looking at a striped top, with false cheerfulness]: Oh, now that’s lovely, look at that, absolutely beautiful! [looks at tag] Oh, love from Donna. Did you keep the receipt?
DN [smiling painedly]: Yes I did. [nudging Wilf] Come on, Gramps, you’ve been a right misery ever since you got up. [gesturing at book] D’you like it then? The book?
WM: Joshua Naismith? I mean, what d’you get me this for?
DN [unsure]: I dunno. I just – saw it in the shop and – thought of you. [distantly as she stares into the distance] Just felt like the sort of thing you should have.
[Her thought is interrupted by Sylvia’s laughter.]
SN [holding up a card]: Oh, now look at that, that’s from Charlie Morton, isn’t that rude?
[Donna goes over to look at the card and joins in her mother’s laughter. Wilf turns away to examine the book.
Joshua Naismith is standing in the same position as on the cover of the book and waves at a man with his index finger.]
JN: If you would, Mr Danes.
[Three men in suits are standing near a window. The middle man moves away to a chair where the Master is tied in. He opens his mouth and licks his lips as his gag is removed]
M: I’m starving!
JN [smiling]: You have my daughter to thank for this. [moves over to stand beside Abigail] It’s all her idea. [glancing at the Master] She heard rumours of Harold Saxon, his disciples, his return. It’s the sort of thing she finds rather – thrilling.
AN [happily]: And I was right – he’s back.
[The Master smiles and closes his eyes in satisfaction.]
AN: The very man we need and he’s here.
[The Master licks his lips like an animal and opens his eyes.]
AN: Oh! [claps hands] This is gonna be wonderful!
[The Master finally looks at her and smiles.
Donna’s fiancée arrives at the Noble home.]
ST [carrying pile of gifts]: Aye, aye, here are the presents!
[There is an exclamation of delight from everyone.]
ST: I’m sorry, I couldn’t afford much, but not for long, not if President Obama ends the recession tonight. [to Donna] Come here!
[He hugs her affectionately.]
WM: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Keep it quiet, you lot, it’s the Queen’s speech now, come on. Sit down, show respect. Come on.
ST [giving him gift]: Merry Christmas Mr Mott! [kisses his cheek]
WM: Thank you. [throws him off gently as the others laugh] Will you behave, you? Honestly! All right, now, whoa, she’s on, she’s on. It’s our sovereign.
[Wilf sits in front of the television, which is showing a picture of Buckingham Palace, and salutes.
The television suddenly goes strange, with the woman Wilf saw at the church cutting in and out of the guards marching. The image of the woman solidifies and Wilf drops the salute.]
WM: Hey?
Woman: Events are moving, Wilfred.
WM: Eh?
Woman [distressed]: Faster than we thought.
[Wilf tries to get the attention of the others, but they’re distracted.]
WM [pointing at the screen]: Oi, can you see that?
D [careless]: Frankly, I’d tell Her Majesty it’s time for trouser suits.
WM: No, no, no, no, that’s not the Q-
Woman: Only you can see. Only you stand at the heart of co-incidence.
WM: Why, what have I done?
Woman: You’re an old soldier, sir. Only you were too late. The war was won and passed you by.
WM [indignant]: I did my duty!
Woman: You never killed a man.
WM [shaking head]: No, I didn’t. No, I did not, no, but… Don’t say that like it’s shameful!
Woman: The time will come when you must take arms.
WM [worried]: Who are you?
Woman: Tell the Doctor nothing of this. His life could still be saved. So long as you tell him nothing.
[The picture changes back to a horse-drawn carriage. Wilf turns to the others to get their attention, but then turns back again, indecisive and confused.
As Sylvia and Donna laugh, Wilf goes into his room and gets out a gun from a case under the bed. He checks that it’s loaded and then goes to the window to see the Doctor and the TARDIS. As he comes out of the house, the Doctor comes around the TARDIS to greet him.]
D [referring to the Master]: I lost him. I was unconscious. He’s still on Earth. I can smell him, but he’s too far away.
WM [gesturing at the TARDIS]: You can’t park there. What if Donna sees it?
D: You’re the only one, Wilf. The only connection I can think of. You’re involved. If I could just – work out how. [lunges at Wilf] Tell me, have you see anything. I don’t know, anything strange, anything odd.
WM [nervously]: Well, there was a…
D: What? What is it – tell me!
WM: Well, it was – no, it’s nothing.
D [desperate]: Think, think, think. Maybe – maybe something out of the blue, something connected to your life. Something!
WM: Well, Donna was a bit strange. She had a funny little moment this morning, all because of that book.
D: What book?
[Wilf comes out of the house, holding Fighting the Future. The Doctor is waiting in the back garden.]
WM: Right, his name’s Joshua Naismith.
D [realisation]: That’s the man! I was shown him by the Ood.
WM: By the what?
D: By the Ood.
WM: What’s the Ood?
D: Oh, just the Ood. It’s all part of the convergence. [looks up in realisation] Maybe touching Donna’s subconscious. [smiles happily] Oh, she’s still fighting for us even now. The DoctorDonna.
[Wilf smiles back, pleased to see the Doctor happy.
SN [as she comes outside]: Dad, what are you up to?
[Sylvia turns to see the Doctor, who moves behind Wilf and looks as if he’s readying himself for a fight. Wilf looks as if he very much wishes Sylvia hadn’t turned up.]
SN [hissing]: It’s you! But – Get out of here!
D [attempting to placate her]: Merry Christmas.
SN: Merry Christmas. But she can’t see you! What if she remembers?
DN [inside the house]: Mum, where are those tweezers?
SN: Go!
D [turns away]: I’m going.
WM: Yeah, me too!
SN: Oh, no you don’t!
DN [coming to the door]: Mum? Gramps?
SN: Dad! I’m warning you!
WM [waving back behind his head at her]: Bye bye! See you later!
DN: Oh, I’m a bit old for hide and seek!
SN: Stay right where you are!
D [glances at him in irritation]: You can’t come with me.
WM [gestures at his daughter]: Well, you're not leaving me with her!
SN: Dad!
D: Fair enough.
[They bundle into the TARDIS as Sylvia continues to berate them.]
DN [in the background]: Mum?
SN: Just you listen to me, I forbid it!
[The TARDIS begins to dematerialise.]
SN: Get out of there! Doctor! Bring my father back right now! Come back here!
[Donna comes out of the front look, looking at her mother in confusion.]
SN [screaming at the empty space]: Come back here, I said! Come back!
DN [mockingly]: Are you shouting at thin air?
SN [somewhat lost for words]: Yes. [glances back to where TARDIS was and then looks back] Possibly. Yes.
[The Doctor is racing around the console, book in hand, making it fly.]
D: Naismith. [shoves book at Wilf] If I can track him down… [glances at Wilf and realises he’s a bit shocked (which may well be the understatement of the year)] Ah. Right. Yes. Bigger on the inside. D’you like it?
WM: I thought it'd be cleaner.
D [indignant]: Cleaner? [points at him in annoyance] I can take you back home right now.
WM: Listen, Doctor. If this is a time machine, that man you're chasing, why can't you just pop back to yesterday and catch him?
D: I can't go back inside my own timeline. I have to stay relative to the Master within the causal nexus. Understand?
WM: Not a word.
D [offers his hand]: Welcome aboard.
WM [shakes the Doctor’s hand]: Thank you.
[The door to Joshua Naismith’s laboratory is opened and he strides in, followed by Abigail, the Master in a straitjacket and several guards. The Master, having been glaring at Abigail, now notices the large machine and stares at it.]
JN [pointing at Addams, who is behind her computer]: Demonstrate it.
[Addams types several commands into the computer and the lights in the machine spark. The Master raises his eyebrows, as if impressed or amused by the sight.]
M: Ooh, that's not from Earth!
JN: And neither are you.
[Rossiter turns in his seat, as if afraid the accusation was directed at him.]
JN: The perfect combination, don’t you think?
Rossiter [jumps up and points to the door]: Excuse me, sir, if I could check the basement. We’re getting fluctuation on the power ports.
[Addams glances at her other colleagues warily.]
JN: Of course.
[Rossiter glances at his colleague.]
Rossiter: Miss Addams, if you could bring the calibration statistics?
[While the Master continues to study the machine, Rossiter and Addams hurry into the basement.]
Rossiter [panicked]: Who the hell is he? What if he finds out? An expert, they said. Well, w-what sort of expert?! Who is he?!
Addams: I don’t know! According to the records, Harold Saxon was Prime Minister of this stupid country. [cricks neck] I’m choking in this thing! I’m sorry!
[She presses her watch like a button and a light passes up her body so that she converts into a figure with green skin and sharp points instead of hair on her head. She rolls her head around, enjoying the freedom.]
Addams: Oh! By the saints, that’s better! Oh, these people are so [stops before swearing] flat.
[Rossiter does the same thing with his watch, converting into a similar creature.]
Rossiter: But what do we do? We were so close! We almost had it working!
Addams: What if this visitor is some sort of genius? [Rossiter shrugs] Well, think about it! We’re hijacking this project. Maybe we can use him too! [Rossiter nods] Harold Saxon, or whatever he is, might be exactly what we need.
[Joshua is sitting at a table opposite the Master. Abigail stands behind her father.]
JN: The gate was found… inside a spaceship. Buried at the foot of Mount Snowdon. It was moved to an institute known as Torchwood. But when Torchwood fell… [pauses and then smiles] let’s just say – I acquired it.
[The Master smiles in response, perhaps recognising a kindred spirit.]
M: I like you.
JN [still smiling]: Thank you.
M [eyeing him up and down]: You’d taste great!
[Joshua’s smile vanishes and, for the first time, he looks uncertain. He backs away, getting out of his chair.]
JN: Mr… Danes.
Danes: The visitor will be given food.
[A butler approaches carrying a tray covered with a silver cover. The Master turns, looking relieved. A large roast chicken is revealed.
The Master dives on it, tearing it to pieces and devouring it like a ravenous beast. Sounds of breaking bones and tearing can be heard.
Joshua glances somewhat anxiously as his daughter. Abigail is disturbed by a glance that the Master casts in her direction while he is ramming chicken into his mouth. In moments, only a pile of bones remains.]
JN [disturbed, or perhaps disgusted]: Anyway, the device came equipped with its own power supply. A nuclear bolt.
[One men in white coats is locked in a sealed chamber. Another enters the other chamber and the locks are switched, allowing the first man to get out.]
JN: One technician remains in charge of the feedback twenty-four hours a day. And the power feeds through to the gate. It encourages some sort of cellular regeneration. Miss Collins was our test subject.
[A young woman in a lab coat turns away from the computer and moves to his side.]
JN: She carried some burns as a result of an accident when she was a child, down her left side. [gestures to her] If you… could.
[Miss Collins pulls up her sleeve to reveal a completely healthy arm.]
JN: The gate mended her. [glances at her] Thank you.
M [knowingly]: But what do you want it for?
JN: We calculate that if this device can be fully repaired, by your good self, it can restore the body – forever! Hence its given title – the Immortality Gate. Because that’s what I want. [as the Master smirks knowingly] Not for me. But for my daughter. [walking over to Abigail] I want her never to die. My gift to her! She will be immortal!
AN [smugly, talking to the Master]: Abigail. It means bringer of joy.
[The TARDIS materialises in an old barn. The Master, at the table, inhales deeply, clearly smelling that the Doctor is back on Earth. He turns to a computer.]
M: Better get to work.
[As the Master begins to type and symbols dance across the computer screen, the door of the TARDIS opens and Wilf gets out.]
WM: We’ve moved! We’ve really moved!
D: You should stay here.
WM: No, not bloody likely!
D: And don’t swear! Hold on! [points the key at the TARDIS, which makes it vanish, having clearly learned his lesson last time he faced the Master] Just a second out of sync. Don’t want the Master finding the TARDIS. That’s the last thing we need!
[The Doctor and Wilf run along the outside of the building, darting back around the corner just in time to avoid being spotted by two guards.]
WM: That book said he’s a billionaire. He’s got his own private army!
D [glances towards covered passage and then back at Wilf]: Down here.
[The Doctor sonics a small door and then opens it, disappearing inside. Wilf is quick to follow. The Master, meanwhile is working at very high speed.]
Rossiter [back in human form, speaking over a p.a. system to his colleague in the cellar]: Miss Addams, we’re getting some encouraging results from the ratio foldback. Can you confirm?
Addams [smiling]: The man’s a miracle. All the systems are slotting back into place. Shatterthreads have harmonised. The fibrelinks have densified. The multiple overshots have triplicated.
D [poking his head around a door]: Nice game!
W [peering around other side]: Hello!
D [smug]: Don’t try calling security or I’ll tell them you’re wearing a shimmer. ‘Cos I reckon anyone wearing a shimmer doesn’t want the shimmer to be noticed or they wouldn’t need a shimmer in the first place.
Addams [playing dumb]: I’m s-sorry, what’s a ‘shimmer’?
D [pointing sonic at her]: Shimmer!
[Her image wavers, as it did before, and she turns back into the green alien.]
Addams [stops smiling and drops pose]: Oh!
W [pointing]: Oh, my lord, she’s a cactus!
[Miss Addams glares at him in irritation.]
Rossiter [over p.a.] Miss Addams? Miss Addams! [turns to Joshua] If you’ll – just excuse me.
[Joshua and Abigail share a little smile, as if understanding what’s going on.]
JN: Now, please don’t imagine I’m a slave driver.
[The Master smirks, continuing to work at top speed.]
JN: We can resume work on Boxing Day, Mr Saxon.
[Abigail looks at her father as if impressed that he is offering kindness to the man who is, after all, wearing a dog-collar and is his slave.]
M [grimly, but with a tiny smile]: My name – is the Master.
[He presses a button and the screen, with all fifteen symbols, turns bright red. The Master tucks his hands behind his head and stretches his neck and if pleased with what he’s done.
The overhead lights in the room go out and then the Immortality Gate begins to glow.]
JN [delighted]: Oh! Excellent. Excellent! [glancing at the guard] Mr Danes!
Danes: The visitor will be restrained.
M [confused]: What? [sarcastically, perhaps having expected this] But I repaired it!
JN [angrily]: I’m not an idiot! [glances at Immortality Gate] Don’t let him anywhere near that thing!
[As a man approaches the Master with the straightjacket, Joshua pulls his daughter into a hug.]
D [diving at a computer]: He got it working, but what is it? What’s working?
[Rossiter runs down the hall to find out what’s going on.]
Rossiter: What are you doing here?
D [pointing sonic at him, but not taking his eyes off the computer screen]: Shimmer!
[Rossiter, too, turns back into an obvious alien. Addams peers around Wilf at Rossiter, a warning look on her face.]
D: Now, quickly, tell me, what’s going on. [as Rossiter desperately shakes his head] Harold Saxon. Skeletor. Whatever you’re calling him. What’s he doing up there?
[The Master is once more restrained. He’s smiling dangerously as Joshua speaks.]
JN: Your reputation precedes you, sir. I have no doubt you’ve laid traps. Perhaps explosives. A means of escape. Murder. But everything you’ve done to the gate will be checked and double-checked before anyone stands inside.
[As the Doctor checks the computer, while Addamms waits with her hands on her hips, Rossiter steps forward.]
Rossiter: But I checked the readings. He’s done good work. It’s operational.
D [glancing at him]: Who are you though? ‘Cos I’ve met someone like you. He was brilliant. But he was little and red.
Addams [frustrated]: No, that’s a Zocci.
Rossiter: We’re not Zocci, we’re Vinvocci! Completely different.
[The Doctor shrugs a little.]
Addams: And the Gate is Vinvocci. [sighs] We’re a salvage team! We picked up the signal when the humans reactivated it. And as soon as it’s working, we transport it to the ship.
D [irritated]: But – what does it do?!
Rossiter: Well – it – mends. It’s as simple as that. It’s a medical device to repair the body. It makes people better.
D [suspiciously shaking his head]: No. There’s got to be more. Every single warning says the Master’s gonna do something colossal.
WM [pointing at machine]: So that thing’s like a sickbed, yeah?
Addams: More or less…
WM: Well, pardon me for asking, but why is it so big?
D [impressed]: Oh, good question! Why is it so big?
Addams [fed up]: It doesn’t just mend one person at a time.
Rossiter [chuckling]: That would be ridiculous.
Addams [as if to a child]: It mends whole planets.
[The Doctor, beginning to understand now, stares at them in confusion and horror.]
D: It does what?
Addams [carelessly, not realising why he’s reacting that way]: It transmits the medical template across the entire population.
[Tearing off his glasses, the Doctor runs from the room.
The Master’s shackles are secured as Joshua talks to his daughter.]
JN: But it’s time for the broadcast. The President’s grand initiative. You might want to see this, sir. Proof that the human race can mend its own problems.
Newsreader: And now anticipation is rising as we go live to Washington. Here, on Christmas Day, the President has promised an instant and radical solution to the worldwide depression. Barack Obama will lead us all into a new age of prosperity.
PA Secretary: Ladies and Gentlemen, the President of the United States.
Obama: I’d like to speak briefly about the state of our economy.
D [running into the room]: Close the Gate up right now!
JN: At arms!
D [as guards aim guns]: No, no, no, no, no, no. W-whatever you do, just don’t let him near that device.
M [mockingly]: Oh, like that was ever gonna happen!
[The Master uses his power to fling off the straightjacket and collar. He leaps into the Immortality Gate with a loud roar.
The Doctor stares at him in horror, knowing that, whatever he’s going to do, this is going to be very, very bad.]
M [even more mocking]: Homeless, was I? Destitute and dying? Well, look at me now!
D: Deactivate it! All of you! Turn the whole thing off!
[Everyone is beginning to shake their heads in obvious pain. The Master’s laugh from the nightmare is heard.]
JN [speaking with difficulty]: He’s… inside my head.
[The Doctor looks from person to person, watching as they struggle.]
D [diving at the machine]: Get out of there!
[The Master shoots a bolt of power that throws him back.]
WM: Doctor! [coming into the room] Doctor, there’s… there’s this face.
[The Doctor runs to him, concerned.]
D: What is it, what can you see?
WM: Well, it’s him! I can see him! I keep seeing his face.
Newsreader [hand to her ear]: Something’s wrong. It seems to be – affecting the President.
[After seeing the President with his face in his hands, the Doctor looks back at the Immortality Gate and the Master.]
D: I can’t turn it off!
M [sneering]: That’s because I locked it! Idiot.
D [grabbing Wilf’s hand and pulling him to one of the secure rooms]: Wilfred! Get inside there now!
[Wilf unlocks the other door and lets himself into that room, pushing the former occupant out. The Doctor begins playing with the dials.]
D: Just need to filter the levels.
W [touching his temples]: Oh, I can’t see him now – he’s gone!
D: Radiation shielding. Now press the button and let me out.
W: Do what?
D: I can’t get out until you press the button. That button there!
[Wilf finally gets it and unlocks the door to free the Doctor.]
M: Fifty seconds and counting.
D: To what?!
M [chuckling]: Oh, you’re gonna love this!
Rossiter [panicking]: He was hiking the codes. He’s extrapolating the gate power a million times over!
Addams [confused]: It’s not affecting us!
Rossiter: He’s set the template for human!
[As the Doctor works frantically, Wilf’s phone rings. He pulls out the gun first and tries to answer it before getting his phone. He pulls it out to see Donna’s name.]
WM: Donna?
DN: Where are you? It’s Mum and Shaun. Something’s wrong with them.
SY [staring into space]: There’s this face.
[Sylvia and Shaun have glimpses of the Master laughing.]
WM: Wait I minute, I mean, what about you? Can’t you see anything?
DN: I can see them! That’s bad enough!
[Wilf’s phone rings and he looks down to see Winston calling him.]
WM: Not now, Winston!
WK: Wilfred, those dreams! I can remember! That face!
[Everyone around him is holding their heads as if in pain.]
Boy: There’s a face! In my head!
WK: Wilfred! It’s everyone!
D: What is it – hypnotism? Mind control? You’re grafting your thoughts inside them, is that it?
M: Ooh, that’s way too easy! No, no, no. They’re not gonna think like me. They’re gonna become me!
[The Master holds out his arms.]
M: And – zero!
[A brilliant light shoots out of the machine, through the room and across the entire planet. Everyone begins madly shaking their heads. Donna, apparently unaffected, is staring at her mother and Shaun, almost in tears at what’s happening to them. Faces begin flickering into the Master’s features.]
D [fiercely]: He can’t have!
WM [confused and afraid]: What is it?
[Finally everyone stops shaking, only to look exactly like the Master. Donna stares, shocked and horrified, at her former mother and fiancée.]
DN: But they’ve changed! Granddad, it’s like – like the sort of thing that happened – before.
[Donna suddenly has a series of memory flashes – the Racnoss, the Vespiform, Sontarans, Dalek Caan, Pyroviles, Ood, Daleks. She reaches for her forehead in obvious agony.]
DN: My head! Oh, my head. Oh, my head!
WM [realising]: Doctor!
[The Doctor looks over, seeing Wilf almost in tears.]
WM: She’s starting to remember!
[The President changes to the Master.]
WM: What is it? What have you done, you monster?
[The Master turns to look at Wilf.]
M: Oh, I’m sorry, are you talking to me?!
The Master wearing Joshua’s clothes: Or to me.
The Master wearing Abigail’s clothes: Or to me.
The Master wearing Danes’ clothes: Or to me.
The Master wearing guards’ clothes: Or to us.
The Master wearing the newsreader’s clothes: Breaking news. I’m everyone. And everyone in the world is me!
The Master wearing Obama’s clothes: I’m President. President of the United States. Look at me.
[The Master in various journalist’s clothing applaud [applauds?] heartily.]
The Master wearing Obama’s clothes: Oh, financial solution. Deleted! [laughs]
[The members of the press gallery – the Master, of course – cheer and applaud. Or is it cheers and applauds? I have no idea if it should be singular or plural. Different people, but all the same person. Please discuss the problems of plurality in the comments. *g*]
[The Master steps out of the Gate and walks over to the other version of himself in the room.]
Original Master: The human race has always been your favourite, Doctor.
[The Doctor stands facing him, looking helpless.]
Original Master: But now there is no human race. There is only the Master Race!
[The Original Master laughs as the Doctor looks on in horror. The various incarnations of the Master begin to laugh all over the world.]
N: And so it came to pass, on Christmas Day, that the human race did cease to exist. But even then, the Master had no concept of his greater role in events, for this was far more than humanity's end.
[The image flies back from Earth, through space.]
N: This day was the day upon which the whole of creation would change forever. This was the day the Time Lords returned.
[The Lord President is shown in full, with two Time Lords standing and two others kneeling behind him. Those standing are in full ceremonial robes and collars.]
N: For Gallifrey!
Time Lords: For Gallifrey!
N: For victory!
Time Lords: For victory!
N: For the end of time itself!
[The camera pans back to show row after row of Time Lords rising in tiers around the room where the Narrator is speaking.]
Time Lords: For the end of time itself!
Now on to Part III
[The scene cuts to the Master’s wide eyes. He sniffs, realising that the Doctor has found him, and then turns. The sound of something metal dragging in the dust is repeated.
The Doctor and the Master walk towards each other.
The Master glances at his hands, which sparkle and glow. The Master uses the power to shoot bolts of lightning at the Doctor, but they strike the building behind him and the Doctor keeps walking.
Fire briefly illuminates the Doctor’s features. The Master rubs his hands together to generate a greater force and then shoots the bolt and the Doctor. It hits him in the chest and he stops, wavering on his feet, arms flung out, his face working in agony.
He staggers towards his adversary and then falls to his knees, but the Master runs to grab him before he can drop to the ground.
For a moment, the Master stares into the Doctor’s face before letting him go. The Doctor falls to the ground, panting and grunting for breath, fighting the pain. The Master sinks into a squat, his arms resting on his knees, only a short distance from the Doctor.]
M [disdainfully]: I had estates. D’you remember my father’s land back home? Pastures of red grass, stretching far across the slopes of Mount Perdition. [as the Doctor continues to struggle for breath] We used to run across those fields all day. Calling up at the sky. [settles back against a mound of debris] Look at us now!
D [still lying on the ground]: All that eloquence, but how many people have you killed?
M [warningly]: I am so hungry!
D: Your resurrection went wrong. That energy… [struggles for breath] Your body’s ripped open. Now you’re killing yourself.
M: That’s human Christmas, out there! [gestures angrily] They eat so much! All that roasting meat. Cakes and red wine. Hot fat blood food. Pots and plates of meat and flesh and grease and juice and baking burnt sticky hot skin. Hot this, hot that, oh…
D: Stop it!
M: Sliced… sliced…
D: Stop it!
M: It’s mine, it’s mine, it’s mine, it’s mine. Eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it.
D [at the same time]: Stop it!
[There’s a moment’s silence.]
D [weakly]: What if I ask you for help?
[The Master laughs at the ridiculous suggestion.]
D: There’s more at work tonight than you and me.
M [mockingly, in a normal voice]: Oh, yeah?
D [slowly, clearly still in pain]: I’ve been told, something is returning.
M [victoriously]: And here I am!
D [shakes head]: No, something more.
M: But it hurts!
D: I was told – the end of time!
M: It hurts! Doctor, the noise! The noise in my head!
[The Master gets on his hands and knees and begins crawling in the dust towards the Doctor.]
M: Doctor! One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four. Stronger than ever before. [confused, as drumming becomes audible] Can’t you hear it?
D [shakes head, apologetic]: I’m sorry.
M: Please! Listen, listen, listen, listen. [the drumming becomes louder] Every minute. Every second. [looking suddenly helpless] Every beat of my hearts. There it is. Calling to me. [begging] Please, listen!
D [helplessly]: I can’t hear it.
[The Master gets down so he’s only inches from the Doctor’s face.]
M [growls]: Listen!
[Finally he grabs the Doctor’s face in his hands, pressing his forehead to the Doctor’s, his eyes closed in intense concentration. The Doctor suddenly startles back, wrenching himself free.]
M: What?
D [breathless]: That’s…
M: What?!
D [shocked, horrified]: I heard it.
[The Master straightens up, as if vindicated.]
D [on his haunches on the ground]: But there’s no noise. [as the Master gets to his feet] There never has been. It’s just your insanity! It’s – What is it? [breathing hard] What’s inside your head?
[The Master begins to laugh hysterically, triumphant.]
M: It’s real! It’s real. [screaming] It’s real!!
[Bolts of power come from the Master’s hands, propelling him into the sky. The Doctor staggers to his feet, still in obvious pain, running but glancing up into the sky for the Master. The Master laughs and the Doctor chases the sound, stopping to see the Master on a nearby mound of dirt.]
M: All these years, you thought I was mad! [raises an arm in victory]
M: King of the wasteland. But something is calling me, Doctor. What is it? What is it?! What is it?!!
[A light suddenly illuminates the Master from above. He looks up to find a spotlight on him. Another light snaps on above the Doctor, who also stares upwards, staggering back as he tries to see the source. Ropes drop on either side of the Master]
M: Ahh!
[Men in black outfits slide down the ropes as the Master laughs, his hands held out wide as if being celebrated. The men grab him, injecting something into his neck and the Master goes limp.]
D: No!
[The Doctor runs for the group, but men begin shooting at him and, as the men on the ropes signal for the helicopter to winch them up, the Doctor has to run to avoid being shot.]
D [referring to the Master]: Let him go!
[Something hits the Doctor, who lies spreadeagled on the ground, unmoving as the helicopter takes off. The spotlight trails away over the rocks and dirt.
Wilf opens a wrapped present and finds a book called Fighting the Future by Joshua Naismith.]
DN [breezing in]: Now then, steady on. It’s never too early for margaritas, that’s what I say. I forgot to get lemons, so I used oranges instead. It’s all fruit, same difference.
SN [looking at a striped top, with false cheerfulness]: Oh, now that’s lovely, look at that, absolutely beautiful! [looks at tag] Oh, love from Donna. Did you keep the receipt?
DN [smiling painedly]: Yes I did. [nudging Wilf] Come on, Gramps, you’ve been a right misery ever since you got up. [gesturing at book] D’you like it then? The book?
WM: Joshua Naismith? I mean, what d’you get me this for?
DN [unsure]: I dunno. I just – saw it in the shop and – thought of you. [distantly as she stares into the distance] Just felt like the sort of thing you should have.
[Her thought is interrupted by Sylvia’s laughter.]
SN [holding up a card]: Oh, now look at that, that’s from Charlie Morton, isn’t that rude?
[Donna goes over to look at the card and joins in her mother’s laughter. Wilf turns away to examine the book.
Joshua Naismith is standing in the same position as on the cover of the book and waves at a man with his index finger.]
JN: If you would, Mr Danes.
[Three men in suits are standing near a window. The middle man moves away to a chair where the Master is tied in. He opens his mouth and licks his lips as his gag is removed]
M: I’m starving!
JN [smiling]: You have my daughter to thank for this. [moves over to stand beside Abigail] It’s all her idea. [glancing at the Master] She heard rumours of Harold Saxon, his disciples, his return. It’s the sort of thing she finds rather – thrilling.
AN [happily]: And I was right – he’s back.
[The Master smiles and closes his eyes in satisfaction.]
AN: The very man we need and he’s here.
[The Master licks his lips like an animal and opens his eyes.]
AN: Oh! [claps hands] This is gonna be wonderful!
[The Master finally looks at her and smiles.
Donna’s fiancée arrives at the Noble home.]
ST [carrying pile of gifts]: Aye, aye, here are the presents!
[There is an exclamation of delight from everyone.]
ST: I’m sorry, I couldn’t afford much, but not for long, not if President Obama ends the recession tonight. [to Donna] Come here!
[He hugs her affectionately.]
WM: Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Keep it quiet, you lot, it’s the Queen’s speech now, come on. Sit down, show respect. Come on.
ST [giving him gift]: Merry Christmas Mr Mott! [kisses his cheek]
WM: Thank you. [throws him off gently as the others laugh] Will you behave, you? Honestly! All right, now, whoa, she’s on, she’s on. It’s our sovereign.
[Wilf sits in front of the television, which is showing a picture of Buckingham Palace, and salutes.
The television suddenly goes strange, with the woman Wilf saw at the church cutting in and out of the guards marching. The image of the woman solidifies and Wilf drops the salute.]
WM: Hey?
Woman: Events are moving, Wilfred.
WM: Eh?
Woman [distressed]: Faster than we thought.
[Wilf tries to get the attention of the others, but they’re distracted.]
WM [pointing at the screen]: Oi, can you see that?
D [careless]: Frankly, I’d tell Her Majesty it’s time for trouser suits.
WM: No, no, no, no, that’s not the Q-
Woman: Only you can see. Only you stand at the heart of co-incidence.
WM: Why, what have I done?
Woman: You’re an old soldier, sir. Only you were too late. The war was won and passed you by.
WM [indignant]: I did my duty!
Woman: You never killed a man.
WM [shaking head]: No, I didn’t. No, I did not, no, but… Don’t say that like it’s shameful!
Woman: The time will come when you must take arms.
WM [worried]: Who are you?
Woman: Tell the Doctor nothing of this. His life could still be saved. So long as you tell him nothing.
[The picture changes back to a horse-drawn carriage. Wilf turns to the others to get their attention, but then turns back again, indecisive and confused.
As Sylvia and Donna laugh, Wilf goes into his room and gets out a gun from a case under the bed. He checks that it’s loaded and then goes to the window to see the Doctor and the TARDIS. As he comes out of the house, the Doctor comes around the TARDIS to greet him.]
D [referring to the Master]: I lost him. I was unconscious. He’s still on Earth. I can smell him, but he’s too far away.
WM [gesturing at the TARDIS]: You can’t park there. What if Donna sees it?
D: You’re the only one, Wilf. The only connection I can think of. You’re involved. If I could just – work out how. [lunges at Wilf] Tell me, have you see anything. I don’t know, anything strange, anything odd.
WM [nervously]: Well, there was a…
D: What? What is it – tell me!
WM: Well, it was – no, it’s nothing.
D [desperate]: Think, think, think. Maybe – maybe something out of the blue, something connected to your life. Something!
WM: Well, Donna was a bit strange. She had a funny little moment this morning, all because of that book.
D: What book?
[Wilf comes out of the house, holding Fighting the Future. The Doctor is waiting in the back garden.]
WM: Right, his name’s Joshua Naismith.
D [realisation]: That’s the man! I was shown him by the Ood.
WM: By the what?
D: By the Ood.
WM: What’s the Ood?
D: Oh, just the Ood. It’s all part of the convergence. [looks up in realisation] Maybe touching Donna’s subconscious. [smiles happily] Oh, she’s still fighting for us even now. The DoctorDonna.
[Wilf smiles back, pleased to see the Doctor happy.
SN [as she comes outside]: Dad, what are you up to?
[Sylvia turns to see the Doctor, who moves behind Wilf and looks as if he’s readying himself for a fight. Wilf looks as if he very much wishes Sylvia hadn’t turned up.]
SN [hissing]: It’s you! But – Get out of here!
D [attempting to placate her]: Merry Christmas.
SN: Merry Christmas. But she can’t see you! What if she remembers?
DN [inside the house]: Mum, where are those tweezers?
SN: Go!
D [turns away]: I’m going.
WM: Yeah, me too!
SN: Oh, no you don’t!
DN [coming to the door]: Mum? Gramps?
SN: Dad! I’m warning you!
WM [waving back behind his head at her]: Bye bye! See you later!
DN: Oh, I’m a bit old for hide and seek!
SN: Stay right where you are!
D [glances at him in irritation]: You can’t come with me.
WM [gestures at his daughter]: Well, you're not leaving me with her!
SN: Dad!
D: Fair enough.
[They bundle into the TARDIS as Sylvia continues to berate them.]
DN [in the background]: Mum?
SN: Just you listen to me, I forbid it!
[The TARDIS begins to dematerialise.]
SN: Get out of there! Doctor! Bring my father back right now! Come back here!
[Donna comes out of the front look, looking at her mother in confusion.]
SN [screaming at the empty space]: Come back here, I said! Come back!
DN [mockingly]: Are you shouting at thin air?
SN [somewhat lost for words]: Yes. [glances back to where TARDIS was and then looks back] Possibly. Yes.
[The Doctor is racing around the console, book in hand, making it fly.]
D: Naismith. [shoves book at Wilf] If I can track him down… [glances at Wilf and realises he’s a bit shocked (which may well be the understatement of the year)] Ah. Right. Yes. Bigger on the inside. D’you like it?
WM: I thought it'd be cleaner.
D [indignant]: Cleaner? [points at him in annoyance] I can take you back home right now.
WM: Listen, Doctor. If this is a time machine, that man you're chasing, why can't you just pop back to yesterday and catch him?
D: I can't go back inside my own timeline. I have to stay relative to the Master within the causal nexus. Understand?
WM: Not a word.
D [offers his hand]: Welcome aboard.
WM [shakes the Doctor’s hand]: Thank you.
[The door to Joshua Naismith’s laboratory is opened and he strides in, followed by Abigail, the Master in a straitjacket and several guards. The Master, having been glaring at Abigail, now notices the large machine and stares at it.]
JN [pointing at Addams, who is behind her computer]: Demonstrate it.
[Addams types several commands into the computer and the lights in the machine spark. The Master raises his eyebrows, as if impressed or amused by the sight.]
M: Ooh, that's not from Earth!
JN: And neither are you.
[Rossiter turns in his seat, as if afraid the accusation was directed at him.]
JN: The perfect combination, don’t you think?
Rossiter [jumps up and points to the door]: Excuse me, sir, if I could check the basement. We’re getting fluctuation on the power ports.
[Addams glances at her other colleagues warily.]
JN: Of course.
[Rossiter glances at his colleague.]
Rossiter: Miss Addams, if you could bring the calibration statistics?
[While the Master continues to study the machine, Rossiter and Addams hurry into the basement.]
Rossiter [panicked]: Who the hell is he? What if he finds out? An expert, they said. Well, w-what sort of expert?! Who is he?!
Addams: I don’t know! According to the records, Harold Saxon was Prime Minister of this stupid country. [cricks neck] I’m choking in this thing! I’m sorry!
[She presses her watch like a button and a light passes up her body so that she converts into a figure with green skin and sharp points instead of hair on her head. She rolls her head around, enjoying the freedom.]
Addams: Oh! By the saints, that’s better! Oh, these people are so [stops before swearing] flat.
[Rossiter does the same thing with his watch, converting into a similar creature.]
Rossiter: But what do we do? We were so close! We almost had it working!
Addams: What if this visitor is some sort of genius? [Rossiter shrugs] Well, think about it! We’re hijacking this project. Maybe we can use him too! [Rossiter nods] Harold Saxon, or whatever he is, might be exactly what we need.
[Joshua is sitting at a table opposite the Master. Abigail stands behind her father.]
JN: The gate was found… inside a spaceship. Buried at the foot of Mount Snowdon. It was moved to an institute known as Torchwood. But when Torchwood fell… [pauses and then smiles] let’s just say – I acquired it.
[The Master smiles in response, perhaps recognising a kindred spirit.]
M: I like you.
JN [still smiling]: Thank you.
M [eyeing him up and down]: You’d taste great!
[Joshua’s smile vanishes and, for the first time, he looks uncertain. He backs away, getting out of his chair.]
JN: Mr… Danes.
Danes: The visitor will be given food.
[A butler approaches carrying a tray covered with a silver cover. The Master turns, looking relieved. A large roast chicken is revealed.
The Master dives on it, tearing it to pieces and devouring it like a ravenous beast. Sounds of breaking bones and tearing can be heard.
Joshua glances somewhat anxiously as his daughter. Abigail is disturbed by a glance that the Master casts in her direction while he is ramming chicken into his mouth. In moments, only a pile of bones remains.]
JN [disturbed, or perhaps disgusted]: Anyway, the device came equipped with its own power supply. A nuclear bolt.
[One men in white coats is locked in a sealed chamber. Another enters the other chamber and the locks are switched, allowing the first man to get out.]
JN: One technician remains in charge of the feedback twenty-four hours a day. And the power feeds through to the gate. It encourages some sort of cellular regeneration. Miss Collins was our test subject.
[A young woman in a lab coat turns away from the computer and moves to his side.]
JN: She carried some burns as a result of an accident when she was a child, down her left side. [gestures to her] If you… could.
[Miss Collins pulls up her sleeve to reveal a completely healthy arm.]
JN: The gate mended her. [glances at her] Thank you.
M [knowingly]: But what do you want it for?
JN: We calculate that if this device can be fully repaired, by your good self, it can restore the body – forever! Hence its given title – the Immortality Gate. Because that’s what I want. [as the Master smirks knowingly] Not for me. But for my daughter. [walking over to Abigail] I want her never to die. My gift to her! She will be immortal!
AN [smugly, talking to the Master]: Abigail. It means bringer of joy.
[The TARDIS materialises in an old barn. The Master, at the table, inhales deeply, clearly smelling that the Doctor is back on Earth. He turns to a computer.]
M: Better get to work.
[As the Master begins to type and symbols dance across the computer screen, the door of the TARDIS opens and Wilf gets out.]
WM: We’ve moved! We’ve really moved!
D: You should stay here.
WM: No, not bloody likely!
D: And don’t swear! Hold on! [points the key at the TARDIS, which makes it vanish, having clearly learned his lesson last time he faced the Master] Just a second out of sync. Don’t want the Master finding the TARDIS. That’s the last thing we need!
[The Doctor and Wilf run along the outside of the building, darting back around the corner just in time to avoid being spotted by two guards.]
WM: That book said he’s a billionaire. He’s got his own private army!
D [glances towards covered passage and then back at Wilf]: Down here.
[The Doctor sonics a small door and then opens it, disappearing inside. Wilf is quick to follow. The Master, meanwhile is working at very high speed.]
Rossiter [back in human form, speaking over a p.a. system to his colleague in the cellar]: Miss Addams, we’re getting some encouraging results from the ratio foldback. Can you confirm?
Addams [smiling]: The man’s a miracle. All the systems are slotting back into place. Shatterthreads have harmonised. The fibrelinks have densified. The multiple overshots have triplicated.
D [poking his head around a door]: Nice game!
W [peering around other side]: Hello!
D [smug]: Don’t try calling security or I’ll tell them you’re wearing a shimmer. ‘Cos I reckon anyone wearing a shimmer doesn’t want the shimmer to be noticed or they wouldn’t need a shimmer in the first place.
Addams [playing dumb]: I’m s-sorry, what’s a ‘shimmer’?
D [pointing sonic at her]: Shimmer!
[Her image wavers, as it did before, and she turns back into the green alien.]
Addams [stops smiling and drops pose]: Oh!
W [pointing]: Oh, my lord, she’s a cactus!
[Miss Addams glares at him in irritation.]
Rossiter [over p.a.] Miss Addams? Miss Addams! [turns to Joshua] If you’ll – just excuse me.
[Joshua and Abigail share a little smile, as if understanding what’s going on.]
JN: Now, please don’t imagine I’m a slave driver.
[The Master smirks, continuing to work at top speed.]
JN: We can resume work on Boxing Day, Mr Saxon.
[Abigail looks at her father as if impressed that he is offering kindness to the man who is, after all, wearing a dog-collar and is his slave.]
M [grimly, but with a tiny smile]: My name – is the Master.
[He presses a button and the screen, with all fifteen symbols, turns bright red. The Master tucks his hands behind his head and stretches his neck and if pleased with what he’s done.
The overhead lights in the room go out and then the Immortality Gate begins to glow.]
JN [delighted]: Oh! Excellent. Excellent! [glancing at the guard] Mr Danes!
Danes: The visitor will be restrained.
M [confused]: What? [sarcastically, perhaps having expected this] But I repaired it!
JN [angrily]: I’m not an idiot! [glances at Immortality Gate] Don’t let him anywhere near that thing!
[As a man approaches the Master with the straightjacket, Joshua pulls his daughter into a hug.]
D [diving at a computer]: He got it working, but what is it? What’s working?
[Rossiter runs down the hall to find out what’s going on.]
Rossiter: What are you doing here?
D [pointing sonic at him, but not taking his eyes off the computer screen]: Shimmer!
[Rossiter, too, turns back into an obvious alien. Addams peers around Wilf at Rossiter, a warning look on her face.]
D: Now, quickly, tell me, what’s going on. [as Rossiter desperately shakes his head] Harold Saxon. Skeletor. Whatever you’re calling him. What’s he doing up there?
[The Master is once more restrained. He’s smiling dangerously as Joshua speaks.]
JN: Your reputation precedes you, sir. I have no doubt you’ve laid traps. Perhaps explosives. A means of escape. Murder. But everything you’ve done to the gate will be checked and double-checked before anyone stands inside.
[As the Doctor checks the computer, while Addamms waits with her hands on her hips, Rossiter steps forward.]
Rossiter: But I checked the readings. He’s done good work. It’s operational.
D [glancing at him]: Who are you though? ‘Cos I’ve met someone like you. He was brilliant. But he was little and red.
Addams [frustrated]: No, that’s a Zocci.
Rossiter: We’re not Zocci, we’re Vinvocci! Completely different.
[The Doctor shrugs a little.]
Addams: And the Gate is Vinvocci. [sighs] We’re a salvage team! We picked up the signal when the humans reactivated it. And as soon as it’s working, we transport it to the ship.
D [irritated]: But – what does it do?!
Rossiter: Well – it – mends. It’s as simple as that. It’s a medical device to repair the body. It makes people better.
D [suspiciously shaking his head]: No. There’s got to be more. Every single warning says the Master’s gonna do something colossal.
WM [pointing at machine]: So that thing’s like a sickbed, yeah?
Addams: More or less…
WM: Well, pardon me for asking, but why is it so big?
D [impressed]: Oh, good question! Why is it so big?
Addams [fed up]: It doesn’t just mend one person at a time.
Rossiter [chuckling]: That would be ridiculous.
Addams [as if to a child]: It mends whole planets.
[The Doctor, beginning to understand now, stares at them in confusion and horror.]
D: It does what?
Addams [carelessly, not realising why he’s reacting that way]: It transmits the medical template across the entire population.
[Tearing off his glasses, the Doctor runs from the room.
The Master’s shackles are secured as Joshua talks to his daughter.]
JN: But it’s time for the broadcast. The President’s grand initiative. You might want to see this, sir. Proof that the human race can mend its own problems.
Newsreader: And now anticipation is rising as we go live to Washington. Here, on Christmas Day, the President has promised an instant and radical solution to the worldwide depression. Barack Obama will lead us all into a new age of prosperity.
PA Secretary: Ladies and Gentlemen, the President of the United States.
Obama: I’d like to speak briefly about the state of our economy.
D [running into the room]: Close the Gate up right now!
JN: At arms!
D [as guards aim guns]: No, no, no, no, no, no. W-whatever you do, just don’t let him near that device.
M [mockingly]: Oh, like that was ever gonna happen!
[The Master uses his power to fling off the straightjacket and collar. He leaps into the Immortality Gate with a loud roar.
The Doctor stares at him in horror, knowing that, whatever he’s going to do, this is going to be very, very bad.]
M [even more mocking]: Homeless, was I? Destitute and dying? Well, look at me now!
D: Deactivate it! All of you! Turn the whole thing off!
[Everyone is beginning to shake their heads in obvious pain. The Master’s laugh from the nightmare is heard.]
JN [speaking with difficulty]: He’s… inside my head.
[The Doctor looks from person to person, watching as they struggle.]
D [diving at the machine]: Get out of there!
[The Master shoots a bolt of power that throws him back.]
WM: Doctor! [coming into the room] Doctor, there’s… there’s this face.
[The Doctor runs to him, concerned.]
D: What is it, what can you see?
WM: Well, it’s him! I can see him! I keep seeing his face.
Newsreader [hand to her ear]: Something’s wrong. It seems to be – affecting the President.
[After seeing the President with his face in his hands, the Doctor looks back at the Immortality Gate and the Master.]
D: I can’t turn it off!
M [sneering]: That’s because I locked it! Idiot.
D [grabbing Wilf’s hand and pulling him to one of the secure rooms]: Wilfred! Get inside there now!
[Wilf unlocks the other door and lets himself into that room, pushing the former occupant out. The Doctor begins playing with the dials.]
D: Just need to filter the levels.
W [touching his temples]: Oh, I can’t see him now – he’s gone!
D: Radiation shielding. Now press the button and let me out.
W: Do what?
D: I can’t get out until you press the button. That button there!
[Wilf finally gets it and unlocks the door to free the Doctor.]
M: Fifty seconds and counting.
D: To what?!
M [chuckling]: Oh, you’re gonna love this!
Rossiter [panicking]: He was hiking the codes. He’s extrapolating the gate power a million times over!
Addams [confused]: It’s not affecting us!
Rossiter: He’s set the template for human!
[As the Doctor works frantically, Wilf’s phone rings. He pulls out the gun first and tries to answer it before getting his phone. He pulls it out to see Donna’s name.]
WM: Donna?
DN: Where are you? It’s Mum and Shaun. Something’s wrong with them.
SY [staring into space]: There’s this face.
[Sylvia and Shaun have glimpses of the Master laughing.]
WM: Wait I minute, I mean, what about you? Can’t you see anything?
DN: I can see them! That’s bad enough!
[Wilf’s phone rings and he looks down to see Winston calling him.]
WM: Not now, Winston!
WK: Wilfred, those dreams! I can remember! That face!
[Everyone around him is holding their heads as if in pain.]
Boy: There’s a face! In my head!
WK: Wilfred! It’s everyone!
D: What is it – hypnotism? Mind control? You’re grafting your thoughts inside them, is that it?
M: Ooh, that’s way too easy! No, no, no. They’re not gonna think like me. They’re gonna become me!
[The Master holds out his arms.]
M: And – zero!
[A brilliant light shoots out of the machine, through the room and across the entire planet. Everyone begins madly shaking their heads. Donna, apparently unaffected, is staring at her mother and Shaun, almost in tears at what’s happening to them. Faces begin flickering into the Master’s features.]
D [fiercely]: He can’t have!
WM [confused and afraid]: What is it?
[Finally everyone stops shaking, only to look exactly like the Master. Donna stares, shocked and horrified, at her former mother and fiancée.]
DN: But they’ve changed! Granddad, it’s like – like the sort of thing that happened – before.
[Donna suddenly has a series of memory flashes – the Racnoss, the Vespiform, Sontarans, Dalek Caan, Pyroviles, Ood, Daleks. She reaches for her forehead in obvious agony.]
DN: My head! Oh, my head. Oh, my head!
WM [realising]: Doctor!
[The Doctor looks over, seeing Wilf almost in tears.]
WM: She’s starting to remember!
[The President changes to the Master.]
WM: What is it? What have you done, you monster?
[The Master turns to look at Wilf.]
M: Oh, I’m sorry, are you talking to me?!
The Master wearing Joshua’s clothes: Or to me.
The Master wearing Abigail’s clothes: Or to me.
The Master wearing Danes’ clothes: Or to me.
The Master wearing guards’ clothes: Or to us.
The Master wearing the newsreader’s clothes: Breaking news. I’m everyone. And everyone in the world is me!
The Master wearing Obama’s clothes: I’m President. President of the United States. Look at me.
[The Master in various journalist’s clothing applaud [applauds?] heartily.]
The Master wearing Obama’s clothes: Oh, financial solution. Deleted! [laughs]
[The members of the press gallery – the Master, of course – cheer and applaud. Or is it cheers and applauds? I have no idea if it should be singular or plural. Different people, but all the same person. Please discuss the problems of plurality in the comments. *g*]
[The Master steps out of the Gate and walks over to the other version of himself in the room.]
Original Master: The human race has always been your favourite, Doctor.
[The Doctor stands facing him, looking helpless.]
Original Master: But now there is no human race. There is only the Master Race!
[The Original Master laughs as the Doctor looks on in horror. The various incarnations of the Master begin to laugh all over the world.]
N: And so it came to pass, on Christmas Day, that the human race did cease to exist. But even then, the Master had no concept of his greater role in events, for this was far more than humanity's end.
[The image flies back from Earth, through space.]
N: This day was the day upon which the whole of creation would change forever. This was the day the Time Lords returned.
[The Lord President is shown in full, with two Time Lords standing and two others kneeling behind him. Those standing are in full ceremonial robes and collars.]
N: For Gallifrey!
Time Lords: For Gallifrey!
N: For victory!
Time Lords: For victory!
N: For the end of time itself!
[The camera pans back to show row after row of Time Lords rising in tiers around the room where the Narrator is speaking.]
Time Lords: For the end of time itself!
Now on to Part III