Today begins a series of posts of a new Doctor Who fan fiction script I've written. I want to get this out before the forthcoming 2017 Christmas special so these episodes will be posting daily.
NOTE: I'm doing this for fun, not profit. This is not officially sanctioned by the BBC and and the producers of Doctor Who.
Londontowne
by David Long
Episode One
Scene opens: the spinning cylinders of the TARDIS console column. Standing at the console is the 12th Doctor in his black suit with white shirt buttoned at the collar. At his side is Bill Potts. Lurking off to the side is Nardole.
Bill; So where we headin' off to now?
The Doctor brings down the main control level with a flourish as the console column ceases to spin.
The Doctor: Would you believe….Londontowne?
Bill: Wha..? Look, Doctor, I know I’ve only been travelling with you a short while but we do seem to wind up in London a lot.
Nardole: Mostly, that’s a budget issue.
Bill: Budget? What, its costs money to run the TARDIS.
Nardole: Not money but energy. Specifically artron energy. There’s small current, an eddy, if you will, of artron energy over London. The TARDIS can save its own artron reserves by riding the eddy back to London.
The Doctor: that’s not how it works, Nardole.
Nardole: Oh, it’s all right there in the manual then.
The Doctor: I threw the manual into a super nova.
Nardole: A copy of the manual that was hidden behind one of River Song’s secret alcohol stashes.
The Doctor: I found all of River’s hiding places
Nardole (takes a drink from a shot glass): Whatever you say, Doctor.
Bill (heading towards the doors): Whatever. So we’re in London again.
The Doctor (walking with her): No, Londontowne.
Bill: Hold on. Are you adding a silent “E” at the end?
The Doctor: Well, yes.
The Doctor opens the doors as sunlight pours in.
Bill: Gentrification strikes again. Add a silent “E” and add a couple hundred quid to the…
Bill steps out the door and her eyes go wide with amazement.
Bill: …rent? Oh my God! Doctor, are we…
The Doctor: Yes, we’re in the future AND in space. Or more to the point, welcome to Londontowne.
Our view shifts as we see what Bill sees and it is amazing, a tableau of futuristic high tech. Think “Yorktown” station in Star Trek: Beyond.
Bill: Oh wow! Hey, there are buildings in the sky! This is… wow!
The Doctor: Londontowne! A completely artificial world, a few hundred years in your future.
Nardole approaches and looks very displeased.
Nardole: Doctor! We need to leave! Now!
The Doctor: Nardole, you used to be a lot more fun. What happened?
Nardole: I started working for you.
The Doctor: Well, that shouldn’t be a bad-
Nardole: AND not getting paid for it properly, I might add.
The Doctor: Nardole…
Nardole: You gave an oath, sir, to guard the vault.
The Doctor: I am very much aware of my oath. But we are not here on some sort of whim.
The Doctor slips on his sunglasses, taps the side which produces a trilling noise.
The Doctor: I received a signal from Londontowne. Bill, Nardole?
Bill: Yeah?
The Doctor: With me!
The Doctor strides purposely away from the TARDIS. Bill follows while Nardole sullenly shuts the TARFDIS door, muttering to himself.
Nardole: “Bill, Nardole? With me.” Who does he bloody think he is? We’re not his sidekicks! We’re not his gang. I’ve been in an actual gang and it bloody well pays better.
Still grumbling, Nardole catches up to the Doctor and Bill.
Bill: You said you got a signal to come here.
The Doctor: Yes.
Bill: Always has to be with you, yeah? A cry for help?
The Doctor: More or less.
Two figures approach.
The Doctor: Governor Ellinor! Good to see you again.
Ellinor: Oh, Doctor! You’ve done it again! I can’t get used to how you keep changing. Like the new body.
The Doctor: Oh, not so new. Been running this one for about a hundred years now. Almost have it broken in now.
Ellinor: My assistant, Digbee.
The Doctor: Hello, Digbee.
Digbee: Greetings, Doctor.
The Doctor: Speaking of new appearances, Elinoer, have you had your neck lengthened?
Ellinor: Oh, vanity, doctor. It will be my undoing. But we need to get down to business.
The Doctor: Of course. I got your message. How bad is it?
Ellinor: Well, take a look for yourself.
As the Doctor, Bill and Nardole follow Gov. Ellinor and Digbee into a nearby building, our view moves up and away past tall structures and flying cars and bast ther edge of the bubble that forms the outer edge of Londontowne. Out in space our view moves to a tableau stars, bright and beautiful, spread out across the black velvet of space.
Then a shadow pass over the starry firmament, large and foreboding.
Scene change: a command central with hundreds of workers at a plethora of screens watching over Londontowne. The Doctor, Bill and Nardole follow Gov. Ellinor and Digbee to one of the monitoring stations.
Ellinor: Digbee, bring up the visual on Sector 7-G.
Digbee: Yes, Govenor.
On the screen appears an exposed pipe. There is a slow small dripping of water.
Ellinor: You see?
The Doctor: Oh, I see!
Bill: Well, I don’t. Did you just call us here across time and space for a leaky pipe?
Nardole: Really, this is why you broke your oath again and left the vault….
The Doctor: Hush! Both of you!
The Doctor puts on his sunglasses and touches the sides, producing a trilling noise.
The Doctor: Governor Ellinor, how many other breakdowns are there?
Ellinor: 26.
The Doctor: Plus this one.
Ellinor: Yes.
The Doctor: Which makes 27. Show me?
Digbee: Yes sir.
The images on the monitor splinter.
The Doctor puts on his sonic glasses and touches the side.
The Doctor: Some burnt out bulbs there.
Nardole: Of good grief, really?
Bill: How many Londontowners does it take to screw in a light bulb?
The Doctor: Not now, Bill. An overheating plasma coil here, some rust corrosion there....
Ellinor: All relatively minor.
Nardole: Really, Doctor. We need to get back.
The Doctor: Quiet, Nardole. But you were saying, Governor....
Ellinor: All relatively minor but expanding. For example, the leak. When it first appeared, it took 8 hours to produce a liter of water. Each successful repair has been followed by a new leak at a higher scale. We estimate the current leak will produce a liter of water in 15 minutes.
The Doctor: And the light bulbs?
Ellinor: Indeed, each light fixture replaced is followed by 4 more filaments burning out. Over the course of 2 hours, one malfunctioning light unit has expanded to over 200.
Bill: It's like a death by a thousand cuts.
The Doctor: Now you're getting it, Bill.
Ellinor: Our current estimates, at the rate these areas of relatively minor keep intensifying...
The Doctor: Londontowne is heading for total catastophic collapse.
Ellinor: In about.... what's the current estimate, Digbee?
Digbee: 3 hours and 19 minutes, Governor.
The Doctor: At 27 different sites across the planet?
Digbee: Yes sir. Always 27.
Ellinor: We fix problems in 4 sites, 4 more sites develop problems.
The Doctor: 27, hmmm?
The Doctor whips off his glasses and stares at Bill and Nardole.
The Doctor: 27! Isn’t that interesting?
Bill: Why?
The Doctor: I don’t know why. But something about that number is tickling a memory in the back of my brain. 27.
Bill: So this planet is doomed because of a dripping water pipe?
Nardole: And burned out bulbs, don't forget that, Bill. it doesn't really make sense to me.
The Doctor: Because it’s not supposed to be happening at all.
Nardole: Or the number 27….
The Doctor: Tickling, Nardole. Still… tickling. Governor Ellinor? I need to see the engine.
Bill: The engine?
The Doctor: Yes. The anti entropy engine.
Ellinor: This way, Doctor.
Cut to: a massive complex of machinery with a glowing orb at the center, surrounded by a ring of advanced controls. From the orb, several cable exend outward, pulsating with a green tinged energy.
The Doctor, Bill, Nardole, Governor Ellinor and Digbee approach.
The Doctor: When I was here the first time, an old foe of mine called the Rani attempted to hold this world hostage by causing a planetwide failure of all systems in Londontowne. I countered that attack by inputting an algorithm into the Londontowne central control, an algorithm I had..er, borrowed from the planet Logopolis.
Nardole: I’ve heard of Logopolis. Isn’t that the world where math was a super power.
Bill: What? Planet of the super maths?
The Doctor: Not quite but almost. One of their duties was to create complex equations to stave off universal entropy.
Bill: Ah ha! I’ve heard of entropy. The more you put things together, the more that fall apart, right?
The Doctor: Again, not quite but close enough. I was able to recall just enough of their equations to apply it on a planetary scale. I input that algorithm into Londontowne’s central control and effectively turned it into an anti entropy machine.
Ellinor: The machine controls the energy streams that power Londontowne and keeps things in working order.
The Doctor: In short, something as minor as a dripping pipe should not be happening. Let alone 27 things going wrong.
Nardole: That number again?
The Doctor: Yes, that number again. It means something. Anyway, I suspect something….
Bill: Or someone?
The Doctor: Or someoneone, yes, has corrupted the anti entropy algorithm. I need to check that out…
The Doctor is reaching out to the controls that ring around the orb.
Digbee: No. Doctor.
The Doctor; What?
Ellinor: Digbee! What are you…?
Digbee: No. The Doctor. Must not. Interfere.
Ellinor: What is the meaning of this, Digbee?!
Digbee’s eyes are growing dark.
Digbee: The Doctor. Must not. Interfere.
Nardole (moving towards Digbee): OK, I’m not sure what you’re….
The Doctor: Nardole: NO!
An indention in the middle of Digbee’s forehead appears.
Digbee: The Doctor. Must not. Interfere.
Bill: Doctor! What’s happening?
The Doctor: Everyone! Get back! Move away from Digbee NOW!
From the indention, a circular object appears.
Digbee: Yes. Stay away! Flee. If. You. Can.
A rod extends from Digbee’s forehead.
Bill: Oh crap! He’s a Dalek?!
Ellinor: DIGBEE?!
Digbee: Digbee. Is. Dead.
Ellinor: Noooo!
The Doctor: No! Fight it, Digbee!
Digbee: Digbee. Is. Dead.
The Doctor: You’re in there somewhere, Digbee!
Digbee: Digbee. Is. Dead.
The end of the rod begins to glow red.
Digbee: Davros. Lives!
The Doctor: Uh oh.
A energy blast shoots forth from the stalk, barely missing the Doctor, Bill, Nardole and Gov. Ellinor as they dive out of the way.
Digbee: Davros. Destroys!
Davros. Lives!
Davros. Destroys!
Davros. Lives!
Davros. Destroys!
-----to be continued-----
Davros. Lives?
Davros. Destroys?
Ooh, boy! That does NOT sound good. But you don't have to wait long to see what happens next. Episode Two posts tomorrow.
Ooh, boy! That does NOT sound good. But you don't have to wait long to see what happens next. Episode Two posts tomorrow.
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