"Keep your chin up!" "Chin up!" "Had enough?" " I haven't even started yet." "Come on." "MAN:" "It's the 12th minute for the last 400 feet." "Nick will pace you." "Henry, take them!" "Well done, Henry." "6.75, Carlo." "Excellent!" "Where is jean-Paul?" "Ah, Beanpole sends his apologies." "He's detained in the laboratory." "We must train according to the schedule." "He say's he'll do it after the final study period tonight." "Then you can inform him he's forfeited his chance of selection." "So you see, if you drop a stone into a pond, the waves spread out from the point of impact." "What the ancestors discovered was that there are waves in light, just as there are waves in water." "But the great difference between water waves and light waves is their speed." "If you drop a rock into the narrowest part of our lake, it takes the first wave about six seconds to reach the other side." "In that same time, a light wave could travel to the moon and back, twice." "In one second, it can travel 300,000 kilometres." "Now, once the ancestors understood that, they found that they could use light to do some very remarkable things." "And some of those will be the subject of our next lesson." "I hear your athletic achievements threaten to take you away from your studies." "I..." "Well, actually, I'm very much in two minds about it." "Don't be, my boy." "A chance to look closely at Tripod technology in their own city?" "Oh, I wish my old limbs would give me such a chance." "When the Tripod arrives, the farm will be deserted and the sound from the stream will mask any noise." "Don't cry." "Just think of the honour." "Dear friends, we are here today to give thanks to the Tripods, who, for over a hundred years, have brought peace and tranquillity to our world." "Through the miracle of the cap, which is given to us all as we cross the threshold into adult life, the violence of our emotions is held in check and all youthful thoughts of rebellion are taken away." "Today, the Tripod comes amongst us once again to perform that miracle on our daughter Brigitte and our sons Philippe and jack." "We give thanks for this great gift and pray that through it they may know the joy of Lifelong peace." "(SQUEALING)" "(WHIMPERING)" "(BRIGITTE SCREAMING)" "How can they do it?" "To their own children?" "Because the Tripod has them in its power through the cap." " Julius." "Shall we walk?" "What I'd like to know is since we have weapons which can kill a Tripod, why can't we use them?" "When we let anger rule our heads, as you did earlier when you were sparring with Kurt, then we lose control." "But Henry did it." "He destroyed a Tripod." "Will, there have been Free Men hiding in these mountains for nearly a hundred years, deluding themselves that they were strong enough to defeat the Tripods using the weapons which you admire so much." "But the Tripods had only to wait, and let them exhaust themselves in futile anger." "I felt that success could never come that way." "So under my leadership, we are trying to let our heads rule our hearts." "What we are attempting now is to find out the Tripods' weaknesses." "That's why we need young men like you, to be taken as champions into the Tripod city." "To discover the secrets of their power and to bring those secrets back to us." "Then we can plan to attack them where they're most vulnerable." "Anne, we must be quick." "Bandits!" "Anne!" "We must create a diversion." "Take care of the others." "(SCREAMING)" "Pierre!" "Hi, Beanpole." "Did you make it?" "Oh, hello." " How did it go?" "Ellie, I made the jump." " Seven?" "Yes" "Well, then, you are the best." "You must be selected." "Herr Krull does not like me." " Drink?" "Yeah." "Mmm." "It doesn't matter a bit what Krull thinks, I know what Julius thinks." " You've spoken to him?" "This afternoon." "Which is why I know he won't send me." " Ellie, you've won all your bouts." "No, I bet we all go." "Really." "Provided they judge on our results." "You're all so keen on suicide." "None of you have seen the Tripod City of Gold, have you?" "Not from the inside but..." "It's vast." "Another world." "Its power is..." "Well, you can't imagine." " It's beyond imagination." "You've seen it, then?" "Oh, yes." "And the Tripods are 20 years more powerful now then they were then." "What's in your minds, I wonder?" "Scaling the walls of an old castle, perhaps?" "Climbing up the battlements to slit the throat of a dozing guard..." "Everyone who goes will be accurately briefed." "How can you be so sure of that?" "When we went raiding for food, we came back with mule trains laden with victuals." "Now what do we get?" "A mangy cow and a bag of hens." "In exchange for one of our best fighters." "Well, what would you do now, Schenker, if you were our leader?" "It's too late." "One really hard winter and we shall all starve to death." "And that will be an end of it." "If you have nothing positive to offer..." "Come on." "Positive?" "To send mere boys to the city?" "What happened to last year's?" "They, too, were brave and full of hope." "Where are they now?" "However, we've had scouts on reconnaissance, and we've selected three possible routes." "One by Lake Constance." "Another by Basel." "And a third through urethra." "We have experienced guides for all three parties." "And the Basel party would complete their journey by barge." "Uh, that's right." "The Erlkonig is due to leave for Koblenz on the 29th of September." " The skipper's already been briefed." "Excellent, Kieran." "I'd just like to record our thanks to the reconnaissance parties." "Clearly, excellent work has been done." "ALL:" "Here, here." "Has anybody any questions?" " Henry?" "During our recce we discovered a point where the Tripods exercise, high up in the hillside." "No doubt preparing for an assault on us." "Somewhere near here." "They regularly tramp through the edge of the forest." "There's a perfect spot where with just a few men we could prepare a trap to capture a Tripod." "And what new purpose would that serve, do you think?" "Well, we could prove that they are not gods, as the capped believe." "We could show they are just machines with men inside them." "Then surely we can convince more of the capped that they've been fooled." "I wish a solution to the problem could be found that way." "But the history of the Tripods that has been handed down to us and as we have researched it over the years is..." "Well, it's more complex." "And more disturbing than you think." "But we've seen the ancient city." "We know they were capable of making such machines." "Indeed they were." "Kieran, please explain the theory of artificial intelligence to Henry." "What we learn from studying the remains of the ancestor civilisation is that about 150 years ago, they began to make machines that were capable of doing calculations much more quickly than we can in our heads." " JULIUS:" "Like crude mechanical brains." "They called them computers." "Very quickly these machines became more and more sophisticated, till eventually by means of a process called bio-engineering, computers could be grown from human tissue." "Now, not only did they look more like the human brain in form, they began to be superior in performance." "What we believe then happened was that the artificial intelligences became discontented with the illogical behaviour and the violence of their human creators." "They began to communicate secretly with each other." "And when the ancestors began yet another war, the brains devised the Tripods and began the capping process to strip our ancestors of the power to destroy themselves." "What we have to do now is to recover control over our own destiny, which our ancestors had forfeited by their own stupidity." "Free friends, this meal is to celebrate the selection of our candidates for the games." "But first, sadly, we offer our condolences to Anne," "whose brother Pierre has sacrificed his own life to save others." "Pierre's loss is one that this community can ill afford." "And we all extend our sympathies to Anne in her personal grief." "But Pierre's death underlines the seriousness of the occasion which we are here to celebrate." "The six young people chosen to compete in the games" "will face the same dangers as Pierre." "But the future of all of us, indeed the future of human freedom, may well depend on them." "So now..." "Fritz Eger." " Julius." "We have selected you to compete in the 100 and 200 metres." "Maria Sag on." "Maria, we have chosen you for the javelin." "Gianni Mannotti," "I think we can say that you have chosen yourself for the 3,000 metres." "Jean-Paul Deliet, better known as Beanpole..." "Yaw.!" "...you are chosen for the long jump." "Kip Earhart." "You will compete for us in the 400 metres." "But before I come to the last name," "I must try to stem what I know will be a flood of disappointment from one who has trained so hard." "And whose athletic achievements have been so great that he must have felt himself to be an automatic choice." "Henry Parker." "Your development at new tactics for combating the Tripods has ensured for you a key role in the vital defence of our stronghold." "After long deliberation, we have decided to keep you here" "to play what we know will be an invaluable part in ensuring that when your companions return from the City of Gold," "we shall still be here to receive them." "Do you accept the task?" "Yes, I do." "(APPLAUSE)" "Then finally, we come to the last athlete to be chosen." "In the lightweight division of the boxing, we shall be represented by Will Parker." "Let us begin by raising our goblets to the success of our champions in the games, and in the vital task of bringing back to us the secrets of the Tripod city." " To the games!" "ALL:" "To the games!" "I was so sure you would be going." " Do you mind very much?" "Of course I mind." "But I respect the decision." "Thanks, Henry." "You have Eloise inside the city." "Julius knows that." "An extra spur." "I hope you find her." "Thanks, Henry." "It's a great relief to know you don't resent the choice..." "I resent it like hell." "What's he up to now?" "(CHUCKLES) Oh!" "Making a star chart." "In case we get lost." "Everyone in the world will know the way to the City of Gold." "You try telling him that." "Don't worry, Kate, it'll all have grown back before we leave." "Mark and Henry will provide an escort for the third pair, Will and Fritz." "You'll make your way to the ancestors' port of Basel." "There you'll find a river barge called the Reckoner." "The captain's name is Ulf." "The Erlkonig will take you downriver to the site of the games." "The stadium is between Koblenz and the City of Gold." "If you win your events, the Tripods themselves will carry you into their city." "(MEN SHOUTING)" "WILL:" "Look!" " Beanpole's lot." "They must be crazy." " In open country like that?" "But where's Beanpole, though?" "In the woods, probably." "He knows this area is full of Tripods." "(TRIPOD THUDDING)" "(WILL SHUSHING)" " They're coming through the trees!" "I told you so." "Spread out!" "Stand each at the base of a tree." "Kate!" "josh!" "Look out!" " Lillian!" "I must find Beanpole." "WILL:" "Beanpole!" "Beanpole!" "It would be better for Beanpole to travel with you two now, even though barge skipper won't like it." "What is he like?" "Ulf's a bad-tempered fellow." "But it's his boat, and he knows the river and he knows the Black Guards, so you do as he says." "You'll see the river in daylight, follow it downstream and you'll come to the ancient city of Basel." "In the harbor there is where you'll find the Reckoner." "Come on, Henry." "We must be in position by dawn if we're to observe more of these Tripod manoeuvres." " Good luck." "Good bye, WI ll." "So, we come to the parting of the Parkers, yes?" " Ellie, good bye, Fritz." "Goodbye." "Goodbye." " And good luck." "To you, too." "Imagine what it must have been like before the Tripods came, hundreds of boats passing up and down here each day." "From here, we travel by day." "Like official athletes on our way to the Games, we must accustom ourselves to living the normal life of the capped." "We leave now." "We're a two-man barge." "One extra boy is fair enough." "We start apprentices that way, but any more would draw notice and I'm not having that." "So, when we're tied up and in view of the Black Guards, you'll take it in turns to work on deck." "And when I say work, I mean work." "Eh?" "And the other two must stay below and not come up for anything, is that clear?" "Yes, Captain." " Hmm?" "Yes, sir." "Good." "So, I won't think twice about dropping somebody off who is out of line." "WOMAN: (GROANING) Ulf!" " His wife." "But..." " She's sick." "It sounds like agony." "The cap is supposed to protect from sickness, is that not so?" "She's not capped, is she?" "Precisely, and neither are we, which means we could be open to infection." "(SHUSHING)" "Is she very ill?" "She has the plague." "And what treatment does she have?" "If she goes to a doctor, he'll call for an examination of the cap." "When they find it to be false, the Tripods will cap her, and then discover the secrets of the network." "Yeah, that's what the Captain fears." " He should not have allowed us on board." "Shut up, Fritz." "This is a danger to our mission." " We should leave the boat." "And how will we get to the Games?" "Walk?" "Perhaps we can help her." " And risk infection?" "She's one of us, man." "If she's in need of help and we can give it, it's a reasonable return for putting their lives on the line to get us to the Games." "(GROANING)" "(SHUSHING)" "In Wurttemburg, I'll find something to ease your pain." "Please don't make me sleep." " I need to fight it." "To do that, you need strength." "You must relax." "Take a little food or drink, and if possible, you must sleep." " It is not possible." "I know." "I know." "I was trained for the Games myself last year." " Oh?" "What event?" "javelin, but I wasn't chosen." "So you were in the White Mountains, too?" "Yeah." "But after the selection, I was sent down here as part of the network." "Ulf, too, of course, and Petra." "They met in the White Mountains." "PETRA:" "Ulf, please!" "Water!" "Ulf, water!" "No, Will, we must fetch Ulf." "The problem with you is you have no discipline of any kind." "You're impetuous and dangerous." "Get out of my way." "You seem to have no idea what's at stake here, the enormity of the task that Julius has entrusted to us." " Get out of my way!" "No!" " Come on, Fritz, leave it!" "Let go of me!" " Leave it!" "ULF:" "All hands, we've lost power!" "Where's the other boy?" "Take us far forward, see what water we've got." "On deck!" "All hands on deck!" "No, that's not the problem." "We have too much steam." "Get away from there, boy!" "What are you doing?" "Please, Captain." "He knows more than I." "Power us down!" "Full ahead." " Know about that contraption, do you?" "A little, malfeasance." "Then you spend the rest of the journey teaching that nincompoop, who knows nothing." "(KNOCKING LIGHTLY)" " I told you to..." "Don't send us away." "Look, we've been discussing amongst ourselves." "Beanpole thinks if he can..." "Know all about the body as well, do you?" "WILL:" "He has a great interest in all the sciences, as the ancestors called them." "I think, from what I've heard, that you really have nothing to fear." "BEANPOLE:" "Come." "Your wife, how long has she been ill?" " The sores and fever together?" "Mmm." " About 10 days." "And the sores spread?" " Mmm." "But you have no symptoms yourself?" " No sore throat, temperature?" "No." " Only exhaustion." "Oh, please, allow me to examine her." " No!" "Absolutely not." "But 10 days already." "If it was the plague, by now you would be showing." "It may be impetigo, with a high fever." "If so, there are herbs and berries we can pick and prepare." "In Wurttemburg, there's an apothecary." "I hope to bribe him for something to ease the pain." "Go on, boys." "Boys, you're good." "But Petra, she's my responsibility." "(ULF SHOUTING ORDERS)" " Oh, fantastic!" " Vraiment fantastique!" "And look at this." "Look, it's the work of your ancestors." "It must be more than 150 years old." "It won't have been used like this for all of that time, but they've certainly made it well." "Do you understand how it works?" "The basic principles I understand, but the details..." "Boys." "I'm going ashore, and I'll be back by noon." "Now, Wurttemburgers are very suspicious of strangers from the South and very keen to uphold the laws of the Tripods." "Fritz will be allowed on deck as the official apprentice, but you two must stay out of sight below until we're clear." " Is that understood?" "Yes, sir." " Lillian?" "Yes, yes." "There's danger enough in what I have to do." "OFFICER:" "Erlkonig, anyone aboard?" "(SHUSHING)" "Stay very quiet." "PETRA:" "Ulf!" "Ulf!" "(GROANING)" "She'll bring the Black Guard on board, you fool!" "(SHUSHING) Black Guard." "We have a cargo of clocks from Basel for Cologne." "The captain's name is Ulf Reinhart." " Tell him to report to my office." "Ellie, he shouldn't be too long, sir." "I expect him." " PETRA:" "You should not be here." "Nor should the Tripods." "Ulf has told me about you." "You are from England." "Yes, and jean-Paul here's from France." " Is there anything we can get you?" "No." "No, thank you." "You must go now." "I'm sorry." "When I wake, I don't know where I am." "Madame, please, may I examine your hand?" " You must not touch me!" "I have some knowledge." "If a doctor could not touch his patients, how could healing begin?" "WILL:" "These okay?" "That's perfect." "Excellent, Will." " No sign of Ulf?" "No." " Fritz thinks he's in trouble." "He would." "This is arnica to soothe your pain." "Thank you." "This is calendula for the sores." "I will put that on." " It is not very pretty." "But you will do it?" "I will." "Thank you." "Both of you." "We should go and search." "It is already well past noon." "If he's not back in one hour, I shall commandeer the boat." "What?" "Our orders from Julius are to win the Games by getting to the Tripod city." "Ulf is subject to orders from Julius also." "I do not intend to let anything get in the way of that." "Are you in this?" "I am determined to carry out my orders." "I do not intend to be delayed any longer." " Is he serious?" "Never more so in my life." " Then you're out of your mind!" "Keep away!" "Look!" "Instead of getting at each other's throats, why don't we go and find out what's happened to Ulf?" "Give us an hour." "In spite of this, it'll be better for all of us if we can go on together." "In my judgement, you are now a liability to the mission." "That was not julius's opinion." "If you leave the boat, that is your affair." "If you are not back by dusk, I shall go on without you." "What's the boy done?" "He's been found guilty of stealing two apples from a store, and he's been condemned to the pit for seven days." "(PEOPLE CHATTERING)" "What's the matter?" "The company not good enough for you, eh, boy?" "I'm looking for someone." "Oh, yeah?" "Well, there's plenty of good people here." "But then, you're a foreigner, aren't you, eh?" " From the Tyrol." "Ah, I thought so." "And on your way to cheat at the Games again, no doubt, eh, boy?" "Hey, Heinrich!" "This is Heinrich Trautwein." "Here is the boy who should have been champion of the Games last year." "(PATRONS AGREEING)" "But he was felled in the final by a weighted punch from a Tyroler." "(PATRONS GRUMBLING)" "How'd you like to redeem that dishonour now, eh, boy?" "PATRONS:" "Yeah." "Yeah." "By drinking the health of our Heinrich Trautwein, the uncrowned champion of the Games!" "(PATRONS CHEERING)" "Heinrich Trautwein!" "ALL:" "Drink!" "Drink!" "Drink!" "Drink!" "Drink!" "A champion." "We have a champion." "Good night, sir." "(PATRONS EXCLAIMING)" "Heinrich!" "Heinrich!" "Oh, you want a fair fight, eh?" "Well, here in Wurttemburg, we will supply you with a fair fight." "(LAUGHING)" " Where are the others?" "They went to Look for you." " What?" "I told them we would leave without them if they were not back by dusk." " You did, did you?" "I did, sir." "And I insist that we do." "You think you're the captain now, do you?" "(PATRONS CHEERING)" "Do you think you can beat me without cheating?" "You Tyroler cheat!" "Well done, Heinrich." "Well done." "(PATRONS EXCLAIMING)" "(SHOUTING)" "Why, you!" "You little cheat!" "You, you cheating..." " BOY:" "Too bad you woke up." "Eh?" "Best not to know what's coming." "What?" "The Black Guards reckon it good sport to start the day by stoning to death anybody they find in here." "(GROANS)" "You're better?" "It's Beanpole's herbal medicine." "It's beginning to work." "(CHUCKLING)" "And the fever, it's down, isn't it?" "Ulf, for the first time I've woken believing that I might get better." "Will and Beanpole haven't returned?" "I've searched all night." "All I've heard is of a fight in a tavern involving a boy who sounds very like young Will." "If he's been arrested, it's only a matter of time before the Black Guards come to search our boat." "Beanpole won't return without his friend." "No." " I have to leave without them, Petra." "Ulf!" "I've no alternative." "If Will and Beanpole are caught, they'll be capped." "Who knows what they'll reveal about us then?" " I am the cause of all this." "It's not your fault." "Look." "I'm grateful for what they've done for you." "But little as I like him, I'm afraid Fritz is right." "Effectively, he's the only survivor." "We have to preserve his chance of getting to the Tripod city." "Will?" "Will!" "Beanpole!" "Your turn next, all right?" "Hurry up!" "There's no time." " Where' s ULf?" "Come on!" "The rope's yours." "Good luck." "(LAUGHING)" "Close the gates!" "Seal the town!" "(GRUNT $3" "GUARD:" "Get them!" "Close the gate!" "Over here." "Quick!" "Leave them, follow me!" "Close the gates!" "Close the gates!" "Close the gates!" "Fool!" "Oh, no!" "Ulf must have thought we'd been arrested." "I wonder if he'll wait at the next staging post?" "Not if Fritz has his way." "Better start walking, then." "Even walking our fastest, it'll take us five days to get to the stadium." "We must find a better way." "Will, look!" "They didn't wait." "Still, it looks friendlier than Wurttemburg." "I'll go and see what's up." "You must not stay long." "Where have you come from?" "Urn, we are athletes on our way to the Games." "In that?" "Well, we left our boat to go ashore in Wurttemburg, and we stayed longer than we should have done, and the captain sailed without us." "The barge went by this morning." " You all right?" "All right, but very hungry." " Are you having a festival?" "A wedding." "The mayor's daughter." " We arrived on a good day, then." "A very good day." "This is Papagena and I'm Zerlina." "My name is Will." "Willy Sachs." "And this is jean-Paul." "As a matter of fact, we're starving." "Is there anywhere we could get some food?" "At the hotel." "I'm sure Frau Heinitz will be delighted." "Thank you." "In my opinion, the Games are a symptom of our decadence." "You've only to jump five or six metres and they make you a hero." "But what about training in the basic necessities of life, huh?" "Like dishwashing, for example." "That's where character building lies." "I get a very rapid turnover of young people in here, I can tell you." "I believe it." "Oh!" "Too much for you already, is it?" "Frau Heinitz, each plate I wipe is another brick in the foundation of my moral development." "(LAUGHING)" " You are not mocking me, Willy?" "How could you think such a thing?" "But I would work much faster with just one of those delicious-looking rolls inside me." "Uh-uh." "We have made a bargain, Willy." "Think of it as an exercise in self-discipline, of civilised mind over the coarse demands of the animal flesh." "(BEANPOLE SNICKERING)" "(SLAMS HEAD)" "What are you doing down there?" "I, uh, I..." "I dropped a teaspoon." "May we have our food now, please?" "When that lot is done will be soon enough." "Were you not taught that bread must be earned?" "That you must work before you can eat?" ""Arrived on a good day," says he." "How is it you say in English..." "Appearances..." "Can be deceptive?" "You're not kidding." "What an old trout, eh?" "Everyone else in this town is enjoying themselves today, except us." " We could just grab some food and run." "No, we did that once before, remember?" " But I'm starving." "HEINITZ:" "Boys!" "I shall have to take you away from this task for a moment, please." "There's a call for room service." "This one is for Room 24, Willy." "And this one is for 25." "You know how to uncork the bottles, yes?" "I think we will be able, madame." "Good, but please resist the temptation to touch anything." "Each item has been particularly ordered." "How I'm to arrange a banquet for this afternoon when all the guests seem determined to be feasting all day," "I don't know." "Please be back as quick as you can." "(SIGHING)" "(LAUGHING)" "(GIRLS GIGGLING)" "So, you were hungry, yes?" "Fantastic!" "But first, I think you must say grace." "(BELLS TOLLING)" "Could've been my son's wedding, you know." "I would've been very proud to see my son marry the mayor's daughter." "And what does your son do, Frau Heinitz?" "I never had a son." "Oh." "But you have daughters, surely?" "No children." "My husband was the Black Guard here." " But he..." "Yes." "These 18 years, he's been dead." "But he was a highly respected man." "There's no doubt a son of his would've married the mayor's daughter." " Of course." "So what happened to your husband," "Frau Heinitz?" "He was a man of great integrity, very energetic in his pursuit of vagrants and subversives." "Quite unswerving in his loyalty to the Tripods." " All hail to the Tripods." "All hail to the Tripods." "He applauded the end of the moral decadence, and greed and war, which tainted the lives of our ancestors." "I'm proud." "Still proud to be able to tell you that he... sacrificed his life to the service of the Tripods." "It is an honour to have known of such a man." "It is." "And it is a great pain to see others less worthy reaping the rewards that should have been his." "Ladies and gentlemen!" "I crave your indulgence in a mark of respect and appreciation for our host and hostess, the father and mother of the bride," "Herr Viktor Krummel and Frau Krummel!" "Ladies and gentlemen, the father and mother of the groom, all the way from Wurttemburg, we welcome Herr Kommandant Konrad Goetz and Frau Goetz." "(GUESTS APPLAUDING)" "Where has the other waiter got to?" "(SPEAKING FRENCH)" "In the kitchen, perhaps?" "I will check." "Ladies and gentlemen, finally, the groom and his lovely bride," "Herr Johann Goetz and Frau Goetz." "(KONRAD EXCLAIMING)" "Frau Heinitz, has Willy come in here?" "I thought he was with you." "You didn't tell me the groom's from Wurttemburg." "Does that make a difference?" "It's just that Willy isn't very popular there at the moment." "Particularly with Kommandant Goetz." "My dear." "Waiter!" " Where is Willy?" "I don't know." "But wherever he is, we must keep him out of sight of Goetz." "Friends!" "This feast has been sumptuously prepared to celebrate the marriage of Johann and Gretel." "Let us also dedicate it to the greater glorification of our lords and masters, the Tripods!" "ALL:" "Tripods!" "(GASPING)" "Can you get me out of here without him seeing me?" "Life and death, honest." "My dear." "Get Beanpole to tell him there's a message for him in the lobby." "Oh, I beg your pardon." "My dear, might I say how ravishing you looked in church today?" " Thank you." "Not to mention delicious." "(BOTH LAUGHING)" "Tell Goetz there's a message for him in the lobby." "Excuse me, Herr Kommandant." " What is it, boy?" "I'm sorry to disturb you, sir, but there's a message for you in reception, about a young prisoner that escaped." "I am off duty, I've left a deputy in charge and I do not wish to be disturbed." "Understood?" "Of course, sir." "(GROANS)" "Please excuse me one moment, Herr Kommandant." "Oh, my dear, do hurry back." "(GUESTS EXCLAIMING)" "Trouble with men in my position is that people never believe we're off duty." "Business has followed you even to Bachara?" "Subversives." "We captured one a couple of days ago, but during the night, an accomplice released him from the pit." "No sign of any strangers in Bachara during the last couple of days, I suppose, Krummel?" "Frau Heinitz, we have a serious problem, Willy and I." "If I could explain a little..." "A young Tyroler was trying to pass himself off as an athlete on the way to the Games." "We never got a good description of his accomplice." "Did they..." "Had they been long in Wurttemburg?" "No subversive stays long in Wurttemburg, Krummel, and if security were tighter in neighbouring towns and villages, we would soon eliminate the problem once and for all." "And despite continual unfair intervention from Goetz," "Willy finally knocked him out cold." "Willy knocked out Heinrich Trautwein?" "Do you know him?" "He used to come here courting with Johann." "Goetz may be a dishonour to the good name of the Black Guards, but nevertheless..." "ZERLINA:" "But he picked on an innocent athlete." " If it is true, as you say..." "In the name of the Tripods," " Frau Heinitz, I promise you." "I will see what can be done." "Where is Willy now?" "(GASPING)" "(CLEARING THROAT)" "But must you leave so soon?" "Zerlina, thank you for all your help, you've been marvellous," "but we have to get to the Games." "But how can you do it in time?" " We shall have to take our Little boat." "But the Games start tomorrow." "A great deal depends on our getting there." " YOU'LL never make it." "We must try." " Subversives?" "They actually escaped from the pit." "And I believed their story!" "If they have not been properly capped, of course they will lie and deceive." " They seemed so young and innocent." "That is immaterial." "As mayor of this town, it is my responsibility to apprehend the two suspects immediately." "And I shall be able to hand over to Goetz the two who escaped from his custody." "You know I don't like to do Goetz any favors." "You will be doing our town the favour." "Then I'll tell you." "I know where they are." "I shall lock the room and bring you the key." "What a climax to the feast this will be, eh?" "Ah, Krummel." "Where's that pretty young bridesmaid got to?" "The dress she was wearing was unusually provocative." "She will return shortly." "I may not have much time for Goetz, but the last thing I tolerate is people who will not obey the laws of the Tripods and the authority of the Black Guard." "We explained to you." "He framed me." "I have heard the full story now." "How you passed yourselves off as athletes," "as you did here, but in reality..." "Howell has told you this?" "His Lordship, the mayor, knows all about you." " But surely, Frau Heinitz..." "Zerlina!" "Back to the reception." "These two I shall keep under lock and key." "Is this the Kommandants story you now believe?" "Well, what has suddenly happened that you trust him over these boys, who wish only to serve the Tripods in their city?" "I am ordering you." "Frau Heinitz, I'm shocked you should" "suddenly disbelieve us." "Does Goetz know we're here?" "If he did, he'd be here himself." "Now, I should think he's told this story and the mayor's jumped to the conclusion we're the subversives." " You fit the description." "But..." "There's also a suspicion that your caps are not in order." "The mayor's idea is to curry favour with Goetz." "Mine is to settle the matter by calling for the Tripod." "Frau Heinitz, I beg you." "We have trained hard for these Games." "For a whole year, we have given up our lives to become fit in mind and body, for one purpose only, to compete in the Games for the supreme prize, the chance of serving the Tripods in the City of Gold." "Please, this man Goetz has already put us in danger of being too late." "I beg you, do as you said you would and help us on our way." "It is we who tell the truth." "It is Goetz who lies." "Ah, my dear, where have you been?" "I do beg your pardon, Herr Kommandant." "You know, you've missed the best of a most magnificent meal." " Oh, but the best is yet to come." "Really?" "You should see the cake." "Frau Heinitz has excelled herself." "(BANGING)" "MAN:" "Ladies and gentlemen, the cake!" "(ALL GASPING)" "Is everything to your satisfaction, Herr Krummel?" "With respect to the feast, Frau Heinitz, everything is magnificent." "Careful, you clumsy oafs." "The bride won't thank you if her trousseau falls in the river." "(BANGING)" "Ladies and gentlemen, the happy couple will now depart." "(GUESTS EXCLAIMING)" " Where are the boys?" "They're Locked in the bedroom." "You sure Frau Heinitz won't hand them over to Goetz?" "Why hasn't she let them go yet?" "They'd never make it to the Games in time in that, anyway." "I'd like to have gone with them." "Me, too." "Ah!" "Oh, you..." "You fool!" "It's all clear." " Where are we?" "On a boat." "And a fast one." "Let's hope it's going downstream." "Goodbye, Frau Heinitz, goodbye!" "Thank you!" "We wouldn't have got by without the girls." "Yes, they were wonderful." " Willy!" "jean-Paul!" "(BAND PLAYS MARCHING TUNE)" "Friends, fellow officials, competing athletes and spectators all, all of us loyal servants of the Tripods, may I say, welcome to the annual Games." "And may I ask you all to observe reverent silence for the arrival of those in whose honour we hold the Games, our masters, the Tripods." "Over there." "GAMES CAPTAIN:" "May I remind you all of the highest honour for which these, our young men and women, are competing here, is the pride of being chosen to serve the Tripods" "in their fabulous City of Gold." "So, masters, I call upon you now to do us the honour of opening these Games" "which we hold to honour you." "(CHEERING)" "WILL:" "Fritz." " So, you are here after all." "Yeah, no thanks to you." "BEANPOLE:" "Did you, uh..." "Did you come all the way with Ulf?" " Yes." "Oh, and Petra?" "She recovered and was grateful for your help." "Good job we didn't let you drop her in the river, then." "I have not seen your names, nor Maria and Gianni's." "Are you entered?" " Where do we do that?" "The secretary's office." "The lists are closing." "You'll have to hurry." "Excuse me, I must prepare for my first heat." " Huh!" "Very nice." "Self-righteous pig." "Come on, we'd better get a move on." " Ellie, what about you two?" "We can take care of ourselves." "You go and prepare and we'll see you later." " All right." "Good luck." "PAPAGENA:" "To you both." "What about Fritz, eh?" "You know, sometimes I think he'd make a really good Black Guard." "He'd have loved Goetz, don't you think?" " Good news about Petra." "And he choked on it though, didn't he?" "I wonder what happened to Maria and Gianni?" "Maybe the Tripods found them too." "just like Kate." "(CROWD CHEERING)" "Come on." "We won't have time to warm up." "Stéphane Baule." "Six metres 20." "Next to jump, please, jean-Paul Deliet." "Jean-Paul!" "Quick, you must jump!" "JUDGE: jean-Paul Deliet." "Third and final call for Mr JP... jean-Paul Deliet is just inside the qualifying distance." " You did it." "And just in time." "Yes, but if you can qualify that easily, you've got a great chance of winning." "(CROWD CHEERING)" "Box." "One, and two, and three..." "ALL:" "Four, five, six... seven, eight, nine and out." "Doesn't like us much, your Fritz, does he?" "Doesn't like us much, either." "For him it is all discipline and application." "He can't bear the idea that success might be easy." "Or that you can have fun while achieving it." "He looks very good." "200 metres is his distance." "Oh, out of all of us, he has the best chance of becoming champion without doubt." "Get to your marks." "Get set." " Hardhat's up?" "Fritz, Fritz!" "(CURSES IN FRENCH)" "Maybe he strained a muscle." "If you ask me, he's so tight with discipline, his body seized." "Sorry about the 200." "Are you all right?" "Everything is perfectly good, thank you." "Then what happened?" "I failed to qualify." "But normally you'd have walked that." "Looked almost as though you deliberately threw it." "This is stealing, I think." "I'll make my confession to the Tripod." "It is dangerous that you have these girls with you." "They may learn too much." "Also, their behaviour attracts attention." "It puts us in danger." "You're jealous." "Look, what is the point of trying to rid the world of the Tripods for the sake of humanity, if you have no humanity?" " Lillian." "No." "He's going to hear it." "You didn't have a thought for Ulf's wife when she was sick, and as soon as he was delayed buying medicine for her, you were all for leaving her behind." "(BEANPOLE SHUSHING)" "And I've no doubt at all that you were the first to pull up the anchor when I got into a spot of bother." "We have a purpose here." "Well, you might have remembered that on the track." "I know what I want to achieve." "And I know how to achieve it." "BEANPOLE:" "Come on!" "ZERLINA:" "Willy, come on!" "He has too much to win this one." "Come on, Willy." "Hit him, Willy." "Come on." "Come on, Willy." "(ALL CHEERING)" "(GONG RINGING)" "And the winner, in the blue corner, Willy Sachs." "Two of us in the finals." " Congratulations, Will." "Thanks." " You did very well." "Thank you." "Oh, but look what he's done to your face." " It's not cut." "I know, but..." "You're very good, aren't you?" "Very nearly not good enough." "These training camps where you've learn such skills, they've taught you very well." "And made us train very hard." "The 100 metres." "Fritz's last chance." "Come on." "So, you're in the finals now, yes?" "Thanks to my supporters." "But if you win the championship, I shall never see you again." "I know it's an honour to serve the Tripods in their city but..." "Well, I would miss you, Will." "I stole a look." "She's very pretty." "If you go to the City, you may never see her again, either." "I think we'd better get to Fritz's other race." "Unless she is already there?" "Thank you." "Fritz, I know there have been bad feelings between you and Will." "But the City is more important." "We need you there." "We want you to win." "I know you can." "Please, don't be so angry that you'd give yourself a disadvantage." "Did he win?" "Good." "What I don't understand is why is it so important for all three of you to be champions?" "Everybody wants to be a champion." "Yes, but you want to be together, yet you do not even like this Fritz." "Come on, Fritz!" "Come on, Fritz!" "He's made it!" "(SLOW INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC PLAYING)" "ZERLINA:" "Do you think that capping makes some people more devoted to the Tripods than others?" "I don't know." "I never thought about it much." "Well, I have." "And I know I shouldn't say it but... well, I find all that religious stuff a real bore, don't you?" "Well, different people think about the Tripods in different ways." "Well, that's it." "I mean, take your friend, Fritz." " He's not my friend." "Ellie, whatever he is, then." "But I'll bet he stands at the foot of his bed night and morning saluting the Tripods' image without turning a hair." "Oh, yes, he's a great disciplinarian, is our Fritz." "Well, I can't see you doing that." "Uh, no." "No." "I'm going to want something to eat after this." " You're always hungry." "Am I?" "Look at Papagena and Beanpole." "Getting along pretty well." "Exactly." "So what are they supposed to feel if he wins the championship?" "Zerlina." "Or has he got another girl in the City, too?" "Will, we must talk." " But..." "It is important." "Excuse me." "Jean-Paul." "BEANPOLE:" "Excuse me, please." "One moment." "Can you make out what they're up to?" "He is wonderful, jean-Paul. just like I've always heard of the French." "Yes, well, I'd make the most of it, girl." "(CLEARING THROAT) Um, I'm sorry, but something important has cropped up." " What do you mean?" "We have to leave, I'm afraid." "You what?" "Well, that's really great, isn't it?" "Well, what do you expect us to do?" "Twiddle our toes in a tent all night?" "Zerlina, I'm very sorry." "Well, don't you worry about us." "We can take care of ourselves." " Beanpole?" "We won't be long." "WILL:" "I wish you'd told us about this before." "FRITZ:" "I only just found it." "There." "I'm sorry for spoiling your party, but I thought it valuable to examine it from the outside first." "BEANPOLE:" "I wonder why they built it over a river?" "Because they need water?" "How do they produce such light?" " Electricity." "Beanpole?" "Maybe." "We've seen Paris dead." "Imagine what it was like as a living city." "Tomorrow, with luck, we shall begin to know the answers." "The ancestors built some weird houses." "(SCREAMING)" "(LAUGHING)" "You are very stupid!" "Can't you take a joke?" "Oh, he's overwrought about the championships." "Then why isn't he getting his beauty sleep?" "I think I need some help." " Hardhat's the matter?" "I've twisted my ankle." " I hope you..." "Do not even think it." " Oh, I'm sorry." "It's all right." "I could as easily have done it dancing." "(HORNS PLAYING FANFARE)" "Today is the Day of Champions and once again I ask you to join with me in dedicating our best endeavours to the service of the Tripods." "First events of the morning are the finals of the sprints, beginning with the men's 100 metres." "(INAUDIBLE)" "Good luck." "Get to your marks." "Get set." " Congratulations." "I've done what I came to do." "You were a different runner." "Yesterday I didn't want anybody to regard me as a serious threat." "He's the only one I want to win." "Poor Beanpole." "And long jump is next." " Are you sure you should?" "Yes." " I can't bear to look." "He certainly has courage." "(GROANING)" "Thank you but don't." "(ECHOING) Get up!" "Will, you must not fail." "REFEREE:" "Six, seven, eight, nine..." "Come on!" "Will, you must win!" "You must knock him out!" "He's well behind on points." "Come on, come on." "Come on, Willy." "Come on, hit him harder!" "Harder!" "One, two, three, four, five..." "ALL:" "Six, seven, eight, nine, and out!" "Yes!" "Perhaps it's just as well one of us remains outside the City." "I could find somewhere to live near here, where I can see the river and watch the movements of the Tripods." "Observe the materials they bring to the City, the things they need." "Yes, there's a lot I can learn to add to the discoveries you and Fritz will make inside." "Yes." "Yes, that's good." "And you'll know where to find me when you get out." "I shall stay here until the snows come." "And if you haven't escaped by then," "I shall return to the White Mountains with what I've found out." "Well boxed, WI ll." " Perhaps it's for the best after all." "Yeah." "(CROWD CHEERING)" "Now is the great moment when we offer the best of our young men and women, the champions of the Games, to the even greater privilege of lifelong service to the Tripods." "I offer the champion of the 100 metres, Fritz Eger." "Next, I offer to our lords the Tripods Renata Louble, winner of the ladies' 200 metre hurdles." "Renata comes from those lands to the east once called Napier." "Only the second girl from that country to receive the honour of service to the Tripods." "And after her, we have Renee Condé, who has established a new record in... (VOICE FADES OUT)" "But what if?" "We shall be represented by..." "GAMES CAPTAIN:" "Willy Sachs from Tyrol." "(CROWD CHEERING)" "(CROWD CHEERING)" "See?" "They are driven by other humans, super-intelligent humans." " Did you hear me?" "So did everyone else." "Beanpole would have loved to see this." "You're impressed." "Does it show?" "Wait till you see the City." "Follow me." "Congratulations on your selection for service in the City." "You'll find that the temperatures are hotter than you're used to and these are the clothes you must wear." "Please change." "Our Masters breathe a form of air which is poisonous to us." "We would die within moments of breathing it." "So, we have to wear these whenever we enter the masters' areas." "You'll find that pools of perspiration collect here, inside the helmets." "Now, this may feel uncomfortable." "But don't, on any account, attempt to remove the helmets while you're in the Masters' atmosphere." "You would die instantly." "There are recreation areas where we can breathe human air." "In these areas, you can remove your helmets and relax in safety." "This is an air lock, where the atmosphere will change before we enter the Masters' city." "It's changing now." "You'll notice that the light is also changing to green, the colour of the Masters' air." "Follow me, please." "ALL:" "Hail to the Tripods." "Is it possible that men could have built all this?" "This is fantastic." "That huge building over there, along with the other one." " Hardhat's it all made of?" "Careful." "The others simply accept with admiration." "He was getting suspicious of your questions." "How else are we going to get answers?" "Scientifically, by observation and deduction." "GUIDE:" "Follow me, please, to the choosing place." "(co UGH ING)" "A little claustrophobic in these, eh?" "All praise to the Tripods." "Steady!" "(co UGH ING)" "GUIDE:" "Everyone stand under a beam of light." "The Masters will shortly make their choice." "(co UGH ING)" " Sir, sir, Charles is in real trouble." "No, I'm all right." "GUIDE:" "Stay." "(CHARLES COUGHING)" "Go back, please." "We regret he is unable to serve the Masters." "To serve the Masters is the greatest privilege on Earth." "Fear of their strangeness will only cause of fence." " Yes, but..." "Shh." "MASTER 1:" "Boy, you will be with me." "MASTER 2:" "Come with me, boy." "MASTER 3:" "Come with me." "MASTER 4:" "Come with me, boys." "Follow me, boy." "MASTER 5:" "You two, follow me." "You have offended." " You mean, I'm not chosen?" "You insulted a Master." " I was just surprised, I..." "Your mind was not filled with joy?" "Yes, but I..." "Boy, you're a strange one." "In what sport did you win a championship?" "Boxing, Master." " And do you wish to serve?" "Yes, oh, yes, Master." "It appeared you were more interested in your fellows than in being chosen." "I was just distracted by Charles." "He was..." "Hmm." "Not all can adapt successfully." "You may leave us now." "You have chosen, then, Master?" "I have." "I hope you will give good service." "MASTER:" "Come." "Now, let me examine you." "Hmm." " Hmm, a fine specimen." "Thank you, Master." "And what about the cap?" "Hmm?" "Has that been successful?" "Oh, yes, yes, Master." "Only..." "Well..." " Go on, boy." "Before the capping, I... (CLEARING THROAT) Well, I had a reputation for asking questions." "Nosey Parker, they used to call me, because I always wanted to know how and why and, well, just why everything is the way it is." "It was this curiosity that attracted me to you, boy." "We shall exploit it to advantage." "Now, before you ask me, I'll tell you my name." "I am West Avenue 4, Sector 6, Level 8." "West 468, for short." "This is me." "My identity." " In your terms, my name." "Master 468." " And you, boy?" "Lillian, Master." " Lillian what?" "Willy Sachs." " But..." "But Will for short." "(MASTER 468 CHUCKLES)" "Very apt." "For after 100 years, I'm delighted to have found at last a slave with a mind of his own." "Where do you come from?" "The Tyrol, Master." "A little village called Marienkirchen." "Ah, the Austrian Alps." "Very beautiful." "But enough questions." "You are tired and must rest." "This happens with new slaves." "Ah, here is Georg." "Georg comes from Flanders." "Georg, this is your successor." "Willy Sachs, from the Tyrol." "Georg will show you your quarters and will introduce you to the facilities provided for slaves." " Thank you, Georg." "Master." "You have served well." "I wish you a happy release." " Thank you, Master." "Rest well, boy." "And don't let questions keep you awake." "We have work to do." "(YAWNING)" "Let's get that off." "Stand aside." "GUARD:" "Gang, halt." "This area is being made ready to receive a new marvel of the Masters' creation." "It's your privilege to make way for a great miracle." "Long live the Masters." "Hail to the Tripods." "Hail." "How wonderful to be here." "It's very impressive." "Ah, you're just a cold, unemotional German, Fritz." "Doesn't you're heart burst with pride?" "I do sometimes find it difficult to express the emotion I feel." "Come, observe the tasks." "Take him away." "(SIREN WAILING)" "Right, you've seen the work." "Now show the quality of your dedication to the Masters by the amounts you shift!" "Move!" "Used clothing must be disposed of here." "Your helmet must be recharged here after use." "And should you require one in a hurry, there is the spare one on the shelf below, fully charged." "Who sleeps over there?" "A new slave for Master West 458." "He was chosen from the Champions." "Retiring to the country, are you?" "Country?" ""Happy release", I expect a chalet by a beach somewhere." "(CHUCKLING)" "(SIGHING)" "Any girls in the City?" "They do the cleaning, and the cooking and the nursing." "Where do they live?" "Ah, girls." "I, urn..." "I have this friend of mine, she came to the City last year." "She's very beautiful, but I can't say that I've seen her." "In the City, the desire to serve the Masters transcends all." "You'll find your interest in girls will fade, fast." " Because of the cap." "Because of the Masters." "Of course, of course." "Urn, tell me, how long have you been with 468?" "One loses all track of time as we know it in the world outside." " All right, is he?" "All Masters are good." "Yes, it's been a particular privilege to serve this Master." "You're very fortunate to be replacing me." "If he can't do better than that, he's no good to the Masters." "His strength will increase." "I thought you were all supposed to be champs." "Strength comes in short bursts." "He needs time to adapt." "(SIREN WAILING)" "I'll carry him back." "Just so long as he's ready for the next shift, right?" "Come, it's time for my happy release." "You must accompany me." "No further, Will." "The Masters take care of me from here." "I see no Masters." "This is my reward for four long years of service." "May your turn come as joyously." "Four years?" "What else have you been doing in the City?" "You're confused about my age because of my appearance." "I remember how long our human lives used to be." "But here in the City, life is hastened by this strange atmosphere." "My old age is quite remarkable." "Last week I celebrated my 21 st birthday." "I..." "Congratulations." "This is yours now." "The Master can summon you at any time with it." "Be worthy of it, for my sake." "Honour to the Tripods." "Honour to the Masters." "Hail!" "Hail!" "Hail!" "(BEEPING)" "(cow MOOING)" "(ROOSTER CROWING)" "(cow BELLS JINGLING)" "Good morning." "I thought you would like to feel at home." " I was surprised, Master." "Pleasantly, I hope." "Of course, but..." "Are we not still in the City of Gold?" "(CHUCKLING)" "Questions, questions." "I thought for a moment that you had sent me home, that I was not worthy to serve you." "We are still in the City." "You are still in my service." "I found the Tyrolean scene in our picture library." "But it was so real." "Didn't the cows move?" "You have a lot to learn, Will." "And so short a time in which to learn it." "Now, wash and eat." "We must not waste the little time we have." "How are you feeling now?" "(REPLIES IN FRENCH)" "Without your help, I would not have survived the first day." "Fully recovered?" "The thing is to pace oneself more." "I was so keen to please the Masters, I forgot to do that." " Providing their Guards will let you." "Oh, they are very encouraging." "On your move!" "So you want to join the Power Elite, eh?" "Sorry, I..." "Come on." " Hello." "I'm Katrina." " My roommate?" "just clean-up." "I'm Will." " Enjoying your breakfast?" "Yes, yes." "It's wonderful." "You're the first girl I've seen in the City." "When they segregated us at the Games, I began to wonder." "There are quite a few of us." "But we're only second-class slaves." " Oh, how come?" "You're privileged." "You've been chosen to serve the Masters face-to-face." "We only glimpse them from a distance." "Wish I'd been a boy." "I don't." "You're doing what you told me not to do." " I have offended the Guards." "But you'll kill yourself!" "I must prove my love for the Masters." "What you said to me was that none of us could serve them dead." "Please, don't stop me." "So, how long have you been here?" "Since summer." "I was taken at my capping." "I still can't get over it." " No." "No, no, of course." "You don't seem so pleased about it." "Oh, I am, yes." "It's wonderful." "Tell me, did you know the old man who was here before me?" "Dear Georg." "He has won a happy release at last." "Yes, I was there." "What a wonderful servant he was." "Four years." " Hope I can serve as well." "You will." "I worry about it a bit." "I mean, does it ever happen that a..." "Well, that a slave proves unworthy?" "That would mean the Master has made a bad choice, and that's impossible!" "Don't worry about it." "You'll be fine." "(BEEPING)" "Go on." "That's your Master calling." "This girl in a neighbouring village to mine, she was queen of the summer tournament, and was taken by a Tripod last year." " I wonder if you've..." "I haven't seen her." "But perhaps she serves in the Hall of Beauty." "(BEEPING)" "You must go." "Long live the Masters." "A well-regulated life of dedication is what's required." "Now, get up and take it a bit easier!" "That's the one who tried to sneak into the control room." "Been going like a madman ever since to make up." " I've been watching him." "He's unstable." "He saved my life!" "Yeah, well, I say we dump him." " Yeah." "Take the arms." "MASTER 468:" "You have a very inefficient single-star system." "Your planet Earth spins on its axis only once in 24 hours." "So for roughly a third of its cycle, any point on the surface is in darkness, starved of the life-giving energy of the sun." "That is why you have to sleep." "WILL:" "And Masters don't?" "MASTER 468:" "We were born under a different system." "Our world, called Trion, is fixed at a point between three suns." " So you never have darkness?" "A ceaseless supply of sunlight." "On Earth, you depend on the conversion of solar energy to food, which you then have to cook and eat three times a day." "You mean you don't need food, either?" "Mmm." "Then how do you get your energy?" "Through perpetual transfusion from our three suns." "And from water." "Trion is a water world." "Is that why the City is built on a river?" "It was essential." "You say you've already been here for over 100 years." "WILL:" "Then how long do you live?" "In comparison with the brief, butterfly lifespan of you poor humans, we live for, well..." "Can you understand eternity?" "Immortal?" "(MASTER 468 CHUCKLES)" "Well, relatively speaking." "(SHOWER RUNNING)" "MASTER 468:" "Do you recognise this?" "It's a daisy." "MASTER 468:" "Bellis perennis." "The flower that opens in the morning." "The day's eye." "Utterly a creature of its diurnal world." "What do you know about it, Will?" "Well, it, uh..." "It grows wild pretty well everywhere, Master, even in places where people don't want it to grow." " What is its purpose?" "Purpose?" " Ellie, apart from looking pretty..." "Is it pretty?" "Even when it is so undisciplined as to grow in places where it's not wanted?" "Well, that would be a matter of opinion, wouldn't it?" "MASTER 468:" "What is your opinion?" "I think it's one of the prettiest flowers there is." "I like its simplicity." "MASTER 468:" "Who designed it?" "WILL:" "No one designed it, Master." "It just grows." "MASTER 468:" "You're not so good at answering my questions as I am yours." "WILL:" "No, Master." "MASTER 468:" "It's not surprising." "The process by which you gain knowledge is so very primitive, and your lives are so astonishingly brief," "I'm surprised you know anything at all." " I do ask questions." "Indeed you do." "But for my purpose, I need more precise knowledge." "I require you to bring me a daisy." "From outside the City?" "(CHUCKLING)" "Okay." "Okay." "Okay." "Hey!" " Me?" "Weren't you..." "Yes, I came off shift about 10 minutes ago, but as soon as I got out of the shower, I realised I'd forgotten my notes." "Okay." "Excuse me, sir." " One of the new trainees?" "Yes." "I mean, that is, I'd like to be." "Were you not chosen?" "I wish to serve the Masters to the best of my ability." "I know I can do much better in here than in the slave camp." "There's lots who think that, my boy." "They all think we have an easy life in here." "It's not the privileges I'm after, except to serve the Masters." "It might be as well to give the boy a trial." "Recent intake is poorer than ever." "We could do with new blood." "I don't want to upset the Guards by appearing to encourage defection." "He only wants to serve the Masters at a higher level." "Who can complain about that?" "Mine?" "He's an anthropologist, making a detailed study of the Earth." "Mine's a dreamer, I think." "He does nothing all day but sit in his steam bath, calling for gallons of water and gas bubbles." "Mine hasn't had one of those yet." "What do they do?" "I understand they expand their powers of perception." "And the water they drink so much!" "My Master they come from a water world." "Certainly with tentacles outstretched, he does tend to look a bit like a squid." " Lillian." "What?" "Don't say another word." "That's blasphemy." "BOLL:" "We're talking of a people who can build all this, about a race who can master the universe!" "And all you can think of is..." " Squid." "I don't wish to hear it." " I think my Master would be amused." "Don't try it, Will." "An insult like that, and we could all be punished." "What do you think that is?" "BOLL:" "My predecessor called it the Pool of Fire." "This place was built by the ancestors to produce a power called electricity." "It's called a fission reactor, and it was once capable of supplying electric power to much of northern Europe." "Now the Masters have taken it over." "They have built their city round it, and the reactor now supplies them with the power they need." "And your job is to keep it working for them?" "What a wonderful privilege, to provide such a real service for the Masters." "Excuse me." "Come on down." " What a wonderful place!" "This must be your first visit." "Yes, I'm a new slave." "I was chosen by Master 468 in place of Georg." "Ah, dear Georg." "He used to love to come here and look at the tulips." " My name's Jeanne." "I'm Will." "You're very welcome." "Now, what can I get you for Master this time?" "He wants a daisy." "A daisy?" "He'll want the whole root, I expect." "He's always wanting to get to the bottom of things." "Excuse me while I fetch a container." "Thanks." "I like it here." "Bye." "Come with me." "So you think there is a chance I might be accepted?" "The Power Master will almost certainly consider you." "I could give you some basic training before he interviews you." " I think that would help." "I'd be very grateful." "Okay." "We'll see what we can do." " You have a problem, Captain?" "You have a skiver in here." "Stole a uniform, got in under false pretences." " No objection if we flush him out?" "Go ahead, Captain." "Identify the culprit." "CAPTAIN:" "Right." "Speak, Captain." "Master, the accused is a new slave chosen for the slave camp." "This is the second time he has tried to defect." "POWER MASTER:" "The boy must certainly be punished." "But I will speak to the Slave Master about a possible transfer." "By the time I'm finished with you, boy, the only bits left for transfer will be bacon rind." "Squad, march." "Master?" "Master?" "Ah, the daisy." "Hmm." "I agree it does have a beguiling simplicity." "But as with so many Earthly species, appearances will almost certainly be deceptive." "Ah, you're tired." "How did the journey go?" "The City is fantastic, amazing." "It is a hybrid of Earth and of Trion." "You would be even more amazed by Trion itself." " I'd like to see it." "We shall see." "We shall see." "Now, place the specimen for examination and take yourself off for a rest." "I sense the beginning of a fruitful relationship." "Thank you, Master." "The Slave Master did well to pick you at the choosing." "I only wish to serve the Masters, sir." "The Power Elite are over-privileged and under-worked." "When the Masters' own power plant is installed, they'll be for the scrapheap." " And when will that be?" "Never mind when." "Your first loyalty is to the Slave Master who chose you." "I understand that now, sir." "Between you and me, you've got potential." "You want advancement?" "join the Guards." "Thank you, sir." "If you survive the punishment." "(DOOR OPENS)" "Hi." "You look all in." "He suddenly had me running errands all over the City." "What an incredible place, though." "Hey, your friend Fritz Eger, the 100 metres champion..." " Not my friend." "You know him, though." "Go on." "Called in at the Recreation Centre on the way back." "The buzz is the Guards have flogged him to death." "I thought you said he wasn't your friend." "Come in." " Hello." "What happens to people who are..." " From the Punishment Room?" "Fritz Eger?" "If they survive, they're brought here to recover." " If not..." "Is he here?" "He offended the Slave Master." "Fritz."