Doctor Who (2005–…): Season 12, Episode 4 - Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror - full transcript

Niagara Falls.

Is there a better demonstration
of the sheer power of nature?

When I first saw this view,

I was inspired to build
my Niagara Generator,

and now these waters power a city.

But there's so much more in nature

that cannot be seen
by the naked eye,

forces invisible to us
which animate the universe.

And they were hidden from
our understanding...until now.

Gentlemen, I, Nikola Tesla...

..have invited you here
to pull back the curtain.



Shall we begin?

Observe, ladies and gentlemen.
CROWD GASPS

I plan to harness
these forces of nature

on a scale never seen before.

A world wireless system.

A way for each of us to reach beyond
our immediate sphere

into every corner of the Earth.

APPLAUSE

I only require the small
investment of 50,000.

50,000?

A small price to pay
to transmit energy

through the ether with no wires.

You mean flying around in the air?

Poppycock! They're even more
far-fetched than those



Mars stories that we've all
been hearing about.

I'm sure you gentlemen
know better than to believe

everything you read

in the Times.
Thank you, Miss Skerritt,

but I did in fact receive
a feeble electrical signal,

and I calculate it comes from Mars.

CROWD MURMURS

But that's not the focus
of this project.

Mr Tesla, I'm not in the habit
of investing in fairy tales.

Good day to you.

Mr Brady, sir, please!
My work is not a fairy...tale.

I promise you,
within about a year,

my Wardenclyffe project
will be as real and functioning

as this very generator!

CLANG, ELECTRICAL SPARKING

Mr Tesla?

We have an emergency.

Oh, dear. How did this happen?

I think an electric shock, miss.

What?

One of these machines
must have killed him.

That's impossible.

All the apparatus here
is perfectly safe.

Nonetheless, Mr Tesla
will be happy to take a look.

After all, we can't have people
thinking

there's some deadly flaw
in your designs.

Can we, sir?

Very well.

I work alone!

CLANG

Ah, Miss Skerritt!

I have solved the riddle!

Of course there is no flaw
with my machinery.

HE LAUGHS
Parts are missing.

We have a thief at work!

Miss Skerritt?

Hello?

Anybody there?

HIGH-PITCHED BURBLING

Incredible.

What is it?
HE GASPS

I...I have no idea.

CLANG

SHE GASPS
I thought the foreman went home.

Miss Skerritt,
we need to leave now.

SHE GASPS

It's locked!

FOOTSTEPS CLANG
There!

Oh. Hi!

I don't suppose you've seen
anything weird around here?

Agh! I'll take that as a yes.

Mind if I join you?

SHE GASPS

It's Mr Brady.

Why would a potential investor
be shooting at us?

More urgently - who shot him?

Run!

Who are you?

Someone with a fast way out of here!

TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS

SHE GASPS
Here we go -
perfect getaway vehicle!

Full speed, straight to New York.

What did I say?

Night train, right on schedule.

Did you find out what was causing
this energy thing, then?

No, but I found these two.

Welcome aboard the Orient Express!
We travel in style.

This is Graham, Yaz and Ryan.
We were doing the sights

when I picked up
a funny energy reading.

Thought I'd check it out.

Ran into a tiny bit of trouble
at the plant.

Nothing to worry about.
We've lost them.

So, here we are.

I'm The Doctor, by the way.

Why don't you tell me who you
are and who's shooting at you?

Dorothy. Dorothy Skerritt.

I am Nikola Tesla,
and I assure you I have no idea.

Tesla!

I knew you looked familiar!

It's only Nikola Tesla!

Who? Nicholas something.

Total genius!

I always wanted to meet you!

Shame you're a big, fat liar.

Pardon?
ALL GASP

YAZ: Doctor!

And we're off again!

Look out! Go, go, go!

RYAN: Who's that?
I don't know!

SHE GASPS, SCREWDRIVER BUZZES
Locked it! Keep going!

Go!

No way! Go on, Ryan!

You've got this! Agh!

SHE GASPS
Now!

SHE GRUNTS

It's quiet.

Why has it gone quiet?

CREAKING

IT GROWLS

SHE SCREAMS

SCREWDRIVER BUZZES

I'll take that!

SHE PANTS

Keep it moving, then.

Missing something?

Come on! Argh! It's rusted together.

Got you!

LOW GROWL

Silurian Blaster.
Nasty, deadly thing.

But here's the funny part -

whatever was firing it wasn't
Silurian. So, Nikola Tesla,

why is someone chasing you
with an alien gun?

You believe this is alien?

Not so fast, you big, fat liar.

Why do you keep saying that?

Is she always this impertinent?

OTHERS: Yes.
First thing I asked you,

I said, "Have you seen
anything weird?"

And there's one important thing
you've failed to mention.

See, I started this evening

chasing an unusual energy reading.

I followed that signal,
loud and clear,

to the Niagara Generator.

So why am I still detecting it
on board this train with you?

Whatever it is, hand it over.

This is one of the most
miraculous things

I've seen in my life.

It's a mystery I intend to solve.

And I have no intention
of handing it to total strangers.

Strangers who just saved your life.

Whatever you found
is putting you in danger.

Yeah. Both of you.
You all right with that?

I agree with Mr Tesla.

If anyone can make sense
of this, it's him.

Well, then,
if you won't hand it over,

you leave us no choice.

We're not letting you
out of our sights

until we've worked this out.

So, where's this lab, then?

Now, this is a bit of all right.

Gilded Age New York!

This is when
the modern world begins!

New ideas, new technologies,
new skyscrapers.

More people getting rich quick,

and more poor people
than ever before.

I always wanted to visit New York,
see Times Square.

Yeah, bit early for that.

Empire State Building? Not yet.

Central Park? Yeah!

Now, that has been around for ages.

CHANTING
Can you hear yelling?

CROWD: No to the death current,
no AC!

No to the death current, no AC!

No to the death current, no AC!

Who are they?

Protesters.

What are they protesting about?

Me. WOMAN: There he is!

Do you have any idea
what you're doing?

Shame on you! He's dangerous!

Go back to Mars!
How many more people

have to die before you admit
your machines aren't safe?

My inventions never hurt anyone!

Isn't it true your last invention
caused an earthquake?

Those were only mild tremors.

Why are you building weapons
on Long Island?

Mr Tesla isn't building
any kind of weapon

or going to answer any questions!

Excuse me! Foreign lunatic!
You don't belong in America.

Yeah!

I'm an American citizen!

And you are trespassing
in front of my lab.

Me? A lunatic?

They wouldn't recognise genius
if it hit them in the face.

Are you all right?

Oh. Absolutely, yeah.

Their opinions do not affect me.

CHANTING CONTINUES

DOOR SLAMS SHUT

DISTANT CLATTERING

He'll just be a moment.

CLATTERING

Why don't you go on through?

Tesla's lab.

This is going to be something
special!

I won't lie.

I was expecting more.

Well, let's have a look about.

Mm.

So, Tesla - is he something
to do with the cars, then?

Yeah, well, they're named after him.

He's a famous inventor,
ain't he, Doc?

Yeah?

And what did he invent?

Well, he invented the, erm...

The whatchamacallit. Tell 'em, Doc.
YAZ LAUGHS

Nikola Tesla dreams up
the 20th century before it happens.

Before you have X-rays,
Tesla has shadowgraphs.

Before you have drones,
Tesla has automatons.

Before Marconi gets
the patent for radio,

they have to take it from Tesla
because he invents it first!

His work on alternating currents

helps electrify the world.

He should have been
the first billionaire by now,

if he hadn't have torn up
his contract.

Business isn't his strong point.

Doctor.

I believe you wanted to see this.

FIZZING

Is this what you found
in the generator?

Giving off all that energy -
but why?

SPHERE BUZZES
RYAN: Whoa!

You see how it moves independently?

I believe this is something
I like to call "remote control".

Remote control?
You came up with that?

I believe this is operating
on a similar principle.

If we could just
work out its purpose...

I know what it is.

It's an Orb of Thassor.

But I've no idea
what it's doing here.

The Thassor were
one of the ancient races.

Amazing storytellers.
Inventors, explorers.

They built these orbs
as a way to spread information,

to send out among the stars
as a way to share their legacy

long after they were gone.

Why would someone try to kill us
to get their hands on that?

I've no idea.

BUZZING STOPS
But maybe I can find out.

SCREWDRIVER BUZZES

I think it's been repurposed.

But I can't work out
what it's doing instead.

This is all wrong!
Something this elegant

shouldn't be giving off
this kind of noise.

Its energy readings
are off the charts!

That instrument detects energy?
Is-is this your own design?

I made it! Mainly out of spoons.

You're an inventor!

I have my moments.

I knew it!

So... So you can understand
how it feels -

you know, when you have an idea
and...and to make it real.

I don't think
there's any greater thrill!

I couldn't agree more.

You... You spoke of aliens.

People, you know,
laugh at the very idea!

But not you.
Well, apparently,

I'm not like other people.

It can be difficult, you know,

to feel no-one else
sees the world the way you do.

It's like you're, er...

Out of place.

Yeah.

I... I thought... I thought
things would be different.

You know, when I first arrived
in America,

I had four cents to my name -
I was robbed on the journey -

but still I thought,
"This is the beginning!"

Here I would prosper,
my ideas would live!

Changing the world takes time.
You have to be patient.

I try. But you saw them outside.

They... They talk as if I was
dangerous or mad, or...

So prove them wrong!

DOOR OPENS

Sir, this was just delivered -
it's from Mr Morgan.

Excellent.

Mr Morgan is the investor
behind my Wardenclyffe project.

With his help, we...

He's pulling the funding. What?

I, er...can't complete
Wardenclyffe without it.

I'm never going to be able
to prove it works.

FLASH BULB POPS
RYAN: Who's that?

SCREWDRIVER BUZZES

That was Harold Green -
one of Edison's men.

As in Thomas Edison?
Light-bulb guy? All right.

We all know Edison.
It's Tesla you've never heard of.

He's literally standing
right there. Yeah - sorry, son.

Edison, Edison.
Of course it's Edison.

He's plagued me
every step of my career!

Edison champions a rival form
of electric current

to Mr Tesla's AC.

Direct current - of course,
he would champion

something so slow and inefficient.

That man is a liar and a thief.

Are we saying Thomas Edison
is after the Orb of Thassor?

Don't be daft - how's Edison's
men going to get their hands on

a Slymurian laser blaster?

Silurian. Let's go and find out.

You three stay here
and guard the Orb.

You two - with me.

Time we paid a visit
to Mr Thomas Edison.

Ladies and gentlemen,

AC is the most deadly force
known to science.

For the public's safety,

the Niagara Generator
should be shut down.

And let me guess.

An Edison Generator
built in its place.

Couldn't have put it better myself.

Thomas Edison, we need to talk.

As I was saying...
We could talk here,

but I think you'd prefer to go
somewhere more private.

You want to make an appointment,

speak to my secretary.

Alien weapons.

How are you getting
your hands on them?

HE CHUCKLES
Alien weapons!

You have the wrong inventor, ma'am.

It's Nikola Tesla's been talking
to Mars.

I keep my feet on the ground.

So...you don't recognise this?

Let's take this inside.

GRAHAM: Whoa! This is
some set-up he's got.

See, this guy
I've definitely heard of -

he's got to be America's
most famous inventor.

Yeah. But not exactly
a shrinking violet, is he?

I mean, he's plastered his name
all over the shop!

Talk about tooting your own horn!

I have never seen anything
like this in my life.

Is it your design?

Who has the patent?

This isn't a business opportunity -
someone tried to shoot us with it

just before we caught
an employee of yours

spying on Nikola Tesla.

Someone's trying to steal from him,
and he seems pretty sure it's you.

Does he, now?

Ma'am,

I may keep an eye on my rivals,
but I do not steal.

I have no need to.

There are a thousand patents
in the Edison name.

You might have seen it
on the building.

That's not how Tesla sees it.
He's sore about the past.

You know, I gave him a job

when he first arrived
in this country

on the factory floor.

He ended up digging ditches
for two bucks a day.

Tesla?!

Dapper dude
who dresses for the opera?

How did he end up digging a ditch?

He heard me say I'd pay 50,000

to the man who could fix
my generator.

He worked on that thing
day and night for a year.

And he did it.

And you, being
the upstanding businessman,

paid every last cent, I presume.

I offered him a ten-buck raise.

He quit and chose to dig.

Man just didn't understand
the American sense of humour.

I thought you'd have more stuff.

Sketches, blueprints, you know.
For all your inventions.

All in here.
HE SIGHS

Before anything else, I...

..I build things here.

Tell me about
this Wardenclyffe project.

Er...

Imagine if, er...

..wherever you were,
you were able to hear music

or, er, the speech of
a great leader, or, er...

..conjure a map of what lay beyond.

That's what I propose
with Wardenclyffe -

all of human knowledge
shared freely.

Now, that sounds like the future.

Yeah. Yeah...

It will change the world.

Why can't anyone else see that?

There must be someone
who'll invest in it.

Well, if there is,
I can't find them,

and, er, without the money,
I have no power source,

and without power...

ORB BUZZES

SCIENTIST: Sir,
if you'll just permit me...

No! No, the grounding coil
goes in separately.

I said don't touch! Sorry.

Really? Go over there!

IT GROWLS, CRACKLING

GASPING

LOUD CRACKLING

LOW GROWLING

METAL CLATTERS

Something's wrong.

Oh, I should say.

We've done this dance
for long enough.

Now, what have you done
with my man, huh?

Oh, don't play dumb.
He was keeping tabs

on that dog-and-pony show
of Tesla's at Niagara.

Now he's gone quiet -
the very day you show up

pointing the finger.

Huh?

Trust me, Mr Edison -

we're not the people
you should be worried about.

He is.

Behind me!

Harold? What's the matter with him?

That's not Harold Green.

No human readings.
What is that? Not possession.

Psionic image cloaking? Hologram?

What are you talking about?

IT GROWLS
No guns, Ryan!

Whatever you are,
whatever you've come for,

nobody else needs to get hurt.

IT GROWLS
Desk!

Run!

Oh, my God.

No time.

This way.

In here.

GRAHAM: Doc, look!

DOOR CLOSES

SCREWDRIVER BUZZES

Oh, he's dead.

He's the real Harold Green.

Whatever's chasing us
is projecting his image

and using it to keep
his true self hidden.

You'd better not be hiding anything.

People have died.

My workers!

All those men work for me.
They had families.

I had dinner with this guy
and his wife last week.

I have to tell her,
tell the families.

Now give me the gun.
Definitely not.

We're not shooting it!

We need to contain it,
work out what it wants.

This is your chemical lab.

Perfect!

Ammonium nitrate,
bit of green stuff.

Where's your zinc? Zinc?

Have you lost your damn mi...?

Oh!

Finally thinking like a scientist.

ELECTRICITY BUZZES

YAZ: What is that?

Power!

Waiting to be harnessed.
Your...your Doctor was right.

The Orb is emitting
huge amounts of energy.

It's pulsing - like a siren.
Or radar.

Radar?

Using energy waves to work out
what's around you.

It's just a theory.

I've been working on
a similar theory myself.

I call it my exploring ray.

But, anyway -
the Orb is emitting

distinct waves of energy.

It's... It's like it's, ah,
sensing its surroundings.

YAZ: Or scanning.

Which makes me wonder...

What is it looking for?

IT HISSES

There'll be more
where that came from.

How about we try this again?
Who are you?

Show your true form.

IT GROWLS

What in God's name?

Yaz! It's not Edison!

I mean, it was, but it turns
out it's aliens, too.

They can look like anyone,
so don't let anyone in!

Tell Tesla! Tell Dorothy!

Lock every door!

I'm sorry.

Yaz? Yaz, are you all right?

You are dead.
We know you want the Orb.

Let her go.

Exactly -
you don't have to hurt her.

With your levels of technology,

you must understand
there is no need for violence.

DISTORTED: We did not come
for the Orb.

We came...for you.

No!

Welcome, Nikola Tesla.

TARDIS THRUMS

SHE GASPS

You're all right.
You've probably got questions.

They took them.

Where did they take them?

We know they've got cloaking tech,

but if I rig a bypass...

Luckily, high-speed inventing
is one of my specialisms.

First time here can be a lot.

It certainly is...a lot.

But you take it in your stride.

Where do you even come from?

Yorkshire, England.

I was at home - you know,
normal life, work -

then, boom - The Doctor.

Changed my whole life.

I was the same
before I met Mr Tesla.

I wanted my own career -
something steady -

then he showed me all these
discoveries that could be made.

But it seemed like
impossible things.

And now,
something normal, steady...

Doesn't seem so important.

We'll get him back.

She's good at impossible, too.

Right, then.

ORB BUZZES

On you pop.

This is the most
extraordinary thing.

Is it a single machine
or some kind of, er...

..mechanical factory?

GRAHAM: Oi!

You're in here
strictly on the QT, right?

So get those dollar signs
out of your eyes

cos this little lot ain't
for sale. Copyright - her!

That's a British accent, isn't it?
Yes.

Now there's a country
who's never understood business.

Please work.

Have you got something, Doc?

Of course!

That's why they left it behind.

It's been hacked. It's not
broadcasting any more -

it's receiving.

You mean it's a bugging device.

Thought so.

Moment I saw it.

Exactly. Repurposed
from its original intent.

It's been scanning the Earth
since it got here.

SCREWDRIVER BUZZES

And it must have finally found
what it's been looking for.

What is this place?

You stand in the Throne Ship
of the Skithra.

High above your meagre city.

You can see your city.

But your city cannot see us.

We have been watching,

hidden from human eyes
while we searched.

This is an electrical condenser -
from my generator.

We have gathered supplies.
Now you will work.

Work on what?

Our ship. Our weapons. Everything.

They're hiding their real faces
behind projections -

they could look like anything,
be anywhere. There's no trail!

If we're looking
for a trail to follow,

what if Tesla already found it?

DOROTHY: But he did.

The Mars signal.

I didn't believe him - not really.

But he records
all his observations.

We have to go to Wardenclyffe.

Wow. Now, this is a lab.

Mr Tesla started transferring
all of his work

to Wardenclyffe months ago.

He intercepted
the Mars signal with this.

He calls it his Teslascope.

Here are all the readings he took.

They must have increased
the cloaking

when they realised
he'd spotted them.

Hey! Don't take your eyes off him,

and don't let him touch anything!

We're on Long Island.

This box transported us
halfway across New York.

Unbelievable.

Yeah, well, keep it to yourself,

or people'll say
you're as crazy as Tesla.

That, my friend, will never happen.

Yeah, still - bet you'd jump at the
chance to have him back working

for you, wouldn't you? Yeah?

Yeah! How'd you figure that?

Cos I had a supervisor
like you at my old depot.

And men like you don't pay
a bloke that much attention

unless you think
there's a pay-out coming.

It must be here somewhere.

Ah, I've found it!
The signal readout.

Now we're in business.

One of these must be good
for getting out of here.

Got to find a way off the ship.

Well, we're hundreds of feet
above New York.

What do you suggest we do,
open a door?

I'd suggest we don't surrender
to the giant alien scorpion.

You're right. I'm sorry.
This is all my fault.

You shouldn't even be here.

Just cos you're a genius
doesn't mean

you have to figure everything out
on your own.

We're in this together.

You have examined the equipment?

HE CLEARS THROAT

Yes, I have.

There are more secrets on this ship

than I could discover
in a lifetime. Er...

It... It is a scientist's dream.

Then your work shall begin.

You will prepare us for battle.

No, I won't.

LOUD HISSING

Your work would burn a path
across the galaxies.

On Earth, you are nothing.

Perhaps I will achieve nothing,

but if I achieve anything,

it will be in the name of progress,

and you are not my idea of progress.

SHE ROARS

Kill the stowaway.

I knew I had one in my tool box.

Braxium Bouncer, Mark III.

Found it at a bazaar.

Bit wonky, but I can't take
the TARDIS.

This should give us enough power
to transport me,

Yaz and Tesla back here.

But once I'm there,

I can't jump back
until it recharges itself.

Which, you know,
I'm not worried about.

Definitely. And you shouldn't
be worried about it either.

Not in the least.

This is the price of refusal.

First, she dies,
then everyone down there.

Stop.

She's my assistant, I need her.

SHE HISSES

She's not important.

THE DOCTOR: I'm going to
have to disagree with that.

Ah.

Nice place you've got here.

Probably.

If you cleaned up a bit.
I mean, I'm messy, but this?

SHE GROWLS
Are you guys all right?

Better now you're here.

I'm The Doctor.
I don't believe we've met.

You address the Queen
of the Skithra?

You trespass on my ship?

Oh, this is your ship?

Because it looks Venusian to me,

and I'm pretty sure
that's a Klendov warp drive.

Is there a single thing on this ship

that you've built yourselves?

This one is clever.

She will assist Tesla.

I've had worse jobs.

Or she will die.

Stolen tech,

stolen faces,

and now all your stolen gear
is breaking down.

And what do you do?

Steal someone else to fix it.

All this killing and looting!
Did it never occur to you

to try thinking or building
something instead?

RASPING LAUGH

Why would we build
when all there is is ours to take?

Tesla...

Why Tesla?

Why send the sphere to track him,

an inventor from 1900?

We required an engineer.

I was talking!

We required an engineer.

Tesla showed superior signs
of intelligence.

He discovered our signal.

But how did you know that?

He signalled back.

You didn't think to mention that?

I didn't know it worked.

YAZ: Seriously?

The Skithra have always taken
what we need.

And, Doctor...

..I do not see a need for you.

Oh, is that a Dullirian resonator?

Oh, and this can power
a starship for months.

You think Tesla's clever?

We make him look like
the village idiot. A smart,

forward-thinking scorpion queen
like yourself,

I wouldn't go killing me and Yaz.

Cos Yaz...

BEEPING

..can tell you what this is.

It's a camera. Bingo.

SKITHRA SCREECH

GRAHAM: Doctor! RYAN: Ah, Yaz.

Mr Tesla! Miss Skerritt.

TESLA DRAWS BREATH

EDISON: Well, I'll be darned.

She actually got you back.

What is he doing here?

Tesla,

quite a day we're all having.

It's not over yet.

Come on.

This is my private laboratory.

Yes.

You have no right to be he...

What is this?

Wh... Wh...
DOOR CREAKS AND SHUTS

Where are you all going?

Fantastical!

I couldn't figure it out either.

The internal dimensions

transcends the external. Spot-on.

BUZZING

Listen up, Skithra queen,

it's me, on behalf of Tesla.

Consider this your official
eviction notice.

Get your ship away from Earth
right now.

QUEEN SKITHRA:
We will take the engineer,

or this planet shall burn!

Surrender him
and your lives may be spared.

You can't have him.

He's with us.

And we're not going anywhere.

Then we will kill
all the teeming millions

that infect this world,

and you and your friends
will die first.

This is the choice you must make.

Give us Tesla, or the planet -

and all who live on it - shall die.

It cannot be me or the Earth.

You can't place this burden on me.

Mr Tesla!

DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES

GUTTURAL HISS

Find them.

I've spent my life wondering
what might be out there.

But creatures who would destroy
the whole planet

just to get their hands on me?

Recognition at last.

HE CHUCKLES

You do realise

it's killing Edison that
they want you and not him.

HE EXHALES

This place, Wardenclyffe...

..I was so close.

People would finally see
what it can do.

What I can do.

Now no-one will ever know.

You must all go.

Let them take me.

That's not going to happen.

I have to surrender myself.

There is nothing else to be done.

This is beyond me.

No.

No?

Nikola Tesla,
you're going to change the world.

But first,
you're going to save it.

Now, tell me
all about Wardenclyffe.

The tower works by harnessing

the electric field
of the Earth itself.

Here - my magnifying transformer

pumps millions of volts
into this tunnel.

The current races down through
the Earth until it reaches

the other side of the planet,
and then bounces back.

Then it's channelled
into the tower -

wave after wave after wave -
and up into the air!

My intention was to build
a series of these towers...

..transmitting energy
throughout the ether -

a world wireless system.

That's Wi-Fi.

Did Tesla have the idea for Wi-Fi?

But with enough power,

it could be used to send
a single bolt of lightning

high up into the sky.

Ah, well, if we generate
one large enough,

it could strike the ship, like so!

Yes! High-five!

Too early!

In a pig's eye.

You want to bet our lives
on a contraption like this, huh?

Some fantastical idea
no sane man would ever invest in?

At least I have ideas.

You have filled a factory
full of men

to do your thinking for you.

Half of your inventions
were thought up by other people.

Anyone can have ideas.

I make them happen.

All those men,
all those inventions,

I turn them from a sketch
into real things people can buy.

That's how you change the world.

You're too blind to see
that my factory is the best idea

either one of us ever had.

And you are too narrow-minded
to grasp the genius of my work,

and that is why you will never
achieve real greatness.

You are not a man of vision.
You're a man of...parts.

Oi! AC/DC! You two might be
the greatest minds of the age,

but is there any chance
you can stop squabbling

while we try and save the planet?

We need to move quickly.
We have to prepare the tower.

Here's what we're going to do...

You and me will finish the tower.

I can extend the TARDIS shields

within the boundaries
of Wardenclyffe.

That should keep us safe...for now.

Edison, Yaz - I need you to get
people off the streets.

The Skithra are on their way.
SHE GROWLS AND HISSES

Dorothy, Graham, Ryan -

find anything we can use
to defend Wardenclyffe.

And be fast. For all we know,
they've already found us.

YAZ: Please! Please!
Everybody inside!

Please! Please move inside.

Everybody inside.

Why is nobody listening to me?
Is it the accent?

Please, it's an emergency!

Please can you go inside?
That fool Tesla

is still experimenting
with his deadly tower!

We're as good as fried
if we stay outside.

He's firing it up right now!

Spread the word!
PANICKED SHOUTING

No-one is safe!
SCREAMING

IT HISSES

HE SIGHS

"Mechanism for
photographing thoughts"?

No. No.

"Apparatus for producing ozone."

"Prototype Death Ray"?

Yes! Yeah? Yes! Ah! No, no.

Where is Tesla?

Hey! You stay away from him!

Get down, kid!

Where the hell did he go?

Quick, inside!

When did you get that?
Just be glad I did.

ZAPPING, GROWLING

EDISON: Oh, my dear Lord,
what is that?

IT SNARLS

IT ROARS

Come on, run!

Run!

GUNSHOT

Are you sure this is right?

Tesla said it should be just...
Here!

This tunnel leads us
back to Wardenclyffe.

OK!

Doctor?

We have company.

SKITHRA SCREECH

Shield's working, then.

Come on. Come on!

Just in time. We need
to barricade the door now.

Good God...
There's too many of them.

Well, they may have
superior numbers,

but we have superior minds.

We just have to hold them off.

They're a hive species.
So if we take out the queen...

We take out all of 'em.

Yes! She's still on the ship,

and, hopefully,
we're about to zap her

with a lot of
Wardenclyffe electricity!

There's a but. Small detail.

Once we power up the tower,
the TARDIS shields will drop,

but it will be about 30 seconds
before we can blast the ship.

There's not enough juice for both.

What?

What's going to keep them out, then?

We are.

Don't worry.
This ain't our first rodeo.

We've never been to a rodeo.

You're not helping, Ryan.

Ready?

THE DOCTOR GASPS

It's working.

THE DOCTOR: The tower's charging.

Nearly there.

Get ready out there.

Shields are about to drop.

Shields down. A few more seconds.

GRAHAM: We ain't got
a few seconds, Doc!

RATTLING

What? Signal coming
from the Skithra ship.

SKITHRA SCREECH

SCREECHING FADES

What are they doing?

Why aren't they attacking?

Oh, no.

What is it?

Let's see what this thing can do.

Stay out of our lab!

Oh.

We can't blast the ship

because the queen's no longer on it.

HE GASPS

This was not the plan.

Was this meant to be
your fortress?

And you its defenders?

What was the plan?

To shiver in the dark
until we went away?

SHE SNARLS

HE GASPS

Oh, you really are fragile
creatures, aren't you?

It's a miracle
your world has spun on

so long undisturbed.

Now, tell me.

Where is he?

No?

Then which of you would like

the privilege of dying first? Stop!

If you want Tesla,
you have to go through me.

Doctor, did you really think

I'd let you hide away down here,

hatching your little plans?

If I'd known we were going
to have a royal visit,

I'd have put the kettle on.

As queen, I grant myself
the pleasure of killing you...

SHE INHALES SHARPLY
..in person.

And what are you queen of, exactly?

A stolen ship and second-hand guns?

A queen of shreds and patches.

You're not a ruler,
you're a parasite.

And what are you?

So clever, stealing onto my ship,

taking what I claimed as mine.

But where has it got you?

No weapons. No armour.

No escape.

Just the desperate hope
you might change my mind.

No. We're way past that.
I gave you your chance.

A chance to be like you?
A chance to evolve.

But you were too stupid to take it.

When you die,
there'll be nothing left behind.

Just a trail of blood
and other people's brilliance.

No-one will even know you existed.

SHE HISSES

It's important you understand,
Doctor,

that we would have only taken
the engineer.

Now, because of you,

I will take everything.

We will overrun this world
and pick the bones clean.

Have you ever seen a dead planet?

I've seen more than you can
possibly imagine.

And yet you still think

I can be fooled
by the same trick twice.

SHE GASPS

Doctor! Stay back!

SHE SNARLS

A final weapon for our collection.

And what were you planning
to do with this?

Nothing. I just wanted you
to take it.

SCREWDRIVER BUZZES

SHE ROARS

Tesla, now!

That is it!

SKITHRA ROAR

There you go, kid.

Thank you.

I gotta hand it to you.

You did it.

Come work for me again.

You keep working on this thing,

you'll be bankrupt within the year.

Perhaps.

But how could I stop now?

HE CHUCKLES

You take good care of yourself.
You too.

Was that more or less impossible
than your usual day?

Yeah, about average. You?

Slightly stranger.

Normal would be boring, wouldn't it?

Bye.

Now, this all changes, right?
The protests, the funding.

Tesla's tower's just saved
the world!

That's gotta mean rich and famous.

No. Nothing's changed.

A few years from now,
Wardenclyffe is torn down.

Tesla keeps on inventing,
but no money, no fame.

He dies penniless.
History leaves him behind.

But his vision of wireless energy,
that does happen,

a connected world,

and that idea starts here,
with him.

That's not right.

People should know.

Either way, it doesn't change
what he's done.

Doctor...

You have to let me study
that machine of yours.

It is by far
the most magnificent invention

I've ever seen in my life.

Never mind the TARDIS,

you've got enough magnificent
inventions of your own.

Yes. Yes, you're right.

You're right, of course.
There's so much to be done.

Thank you.

Thank you, all.

Don't give up.

Whatever anyone says.

Well, let them talk.

The present is theirs.

I work for the future.

And the future is mine.

Shall we?

A Judoon warning transmission.

Who are you?

The city's under siege.

Do you trust me, Ruth? Sometimes.