Doctor Who: ArchAngel (UNFINISHED)A Screenplay by JBlanchardAn unfinished Doctor Who script I started and never bothered with again. Enjoy.1. EXT.
WESTMINSTER BRIDGE - LONDON - NIGHT SOPHIA runs down the bridge, trying to escape an
unseen attacker. It's snowing lightly. TITLE CARD: 23rd December, 1899 She trips, stumbles in the snow. She drags herself
over to railings, panting. SOPHIA (V/O) My name is Sophia DeFauna. I love to draw. She reaches into her dress, and pulls out a piece
of paper. On it, is a sketch of young boy, holding the hand of a little girl.
She smiles at it. SOPHIA (V/O) Now my drawings want to kill me. She looks up, down the bridge, and sees a statue of
her drawing, the young boy and little girl, standing at the end, looking at
her. She gets up in a panic, stumbling backwards, but
never taking her eyes off it. She keeps moving away. SOPHIA (V/O) They said that, once they found you, they never let
you go. That your talent belonged to them. I didn't believe them. I should
have. She backs into something behind her. She turns
around slowly, to see what it is. It's a Weeping Angel, bearing down on her,
staring her right in the eye... SOPHIA (crying now) I'm sorry, mother. I'm sorry... And she disappears, leaving nothing but the snow
behind... TITLE SEQUENCE 2. INT. TARDIS
- CONSOLE ROOM THE DOCTOR sit of the steps, reading a book as the
TARDIS moves through time. The book is 'Black Rose' by Amelia Williams; the
cover is a teenage girl, holding a black coloured rose at arms length, which
has snapping jaws. The Doctor's enjoying it. What sounds like a text alert goes off from The
Doctor's jacket, hanging on a railing. He jumps up, goes to it, pulls out his
Psychic Paper, and reads what it says: 835 - 76523/FOGHORN SEE YOU THERE, X A huge grin spreads across The Doctor's face. He
rushes off, pulling leavers on the console. The time rotor spins... 3. EXT.
PHAESTER OSIRIS - SPACE The TARDIS zooms towards the huge yellow planet. 4. EXT. DESERT
- PHAESTER OSIRIS - DAY RIVER SONG mulls about the desert, taking readings
on her hand held computer. She is wearing her white exploration suit, from
'Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead'. Around her are four other
archaeologists: TANYA, JOHANN, GLEN, and PROFESSOR KNOX (all also wearing white
suits). TITLE CARD: Phaester Osiris, 51st Century Knox goes up to hear. KNOX I bloody hate these suits. I'm sweating to death in
here. RIVER University policy, I'm afraid, Professor. KNOX I never had you down as one for convention,
Professor. RIVER Oh, it comes in handy. KNOX So where's this specialist of yours? Cutting it a
little fine, isn't he? It'll be night in less than twelve hours. RIVER He'll be here. Besides, we're cutting it a little
fine ourselves; I still haven't found anything on this. KNOX It's a one thousand foot pyramid, how hard can it
be to find? The sound of wheezing engines fills the air. River
smiles; he's here. RIVER Well, it just got a whole lot easier. She turns around, and there, standing on a rock, is
The Doctor, beaming straight at her. RIVER Hello, sweetie. THE DOCTOR Glad to see you got started without me. The Doctor jumps down from the rock, and heads over
to River and Knox. Knox shakes his hand. KNOX Professor Oxford Knox, pleased to meet you. THE DOCTOR I'm The Doctor. KNOX I presume you're Professor Song's specialist? THE DOCTOR That I am. So, Phaester Osiris! Nice choice, but a
lot to find. RIVER But we know just where to start. Her computer beeps. RIVER (cont'd) There! The pyramid, about two- THE DOCTOR Two miles due east. RIVER You know, undermining one another is never a good
basis for a relationship. THE DOCTOR Sorry, dear. KNOX Sounds good enough to me. (to archaeologists) Pack
up! We're moving out, due east. The archaeologists pack up their equipment, begin
to move over the dessert. The Doctor and River link arms, and head off in the
same direction. 5. EXT.
PYRAMID - DESERT - PHAESTER OSIRIS - DAY The Doctor, River and Archaeologists clamber over a
rock face, and look out, to see... The Pyramid. A huge Pyramid, with massive steps
leading up to a huge door, its entrance. Two huge statues of Egyptian soldiers,
wearing ornamental, animal themed head gear and carrying spears guard it. Tanya gasps. JOHANN It's beautiful. THE DOCTOR Isn't it just. GLEN Have you been here before? THE DOCTOR Once. A long time ago, back when the Osirians ran
the show. But now there's no one home. I guess everything has to end sometime. KNOX Let's go up. We'll see what we can find, then set
up camp for the night. We've got enough supplies for five days, so we might as
well take our time. TANYA I'll get a scan ready for the door. The Doctor and River share a smile, and they all
head towards the pyramid. 6. EXT.
GALLERY - LONDON - NIGHT JENNY is waiting in a queue for an art auction. She
is wearing a fancy party frock, and shivering in the snow and cold. She is
wearing an earpiece. A voice is heard through it... STRAX (O/S) Will you hurry, girl! We haven't got all night! VASTRA (O/S) Shut up, Strax. She doesn't need you whining in her
ear every two seconds. JENNY Thank you, Vastra. VASTRA (O/S) You're welcome Jenny. JENNY I'm nearly in. Only one guest is between her and the DOORMAN. The
Doorman lets the guest in, and Jenny moves up to him. DOORMAN Your name, please. JENNY (posh accent) Catherine Peregrine. The Doorman checks his list. Jenny bites her lip
nervously, but the Doorman smiles, and lets her in. DOORMAN Enjoy your time, Ma'am. Jenny nods, and enters. 8. INT.
GALLERY - LONDON - NIGHT The Gallery is full of people drinking and
socialising, and looking at paintings. All the paintings are of angels in
different poses. At the head of the room, is an auctioneers post. Jenny looks
around in awe. VASTRA (O/S) Don't get distracted, Jenny. That's Strax's job. There's an inaudible argument over the earpiece.
Jenny suppresses a giggle. EVE HAYTHEM, host of the gathering, enters, and
heads for the podium. She is an older woman, but gorgeous, and wearing a
preposterous blue dress. She stands on the podium, and gathers the rooms
attention. HAYTHEM Hello! Good evening, everyone, and welcome to this
very special auction! As you can see, the paintings around you are all very
beautiful. That's because they were painted by the very beautiful, and very
talented, students of the ArchAngel School of the Arts. This evening, we will
be selling these painting, and donating eighty percent of the proceeds to the
Christmas Patrons of the Poor fund. So, before I bore you all to death, I'll
let our auctioneer take over. And remember, be generous! It's Christmas after
all! There's laughter, and applause, and Haythem
modestly leaves the podium. A balding auctioneer steps in to take her place,
and she leaves through a back door. AUCTIONEER Right, let's get started! Our first piece, lot 1,
is called 'Angels in Leisure'! So, let's start at five pounds! Five pounds,
thank you... Jenny looks around, then sneaks out of the crowd.
She heads to a door, checks she's not being watched, and heads through it... 9. INT.
GALLERY - CORRIDOR - LONDON - NIGHT Jenny clicks the door shut. Then, she rips off her
dress, revealing that she's wearing her black, 'Catwoman' leathers. She reaches
into the pile of fabric that was her dress and pulls out her sword. JENNY I'm in. 10. INT.
CARRIAGE - LONDON - NIGHT Vastra and Strax sit in the back of a carriage,
listening to Jenny. Vastra has her trusty sword, and Strax is wearing a belt
around his chest, with several revolvers attached, and a mask over his face. VASTRA Great! We'll be with you soon. (to Strax) Ready? Strax picks up two revolvers, and pulls back both
hammers. Vastra smiles. 11. INT.
GALLERY - CORRIDOR - LONDON - NIGHT Jenny rushes towards a window, opens it for Vastra.
She rushes back, and starts feeling along the wall. She's looking for a secret
door. There's a loud 'click' from behind her, and she freezes. Slowly she turns
around, and sees... A revolver, held mere inches away from her face.
Holding it is Haythem, grinning from ear to ear. HAYTHEM And look who it is! Jenny Flint: Infiltration
Extraodinaire! Although, doesn't your kind normally come in pairs? Or does your
spouse often neglect you? Jenny can't talk; she's shaking too much. She
daren't take her eyes off the barrel. HAYTHEM (cont'd) Oh, and she's left you again! You must hurt so
much. Do you wonder if she misses you? Do you think she would miss you? Jenny looks Haythem straight in the eye. The grin
widens even further. HAYTHEM (cont'd) Shall we find out? Haythem goes to pull the trigger. Jenny braces
herself. 12. EXT.
PYRAMID - PHAESTER OSIRIS - HUGE DOOR - DAY The Doctor, River and the Archaeologists are
gathered around the huge door of the pyramid. Tanya is using her computer to
scan the door, and The Doctor is offering help with his Sonic Screwdriver.
River is scanning, too. RIVER This place is buzzing with psychic energy. THE DOCTOR It's what the Osirians used for power; their brains
were incredible! With enough practise they could move entire mountains by
thought alone. This Pyramid wasn't built by labour, it was willed into
existence! Some say they were the descendants of gods from another universe.
Others, the greatest piece of evolution in the history of the universe. Either
way, they left in a hurry. KNOX So powerful...I wonder what happened to make them
disappear... THE DOCTOR Sutekh happened. KNOX I thought that was a myth. THE DOCTOR You're the archaeologist. TANYA I've got it! She pushes a few buttons, and the Pyramid rumbles!
The door begins to slide upwards, and stops roughly a quarter of the way up
(still plenty high enough for them to walk through). With smiles, they all enter
the Pyramid... 13. INT.
PYRAMID - CORRIDOR - PHAESTER OSIRIS - DAY The Pyramid is strangely lit; dark, and yet easy to
see. It's full of wide corridors, leading off into other rooms, which are
darker. Hieroglyphics line the walls. Yet more statues line the corridor, in
various poses. JOHANN My god... THE DOCTOR Be careful. There could booby-traps everywhere. KNOX Right. Let's split up, catalogue what we can in the
time we have. The Doctor, Professor Song and I will check out this corridor.
You lot take a room each. We'll meet back up in one hour. And keep your
transponders on at all times. They all start to head off in their appropriate
directions. TANYA Hey, Glen! Not still scared of the dark, are you? GLEN Get lost, Tanya. She laughs, and they enter their rooms. The Doctor
and River go up to the hieroglyphics, whilst Knox inspects the statues. RIVER Why aren't they translating? THE DOCTOR Osirian is incredibly complex. But the old girl's
trying. Let's see...it seems to be called...'The Last Story', no...'Chronicle
of Horus'. KNOX Fascinating... THE DOCTOR It's says..."We returned...after the long
struggle...but they were already here...feasting on our remains..." 14. INT.
PYRAMID - DARK ROOM - PHAESTER OSIRIS - DAY Tanya enters her room. It's too dark to see, so she
switches on her torch. The room is full of more more statues, in an even wider
variety of poses. She pulls out her computer, and sets it to record.
She shines her torch on the nearest statue, moving the light up it and
recording with it. Her torch begins to flicker, then goes out... TANYA Oh, come on! 15. INT.
PYRAMID - CORRIDOR - PHAESTER OSIRIS - DAY THE DOCTOR "They had taken our ideas. Our form. They had
taken everything." KNOX But who are they? THE DOCTOR "There was nothing left for us. So we
left...again. To pursue anew. But be warned, venturers: they are fast. And
deadly. And invulnerable. You may fear, and dream, and will an army of stone to
defend yourself. But this is mere fuel. They will not stop. Or tire. You can
only run. So heed this warning, O traveller. Run...as fast you can." The Doctor, River and Knox all look to each other,
but none have answers. A scream! It echoes through the corridor, making
the three start. RIVER Tanya! They run to find her... 16. INT.
PYRAMID - DARK ROOM - PHAESTER OSIRIS - DAY The Doctor, River and Knox run into the room. The
Doctor is already scanning the room with his Screwdriver. RIVER Tanya! Tanya, where are you?! KNOX She's just dropped off the transponder map! The Doctor knocks something with his foot. He looks
down, and sees the torch and computer on the floor. He picks up the computer,
hits the play button, and watches the recording. His face is grave. RIVER But...where's she gone? THE DOCTOR Give me your torch. RIVER What? Why? THE DOCTOR Give me your torch, and I'll show you where she's
gone. River throws him her torch. Johann runs in. JOHANN I heard screaming! Where...where's Tanya? KNOX She's just disappeared! JOHANN But...how? THE DOCTOR How, Johann? Like this. The Doctor switches on the torch, illuminating the
face of the statue that Tanya was investigating... It's snarling! Bearing it's teeth like a vampire! RIVER No...no, not here... THE DOCTOR They're everywhere, River. Where ever there's food
to be found, they'll be there. KNOX Why is its face like that? THE DOCTOR Because, Professor Knox, it's about to eat us. But
on the plus side, I know who 'they' are now. KNOX Who? The Doctor turns to him, his face like stone. THE DOCTOR The Weeping Angels. 17. INT.
GALLERY - CORRIDOR - LONDON - NIGHT Jenny flinches, ready for the blast. But the gun
doesn't fire. She opens her eyes, to see... Vastra! Holding her blade to Haythem's throat!
Jenny breathes a sigh of relief. VASTRA Drop the gun. Haythem does as she's told. Jenny draws her sword,
and goes back to looking for the secret door. Haythem turns, slowly, to face
Vastra, the sword at her throat all the time. HAYTHEM Nice of you to show up in person. VASTRA The painting you're selling out there are fakes. HAYTHEM Of course they're fakes! We couldn't risk putting
the real ones out there, something might go wrong. But, rest assured, the
buyers will receive the real items. VASTRA What do you mean, something might go wrong? HAYTHEM I thought you were the detective? Vastra pushes the blade, a tiny amount. Haythem
stiffens. VASTRA We've been following the ArchAngel School very
closely. And we've noticed many of your students don't seem to come back. So,
you might as well answer our questions, because we'll find out anyway. HAYTHEM These are very special paintings. And we're selling
them. Because we need to expand our reach. We have London, but these paintings
will be taken to all sorts of places: ancestral homes in Kent, castles in York,
maybe even workhouses in the north. But that doesn't matter; what matters is
the fact we're expanding our remit. And you can't stop the expansion of
industry. No matter how hard you try. Jenny touches part of a wall, and a panel clicks
open. JENNY I've found it! VASTRA Thank you, Miss Haythem. Your collection will look
lovely on our wall. And she smacks Haythem in the face with the butt of
her sword! Haythem crumples to the floor, unconscious. Vastra and Jenny enter the secret room. On the
floor, is a crate of paintings, covered in a sheet. Jenny picks it up. JENNY Once they realise it's gone, the whole city'll be
swarming with peelers. VASTRA Don't worry; Strax is taking care of that. 18. EXT.
LONDON STREET - LONDON - NIGHT Ten, maybe twenty, policemen are chasing a horse
down the street. The rider is... Starx! He's galloping the horse, riding at full
pelt, firing his revolvers into the air. And he's loving it! 19. INT.
PYRAMID - CORRIDOR - PHAESTER OSIRIS - DAY The Doctor, River, Knox and Johann all pile out of
the Dark Room and back into the corridor. The Doctor is Sonicking, and River
has her Alpha-Meson Blaster drawn. Glen comes running towards them. GLEN What the hell's going on! JOHANN It's the statues! They're moving! GLEN What? Like...booby-traps? JOHANN No, Glen! They're alive! The Doctor spots River. She's shaking, and a tear
is rolling down her cheek. THE DOCTOR River. River, listen to me. It's going to be okay. RIVER And what about Rule One? THE DOCTOR (smiles) Rules are made to be be broken. River is reassured; she returns his smile. GLEN I don't understand! They're just statues! THE DOCTOR Yes, Glen! Just statues! Just simple old statues,
that made the Osirians abandon their planet! All the colour drains from Glen's face. Suddenly,
impossibly, the corridor goes dark... The lights return, and three statues stand less
than five meters away from the party, showing their claws and teeth. RIVER Why do they look like that? Like Osirians? THE DOCTOR You said yourself, this place is buzzing with
psychic energy. That's what they're feeding on, and they're taking on the
traits it holds. They're adapting, evolving, to their surrounding. GLEN I don't believe my eyes... THE DOCTOR You don't need to, Glen. They only move when you're
not looking. We need to get out of here. They run down the corridor, towards the exit. The
light fades again, a scream. The light returns, Glen is gone; an Angel is stood
where he used to be, gorging on something that isn't there. Johann stumbles, shocked. He trips, falls into the
doorway of one of the dark rooms. He's yanked inside, screaming. The Doctor, River and Knox are nearly at the huge
door. KNOX What are they! What the hell are they! Knox goes to put his hand on the frame of the huge
door. The Doctor sees him... THE DOCTOR Knox, don't! But too late... Knox puts his hand on the frame. Lightning rips
through his body, tearing him apart. All that's left is ash, and his scream... THE DOCTOR (cont'd) Booby-traps. The Doctor bundles River out of the huge door... 20. EXT.
PYRAMID - HUGE DOOR - PHAESTER OSIRIS - DAY The Doctor and River stumble through the huge door.
The Doctor looks up at the huge guardian statues; their faces staring at him,
bearing their teeth and claws. The Doctor shivers, and the both descend down a
few stairs... The Doctor looks out over the desert, shielding his
eyes from the sun. THE DOCTOR The TARDIS is a good way away, but I think we can
make it. The Angels are unlikely to leave the Pyramid; they wouldn't want to
get isolated from such a good food source. RIVER Doctor... THE DOCTOR The terrain's a bit tricky, but if we're quick, I
reckon we could- RIVER Doctor! The Doctor turns, to see an Angel, holding River by
throat. Tight. THE DOCTOR Oh no... The Doctor moves closer, pulls out his Screwdriver,
starts scanning. THE DOCTOR (cont'd) Let her go! RIVER Shut up, you know damn well it can't. THE DOCTOR River...I... River's crying now. Tears are running down her
face, but she's holding herself together. THE DOCTOR (cont'd) I should've killed them. I should've hunted down
and exterminated every last Weeping Angel when I had the chance! RIVER Doctor...please... The Doctor composes himself the best he can. Angry
tears fill his face. RIVER (cont'd) You know the only way out of this this. THE DOCTOR No. RIVER It might send me back. THE DOCTOR It might break your neck! RIVER Shut up! This is the only way, and you know it! THE DOCTOR River...I'm...I... RIVER Just do it. Please. The Doctor straightens, clenches his jaw, but he
can't stop the tears pouring down his face. THE DOCTOR I'll find you. I promise, on my life, River Song,
I'll find you. RIVER You better. River smiles through the tears at him. She closes
her eyes. The Doctor readies himself, one last time. And... He blinks. River is gone, the Angel leering at the space where
she used to be. The Doctor scans the area, then checks his
screwdriver. He breathes deeply, and... He runs down the huge flight of stairs. 21. EXT.
DESERT - PHAESTER OSIRIS - DAY The Doctors runs into the TARDIS. 22. INT.
TARDIS - CONSOLE ROOM The Doctor, dripping with sweat, slams his
screwdriver into the console. He pushes buttons and pulls leavers, then looks
at the scanner. Gallifreyan text is one the screen. Steely faced, The Doctor pulls one more leaver, and
the TARDIS sets off. 23. EXT. PATERNOSTER
ROW - LONDON - NIGHT Vastra and Jenny sneak through the street, still
carrying the crate. The go up to the front door of Number 21. They enter... 24. INT. 21
PATERNOSTER ROW - HALL - LONDON - NIGHT They enter. Vastra closes the door quickly. Strax
is waiting by the wall. STRAX Where have you two been? JENNY I thought you were distracting the coppers? STRAX The constabulary is well and truly flummoxed, don't
you worry. JENNY Here. (hands Strax crates) Take these to your
basement. STRAX (takes crates) It's my War Room. JENNY It's a basement, Strax. Strax huffs, then heads off down the hall. Vastra
and Jenny unstrap their swords, and hang them on the wall. JENNY They ain't gonna let us keep those paintings. VASTRA I know. But at least we've got time to see what's
so special about them. They head into the living room. 25. INT. 21
PATERNOSTER ROW - LIVING ROOM - LONDON - NIGHT The Doctor is sat in the room, in front of a large
Christmas tree. His glasses are on, and he's reading 'Black Rose'. Jenny and Vastra spot him. VASTRA Oh...
© 2014 JBlanchard |
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Added on January 26, 2014 Last Updated on January 26, 2014 Tags: Doctor, Who, Doctor Who, River Song, Christmas, Paternoster Gang, victorian, weeping angels AuthorJBlanchardAboutMisanthrope, social democrat, Doctor Who lover, and more optimistic than I like to let on. more..Writing
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