(DOCTOR WHO THEME)
Gas! They've started the attack already.
- Come on! We've got to get out. - We can't get out!
- The Marshal's sealed us in. - What are we going to do?
Look!
That's it. The thing I saw.
No, don't shoot! Look.
Whatever it is, I think we'd better follow it. Come on.
(ALL COUGHING)
- Making sure of it this time. - Huh?
The Marshal.
(EXPLOSION SOUNDING)
- That's the exits. - Was the exits.
Yeah.
Overlords are very thorough.
If it goes on like this, the whole lot will come down.
- On top of us. Hurry up, Stubbsy! - All right.
Where's he taking us, anyway?
- Lead. What does lead mean to you, Jo? - Radiation?
Yes, exactly.
Welcome. You must not be alarmed.
- My name is... - Professor Sondergaard, I presume.
Mmm.
Right, I am returning to Skybase. I want every exit sealed.
Understand? Every exit.
That's impossible, sir. These mine galleries stretch for miles.
- We'll be here for weeks. - Mmm-hmm.
Give the gas a while to disperse, then take a squad down to the galleries.
Who knows, you may find some survivors down there.
(CLEARING THROAT)
Right, I'm returning to Skybase. Report to me there.
There is radioactivity present throughout the cave system.
Oh, it's natural in a Thaesium mine.
It's not dangerous,
unless you're here for many years, a slam,
or unless you find yourself in an unstable zone,
as you did, young lady.
The entrance you found
led you straight to the heart of the most dangerous radioactivity.
So it was you I saw. And you brought me out.
I didn't know what to do. I couldn't let you die,
so I carried you as quickly as I could out of the radioactive zone
to where I hoped your friends would find you.
JO: Well, thank you, Professor.
- You were given up for dead years ago. - Yes, so were many others in the mines.
- The mutants, for example. - The mutants?
- They attacked us and tried to kill us. - Yes, I know.
There are more of them now, many more.
And as their numbers increase, so, it seems, does their aggression.
But it's not an isolated phenomenon.
The same behaviour may be observed in rats, when confined.
And who did this to my people? Who hunted them down like wild animals?
The Overlords!
This increase in aggression that you speak of. It seems to be spreading...
Aggression, yes!
And who were the first aggressors?
Ky! This is not a political meeting.
We're all on your side, you know, all of us.
Him? Why does he hide in these caves?
- To experiment on my people! - Look, give him a chance to explain!
- Please, Ky. - Well, he has my sympathies.
Do you think I've chosen to live here? To work with this primitive equipment?
I was young, ambitious.
I hoped to make many great discoveries here.
But my first was that Solos had become a slave colony.
I was unwise enough to try to inform Earth Control.
The Marshal intercepted my report.
I was lucky to escape with my life.
I managed to reach the caves.
I've been here ever since.
But you have continued with your research?
As well as I could.
As you see, I lack equipment.
If it were not for the mutants, I would not have been able to survive here.
- My people help you? - They did.
We were all outcasts. We helped one another.
Once they stole food for me and clothing.
- DOCTOR: And now? - Now they don't come near me.
- It is as if I were... - Diseased?
Who knows? Perhaps they're right.
Strange things are happening on Solos, Doctor.
Oh, not just to the people, but to the plants, the soil,
the atmosphere, even the weather. The whole flora and fauna of Solos.
- It's Professor Jaeger's experiments. - Exactly. And my belief is this.
At first, the changes were natural,
but now Professor Jaeger's experiments have
accelerated the changes and something is seriously wrong.
Yes. Yes, indeed.
But why was I sent here?
Where do these tablets come in?
Ky.
- Are the ionisation rockets deployed? - Hmm?
The rockets, man, for the bombardment!
- Marshal, this is not a war. - MARSHAL: Oh?
This is a scientific application of ballistics.
An experiment to show
that population control can be affected by atmospheric means.
Of course. Of course, Jaeger, but let's get on with it, shall we?
Experiments, population control. Jargon, Jaeger! This is war!
SONDERGAARD: Extraordinary.
This is wonderful, Doctor. Marvellous!
Yes, but what do they mean?
This is the same kind of hieroglyphs I've seen in the old temples.
Ah!
All over Solos you see the same symbols, you see?
DOCTOR: Yes, I can see that, Professor, but can you read them?
Well, I can try.
I have approximate translations for many of the basic symbols.
One might call this the Solonian Book of Genesis. The lost tablets.
This, Doctor, is the story of how Solonian civilisation began.
(RUMBLING)
And ended, if we don't get a move on, I think.
Doctor, that wasn't a blast pack or a grenade.
That was the mountain itself.
The tunnels are falling in.
Now, if we stay here, we're finished. All of us.
Professor. Professor, is there another way out?
Yes, yes, there is a way, but it's dangerous.
It leads to a native village a few miles from here.
- Varan's? - Yes, I believe so.
- Well, let's go then! - No, no, no. I must stay.
- Doctor? - No. Sorry, Stubbs. No, you go.
Take Miss Grant with you. The Professor and I have got work to do.
- You're not going to stay here, Doctor? - Jo.
Look, the key to everything lies here in this room.
These tablets, Professor Sondergaard's records.
I must find the answer.
Yes, I know, but you heard what he said. The whole mountain is caving in.
- We shall have time. - But, Doctor, you can't...
Jo, please. Please don't argue with me.
- I'll join you later. - Come on, Miss Grant.
- What about Varan? - I can handle him.
You'll find the shaft at the end of the passageway,
take always the path leading up.
Now then, Doctor.
Now, this particular symbol here, for instance,
is the Solonian symbol for life.
SONDERGAARD: Now then,
this pattern repeated is almost the same,
and this is the Solonian sun symbol.
Yes, well, they aren't numbers, so it can't be a code.
Let's try something else.
Fire, earth, air, water.
- No. All right, that's no good. - Hmm.
Well, um... A cycle, perhaps,
representing some form of chemical process.
Yes, but the process keeps repeating itself.
What process repeats itself?
- Well, life. - Life in some form will always go on.
(RUMBLING)
- Let's hope so. - Yes.
Look, a guard!
All right, mate? It's me, Stubbs. You know old Stubbsy.
Come on. Better try this way.
It must be a code of some kind. It must.
Eureka, it's a calendar! Spring, summer, autumn, winter.
But Solos has no seasons.
It does not tilt on its axis relative to its sun.
It may not tilt, Professor, but it could move closer.
Look, these ellipses here, they're the orbits.
But Solos takes 2,000 years to go round its sun. We know that.
Then the seasons must be 500 years long.
Hmm. Possibly.
DOCTOR: See. These signs here. They only appear in the summer.
And these little matchstick men here only appear in the spring.
SONDERGAARD: Yes, but what about these spirals?
They're like small sun symbols.
Yes, like small sun symbols.
Well, yes, but that's it! That's what I said. That's radiation.
That's Thaesium radiation!
So that's why they sent me here.
Professor, I want you to take me to that place where you found Jo Grant.
The radiation cave? But I've only one suit.
If you spend any time in there without one, Doctor, you will die.
- Any man would. - Any man, perhaps.
(RUMBLING)
Hurry, put this on.
This is it. Look!
If we can reach that ledge. Right, Cotton, you first, then Ky.
If only we had a rope.
(GASPING)
- COTTON: What? What is it? - Look!
There was someone there, I tell you. There was!
- Well, he's not there now, miss. - But he was there.
- He was wearing a helmet. - A warrior?
Could have been.
If we are near Varan's village, his people are in a savage mood.
Right.
- Anything? - COTTON: No, nothing!
- Right, up we go. - Varan will be somewhere near.
My people, we are all who are left.
But we are warriors yet.
Shall we crawl away and die in darkness, like the rest,
- or shall we fight, one last time? - GUARD WARRIOR: Varan!
Varan! Overlords, from the place of darkness.
- Where is it? - This section here.
How do we move it?
- That way. - This way.
- All right? - Yup.
Your helmet, Professor.
- Your helmet, man! - Oh, yes.
What about you, Doctor?
- The intensity in there is far greater. - Don't worry about me.
I've already prepared myself.
- Ready? - Mmm-hmm.
Come on, then.
It's magnificent. It's like a cathedral.
(WARRIOR YELLING)
- No! Don't shoot! - VARAN: Your weapons, Overlords.
(SONDERGAARD EXCLAIMING)
Come on, we've got to get to the heart of it.
(YELLING) No. No, I can't. You, you go. Leave me.
Overlords, you will suffer as I have suffered.
- And you, renegade, will die. - You are a fool, Varan.
Attack Skybase and you will sacrifice your men for nothing.
VARAN: What have we to fear? We have nothing left now but revenge.
You cannot hope to get into Skybase, much less destroy it.
You forget. We have the Overlords, we have their weapons.
You and the woman will act as shields.
So you see, renegade, you will die for a cause.
The cause of Varan's revenge.
- Now, move! - Move!
- Well? Has the countdown started? - Started?
Marshal, are you aware how long it takes to check out an orbital rocket?
You have the engineers, haven't you?
They've deteriorated almost as much as the hardware.
Huh! Excuses, Jaeger, excuses!
(ELECTRICAL BEEPING)
Yes?
MAN OVER LOUDSPEAKER: Message from deep space.
What?
Message reads, "Unscheduled Hyperion space shuttle
"now on course Solos.
"ETA 22-20-29, Solos time.
"Earth Council investigator on board."”
Investigator? What investigator?
- Message ends. - Blast the Earth Council.
Who do they think they are? An investigator? Investigating what?
Your activities should give him plenty of scope.
Jaeger, if I didn't need you...
Now, listen to me.
When this investigator arrives, he will be met with a fait accompli.
Your experiments will have been carried out,
the Mutts will have been eliminated,
and the air on Solos will be breathable. Understand?
- But the rockets are only half ready. - Either they go or you go.
Professor Jaeger, I intend to meet this investigator
on the planet's surface itself, face to face, without masks.
Hello, you two. Where are you going? Up top?
Yeah. His nibs wants to see us.
You did well, Overlords. Now the way to Skybase lies open.
- You don't stand a chance, Varan. - We're prepared to die.
What good will that do?
Believe me, the Doctor will help you find a cure.
There is no cure for this!
Yes, of course.
Solonians are meant to mutate. Mutation is part of it.
Part of their evolution. They're meant to change,
as their environment changes every 500 years.
A life cycle unique in the history of the universe.
And now, thanks to the Marshal, threatened with extinction.
- So it's not a sickness. - No, it's a metamorphosis.
An adaptive change.
The mutants, as we know them, are an intermediate form.
And we've yet to see the final metamorphosis?
Exactly. The radiation cave is the key to that.
The tablets led us to the crystal.
Yes. It must play a vital part in the process, but what?
Well, maybe that the cellular change is only affected by
the particular radiation in the crystal.
That's the extraordinary thing about it.
It shows absolutely no radioactivity at all.
Here, try it for yourself.
- But that's impossible. - Apparently not.
If only we could analyse it and find out its true function.
The equipment here's too primitive for crystallography.
There's only one place.
- Skybase. Jaeger's lab. - Mmm-hmm.
MAN ON PA: All Skybase personnel. All Skybase personnel.
Return to Skybase immediately. Repeat, return immediately.
Countdown proceeding on rocket launch.
Launch now in final stage.
Now, Overlords, this way.
All vectors cleared. All systems green and go on countdown.
60 seconds and counting.
55 and counting.
51, 50 and counting.
- 47, 45 and counting. - This is stupid.
- I take no responsibility. - That is for me to decide.
41. Emergency! Emergency!
Unauthorised personnel in transfer section!
- Hold countdown. - No. Keep the countdown going.
Countdown proceeding.
Guards to transfer section immediate!
Nothing is to stop this countdown. Nothing! Guards!
There. There!
(GASPING)
38, 37, 36,
35, 34, 33,
32, 37 and counting. 30.
- What are they counting? - It must be one of Jaeger's experiments.
- You hope. - Silence!
- 25,624, 23... - This is madness, Varan.
Quiet!
21, 20 seconds and counting.
- In there, quick! - 1817.
Ten, nine, eight, seven,
six, five four, three,
two, one, zero.
Emergency! Emergency!
Hull fracture in Section 3.
Depressurise and isolate.