Blake's 7 (1978–1981): Season 4, Episode 5 - Animals - full transcript

I only hope your mad scientist
is going to be worth the trouble.

Nothing mad about Justin.

At least there wasn't, the last time I saw him.

Oh? And when was that?

Oh, he was a friend of my father's,

and one of the specialist tutors
who visited us for a while to help educate me.

I don't envy him that job. Will he remember you?

I should hope so.

Slave, confirm preset orbit approach to Bucol Two.

Yes, sir.

We're on the correct orbit approach to Bucol Two



and are now within teleport range
of the desired coordinates.

- Ready for teleport?
- Ready as I'll ever be.

Set?

Set.

Good luck.

- Scorpio. Down safe.
- TARRANT: Right, standing by.

- Let me know when you make contact.
- Right. Out.

(Beeping)

- I'm sorry to bother you, sir.
- Yes, what is it?

I have detected Federation pursuit ships.

Dayna, respond, please.

Dayna, can you hear me?

- Slave, check for malfunction.
- I can find no trace of one, sir.

- Dayna...
- Sir, I would draw your attention



to Federation ships in line astern
approaching on bearing 160.

That's a bit sudden, isn't it?

- Plasma bolts released and running.
- Yes, it is a bit sudden.

- Estimated time of impact, 24 seconds.
- Course for evasion.

Vector 035.

035, all drives on, all maximum. Hit it!

- Second salvo released and running, sir.
- Evasion course.

(Slave stammering)

Come on, come on!

Well, try 072.

072 it is.

Sir, the third ship has fired its salvo.
Impact in 22 seconds.

I suggest course 023. Soon.

Uh.

What?

Right, 023.

Who, what are you?

(Growling)

Slave, give me a course for base.

Course for base, 134.

- I repeat...
- I have it.

- Oh, sorry, sir.
- And don't keep saying you're sorry.

- Sorry, sir.
- Don't!

What the hell.

Preliminary damage survey, Slave.

Main teleport system is damaged
to a degree as yet unspecified.

Navigation systems register
first warning of malfunction.

Main detectors show 50% is functional.

Further damage is under assessment.

- A mess, in fact.
- Yes.

I'm sorry, sir.

So am I, Slave.

Coming to 134.

Dayna!

In here, quick!

- Justin, it is good...
- One moment.

Go into the lab.

Go into the bunker, Og.

Go to your quarters.

There is food there.

Food, Og.

Go and eat the food. It is waiting for you.

My work...

as you see.

Here...

let me take those slides.

They're rather important.

Now, have you recovered,
or can I offer you a stimulant?

Oh, no, no, no. I'm fine now.

Thank you for rescuing me.

But what are those animals?

In good time. Here.

Let me look at you.

My little pupil Dayna, lovelier than ever.

Still playing with your guns, Dayna?

They were never toys.

Even less so, now.

Do sit down.

You know, I'd no idea you were still alive.

Most of my pupils of your time are dead,
perished in the Galactic War.

That war was a terrible, terrible mistake.

I had to kill two of the animals.

Ah.

Pity. Still the warrior, hmm?

Look, do have a stimulant.

It's just adrenalin and soma, I'm afraid.

I drink...

rather a lot of it here on my own.

- You're the only one working here?
- The only human working here, yes.

I'm training the animals to work, of course,
but it's slow.

Very slow.

I've got them right physically, you see...

but it's the psychology that's difficult.

All they want to do is exist.

However, I'm trying brain implants and so on...

but they hate it, it's painful.
That's why they rebelled and broke out.

- The most developed ones?
- Yeah.

Oh, they'll come back in.

They have just enough intelligence not to starve.

So you're experimenting on them
by genetic restructuring and transplants.

I am a genetic engineer, among other things,
or had you forgotten?

I learnt the surgery later.
Having a lot of success, too.

You are making a new race of animals.

Or humans.

Why?

Ah, well, I can't tell you all my secrets,
can I, Dayna?

It's nice to see you. You look very well.

I would say beautiful but I'm a scientist

and we're supposed to be short on emotion
and all that sort of thing, aren't we?

But I will say you look quite beautiful, my...

Admiring the work?

I think it's...

disgusting.

AVON: Absolutely not.
Maintain your present course.

Abandon Dayna, keep running
for base and bring that ship back.

It will take us quite long enough
to repair the damage you have already done.

What do you mean, the damage I've done?

One's just given up. Good.

The others will soon follow.

All except Og. He's had one extra transplant, so...

Oh, but I forgot, you find all this disgusting.

Yes, I do.

If life is to go on, homo sapiens, that is,
we have to do these things.

What are you doing it for?

I can't tell you, not yet.

Now...

You sent a message you wanted to see me.

Are you a refugee or what?

I could offer you a job helping me here,
but I don't think you'd take it, would you?

- No, I wouldn't.
- Oh, pity, I could do with some help.

Scorpio. Scorpio, this is Dayna, come in, please.

Tarrant, respond, please.

I can't help you, either.

The animals smashed my transmitter system
when they broke out.

All I've got left is my intercom.

Anyway...

tell me about yourself.

Well, I'm one of a small group
fighting the Federation.

We've got a base, we're gathering equipment
and looking for allies.

We're also trying to recruit experts.

Specialists in relevant fields.

- Relevant to what?
- The eventual destruction of the Federation.

Relevant to war, in fact.

Possibly.

Unless the Federation have become pacifists,
it has to be war.

If they were pacifists, the problem wouldn't exist.

And it is a problem for which you see yourselves
as the solution.

We are led by a man called Avon.

He thinks we need someone like you.

We'll be going into radioactive areas
from time to time and that is your field.

- Or it was.
- It still is.

Avon thinks it might also be possible
to use genetic engineering techniques

to synthesise a drug we need.

- For what?
- Protection.

Against the pacification drug the Federation use.

I once worked for the Federation.

- Did you?
- Yes.

And I liked their proposition
even less than I like yours.

Of course...

if you wanted to stay on your own,
that would be different.

Would it?

Yes.

You know it would.

What is all that?

One of our pursuit units engaged
an unidentified planet-hopper.

They refused to obey
a stand-and-be-searched order

and the pursuit commander opened fire.

Why all the interest?

What's one civilian cargo ship more or less?

It turned out to be more than
just an ordinary cargo ship.

They estimated its initial acceleration
at time distort 12.

Plasma bolts slowed it up, but not by much.
That planet-hopper left our pursuit ships for dead.

- Did they give chase?
- They lost it.

Around here.

Where did they first see it?

Here, in the region of Bucol Two.

What do we know about that planet?

Intelligence appraisal.

It's out of date, Commissioner Sleer.

- It's from before the Galactic War.
- Never mind, what does it say?

"Bucol Two's planet was abandoned
after mineral deposits were exhausted.

"Not used again until six years before the war."

When it was used for what?

Doesn't say, just a footnote, "Refer code W secret.

"Planet designated an experimental area,
budget 20 million credits,

"security code double-X."

Any more?

"Scientific experimental area developed further
during the war but the work was then abandoned."

At which point presumably
the planet was abandoned too.

Never presume anything, Captain.

As I recall, code double-X means
nothing is recorded.

Well, there's certainly nothing down here
about the work they were doing.

And there won't be anything anywhere else,

but they were there on Bucol Two
towards the end of the war.

And they spent 20 million credits
on whatever it was.

A new weapon?

Does it give any other information?

The names of the principal scientific officers,
anything at all?

Gives the name "Justin", nothing else.

A planet-hopper that can outrun a pursuit unit,

hovering over a useless planet
that has been abandoned since the war.

Set a course for Bucol Two.

(All screaming)

How could I admire you doing this?

You came here expecting more?
A young love resurrected?

Ah, well...

perhaps I'd better tell you one or two things,
then I might not seem such an ogre to you.

I don't think anything you could tell me
would change my mind.

I think it could.

You don't think I built this laboratory complex
on my own, do you?

I was the head
of a Federation scientific warfare team.

When the Galactic War was nearly over,

the work was abandoned
and all my fellow scientists left.

I didn't go with them, which was just as well,

since they were blasted by an enemy gunship
within minutes of taking off.

Why did you stay?

To look after the animals, for one thing.

And for another...

to try to finish the work we'd started.

Look, what was the object of the work?

It must have had some object,

some war object if the Federation backed it
and built this place.

The war object was to create a species...

not necessarily human,

that could go into areas heavy with radioactivity
and act as shock troops.

The Federation had suffered losses
of up to 60% frontline troops.

Now, just think,

what a few squads
of radiation-proof space commandos could do.

I'm glad you never succeeded.

- It was a horrible idea.
- No.

It was justified by the times.

But how about now? Why are you going on with it?
All this? It's insane.

Well, just think!

Those animals can go into
any of the devastated sectors of the war zone

and the radiation won't kill them.

They can work on simple projects already.

Og certainly could.

They and their kind can make
whole systems habitable again...

without the loss of a single human life.

I know it seems callous
to work on the animals as I do...

but the painful business
of the physical transplants is over.

All that is needed now
is a few simple brain grafts...

and I'm very close to home.

Very close.

Now do you see?

Orac, report on navigation control system.

60% capacity is now restored.

The fault in anti-grav gyro remains.

We know it remains.
We're trying to find it, aren't we, plastic-brain?

If I might be permitted to finish,

the fault remains in the inertial guidance
glycolene ballast channels.

It'll therefore be necessary
for someone to enter the tank.

Sounds messy.

Physical inspection and adjustment is essential,
if potentially uncomfortable.

Sounds very messy.

Now, look!
You can drown in that filthy muck down there.

- Smells lovely.
- No, it doesn't.

It's disgusting.

Well, somebody has to go down and
you are the one with the delicate touch, Vila.

- Magic hands. You've often said so yourself.
- Why do I get all the dirty jobs?

Typecasting?

- This isn't fair, you know.
- No. It's pretty foul by the look of it.

Oh, cheer up, Vila, you can have a hot tub
when you come out,

whether you need one or not.

All right, I'll do it.
Anything is better than listening to your jokes.

Stationary orbit established
over the target position.

Preliminary scan shows no sign
of any radioactive contamination down there,

or any other legacy from the war.

So it's habitable?

Probably, but there's nothing
to sustain civilised life.

Only trees and soil useless for anything
but the most primitive form of agriculture.

Then what brought that planet-hopper here
in the first place?

- Keep all systems on full alert.
- Yes, Commissioner.

(Beeping)

Sleer to Federation Central Intelligence Control.

Personal to Intelligence Commander Borr.

Yes, Commissioner?

I want some Federation wartime
double-X information on the planet Bucol Two.

Double-X information was oral only, Commissioner.

I know that.

But someone must have the information
locked in his head.

I want you to track down any senior
wartime intelligence operative of the department.

Someone, somewhere must know
what was happening on Bucol Two.

Yes, Commissioner Sleer. It may take a little time.

Make sure it is a little time.

Yes, Commissioner.

In order, my dear.

- Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking.
- Not at all, or not about this?

All right.

You've convinced me that you're sincere,

but not that it's right to do what you're doing.

You must have started with men
as well as animals to get crossbreeds.

They were deserters.
And the decision was not mine and it was war.

Just the same...

I bitterly regret it.

I'm trying, in a way, to make sense of it all.

Trying to get something good out of it all.
Don't you see that?

If this discovery...

simply goes for war purposes, to kill,
then it's all been in vain.

Well, that makes me feel better
about you, anyway.

Still trying to think well of me?

Perhaps you are right to do what you are doing.

If these animals can save human lives
without any risk to themselves, then...

That is my aim.

I think my group would be interested in your work.

I don't think I want your group involved.

Commissioner, I have the sole operative

remaining alive from the Bureau
at the time of the experiments on Bucol Two.

Who is he?

His name is Ardus,
and he's an ex-officer of the Bureau.

Put him in the fastest scout ship available
and send him here.

No flight plan is to be filed.

But that's against
Bureau standing orders, Commissioner.

Who do you think wrote those orders, Borr?

I did.

So do as I say, and do it now.

At once, Commissioner Sleer.

Commissioner Sleer, this is the man Ardus.

You may sit.

- What happened to your eyes?
- A radiation flare, Commissioner.

This sonoscope stops me bumping into things,

but I'm blind by any normal criteria.

Tell me,

what were they doing on the planet Bucol Two
towards the end of the war?

I'm not sure I'm empowered
to divulge that, Commissioner.

It was a top secret, oral-only operation.

I don't believe more than six people knew of it.

I did not know of it.

Some of our War Departments
were laws unto themselves.

I'm sorry,

why should you have known of it?

Only six War Intelligence Officers and Servalan,
our president, knew of it.

If ever she was told.

Servalan?

Why do you mention Servalan?

- No reason, particularly.
- No?

- Simply... she came into my mind.
- Why did she come into your mind?

I...

I cannot say, Commissioner.

Very well...

I await your information.

I think...

it would be improper of me to release it
unless authorised by the High Council.

Nonsense, it's old stuff.

No use to anybody.

- Tell me.
- I regret I cannot.

Very well.

Let me explain the scenario if you do not.

I take it you do not care for your own life.

But you have a family.

I can rearrange their future quite dramatically,
if you so insist.

I know your voice.

You are...

You are.

I am sure of it.

Be very careful what you are sure of,

or I may lose my patience.

Under protest.

- I give the information under protest.
- It is noted.

The research programme on Bucol Two

was directed towards combating and
ultimately neutralising radioactive contamination.

The work was progressing well, I understand,
but too slowly to be used in the war.

What form did it take?
Protective equipment, what?

As I understand it, they were genetic experiments.
The man in charge was named Justin.

They had an underground laboratory complex
and large food supplies.

And that is all I know.

Very well.

That will do.

If I seemed to make a mistake
in mentioning Servalan, I am sorry.

An old man's memory is suspect,
Commissioner Sleer.

Especially an old man
whose eyes were burnt from his head.

Naturally. It is forgotten.

I know Servalan is now a non-person.
I was incorrect in mentioning her name.

You were. But as I say, it is forgotten.

Show Ardus back to his ship.

- This way.
- Thank you, Commissioner.

Thank you, Commissioner.

Commissioner Sleer, is everything satisfactory?

When you dispatched Ardus here to me,
did his pilot file a flight plan?

No, Commissioner.
Everything was as you instructed.

- They never arrived here, Borr.
- But they must have done.

I suggest you make sure that your connection
with their disappearance is never discovered.

Without any records to back you up,
it might be quite hard to explain.

There's no cause for concern, Commissioner.

I was very discreet.

I hope so.

Now, get me the photo print record
on a scientist named Justin. A genetic engineer.

Certainly.

I want you to work out a landing plan
for this ship on Bucol Two as soon as possible.

Those animals have been out so long.

Won't they die?

They'll come in when they're hungry enough.
All except Og.

- And why won't he?
- He's further advanced.

He began to know what we want him for
and he's afraid.

I shall need to calm him, to reassure him.
Try to get him to trust me again.

Well, maybe he'll never trust you again.

It's possible.

Does he understand speech?

If you keep it simple, yes.

He can't speak, naturally.
He's programmed to obey, not argue.

Yet he ran away.

That was his animal instinct.

Look...

if he won't trust you, perhaps he'll trust me.

- Why should he?
- Because I'm somebody else. Not you.

Not the one who gave him pain.

Does that make sense?

- It's possible, I suppose.
- Are you going to hurt him again?

There's no need.
I've developed painless brain grafts for the others.

All Og needs is psycho-instruction.

You're so rational about it all.

Not as rational as you might think, Dayna.
Quite emotional, really.

I don't believe it.

Oh, it's true.

It's absolutely true.

I only wish it wasn't.

Why?

Oh...

I've been on my own on this planet
for so long now...

I don't think I can cope with people any more.

Yes, you can.

Can I?

Yes.

Like I said. Messy.

Go and get cleaned up.

Preferably somewhere else.

Is that all the thanks I get?
Not even a glass of wine?

We've used the best of it up.

Correction. You've used the best of it up.

Orac, is the navigation system
fully operational now?

No, it is recommended that a further overhaul

of the glycolene ballast channels be carried out.

- What?
- It's lucky you didn't get cleaned up.

- Or boozed up.
- Would you settle for fed up?

- It's somebody else's turn.
- Try and do it right this time, Vila.

A glass of wine when I come up
or I don't do it at all.

Half a glass.

- Before I go down?
- Don't push your luck.

What luck?

Where will they be, do you think?

Probably by the cliff.

(Howling)

Make for the ridge.

It's a natural vantage point.

Captain.

I want you to make sure we're ready to lift off
this mudball at the first sign of trouble.

We will be, Commissioner.

Og.

I mean no harm, Og.

I want to help.

I am your friend, Og.

I think Justin is also your friend.

You're very hungry, aren't you?

Very, very hungry.

(Growling)

If you come back into the compound,
into your quarters,

I promise you will not be hurt.

I promise you will be treated properly.

Not hurt.

Not your head.

Not hurt.

Og, come back with me.

The others will follow.

Justin!

Orac, status of the teleport system?

- 86% function.
- That's better than normal.

- I've got the personal intercoms working again.
- Right.

- How's our armament situation?
- Good as it'll ever be.

We couldn't hold off a Federation patrol with it,
but we knew that already.

If we're going to Bucol Two
we shall need all the fire power we can muster.

So long as you remember
we're smoke if they get to us.

Are we expecting trouble on this trip?

A Federation patrol attacked Scorpio at Bucol Two.

They might wonder what it was doing there
in the first place. I would, in their position.

Then it's dead stupid of us to go there, right?
"Dead" being the operative word.

Dayna is there.

And I'm sorry about that, but I don't see why
I should be punished for your guilty conscience.

Orac, are we fit to fly?

Fit to fly, certainly.

You have fully functioning drive units
and the navigation systems are 96% effective.

- There is one recommendation, however.
- A test flight?

Test flights are usual after repairs
and replacements of this magnitude.

- That would take 24 hours at least.
- Would 24 hours kill us?

It might kill Dayna.

Or it might put her
into the hands of the Federation.

At which point this base loses its value.

Get what you need.
I want to lift off within an hour.

Dayna.

Dayna.

(Echoing) Dayna!

We must talk about your friend soon.

But first, tell me about the animals.

Nothing to tell.

Simply an unimportant genetic experiment.

I don't think so.

These animals are radiation-proof.

That's worth a great deal to the Federation.

Since you know all that, why ask me?

Tell me about Justin.

Justin?

Who's he?

Behave like a fool, by all means.

But don't treat me like one.

You know who he is, obviously.

Yes, I do. A top geneticist.

How far has he got
with his work with the animals?

His work...

isn't yet complete.

How far?

I don't know. Simply not finalised.

Who's with him, helping him?

A full company of troopers left over from the war.

He's alone, isn't he?

He has nobody, has he?

Why do you lie for him?

Why do you suffer pain for him?

Do you love him?

Of course not.

So...

you do love him.

Very much.

Obviously.

Is he underground still?

According to my information
he was in underground bunkers,

virtually impregnable and with enough food
and water to last 100 years.

Yes, he is.

Quite impregnable. You'll never get to him.

I need him, Dayna.

I need him alive.

The animals are no use to me without him.

I have to have him, Dayna.

You do see that.

I can't help you.

- You can.
- How?

You can go to him and tell him
that I will guarantee his safety

and the continuation of his experiments
with only one condition.

- Which is?
- That I use the animals in the way I think fit.

- I won't take him that message.
- Why not?

He isn't interested in offers.

He doesn't want Federation help or any help.
He just wants to be left alone.

He can't be left alone.

Surely you can see that.

You have his affection, yes? He trusts you.

Then all you do is go and tell him
to do a deal with us.

No, I won't.

Yes, you will.

Won't you?

No.

Pity.

It's an old one, but it's him, right?

Yes.

Every time you see him, you're going to hate him.

No!

In the end you'll tell me you hate him
and when I believe you I'll stop.

I'll never hate him.

You will.

You really hate him now, don't you?

- Yes.
- Say it.

- I hate him.
- Again.

I hate him.

Excellent.

So...

you're going to help me, aren't you?

What do you want me to do?

Get him to let you into the laboratory,
then you let us in.

Yes.

All right.

Good.

SERVALAN: Remember you hate him.

Remember you hate him.

Remember you hate him.

Come inside, quickly.

Oh, my love, I thought you were dead.
What happened?

Are you all right?

Yes, yes, I'm fine.

I've missed you.

You've no idea how much.

I knew I was fond of you,
but when I couldn't find you

- and the animals had run, I thought...
- What's happened?

- All these slides, they're broken!
- I destroyed everything.

- Why?
- I was sure they'd killed you.

I see.

Don't fuss, I'm fine.

You seem in a serious state of shock to me.

You're trembling.

No, really, I'm all right.

- Here, this is a good sedative, try it.
- No, I told you, I am fine!

I see, all right, all right.

It's a pity you destroyed everything.

I've still got a lot of the research here in my head.

You can help me put it all together again,
can't you?

- Yes.
- You'd like to do that, wouldn't you?

- Yes, of course.
- I'm glad.

Your girlfriend let us in.

- Who are you?
- Sleer.

- Federation Security Commissioner.
- Federation?

- You're not a Federation agent, are you?
- No, she isn't.

- What have you done to her?
- Made her hate you.

Simple aversion therapy.

It can be reversed quite easily,
provided you are reasonable.

What do you want?

Your work...

and the animals.

My work is destroyed.

Then you die.

Both of you.

It's in his head.

- He said so.
- That's better.

Right. You three, get that animal.

Does he have a name?

Og.

- When you have him, you have it all.
- Good.

If you have to wing him, do it. But don't kill him.

Vila, down safe.

Right.

(Screaming)

SERVALAN: They have the animal. They have him.

You two, this way.

You first, Justin.

Dayna, please.

She hates you, but she won't
once you start to work for us.

Come on, outside.

(Screaming)

Did you hear that?

It came from that direction.

(Muffled explosion)

TARRANT: Avon.

Look, it's Dayna's.

I want a quick r?sum? of what you've been doing,

and how soon can that animal outside be cloned
and in operation?

- You'll get nothing until Dayna is normal again.
- Normal?

- I mean it. Nothing.
- I suppose I could convince you.

You might damage my memory doing it.

Yes, I might.

All right, Dayna, sit in that chair.

No!

- No!
- We won't hurt you this time. Quite the opposite.

- No, please.
- Captain.

Dayna, can you hear me?

- SERVALAN: You love him, Dayna.
- Dayna.

- You love him.
- This is Avon. Where are you?

- You love him, Dayna.
- Dayna, respond.

You love him. You love him, Dayna. You love him.

Avon, southwest of bunker, half a mile.

Federation ship. Prisoner.

Be careful.

So that's who she fell out with.

Let's go.

Justin! What happened?

- Nothing, nothing.
- That's enough.

All right, Justin. Tell me everything you know.

Get that animal onto the ship.

- Captain, prepare for immediate lift off.
- Go, Dayna, go!

Get rid of that.

Justin!

Justin!

Justin!

Justin.

No. Oh, no.

Oh, no.

Vila, standby to bring us up.