Doctor Who (1963–1989): Season 8, Episode 13 - The Claws of Axos: Episode Three - full transcript

(DOCTOR WHO THEME)

Yes.

Yes, of course.

Axons...

That ship...Axonite...

it's all the same thing!

We're dealing with one single living creature.

Axonite was dormant until I activated it.

- Can't you stop it?
- No, it's too late.

This stuff could endanger the entire world!

Doctor! Look out!



(SCREAMS)

(AXOS) De-energise them.

Re-personalise.

Re-personalisation completed.

Take them to Axos.

What are you talking about, man?!
I repeat - I want an urgent cable to Geneva HQ.

Now, message reads:
''Chinn making illegal unilateral deal.

''Request confirmation...''

A similar message has already been sent?

It can't have been!
Well, there must have been a security leak.

Look, just tell me exactly what happened.

Just a moment.
You can put that away, Captain.

- Sir, you're still under arrest.
- I doubt it.

You'd better contact your HQ.



- Where's Winser?
- Your scientist has been killed.

Killed? How?

His body was destroyed by a blast of radiation.

- Radiation?
- What happened?

Attempts were being made
to interfere with the structure of Axonite.

We came to help, but we were too late.

- We?
- My crew have removed the unstable material.

- The radiation?
- Has been neutralised.

- Did you authorise these experiments?
- No. Winser went his own way, poor devil.

- Did you mean to tell me...?!
- The blame is for you to decide.

This kind of thing must never happen again.

Otherwise, we shall cancel the agreement.

Doctor! I can't move!

Jo, lie still! There's nothing we can do.

- Where are we?
- We're back inside Axos,

and these claws or whatever they are
are a living part of Axos.

Sir, I've been speaking to my HQ
about Brigadier Lethbridge Stewart.

- He's under arrest.
- Any sign of the Doctor?

No, sir. Excuse me, sir, the message...

- Not now!
- Were there any signs...?

When we arrived there was no one here...
except this man.

- (SIR GEORGE) Filer!
- He is in a coma.

Since my help is no longer needed,
I shall return to my ship.

Give us a hand. He's terribly ill.

You've got a medical wing. Take him there.

Right, sir. Come on.

All things must die, Doctor -
mankind, this planet.

Axos merely hastens the process.

Oh? How?

Axonite is simply...bait for human greed.

Because of this greed,
Axonite will spread across the planet,

and then...the nutrition cycle will begin.

Indeed? And what then?

Slowly, we will consume every particle
of energy, every last cell of living matter.

Earth will be sucked dryI

- The position has changed.
- Changed? How? Captain?

I'm afraid so, sir. I tried to tell you.
Orders from the Ministry.

- I'm to hand over command to the Brigadier.
- Ministry? But I haven't heard about this!

You have now.
Anything on the Doctor and Miss Grant?

- No, sir.
- Release my men. They'll help you search.

Obviously your plan entails a time limit.

Axonite must be activated
within 72 hours of our landing.

I think Chinn
has done the right thing for once.

- For the wrong reasons, of course.
- What do you mean?

Fortunately,
he intends to confine Axonite to Britain.

- Chinn?
- Sir?

Why has the sole result
of granting you special powers

been this catastrophic security leak?

Which catastrophic security leak, sir?

The United Nations are demanding
immediate free worldwide distribution of Axonite.

The whole thing has blown up
in our faces, Chinn.

- Yes, sir.
- Distribution is to take place immediately.

- Yes, sir. As soon as I can...
- No, not as soon as, immediately.

- Arrange air transport.
- You can depend upon me, sir.

Hmm? What?
Yes, well, just in case we can't...

Your resignation, Chinn.
All ready for signature. Goodbye, Chinn.

Hello? Get me air transport liaison.

Chinn here. I want you to arrange
worldwide distribution of Axonite immediately.

Axonite...

Axonite...

Dangerous... Must be kept here...

Must not distribute... Must not distribute...

- Anything else, sir?
- That will be all.

- I'll let the Brigadier know...
- No, Sergeant.

- He should know...
- This is a surprise inspection.

I'll make myself known in my own time.

- Very good, sir.
- Thank you.

(ELECTRONIC WHIZZ)

No, we must find him!

Helping them!

Gotta find him... Must find the Master!

Oh, no!

But what does he think he's doing?

What a botch-up!

Lies are useless, Time LordI

For the thousandth time,
I am not a Time Lor...

(ELECTRONIC WHINING)

We have explored the blocks
imposed upon your memory and can free them.

We must have the secret of time travel.

Must you? Why?

Soon we must expand our feeding range
to increase the energy sources available.

Space-time travel will give us this power.

Oh, well, I suppose it...
could be made to work...

just possibly.

Right, Doctor.

Don't keep me waiting, will you?

I refuse to align myself
to your cosmic bacteria...

(ELECTRONIC WHINING)

We shall see. You have seen how Axonite
can absorb the life force from a human body.

Now we have arranged for your companion
to age to death before your eyes.

(BLEEPING AND CLICKING)

Jo?

Jo!

Jo!

No... Aah! Argh! Stop! Stop!

- You will cooperate?
- You cannot defy the laws of time.

- Give me a chance and I'll prove it to you.
- Very well. Release her.

(BLEEPING AND CLICKING)

All right, Doctor. Begin.

Axonite's distribution must be shelved
until we have the Doctor's report on it.

Doctor? (LAUGHS) I spotted him
for a charlatan the moment I saw him.

If you ask me,
you won't see much of him again.

Large quantities of Axonite
are ready for distribution.

Show me the extent of the operation.

Concentrate, Doctor.
You have only to...think the equation.

The mind of Axos will do the rest.

Very well.

(RAPID BLEEPING)

(ELECTRONIC WHIZZING)

Good. Now the power requirements.

(RAPID BLEEPING)

- (ELECTRONIC WHIZZING)
- What is this?

- Remember what will happen if you lie.
- Pure mathematics cannot lie.

You'll need an immense amount of power
for anything as large as Axos.

(RAPID BLEEPING)

There are your final power requirements.

All data confirmed.

You see? Just as I told you.

Far in excess of your total power capacity.

Add the full power output
of the Nuton complex to your figures, Doctor.

Oh, all right, but I fail to see what good it will do.

(RAPID BLEEPING)

Data confirms space-time travel possible
using additional power from complex.

You see, Doctor, we can call upon
the additional power of the complex

whenever we need it.

How? You can't just walk in there and take it.

On the contrary, Doctor. We can.

Cape Kennedy -
ten units of Axonite in transit.

Washington Pentagon - five units
due for take-off 1100 hours GMT.

Ottawa - one unit, Axonite in transit.

Baikonur - ten units,
ETA 12.30 GMT. Lop Nor...

Lop Nor - five units.

Yes, well, there we are.

Axonite on its way to every major
scientific establishment in the world.

- Excellent.
- Thank you.

(AXOS) De-personalise.

Locate and enter main reactor.

Establish link to transmit power.

Yes, well, that just about wraps it up.
Aren't you waiting for arrival confirmation?

I must...leave...now.

Is something wrong? You all right?

- You're sure of all this?
- I may have been sick, but I am not crazy.

The Axonite killed Winser, then the Axons
clobbered me and took Jo and the Doc.

The Doctor said that Axonite
could endanger the whole world?

Sure, something about draining all energy.

Right, I'm going to have a word with Chinn,
not to mention our Axon friends.

- Hey, wait for me!
- Stay there and rest!

Yeah.

Sure (!)

Will one of you Florence Nightingales
get my clothes?

Hey! You there! Stop!

(RAPID GUNFIRE)

(SCREECHES)

- Right, get your skates on.
- Where's Hardiman?

- Up in the control box, sir.
- Come on. Sir George...

Why have your men moved
an obsolete police box into my laboratory?

I've no idea... Oh, that's the Doctor's.

- Is it? Well...
- You must check the main reactor.

- This really is rather urgent.
- Very well.

The readings are slightly up. What is all this?

- An Axon just walked into the main reactor.
- What?!

Oh!

Hopeless!

Overweight, underpowered old museum piece!

(WHOOSHING)

Ah! No proper stabiliser!

Oh, well... Let's try again.

You may as well try
to fly a second-hand gas stove!

(FLICKS SWITCHES)

Yes...

If I use that trigger mechanism, it might...
Worth a try.

If the Axon walked into the reactor,
he's committed suicide.

- Yes.
- Sir, look. The Tardis door.

(BRIGADIER) The Master!

Right, Benton, get more men.
Sir George, you stay here.

- Who is...?
- Please!

- Stay there!
- Brigadier, massive power surge...

Stop!

Touch that and we'll blast you into pieces!

Benton.

Why are you here? What are you after?

That police box.

You wanted to steal the Tardis? Why?

My own Tardis is held by Axos, and I need
a vehicle to escape Earth before it's too late.

- Why bring it here?
- I knew the Doctor would return to it,

and I very much wanted to meet him
just once more.

- Where is he?
- He and Miss Grant have disappeared.

Brigadier, the power build-up has spread.

The reactors and the whole place could go up.

Your reactors
have been taken over by the Axons.

You know these creatures. What can we do?

Nothing, but there may be
something that I can do.

What?

Only if you guarantee my freedom, Brigadier.

- Out of the question.
- Well, in that case...

If this place goes up,
thousands of lives go with it.

The place could become a gigantic nuclear bomb.

Yes, there is that possibility.

Brigadier, for heaven's sake!

- Very well.
- My unconditional freedom?

- Yes! Now, get moving!
- Thank you. If you please, Sergeant.

- Hurry, Benton!
- What can we do?

I need a link from the Tardis to the accelerator

to get straight through to the main reactor.

What I propose to do is this -
stack up as much power as the Tardis will take,

then channel it back
through the accelerator and boost it,

so that instead of the gradual power build-up
that Axos expects,

it'll get it all in one devastating surge.

- What else can we do?
- Nothing much. Oh...

I suppose you can take the normal precautions.

Sticky tape on the windows and that sort of thing.

- Hold it! Right there!
- Filer, no! We need him.

- Are you crazy?
- We've got no choice.

- But...
- Filer!

- Thank you.
- Where are you going?

- Back in here.
- Why?

Theoretically, it can store all the power
generated around it like a battery.

You can absorb the total output
of this complex in a police box?!

Yes!

(AXOS) 40 per cent time field capability...

45 per cent...
50 per cent time field capability...

55 per cent...
60 per cent time field capability...

Prepare to enter time field.
Prepare to enter time field.

70 per cent... 75...

70 per cent... 65 per cent... 60 per cent...

EmergencyI EmergencyI

- They're not getting the power through!
- Locate power failure.

Investigate possible cell damage.
Restore all absorption channels.

EmergencyI EmergencyI

AttentionI AttentionI Time Lord escaping.

Seal off control centre and adjacent areas.

Close all exit tracts.
Neutralise and retrieve when emergency is over.

(HIGH-PITCHED TRILLING)

Surely it can't take any more?

(MACHINERY HUMS)

- I don't want to risk the cables.
- Risk the cables, man! Risk everything!

- Jo!
- Doctor!

Let's get out of here while it's disorientated.

- That's it. Come on!
- What's happening?

When I pull this handle,
the enormous power in the Tardis

will be channelled straight into Axos.

- What about Jo and the Doc?
- They won't stand a chance.

They will die with Axos.

No!

Either we destroy Axos
or Axos destroys the world.

Which is it to be, Brigadier?

(RUMBLING)