PRISONER'S RETURN
EPISODE 7 - TRAVEL BROADENS THE MIND
In the previous episode number 6 has found out from an ex-number 2 that one of the other ex-number 2s, who lives in Scotland, almost certainly knows where the new 'Village' is. Number 6 packs his bags and travels by taxi to the local railway station where he catches a train to Scotland. He changes at a number of stations en route, and is constantly checking that nobody is following him. The next day he arrives in Fort William where he hires a car, and drives off into the countryside, again checking that nobody is following him. Several times he consults a map and eventually, as evening draws in, he arrives outside a remote highland stone cottage.
Number 6 surveys the cottage in the late evening sun, walking all round it for signs of trouble, but all is quiet. Cautiously, number 6 approaches the door, and gently knocks. After a few minutes, the ex-number 2, who is suspicious of number 6 opens the door. Number 6 recognises him, and explains that he wants to talk about the 'Village'. Reluctantly the ex-number 2 lets him in. Number 6 tells him of the re-formation of the 'Village' and the way in which they have been preventing him from finding them. The ex-number 2 does not seem at all surprised by the news. Number 6 asks him if he knows where the new 'Village' has formed. The ex-number 2 replies that he does not know for certain, but when pressed by number 6 he admits that he has a shrewd idea where it is most likely to be. Number 6 coaxes him further, and gets him to admit that the new 'Village' is located in a remote area of one of the old Baltic States on the coast. He gives number 6 a rough indication of the most likely area, but is unable to be very specific. Number 6 thanks him for the information and leaves.
As number 6's car pulls away from outside the cottage, the new 'Village' leader appears behind the ex-number 2, and congratulates him on his performance. The leader comments that he hopes the rest of the plan goes as smoothly.
Number 6 returns home under surveillance from new 'Village' agents, and the following day goes to his dentist for a check-up. His dentist takes X-ray photographs of his teeth and shows number 6 the pictures. These clearly show that number 6 has to have a tooth filled. Number 6 makes an appointment with the dentist for a week ahead and leaves the surgery. A new 'Village' agent is sitting in the waiting room and overhears the conversation.
When he returns a week later, everything is normal in the dentist's surgery except that his normal dentist is not there, and a substitute is dealing with the patients. Number 6 questions the new dentist about his normal one, and is told that the normal dentist has had a family crisis to deal with and has gone away at short notice. Number 6 is unsuspecting and sits in the dentist's chair, where he is given an injection into his jaw prior to having his tooth filled. After a few minutes, the injection takes effect, and instead of simply numbing his jaw, the drug makes number 6 fall unconscious. Whilst he is under the influence of the drug, his tooth is filled by the dentist, and he is then removed from the surgery to an ambulance. Number 6 is placed in the ambulance and has an intravenous drip slipped into his arm. The ambulance drivers then take him to a quiet manor house in the country, where number 6 is laid out on a bed and is injected with further drugs.
Later he is taken downstairs to a laboratory, where he is laid onto a table with his arms and legs secured. A headset is placed on his head, and is connected to a piece of electronic machinery containing a CD ROM drive. The CD-ROM is connected up to a television set. The equipment is all turned on, a CD is inserted into the player and the 'play' button is pressed. The CD begins to play. The events shown on the CD are converted into electrical signals, which are passed directly into number 6's brain. The result is that number 6 sees and believes he is living the events on the CD.
As the CD plays, the television shows:
"Number 6 having his tooth filled in the dentist's chair, and then leaving the surgery to make his way home. At home, he packs a suitcase, gets together his passport and credit cards and leaves home heading for Dover and a cross-channel ferry. Once across the Channel, he makes his way through France, Germany and Switzerland towards the Baltic.
Number 6 arrives in the general area suggested by the ex-number 2 and books into a hotel. From there he starts to make enquiries about the new 'Village' and begins to search the area. He soon finds one or two villages which could be the right one - the organisation of the place and the attitude of the people make him suspicious. One particular village catches his attention, and he spends some time spying on it with binoculars from the hillside above it.
Eventually, he decides to go down into the village in his car. As he drives into the village, everybody stops to look at him. When he reaches the village square he stops the car to stare at a statue. It is a statue of himself, approximately 25 years younger, dressed in his original number 6 clothes. He attempts to speak to the villagers, who are all played by people from the new 'Village' control room, but they appear to be too frightened to speak to him, and regard him with awe. Number 6 explores the village and decides that the only way to destroy it and remove the power of its leaders over the people there is to destroy the power supply. As he wanders around, being shunned by everybody there, he identifies the building most likely to house the generator set. At this point, the new 'Villagers' start to crowd closer to him, and he is forced to back away from the buildings and from the people, more and more of whom are forcing their way closer to him. Number 6 quickly retreats from the crowd, and runs back to his car, gets in and drives off into the hills pursued by the crowd.
Late that night number 6 creeps quietly into the new 'Village', and walks across the square to where the generator sets are located. He takes with him a gallon of petrol in a plastic container, approaches the powerhouse containing the generators and power lines, and using a jemmy breaks in through the main door. Number 6 throws petrol from the can across the electrical switchgear and power cables. He strikes a match, sets the petrol alight and from outside watches as the building burns. Villagers start to appear from their houses, which catch fire as the power fails, until the whole village is alight and the villagers are running round trying to escape. Number 6 helps some of them to escape from their burning homes, and shows them the way out of the village. As he is helping one little girl out of the window of her house, number 6 is hit on the head and shoulder by a piece of falling masonry, which knocks him unconscious."
Once this scenario has been fed into number 6 via the CD ROM, the new 'Village' leader orders number 6 to be taken from the house where he was held captive, and transported to the Baltic. Once there, he is taken to the village used to film the scene in which he has played a part, and is placed on the ground, is hit hard on the shoulder, and left, unconscious still, beneath the piece of masonry which fell upon him in the film. The new 'Village' agents then set light to the village again and finally withdraw the intravenous drip used to keep number 6 drugged throughout. Quickly, they leave the scene to allow number 6 to revive.
Number 6 slowly comes round, and gets unsteadily to his feet. All around him he sees the destroyed village and believes that he has done what he set out to do. He checks around the village, but finds nobody there. He goes to his car, which the new 'Village' has placed precisely where it was in the filmed scene, gets in and drives slowly away from the ruined village.
Number 6 makes his way across Europe back to Calais for the journey across the channel to Dover. At Dover he drives his car off the ferry, and makes his way towards passport control and customs, where his passport is stamped by the officer on duty. Number 6 sees that the passport stamp differs from the one placed in his passport by the new 'Village' on the way out. Number 6 queries the difference with the passport officer, and is told that the stamp was changed 3 months ago in a bid to help fight international terrorism. Number 6 points out that he has only been away for a few days, but the passport controller is adamant that the new stamp has been in use for at least 3 months.
Number 6 shows him his passport with the old stamp and the date. The passport officer tells number 6 there must have been a mistake, as the stamp on number 6's passport had definitely been withdrawn some time earlier. Number 6 is stunned by this news. Gradually, it dawns on him that the new 'Village' has fooled him. On his way home he makes a detour to his dentists. He runs up the steps of the building and furiously rings the bell. An elderly lady answers the door. He pushes his way past her and into what was the dentist's surgery, but finds it is now the old lady's sitting room. She threatens to call the police. Number 6 asks her about the dentist who worked in the building, and the old lady tells number 6 she bought the house from him, as he left the premises in a great hurry.
Number 6 leaves the old lady and rushes to the station, where he manages to get a train to Scotland, to see the ex-number 2 again. Number 6 drives to the ex-number 2's house and knocks furiously on the door. When the ex-number 2 answers, number 6 forces his way in, and demands to know why he helped set him up. At first the ex-number 2 denies it, but eventually he confesses to number 6 that he was forced to by the new 'Village' leader. Number 6 demands to know who the new 'Village' leader is, and where it can be found. The ex-number 2 is too frightened to tell number 6, but number 6 pressures him relentlessly, until the ex-number 2 agrees to tell him. As it is about to be forced from him the ex-number 2 suffers a heart attack and falls to the floor.
The new 'Village' leader has been watching with great anxiety as number 6 tried to force the location from the ex-number 2, particularly as the new 'Village' had no plans for action in this case. He breathes a sigh of relief as the ex-number 2 dies and the new 'Village' secret remains safe.
END
Copyright: D.J.Groom 1987