6: Seek-Locate-Destroy

[Planet Centero. Outside what looks like a manufacturing plant.] P.A.: Attention, please. This is planet Centero communications base control. Routine robot surveillance is now in operation. [A mobile robot rolls by, swivels its head, then moves on. Blake materializes, looks about then runs to take cover. He moves deeper into the building as he hears the robot approaching, brushing by a hanging cable as he goes. The robot shoots a stream of flames onto the still swinging cable just seconds later.]

BLAKE

[into bracelet] I'm down and safe. I'm somewhere inside the main complex. Is Vila ready?

[Liberator teleport room. Jenna is at the controls, Vila is standing near her with his open box of tools. Gan and Cally are nearby.]

JENNA

[into comm] Hold on, just checking. [to Vila] Are you ready?

VILA

Tell him I've just worked out a completely new strategy. It's called running away.

JENNA

He's ready.

BLAKE

[v.o.] Put him down.

JENNA

[into comm] Standby. [Vila is putting some tools back inside his box and fumbling with the lid.]

GAN

Come on, Vila! [Vila gets the box closed and moves into the teleport bay.]

JENNA

Ready? [Vila nods resignedly.] I'm putting him down -- now. [Vila dematerializes.]

[Centero. Vila materializes in the same place as Blake had earlier. He looks about, then starts running in the exact opposite of the direction Blake took.]

BLAKE

[beckoning] Vila, over here. [Vila runs to join him.]

VILA

Where are we?

BLAKE

Shhh, no noise. There's a security robot patrolling the area. As far as I can tell we're in the outer compound. Top security section should be back that way. Now, stay close to me and keep your head down.

VILA

[hopefully] Why don't I stay here and keep watch?

BLAKE

Come on. [They run, pass alongside a wall and come to a gate in a chain-link fence. A sign on the gate reads "TOP SECURITY."]

BLAKE

There it is. That must be the way in. Can you open those gates or are we going to have to climb them?

VILA

You won't get over it. That'll have every detector device you can imagine, and a few more besides. I'll have to get a closer look at the locking system.

BLAKE

All right, I'll keep watch. [Vila moves over to the gate, pausing first to try a set of locked doors nearby. He shrugs at Blake who motions him on to the gate. Vila eyes the gate, opens his box and applies a tool to the inside of a panel he opens. There is a large electric spark and the end bit of his tool is burnt off. Vila looks at it in disgust and replaces it in his box. Blake hears the robot approaching and flattens to the ground.]

BLAKE

[calling softly] Vila, take cover. [Vila keeps working on the panel.]

BLAKE

Vila! [Vila reaches into his box. The robot passes by. Blake looks over at the gate -- no Vila in sight. Blake runs over to the gate and looks around.]

BLAKE

Vila? [Vila sticks his head out of the doors he'd checked earlier.]

VILA

Has it gone?

BLAKE

How did you get in there?

VILA

There isn't a lock I can't open -- if I'm scared enough.

BLAKE

Are you scared enough for that one?

VILA

What do you think? [Both move over to the gate and look at it. Vila sets back to work with a couple of tools.]

BLAKE

How does it work?

VILA

Anybody authorized to go through the gate has a physio-psycho pattern registered in the central computer. [Hands one of the tools to Blake.] Hold this. When he wants to go through, this scans him and feeds the reading back to the computer. All you've got to do is intercept the feedback from the computer. [Vila holds one finger on a component inside the panel.] Now, you stand in front and I'll press the scan button. [Vila presses a red button with his other hand. Blake's face is illuminated by a red light.] Retrieval system, no record, refusal signal, now. [Vila pulls his hand away from the panel. The light on Blake's face changes to green, there's a buzz, and the gate swings open.]

BLAKE

Nice going.

VILA

Any very talented person could have done it.

BLAKE

Come on. [Blake enters. Vila starts to follow with his tool box but hears a beeping from the gate controls so pauses to close the panel he'd opened. They run inside, slipping safely behind a patrol group. They see two guards at a door. Blake whispers to Vila who nods, then approaches the guards.]

VILA

Hello there. How are you? Excuse me wandering about your premises but I wonder if you can help me. I'm an escaped prisoner. I was a thief but recently I've become interested in sabotage, in a small way you understand, nothing too ambitious, I hate vulgarity, don't you? Anyway, I've come to blow something up. What do you think will be most suitable? [Throughout this babbling the guards have been looking back and forth at him and each other in disbelief. Blake slips up behind them from the other side and takes out one of the guards. Vila bashes the other with his tool box.]

GUARDS

Agh! [Blake runs inside. Vila starts to follow then stays with the guards.]

VILA

Blake, don't leave me. [Blake moves down corridors, draws his weapon and looks around. Back at the door, Vila arranges the two unconscious guards into a seated position leaning against each other, then enters the building. He looks around in a corridor.]

BLAKE

[calls softly] Oy. [Vila jumps as Blake comes up behind him.]

VILA

Oh, you gave me such a shock, you did....

[Teleport room. Avon and Cally are holding mines which Gan packs into a carry bag, Jenna is at the controls.]

AVON

All you've got to do with these is find a metal surface and they'll stick fast.

GAN

Right.

CALLY

They're taking too long.

AVON

That's the trouble with heroics. They seldom run to schedule.

JENNA

They'll find it. There's not going to be a sign up there saying "This way to the cipher room."

GAN

They may need help.

CALLY

I think so, too.

AVON

They would have called in.

JENNA

Avon's right.

AVON

[looks over at Jenna] I usually am.

JENNA

Blake says wait so we wait.

[Corridor outside Cipher Room. Blake and Vila move cautiously down the corridor then duck into cover as Prell wheels a dolly out of the room. He leaves it in the corridor and returns inside. Blake mouths something to Vila then bursts into the room and points his weapon at the technicians and guard inside.]

BLAKE

Stand still! Vila, get his gun. [Vila takes the gun from the guard and herds the others with it.]

VILA

All right, all of you, over there, against the wall, quickly.

BLAKE

[into bracelet] Jenna, we found it. Standby. [Teleport room]

BLAKE

[v.o.] Phase one is now complete. Get an absolute locator fix on my signal. As soon as you are set, put them down. [Gan, Cally and Avon move over to the teleport controls.]

JENNA

Right.

AVON

It had better be right. A fraction out and you could put us down in the middle of the security barracks.

JENNA

Don't tempt me. [Jenna is using a panel with an indicator light.]

JENNA

Blake, can you give me a voice check?

BLAKE

[v.o.] Reading out. [The light moves as he speaks, then comes to a stop.] One, two, three, four. One, two--

JENNA

Right, that's it, got it. Locked on. [to others] Ready? [Avon, Cally and Gan enter the teleport bay.] Good luck. I'm putting them down -- now.

[Cipher room. Avon, Cally and Gan materialize.]

BLAKE

[to Avon] Now do you know what you're looking for?

AVON

[shortly] Yes. [Moves off towards the equipment.]

BLAKE

[to Gan] All the equipment here?

GAN

All here.

BLAKE

[into bracelet] Down and safe. Well done, Jenna.

[Teleport room. Jenna smiles and sits back, making notes on a pad.]

[Cipher room]

BLAKE

Vila, back down to the entrance: keep the door covered. Cally, Gan, get the prisoners out of here, find somewhere to hold them. Cally, you stay with them. Gan, when you've started setting charges come back in here.

GAN

Right. [Gan and Cally leave, herding the techs and guard before them.]

AVON

Blake! [Blake joins Avon, and looks inside an opened panel.] This is it.

BLAKE

You're sure?

AVON

It's been updated since the last one I saw, but it's still the same basic instrument.

BLAKE

You're absolutely positive?

AVON

Yes.

BLAKE

Good, disconnect it. [Avon starts to work.]

[Storage room with shelves of bins, etc. Cally and Gan herd their prisoners inside.]

CALLY

Move on, move on, stand facing those racks. [Gan pushes the men up against the rack, pats their arms into position.] And keep your hands up.

GAN

Can you handle it, Cally? [Cally nods, Gan leaves the room.]

CALLY

Now then. Don't move.

[Corridor. Gan sticks two mines to walls and activates them.]

[Cipher room. Avon is working, Gan comes in quickly startling Blake who aims his weapon at him before recognizing Gan.]

GAN

I've set the charges down the corridor.

BLAKE

All right, set a couple in here.

GAN

Two? One would be sufficient.

BLAKE

I want total destruction so nothing can be recognized. If they sort through the debris and find the cipher machine is missing all they'll do is change their code and we'll have wasted our time.

[Storage room. Cally moves over to the door and peers out. Prell reaches one hand slowly towards a canister on the shelf before him but puts it back up empty when Cally moves towards the prisoners again.]

[Cipher room. Gan is starting to attach a mine to a wall.]

BLAKE

Way over there. [Indicates the other side of the room and Gan sets the mine.]

AVON

Gan. [Gan moves over to help Avon who hands him a tool.]

[Outside the door. One of the guards has come to. Vila sees the robot approaching and takes cover. The guard runs to trigger a switch. Vila chases him and knocks him out, but too late to keep the alarm from going off.]

[Cipher room. Blake is standing at the open door. The alarm can be heard.]

BLAKE

That's done it. Gan, watch the door. [Blake shuts the door, Gan moves over to it as Blake crosses to Avon.]

BLAKE

[to Avon] How are you doing?

AVON

[grunts] Well, the main holders are released but I still can't get it free.

BLAKE

Here. [He tries in vain to pull the cipher gizmo free.]

AVON

It's secured by something that I can't quite fathom. Gan! [Gan joins them]

GAN

You better stand back. [He reaches into the panel and grapples with the device, grimacing with strain.]

BLAKE

Avon, keep an eye on the door. [Avon moves over to the door.]

BLAKE

[Checks his timer] Come on, Gan, hurry it up, hurry up.

[Storage room. Vila pops in.]

VILA

Cally.

CALLY

What?

VILA

I've just been spotted. The alarms are ringing. I thought you ought to know. [exits] [Cally sees Prell reaching toward the shelf, and moves toward him. He withdraws his hand.]

CALLY

I thought I told you not to move.

[Cipher room. Vila bursts in, Avon aims his weapon at him.]

AVON

What are you doing here?

VILA

What do you think?

BLAKE

Lock the door! [Vila slides a bolt just as a guard reaches the door.]

BLAKE

Get down, both of you. [Blake blasts the guard through the door. Blake, Vila and Avon push a cabinet in front of the doorway to block it.]

BLAKE

[to Gan] How are you doing?

GAN

I've broken two connections, just two to go.

BLAKE

You've got one minute left. [into bracelet] Stand by, Jenna, we may have to get out of here very fast.

[Storage room. Cally moves in front of a set of shelves. She looks over at the door when she hears some guards running past, and Prell grabs the canister and throws it at her, knocking her back.

PRELL

[to other prisoners] Come on, get her! [They rush her, and Prell grapples with her, holding her until the guard knocks her out.]

PRELL

[to guard] Right, you watch her. [to other techs] You three come with me. [They exit. The guard removes Cally's gun.] P.A.: Attention, please. This is base control, red alert! All security personnel to report to number one command post immediately.

[Outside building. A squad of guards jog by.]

[Storage room. Cally attacks the guard. They fight, she wins and knocks him out. She realizes her bracelet has come off and starts searching for it, around and behind the racks.]

[Cipher room. Gan bends back a sheet of metal and pulls the cipher device free.]

GAN

Got it!

BLAKE

Right, everything into the bags. [into bracelet] Jenna, stand by to bring us up in, about, twenty seconds. [Shots of Cally still searching, overlaid by the timer on a mine ticking down.] Now! [Blake, Avon, Vila and Gan dematerialize.]

[Shots of Cally still searching, the timer reaching zero, explosions, fire, Cally's body lying behind the fallen rack, her bracelet lying beside her.]

[Teleport room]

JENNA

[lays device on control panel] So you got it.

BLAKE

It was close though.

AVON

Too close. Another few seconds we'd have all been blown up.

VILA

Well, it wasn't my fault.

AVON

Well, whose fault was it? I thought you were supposed to guard the corridor.

VILA

You were supposed to disconnect that thing, not rely on Gan tear to it loose with his teeth.

JENNA

All right, all right, now calm down. Are you sure this is it? [picks up the device] It doesn't look like much.

[Flight deck, empty except for Blake.]

BLAKE

Zen, retaliation status report.

ZEN

Detectors confirm massive launch of long range interceptor rockets. They have locked on to Liberator's course and are in pursuit.

BLAKE

How long before we outrun them?

ZEN

Battle computers estimate seven hours to outrange interceptor tracking systems.

BLAKE

Maintain optimum evasive strategy. [He exits the flight deck, the next line coming as he walks away down the corridor.]

ZEN

Battle computers confirm, optimum evasion strategy committed.

[Teleport room]

AVON

So that all communication between Federation units is sent by hyperspace sub-beam, that originates here and here. [indicates areas on device] All messages are converted into zeta three particles and then scrambled. [Blake enters in background.] They in their turn become an unbreakable code.

BLAKE

Unbreakable unless you have one of those.

AVON

As soon as I get this linked into our communications setup, we should be able to read every message that the Federation puts out.

JENNA

Any sign of the interceptors?

BLAKE

We picked up a whole flock of 'em. But we should outrun them in seven hours.

JENNA

It's almost too easy, isn't it?

BLAKE

A lot can happen in seven hours so I suggest we get back to business. Avon, I want you to make a start with that. Cally can help you. Where is Cally? [Everyone looks about.] Anybody see where she went? [Pause, no one speaks.] Has anybody seen her since she came back on board?

GAN

I haven't seen her.

VILA

Neither have I.

BLAKE

Then she's still down there. We've got to get back.

JENNA

We can't. The interceptors.

BLAKE

We can't just leave her there!

AVON

Blake, listen. If she didn't come back up, then she must have been in the building when the charges blew. She's dead.

VILA

And anyway, the place will be crawling with security forces by now. They'll be on full alert.

AVON

We'd never even get through their interceptors. [Grabs Blake's arm.] Listen! [Blake yanks free.] If you turn this ship round, you will kill all of us.

[Federation Space Headquarters. Servalan's office.]

RONTANE

Which is why the President has asked me to come here personally; to express his own very grave concern over this matter. The destruction of the communications center has far-reaching political consequences. Controllers from some of the Outer Planets, whose loyalty to the Federation is, uh, delicately balanced, have been openly critical of the Administration's defense system. There are even one or two radical voices that speak of withdrawal from the Federation.

BERCOL

My department has done all in its power to suppress information about Blake and his actions -- there is a total blackout on all reports concerning him -- but still the stories get out. They spread by word of mouth, by whispers, by rumour; each time the story is told it is elaborated upon. Any damage to the Federation is attributed to Blake. The smallest incident is exaggerated out of all proportion until it becomes a major event. Blake is becoming a legend. His name is a rallying call for malcontents of all persuasions. He must be stopped.

SERVALAN

Gentlemen: I share the President's grave concern. And I am aware of the danger should Blake become a legend. But let us keep this matter in its correct perspective. It is true that Blake has command of a superb space vehicle, but he is just a man, backed by a handful of criminals, and that is all. He is not invulnerable, nor is he superhuman. He is just a man, who has been extremely lucky to evade capture --- so far.

RONTANE

With respect, Supreme Commander, we are aware of the facts. They are simply that with all the resources that the Federation can call upon, this one vulnerable, lucky man is still free to cause havoc.

SERVALAN

You have some criticism of my handling of this matter, Secretary Rontane?

RONTANE

Not at all, I hoped merely to convey the concern shown by the President when he briefed me for this visit.

BERCOL

It would be very helpful to all of us if we knew --- if you could indicate what action you will NOW be taking against Blake.

SERVALAN

Very well, Councillor Bercol. You may tell the President that I am appointing a Space Commander to take absolute control of this matter. He will be exclusively concerned to seek, locate, and destroy Blake.

BERCOL

Oh, excellent, excellent.

RONTANE

May we know the officer's name?

SERVALAN

Yes, you may. Space Commander Travis.

RONTANE

I understood that Travis had been suspended from duty pending an inquiry into the massacre of the civilians on the planet Auros.

SERVALAN

And I have satisfied myself that Travis acted correctly in this matter. The civilian deaths on Auros were unavoidable.

BERCOL

Uh, there are other incidents on his record, um, unfortunate incidents.

RONTANE

He has caused the Administration some political embarrassment in the past. In dealing with even minor insurrections, he has been, ah ... overzealous?

SERVALAN

Oh, don't be afraid of the word, Secretary. Ruthless. Committed. He does his duty as he sees it, and he sees it clearly. He has no time for the dirty gray areas of your politics.

RONTANE

[chuckle] I'm sure you're right, and of course the appointment is made on your judgement and your responsibility.

SERVALAN

Responsibility is something I have never evaded, Secretary.

RONTANE

Ah. May I then tell the President that you are confident that the Blake problem will be solved, soon?

SERVALAN

You may tell him to prepare a statement announcing that Blake has been eliminated.

BERCOL

Thank you for your reassurances, Supreme Commander.

RONTANE

Goodbye.

SERVALAN

A safe journey back to Earth. [The two men exit.]

SERVALAN

[into comm] Where is space commander Travis? He was due here one hour ago.

VOICE

[v.o.] His ship is locked into the station's flight grid. He will dock at precisely eighteen-twenty-three.

SERVALAN

Good. [She opens a window and looks out at space. View shifts to the Liberator in space as her voice speaks] Your time is running out, Blake. Your time and your luck.

[Flight deck. Jenna, Avon and Gan are working to install the cipher device. Blake is moving about restlessly, Jenna goes over to him.]

JENNA

[rests hand on his shoulder] There's nothing you could have done. It wasn't your fault.

BLAKE

And whose fault was it? I should have checked.

JENNA

Cally wasn't a child.

BLAKE

Wasn't she?

JENNA

She knew the risks. She accepted them. She even welcomed them.

BLAKE

She was ashamed to go back to her own people because she had survived when the rest of the freedom fighters were massacred.

JENNA

Well, that wasn't her fault.

BLAKE

Shame like hers is an emotion, Jenna. It isn't rational.

JENNA

Exactly, and so is guilt like yours. That's not rational, either.

BLAKE

It's ironic, isn't it? She was the only one of us who wasn't a convicted criminal.

JENNA

She convicted herself. You can't live like that. You've got to make peace with yourself, Blake, if you want to survive. [Blake moves over to Avon.}

BLAKE

How are you coming with that?

AVON

The primaries are hooked into the main instrumentation, I just have to link up to a read-out.

ZEN

Attention. Liberator is now out of range of the interceptor's scanning systems. Detectors indicate the rockets have begun to self destruct.

BLAKE

Have the navigation computers put in a course for the planet listing K-Fourteen.

ZEN

Course laid in.