"Sincro: wyxchari" "Who are you?" "I never answer questions until I'm properly introduced." "You will answer now." "Very well." "You are standing in the airlock to this spacecraft." "Unless you answer my questions within ten seconds, I will take the atmospheric pressure around you down to zero." "But... but if you do that my body will explode!" "One... two... three..." "Oh alright!" "Alright!" "But I don't think much of your hospitality!" "Identify yourself." "Me?" "I..." "I'm a scientist." "I've come to talk with you." "To help you." "A scientist?" "Yes, yes you could call me that." "You do not look like a scientist." "Well looks aren't everything you know!" "You look more like a scavenger." "We killed him." "Well if you kill me, you'll ruin any chance you may have of escape." "Do you think he can help us?" "He cannot afford to lie." "Allow him to enter." "Ah, thank you very much, that's very civil of you." "Oh, my word!" "You claim to be able to help us." "No..." "I am sure I can help you." "On certain conditions." "You are our prisoner." "It is we who set conditions." "On the contrary, it is you who are the prisoner, and I can help you!" "Not on your terms." "Bring in the girl." "Now we will have two hostages." "Well what good will that do?" "You are buried alive in the heart of this glacier." "Time is desperately short!" "You've got no time to bargain over hostages." "Inside our spaceship, we are safe." "And with you here, your base will dare not use their secret weapon against us." "Weapon?" "But, but the ioniser is not a weapon!" "You know how it works?" "Yes of course!" "It'll melt the ice and set you free!" "You're hurting me!" "Victoria!" "Oh Doctor!" "Victoria." "Oh dear but they've got you too." "It's alright." "We are not beaten yet." "Jamie..." "He's alive!" "If what you say is true, why have you not freed us before?" "Well, there are difficulties." "What are they?" "Well..." "You will tell us." "...Well it's not... it's not much farther now, lad." "How far are we?" "Well, we're at the edge of the woods fringing the camp perimeter." "Can we not rest a while?" "I think so - but a couple of minutes, no more." "Aye, you're right." "The Doctor needs help right away." "I wasn't thinking only of the Doctor." "Wolves!" "Yes." "Here we're more or less safe, but the last stretch is open country." "I don't help much, do I?" "Well I'm not exactly a man of action myself." "Storr should be here now, I miss him." "Have you no weapons?" "Arden's tranquiliser gun, that's all." "Aye, it's not much." "Storr was a huntsman." "An expert with a bow and arrow." "Uhh, it's no good wishing." "Well, I'd better carry on." "Aye, lead on McDuff." "Keep very still." "So, you are afraid of us?" "No, but of your ship." "If the ioniser sets off a nuclear holocaust, it will all have be in vain." "That is good." "In that case you dare not act." "But if you thought there would be no explosion?" "Well?" "Well in that case we'd have... we'd have no choice." "You would use the ioniser." "But it wouldn't harm the ship, it would release it!" "There would be floods." "Our engines would be useless." "We would be at your mercy." "Why did you come here?" "To spy?" "To betray us?" "But you could not hope to escape to tell the tale." "Oh, I always live in hope." "You have some kind of communicator." "You do realise, don't you, that after a certain point, my base will have to activate the ioniser regardless of the consequences?" "And destroy you and themselves as well?" "Is that what would happen?" "Give it to me." "Ah, they would never know." "They would never know." "The Doctor." "You heard what he said." "Regardless of the consequences." "Yes." "Yes, he's telling us to take the risk." "But we can't give the computer the information it needs." "It can't instruct us." "Can the ioniser hold?" "Present power it's... steadily losing ground." "But we dare not increase!" "Summary of orders to all World loniser Stations:" "The new equation originated from Brittanicus Base will be adopted to conditions prevailing in each sector." "All bases will prepare to use full ioniser attack on the ice in concerted action." "Zero hour in six hours exactly." "Report readiness one hour." "We can't do it." "But if we don't the whole plan must fail." "But if we act and there is an explosion... apart from destroying this base, the contamination could easily..." "We must state our problem to World Control, now." "No wait!" "We'll give our computer all the information we have." "It isn't enough!" "It may be." "Er, it may be." "I know what the computer will say." "No no no no no." "Let the computer speak for itself." "There's only one answer it can give!" "Come on, quickly." "Put the situation to the computer." "Do as you're told!" "He's sizing us up." "Can you not run for it?" "I don't intend to leave you here as..." "Well the gun!" "Use the gun!" "I could hit the side of the mountain." "I'm a scientist, not a gladiator." "Well at least you can try!" "Alright." "Cross your fingers." "Here goes." "Quick get me out of here, I'll tackle him!" "Get a hold of yourself man!" "Quick, he's nearly on us!" "Set up all circuits to new equation." "And wait." "Further information essential before decision can be taken." "Prepare to notify World Control in event of emergency." "Of course, the computer's right." "We must be prepared." "And we must wait." "It is the answer I expected." "But you don't realise why it made this choice, do you?" "Because it is the most logical answer in the circumstances." "Of course." "And because it's so logical, it can't gamble, it can't take risks." "That is its function." "To be totally impartial." "To serve the community." "Exactly." "And one more aim in its life: to survive." "It has given us its decision." "It is no decision." "The computer is playing for time." "Now listen!" "All of you!" "We risk destruction either by a radioactive explosion, or, by the slow grind of the glaciers." "Now there you see that the ice has advanced 100 metres today." "Now either way..." "The computer is destroyed." "So that, by demanding a decision, we are asking it to commit suicide." "It can't do that!" "Then what is the answer?" "We can escape." "There's still time to evacuate." "Perhaps you could face world opinionata." "I couldn't." "You must notify World Control eventually." "The other bases will be waiting." "I will decide exactly when." "For now we do as the computer says." "Prepare the ioniser, and wait." "Now, complete data check please, Miss Garrett." "Miss Curtis, report to me the moment _ four reaches one-five-oh-oh." "One-three-seven-nine, now." "Well, what do you feel about all this Walters?" "Bet you didn't think you'd have ice monsters and things like that to deal with when you volunteered for the job, did you?" "Well, did you?" "I didn't volunteer." "Ah, yes, well... good man, anyway." "Penley!" "Penley, are you alright!" "I'll get up..." "You sure you're alright?" "Well he's clawed me, that's all." "Now we better get away quick." "He won't be any friendlier when he wakes up!" "Close engine room." "Well?" "It's an ion reactor, isn't it?" "Hmm." "It could be dangerous, but it wouldn't necessarily explode." "True." "But your friends do not know that." "Now why don't you let us help you?" "We can get what we want without your help." "But, but what else do you need, apart from escaping from the ice?" "We have had enough of your questions." "Now you will give me answers." "Well, I've told you all I can about the ioniser." "That is only a toy." "The base - what is its power source?" "Why on earth do you want to know that?" "Answer." "Oh, so that's what you need is it?" "Answer the Commander's questions." "Fuel!" "Fuel for your reactor!" "And suppose I don't tell you?" "The girl dies, now." "Doctor, don't tell them!" "Yes, you'll find what you need at the base." "You shouldn't have!" "But you, you won't find Leader Clent easy to persuade." "He's a very obstinate man!" "He will listen to our sonic cannon." "We must act quickly, Commander." "Isbur and Rintan, wait for me at the entrance to the cave." "Zondal, you will man the sonic gun." "You won't succeed!" "You can't be so inhuman." "We only fight to win." "lon density reading at 1000?" "74 _." "2000?" "62 _." "3000?" "43.3 _." "4000?" "39 _." "5000?" "35 _." "Reception check-point to Leader Clent." "Yes, what is it?" "Two new arrivals, Sir." "Well I don't wish to be disturbed by trifles!" "These aren't scavengers Sir." "It's the lad that came with the Doctor and Scientist Penley." "What?" "Clent, I must talk to you." "I have news of the Doctor." "Walters!" "Bring the arrivals to me at once." "Sir." "Density compensator setting, please." "Density compensator setting: zero-three-nine." "Seven-seven-seven." "Zero-one." "Sequence ends." "Take all systems up to this level." "Everything seems to be proceeding satisfactorily." "Is it?" "What's wrong?" "Penley's come back." "Of his own choice?" "Apparently." "Why?" "We shall soon see." "If he tries to start any trouble..." "Well, he can't be allowed to interfere with the program." "Not at this stage." "No." "I no longer need to be tolerant with him. 'Cause he's no longer my equal - he's an outsider." "Come on then." "Put him over here." "Take it easy." "Rest on that Jamie." "Thank you." "Alright there, lad?" "Thank you." "No stay, Walters." "You may be needed." "I'm not liable to be violent." "What do you want?" "Well I brought this lad." "He's in desperate need of medical supervision." "We are not a first-aid center." "He's paralysed." "How did it happen?" "He was shot down by the warriors' guns." "Well thank heavens." "Their weapons don't deal fatal blows." "Well they killed Arden." "Look you've got to help." "Er, yes of course boy." "Um, Walters will take you to the Medi-Control Centre." "No I didn't mean me, I meant Victoria and the Doctor!" "Look, they're inside the alien spaceship!" "You've got to help them." "That isn't possible." "Well why not?" "You've got to do something!" "No, we lost contact with the Doctor over an hour ago." "I'm afraid there's no hope." "You mean hope happens to be inconvenient!" "You've got to stick to your precious schedule, is that it?" "You've got to wave your splendid ioniser about to prove that it works and never mind about human beings!" "The computer has decided!" "The compu..." "Override it!" "Let the ioniser wait." "The computer isn't gonna fall apart because it has to mark time for an hour!" "We are marking time." "We're not using the ioniser under instructions from the computer itself." "Why?" "The spaceship may contain a reactor system that could wipe us off this island if we cause it to explode." "So what are you gonna do?" "We obey the computer." "We will wait." "Wait?" "But that's suicide!" "The glacier's practically on top of us!" "We still have time in hand." "Yes, but if the Doctor, if he's..." "No." "If the Doctor doesn't contact you, what hope is there?" "There is hope." "Oh don't be a fool, Clent!" "You're not a man, you're just a machine's slave." "Don't you spit your stupid liberty in my face, Penley." "We know your kind of freedom - freedom to run away - from responsibilities, from service, from moral judgement." "I may be a physical coward, Penley, you're a coward in the mind." "Well at least I have a mind and not a _ junction box." "I would act, but you daren't." "And so you're going to be destroyed, along with your mechanical master." "Look, you've got to help us man." "Jamie, I don't think you're..." "Jamie, take it easy." "Ahh!" "Now, get them out of here!" "You'd better take them to the Medi-Control Centre." "Get someone to look at the boy." "Make sure there's a guard for when they come to." "Right." "Get two guards to control." "Penley - he's nothing!" "Our trust is in the great computer." "With its aid, we cannot fail." "They are now outside their base." "Stand by, gun control." "Take target readings." "Ready." "Vertical bearing: minus point nine." "Lateral bearing: three-five." "Prepare to charge to frequency three-five." "Frequency three-five." "It's all right Victoria, don't cry." "It's alright." "There's nothing to be afraid of." "But if Varga Rintan is triumphant, then you will have cause to cry." "Come along, Victoria, blow." "Blow." "That's better, that's better." "We can try and escape with this." "What is it?" "Ammonium sulphide." "Ammonium sulphide?" "It's only a stink bomb." "Yes, you've had the benefits of a classical education." "Yes, it is what you'd call a stink bomb." "What use is that?" "You'd be surprised." "Harmless to humans, but to aliens very possibly deadly!" "The gun is now ready, Commander." "Good Zondal." "We will now contact the scientists." "On my command you will fire once." "Do you understand?" "Yes, Commander." "Good." "Zondal!" "Zondal, look!" "What is it?" "Look!" "Do not try any tricks." "There's, there's water, seeping into the ship." "Just there." "Er, over in the corner there." "You tricked me." "There is no water." "What is that?" "Let me have it." "Give it to me at once." "Zondal!" "Zondal fire!" "Fire now!" "Zondal fire!" "Zondal fire!" "Fire now!"