THE VOICE OF ATON "THE ROAD" by GORDON D WENN CAST LIST --------- SARGE SENATOR GOTTLIEB DOCTOR JOHNSON NURSE TAYLOR TECHNICIAN SET LIST -------- EXTERIORS INTERIORS --------- --------- MOC DUC HOSPITAL ICU UPPER ROAD ICU CONTROL ROOM POPPY FIELD Copyright (c) 2003 - All rights reserved - KitsWriter@Yahoo.com # 1. ACT ONE FADE IN: DARK LETTERS: VIETNAM, 1971, NEAR MOC DUC EXT. - MOC DUC - DAY CAMERA moves through a thick canopy of jungle. We see dark foliage merging with shafts of sunlight streaking through the trees. Our view moves forward to a sandbag-lined trench. Where we see SARGE, hunkered down in the bottom. He appears be the classic Vietnam Era soldier. Two playing cards are stuck in his helmet band. His combat uniform is stained with sweat and red dirt. He wipes his face with a standard issue towel, draped around his neck. He sits in his hole, nervously gripping his M16. The brief moment of calm is suddenly shattered by mortar explosions. Which begin to fall to his front. He looks to his rear, trying to find an avenue of retreat. Then he seizes a brief moment in the assault. Moving with an odd quick crouch, out of his trench, towards his point of escape. The smoke and dust obscure most of his men. But he finds the Radio Man taking refuge behind a tree. He lifts him up, then pulls him forward, barking out an order, to anyone who can hear. SARGE (loudly) MOVE, MOVE, MOVE! Two other bodies follow him through a gap in the trees. They move quickly away from the explosions to their rear. Then sunlight suddenly pours out over them, as the forest becomes savanna. They wade through an ocean of waist high grass, then across a short road. Taking up positions in the bottom of a muddy ditch. MATCH TO.... DISSOLVE TO: EXT. - UPPER ROAD - DAY - CONTINUOUS ....SARGE resumes his previous posture in the ditch. Two men dug in on his right. The Radio Man on his left. One of the men on his right moves. He barks out an order. SARGE(CON'T) Johnson, stay down! The man looks at him confused. TAYLOR I'm Taylor. He's Johnson. JOHNSON gives SARGE a slight wave. The Radio Man makes a noise. SARGE turns to his left. # 2. GOTTLIEB Hi. Phil Gottlieb. Lakehurst, New Jersey. SARGE (confused) What? GOTTLIEB You know, where the Hindenberg went down. SARGE seems to accept this bit of information with a certain amount of hostility. The men on his right begin to fidget. SARGE (loud) I said stay down! JOHNSON There's nobody there. They're not coming. SARGE Just stay down! The four men listen to the silence. JOHNSON There's still nobody there. TAYLOR peaks over the edge of the ditch. His expression begins to change from intent self-interest to mild surprise. TAYLOR Hey Sarge... SARGE doesn't answer. He seems to be totally interested in the bottom of the ditch. TAYLOR(CON'T) It's this road.... It seems to be made of Yellow Bricks. GOTTLIEB and JOHNSONS' heads appear over the edge of the ditch. The three men turn and look at one another. Confused. GOTTLIEB Flying Monkey Alert. SARGE suddenly wrestles GOTTLIEB to the ground. GOTTLIEB(CON'T) (startled) Sarge, what are you doing? # 3. GOTTLIEB pushes SARGE off him slightly. Then catches a glimpse of the panic on his face. GOTTLIEB(CON'T) (understanding) Sarge, how short are you? SARGE rolls away from GOTTLIEB, he mumbles something into the dirt. GOTTLIEB(CON'T) (loudly) WHAT? SARGE (annoyed) Seventeen Days! TAYLOR and JOHNSON climb up and out of the ditch and onto the road. They stamp their feet on the bricks, trying to find some flaw. JOHNSON suddenly stares at the opposite side of the road. JOHNSON DAMN! He reaches out and touches a solid wall. JOHNSON(CON'T) (confused) We just came through there! Now it's solid!... What the hell's going on? TAYLOR touches the patterns of waist high grass on the wall. TAYLOR (also confused) They're painted on!... This is nuts!... (points) I touched that bush. I pushed it aside. It was real.... TAYLOR angrily hits the wall with his fist. It remains solid. JOHNSON seems resolved to the situation. JOHNSON (shrugs) I think we're Boo-Koo screwed! GOTTLIEB climbs out onto the road. GOTTLIEB You're missing the point. # 4. TAYLOR Which point would that be? GOTTLIEB We're not there anymore. JOHNSON We're not where? GOTTLIEB (points at wall) There, in that other place. With all the crap, corruption and stupidity we've had to deal with for so long. We may not be back in the WORLD. But were sure the hell not IN COUNTRY anymore. The three men seem a little giddy. Happy, smiling. SARGE stares up at them, still crouching in his hole. SARGE Somebody beat you guys in the head with a stupid stick? TAYLOR (gestures) Hey Sarge. It's cool. You can get up. SARGE (apologetic) I haven't really stood up in a long time. He climbs up and onto the road. Stretching his back. The four men stare at each other. Silent. Then GOTTLIEB turns, staring intently down the road. GOTTLIEB (points) Hey! What's that? JOHNSON takes out a pair of binoculars. Looks down the road. TAYLOR Hey, where'd you get those? JOHNSON (smiles) Charlie doesn't need them anymore. # 5. He raises the binoculars to his eyes. Looks into the distance. JOHNSON That's one Big Ville. GOTTLIEB Is it Green? SARGE moves forward, taking the binoculars from JOHNSON. SARGE (looks down road) It can't be! JOHNSON It be. TAYLOR borrows the binoculars. Looks down the road. An odd noise comes from SARGE. They all turn to him. SARGE (disoriented) Wait!... Yes!... I remember now. (pause) There was a Blue Glow. I saw a Blue Glow. Just before we went through the trees. Did you see it? (pause) I saw it.... JOHNSON I didn't see any Blue Glow. Just smoke. SARGE steps back towards the ditch. Uneasy. GOTTLIEB grabs his arm. Tries to calm him. GOTTLIEB Sarge everything's cool. Nothing can hurt you. We're all right. But we need you to take command. TAYLOR (interrupts) Command? Command of what? GOTTLIEB Of us. I'm not going to, are you? TAYLOR thinks it over. JOHNSON has the binoculars again, he looks down the road, amazed. # 6. JOHNSON Hey, maybe the answers down there! Nobody seems to have heard him. The other two men are still more concerned about SARGE. Whose posture begins to change. He slowly seems to stand just slightly taller. Assuming a commanding presence. SARGE Johnson.... TAYLOR interrupts again, addressing the group. TAYLOR Are you guys really taking orders from this trench jockey? GOTTLIEB Who else to we have? TAYLOR Let's put it to a Vote? SARGE (to Taylor) Lets not. SARGE gives him his best 'thousand yard' stare. TAYLOR backs down. Rather quickly. SARGE (to Johnson) Johnson check out how far this wall goes. JOHNSON (agrees) Right, Sarge. JOHNSON moves off to the right, along the wall. He stops some distance away. JOHNSON(CON'T) (shouting) It ends here. About forty meters. Then goes up that way. (points to his front) SARGE knocks on his helmet. Getting the others attention. Then makes a large circling hand sign. SARGE (command) Blind corner drill. Move! # 7. They check their weapons. Then move skillfully towards JOHNSONS' position. At the corner, GOTTLIEB and TAYLOR move forward. Taking up positions on either side of the road. SARGE crouches behind JOHNSON. The moment passes. JOHNSON Nothing, Sarge. There's nothing at all. SARGE stands. SARGE Okay, stand down. We're cool. They wander back together. Staring at the grass, trees, clouds in the sky. SARGE(CON'T) Okay, I'm open to suggestions. I know its not part of the Command procedure, but I just don't have a clue. They stare at each other in silence. JOHNSON suddenly remembers something. JOHNSON (laughs) Flying Monkeys! SARGE ignores him. SARGE Anybody?... Anything at all?.... How did we get here? Why are we here? Where is this place? What's really going on?... Anybody?... SARGE kicks at the bricks in the road. GOTTLIEB interjects. GOTTLIEB Okay, show of hands. Who didn't see the Movie? JOHNSON It's been on the tube dozens of times. SARGE (to Gottlieb) I sure hope you've got something other than a stupid joke. # 8. GOTTLIEB (explains) Sarge, you're on the right track. You're making a list. Who, what, when, where, why. You're playing by the rules. TAYLOR What rules? GOTTLIEB Where ever you go, there are always rules. How things work. How things apply. How we function. TAYLOR What, like back there in the NAM? Those rules. JOHNSON Okay, yeah. I get it. It's like trying not to piss off Charlie. You know your going to. You just have to be cool. Those sort of rules. GOTTLIEB Pretty much. SARGE thinks for a moment. Queries GOTTLIEB. SARGE So, if we've seen the damn movie, we know what the rules are. And what our next move is. GOTTLIEB (nods) Precisely. TAYLOR (to Gottlieb) So what do all these rules tell us to do? GOTTLIEB extends his arm, pointing down the road. JOHNSON (indignant) Hey, wasn't that my idea? # 9. GOTTLIEB (to Johnson) I consider this to be a group effort. JOHNSON nods. SARGE turns and questions GOTTLIEB. SARGE What if we run into something unexpected? Something not in the Movie. GOTTLIEB We adapt. We stay flexible. (pause) Besides, I don't think there'll be any problems. (pause) We're armed to the teeth. GOTTLIEB holds up his weapon. Smiles. TAYLOR Yeah. We're trained killers. JOHNSON (with pride) Death Techs. SARGE makes a rather quick assessment of the situation. SARGE Okay, we'll head down that way. We'll play by whatever the rules are. But.... SARGE cocks his weapon. SARGE(CON'T) No Singing.... I say again, no singing. Anyone who sings gets a great big hole in their head.... Understood? JOHNSON (still happy) I'm cool. TAYLOR (nods) Roger, Dodger. GOTTLIEB gives him a thumbs up. SARGE looks at them. Uneasy. He signals them to advance down the road. # 10. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. - POPPY FIELD - LATER THAT DAY We see the four men moving down the road in a staggered formation. TAYLOR taking point at the front and to the right side of the road. SARGE slightly in back of him, on the left. GOTTLIEB third, on the right. JOHNSON at the rear and to the left. TAYLOR crests a small hill. Drops to one knee. Holds up his left arm, signaling a problem to their front. SARGE moves up parallel to him. The others stop. They look to SARGE. He gives them a hand sign. JOHNSON moves up on GOTTLIEBS' left. JOHNSON What do you think it is this time? GOTTLIEB Could be anything. Could be nothing. You do remember the movie, right? JOHNSON (thinks) Yeah, pretty much. GOTTLIEBS smiles. GOTTLIEB You know, when it originally came out, it didn't do that well. JOHNSON What do you mean? GOTTLIEB It was nineteen thirty-nine. Tarzan was a bigger box office draw. JOHNSON Tarzan with Johnny Weissmuller? GOTTLIEB Yeah. I always loved his tree house. The elephant powered elevator. Those really cool monkey butlers. JOHNSON gives him an odd look. Then smiles. They're interrupted by SARGE, waving them forward. They move up to the crest of the hill. As they approach, they see SARGE facing them, with a very unhappy look. He points behind him, down the road. # 11. SARGE So what do we do about that? GOTTLIEB and JOHNSON are drawn forward. They see a huge carpet of red flowers flowing towards a large green city. GOTTLIEB Poppies!... This could be a problem. SARGE (melodic) Yes. To sleep, perchance to dream. They all turn an look oddly at SARGE. He seems caught in another moment. Then he quickly reassures them. SARGE(CON'T) (gestures) Problem, right. This could be a problem. JOHNSON A problem? Maybe. Or perhaps, merely an obstacle. TAYLOR becomes slightly hostile. TAYLOR (edgy) How are we supposed to get through there? Do you have a gas mask? Or a Bio suit? JOHNSON (volunteers) No, but I do have this. JOHNSON hands SARGE a map. JOHNSON(CON'T) Charlie doesn't need that either. SARGE opens up the map. Studies it for a moment. Then he becomes extremely agitated, nervous. We see TAYLOR move in for a better look at the map. CAMERA MOVES IN ON the legend in the lower right hand side of the map. We see the words: LAND OF OZ, SECTION 9/EAST. TAYLOR What the Hell! # 12. SARGE moves to GOTTLIEB. Then turns him around to gain access to the radio. He turns it on, checks the frequency, then removes the handset for use. He stops suddenly. Looks at the three men in his command. Certain questions seem to linger on his mind. SARGE (to Taylor) A couple of times, you've gone right over the edge. Then snapped right back. TAYLOR Devils' Advocate. SARGE (to Johnson) You play the fool, but seem to have all the answers. JOHNSON (indifferent) Charlie's pretty careless with his stuff. SARGE (to Gottlieb) The Hindenburg? GOTTLIEB (dramatic) Oh the Humanity! There is brief moment of mirth. Then SARGE becomes calmly concerned. SARGE All of you know what I'm about to do, Right? TAYLOR (agrees) The only thing you can do. JOHNSON (nods) The only thing you've been trained to do. GOTTLIEB (gestures) You follow the rules. We follow you. SARGE stares at the ground for a moment. His thoughts heavy. # 13. SARGE (explains) If what I'm about to do happens? And we all end up down there? Inside. (pause) And given the current set of rules. Then, I'm the only one who gets to leave. TAYLOR (unconcerned) Don't mind us. We get to spend another beautiful day in Paradise. GOTTLIEB How short were you again? JOHNSON Life's a bitch, then you die. There is brief moment of consent. They all seem resolved to SARGES' course of action. He speaks into the radio handset. SARGE Gulf two seven charlie, this is six one bravo, fire mission, over. Static erupts from the radio. Then GOTTLIEB speaks, continuing the Litany. GOTTLIEB Six one bravo, this is gulf two seven charlie, fire mission, send, over. SARGE This is six one bravo, fire mission. Direction, two six zero zero. Grid, nine eight four, two seven four. Obstacle. Destroy. Over. GOTTLIEB This is gulf two seven charlie, shot over. SARGE This is six one bravo, shot, out. # 14. The ritual completed, the four men stand, waiting, looking. The sound of a freight train erupts from the sky. Crashing into the red field in front of them. Boiling the ground into new terrifying shapes. They watch unaffected. SARGE puts the radio handset away, speaks directly into the Maelstrom. SARGE(CON'T) Roger, on target. Fire for effect. Out. JOHNSON holds up his binoculars, looking forward. JOHNSON We've got movement at the Big Ville. GOTTLIEB Probably those 'OH-EE-OH' guys. SARGE issues a caution. SARGE Listen up. This is important. Never underestimate the ability of a man with a pointed stick. They all nod in compliance. SARGE(CON'T) Good... It's less than a klick to the Big Ville, we'll move the barrage forward one hundred meters at a time. Then walk down the road under covering fire. They all nod again. SARGE(CON'T) (into maelstrom) Gulf two seven charlie, this is six one bravo, add one hundred, out. The artillery fire moves forward. He signals to his men. They begin walking down the road in a staggered formation. Ahead of them, the explosions creep forward. Brown dust and red flowers mixing together in a hellish froth. SARGE steels himself to the task, bringing up the rear of the assault. # 15. He glances back, strangely, one last time. Listening for a soft sound below the noise to his front. A Ping. Then the battle draws him forward. No Ping. He moves out into swirling colours and noise. Automatic gunfire erupts. The Ping slowly resumes. The Image blending together with a slight glassy sheen. MATCH TO.... DISSOLVE TO: INT. - HOSPITAL ICU - CONTINUOUS .... Glassy surface of a lens. The Ping steady, repetitive. CAMERA PULLS BACK TO REVEAL a Virtual Reality Helmet, being worn by a man in a Hospital bed. It's SARGE. Frail and older. Wires lead from the helmet to a large electronic panel behind his head. More wires flow from this arms, legs and chest. We see a NURSE wearing a Bio control suit, adjusting an IV bag, next to a heart monitor. The source of the Pinging. The NURSE checks the equipment. She speaks into a headset microphone. NURSE (concerned) He's beginning to Red Line. The NURSE looks at SARGE, his muscles twitching. His body beginning to spasm. CAMERA MOVES IN ON his mouth, contorting. CUT TO: INT. - ICU CONTROL ROOM - CONTINUOUS We see SARGES' image on a large monitor. A TECHNICIAN wearing coveralls and also speaking into a headset microphone, sits behind a control console. He monitors other screens, which reveal every personal detail about SARGE and his condition. A man in Lab Coat stands behind and to the left of the TECHNICIAN. He appears to be in charge. On his left, another man in a business suit, pacing nervously, watching SARGE on the large monitor. TECHNICIAN Confirmed. We have Level One. The man in the Lab Coat reviews the equipment readouts. He speaks in a calm reassuring voice. DOCTOR I concur. Go to Safety Level One. Station Yellow. One the monitor we see the NURSE. NURSE Roger. Safety Level One. # 16. The man in a business suit makes an inquiry. SENATOR Doctor, would you mind telling me what's happening? DOCTOR Everything is fine Senator. Nothing to worry about. We've done all this before. Just stay within the safety area marked on the floor. The DOCTOR points to a red line to their left. The SENATOR looks at it, then to the DOCTOR. SENATOR Safety Area? DOCTOR There's no point in putting anyone at risk. SENATOR I don't understand? How does all this help me find my Brother? The DOCTOR thinks for a moment. DOCTOR Senator. We've had some very positive results with this technique. Very positive. Please bear with us just a little longer. The SENATOR makes an odd unhappy sound. SENATOR (impatient) I've been here for hours. Why can't you just tell me what's going on? DOCTOR We're all a little busy right now. The SENATOR grabs the DOCTOR by his arm. SENATOR (angry) BUSY? You weren't busy when you needed my help for this project. # 17. The DOCTOR isn't provoked. DOCTOR (calm) Your assistance has been invaluable. SENATOR Perhaps I should just take the Sergeant back to that VA hospital where I found him. DOCTOR He's been in a coma for thirty years, Senator. I don't think that would really matter. The DOCTOR forcibly removes the SENATORS' hand. The SENATOR glares at him, then begins a verbal assault. SENATOR (loud) What do you intend to do? Just wake him up? Have him tell you what I want to know?... I did pay for all this! I would like some sort of answer! DOCTOR (thoughtful) Yes, the funding.... Thank you. SENATOR (annoyed) That's it, just Thank You? DOCTOR What else would you like me to say? We're all very busy at the moment. Things are about to happen. SENATOR What things? DOCTOR Senator, please relax.... Everything's proceeding on schedule. We've just reached the first level. There's just two more to go. # 18. The SENATOR seems to relent, his posture relaxes. SENATOR Okay, but just tell me what's going on! The DOCTOR eyes the monitors, forms a short answer. DOCTOR Basically, we've rewired his brain. SENATOR (frowns) His brain? DOCTOR His very inactive, deprived brain. The SENATOR looks confused. The DOCTOR elaborates. DOCTOR(CON'T) We give his brain what it wants. We input information, sensation, ideas, thoughts. We stimulate his mind, his basic functions. The SENATOR looks unconvinced. The DOCTOR continues. DOCTOR(CON'T) We take his memory, just before his injury in the mortar attack, then block everything that occurred after. While actively substituting a whole new scenario. One that will reinforce his basic desires. His basic needs. His brain does all the rest. It just needs input. SENATOR (lost) So, he'll just wake up? DOCTOR (nods) Yes. Yes he will. The DOCTORS' short remark doesn't quite thrill the SENATOR. They're interrupted by the escalating situation. # 19. NURSE (on monitor) Muscle tone is increasing. He's beginning to vocalize. TECHNICIAN Confirmed. We are at Level Two. DOCTOR Right. Go to Safety Level Two. Station Orange. SENATOR (worried) What are all these safety levels for? DOCTOR (calmly) There just part of the procedure. Please stay within the area marked on the floor. The SENATOR becomes uneasy. The escalating activity, seems to confuse him. The DOCTOR hands him a pair of safety glasses with dark lenses. On the monitor, we see SARGES' lips begin to move. NURSE (on monitor) Spinal cord active. Positive signal to his lower extremities. Level Three immanent. The SENATOR looks even more confused. The equipment begins to become more audible. SENATOR Wait, what's he saying? The DOCTOR tries to speak above the increasing noise. DOCTOR There's no place like home. SENATOR WHAT? DOCTOR There's no place like home. The DOCTOR and TECHNICIAN put on their dark glasses. The SENATOR hesitantly puts his on as well. We see SARGES' lower torso beginning to move. The DOCTOR issues a caution. # 20. DOCTOR Prepare to go to Safety Level Three. Station Red. The TECHNICIAN begins a countdown. TECHNICIAN Level Three in Three..Two..One. SARGE is suddenly enveloped in a flash of very bright, blinding, white light. The DOCTOR and TECHNICIAN become overly interested in the monitor readouts. The SENATOR stares into the light surrounding SARGE. As the light begins to fade, SARGE disappears. Then the level of noise begins to decrease. SENATOR (stunned) My God! The SENATOR rushes toward the DOCTOR, not entirely in control. SENATOR(CON'T) (loud) What the hell was that? What's going on? What happened to him? Where did he go? The DOCTOR reacts very calmly. DOCTOR Specifically. October Ninth, Nineteen Seventy-One. Inside his Mothers house near Trenton, New Jersey. SENATOR WHAT? DOCTOR His brain had no concept of space or time. Just a deep rooted Desire to go Home. We merely reinforced it. The SENATOR appears unconvinced. SENATOR He moved through Time? DOCTOR Both Time and Space. SENATOR You're not serious? # 21. DOCTOR Completely! SENATOR You expect me to believe you? DOCTOR Yes. Why wouldn't you? The DOCTORS' answer confuses the SENATOR. SENATOR Time Travel? The DOCTORS smiles at the SENATOR. DOCTOR Yes, Time Travel! SENATOR But How? Why? DOCTOR A very interesting point. The How isn't really that complicated, especially if we know that someone has already moved through time to a known point in the past. This involves a very careful review of all the available records and a certain amount of luck. The Why, well that just presents us with an amazing opportunity to influence things.... Slightly. SENATOR Influences?... What sort of influences? DOCTOR Within the scenario we introduce, small, subtle things. Overall, they're mostly subliminal. Which directly effect his future. Our present. (nods) Minor changes. SENATOR You're changing things? # 22. DOCTOR Small technical things. The odd bit of information in the right place. Nothing really massive. SENATOR (shocked) You can't play God!... You'll screw things up! What were you thinking? The Doctor shrugs slightly. Staying silent. SENATOR(CON'T) (impatient) Well!... DOCTOR (calmly) There are many unforeseeable things that can occur. Certain problems that may arise.... It's not really that precise yet. Which is why we maintain such a high level of safety procedures. SENATOR (angry) What are you babbling about? DOCTOR A Temporal Incursion such as this, can create minor aftershocks. Reflections. Erasures in time. The safety field gives us a certain amount of control. Limiting any negative side effects, to minor, yet acceptable levels. SENATOR (not happy) That's gobbledygook! DOCTOR Basically, we employ an inverse temporal reflector. The SENATORS' neck muscles begin to throb. SENATOR (irritated) You're still babbling. # 23. DOCTOR Senator, the can only way I can explain any of this, is with the appropriate jargon. The SENATOR ignores him. SENATOR You do know, I am shutting you down. DOCTOR I'm sorry you feel that way Senator.... They're cut short suddenly, by several alarm noises. DOCTOR (to Technician) Report. TECHNICIAN Inverse Compression Field, Level Two. Safeties holding. DOCTOR Good, run a check for any Secondary echoes. I don't want the Primary sneaking up on us. The TECHNICIAN complies, checks his equipment. The SENATOR seizes the moment, goads the DOCTOR. SENATOR (snarky) Having a problem? DOCTOR (calmly) Not really. Everything is well within our projected limits. SENATOR What with all the noise, I assumed something might have gone wrong. DOCTOR No, everything is perfectly normal. There is no cause for alarm. The SENATOR looks at him suspiciously. # 24. SENATOR It just occurred to me, that all this could be smoke and mirrors. An elaborate illusion. Designed to squeeze more money out of the system. The DOCTOR ponders his answer. Checks the monitors. DOCTOR I'm not sure what answer you'd like. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. SENATOR (angry) For what? Another trick. Another rabbit out of another hat. The DOCTOR doesn't answer as several more alarms trigger. TECHNICIAN (reports) Primary Inversion Field at Maximum. Safeties holding. Temporal Compression Wave approaching Critical Field Density. The DOCTOR nods at the readouts on the monitors. The SENATOR bursts out at the DOCTOR. SENATOR (angry) You're shut down. Finished. All of this stupidity will be dismantled. I'm filing charges against you and everyone involved in this insane charade. The SENATOR glares at the DOCTOR. The DOCTOR responds somberly. DOCTOR Senator, the human mind is an incredible thing. A complex structure capable of amazing leaps of insight. A flesh and blood computer, with the ability to see beyond the very limits imposed upon us by the Universe itself. # 25. The DOCTORS' comments seemed to have been timed to an expected event. As he finishes, all the monitor screens turn to snow. TECHNICIAN (calmly) Primary has arrived. There is an increasing audible hum. Which after several seconds ends with a rather short beep. SENATOR (worried) What was that? DOCTOR That would be the information you requested about your Brother. SENATOR (agitated) What?... Where? The DOCTOR points to a file on a desk on his left, outside the safety field. The SENATOR looks at him suspiciously. DOCTOR (nods) The information is in that file folder. SENATOR (loudly) Why didn't you tell me about this before? DOCTOR (gestures) We're dealing with forces that define the existence of the Universe itself. We can understand them, to a degree. But, we don't have any real control. Sometimes things just happen when they happen. SENATOR (annoyed) What sort of answer was that? # 26. DOCTOR Well, it wasn't actually there before.... But it is now. SENATOR (confused) What? DOCTOR (shrugs) Time corrects itself at its' own pace. It does what it does, when it does it. There's no real simple answer. The SENATOR looks unconvinced, but moves towards the desk undaunted. The DOCTOR turns to the TECHNICIAN, giving him a nod. The TECHNICIAN nods back to him. He presses a button, a series of lights begin to blink on his control panel. We see the SENATOR crossing the safety line on the floor. As he does, the space around him ripples. Distorts. He moves to the desk, picks up the file. Reads. Then he utters a rather surprising noise. He turns back to the DOCTOR. Different. He now appears to be Phil GOTTLIEB, from Lakehurst, New Jersey. GOTTLIEB (confused) This isn't my Brothers file? Its' Mine. DOCTOR (apologetic) My mistake, Senator Gottlieb. My mistake. We see the DOCTOR looking at the TECHNICIAN. Both men are smiling. FADE OUT. THE END #