PRISONER'S RETURN
EPISODE 6 - ABRACADABRA
Number 6 is in town shopping, when he stops to look at a poster advertising a show at the theatre of a small seaside town nearby. Number 6 recognises the face of one of the performers as that of one of the ex-number 2s. He is advertised in a supporting role as magician. Number 6 is extremely interested and walks around the town until he comes to the Tourist Information Board shop. He enters and looks through the racks of leaflets, until one of the assistants comes across to help him. Number 6 asks for any information about the show he has seen advertised, and the assistant provides him with a leaflet about it.
Meanwhile, the new 'Village' leader has been morosely watching number 6's progress, and decides that they need a new way to keep a constant watch on him. Under instructions from the new 'Village' leader, an agent breaks into number 6's cottage, finds some money which he takes, and opens the back of the television set. He takes out some tools, and carefully damages some of the components in the set, then replaces the cover and leaves.
Shortly afterwards, number 6 returns to find his front door open and the cottage burgled. He searches all the rooms, but finds nobody there. Once he is sure that the cottage is empty, number 6 calls the police. The local policeman attends. Number 6 checks what is missing, and finds that just a little money and a few small household things have been taken. The policeman makes a note of the missing items and is convinced that the burglary is the work of some local hooligans. He offers number 6 some practical advice on how to secure his home better in future, but doesn't hold out much hope of catching the criminals and retrieving number 6's property.
After the policeman has gone, number 6 is extremely suspicious of new 'Village' involvement in the robbery. Number 6 searches the cottage again thoroughly. He takes out a hand-held scanning device and checks all of the rooms for bugging devices, but all is clear. Later on he settles down to watch his television, picks up the remote control, but finds that he is unable to make it work. He calls the television rental company to report the fault. When the repair man arrives to fix the set, number 6 explains what has gone wrong with the set, and leaves the repair man to fix it whilst he makes a drink in the kitchen. The repairman removes the damaged components from the set and solders in some new ones. Number 6 provides him with a cup of tea whilst he works. When he has finished the tea, number 6 takes the dirty cup out to the kitchen. Whilst number 6 is out of the room, the repairman adds a small device to the set, and solders it into place on the circuit board. He carries out some simple checks on the device, then puts the cover back on the television set and screws the cover back on. Number 6 returns to the room as he is completing the job. The repairman turns the television set on, gets a perfect picture and switches it through the different channels. Number 6 is happy with the repair and lets the man out, after signing for the work.
In the new 'Village', the control room remotely activate the device in the television set, so that the people there can hear and watch what number 6 is doing in his cottage. The interior of the cottage is displayed on a large screen and sound is projected via loudspeakers into the control room. The device in the television remains working, even when the set is turned off. The new 'Village' leader is pleased with his scientist's efforts to keep track of what number 6 is doing. For several days they keep watch on number 6.
Soon they hear number 6 talking on the telephone to a hotel in the seaside town where the ex-number 2 is working. The new 'Village' leader, when alerted, is puzzled about number 6's motives, but concludes that he is probably only planning himself a holiday. Shortly afterwards, the people monitoring number 6 scan the room in which the television is located, and see the variety show poster lying on a table, at an angle. They try and decipher it, and have to enhance the image before they can be certain what it is. They casually show it to the leader, who, at first, dismisses it as of no importance. Then he re-examines the poster, and is interested in the picture of the ex-number 2. At first he doesn't recognise the face, but after a while of puzzled reflection he looks again, and suddenly realises that it is one of the ex-number 2s.
The leader orders new 'Village' agents to the seaside town to confirm that it is the ex-number 2 who is in the show. Two agents go to the theatre where the performance is taking place and sit through the ex-number 2's magic act. They report to the leader, confirming that it is indeed the ex-number 2 whom number 6 has gone to meet. The new 'Village' agents monitor the movements of the ex-number 2, and soon discover that he is living with his daughter in a rented flat in the town. Whilst he is giving a performance, they kidnap the daughter and take her away to a safe place. When the ex-number 2 arrives home that evening he finds his flat broken into, his daughter gone, and the new 'Village' leader waiting for him. The leader explains the situation to the ex-number 2, that the village has re-formed, that number 6 knows, and is looking for it. He also explains that he wants the ex-number 2's help in stopping number 6. The ex-number 2 is unwilling to get involved, but is forced to do so when the leader makes threats against his daughter. The new 'Village' leader explains that he is sure that number 6 will watch the ex-number 2's performance prior to contacting him, and when he does he instructs the ex-number 2 to call number 6 up on stage during the hypnotism part of the act. The ex-number 2 is told to hypnotise number 6, complete his act, but send number 6 to his dressing room after the performance.
Number 6 travels to the seaside town, checks into his hotel, sits down in his room and sets about disguising himself. That afternoon, he leaves the hotel in disguise, makes his way to the theatre and watches the performance. He is not recognised by the new 'Village' agents who have been sent there to ensure the ex-number 2 carries out his instructions. After the performance, number 6 discreetly follows the ex-number 2 and in doing so spots the new 'Village' agents. Number 6 trails him to the flat in which he is living, evades the agents who are watching outside, enters the building and makes his way to the ex-number 2's room, where he listens at the door and then rings the bell. The ex-number 2 doesn't recognise him at first, but does so when number 6 removes part of the disguise. Number 6 starts to explain about the re-forming of the 'Village', but the ex-number 2 cuts him short by telling him that the new 'Village' have already been to see him, and have kidnapped his daughter to ensure he complies with their wishes. Number 6 is puzzled about how the new 'Village' know what he is doing.
The ex-number 2 and number 6 talk over the problem, and number 6 agrees to appear to be hypnotised during the performance to help secure the release of the ex-number 2's daughter. In exchange, the ex-number 2 explains that although he doesn't personally know where the new 'Village' is, there are two possible options for finding it. Firstly, he considers that there will be some clues in what remains of the old 'Village'. Secondly, there is one particular ex-number 2 who is more likely than any other to know where it is. The ex-number 2 gives the address to number 6, which is in a remote part of Scotland.
The following day, number 6 attends the performance undisguised, and is immediately recognised by the new 'Village' agents. They signal to the ex-number 2 that number 6 is in the theatre. During his act, the ex-number 2 calls number 6 up on stage, and apparently hypnotises him. Number 6 does everything demanded of him during the act, and is quietly instructed to go to the dressing room afterwards. Number 6 returns to his seat and watches the rest of the show. At the end he makes his way back stage to the magician's dressing room. He is met by two agents who believe he is still hypnotised. They call in the ex-number 2 to deepen the hypnosis. When this is done, they tell number 6 to forget all about the new 'Village', to stop looking for it and go back to his former life in retirement.
Number 6 leaves and returns to his hotel, where he packs ready to return home. Before he leaves he puts his disguise on and makes a final visit to the ex-number 2 who is also packing. The ex-number 2's daughter has been returned to him, and he is grateful for number 6's help. Number 6 warns him that he will give him a few days to disappear before he makes it clear that he has not been hypnotised at all.
In the new 'Village', the leader is pleased with their success. He is convinced that they have stopped number 6 permanently, and they have no reason to worry any further about him. As a precaution he orders continued surveillance on number 6 via the audio-visual device in the television set.
Number 6 returns to his cottage and goes about his daily life. He is convinced that his cottage is in some way bugged, but he knows that he checked for devices carefully after the burglary. Then he remembers the failure of the television set and that this occurred around the same time as the burglary. Straightaway, number 6 leaves his cottage jumps quickly into his car, and drives rapidly off to town. He pulls up immediately outside the television rental shop, rushes inside and asks about the repairs carried out to his set. The shop manager denies any knowledge of any work ever having been done to number 6's set. Number 6 quietly and thoughtfully leaves the shop and returns home. He goes to the television set, takes a small screwdriver and gently opens the back. There he finds the audio-visual device connected into the set. Number 6 goes across the room to the telephone and calls the rental shop to ask them to take the set away.
Meanwhile back in the new 'Village' the leader is congratulating himself and the team on their success in stopping number 6. One of the team monitoring number 6 on screen draws attention to number 6 going behind the television set. For a short while, there is the sound of scraping as the screws holding the back on are undone. The new 'Village' can't make out what number 6 is doing, but are becoming worried. Number 6 re-appears in the room in front of the television, and it seems that there is no problem until he makes a telephone call to the television rental company. The new 'Village leader and his team hear number 6 ask the company to take the set away. When asked why by the manager, number 6 looks directly at the set and tells him that it has suffered from far too much interference lately. Number 6 puts the phone down, looks at the set and says 'be seeing you'. The leader hears this and realises that number 6 has beaten them again.
END
Copyright: D.J.Groom 1987