EPISODE 4 - PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE

Number 6 is now fully convinced of the existence of a new 'Village' and has seen examples of what it can do. He remains determined to destroy it as he did the first 'Village'. One morning, number 6 leaves his cottage, gets into his car and drives off to his local garage. At the garage he arranges for a service to be carried out and leaves the car and keys. During the day, the garage carry out the service, but leave the car open whilst the mechanic goes to lunch. Whilst the car and garage are unattended, a 'Village' agent approaches the car, places a small device up under the dashboard and quickly leaves. The mechanic is unaware of what has happened and completes the service. Later that day, number 6 returns to pick up his car, which he drives home.

In the new 'Village', the transmissions from the device are picked up by a receiver and are displayed on a large screen in the new 'Village' control room. The screen displays where number 6's car is at any time on a map, and a visual display of where his car is heading, as well as a view of number 6 at the wheel. With this device, the new 'Village' leader hopes to be able to monitor number 6's whereabouts without the use of too many agents on the ground. He and his team monitor number 6's progress on the screen as he returns home. Satisfied that the device works, the new 'Village' leader orders the withdrawal of most of the agents monitoring number 6, and a reliance on continuous monitoring via the tracking device, which is carried out from the 'new 'Village' control room. The monitoring team are instructed to report any unusual activity by number 6.

Over the next couple of days, number 6 uses his car to go into the village to buy a magazine and newspaper. On each occasion the monitoring team follow him on the screen and breathe a sigh of relief when he returns home.

One of the publications number bought at the local shop is an electronics magazine, which he spends some time studying. After carefully reading one article for some time, number 6 puts his coat on, leaves the cottage and gets into his car. He leaves his driveway, and drives away through his own village and out onto a main road heading for the nearest town. The monitors in the new 'Village' observe this change of routine and call in the leader. Number 6 drives through the town and heads out onto a motorway. The new 'Village' leader is intrigued as to where he is going. As number 6 makes progress, the leader orders the monitors to analyse where he could be going, and to establish what his likely reasons for going there are.

The new 'Village' monitors run checks through their computers and come up with a number of destinations, none of which is of any interest to the leader. Then the computers suggest he could be heading for another town, and the computers reveal that one of the ex-number 2s lives there. The leader is convinced this is number 6's goal. In the time available, he has little time to organise a plan of action and he orders local agents into position with instructions to kill the ex-number 2 if number 6 makes contact with him.

Number 6 drives into the town, and parks his car. As he does, new 'Village' agents watch him and report his progress. Number 6 sets off on foot towards the shops. Close by, the new 'Village' agents have set themselves up opposite the ex-number 2's house and are waiting to step in should number 6 make contact. Number 6 enters the road in which the ex-number 2's house is located, but walks straight past. The agents report back to the leader. The leader orders further checks to be made on where number 6 could be going, but instructs the agents to remain ready to eliminate the ex-number 2 just in case. Number 6 continues into the town centre and enters an electronics shop. From outside an agent watches number 6 in discussion with the shopkeeper. The agent follows number 6 to two other electrical shops, where he makes some purchases, then trails him back towards his car and the ex-number 2's house. All the time, the agent is reporting back to the leader in the new 'Village'.

Again number 6 walks along the ex-number 2's road, and again the agents standby to kill the ex-number 2 if necessary. Number 6 walks past the house towards the car park, gets in to the car and drives off.

The new 'Village' leader is relieved that number 6's visit to the town was just a coincidence. The leader calls his scientists together and tells them that they cannot live continuously under the threat of number 6 finding them, and they must come up with a permanent solution to the problem. He then calls for ideas. Several suggestions are made by the team. One is that they kill number 6, which the leader rejects, another that they remove him to a remote part of the world. Another scientist suggests that they frame number 6 for a crime. In each case, the leader is unconvinced that the solution is permanent enough to secure their safety from number 6, who is considered a most dangerous opponent. Finally, one scientist suggests that they could use Professor Ackroyd's new device. The scientists are appalled at the potential risks, but the leader likes the idea, overrules them and orders them to plan its use as soon as possible.

The next day, number 6 wakes up in his cottage and as always, goes to the window to check the view outside. This morning he is shocked to find that the view has changed. At first he believes the new 'Village' have captured him again, but after staring outside for a while he realises that the view is similar, but somehow different. He rushes outside his cottage and looks all around it. It appears to be much the same, but is older and rather run down. Inside, the decor and furniture are all different. Number 6 leaves the cottage and walks to the local shop. The people he sees are differently dressed and the cars are unlike anything he has seen before. He walks into the shop to buy a paper and sees somebody behind the counter he has never seen before. He asks about the lady who runs the shop, but the woman serving him looks at him blankly. He leaves the newsagents shop, and walks home slowly. He glances at the headline of the paper and suddenly sees the date, which is 50 years ahead of when he went to sleep the night before.

In a daze number 6 returns to his cottage and goes into the unfamiliar kitchen. In the kitchen is a young lady who number 6 has never met before. She demands to know who he is and how he got into the house. Number 6 apologises to her and explains that he owns the house and has slept in the main bedroom. The girl also claims ownership, and shows him the deeds to prove it. Number 6 examines the deeds and sees his own name on them, but some 50 years ago. He realises that he has been sent into the future by the new 'Village', and slumps in a chair in despair. At this point, the girl who was rather hostile to number 6, starts to feel sorry for him, and asks him what the problem is. Number 6 warns her that his story will make no sense, and she is unlikely to believe him, but she insists he tells her. He recounts the story about the new 'Village', the technology and power they have at their disposal, and about the way they seem to have sent him into the future to get rid of him. The girl is unwilling to believe him, but she can see he is extremely serious and upset about his situation so she agrees to help him. He explains that he wants to return to his own time, and that the only way to do so would be via a time machine. She tells him that one has never been invented, and number 6 sees that the new 'Village' must have the only one. Not only that, but if he does manage to go back in time, he must somehow destroy the new 'Village' machine. Otherwise there is nothing to stop them sending him into the future again.

The girl tells number 6 he can stay with her, and for a day or so, number 6 spends his time aimlessly wandering around the garden thinking. As he is sitting on a garden bench in quiet contemplation, the girl approaches him with a cup of coffee and sits down with him. She asks him if he has any ideas and he shakes his head. She asks him, who would be most likely to have produced such a machine. Number 6 reviews the possible scientists and concludes that the most likely candidate was Professor Ackroyd, but that he will have been abducted by the new 'Village', but in any case will be long dead. The girl suggests that Ackroyd's descendants might know something, and number 6 cheers up at the possibility.

The girl and number 6 travel to the local town and go into the library. This no longer has books, but has everything on disc or on computer. They interrogate one of the computers and find out the details of Ackroyd's death. From this they find details of his family and descendants, including a grandson who is still alive. From the computer they find the grandson's address and they go to see him.

The grandson is willing to talk to them about Professor Ackroyd, and can vaguely recall him and the fact that he went missing many years before. Number 6 questions him about his grandfather and asks if he left any legacy behind after he died. The grandson thinks for a minute then takes them up to his attic where there are a large number of old dusty files and folders. They work their way steadily through the papers, until they come across some technical drawings printed in blue ink on linen. The grandson asks number 6 if the drawings are what he is looking for. Number 6 examines then excitedly, and becomes convinced that he has found what he is looking for. The grandson is intrigued by number 6's excitement and wants to know what the plans are for. Number 6 looks through the rest of the paperwork, and finds a diary in which Professor Ackroyd describes how he came up with the idea for the time machine. The grandson is stunned and refuses to believe in it, even though the diary is in his grandfather's own handwriting.

Despite his scepticism, the grandson is willing to help number 6 and the girl locate the parts and electronics needed to re-construct a new time machine. Gradually over many weeks the machine takes shape, until at last it is ready for testing. To start with they carry out a test on inanimate objects to check that they can be moved in time. Once satisfied they decide to carry out a test on themselves. Number 6 is reluctant for them all to try it, but the others insist. They set the device to go back in time to the moment when number 6 arrived in the future and awoke on the girl's bed, and squeeze inside for the journey. They press the start button and in a few seconds are outside the girl's cottage close to the bedroom window. They get out of the machine, and creep up to the window to wait. Shortly after there is a rushing noise, and suddenly a second time machine appears in the bedroom. Two 'Village' agents get out and drag the unconscious form of number 6 out of the machine and place him on the bed. The they leave. The grandson, number 6 and the girl look at each other in disbelief.

The grandson and girl ask number 6 what he intends to do now the machine works. Number 6 tells them he intends to go back in time to prevent Professor Ackroyd from building the machine. The grandson is concerned that number 6 intends to kill the Professor, and this will affect the him and his family, but number 6 tells him this isn't necessary if he can stop the Professor from having the idea in the first place. They examine the Professor's diary and find that the idea arose from a meeting which the Professor had with another colleague whilst on a cruise. The time, date and even cabin number on the cruise are mentioned in the diary. Number 6 is convinced that if they travel to the cruise, and stop the Professor from meeting his colleague, this should stop him from studying time travel, and this should stop the invention of the time machine. Number 6 knows that he will have to get back to his own time very quickly after this has happened to stop himself and the others being trapped on the ship in the wrong time. However, he believes there will be a short delay whilst time adjusts to this interference, and this should be enough for him to get back and for the others to travel forwards to their time 50 years ahead of him.

The grandson , number 6 and the girl get into the time machine and set the time and place as the Professor's cabin on the cruise ship. The machine arrives in the cabin which is empty and the three leave. They explore the ship and quickly identify both the Professor and his colleague. Just at the point when the Professor and the colleague are about to meet, number 6 arranges for a small diversion which distracts them both, and diverts their attention to other matters. During the diversion, the wife of the colleague slips and hurts her ankle and has to be taken off the ship by helicopter. The colleague goes as well and no meeting takes place.

Once they are certain that the meeting won't happen, they run for the Professor's cabin, climb inside the time machine and return to the future to number 6's cottage in his own time. The Professor just enters the room to hear the rushing noise as the machine disappears.

Back in the present, Number 6 climbs out of the machine and says goodbye to his two companions, He thanks them and urges them to get moving before the change in time traps them in his 'present'. There is again a rushing sound and the machine fades away into the future, where it disappears altogether. In his cottage, number 6 takes the machine blue prints from his pocket and sets fire to them in the grate.

In the new 'Village', the leader has ordered the surveillance device fitted to number 6's car to be deactivated. The control room monitors are about to do this when they notice that the car starts to move on the screen. The monitors contact the leader and switch the device into audio visual transmission. The leader is appalled to see that number 6 is driving the car to the local shop. He switches into visual contact with the control room, and demands to know what has happened, and how number 6 is now back. In the background, there is a rushing noise and the new 'Village's own time machine disappears from sight.

Number 6 drives to the local shop, parks outside and is about to go in when he is stopped by one of his neighbours. The neighbour tells him he hasn't seen him lately, and that he has been taking in the milk and papers for him. Through the transmitter in the car, the new leader hears number 6 thank the neighbour and tell him it won't happen again as he is now back home for good.

END

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Copyright: D.J.Groom 1987