Doctor Who: The Macra Terror

Episode One There is the sound of a pounding heartbeat.A man stares ahead as the heartbeat fills the airhis eyes open wide in terror. Majorettes perform to the accompaniment of an abrasive synthesised tune while two men look down on the happy scene. 'Splendid!' exclaims the first man. 'You've got a very good band there Barney.' 'Thank you, Pilot,' replies his companion. Barney and the Pilot's conversation is interrupted when a man pushes through the crowd, pursued by guards. 'Medok!' cries Barney. 'It's for your own good,' says the Pilot in a condescending voice. Ola, the portly captain of the guards, explains that Medok resisted 'treatment' before trying to escape. 'Get after him,' says the Pilot. 'He must not get away.'Medok clambers across the rough terrain outside and climbs a rocky outcrop. As a pounding heartbeat fills the air, Ola's guards follow from a distance. The heartbeat grows faster as Medok ducks down, waiting for the guards to bypass him. He is surprised by a wheezing, groaning sound behind him. A large blue box appears out of thin air. The Doctor, Jamie, Ben and Polly emerge. Jamie has seen a giant claw on the TARDIS's Time Scanner screen and prepares to defend himself with a piece of wood. 'Look out Jamie!' screams Polly as Medok jumps on Jamie. There is a scuffle, and Ben and Jamie succeed in pinning down their assailant. Ola and a squad of guards soon arrive. 'We are grateful,' Ola tells the strangers. 'Medok is one of the last patients in the Colony. We've done our best for him but he gets worse day by day.' As the Doctor bends down to examine the soil, Ola invites the strangers back to the Colony so the Pilot can thank them in person. 'According to my calculation we are certainly in the future,' says the Doctor, 'and on a planet very like the Earth.' Ola introduces himself as the chief of police, and proudly explains that he takes his orders from the Control Centre. As they set off, the Doctor takes pity on Medok and tells the guards not to tie him up too tightly. As the Doctor and his friends enter the Colony, female voices sing a jingle announcing the end of shift number one and the beginning of shift number two. The Pilot steps forward and thanks the newcomers for tackling someone as 'disturbed' as Medok. He suggests they take advantage of the Colony's Refreshing Department. As the annoying music rings in their ears Jamie whispers to Polly, 'Keep your eyes skinned.' 'Why, what's the matter?' says Polly. 'They're a weird sort of folk,' replies Jamie. 'I don't know that I understand them.' In the luxurious surroundings of the Refreshing Department a man lazily reclines on a couch and calls for attention. As Barney and female members of staff attend to his needs the Pilot enters and is informed by a colonist that Control wishes to welcome the guests. 'Switch on, my dear,' the Pilot asks the colonist and a screen

illuminates. 'He looks smashing,' says an impressed Polly, looking at the picture. 'That's our Controller,' says the Pilot. There is a five-note sequence and a disembodied voice thanks the visitors before urging the colonists back to work. The Pilot leaves the visitors in the care of Barney, for whom nothing is too much trouble: 'Steam baths, beauty treatments, perhaps a massage� Your sir,' he tells an indignant Doctor, 'of course would like your clothes cleaned.' The Doctor declines his offer, but Polly asks for a shampoo. Ben and Jamie are dragged off into cubicles for some grooming of their own as the Doctor laughs. A short while later Barney compliments Polly on her new look, and says she is sure to be voted the Colony's next Beauty President. 'Thank you very much,' smiles Polly bashfully. Ben, meanwhile, receives a massage while basking in artificial sunlight. Jamie is rather less comfortable, and asks Barney to call the ladies off. 'Let me out of here!' asks the Doctor. 'I'm done to a turn.' He steps from the machine looking immaculate. As Ben and Polly laugh at him he eagerly enters the 'rough and tumble' machine. He emerges looking like his old self. 'That's more like it!' Elsewhere, Ola warns the watching colonists that Medok is violent and suffering from delusions. 'I'm not the one suffering from delusions,' says the prisoner. 'It's you! All of you! You don't know what's happening in this colony!' Questa, one of Medok's old friends, is dismayed and asks him, 'What's all this about you seeing things?' 'I don't see things Questa, you fool,' snaps Medok. 'There are things! Creatures infesting this camp at night!' 'There will be fun for all!' promises a benevolent voice, announcing a reception for the strangers. Questa asks Medok to join them. 'Have fun while you can,' sneers Medok, 'before they crawl all over you!' In the Refreshing Department the Doctor tries to talk to Medok before Ola interrupts and locks Medok into a cell. When he is left alone, the Doctor picks the lock and slips into the cell. 'I'm going to set you free,' promises the Doctor. He asks Medok about the 'things' he has seen, but Medok is suspicious and escapes. An alarm rings out and Ola and the Pilot arrive. Ola accuses the Doctor of allowing Medok to escape, but the Doctor is unrepentant. Polly protests that the Doctor is unaware of the laws of the Colony, and the Doctor adds that he released someone who he helped catch in the first place. The Pilot remains calm, and tells Ola to despatch a patrol. 'He can run, you know,' says the Doctor knowingly. 'He's got legs; he doesn't have to crawl over the ground.' Ola is curiously agitated by the comment, and asks the Doctor, 'Why do you say that?' The Doctor remains tightlipped. 'Take the strangers to the Labour Centre,' the Pilot orders Ola. 'See they learn something about us.' Medok hides within one of the partfinished structures in a nearby building site. He hears the sound of the Doctor's party approaching, and retreats into the shadows. The Doctor spots him but says nothing. In the Labour Centre, the reassuring voice of the Controller informs the colonists that their 'unfortunate

companion' Medok has been allowed to escape but that he is sure to be caught before nightfall. The lyrics of a tune announce a change in shifts, and another jingle claims the colonists are 'Happy to work, happy to play...' 'It is a privilege to work for the Colony,' states official Alvis, who tells Jamie that their duties involve tapping and refining gas. His faltering explanation comes to halt when an alarm sounds. There has been an accident in the mine. Two men stagger in and Alvis orders an oxygen supply to be brought. 'It can't be helped,' Alvis tells a concerned Polly. During the confusion the Doctor slips away and heads for the building site. He wins Medok's trust and asks him about the creatures he has seen. 'They move at night, in the dark,' he says. 'Horrible creatures, like giant insects' The Doctor asks if anyone else has seen the creatures, and Medok explains that anyone who reports such a sighting is locked up in the correction hospital. An alarm sounds and Medok panics. He urges the Doctor to make his way back. 'Is someone looking for me?' asks the Doctor nonchalantly as he wanders back into the Refreshing Department. He reassures his companions that he has just been looking around. 'It's dangerous to go off on your own after dark,' warns Ola. 'Anyone who wanders round the Colony at night may be killed.' As Control announces the curfew, Barney shows the Doctor and his friends their quarters in the Refreshing Department. Inside his cubicle, the Doctor listens as Barney's footsteps recede into the distance. Confident that he is alone, the Doctor carefully opens the door and heads back through the Refreshing Department. The Controller appears on a screen and a voice urges the colonists not to go outside as a dangerous man is in hiding. 'Our patrols have orders to shoot on sight,' it continues. 'Happy sleep time, everybody.' 'And the same to you,' mutters the Doctor, no longer convinced by the superficially cheery atmosphere in the Colony. He hides as an armed patrol marches past. The Doctor heads for the construction site and searches for Medok. Eerie pulsating noises echo down the corridors. Mqedok listens as Ola instructs his patrols in the darkness. 'If you see him,' he shouts, 'shoot to kill!' The Doctor finds Medok, but Ola hears the sound of their voices. 'Have a look in those new houses,' he points to the construction site. 'I heard something.' The Doctor finds an opening and tells Medok to crawl through when he gives the word. Medok is about to go when he shrinks back in horror. 'No,' he says, 'look out there.' The Doctor peers into the darkness. 'I don't see anything.' 'It that patch of moonlight,' says Medok. 'I told you I'd seen them.' A huge creature crawls towards them... As Ola and his guards close in, the Doctor and As the creature lumbers closer, a huge claw snaps at them through the mist... Medok are transfixed by the glowing eyes that illuminate the darkness. As the creature lumbers closer, a huge claw snaps at them through the mist. Episode Two As the giant creature lumbers away, the Doctor urges Medok to keep quiet in case

he alerts the guards. 'It doesn't matter,' says Medok. 'They can't lock me up again. Now I can prove it � we know they're real.' Ola hears the sound of Medok's voice and calls out through the darkness. He orders Medok to come out quickly. Medok tells him to put his gun away. Medok and the Doctor give themselves up. Medok tries to tell Ola what they have seen. 'It's the Macra, Ola! Ask the Doctor � he'll tell you.' The Doctor confirms the story. 'We don't want to know what the stranger thinks,' sneers the captain. The guards search the Doctor before the two men are marched to the Pilot's headquarters. The Pilot is dictating a memo to his secretary. 'Remember, the life of the Colony is dependent on this gas. All industry and activity�' He is interrupted by an emergency message on his intercom. Ola requests an immediate audience, and the Pilot consents when he learns of what has happened. 'Bring the stranger in.' The Pilot tells Ola to leave � he will conduct the investigation himself. 'I imagine you can keep track of the entire Colony from here,' says the Doctor, inspecting the Pilot's surveillance equipment. 'You don't seem to realise how serious this business is Doctor,' says the Pilot. 'You have committed a crime.' The Doctor denies that Medok is either dangerous or suffering from hallucinations. Ola's voice on the intercom announces that Medok has made a statement that completely changes the situation. 'The Doctor wasn't helping me,' says Medok. 'He was trying to make me give myself up.' The Pilot offers the Doctor an apology and tells him he is free to go. Medok, meanwhile, will return to the hospital for another course of treatment. 'He will co-operate and he will obey orders,' says the Pilot. 'He'll be just like the rest of us.' The Doctor asks the Pilot why he wants everyone to be the same. The Pilot explains that the Colony was established many centuries ago by people from Earth. 'Our ancestors believed in the virtues of "healthy happiness" and we have tried to keep their ideals alive. Sometimes, alas, it is necessary to use force.' The Doctor leaves and the image of the Controller appears. 'The Doctor and his friends are to begin the advantage of high-powered adaptation at once,' says the voice. 'They must begin to think like members of the Colony. We cannot have criticisms from these strangers.' The Pilot initiates the process. 'This is an emergency!' stresses the voice as it is broadcast to the Doctor and his friends in their cubicles. 'No one in the Colony believes in Macra. There is no such thing as Macra. Macra do not exist � There are no Macra!' 'The sleeper must relax and believe,' intones a soothing voice as Jamie, Ben and Polly sleep. 'Everything in the Colony is good and beautiful. You must accept it without question.' 'You must obey orders. The leaders of the Colony know what is best.' 'In the morning, when you wake up you will be given some work. You will be glad to obey. You will question nothing in the Colony.' Jamie wakes up and tries to tell Ben that he has heard 'an evil voice'. Ben tells Jamie to go back to sleep. 'We've got a hard day's work ahead of us.' 'Why do you say that?' asks Jamie.

'We've got to do something to help in the Colony,' Ben replies. 'We can't just eat their nosh without helping out.' 'You sound just like that voice,' says a concerned Jamie. Ben reassures him that the Colony's all right and goes back to sleep. The Doctor opens the door of Polly's cubicle to check on her safety. He hears the calming voice intoning: 'You will not resist the sleeping gas. Breathe deeply. In the morning, when you wake, you will obey.' The Doctor finds a device embedded in the wall above head. Grabbing a protruding wire he fuses the device and the ensuing noise wakes Polly up. 'I think you've been listening to some very bad advice,' the Doctor tells her as the sweet smell of gas dissipates. 'I want you to forget everything you've been dreaming. It's just possible that you've been given a series of orders while you've been asleep.' The Doctor checks the walls of Ben and Jamie's cubicle and finds a similar strand of wire. Ben tells the Doctor that what he is doing is against the law of the Colony. Polly rushes in as Ben angrily points at the Doctor. 'He thinks he know best all the time but this time he's wrong.' The noise wakes Jamie up, and he tells the Doctor his sleep was disturbed by 'wee voices'. 'That's a good sign,' says the Doctor. 'That means they haven't been able to get very deeply into your brain.' Ben tells them they are all fools, and berates the Doctor for smashing the equipment. 'Control knows what's best for us. They want us to co-operate. We should be helping � The Doctor's causing trouble � I'm going to turn him in.' Polly and Jamie try to stop Ben and there is a scuffle. 'Violence will get you nowhere,' stresses the Doctor, trying to come between them. 'He's been given a series of instructions and he can't help himself.' Ben purposefully marches out. He soon returns with Ola, and accuses the Doctor of sabotage. 'This time we've got the evidence from one of your own friends,' smiles Ola. The Doctor is to be taken to the hospital. 'He needs correction more than Medok does!' shouts an indignant Ben. 'He's too far gone to help,' says the Pilot as he watches Medok's indoctrination at the hospital. 'He'll never be happy like the rest of us. All we can do is send him to the pits for life.' 'Can't � hide the truth�' gasps Medok as he endures the treatment. The Pilot hears news of the Doctor's arrest. 'Keep at it,' he urges the medics before leaving to join Ola. Polly is furious with Ben for turning on the Doctor and Jamie. She determines to find them, but Ben warns her to stay where she is. 'Go on, report me!' she says before leaving the cubicle. Once outside, she sees Ben following her. She heads for the construction site. 'Polly, where are you?' calls Ben as Polly hides in one of the unfinished houses. 'You'll be in trouble,' warns Ben as eerie noises fill the night air. 'You must obey Control!' Polly accidentally dislodges some building material and Ben is alerted to the noise. She freezes as she hears Ben approaching. Ben catches up with her and tries to drag her back. 'What's the matter with you Ben?' she asks him. 'Wake up!' Before Ben can drag Polly back to her cubicle a fearsome sight stops her in her tracks. She screams and points

into the darkness. 'It had claws,' she tells Ben, 'like we saw on the Time Scanner.' A giant crab-like creature emerges and Polly shrinks away. Ben mindlessly states, 'There is nothing evil or harmful in this colony.' Polly is incredulous when Ben affirms, 'There is nothing here.' A huge claw holds Polly in its grip and the girl begins screaming. Ben grabs a piece of wood and starts striking the creature. The creature finally releases Polly and retreats. Polly clings to Ben and begins sobbing uncontrollably. She barely has the chance to compose herself before she becomes aware that there is something behind them. 'Ben � behind you!' Another Macra lumbers towards them, its piercing eyes glowing in the darkness. 'There's another one!' screams Polly. 'They're all around us!' Ben tells Polly to make a run for it. Elsewhere, the Doctor proudly admits burning out three 'nerve circuits' and soon locates another. 'My dear Pilot, even you are subjected to this form of subconscious control.' The Doctor destroys the device before Polly and Ben enter the room. Polly relates her story, but Ben calmly adds: 'There are no such things as Macra.' The Doctor explains that Ben has come under the control of the evil forces at the heart of the Colony. 'We've nothing to hide,' says the Pilot, and switches on the image of the handsome Controller. Control's reassuring voice claims that Polly has suffered a hallucination, but Jamie and the Doctor insist on seeing the Controller in person. The image fades and an old man appears. 'This is your Controller,' continues the disembodied voice. The Doctor's friends insist they hear the old man speak. 'Am I to speak?' the frail old man asks nervously. 'Tell the strangers to believe and obey!' insists the voice. 'I'll do what you say,' stutters the old man, but before he can continue a giant claw grips him by the neck and drags him away. 'Macra!' screams Polly as the Pilot orders the Doctor and his friends to be taken to the pits. 'They're in control!' Episode Three 'Macra!' screams Polly as a giant claw holds the aged Controller firmly in its grip. 'They're in control!' The Doctor and his friends are condemned to the pits, while the brainwashed Ben stays behind. The Pilot contacts the work shift at the pit head, and assigns the strangers to 'the danger gang'. The familiar five-note sequence announces the reappearance of the image of the handsome young Controller. 'The strangers must be sent to explore the new gas reserve,' confirms the disembodied voice. 'They are dangerous people � they must be disciplined.' 'You will forget all that happened,' orders the voice. 'The Colony enjoys hard workers' happiness. We will not tolerate the evil of such strangers.' The Pilot turns to Ben, and tells him to serve the Colony by keeping careful watch over his friends. Ola takes the Doctor, Polly and Jamie to a large room as another excruciating jingle is piped through the Colony's address system. 'Are these the three strangers?' asks their host Officia. 'You might call us

that,' replies the Doctor. Ola gives Officia the strangers' allocated pit number, and the Doctor asks Officia what they mine. Officia replies that the pit workers extract valuable gases from the rock. Jamie is surprised to see that Medok is their shift leader. Medok tells them he was thrown out of the hospital � dismissed as 'a hopeless case' � to work in the danger gang. 'You don't survive long in this atmosphere,' he says. 'It's the gas. It creeps into your lungs.' Officia allows the Doctor to supervise the shift from the pump room on the surface, and Medok gives Ben and Polly masks before they go underground. 'Remarkable,' mutters the Doctor as he investigates the machinery. 'Most interesting...' Ben watches him silently from the other side of the room. The Doctor asks Ben to join him, and tries to elicit a response by reminding him that he betrayed his friends. 'The voices tell me what to do,' intones Ben. 'The voices may not be right,' says the Doctor. 'They shouldn't make lassies do the work of men,' says Jamie as Polly chokes in the cloying atmosphere underground. 'I'd prefer Control poisoning my lungs than trying to poison my mind,' says Medok bitterly. A piercing alarm signifies another gas strike � there is so much gas escaping that it can't be channelled off. Jamie, Polly and Medok rush to insert a heavy cable into the rock face, while one of their fellow workers inhales so much gas that he collapses. 'What's it all for?' asks an exhausted Polly. 'For a poisonous gas that we mine from the bowels of this planet,' says Medok. 'It kills us if we breathe it. No-one knows what it's used for.' Alone in the pump room, the Doctor studies the various dials and chalks a complex formula on the wall. With his calculations complete, he triumphantly chalks '10 of 10' next to the formula. The Pilot enters the room and gazes in astonishment at the Doctor's work. He tells the Doctor that the formula is a secret known only to him and two other people in the Colony. The Pilot accuses the Doctor of having looked at the Colony's secret files.'You're not asking me to believe that in a few moments you have been able to work out a formula which it has taken our combined computers years to perfect.' The Doctor infuriates him further by altering his mark to '11 out of 10'.'It was simple really,' says the Doctor, explaining that he has been examining the dials. The agitated Pilot tells the Doctor to wipe the formula away before anyone else sees it. The Doctor throws a bucket of water over the wall. 'If anyone follows that formula there'll be an almighty explosion,' laughs the Doctor. 'X to the power of Y has dribbled into two threes are six.' The Pilot orders him to remove the formula once and for all. In one of the mine corridors, not looking for more gas?' asks an incredulous Polly. 'Oh yes,' become intrigued by a highly polished door at the end of the leads to, and says that as far as he's aware it has never been

Medok forces another probe into the wall. 'You're replies Medok. 'We never stop.' Jamie and Polly corridor. Medok tells them he has no idea where it opened. Officia inspects Medok's work, and tells

him that if there is a high pressure strike then he will need a stronger screw. Medok warns him not to touch the mechanism, but Officia ignores his advice. The screw springs back, releasing a burst of gas that overcomes Officia. He staggers back and collapses on the floor. Ben appears, and watches closely as Medok tries to replace the screw. Meanwhile, Jamie steals the keys from the unconscious Officia. As Ben looks after Officia, Jamie and Polly wonder whether Ben saw Jamie take the keys. Jamie resolves to use them as quickly as possible, and heads for the highly polished door. Jamie struggles with lock, trying each key in turn as Polly nervously keeps watch. She responds to a call from Medok just as Jamie finds the key that fits. The door opens to reveal a dank tunnel. Jamie shuts the door behind him. Edging his way through the darkness, Jamie starts to explore. An alarm sounds. 'It's an escape!,' exclaims Medok. 'That bell means someone has escaped!' Polly tells him that Jamie has escaped through the door, and Medok immediately goes to join him. A nervous Polly is left on her own. 'Stand by, a prisoner has escaped,' a disbelieving Officia orders the pit guards. 'Shoot on sight.' 'Special guards to cover all exits to the old shaft,' says Officia, realising his keys are missing. 'With Pilot's permission, they may have to go on forbidden ground.' Sweeping cobwebs aside, Jamie moves through the mineshaft. Medok calls after Jamie, but he is soon silenced by a huge claw that grips his throat and drags him to the ground. 'Who's there?' calls Jamie, retracing his steps in the darkness. Control orders that no-one is permitted in or near the old shaft. Officia knows he will be punished for a miner's disappearance, but concludes, 'Control knows best.' The Doctor asks who has escaped, and Ben replies, 'It is Jamie � I saw him take the keys.' The Doctor asks Ben why he didn't report it. 'I don't seem to be able to think straight,' falters Ben. 'You're recovering,' smiles the Doctor. 'I always thought you were a tough customer � well done!' Jamie finds Medok's dead body. He looks around, searching for Medok's killer. He backs away as the mist reveals a huge, crab-like Macra. As the alarm continues to sound, Polly joins the Doctor in the pump room. The Doctor confirms that Jamie is in the old shaft, before continuing to analyse the gas. 'They go to great efforts to get it,' says the Doctor. 'The question is, why?' Officia enters the room and the Doctor covers up his work. Ben decides he must inform Control that it is Jamie that escaped, but the Pilot is not in his office. Ben tells the Pilot's secretary that he hears voices in his head. She reassures him that the voices are their friends.'What about my friends?' he asks. Confronted by a motionless Macra, Jamie throws bits of stone and salt rock at the creature. Its eyes light up in response. In the pump room, the alarm stops. 'Does that mean he's been caught?' asks Polly. The Pilot arrives and Ben reports to him. Pilot informs Control that Jamie is in the old shaft, and Control repeats the order that no-one is to go near the area. At the gas centre, Officia is ordered to divert gas into the old shaft. 'Control

are not pouring this gas into the old shaft to kill Jamie,' realises the Doctor. 'They've quite another reason.' 'The Macra have come to the surface of this planet and not found sufficient gas in the atmosphere,' says the Doctor, thinking out loud. 'They've had to get somebody to pump it up for them from down below.' The Doctor concludes that there is something trapped in the shaft. Something the Macra want to keep alive... As the Macra moves forward, Jamie backs away. The Macra's eyes follow Jamie as he slowly retreats.Officia reports that the pipe lines are ready to start pumping gas. Polly urges the Doctor to think quickly to save Jamie. Officia announces that the gas is to be channelled through systems seven and eight. As Officia starts pumping the gas at half-blast, the Doctor and Polly hurry to locate the relevant pipes. Gas starts pouring into the shaft. Jamie clutches his throat, choking on the fumes. Revived by the gas, the Macra advances through the mist. As Jamie gets progressively weaker, the Macra hungrily snaps its claws. The Doctor finds the pipes, while on the other side of the room Control instructs Officia to increase the pressure. Polly begins to panic. 'Turn on full pressure, now!' orders Control as the Macra greedily sucks on the clouds of gas that choke Jamie. The Macra gains on him and Jamie tries to escape down the tunnel. There is nowhere to run � Jamie's path is blocked by another of the sinister, lumbering creatures. Episode Four The old mine shaft fills with toxic gas as Jamie finds himself trapped between two advancing Macra. Control orders that full pressure is maintained. 'Full pressure is being maintained on master control,' reports Officia. 'Reserves are standing by.' Polly tells the Doctor the pressure readings on the control desk dials. 'Plus must be made minus,' he says, 'and minus must be made plus.' He pauses. 'The question is, which is plus and which is minus?' Inside the tunnel, Jamie wedges himself behind a crevice of rock. 'What are you doing?' asks Officia as the Doctor taps the pipes. The Doctor confuses Officia into inadvertently revealing which are the inflow and outflow pipes. Officia is powerless to stop the Doctor making some swift readjustments. 'There,' the Doctor beams. 'I think you'll find I've revolutionised the entire gas flow of the Colony ...there'll be a fine old gale of fresh air blowing along the old shaft any time now.' Officia tries to restore the gas flow and calls for a guard. The Doctor tries to buy Jamie more time by telling Polly to lock the door with Officia's keys. In the mineshaft one of the Macra finds Jamie in his hiding place and grabs him with its claw. Jamie struggles bravely but is dragged out into the open. Fresh air wafts into the mineshaft and the Macra relinquishes its grip. Jamie turns around to see the other creature become similarly motionless. Scarcely able to believe his luck, Jamie edges around the slumped Macra and moves along the mineshaft. In the pump room,

Control berates the panicking Officia. Outside, Ola and his guards beat on the locked door. The Doctor and Polly find another exit just as the guards crash into the room. They spot the Doctor and Polly, and try to prevent them closing the door behind them. 'Go on,' the Doctor urges Polly as they try to close the door. 'Together!' The door closes and the two relax for a moment. 'Looks rather like a cupboard with a load of pipes,' says the Doctor looking around him.The Doctor decides to follow the pipes carrying the poisonous gas, and Polly reluctantly tags along. In the pump room, Officia restores the flow of gas to the old mineshaft. Inside the mineshaft, Jamie finds an exit that has been blocked with a metal grille. As the familiar smell of toxic gas begins to fill the air, Jamie grabs a piece of wood and uses it to prise off the rusted grille. Jamie drops into small room on the other side, and is bemused to hear the sound of people singing. 'Whaddya know?' calls out a cheerleading young man. 'We all know Control is right and we must obey,' respond a group of beaming colonists. 'Let them know they're happy!' 'Greet the morning with a shout!' sings the young man. 'Everyone up, the sun is out!' respond the group. 'Ra-ra-ra, ra-ra-ra, cheers for the Colony! We're the gang that works the hardest and we must obey!' 'Obey Control, ring that bell,' they chant enthusiastically. 'Ra-ra-ra, work well, ring the bell!' 'Oh that's much better,' enthuses the young man, 'but we'll do it again, and this time with more feeling. And don't forget, our job is to inspire the others � our brave workers who are doing such a dangerous job.' They repeat the chant. 'That's very good,' beams their leader. 'That's beginning to sound like something.' While he rallies the group further, Jamie gingerly makes towards the door. He is spotted by the cheerleader, and mistaken for a dancer. 'Have you got your dance ready?' asks the man. Jamie says he has, but is mortified when the man asks to see it straight away. 'And don't forget,' he says, 'you have to be very good to get into the Happy Colony Finals.' Jamie launches into an impromptu Highland Fling...but his attempt to escape ends with him flinging himself into Ola and a group of waiting guards. The young man protests that Jamie is one of his dancers. 'Nonsense,' says Ola. 'He is the escaped stranger.' Ola calls Ben into the room and orders him to identify the prisoner. The strain shows on Ben's face as he confirms the stranger's identity. Jamie is tied up and Ola orders Ben to report his capture to the Pilot. 'Jamie, I'm...' falters Ben as his friend is led away. The Doctor follows the pipes, pausing when her hears the voice of Control ordering that 'the Doctor and the girl' must be taken dead or alive. Polly points to a large porthole, identifying the source of the mysterious voice from behind the screen. 'He must be there.' They scale a metal ladder. Looking through the porthole they see a Macra operating the levers of a control panel that generates the disembodied voice.'They're like germs in the human body,' mutters the Doctor. 'They're living as parasites.' 'One system must provide them

with the gas they need,' says the Doctor, 'and the other one must be an outflow.' Polly suggests they show the Pilot what they have seen and the Doctor agrees. 'I am going to report to Control that there is no discipline in the pits,' an angry Ola tells the Pilot. 'Ever since these strangers arrived here your authority in this Colony has gone to pieces.' The Doctor and Polly appear. Ola tries to arrest them, but the Doctor defuses the situation by breezily asking the Pilot to accompany him. Control orders everyone ,including the Pilot, back to work. 'Arrest the strangers! That is an order!' screams the hysterical voice. 'That doesn't sound like a man in control,' says Ben, clearly back to his old self. The Pilot overrules Ola, who leaves to report him to Control. 'What is it you wanted to tell me?' the Pilot asks the Doctor. The Pilot follows the Doctor. Polly tells Jamie that they must be ready to make a run for it. Both are relieved that Ben seems to be back to normal, but then they notice he has gone. Ben crouches in the gantry of the pump room, watching as the Doctor and the Pilot approach. 'This is forbidden territory ...you're breaking the law,' wails the Pilot. 'Bad laws were made to be broken,' says the Doctor.Ola and his guards enter the pit head. Ola informs Control that the Pilot is a traitor. The image of the Controller appears and the voice booms, 'The Pilot has no more authority. Ola is in command.' As the Doctor and the Pilot follow the pipes, the Pilot hears Control calling for his arrest. They arrive at the large porthole.'They've used this Colony for their own ends, destroying you to live themselves,' says the Doctor, showing the Pilot the Macra behind the screen. 'No Doctor,' says the horrified Pilot. 'It is they who must be destroyed.' The Macra turns to see the Doctor and the Pilot at the porthole. 'They're here!' screams the voice. 'The Pilot and the stranger, they must be destroyed!' The Doctor convinces the Pilot that he must take control. A guard signals that the Doctor and the Pilot are returning. 'Ola,' says the Pilot, 'the Colony is in the hands of grotesque insects. They're in there , the Macra!' 'It is forbidden to say that,' booms the voice of Control. 'Don't let him say that he has seen Macra!' The Pilot is defiant, and points to the screen. 'I saw you! You are the Macra!' Control orders that the Pilot and the three strangers are to be locked in the pipe room. 'Clear the building,' Control orders Ola. 'Guards and workers are to return to the hall for music. It will take precisely four minutes and then it will be safe for everyone to return to work.' 'What can they do in four minutes?' wonders Jamie. His question is answered when they hear a rush of gas. The Doctor frantically searches for a hidden inlet. 'You cannot stop it,' says the voice, before telling them they have only four minutes left. Above the sound of hissing gas and uncontrollable coughing, the Doctor hears Ben hitting the other side of the door. 'We've got very little time!' shouts the Doctor. 'It's all up to you!' The Doctor tells Ben to go to the control panel and find the switch marked outflow and the switch marked inflow. 'The other stranger has recovered,' warns the voice. 'He is now

dangerous. He will no longer obey Control.' 'He is no longer one of us,' shouts the voice. 'He must be stopped at once!' Once Ben has located the switches, the Doctor tells him to find a lever in front of them. 'You must not obey the Doctor. He will kill us all!' says the voice. 'Oh shut up,' responds Ben. 'Switch on both inflow and outflow!' shouts the Doctor. 'No!' cries Control. 'The pressure would be unbearable for all � for human beings as well!' The Doctor tells Ben to throw the lever away from him. 'No, no!' begs the voice as there is a searing flash of light and a huge explosion. The screams of Control recede and the image of the Controller vanishes from the screen. In the hall, a group of majorettes perform as the colonists clap along with the music.'My first duty is to thank the strangers, for they have saved our colony,' announces the Pilot. 'A dance festival will be held every year in their memory, and the winners will be awarded the Strangers' Trophy.' Ben tells the Doctor he is to become the next Pilot. 'They can't do that to me,' says an indignant Doctor. 'Take a leaf out of Jamie's book � give 'em the old dance routine!' The Doctor and his friends dance towards the door, and away from the celebrating colonists. Fin