Blake's 7 (1978) s02e07 Episode Script
Killer
Do you know where we want to be? Yes Let me see you locate it TRACKINGSIGNAL All right, make it quick So that's it? Uhuh Not like home How are we going to get inside? We'llfind a way Come on They're down What? Avon and Vila, they're a mile from the Q Base Just a minute What is it? We've picked something up We think What? I'll swear it's moving Zen, give us optimum range on the aft scanners Confirmed There it is, look The spectro says it's ferrous Could still be a meteor a long way off Clear vision Confirmed It's certainly not a meteor Incredible Well, what is it? Probably the oldest ship you'll ever see, Wanderer class, the first Earth ships to reach deep space So how old? Six, seven hundred years Close vision It's hardly moving They were slow, Jenna, infraluminal Question is, how did it get here? Well, what do you mean? Well, even travelling at maximum speed it would take, what, three thousand years for one of those things to get this far out It must have been lifted here And then set adrift? Why? I think we should take a look No Oh Cally, there can hardly be any danger I detect life Human life? Yes Oh I don't know, there is something I'm confused ROCKET IGNITION AND LIFT-OFF Attention! Sensors indicate a surface launch A missile? No, it can't be They can't have spotted Liberator We've got the blind down There it is, look, just leaving the ionosphere They're sending up a salvagerfrom Fosforon Well, they'll get a surprise Seven centuries It just doesn't seen possible It isn't, and that is what is worrying me Are you alright Cally? They're ready They're watching Who? What are you talking about? Cally, what are you picking up? I don't know, but Blake, there is something malignant on that ship We can get inside through here Must we? FISSION CUTTER ENTRY COMM Have you checked with Section Six? Yes sir, there is something there They're watching it sir, but it won't come nearerthan two hundred thousand miles It will now Tak, Dr Bellfriar sent out a recovery team It's only a piece of junk It's too smallto be anything important Dr Bellfriar hasn't much to do; he should take up a hobby Make sure he gets ground transportation and course co ordination willyou please? Right Sir That's all What will Dr Bellfriar do with it, sir? He'll bring it back to his laboratories and analyse it Then analyse what he's analysed I could never understand why a scientist of his eminence should choose to bury himself here This is where he'll be How do you know? He's the base commander, this the command centre, it has a certain logic wouldn't you say? Well, he might be on holiday Put this on What do you callthis, then? Orac, I want to tap Central Spacecraft Registry Can you do that? Tap? What is that? Obtain information from the records That is possible, but it will take time I want the histories of every Wanderer Class One spacecraft ever registered Very well This information will be relayed as obtained through the auxiliary monitor Stillworried? It's not our concern, you know I don't like mysteries Zen, range the aft scanners on that ship again Confirmed That salvagerwill be making hull contact within the hour I think they should be warned What about? There's life aboard Blake, that is a Federation base down there The salvagers are manned by Federation personnel They're human I need proof of that Cally is not often wrong What do you men want? Hello Tynus Kerr Avon How the devil did you get here? Something called a teleport system It beats shuttles Come into my quarters It's saferthere Did anyone see you? Well if they did, they didn't look twice Do you mind? We've just been through a pipe Are you sure no one saw you? We didn't hear any alarms That, by the way, is Vila Yes, yes, one of your colleagues from the Liberator I see they're keeping you in touch Well, amongst otherthings Q Base is also a radio link station Fosforon may be a hole in the middle of nowhere, but we still get Federation gossip That's why we're here I don't understand What do you mean? Tynus, you really didn't think that I dropped in to talk over old times? No Blake sent us The Federation have started transmitting A line messages using a new pulse code We need to break that code That's impossible Not impossible, Tynus Remember, we trained together That code is unbreakable without a TP crystaltuned into that pulse Exactly That's what we've come for No, I can't do it You can And you will It's more than my life's worth, Avon We need that crystal, Tynus You must have a spare They always supply two It's not that easy I'm only the commandertechnician here Federation Security is in charge of all sensitive stores I see All right, the TP crystal is part of the A line converter, is that right? Yes Then it will have to break down You can arrange a little malfunction there, then apply forthe replacement crystal, we'lltake the old one We don't mind second hand goods, do we Vila? No, we're not fussy I don't think you know what you're asking I know exactly what I'm asking COMMUNICATOR CHIME I'm wanted What's your answer? I'll have to think about it I must go I hope you can trust him I told you, he's a friend of mine Yes, I always knew you had a friend I used to say to people ''I bet Avon's got a friend, somewhere in the galaxy'' And you were right That must be a novel experience for you Where did this originate? We don't know sir; the message came in on all channels simultaneously Couldn't you trace the source? We're trying sir, but the signalwas so powerful that it knocked everything out, even the landlines Well, get this message to Dr Bellfriar I think it's intended for his department Before you do that, make sure this message is A lined to Federation Headquarters Command Right sir Allthe home comforts Leave that stuff alone You live yourway, I'll live mine Mm, must be all of two days old Nervous? Just careful We've just received this odd message I think it's from your friends on the Liberator ""Advise your recovery crew to proceed with utmost caution, derelict spacecraft may contain hostile life '' What does it mean? A few hours ago, detectors picked up some space debris We sent a ship to investigate Well, I suppose it could be from Blake He has these generous impulses By the way, why don't our detectors pick up the Liberator? Anti detection screen, one of Avon's gadgets We're expecting it to break down any time Let's get back to the TP crystal, that's what we're here for You know you're asking me to commit suicide Is there something wrong with your memory, Tynus? You owe me, remember? Not enough to put my head on the block We were in a fraud together When I was arrested, I kept my mouth shut If I hadn't, old friend, you would be sweating out the rest of your life on a convict planet, and that could still happen if I were to let the authorities know So that's the way it is? Well, let's just say I did you a favour and now I'm collecting Nice When Avon holds out the hand of friendship, watch his other hand That's the one with the hammer Ah sir, this came about the recovery team ""Derelict spacecraft may contain hostile life '' This a joke? That's the message Who sent it? Nobody seems to know What's Tynus doing? Painting, I imagine That's how he spends most of his time Oh, the man's space happy, of course This base is full of psychotics Do you think the signal is a hoax? No, this message was sent before anyone could have known what that recovery team would find, and it does say quite categorically ''derelict spacecraft'' You're going to take it seriously then? Well, I think it would be wise, Gambrill Somebody out there seems to know more than we do How's the recovery going? In approach orbit, should be docking in about twenty minutes Good Alert the station We want full quarantine around the landing bay, the whole operation to be remote videoed Everything we practised All right sir Chief medic instruction, all personnel Landing alert, routine one, full quarantine restrictions at the landing bay If there's anything in this message sir, I suppose this could be a little piece of history A high point in your scientific career, Gambrill Just think of it, in less than twenty minutes you could be shaking hands with an exomorph Not if it's hostile sir, I've got my pension to think about No No, I can't do it Apart from anything else, it's practically impossible technically It isn't and you know it The crystal runs the spectrum from bands L to Y up to 30,000 megahertz Allyou have to do is mess up the feedback from the converter and the effect will show a fault on the crystal I see you haven't forgotten your stuff I don't see any problem The problem is getting to the converter I can't do it I'm the commander, if I were to be seen to get my hands dirty, people would remember Is there any time that the section is unattended? No, it's manned allthe time, three operators day and night The only chance I can see Yes? No, no I can't do it Would you ratherthe convict planet, Tynus? Fire is the greatest hazard here, oxygen rich atmosphere If I started a small electrical fire nearthe section, the men on duty would run to theirfire drill positions Good That would leave the converter unattended for about ten minutes, long enough to give you the change to get a malfunction organised What willyou be doing? Directing the fire fighting I shall need to look the job overfirst That can be arranged Avon, this whole thing is stretching out Blake won't want to wait Blake will have to wait How long before we get the crystal, Tynus? An hourto check the course of the fire, make sure the malfunction is working Then, of course, I'd better get Security to release the spare crystal, oh, I'd say ten hours at least Ten hours? That is what Avon has reported That's a long time Shall I call them back? No Without that crystalwe'll never break the Federation pulse code We need to read their messages if we're to stay ahead of Servalan Sticking around here's no way to stay ahead Why? Zen's got the scanners at maximum range, the first sign of trouble, we pull out If they come at us from behind Fosforon, they're going to be on us before we know it Wellthere's no chance of that, unless they already have our position plotted Optimist SCANNERALERT What's that? We're tracking that Wanderer I might go down there To Fosforon? As I said before, I don't like mysteries Listen, Orac has done his stuff, the histories of every Wanderer Class One ever built Orac, repeat the information you've just given me The only ship not accounted for is KForty Seven That went missing seven hundred years ago in the vicinity of 6 1 Cygni The names of the crew were Kemp, Wardin, and Tober Furthermore Thank you, Orac Only three? Well, those old ships couldn't take any more It was like living in a pickle barrelfor 30 years I don't know how they stood it Some of them didn't Mind you, hibernation pills helped Does 61 Cygni mean anything to you? That's the Darkling Zone, isn't it? Well, that's the poetic name for it, yes It's the only region near Earth that's never been charted Yes, I remember A lot of ships have disappeared there They think it's a centre of meteor storms That theory's running a little thin just now If K 47 hit the centre of a meteor storm, why would it suddenly reappear thousands of light years away? So what's yourtheory? I'm not launching any theories till I've tested the water I'm going to teleport down What about Avon and Vila? They've got enough to do Yes, but what about Federation Security? Well, at the first sign of trouble, I'll come back up Look Blake, they know all about the teleport system The first time they get your bracelet Jenna, I have been down before I'm sorry I will be very careful All right PublicAddress: Remote recoverv unit Red Zero.
approach on Site 5, boarding teams stand by RETROS FIRING Approach complete, boarding team proceed Quarantine instructions have been carried out, boarding party are about to enter Good Gambrill, who's that fool in the evacuation tunnel? I don't know sir Well get him out of it Come out of there you idiot Come on, there's an access port right in front of you Find out who it is Hurry man Yes sir Visual Control? Get me vision link to the boarding party What the hell do you think you're doing? Don't you know enough to steer clear of the exhaust vents during a landing? You could have got yourself killed in there I thought the ship was down The engines aren't vented yet You're not one of our men No, I'm looking forwhoever's in charge I've got some information concerning that ship you salvaged Information? What kind of information? Who are you? Don't ask questions, just take me to whoever's in charge Nothing here, power deck's clear Watch yourselves! Some of these fittings break off in your hands Must be stinking centuries Going up Nothing in the forward compartment Bring the second spot over, will you? Watch it! Can't see a damn thing in this dust Where are we? Looks like the control room My God! We've found a body here, sir Human, I think Things aren't too clear He's in a compression suit Any sign of life anywhere? Nothing sir We've been over the whole ship now All right Put the remains in an anti contamination bag Bring them down to Dr Wiler, willyou? Right, sir This is the one I've just fished out of the evacuation tunnel, sir Well? You said this base was full of psychotics; you wait tillyou hearthis one What exactly is that supposed to mean? I told him I teleported here He didn't believe me Well, Gambrill's like that, I'm afraid Lacks faith Defined as the capacity to believe what you know isn't true? Read this What is it? The service history of that ship you've got in the landing bay I sent you a warning about it earlier Where did this come from? Central Registry Seven hundred years old? And just who are you? Well, according to the Federation, I'm a political criminal You may have heard of me My name is Blake Yes, but then we're absentminded scientists, you see In fact, we've forgotten your name already Haven't we, Gambrill? Whose name, sir? COMMUNICATOR CHIME Dr Bellfriar, they're now bringing out the body Body? I'll get down there now That body doesn't look seven hundred years old What made you think there was hostile life in that ship? One of my crew comes from Auron A telepath? Yes, she sensed something malignant out there Not necessarily human I think you'd better be very, very careful, Dr Bellfriar We're always very, very careful Lacomb, message How do you feel? Thirsty Do you think you can handle that? Maybe It's a new model, since my time No, it's just the way the converter's packaged The circuitry's the same I shall need more than ten minutes That's allthe time you've got, Avon, and I can't even guarantee that Tynus, you will give us allthe time we need There's nothing to see yet Oh come on, Wiler He's a good man, but slow, like all pathologists What's happened? Well, it's standard drillwith a space death The autopsy's carried out in a sealed mortuary in case there are any alien microorganisms around Are you all set, Dr Wiler? I'll tell you when I'm ready, sir Thank you, Dr Wiler Do you want to watch this? So you really do teleport, do you? Over short distances, yes Well of course, the theory's as old as physics, but I didn't know it had been cracked yet Liberator's a very advanced ship Of course, you have to know the surface conditions, otherwise teleporting's a bit like a jump in the dark You're quite liable to surface in a fission reactor Not a mistake you could learn by, really All ready, Dr Bellfriar Thank you Dr Wiler, go ahead Second Pathologist Wiler, Q Base Autopsy report coded 1 49906 The clinical presentation is of a well nourished male Caucasian, aged between thirty five and forty five There are no surface wounds or lesions that would indicate death by violence I am now examining the clothing on the torso and upper section of the body It's extremely old, it disintegrates when touched Ah, there is a neck chain with a metal disc, which I now examine The disc is embossed with a number, six figures, possibly a service number And a name Wardin WA R D I N Are you, quite sure about that, Dr Wiler? It's slightly corroded sir, but it's perfectly clear Kemp, Wardin, Tober, missing in the constellation of 61 Cygnii, seven hundred years ago May I continue? Sorry There is an old surgical scar extending from behind the left ear in the region of the supra mastoid crest, up overthe cranium The eyeballs are soft and the tissue of the upper extremities is also soft, and there is extensive maceration of the skin over the neck That's a degree of biolysis you get after one ortwo weeks, not after hundreds of years I now raise the left arm of the cadaverto examine the hand the fingers are dehydrated and mummified and the nails are loose Suppose the body's been frozen What, cryogenically stored? Yes Who on earth'd want to do a thing like that? I've no idea, but it's a possible explanation, isn't it? Before proceeding to examine the internal organs, I now, in accordance with the law, check the EEG reading to verify that life is extinct Which it is I shall now mark the tissue and blood samples for laboratory analysis My God Look EEG ALARM Wiler You've got brain life That's quite impossible Dr Bellfriar May I suggest that you adjust your monitor? CLATTER Dr Bellfriar Dr Wiler's neck's broken I'm coming down Dr Bellfriar Look at the screen What? The EEG screen Give us a smile Show us a leg I wonder if these make good pets Vila What? You're a fool Nerves getting a little frayed? There are a quarter of a million volts running through that converter I make one false move, I'll be so crisped up what's left of me won't fit into a sandwich I'm a vegetarian Thanks forthe offer, though What did Cally say about Blake being here? Something to do with that derelict spacecraft As long as he doesn't mess up our job, I don't care what he does You don't have a lot of time for Blake, do you? I could never stand heroes A quarter of a million volts and you're putting your hand in? Ah, but that is self interest We need that crystal Blake takes risks to help other people Sometimes people he doesn't even know One day that great big bleeding heart of his will get us all killed Unless somebody ditches him first Poor devil His cervicalvertebrae had been crushed as if they'd been in a vice No ordinary human being could exert that sort of pressure It wasn't an ordinary human being It was the body of one I think it had been adapted What? Well, when Cally detected life on that ship, at first she thought it was human, then she changed her mind and thought it was alien I think she was picking up emanations from a cybernetic implant Virology's my field, I'm afraid I'm not following you Wiler noticed a surgical scar on the head, didn't he? Now suppose some control device had been linked into the nervous system, that would explain the electrical activity in the brain Yes, but it stopped and went dead, didn't it? Well, perhaps its task had been done, the job it was programmed for Killing Wiler?.
Itdosen't makesensewhykillhim? That, I wish I knew Ohwell I supposenowwe'vegotto havean autopsyon Wiler, as ifwe hadn'tgot enough to do.
And what about the post mortem on Wardin? I'm afraid we've got more trouble sir What is it? The two technicians who went in to rescue Wiler, they've been taken ill They have? What's the matterwith them? They just started to act strangely, vague, wandering about, then they went into convulsions They're in the sick bay now That could be a space contamination, you'd better get me the sick bay at once Bio lab, get me Dr Bax Yes Doctor? Dr Bax, those two boys you've just admitted, I want them isolated Too late, I'm afraid What? They died within minutes of admission Poisoned, I'd say Poison? There's nothing else that fast We've taken swabs; I'm running tests now I'll let you have the results as soon as we get them Twelve to fifteen minutes Well, if it's a poison, it must be diapedesistic, something they got on their skins when they were bailing Wiler out What about the fourwho went into the spaceship? They're all right, I checked COMMUNICATOR CHIME Dr Bellfriar? Yes? Three of my men are showing signs of infection Good God Wellthat knocks your poison theory on the head, doesn't it? Maybe I'm putting this whole sick bay into isolation as of now Do you want any help Dr Bax? It's a medical problem I think we can handle it Very well If there's anything you want, let me know I'll check in grotobiotics, there might be more cases Gambrill, I want this whole section sealed off from the rest of the base Absolute isolation from now on, prophylaxis of contacts, sterilisation screens in every department Right sir Well, now might be a good time for you to leave No, I'm getting curious Yes, Doctor? Commander Tynus, we have an infection alert It's nothing to worry about, the landing zone is quarantined untilfurther notice What's happened? We've had a few casualties There seems to be a link with that spaceship we landed That's all I know at the moment, we're working on it I understand Good luck That could help us How? Only our section to handle the fire Bellfriar's team's out of action You sure there's going to be a fire? The thermal pack I planted should be going off any minute now EXPLOSION It's up to you now FIRE ALARM Come on Watch the door Avon What? Why are we stringing along with Tynus? Look, we've come this far Forget about setting up the malfunction Grab the crystal and let's get back to the Liberator Use your head If we take the crystal now, how long do you think it willtake the Federation to figure out who's got it? Five seconds? They will merely issue a new pulse code and we'll be back where we started Now get back to the door Nearly ten minutes Avon, get a move on All right, I think I've done it Hurry up Embalming fluid, as near as dammit Mm? What? The blood sample Wilertook, these are the lab results coming through It's spreading rapidly Sir, we've got eight cases in grotobiotics and several more in the main lab Well, have you traced the contacts? That's the point sir, there doesn't seem to have been any But there must have been, somebody's lying I don't think so sir Wellthen, it must have spread from the sick bay Dr Bax, oh, come on man My God Nothing we know could do that How's it spreading, through the air? Not necessarily It must be airborne That would explain why the fourthat went into the spaceship were not infected, they had their own air systems Well, if it's a virus, its biotic potential must be incredible To kill its host as quickly as that, it must multiply a thousand times fasterthan anything we know It seems to attack the nervous system, destroying the memory The memory? What, just the memory? No, no, that's the first thing; then the motor centre Then there's a rapid rise in temperature and fulminating blisters all overthe body, then the heart packs up Are the viralfilters all activated? We should be getting the first test results through any minute now Well, nothing we can do then, is there? Just sit here and sweat it out That won't be so easy sir The men are on the edge of panic, you can smell it Yes, wellwe can't move towards an antiserum until we've identified the organism and typed its morphology There might not be that much time sir I presume the station is air conditioned Yes, why? Shut it down If you stop the air circulating you might at least slow the spread of infection That's a good idea Well go on man, get a move on Right sir Well, we're really going to have to sweat it out Have you fixed the converter? I reckon so Good You did a good job with that fire Yes, it went betterthan I planned It almost got out of control What's that? Allthat's left of the incendiary mechanism, I don't want that found It wouldn't be recognised Maybe not but there's no point in taking any chances Get rid of it I'd better make my report to Security Wait in my quarters willyou, and I'll bring you back a food package Make it a big one Avon, come here What's the matter? That old friend of yours should go a long way in the service, the furtherthe better Listen to this ''Servalan, Federation HQ, Urgent Liberator in orbit, Fosforon Detaining ten hours Make speed Tynus, Q Base '' Well, I've worked in virology fortwenty years I've never come across anything like this before If it does turn out to be a virus, it's going to make us change all our ideas Do you want to hear a theory? At the moment, I'd listen to anybody My idea that Wardin was adapted ""Why killWiler?'' you asked, why go to such lengths to kill one man? I remember Wilerwas killed to release the virus, to make people go into the sealed off mortuary to help him What, do you mean it was a deliberate plan? That's a bit far fetched isn't it Blake? Have you ever heard of Lord Jeffrey Ashley? Who? Mm, pre space age, planet Earth He was the commander of a British garrison in America, having trouble with hostile natives, redskins Ashley ordered blankets from smallpox victims to be baled up and sent to the hostile tribes Germ warfare Uhuh You mean we've picked up a bale of blankets, do you? Seems to make sense Sent from where? May I use your star chart? Here 61 Cygni You notice the area's not charted? I think there's an alien civilisation, highly advanced, deeply distrustful of mankind, avoiding all contact, so that if our ships go too near, they simply vanish I think K 47 was returned to us, baited with a skilfully preserved human being and loaded with a virus biologically engineered to destroy the human species It's a trap we fell into with both feet You could be right, but the virus is an unreliable weapon This one seems effective enough COMMUNICATOR CHIME Dr Bellfriar, Dr Bellfriar Yes, Gambrill? I can't see us finding a vaccine, sir We've tried everything, but there's no way of processing these results What about the online console? Dead, sir Probably the fire You mean you haven't got a computer here? Well, there are several of them on the base but they're not in the quarantine area I can't get at them All right, give the tapes to me Tell me what you want to know and I'll get the answerfor you How? On board the Liberator I have the most advanced computer ever designed The way the infection's spreading here, you'll all be dead before you're half way to getting the answer All right Blake These data blocks contain lab tests on about five thousand micro organisms I need them scanned for known characteristics and the stranger, the paratype organism, picked out It shouldn't take Orac too long Keep your receptor open, I'll set up communications All right Good luck Cally, this is Blake, bring me up Where do you think, where d'you think you're going? Get back to your post Tak Get back to your post I'm getting out while I've got a chance Orders are that nobody leaves this section To hellwith orders I'm not staying here to die Listen Cal Dr Bellfriar, Gambrill here I'm in the observation room area There's total panic down here It's not just the technicians, the medics as well; they're all getting out, breaking quarantine Damn fools They'll spread the infection right through the base I tried to stop them They're mad with fear, they wouldn't listen Tellthe guards on the main entrance, nobody leaves They can shoot if necessary Guards Tellthe guards I wonderwhat plans he has for you? What? Tynus He hopes to get a medalfor catching us, but he won't want you picked up, not with what you've got on him I think you're going to have an accident, Avon We shall see who has the accident A man who sketches insects must have an eye for detail He's probably worked out an ingenious solution I've got one for each of you Hydrolysed protein Thanks I've got to put it in the oven first Don't bother Lost our appetites suddenly It's allthis hanging about When do we get the crystalTynus? As soon as the fault in the A line shows up, then I can send to Security for a replacement crystal, but it alltakes time Relax; you've nothing to worry about And if you believe that, you'll believe anything Plague? Yes sir, it seems so The men are falling like flies The rest are cutting out, getting off the base It's reached the security section, they're dying Bellfriar, we've an epidemic here What're you doing about it? There's nothing I can do It's a new virus; we've got no defence against it That's ridiculous, you're the medical section My men are dying, you must do something All I can advise you is to turn off your air pumps and order your people to stay at their posts The less they move around, the better their chances But I thought you were supposed to be the greatest living authority on viruses, Bellfriar Apparently not I'm going to see that the Federation Medical Council hears of this I don't think that's going to matter to me, Tynus, or to any of us That does it Let's go Not so fast We came forthat crystal Forget the crystal, they're dying like flies out there Didn't you hear? So there will be a lot of panic and confusion Tynus will have his hands full If we destroy the converter, destroy it completely; it will look like a result of the fire When they come to rebuild it, they will not suspect that we have taken the crystal Well, you may be right Let's go I've got that result for you Good man According to ourscan, the paratype organism is number 9 2 6 in your batch of samples Now we're getting somewhere Dr Bellfriar, anything else I can do to help? Obviously not I hope we got that through to him in time Keep an eye on the corridor PublicAddress: Attention! All personnel are instructed to remain at their posts The situation is under control Under control? You know this could be another Casarus What? Rememberthe Casarus swamp fever, killed millions Wellthere aren't millions here, so don't worry about it Well I'm here, and I do worry about it I don't like bugs You can't hearthem, you can't see them and you can't feelthem, then suddenly you're dead We'll be out of here in a few minutes Get back to the corridor Beautiful And so simple Detonator Moan Argh I thought I'd find you here I got tired of waiting Raise your hands Carefully Come round here So you're going to kill me? It's nothing personal I shalltry not to hold it against you You know too much about me I should have turned you in when I had the chance MOAN Argh Thanks for your help Never come between friends, that's my motto All right Cally, get us out of here fast TELEPORTWHINE Well done I can't say that it was a pleasure Now are we going to stand here and look at it, or are we going to move? Why? Tynus tried to trap us He sent a message to Servalan There'll be a Federation fleet here at any time COMMUNICATOR CHIME There's a transmission from Fosforon Jenna Go ahead Blake, I think I've found the answer Too late, I'm afraid, for anybody here, but it's absolutely vitalthat you record the following information Jenna You are being recorded doctor, go ahead Everyone who's been into deep space has had the Terran ague, orthe ""three day sweats'' which it's commonly known as It's a sort of a mild infection, it slightly alters the body's nucleic structure, It seems to be a metabolic reaction to space travel Wellthis new virus, Paratype 9 2 6, attacks those altered cells and acts as a catalyst They burst and, well The effects are literally a series of explosions that race through the body's neural cell structure The virus is easily cultured in human tissue or in nucleic acid solution Now, here is the formula forthe antiserum Dr Bellfriar, are you saying that this virus is only effective, against human beings who've been in deep space? Precisely It fits yourtheory But I don't think that the virus was designed to destroy man, merely to confine him to his own planet Now here is the formula Go ahead H N, H N O oh, My God Dr Bellfriar Dr Bellfriar I've forgotten how to read Transmission ends Fosforon ends It's no joke Vila Cally, Jenna, get the ship moving I'm going to put out a plague warning Are you crazy? I've got to warn alltraffic to stay away from Fosforon untilthat virus burns itself out Listen, Blake, Servalan is on herway here She lands on Fosforon, she gets the plague, she's off our backs for good You cannot put out a warning Suppose some of them don't die? Suppose some of them get off in a ship? That plague goes out to allthe galaxies, millions will die because of it THAT is the one responsibility that I will not take Zen, I want to put a plague warning transmitter into orbit round Fosforon, then set a course forthe constellation Sauros, speed standard by ten Confirmed There has to be a warning Jenna There has to be
approach on Site 5, boarding teams stand by RETROS FIRING Approach complete, boarding team proceed Quarantine instructions have been carried out, boarding party are about to enter Good Gambrill, who's that fool in the evacuation tunnel? I don't know sir Well get him out of it Come out of there you idiot Come on, there's an access port right in front of you Find out who it is Hurry man Yes sir Visual Control? Get me vision link to the boarding party What the hell do you think you're doing? Don't you know enough to steer clear of the exhaust vents during a landing? You could have got yourself killed in there I thought the ship was down The engines aren't vented yet You're not one of our men No, I'm looking forwhoever's in charge I've got some information concerning that ship you salvaged Information? What kind of information? Who are you? Don't ask questions, just take me to whoever's in charge Nothing here, power deck's clear Watch yourselves! Some of these fittings break off in your hands Must be stinking centuries Going up Nothing in the forward compartment Bring the second spot over, will you? Watch it! Can't see a damn thing in this dust Where are we? Looks like the control room My God! We've found a body here, sir Human, I think Things aren't too clear He's in a compression suit Any sign of life anywhere? Nothing sir We've been over the whole ship now All right Put the remains in an anti contamination bag Bring them down to Dr Wiler, willyou? Right, sir This is the one I've just fished out of the evacuation tunnel, sir Well? You said this base was full of psychotics; you wait tillyou hearthis one What exactly is that supposed to mean? I told him I teleported here He didn't believe me Well, Gambrill's like that, I'm afraid Lacks faith Defined as the capacity to believe what you know isn't true? Read this What is it? The service history of that ship you've got in the landing bay I sent you a warning about it earlier Where did this come from? Central Registry Seven hundred years old? And just who are you? Well, according to the Federation, I'm a political criminal You may have heard of me My name is Blake Yes, but then we're absentminded scientists, you see In fact, we've forgotten your name already Haven't we, Gambrill? Whose name, sir? COMMUNICATOR CHIME Dr Bellfriar, they're now bringing out the body Body? I'll get down there now That body doesn't look seven hundred years old What made you think there was hostile life in that ship? One of my crew comes from Auron A telepath? Yes, she sensed something malignant out there Not necessarily human I think you'd better be very, very careful, Dr Bellfriar We're always very, very careful Lacomb, message How do you feel? Thirsty Do you think you can handle that? Maybe It's a new model, since my time No, it's just the way the converter's packaged The circuitry's the same I shall need more than ten minutes That's allthe time you've got, Avon, and I can't even guarantee that Tynus, you will give us allthe time we need There's nothing to see yet Oh come on, Wiler He's a good man, but slow, like all pathologists What's happened? Well, it's standard drillwith a space death The autopsy's carried out in a sealed mortuary in case there are any alien microorganisms around Are you all set, Dr Wiler? I'll tell you when I'm ready, sir Thank you, Dr Wiler Do you want to watch this? So you really do teleport, do you? Over short distances, yes Well of course, the theory's as old as physics, but I didn't know it had been cracked yet Liberator's a very advanced ship Of course, you have to know the surface conditions, otherwise teleporting's a bit like a jump in the dark You're quite liable to surface in a fission reactor Not a mistake you could learn by, really All ready, Dr Bellfriar Thank you Dr Wiler, go ahead Second Pathologist Wiler, Q Base Autopsy report coded 1 49906 The clinical presentation is of a well nourished male Caucasian, aged between thirty five and forty five There are no surface wounds or lesions that would indicate death by violence I am now examining the clothing on the torso and upper section of the body It's extremely old, it disintegrates when touched Ah, there is a neck chain with a metal disc, which I now examine The disc is embossed with a number, six figures, possibly a service number And a name Wardin WA R D I N Are you, quite sure about that, Dr Wiler? It's slightly corroded sir, but it's perfectly clear Kemp, Wardin, Tober, missing in the constellation of 61 Cygnii, seven hundred years ago May I continue? Sorry There is an old surgical scar extending from behind the left ear in the region of the supra mastoid crest, up overthe cranium The eyeballs are soft and the tissue of the upper extremities is also soft, and there is extensive maceration of the skin over the neck That's a degree of biolysis you get after one ortwo weeks, not after hundreds of years I now raise the left arm of the cadaverto examine the hand the fingers are dehydrated and mummified and the nails are loose Suppose the body's been frozen What, cryogenically stored? Yes Who on earth'd want to do a thing like that? I've no idea, but it's a possible explanation, isn't it? Before proceeding to examine the internal organs, I now, in accordance with the law, check the EEG reading to verify that life is extinct Which it is I shall now mark the tissue and blood samples for laboratory analysis My God Look EEG ALARM Wiler You've got brain life That's quite impossible Dr Bellfriar May I suggest that you adjust your monitor? CLATTER Dr Bellfriar Dr Wiler's neck's broken I'm coming down Dr Bellfriar Look at the screen What? The EEG screen Give us a smile Show us a leg I wonder if these make good pets Vila What? You're a fool Nerves getting a little frayed? There are a quarter of a million volts running through that converter I make one false move, I'll be so crisped up what's left of me won't fit into a sandwich I'm a vegetarian Thanks forthe offer, though What did Cally say about Blake being here? Something to do with that derelict spacecraft As long as he doesn't mess up our job, I don't care what he does You don't have a lot of time for Blake, do you? I could never stand heroes A quarter of a million volts and you're putting your hand in? Ah, but that is self interest We need that crystal Blake takes risks to help other people Sometimes people he doesn't even know One day that great big bleeding heart of his will get us all killed Unless somebody ditches him first Poor devil His cervicalvertebrae had been crushed as if they'd been in a vice No ordinary human being could exert that sort of pressure It wasn't an ordinary human being It was the body of one I think it had been adapted What? Well, when Cally detected life on that ship, at first she thought it was human, then she changed her mind and thought it was alien I think she was picking up emanations from a cybernetic implant Virology's my field, I'm afraid I'm not following you Wiler noticed a surgical scar on the head, didn't he? Now suppose some control device had been linked into the nervous system, that would explain the electrical activity in the brain Yes, but it stopped and went dead, didn't it? Well, perhaps its task had been done, the job it was programmed for Killing Wiler?.
Itdosen't makesensewhykillhim? That, I wish I knew Ohwell I supposenowwe'vegotto havean autopsyon Wiler, as ifwe hadn'tgot enough to do.
And what about the post mortem on Wardin? I'm afraid we've got more trouble sir What is it? The two technicians who went in to rescue Wiler, they've been taken ill They have? What's the matterwith them? They just started to act strangely, vague, wandering about, then they went into convulsions They're in the sick bay now That could be a space contamination, you'd better get me the sick bay at once Bio lab, get me Dr Bax Yes Doctor? Dr Bax, those two boys you've just admitted, I want them isolated Too late, I'm afraid What? They died within minutes of admission Poisoned, I'd say Poison? There's nothing else that fast We've taken swabs; I'm running tests now I'll let you have the results as soon as we get them Twelve to fifteen minutes Well, if it's a poison, it must be diapedesistic, something they got on their skins when they were bailing Wiler out What about the fourwho went into the spaceship? They're all right, I checked COMMUNICATOR CHIME Dr Bellfriar? Yes? Three of my men are showing signs of infection Good God Wellthat knocks your poison theory on the head, doesn't it? Maybe I'm putting this whole sick bay into isolation as of now Do you want any help Dr Bax? It's a medical problem I think we can handle it Very well If there's anything you want, let me know I'll check in grotobiotics, there might be more cases Gambrill, I want this whole section sealed off from the rest of the base Absolute isolation from now on, prophylaxis of contacts, sterilisation screens in every department Right sir Well, now might be a good time for you to leave No, I'm getting curious Yes, Doctor? Commander Tynus, we have an infection alert It's nothing to worry about, the landing zone is quarantined untilfurther notice What's happened? We've had a few casualties There seems to be a link with that spaceship we landed That's all I know at the moment, we're working on it I understand Good luck That could help us How? Only our section to handle the fire Bellfriar's team's out of action You sure there's going to be a fire? The thermal pack I planted should be going off any minute now EXPLOSION It's up to you now FIRE ALARM Come on Watch the door Avon What? Why are we stringing along with Tynus? Look, we've come this far Forget about setting up the malfunction Grab the crystal and let's get back to the Liberator Use your head If we take the crystal now, how long do you think it willtake the Federation to figure out who's got it? Five seconds? They will merely issue a new pulse code and we'll be back where we started Now get back to the door Nearly ten minutes Avon, get a move on All right, I think I've done it Hurry up Embalming fluid, as near as dammit Mm? What? The blood sample Wilertook, these are the lab results coming through It's spreading rapidly Sir, we've got eight cases in grotobiotics and several more in the main lab Well, have you traced the contacts? That's the point sir, there doesn't seem to have been any But there must have been, somebody's lying I don't think so sir Wellthen, it must have spread from the sick bay Dr Bax, oh, come on man My God Nothing we know could do that How's it spreading, through the air? Not necessarily It must be airborne That would explain why the fourthat went into the spaceship were not infected, they had their own air systems Well, if it's a virus, its biotic potential must be incredible To kill its host as quickly as that, it must multiply a thousand times fasterthan anything we know It seems to attack the nervous system, destroying the memory The memory? What, just the memory? No, no, that's the first thing; then the motor centre Then there's a rapid rise in temperature and fulminating blisters all overthe body, then the heart packs up Are the viralfilters all activated? We should be getting the first test results through any minute now Well, nothing we can do then, is there? Just sit here and sweat it out That won't be so easy sir The men are on the edge of panic, you can smell it Yes, wellwe can't move towards an antiserum until we've identified the organism and typed its morphology There might not be that much time sir I presume the station is air conditioned Yes, why? Shut it down If you stop the air circulating you might at least slow the spread of infection That's a good idea Well go on man, get a move on Right sir Well, we're really going to have to sweat it out Have you fixed the converter? I reckon so Good You did a good job with that fire Yes, it went betterthan I planned It almost got out of control What's that? Allthat's left of the incendiary mechanism, I don't want that found It wouldn't be recognised Maybe not but there's no point in taking any chances Get rid of it I'd better make my report to Security Wait in my quarters willyou, and I'll bring you back a food package Make it a big one Avon, come here What's the matter? That old friend of yours should go a long way in the service, the furtherthe better Listen to this ''Servalan, Federation HQ, Urgent Liberator in orbit, Fosforon Detaining ten hours Make speed Tynus, Q Base '' Well, I've worked in virology fortwenty years I've never come across anything like this before If it does turn out to be a virus, it's going to make us change all our ideas Do you want to hear a theory? At the moment, I'd listen to anybody My idea that Wardin was adapted ""Why killWiler?'' you asked, why go to such lengths to kill one man? I remember Wilerwas killed to release the virus, to make people go into the sealed off mortuary to help him What, do you mean it was a deliberate plan? That's a bit far fetched isn't it Blake? Have you ever heard of Lord Jeffrey Ashley? Who? Mm, pre space age, planet Earth He was the commander of a British garrison in America, having trouble with hostile natives, redskins Ashley ordered blankets from smallpox victims to be baled up and sent to the hostile tribes Germ warfare Uhuh You mean we've picked up a bale of blankets, do you? Seems to make sense Sent from where? May I use your star chart? Here 61 Cygni You notice the area's not charted? I think there's an alien civilisation, highly advanced, deeply distrustful of mankind, avoiding all contact, so that if our ships go too near, they simply vanish I think K 47 was returned to us, baited with a skilfully preserved human being and loaded with a virus biologically engineered to destroy the human species It's a trap we fell into with both feet You could be right, but the virus is an unreliable weapon This one seems effective enough COMMUNICATOR CHIME Dr Bellfriar, Dr Bellfriar Yes, Gambrill? I can't see us finding a vaccine, sir We've tried everything, but there's no way of processing these results What about the online console? Dead, sir Probably the fire You mean you haven't got a computer here? Well, there are several of them on the base but they're not in the quarantine area I can't get at them All right, give the tapes to me Tell me what you want to know and I'll get the answerfor you How? On board the Liberator I have the most advanced computer ever designed The way the infection's spreading here, you'll all be dead before you're half way to getting the answer All right Blake These data blocks contain lab tests on about five thousand micro organisms I need them scanned for known characteristics and the stranger, the paratype organism, picked out It shouldn't take Orac too long Keep your receptor open, I'll set up communications All right Good luck Cally, this is Blake, bring me up Where do you think, where d'you think you're going? Get back to your post Tak Get back to your post I'm getting out while I've got a chance Orders are that nobody leaves this section To hellwith orders I'm not staying here to die Listen Cal Dr Bellfriar, Gambrill here I'm in the observation room area There's total panic down here It's not just the technicians, the medics as well; they're all getting out, breaking quarantine Damn fools They'll spread the infection right through the base I tried to stop them They're mad with fear, they wouldn't listen Tellthe guards on the main entrance, nobody leaves They can shoot if necessary Guards Tellthe guards I wonderwhat plans he has for you? What? Tynus He hopes to get a medalfor catching us, but he won't want you picked up, not with what you've got on him I think you're going to have an accident, Avon We shall see who has the accident A man who sketches insects must have an eye for detail He's probably worked out an ingenious solution I've got one for each of you Hydrolysed protein Thanks I've got to put it in the oven first Don't bother Lost our appetites suddenly It's allthis hanging about When do we get the crystalTynus? As soon as the fault in the A line shows up, then I can send to Security for a replacement crystal, but it alltakes time Relax; you've nothing to worry about And if you believe that, you'll believe anything Plague? Yes sir, it seems so The men are falling like flies The rest are cutting out, getting off the base It's reached the security section, they're dying Bellfriar, we've an epidemic here What're you doing about it? There's nothing I can do It's a new virus; we've got no defence against it That's ridiculous, you're the medical section My men are dying, you must do something All I can advise you is to turn off your air pumps and order your people to stay at their posts The less they move around, the better their chances But I thought you were supposed to be the greatest living authority on viruses, Bellfriar Apparently not I'm going to see that the Federation Medical Council hears of this I don't think that's going to matter to me, Tynus, or to any of us That does it Let's go Not so fast We came forthat crystal Forget the crystal, they're dying like flies out there Didn't you hear? So there will be a lot of panic and confusion Tynus will have his hands full If we destroy the converter, destroy it completely; it will look like a result of the fire When they come to rebuild it, they will not suspect that we have taken the crystal Well, you may be right Let's go I've got that result for you Good man According to ourscan, the paratype organism is number 9 2 6 in your batch of samples Now we're getting somewhere Dr Bellfriar, anything else I can do to help? Obviously not I hope we got that through to him in time Keep an eye on the corridor PublicAddress: Attention! All personnel are instructed to remain at their posts The situation is under control Under control? You know this could be another Casarus What? Rememberthe Casarus swamp fever, killed millions Wellthere aren't millions here, so don't worry about it Well I'm here, and I do worry about it I don't like bugs You can't hearthem, you can't see them and you can't feelthem, then suddenly you're dead We'll be out of here in a few minutes Get back to the corridor Beautiful And so simple Detonator Moan Argh I thought I'd find you here I got tired of waiting Raise your hands Carefully Come round here So you're going to kill me? It's nothing personal I shalltry not to hold it against you You know too much about me I should have turned you in when I had the chance MOAN Argh Thanks for your help Never come between friends, that's my motto All right Cally, get us out of here fast TELEPORTWHINE Well done I can't say that it was a pleasure Now are we going to stand here and look at it, or are we going to move? Why? Tynus tried to trap us He sent a message to Servalan There'll be a Federation fleet here at any time COMMUNICATOR CHIME There's a transmission from Fosforon Jenna Go ahead Blake, I think I've found the answer Too late, I'm afraid, for anybody here, but it's absolutely vitalthat you record the following information Jenna You are being recorded doctor, go ahead Everyone who's been into deep space has had the Terran ague, orthe ""three day sweats'' which it's commonly known as It's a sort of a mild infection, it slightly alters the body's nucleic structure, It seems to be a metabolic reaction to space travel Wellthis new virus, Paratype 9 2 6, attacks those altered cells and acts as a catalyst They burst and, well The effects are literally a series of explosions that race through the body's neural cell structure The virus is easily cultured in human tissue or in nucleic acid solution Now, here is the formula forthe antiserum Dr Bellfriar, are you saying that this virus is only effective, against human beings who've been in deep space? Precisely It fits yourtheory But I don't think that the virus was designed to destroy man, merely to confine him to his own planet Now here is the formula Go ahead H N, H N O oh, My God Dr Bellfriar Dr Bellfriar I've forgotten how to read Transmission ends Fosforon ends It's no joke Vila Cally, Jenna, get the ship moving I'm going to put out a plague warning Are you crazy? I've got to warn alltraffic to stay away from Fosforon untilthat virus burns itself out Listen, Blake, Servalan is on herway here She lands on Fosforon, she gets the plague, she's off our backs for good You cannot put out a warning Suppose some of them don't die? Suppose some of them get off in a ship? That plague goes out to allthe galaxies, millions will die because of it THAT is the one responsibility that I will not take Zen, I want to put a plague warning transmitter into orbit round Fosforon, then set a course forthe constellation Sauros, speed standard by ten Confirmed There has to be a warning Jenna There has to be