| abstract | - (c) 1978 by the British Broadcasting Corporation. Series created by Terry Nation. This is a partial dialogue transcript for research purposes and is not for sale under any circumstances. Format (c) 1993 by Susan Clerc and Micky DuPree. Dramatis Personae: Roj Blake Gareth Thomas Jenna Stannis Sally Knyvette Kerr Avon Paul Darrow Cally Jan Chappell Vila Restal Michael Keating Olag Gan David Jackson Zen Peter Tuddenham Orac Peter Tuddenham Travis Brian Croucher Servalan Jacqueline Pearce Clonemaster Fen Kathleen Byron Coser John Bennett Carnell Scott Fredericks Rashel Candace Glendenning Officer Graham Simpson Clone Blake 1 Gareth Thomas Clone Blake 2 Gareth Thomas Voice on Intercom ? Walk-ons: Harry Fielder Reg Turner Bob Smythe NOTE: _____ indicates an unintelligible word or phrase. [A space capsule explodes on planet surface. Coser and Rashel watch from behind some high grass] COSER Now, even if Security trace us to this planet, they'll assume the ship crashed and we died in the explosion. Did you hear what I said? RASHEL Yes. COSER Well? RASHEL It's a very clever plan, sir. COSER I wish it were. Should've planned more carefully. And don't call me, sir. You're not a slave anymore. You're with me now. I set you free. RASHEL Yes. COSER Got to find somewhere to hide. Follow me. [A large, two-tiered reception chamber. The upper tier in the background is connected by a flight of stairs to the main level. Panels serve as a low wall supporting the upper tier. Travis stands on the main level. Blake Clone 1 enters on the upper tier and walks down the stairs. He stands across from Travis, who raises his gun arm and takes aim. The wall panels, which have been yellow and green till now, flush red] CLONE No! [Drops to his knees] Please! [Travis shoots. Mist pours down the stairs and the walls turn white. Clonemaster Fen descends the stairs amid mist and music. She stops by the dead Clone] FEN Why did you kill him? TRAVIS That's no concern of yours. You've been paid. FEN Not for this. TRAVIS For whatever I choose. FEN You're a sad man, Travis. Life must have reverence. TRAVIS Now. I want the other one. FEN No. TRAVIS Get the other one. FEN You know better than this. TRAVIS Do I? FEN The Federation does not protect us out of altruism. They know our value and our threat. TRAVIS You flatter yourselves. FEN Do we? [Clone 2 enters on the upper tier, sees dead clone] [Exterior shot of Liberator] [Flight deck] AVON Where's Blake? JENNA I have no idea. Why ask me? AVON Because I thought you might know. JENNA Well, I don't. CALLY He's gone to have a rest. AVON I see. Orac has just come up with the computation and attack strategy that he asked for. [Holds up a data card] GAN What attack strategy? AVON Exactly. Another of Blake's little schemes he hasn't thought fit to tell us about. You are not going to believe the target he has in mind. [O.O.V. He tosses the card down] CALLY The Federation Weapons Development Base? AVON That's right. JENNA [Inspects the card] He obviously thought fit to tell someone about it. CALLY Well, not exactly. I suggested it to him. JENNA You suggested it to him? That's very keen of you. VILA Why didn't you suggest it to us? CALLY Because I knew how you'd react. AVON Auron may be different, Cally, but on Earth it is considered ill-mannered to kill your friends while committing suicide. GAN Why that base, Cally? CALLY Sooner or later, Blake is going to attack Federation Central Control on Earth itself. VILA Later. Much later. AVON And alone, probably. JENNA I doubt that. GAN He wouldn't be alone if you just left him, Avon. AVON You would stay with him? GAN Yes. AVON [Smiles] Virtually alone, then. CALLY And for that attack we shall need all the weapons we can get. BLAKE [Enters] And where better to get them than the Weapons Development Base? AVON According to Orac, almost anywhere. [Coser and Rashel walk through the installation grounds] COSER What do you suppose happened? RASHEL People must have left. COSER I can see that, but why did they leave? This isn't a Federation colony planet, so who were they anyway? RASHEL Perhaps they were free. COSER They probably were. So? RASHEL That's why they left. COSER Is there anyone there? Hello? RASHEL They must have been free. COSER Well, at least we can hide here. RASHEL Don't you see? COSER I should have known better. A labor-grade slave. You're pathetic. [Reception chamber] SERVALAN Travis, you are pathetic. TRAVIS If you say so. SERVALAN Of all the cripple-brained idiots. TRAVIS Me -- or you? SERVALAN What did you say? TRAVIS You're angry, Supreme Commander. Surprised by what I did. [Grasps Servalan by the throat] You devious- You always have been devious. You knew what would happen. SERVALAN Take your hand off me. TRAVIS You knew if it was Blake I'd kill him. I'd have to kill him. SERVALAN You'll rot in a slave pit on Ursa Prime, Travis. TRAVIS We didn't need two, but you insisted. That's why: so you could test one of them on me. You used me like some automatic fault tracer. SERVALAN [Hits away his hand] And you functioned beautifully. There are no faults. The remaining clone is perfect. Even Blake himself couldn't tell the difference. Our problem now is to persuade the Clonemasters to let us use him. TRAVIS And the slave pits? SERVALAN When you're of no further use to me, Travis. TRAVIS Honesty, at last. A mark of contempt? SERVALAN Or respect. A man might see it as respect. You would have -- once. [Flight deck] BLAKE What do you think, Jenna? AVON I think the basic idea was stupid. BLAKE No, the idea was logical enough. Jenna? JENNA A lot more logical than this makes it seem. AVON It is a triple-A security installation. VILA We have got into those before. AVON Usually with your screams of protest ringing in our ears. Are you telling me that you're in favor of this idea? VILA No, not exactly, I just don't think it's stupid. Perhaps -- maybe I'm on your side, Cally. BLAKE It's not a question of sides, Vila. AVON No, it's a question of intelligence, so your opinion has very little relevance. Blake, almost by definition, the Weapons Development Base must be one of the best defended installations in the Federation. BLAKE Agreed. Even so. JENNA Still doesn't explain this. [Waves the data card] GAN Here we are. [Enters carrying Orac] He wasn't very happy at being interrupted. BLAKE I'll apologize later. Orac, your information on the Weapons Development Base is unsatisfactory. ORAC Define unsatisfactory. BLAKE I was about to. Your strategic computations start from the premise that the base is on maximum security alert. ORAC Computer communications traffic indicates that it is. JENNA Not permanently? ORAC It is not a practice drill. CALLY So what is it? ORAC Clearly, some occurrence which is a real or apparent threat. JENNA Thank you, Orac. I'm sure we'd have never worked that out for ourselves. ORAC It is therefore the case that security in the immediate future will be sensitive and alert. BLAKE A fact to be included in strategic computations. Moral: AVON Never argue with a computer. BLAKE Right. GAN What was the cause of the alert? VILA Obviously somebody broke in. CALLY Or out. BLAKE [Looks at her and then back to Orac] Which is it, Orac? ORAC That information is not immediately available. BLAKE Well, can you get it? ORAC It has no bearing on the problem. BLAKE Can you get it? ORAC Eventually. BLAKE How long is eventually? ORAC It will require time and resources far in excess of the value of the information. BLAKE Well, get it anyway. I want the reason for that alert. ORAC Very well. I will report -- in due course. GAN That doesn't sound very promising. Someone must have made an attack on the base. VILA Who'd be stupid enough to do that? AVON [Snaps his fingers] Justify "stupid." GAN I mean, they wouldn't have called a maximum alert if someone had just deserted. BLAKE Zen, put the navigation computers on-line. ZEN Confirmed. Computers on-line. BLAKE Assume a fugitive from the Weapons Development Base, and a stolen ship capable of one-man operation. Assume no outside help. Where would he go? Orac, I want a series of options rated according to probability. Oh, and one more assumption: when he left, he took with him something secret and valuable. AVON So secret and so valuable, that the base went to maximum alert. [An abandoned messroom at the installation. Three black rats feed on crumbs on a white table. Tables and chairs in disarray fill the room. Cobwebs cling to the walls. Rashel enters alone] COSER [O.O.V.] Rashel. Rashel, where are you? [Enters] RASHEL I'm here. COSER Don't wander off like that. RASHEL No, sir. I think this was a messroom. We could be comfortable in here. [She starts arranging chairs] COSER Filthy. RASHEL I'll clean it up. It'll be fine, you'll see. COSER Fine for you, maybe. Probably not much worse than what you're used to. RASHEL Please, rest. You're tired. I'll make us some food. You'll feel better then. COSER [Shouts] I feel fine now! [Throws furniture] You dare treat me like a stupid child! RASHEL I'm sorry. I was just trying to please you, sir. COSER And don't call me sir. That's what THEY always wanted. "Yes, sir." "Of course, sir." "At once, sir." They treat you like dirt, patronize you. Doesn't really matter. You get used to it. I mean, I didn't really care about that. [Pounds on the table] Are you listening to me? RASHEL Yes, sir. COSER They were trying to take the credit for my work. They were going to steal it right in front of me. As though I were so unimportant or stupid they didn't even have to pretend it wasn't happening. That's what really made me angry -- the contempt they had for me. Well, they can think again now. Just wait till senior echelon hears about this. They'll remember my name then. [Reception chamber] TRAVIS When? SERVALAN You don't hurry a Clonemaster. TRAVIS Out of respect, Supreme Commander? SERVALAN They are a little awesome. TRAVIS Reverence? I wouldn't have thought you capable of it. SERVALAN I'm capable of taking the one thing you have left if you persist with your impertinence, Travis. TRAVIS My visits to the retraining therapist have left me ... I don't know. Is there anything of value that remains to me? SERVALAN [Runs her hand up his chest] Blake's death. TRAVIS I meant no impudence, Supreme Commander. [Fen descends the stairs amid mist and music as Servalan and Travis talk] SERVALAN The Clonemasters are awesome, Travis, because they have ultimate power. They can create life, and in whatever form they wish. TRAVIS As can a number of Federation biologists even today. Cloning's been known for centuries, but was abandoned because it was inefficient and tended towards genetic stagnation. FEN [Stands across from them] I fear you are both mistaken. SERVALAN [Bows] Clonemaster Fen. FEN [Inclines her head] Servalan. It was never abandoned, Travis. The leaders feared its potential as a weapon. But a weapon once created cannot be abandoned. It can only be contained. And so they entrusted it to us. And we cannot create life in any form we wish. That would violate the Rule of Life. TRAVIS Power usually makes its own rules. FEN My predecessor believed in the Rule of Life. When the time came, a single cell was taken from her and stimulated into growth. The child was identical in every way to the child that she had once been. She brought it up, taught it, trained it -- so that when that child became a woman, she not only looked like my predecessor, she thought like her. And like her, I believe in the Rule of Life. SERVALAN You were cloned. I did not realize that. FEN All the Clonemasters are themselves cloned. All are identical to the original group that came to this planet. SERVALAN And are trusted for the same reasons they were trusted. TRAVIS Belief in the Rule of Life .... What about an enemy who doesn't believe in it? What's to stop him cloning a whole army of fanatics to move in against us? FEN Nothing. But if it happened the Rule of Life is clear. We would help you. SERVALAN The weapon is ours, and safe because it guards itself. FEN Precisely so. [The room darkens and the color of the light vascillates] It responds to mood. TRAVIS Whose in particular? FEN Like most of our city, this room lives; a vegetable biologically adapted but living and growing -- and all life, Travis, is linked. [Laces her fingers] That is the basis of the Rule of Life. SERVALAN Clonemaster Fen, I must ask you about Blake. [Fen raises a hand and Clone 2 enters on the upper tier] CLONE 2 [Bows to Fen] Master. Lady. Sir. SERVALAN He's very polite. FEN He is not a clone in the true sense. SERVALAN But he is a man? CLONE 2 Oh, yes, he is. FEN You sent us Blake's DNA identity profile. >From that we deduced a full genetic pattern and created this man, whole and adult as you see him. TRAVIS Doesn't that violate your Rule of Life? FEN We may copy life. We may not create new forms. This man is a copy of Blake, a physical copy only, because he was not grown from a cell taken from Blake. And since he has not Blake's experiences, he cannot be Blake. We have given him some background knowledge, the beginnings of identity, and the basis of understanding. TRAVIS I see. [To Clone 2] What's your name? CLONE 2 Roj Blake. What's yours? TRAVIS How old are you? CLONE 2 Thirty-four. FEN When were you born? CLONE 2 Five hours ago, Master. [Bows to her] SERVALAN Diverting idea. [To Clonemaster Fen] The Federation needs this man. [A Federation guard signals from a doorway on a sunken tier and Travis goes over to talk to him] FEN I know. That is why we agreed to create them. SERVALAN Space Commander Travis bitterly regrets what happened. It was the action of a dedicated officer taken by surprise. FEN Does he always kill when taken by surprise? TRAVIS Supreme Commander. SERVALAN [To Fen] Forgive me. [To Travis] What is it? TRAVIS This just came in on the command ship security band. [Shows her the message brought by the guard] SERVALAN Take one of the escort ships and get back to Headquarters immediately. I want to know how this happened and why, Travis. And I want the man Coser found. TRAVIS Right. SERVALAN When I've dealt with this tiresome female, I'll follow. I shall expect you to have the answers by the time I return. Now go. TRAVIS Supreme Commander. [Leaves] SERVALAN You are right, Clonemaster Fen. Travis's behavior was unpardonable. I have ordered him back to my headquarters with instructions to place himself under arrest pending immediate court martial proceedings. I trust this is in accordance with the Rule of Life. FEN You understand the Rule of Life, Servalan. Almost as thoroughly as you understand -- trust. [Leaves] [Exterior shot of Liberator] [Flight deck] BLAKE So -- something called IMIPAK is missing, together with a Beta class weapons technician named Coser. ORAC That IS what I said. BLAKE You also said the information would be virtually impossible to obtain. ORAC It would have been, but I picked up a command ship security band for which you already have the code. BLAKE Fortunate coincidence. ORAC Not really. When you obtained the code, you did instruct me to monitor command ship frequencies and pass relevant data to the battle computers. JENNA Do you know who the message was for? ORAC No. It was a priority one - for automatic relay to the senior officer present. BLAKE Orac, I want more information. I want to know everything there is to know about this man Coser; I want to know how he got out of the base; and I want to know what IMIPAK is. ORAC I am unlikely to be able- BLAKE [Overlapping and interrupting] To be able to get that information, yes, I know. Maybe you'll get lucky again. ORAC There is no rational basis for the concept you call luck. BLAKE Oh, just get on with it. [Disconnects] JENNA Maybe IMIPAK is another Orac. If we captured it perhaps we could breed from them. BLAKE What a disgusting idea. JENNA [Smiles] Well, despite Orac's lucky eavesdropping, we're not much wiser, are we? BLAKE Coser's only a Beta class weapons technician, so he's not important enough to have caused all this fuss. JENNA So it must be IMIPAK. BLAKE And logically, IMIPAK must be a weapon and logically, Coser must have it. JENNA But we're no closer to finding either of them. BLAKE All right, let's get closer. Zen, what's the flight time to the maximum security space zone? ZEN Fifteen hours. JENNA If we're careful. BLAKE By all means, let's be careful. [Messroom. It is night-time. Rashel and Coser sit at a table on which are two box-shaped lights] COSER This place gives the creeps. RASHEL It is very quiet. COSER Something wrong with it. Something here. Don't you feel it? RASHEL No. COSER Listen. RASHEL What is it? COSER Shhh. Listen. Did you hear it? Sort of slithering noise. RASHEL I can't hear anything. COSER You think I'm imagining it, don't you? RASHEL Perhaps it was a rat. COSER A rat. RASHEL Rats are very clever. They go everywhere that people go. On all the colonized planets there are rats, did you know that? I heard a freighter pilot telling someone about it. Oh dear. COSER What's the matter? RASHEL Bond slaves aren't supposed to listen to the conversations of the free grades. COSER Not likely to report you, am I? RASHEL I'm sorry. COSER Still, I know what you mean. Beta-grade technicians aren't supposed to be clever enough to develop a weapon like IMIPAK, only I did. RASHEL Were they going to punish you? A disobedient slave can be modified. COSER Did you hear it that time? It's coming from over there [He points to the door. Rashel picks up a light and leaves to investigate the hall] What are you doing? Don't do that! Rashel! Rashel, come back here! Come back here do you - Rashel! RASHEL [Re-enters from the hall] It must have been a rat. COSER [Pulls her by her arm and pushes her across the room. Shouts] _____ I'll kill you, do you hear? RASHEL Yes. COSER I'll kill you! [Servalan's office. Servalan's temper rises throughout the exchange with Travis] SERVALAN Dead? TRAVIS All dead. Everyone connected with the project. And judging by what's left of them, he used IMIPAK to do it. SERVALAN Well, that's some consolation, I suppose. At least we know it works. TRAVIS At the moment, that's all we do know. SERVALAN What? TRAVIS He destroyed all recorded data and took the prototype with him. SERVALAN And security? TRAVIS Taken by surprise. SERVALAN "Taken by surprise"? TRAVIS It seems this man Coser is brighter than his grade classification would suggest. SERVALAN I assume the security commander is under arrest. TRAVIS He was. SERVALAN "Was"? TRAVIS He died -- under interrogation. You said you wanted quick results! SERVALAN Was he implicated? TRAVIS No. SERVALAN Unfortunate. TRAVIS Why? SERVALAN He might have told us where Coser is. TRAVIS The computers have narrowed it down. There are only four planets he could have reached. SERVALAN That's not quite narrow enough, Travis. TRAVIS I've assigned aerial survey teams. We'll find his ship soon. And when we do, I shall need more men. SERVALAN Regular troops? TRAVIS Yes, as many as possible. SERVALAN To search for a dangerous psychopath with a highly effective secret weapon? TRAVIS Some losses are inevitable! SERVALAN Losses?!? Travis, have you no sense of proportion at all? TRAVIS What? SERVALAN If he's cornered, he might destroy the weapon. TRAVIS I should have realized. SERVALAN I don't find stupidity amusing, Travis. TRAVIS No. SERVALAN Are we certain he wasn't met by any other ships? TRAVIS As certain as we can be. I've had the four planets seeded to make certain it doesn't happen now. SERVALAN Not TOO obviously, I hope. If there are others involved, I don't want them frightened off. TRAVIS Small proximity mines in random orbit. Virtually undetectable until they explode. SERVALAN Very well. [Picks up a red plastic flower] Keep me informed. TRAVIS You do have Blake's clone, Supreme Commander? SERVALAN Of course, Travis. TRAVIS Well, if he's to be of any use to us, his training should begin as soon as possible. SERVALAN It already has, Travis. TRAVIS Of course, Supreme Commander. [Leaves] SERVALAN [Presses a button on the intercom console and the walls are suffused by pastel lights, then speaks into the intercom] Send in Carnell. CARNELL [Enters and notes color changes] Supreme Commander. SERVALAN It's going wrong, Carnell. CARNELL Wrong? Ma'am, I'm mortified by your lack of confidence. SERVALAN If I lose Coser -- and his invention -- mortified is exactly what you'll be. CARNELL I realize that. SERVALAN So long as you do. CARNELL A brilliant psychostrategist like me? Come now, Supreme Commander. How would I not? SERVALAN Carnell...[She walks from her desk, around the back of his chair to the other side] CARNELL Yes, Supreme Commander? SERVALAN [Runs her hand down his chest] You miscalculated Coser's breakdown. CARNELL He went a little sooner, that's all. The rest will be on schedule. You'll get IMIPAK. And when you do, no one will realize you've got it, because everyone else involved will either be dead or running away.[Grasps her hand but she walks away] SERVALAN Except you. CARNELL Should I be nervous? SERVALAN [Picks up the flower and smiles] Oh, you're the strategist -- you tell me. [Flight deck] BLAKE [Draws on the main screen by remote] Zen's best guess is that he's here. Offers? GAN Let's go and get him. AVON Gung ho. VILA You go and get him. We're already too close to the security zone for my taste. BLAKE Jenna? JENNA If we know he's there, chances are Federation Security know it, too. CALLY Zen may have been wrong. AVON In which case going there would be safe but pointless. VILA Now that I wouldn't object to. JENNA Be quiet, Vila. VILA Why ask my opinion in the first place? CALLY Actually, nobody did. VILA That's the last time I stand up for you. BLAKE Avon? AVON I think we should go and get him. Always assuming that he is there, and Federation Security are not. JENNA [Smiles] Gung ho? [Blake smiles] AVON We do not know what IMIPAK is. BLAKE Exactly. The least we've got to do is find out what it does. VILA Why have we? I can live without it. BLAKE It's just conceivable that you can't. AVON Unless of course you want your last words to be, "So THAT'S IMIPAK." VILA I think my brain must be furring up. GAN IMIPAK might be something they can use against us, Vila. VILA Only if it can run faster than we can. BLAKE Jenna, set a course for that planet. JENNA I already have. BLAKE Zen, put the battle computers on-line. ZEN Confirmed. BLAKE Full range on the detectors, constant scan. VILA Absolutely. BLAKE Right. [Zips up his collar] Let's see what we're going to do when we get there. [Servalan's office. The intercom chimes] SERVALAN [Into intercom]: Yes, Travis? TRAVIS [Face appears on intercom screen visible next to Servalan] We found his ship - it looks to have crashed and blown up. SERVALAN Wait. [Clicks off the intercom and turns to Carnell] Carnell? CARNELL [Playing with a hand-held chess computer] It's a ruse. He landed first, then blew up the ship. SERVALAN Leaving himself no means of escape? CARNELL Guilt. Symbolic suicide. SERVALAN What? CARNELL It fits his personality. Checkmate. Six times in a row I've beaten it. Supposed to be the best chess computer available. Cost me a fortune. I don't suppose you'd care to discuss my fee at this particular point, would you? SERVALAN [Smiles] No. CARNELL Oh. SERVALAN Why are you so certain he isn't dead? CARNELL He's too good a pilot to have lost control that close to the ground. SERVALAN You don't know how close to the ground he was. CARNELL They identified the remains of the ship. If he'd lost it in the descent from primary orbit, there'd be nothing left to find, let alone identify. Therefore, he was close and slow when it happened. Therefore, it didn't happen. SERVALAN You're very plausible. CARNELL I'm very good, Supreme Commander, believe me. I've taken everyone and everything into consideration. It's all as predictable as that very expensive chess machine. SERVALAN [Into intercom] Travis, I want three pursuit ships ready for immediate launch. And I want all in the vicinity of that planet recalled. TRAVIS [Visible on screen] Recalled? SERVALAN That's what I said. TRAVIS [Visible on screen] May I ask why? SERVALAN No, you may not. [Clicks off the intercom and turns back toward Carnell] You'd better be right. CARNELL By now Coser is completely psychotic. It won't strike him as remotely odd that a folk hero he admires so much arrives out of nowhere. And when a second Blake turns up, he probably won't even notice. He's a very sick man. He shouldn't be totally alone as he is. It's awfully bad for his health. [Messroom. Rashel awakens Coser] COSER What? What's the matter? RASHEL Shhh. Listen. [Squeaking rodent sounds in the hall] COSER One of your clever rats wasn't clever enough. RASHEL What do you think's out there? COSER How should I know? I don't care as long as it stays there. RASHEL Listen. [Growling noises in the hall] Look. [A shadow is visible at the door window] COSER Quiet. RASHEL Is it gone? [The shadow is growling and scratching at the door, trying to get in] COSER Listen. [More growling and scratching. It stops] Quickly! [They barricade the door with tables and chairs] [Servalan's office] OFFICER [Enters carrying a folder] Supreme Commander? CARNELL [Appears from the left and looks out the window at the starfield] Almost the only thing I never find boring: contemplating the infinite. Is there something I can do for you? OFFICER I was to report to the Supreme Commander, sir. CARNELL Too late, I fear. She's already on her way. "To what?" do I hear you ask? OFFICER No, sir. CARNELL Excellent. It was a trick question. Always remember, the Officer Corps will forgive anything it can understand. Which makes intelligence about the only sin. OFFICER Have I your leave to go, sir? CARNELL What did you want to see the Supreme Commander about? Or am I being indiscreet? OFFICER I have a report for her. [Carnell puts out his hand for the report folder] It's confidential. CARNELL >From an official psychostrategist? OFFICER You're a Puppeteer? CARNELL Do they still call us that? I never really felt that did me justice. OFFICER My apologies, sir; I meant no offense. CARNELL I was offensive. Why shouldn't you be? OFFICER Sir? CARNELL Give me the report. [Flips the folder open and closes it] Do you play chess? OFFICER A little, sir. CARNELL [Hands him the chess computer] Take it, it's yours. OFFICER [Accepts] Thank you, sir. CARNELL A small return for saving my life. But then it's all I own. You have my leave to go now. [Officer leaves] And the other mistake I made was not getting an advance on my fee. [Messroom] COSER Here, wake up. RASHEL What is it? Has it gone? [They walk over to the door] COSER Shh. [Thumps the door. No response] Nocturnal predator. Seems to have gone. Help me with this. [They move the barricade] Not too far, just in case. Get ready to shove it closed again. RASHEL Ready. COSER [Leans out to check hall, re-enters] It's gone. RASHEL I wonder what it was? COSER I think I'd rather not know. [A giant claw bursts through the door window and attacks Rashel] RASHEL Coser! Coser, help me! COSER [Assembles the IMIPAK projector] Still! Keep still! Keep flat and still! [Fires the projector. A reddish circle appears on the claw] RASHEL It's still alive! COSER I haven't told it it's dead yet. [Picks up a blue box -- the IMIPAK key -- presses buttons, the claw oozes liquid and withdraws. Coser and Rashel inspect the remains] What do you think of that? Not bad, Coser, not bad. For a Beta grade, not bad. I invented that death. It's called IMIPAK. [Daytime. Clone 2 walks through the compound. He zips his shirt collar and enters the building] [Messroom. Coser and Rashel are packing boxes] COSER This time, I'll pick the place. Somewhere with a strong door. RASHEL Perhaps that creature drove the people away. COSER I doubt it. Raw materials ran out more like. RASHEL Perhaps that was the only one. COSER Perhaps, perhaps! Just get on with it, will you?! RASHEL Stop treating me like a bond slave! [Coser picks up the projector] You set me free. CLONE 2 [O.O.V.] Coser. [Enters] I am not armed. COSER I know you. You're Blake. Blake! CLONE 2 Thank you, but I know I am. Who are you? COSER I'm Coser, my name's Coser. I'm glad you're here. I'm so glad you're here! I've brought something for you, something to help you. RASHEL How did you find us? CLONE 2 [Looks at Rashel then back at Coser] A gun? COSER Not just a gun - IMIPAK, it's called IMIPAK: Induced Molecular Instability Projector and Key. IMIPAK. CLONE 2 What does it do? RASHEL It kills. COSER Shut up! [Shoves her across the room] Will you shut up?! CLONE 2 How does it kill? COSER [Holds up the projector] This is the projector. It'll work on anything living. CLONE 2 All life is linked. [Laces his fingers] COSER You use it like a gun and it projects a potential, an unstable molecular potential in the part of the victim that you hit. The beauty of it is that unless they see you do it, or you tell them you've done it, they don't even know it's happened. CLONE 2 And that kills them? COSER This [Picks up the key]-- this kills them. This is the key. When they're in range of this and you press that [Indicates button], it triggers the unstable molecules. Death at the press of a button. CLONE 2 I see. COSER What do you mean, "you see"? Aren't you impressed? Look, once you hit them with this, there's nothing they can do to remove the spot. It's there for as long as they live. And YOU decide how long that is. This has a range of up to a million miles. Just think of it! You set the range here. If he's within a million miles, you can kill a marked man anytime you want without even seeing him again. Or you can leave a whole series of these in various places ready-triggered and he'll kill himself whenever he comes within range of one. Or you can tell him they're there and you can be certain he'll never go where you don't want him to go. Selected victims, groups, whole populations. You can be like God. [Hands IMIPAK to Clone 2] SERVALAN [Enters] A lofty ambition. [Accepts IMIPAK from Clone 2] Thank you. COSER [To Clone 2] You betrayed me. TRAVIS Blake is a reformed character. There are only two traitors here. [Blake, Avon, and Gan materialize in the compound] BLAKE [Into bracelet] Down and safe. [To Gan and Avon] Keep in contact, right? Be careful, remember he's armed. GAN If he's here. AVON His ship came down within walking distance of the only buildings on the planet. He's here all right. GAN I think he's crashed. BLAKE Well, don't think; let's search. [Messroom. Travis enters] SERVALAN Are the guards in clear view? TRAVIS Three of them, as you ordered, Supreme Commander. SERVALAN And the fourth is concealed? TRAVIS With instructions to report back what he sees. What exactly do you expect him to see? SERVALAN All in good time, Travis. Coser. [Coser looks up and Servalan marks him] COSER No. SERVALAN [She advances on him and he cowers away] Let's see, the range would be about eight feet. COSER No. SERVALAN No, let's make it four. COSER No. SERVALAN Not quite within range. COSER No! Please! Please! I didn't mean it! [Clone 2 and Rashel witness Coser's death] [Blake, Avon, and Gan search the installation grounds] [Messroom] TRAVIS [Inspects Coser's corpse] Very effective weapon. [Servalan marks Travis unbeknownst to him] Good thing his ambitions were small. What about the girl? CLONE 2 No! [Encircles Rashel with his arms] All life must have reverence. TRAVIS I knew that Clonemaster wasn't to be trusted. SERVALAN It's all right. Take her to another room. Keep her there until I send for you. RASHEL [As she is shepherded out by Clone 2] Why? What are you waiting for? [In the compound, Gan attacks a guard and two more come after him. Blake and Avon spot them] BLAKE Down, Gan! [Blake and Avon shoot the guards] GAN Thanks. [A guard speaks to Travis just outside the open messroom door and is marked on the back by Servalan] TRAVIS [Enters] Blake! How did he get here? SERVALAN Orac picked up the original message to our command ship. TRAVIS This is what you were waiting for. SERVALAN [Hands him the projector] Mark them, Travis. We'll kill them at our leisure. Travis, when you know an enemy's strengths, and can use them against them, they become weaknesses. TRAVIS [To the guard on his way out] Show me. SERVALAN I may not kill you after all, Carnell. [Travis marks Blake, Gan, and Avon as they search the compound] [Messroom] SERVALAN Guard. Over there. [Motions him to stand inside the room]. [Blake, Avon, and Gan enter the building, burst into the messroom] BLAKE Quite still! AVON Put that on the floor. Carefully. SERVALAN I was beginning to think you'd never get here. [Travis places the projector on the floor in front of them] BLAKE My apologies, Supreme Commander. The invitation was just a little vague. AVON They're too confident, Blake. This looks like some kind of a trap. Let's kill the bait and get out of here. SERVALAN Oh, it's not a trap. At least, not in the way you mean. We are the only people on the planet. BLAKE The ship? SERVALAN No one is attacking your ship. AVON You believe her? BLAKE What sort of trap is it, then? SERVALAN Guard. [He moves forward. She presses the key. He falls down] That sort. He was marked for death, as you three have been, with that gun. [Avon moves for the projector] Leave it. You're in range now. I press this, and you're all like him. GAN Is she bluffing? AVON She's not bluffing, is she, Travis? TRAVIS Do something reckless and find out. AVON Well now, I might just blow your head off. BLAKE How would you like to die, too, Supreme Commander? SERVALAN IMIPAK gives me the edge, Blake. You know it does. But if you want to throw away your only chance ... AVON What chance? SERVALAN The chance to run. I'm not sure exactly how far the range on this is. It's long, but you might outrun the signal. Now, I'm prepared to give you a small start. BLAKE Why? SERVALAN Research? BLAKE [Into bracelet] Get us out of here, Vila. [They teleport] TRAVIS Why let them go? SERVALAN Everyone will assume that they have taken IMIPAK. TRAVIS Taken IMIPAK but - SERVALAN But I've got it. Exactly. And I haven't let them go. I'm allowing Blake time to give his final order: a partial orbit which will ensure that our ships witness the Liberator's escape. When he's done that, you can kill him. [Rashel enters quietly] [Avon, Blake, Gan, and Vila run onto the flight deck] AVON It was a standoff. We should have stayed! Move it Jenna, get us out of here. BLAKE No. AVON What? BLAKE Partial orbit, Jenna, fast. Put the planet between us and that installation. She would never have let us go if we could directly outrun that signal. Our only chance is to use the planet as a shield. JENNA Orbit underway. Standard by Two and building. AVON It will have to be a very primitive signal, Blake, for this to work. BLAKE I said it was our only chance. I did not say it was a good one! Time to partial orbit? JENNA Three minutes. [Messroom] SERVALAN That should be long enough, I think. All right, Travis, your time has come. Enjoy it. [Hands Travis the key] It's what you've waited for. [Flight deck] CALLY Partial orbit in one minute. GAN We're going to make it, we're going to make it! [Explosion] [Messroom] RASHEL [Holds the IMIPAK projector] No. Don't press it. You're both marked. [Travis aims his gun arm at her] CLONE 2 [Enters with a Federation gun trained on Travis] Please don't do that. [Flight deck] ZEN The planet has been seeded with small proximity mines in random orbit. Detection was too late for warning to be given. BLAKE Damage? ZEN Damage was minor. Power buildup continues. JENNA We're below horizon now. GAN Then she's lost! AVON Only us. She got what she really wanted. VILA I thought that was us. BLAKE IMIPAK. And she beat us to that all right. She seemed to know every single move we were making. It's almost as if we were on strings and she was the puppeteer. CALLY What is IMIPAK? Is there a defense against it? ZEN Detectors report two Federation pursuit ships leaving stationary orbit on intercept course. BLAKE Take us out of here, Jenna. Speed Standard by Eight. I want a lot of space between us and that planet. GAN Is there a defense against IMIPAK? AVON Of course there is. It's called slavery. [Exterior shot of Liberator leaving orbit] [Messroom] RASHEL You can go now. There's nothing for you here. SERVALAN I'll see you never leave this planet. RASHEL I know. But make sure you do it from at least a million miles away. CLONE 2 And don't send anyone to look for us. RASHEL She won't. There'd be too many questions. And besides, she can't afford for this [Holds up the key] to fall into anyone else's hands. TRAVIS The weapon guards itself. SERVALAN Thank you, Travis. TRAVIS I was merely quoting you, Supreme Commander. SERVALAN Contact the ship. I have an appointment with a man named Carnell. TRAVIS [Regarding the clone on his way out] My compliments. CLONE 2 Is there anything for us here? RASHEL Yes. We're free. CLONE 2 Can we survive - alone? RASHEL There's a subspace communicator somewhere here. We must get a message to Blake, and tell him he's free, too. [Pulls a box out from under the table] CLONE 2 Let me do that. [Their hands touch] RASHEL Then we could start to explore our planet. [Servalan's office. NOTE: During Carnell's message, he sometimes appears on the intercom screen visible next to Servalan and sometimes directly on camera] SERVALAN [Into intercom] Gone? VOICE [V.O., over intercom] Uh...yes. He left a, uh, confidential message for you, Supreme Commander. It's on channel twelve. CARNELL Welcome back, Supreme Commander. I apologize for not being here in person to greet you, but I think you'll appreciate my reasons. I overlooked the girl. Well, no, to be fair to myself, your people overlooked her. I know she was only a bond slave, but they should have realized she was gone rather sooner than they did. I might have adapted the strategy. Ah well, even a genius can make mistakes. Look at it this way, Supreme Commander, you haven't lost anything. Whereas I, well, I've lost my career, my position, the respect of my peers. Come to think of it, I haven't lost much, either. On the subject of losers, be careful of Travis. The catharsis he got by killing that first clone will have worn off by now. He's as mad as ever he was. But then aren't we all? One last thing, Supreme Commander. I must tell you this. You are undoubtedly the sexiest officer I have ever known. Goodbye, Servalan. [Servalan smiles and picks up the flower]
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