Doctor
Who:
The
Olympian Experiment
by
Robin
Gordon
Episode
2: Odysseus
SCENE
24 (Continued)
Athene
approaches the gallery door, opens it, looks in and gives a gasp of
surprise. The Doctor comes out with his hands casually raised in a
gesture of surrendering without fuss. A slow grin spreads
over
his face.
DOCTOR:
Hallo, Mother.
ATHENE:
No! It’s impossible.
DOCTOR:
Oh, it's me all right. I’m sorry to give
you a shock,
but I do
assure you it's a complete accident. My Tardis seems to
have gone somehow off course. I was making for the late
twentieth
century A.D.
ATHENE:
A
Tardis mark V, I suppose?
DOCTOR:
That’s right.
ATHENE:
As if you couldn’t find anything more modern! How
old are
you now – no, don’t tell me, I shouldn’t
have asked
– but a mark V!
DOCTOR:
Well, Mother, we’ll never agree about that, but I still think
there’s a lot to be said for the old Tardis – good
solid
reliable machines, without any unnecessary frills.
ATHENE:
Not so reliable it seems.
DOCTOR:
Well she is
a couple of hundred years overdue for her twenty million
parsec service, and besides, there seems to be a fault in your
space-time force-field.
ATHENE:
You don’t suppose that sort of argument will save you if
Council
hear of your intrusion. It’s going to be virtually
impossible to get you out of here – and there is a
particular reason why you must go quickly.
DOCTOR:
I
know. I’ve just seen him.
ATHENE:
What?!
DOCTOR:
Don't worry, he didn’t see me. But he has
caused a bit of
problem – which makes two I've got, both girls: one too many
and
one too few.
ATHENE:
Is
all this relevant?
DOCTOR:
Yes, I’m afraid it is. You see, I've got
Iphigeneia...
ATHENE:
I
might have known! It’s ten years since she
disappeared …
DOCTOR:
Ten years? Perhaps you’re right about the Tardis
getting unreliable.
ATHENE:
… and during those ten years we have had nothing but
quarrels. It’s been raised at every meeting:
Poseidon
accuses Artemis of interfering in the experiment to protect one of her
favourites, and Artemis has almost walked out of the project on more
than one occasion. Not one of us believed she was telling the
truth – not with the reports we got from Odysseus and half
the
Greek army. And all the time …
DOCTOR:
Well, I’m sorry, Mother, but I did bring her back to you as
soon as I could.
ATHENE:
Well I suppose I’ll find some way to sort it out.
Where is she?
DOCTOR:
In my Tardis. It’s in the docking bay.
But I’m, more concerned about Sarah.
ATHENE:
Who?
DOCTOR:
Sarah Jane Smith. A young human girl. My travelling
companion. She’s gone off with … er
… him.
* *
*
SCENE
25
The
study of the young Time Lord. The furniture includes bookshelves, an
audio-visual learning console connected to the main computer of the
Olympos, a videophone, a writing table. There are books and
tape
cassettes on the shelves and the tab1e, together with microscopes and
other scientific equipment, and specimens of rocks and plants from
several different planets. At the back of the table
is a
cage containing a pair of Quilsnips from Betelgeuse 17, pretty little
creatures which he keeps as pets. Near the cage is a leather
pouch, closed by a draw string.
The
door opens. Sarah and the Young Time Lord enter.
YOUNG TIME LORD:
You’ll be safe here, Sarah Jane Smith.
SARAH:
Yes, but …
YOUNG TL:
What?
SARAH:
Well, for a start, who are you?
YOUNG TL
[shrugs]:
A Time Lord. Oh, sorry, I don’t suppose you've
heard of us.
SARAH:
Yes
I have. The, Doctor …
YOUNG TL:
What?
SARAH:
Nothing.
YOUNG TL:
The Doctor?
SARAH:
Just someone I used to know. It’s not
important. He told me about Time Lords.
YOUNG TL:
He told
you?
SARAH:
Yes.
YOUNG TL:
But Humans aren’t supposed to know about us. They
think we're gods. Where are you from?
SARAH:
The
twentieth century. England.
YOUNG TL:
You’re a time traveller?
SARAH:
Yes.
YOUNG TL:
Impossible! Humans didn't discover time travel until much
later,
and even then they couldn't have penetrated into the Trojan, zone.
SARAH:
Well, I was
only a passenger. The owner was from somewhere more advanced.
YOUNG TL:
The Doctor?
SARAH:
Yes.
YOUNG TL:
Where is he?
SARAH:
Oh,
he left.
YOUNG TL:
Without you?
SARAH:
Yes. He was in a bit of a hurry. I sort of
… fell out.
YOUNG TL:
It’s all right. I won't give you away –
or him,
whoever he is. I wouldn’t do anything to cause
trouble for
Humans. If I do well enough in my finals I want to make a
special
study of Earth for my thesis. Actually I’m worried
about
certain things just now. That’s one of the reasons
I
persuaded Mother to let me spend my vacation here on the Olympos.
SARAH:
Is
the Olympos a Tardis?
YOUNG TL:
A Tardis?
Oh, I see what you mean. No, she’s a sort of hyper-Tardis.
SARAH:
What’s that?
YOUNG TL:
Well, she’s a sort of research, station able to move about in
space and time.
SARAH:
Isn’t that the same as a Tardis, only bigger.
YOUNG TL:
Not really. You can land an ordinary Tardis inside the
Olympos.
SARAH:
Because she’s bigger.
YOUNG TL:
No, it’s because she incorporates different principles of
space-time refraction. A Tardis is bigger inside than
outside,
isn’t it?
SARAH:
Yes.
YOUNG TL:
So, theoretically, you could land a Tardis inside another Tardis.
SARAH:
Yes.
YOUNG TL:
But it’s impossible. Either they, both occupy the
same
space-time co-ordinates and cancel each other out in a colossal
explosion, or the first is inside the second which is inside the first,
which is inside the second, which is inside the first, and so on for
infinity.
SARAH:
So
you could never get out?
YOUNG TL:
No. But if a Tardis is inside the Olympos, she’s inside, and
that’s that.
SARAH:
Why?
YOUNG TL:
Well, for one thing, the Olympos doesn’t have
hyper-dimensional inversion.
SARAH:
What?
YOUNG TL:
She’s just the same size on the outside as on the
inside.
It takes a lot more power to move her. And she
can’t change
her shape either.
SARAH:
So
how, do you hide her?
YOUNG TL:
We don’t. We just keep her floating above this
mountain
top, half in the clouds. The Humans think it’s the
abode of
the gods. They’ve even renamed the mountain Mount
Olympos. Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot you were
Human for a
moment. I didn’t mean to offend you.
SARAH:
That’s all right.
YOUNG TL:
Let me show you the docking bay.
He
switches on the viewing screen. It shows the docking bay,
then zooms in on the thunder-cloud.
YOUNG TL:
That belongs to Zeus. He’s Chairman of the Research
Committee. He’s on Council, too.
The
picture pans to the sea-monster.
YOUNG TL:
Poseidon’s. They keep the same shape so that the
Humans can recognise them.
The
picture pans to the Aegis.
YOUNG TL:
That’s Mother’s little runabout.
SARAH:
The
Aegis?
YOUNG TL:
That’s right! Have you seen it before?
SARAH:
No.
The
picture pans to the Tardis.
YOUNG TL:
I’ve never seen that before.
SARAH [affecting,
ignorance]:
Oh?
YOUNG TL:
That’s what you came in, isn’t it?
That’s how you knew about Tardises.
SARAH:
Well …
YOUNG TL:
But you know what this means, don’t you?
SARAH:
Er
…
YOUNG TL
[increasingly
excited]:
The Doctor’s still here. I’ve got to find
some way of
getting you down to the docking bay without being seen.
SARAH:
You
mean you’ll help?
YOUNG TL:
Of course I’ll help.
SARAH:
Won't you get into trouble?
YOUNG TL:
Only if we're caught. And anyway, I’m
curious to meet this mysterious Doctor.
SARAH:
Um
... I don’t think he wants to meet anyone.
YOUNG TL:
I’m not surprised. I bet he’s a Time
Lord.
That’s it, he's come from the future to gather material for a
history of the Olympian Experiment. Risking his life for
scholarship, for the truth.
SARAH:
Well ... he never could control his curiosity.
YOUNG TL:
I feel I know him already. If only he could tell me how
things turn out.
SARAH:
What things?
YOUNG TL:
You probably overheard part of the discussion if you were in the
gallery. If Poseidon has his way, Council will alter the
Statutes
to allow free experimentation with less developed races throughout the
Universe.
SARAH:
But
that’s horrible.
YOUNG TL:
Yes. Morbius is behind it.
SARAH:
Morbius!!!
YOUNG TL:
You've heard of him?
SARAH:
I’ve met him. [She
shudders].
YOUNG TL
[impressed
but puzzled]:
Brilliant mind, people say. But if he becomes Chairman of
Council
… well things will be very different, and not very pleasant.
* *
*
SCENE
26
On
board Odysseus’ ship. Odysseus, Elpenor, Eurylochos
and
others cling to the rigging as the ship is lashed and tossed by the
storm.
* *
*
SCENE
27
The
Olympos: Poseidon’s laboratory. Poseidon and
Leukothea,
still robed as gods, watch Odysseus’ storm-tossed craft on a
viewing screen.
LEUKOTHEA:
The other ships have gone down. I think this one will last
until
the lull, which according to our meteorological analysis will begin in
one minute, thirty-five seconds from … now, and last for
approximately five minutes.
POSEIDON:
Excellent. Here is the Time Ring. You know what to
do.
LEUKOTHEA:
Yes.
POSEIDON:
Odysseus should be in a receptive frame of mind. Are the
transporter co-ordinates set?
LEUKOTHEA:
Everything is ready.
Holding
the Time Ring she takes her place in the transporter field.
Poseidon prepares to pull the lever. He waits until the
picture
on the viewing-screen shows the abatement of the storm, then energises
the field. Leukothea disappears.
* *
*
SCENE
28
On
board Odysseus’ ship. The storm has abated.
ODYSSEUS:
Make everything fast. Hurry, this is only a lull.
The storm
will return. Hack away the rigging. Throw those broken spars overboard.
They
hurry to carry out his orders.
ODYSSEUS:
Eurylochos!
EURYLOCHOS:
My lord?
ODYSSEUS:
Have you any idea where we are?
EURYLOCHOS:
None at all, my lord.
ODYSSEUS:
I thought we might have struck Crete.
EURYLOCHOS:
We’re probably too far to the west.
ODYSSEUS:
Mmmh. Well, it’s plain we can’t go north
against this
gale. Now, do we head east and try to make Crete …
or west
and hope for a break in the weather … or do we just run
before
the storm … further and further out to sea?
EURYLOCHOS:
They say there are strange lands to the south – beyond the
sea.
ODYSSEUS:
Whatever we do will be wrong. Poseidon is determined to
destroy
us. Athene, goddess of wisdom, show me what I must do.
As
Odysseus prays, Eurylochos sinks to his knees, for, unseen by the king,
Leukothea has appeared in the poop. Odysseus sees
Eurylochochos
staring, and turns.
LEUKOTHEA:
Odysseus!
She motions Odysseus to
approach. He approaches and kneels before her.
LEUKOTHEA:
Odysseus of the nimble wits, King of Ithaca, who conquered lofty
Ilion’s mighty walls by cunning when force of arms
availèd
naught, hearken unto me! I am Lekothea, the White Goddess,
daughter of the sea, come to strengthen your sinews that you may combat
the elements and win safely to the shore. Take this Ring!
She
gives Odysseus the Time Ring.
LEUKOTHEA:
It is an amulet possessed of the power of Poseidon. Look well
on
the curiously wrought seal marked with the secret ciphers of the great
God of the Ocean. If the seas overwhelm your frail barque,
turn
that seal, and the power of the ring will carry you to safety.
ODYSSEUS:
Goddess of the sea, I thank you, but retain your gifts: I’ll
not
desert my comrades in their hour of need, even at the cost of my
life. I’d sooner die than walk on earth a coward.
Leukothea
ignores the proffered ring.
LEUKOTHEA:
Keep the Ring, Odysseus. It will save you and two of your
companions. Choose them well. It is the will of the
gods.
Leukothea
vanishes. Odysseus and Eurylochos look at the Time Ring.
ODYSSEUS:
Did anyone else hear what she said?
EURYLOCHOS:
I don’t think so, my lord.
ODYSSEUS:
Say nothing about the ring.
Odysseus
puts the Time Ring on his arm.
* *
*
SCENE
29
The
Olympos: the Young Time Lord’s study.
YOUNG TL:
I think it’s about time we were going.
SARAH
[not
moving]:
Yes.
YOUNG TL:
Did you meet Morbius in the past or the future?
SARAH:
My
past, his future … I think. He was …
YOUNG TL
[hurriedly]:
No! Don’t tell me! – I'm sorry but
that’s the
cardinal law of the Time Lords. We can know the future of
other
races but never our own.
SARAH:
Why
not?
YOUNG TL:
That way madness lies. Don’t you know what happened
to the Osirians?
SARAH:
I
only ever met Sutek.
YOUNG TL:
Sutek!!!
SARAH
[changing
the subject]:
What beautiful little creatures.
YOUNG TL:
They’re quilsnips from Betelgeuse 17. You met Sutek?!
SARAH:
I
don't know if it was past or future. There was a Tine Lord
… I can't tell you.
YOUNG TL:
No. No, of course not. You never met Thoth, I
suppose?
SARAH:
No.
YOUNG TL:
He had this brilliant idea of a universal writing system based on
fundamental semiological concepts, so that all races of the Universe
could communicate in writing no matter what language they
spoke.
It never really caught on, you know, but we still use Thoth’s
classification and thesaurus. The fascinating thing is that
there
are odd traces of the universal writing system in all sorts of odd
corners – even here on Earth. Did you know that
Egyptian
hieroglyphics are really a simplified version of it? Nobody
knows
how it got here.
SARAH
[uneasily]:
Shouldn’t we go and look for the Tar … er
…time machine?
YOUNG TL:
Yes. We ought to get started but, before you go, I went you
to have … this.
He
picks up the bag from the table, opens it and shows her the crystal it
contains.
SARAH:
No,
I couldn’t. Not a Metabelis crystal!
YOUNG TL:
Do you know Metabelis III? It’s one of the most
beautiful
planets in the galaxy. It’s called the blue planet,
but
it’s not blue like Earth. It’s a clear,
cold, pure,
crystalline blue. The caves are labyrinths of amethyst, and
every
crystal contains a magic …
SARAH:
I
know.
YOUNG TL:
Don’t use it idly, Sarah. It has power over the
mind.
It can liberate the imprisoned, but it can also unhinge the incautious.
He
closes the leather bag over the crystal and gives it to her.
She takes it shyly, gazing into his eyes.
YOUNG TL
[abruptly]:
Well, let’s go, shall we?
At
this moment
the door-warbler sounds. The young Time Lord looks up, but
before
he has time to act the door is opened. Sarah swiftly hides
behind
it as Athene comes in.
YOUNG TL
[weakly]:
Hallo, Mother. Um … were you looking for me?
ATHENE:
Would I have come otherwise?
He
shakes his head.
ATHENE:
You must try to express yourself more logically instead of always using
these Human colloquialisms. Now, where is Sarah Jane Smith?
YOUNG TL:
Who?
ATHENE:
The young Human girl, hiding, if I am not mistaken, behind the door.
Athene
closes the door and reveals Sarah.
ATHENE:
Come with me. The Doctor is waiting.
SARAH:
The
Doctor?!
YOUNG TL:
Where is he?
ATHENE:
You stay here. You’ve got a lot of studying to do.
YOUNG TL:
But I want to meet the Doctor.
ATHENE:
You must not come. Trust
me in this if you have ever trusted
me. It is vital
for your friend’s safety and that of her
companion – and for your own. If we are
discovered
even I may not escape punishment – and the punishment is not
one
to treat with levity. Will you promise me that you will
remain
here until I return?
YOUNG TL
[reluctantly]:
Well … all right … I promise.
ATHENE:
Good. Come, Sarah!
Athene
and Sarah go out.
* *
*
SCENE
30
The
Olympos: the docking bay. The Doctor is waiting near the
Tardis. Enter Athene and Sarah.
DOCTOR:
Ah, there you are Sarah. Well, let’s get moving.
SARAH:
Doctor, I don’t understand. What’s going
on?
DOCTOR:
Just a little family party, that’s all.
You’ve met
Mummy, haven't you? She’s going to switch off the
force field and
let us out.
SARAH:
But
…
ATHENE:
No
more time for talk. You must go quickly. But first,
as Humans say, help claims its reward.
DOCTOR:
One good
turn deserves another.
ATHENE:
Exactly.
DOCTOR:
You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.
ATHENE:
There is no need to descend to the simian.
DOCTOR:
Oh
come now, Mother, we’re all chimpanzees at heart.
ATHENE:
This is serious.
As you know Council is waiting for our report
before deciding whether to allow experimentation with less developed
races or to ban it. This is a matter that affects the whole future of
our race. I believe it must inevitably lead to abandonment of
the
cardinal law, but even if it does not, it is an immoral use of
power. Poseidon is so eager to exploit the present situation
that
I believe he has planned an unauthorised experiment to investigate the
behaviour of Humans in an alien environment.
DOCTOR:
You mean he’s going to send a man to Mars?
ATHENE:
Much further than that – unless you stop him.
DOCTOR:
Me?
Now
look, Mother …
ATHENE:
I
want you to pick up Odysseus before Poseidon does, keep him hidden
until I give you a signal, and then take him back to his home in Ithaca.
DOCTOR:
How do you know it’s going to be Odysseus?
ATHENE:
We’ve all become far too involved. We’ve
chosen
individual Humans as protégés. We take
a special
interest in them, try to protect then from harm.
It’s
unscientific, but that’s what has happened. Some of
us take
particular pleasure in subjecting the protégés of
others
to their nastiest experiments.
DOCTOR:
Ah. You look after Odysseus, so Poseidon uses him as a
guinea-pig. Well, how do I find him?
ATHENE:
Link the controls of your Tardis to the Aegis.
DOCTOR:
And you've got the Aegis hooked up to the Olympos computer.
ATHENE:
Of
course. Poseidon won’t be able to make a move
without our knowledge.
DOCTOR:
Right. Come on, Sarah.
The
Doctor and Sarah enter the Tardis. Athene
goes into the Aegis.
* *
*
SCENE
31
Inside
the Tardis. Enter Sarah and the Doctor. The Doctor
begins adjusting controls. Sarah looks at the bunk.
SARAH:
Doctor! She’s gone!
DOCTOR:
She’ll be well looked after.
SARAH:
Athene?
DOCTOR:
Yes. She thinks she can persuade Artemis to accept the rescue
without asking too many awkward questions – after
all
Iphigeneia was one of her favourites. So she’ll
just turn
up again as Priestess of Artemis on the island of Tauris.
ATHENE
[speaking
by radio from the
Aegis]: Are you
ready?
DOCTOR:
Ready.
ATHENE:
Three … two … one … now!
The
Doctor pulls a switch. The Tardis begins her take-off
routine, fails, shudders, protests, tries again, then subsides.
DOCTOR:
The poor old girl doesn’t like it at all.
SARAH:
What's wrong?
DOCTOR:
Oh, nothing … but how would you like it if your mind were
taken
over by someone else, completely possessed by another mind.
SARAH:
But
the Tardis is only a machine.
DOCTOR:
Aren’t we all, Sarah, aren’t we all?
ATHENE:
Link completed. It all depends on you now. Farewell.
Silence.
SARAH:
What happens now?
DOCTOR
[relaxing
with yo-yo]:
We wait.
SARAH:
How
long?
DOCTOR:
Until the Aegis sees an opportunity to snatch Odysseus.
He
yo-yos
SARAH:
Doctor?
DOCTOR:
Mm?
SARAH:
Is
Athene really your mother?
DOCTOR:
Yes.
SARAH:
I
met someone else today who is her son.
DOCTOR:
Did you like him?
SARAH:
Who
is he?
DOCTOR:
Didn’t you recognise me?
SARAH:
I
…
DOCTOR:
I’ve improved considerably over the years, haven't I?
SARAH:
But
… how is it possible … for …
DOCTOR:
For there to be two of me at one time? Well the
body’s
cells die and are replaced over a period of time, so it’s not
really a case of physical identity, but we are
the same
person, so
… well, it’s not very pleasant and we try to avoid
it as
much as possible. It would have been a tremendous traumatic
shock
for him
to
have met me.
SARAH:
The
cardinal law about not knowing your own future?
DOCTOR:
Exactly. Mind you, I don’t think he’d
have been
disappointed in the way I’ve turned out, but you never can
tell. The young have such impossible ideals.
SARAH:
How would he have known it was you?
How did Athene
know you were
you.
I suppose Time Lords must recognise each other by some sort
of aura.
DOCTOR:
Something like that.
SARAH:
Did
you recognise me when you met me at UNIT?
DOCTOR:
Well, it was
rather a long time ago. I used to think about it
quite a lot, then it gradually got pushed to the back of my
mind.
Do you know, it’s, not until today that I even realised who
the
mysterious Doctor was.
SARAH:
Well that’s not long. After all it was only today
that we met him.
Sarah
laughs. At this moment the Tardis takes off.
* *
*
SCENE
32
A
rocky sea
shore. A fearsome storm is raging. Beams, spars and
planks
from Odysseus’ ship, are tossed by the waves.
Odysseus
hauls Eurylochos out of the water and they both collapse in utter
exhaustion on the shore. After a while Odysseus struggles to
his
knees, and, shielding his eyes against the wind, looks out to
sea. There is no sign of the ship or of any
survivors. He
turns to look at Eurylochos, who clasps his hand, with tears of grief
and gratitude staining his cheeks. Odysseus returns the clasp.
A
cry is
heard. They both look around. It comes again, and
they see
a figure struggling along the shore. It is Elpenor.
He
comes up did fells on his knees before Odysseus.
ELPENOR:
My lord.
ODYSSEUS:
Elpenor! Did you see anyone else?
ELPENOR:
No-one my lord – no-one alive.
ODYSSEUS:
The wrath of Poseidon! What power can stand against him?
EURYLOCHOS:
You
know,
my lord.
ODYSSEUS:
I do?
EURYLOCHOS:
The ring, Odysseus.
ODYSSEUS:
I’d forgotten it.
Odysseus
takes off the Time Ring and looks at it.
ELPENOR:
What ring is this?
EURYLOCHOS:
The goddess Leukothea brought it to the King. He could have
saved himself from Poseidon’s anger.
They
examine the Time Ring, passing it from hand to hand.
ELPENOR:
How could it have saved Odysseus?
EURYLOCHOS:
It is an amulet possessed of the power of Poseidon. Those
were her words.
Elpenor
is
holding the Time Ring when the Greeks hear a strange noise.
They
turn to look. It is the Tardis. The Doctor and
Sarah come
out. The Greeks face them suspiciously, ready to defend
themselves.
The
Doctor comes forward and holds out his hand.
DOCTOR:
King Odysseus, I presume.
ODYSSEUS:
Who? Odysseus? I don’t think
I’ve heard of
him. Or … wasn’t he one of the leaders
of the
expedition to Troy? You must forgive me, sir. A
poor
merchant has his own troubles.
SARAH:
[whispering]:
Doctor, look who it is!
DOCTOR:
Hush, Sarah. [Aloud
to Odysseus]: You
don’t have to pretend
with me, my dear fellow. I've been sent to help you.
ELPENOR
[rashly]:
We don’t need help from barbarians! We have the
Ring of Power from Poseidon himself!
Elpenor
flourishes the Time Ring. Odysseus and Eurylochos
try to stop him. All three Greeks vanish.
SARAH:
Where did they go?
DOCTOR:
Didn’t you recognise it, Sarah? A Time Ring.
Suddenly
the sounds of a Tardis taking off are heard. Sarah swings
round in wild alarm.
SARAH:
Doctor! The Tardis!
