Table Of Content

THIEF OF THE LIGHT Written by Mitch Postich EXT. AFRICAN WASTELAND - DAY A desert. Long stretches of nothing, occasional vegetation. Some bushes. In the middle, huddled over and eating fruit, are a group of humans. They’re hunched, dark-skinned, wearing almost nothing - their manner is uncouth and uncivilized. They are some of the earliest humans on the planet. As they eat their food, one of them looks over and notices one particular bush. There’s nothing special about the bush - for a few seconds. Suddenly, it bursts into flame. The lone human yells in surprise and gets the attention of his fellow tribesmen. They see the burning bush, and drop their food. They amble over to it. The humans, amazed, try to touch the fire, but recoil upon being burnt by it. They dare not try to cut down the bush without touching the fire. As they goggle over this new phenomenon, mysterious particles of some sort emanate out of the fire and begin to surround the humans’ heads. Their expressions gradually change from those of anger and terror to wonder. They start to yell, and whoop, and holler. The most important event in human history has just taken place. MATCH FADE CUT TO: EXT. AFRICAN WASTELAND - DAY CAPTION: 100,000 YEARS LATER A lone figure walks in the same area that humans discovered fire. It’s actually mostly unchanged - there are now cities in the distance, but nothing has been built here. He’s dressed in non-human clothing, and strides with a purpose. He’s in roughly the same plot of land where the bush caught on fire. 2. VELT Mirror, Mirror, where’s the Mirror? Silence. VELT (CONT’D) ...what am I even looking for? Suddenly, his eye catches a glimmer - and as he walks forward, a leering smile creeps over his face. It’s some sort of void - imperceptible from most angels, and showing the image of some fiery hellhole. FIGURE Lovely. The figure pulls out a sonic screwdriver. He aims it at the void. Suddenly, the TARDIS’s wheezing, groaning noise is heard. The figure, alarmed, turns around. His face is a mix of fury and confusion. He points his sonic screwdriver in the direction of the rapidly materializing TARDIS. 3. TITLE CREDITS INT. TARDIS CLARA and THE DOCTOR stand at the console of the TARDIS as it makes a giant thump - it’s landed. CLARA Excellent! Thank you for the ride! THE DOCTOR You know, you could have called a taxi to take you home. The TARDIS is an ancient and incredibly powerful spaceship. CLARA Oh, as if you have anything better to do than ferry me around. THE DOCTOR I might! CLARA Hmm... nope, sorry, don’t believe you. Besides, it’s scary and dangerous for a girl on her own at night. Clara begins gathering her bags. CLARA (CONT’D) Now, did you make sure to land in the right place this time? I don’t want another adventure in Tokyo. THE DOCTOR This is the right place, I’m sure. CLARA I should be good from here, then, the street is very well - EXT. LONDON STREET - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS She opens the TARDIS doors, only to find that all the streetlights, house lights, and every other kind of light has gone dark. CLARA - lit... Doctor? 4. The Doctor scrambles outside to see the darkness. CLARA (CONT’D) There’s no light anywhere. Did you land us on a remote island again? THE DOCTOR Well... it’s not Tokyo. CLARA So it’s a blackout. Great. The Doctor pulls out his sonic screwdriver and waves it around. THE DOCTOR No electrical issues. He runs up to a lamp-post and waves the sonic at it. THE DOCTOR (CONT’D) Lightbulbs aren’t broken, and... ooooh. That’s very interesting. CLARA What is it? THE DOCTOR It’s still giving off heat. CLARA It’s still working? THE DOCTOR They all are. Question is: why aren’t they giving off any light? It’s like the light particles have been... altered, maybe. Eliminated? Stolen? CLARA Is that possible? THE DOCTOR Clara, do you know what this means? CLARA What? The Doctor holds the silence for a second. THE DOCTOR You can see the stars... very clearly. 5. He points up delightedly. THE DOCTOR (CONT’D) Look at them! Very clear! No light pollution. CLARA Doctor, that’s not the point. THE DOCTOR Actually, Clara, it very much is the point. I can’t see any light pollution here, which means that a very large area has been affected, it’s not just this street. It also means... I will need camouflage. CLARA Camouflage? THE DOCTOR Yes! Wait here. I’m going to go get my jumper on. The Doctor starts to run to the TARDIS. CLARA The one that looks like it has stars on it?! THE DOCTOR That’s the one! The Doctor closes the TARDIS. CLARA Doctor! The whole point of this was for me to not be alone! In the dark! In the middle of the night! She stomps up to the TARDIS. CLARA (CONT’D) Doctor! She huffs, crosses he arms and leans against the TARDIS. Suddenly, the wheezing, groaning sound begins and the TARDIS starts to dematerialize. CLARA (CONT’D) What?! No! Doctor, what are you doing?! 6. The TARDIS disappears. Clara, nervous, turns around. All is dark around her. CLARA (CONT’D) Okay, my flat’s not too far. A car crash is heard in the distance. She walks very quickly down the street. CUT TO: INT. TARDIS The Doctor looks out from his wardrobe. He’s noticed the TARDIS activating. Suddenly, the whole thing violently shakes, throwing the Doctor off. He gets up. THE DOCTOR What... He turns around to see a mysterious figure in the console room, holding up a small instrument that pulses with light. THE DOCTOR (CONT’D) You’re not human. What are you doing on my ship? VELT Hello, Doctor. Pleased to finally meet you. THE DOCTOR I asked you a question. VELT I’m going to answer it eventually. But not until you’ve said hello. THE DOCTOR Have you ever been shoved out of a TARDIS airlock? It’s not so much air out there as the fabric of reality, but it’s unpleasant. The mysterious figure chuckles. VELT Okay, no hello. My name is Velt, and as you can see I have just taken a part of the TARDIS’s core. 7. He holds up the light he has in his hands - it’s encased inside a sonic screwdriver, vibrantly pulsing. THE DOCTOR I don’t think you realize just what you have in your hands there. VELT I know exactly what it is, that’s why I took it. (cradles the screwdriver) This... is The Spark. The light from the beginning of the universe. It’s what the TARDIS runs on, and now... now I have a little TARDIS in my hands! THE DOCTOR How did you manage to steal that? There’s nothing else as powerful as a TARDIS core you could take that with. VELT Well, look what I have! Velt pulls out another sonic screwdriver, this one barely giving off any light. He knocks them together briefly, and they shoot off sparks. VELT (CONT’D) Same core, two different points in time. I got it from myself, a few days ago. I had my fun, and now I’m using it to steal itself from the past. Don’t you love recursive time loops? THE DOCTOR That little spark won’t last long, separated from the core. VELT I know it’ll last me for what I want to do. After all, I already did it. Now, Doctor, I want to show you a magic trick. Velt clicks his sonic screwdriver and all the lights on the TARDIS shimmer, then zip into the screwdriver. It’s totally dark, and the console room stops humming. 8. The Doctor looks around in horror. THE DOCTOR It was you! Velt eagerly nods. VELT The light that gave birth to all lights, Doctor. Now all the lights are about to return to it. And here you are, stranded God-knows-where in space-time! How lovely! You’ve been such a big help, Doctor, you and the TARDIS. I hope you don’t die, wherever you are. So long! Velt clicks the photon screwdriver again and starts to dematerialize, with a high-pitched version of the TARDIS’s wheezing effect. The Doctor stumbles around in the darkened TARDIS, then roars in anger and knocks over a pile of books. He makes his way to the doors and throws them open. He takes a look at where he’s landed. THE DOCTOR (intrigued) Ah. 9. INT. CLARA’S FLAT - NIGHT Clara arrives in her darkened apartment and quickly closes the door. She sighs in relief. Noticing her light switch, she flips it back and forth a few times. Nothing. She turns the TV on, but it just gives off a test signal sound. Nothing on screen. Clara walks to her kitchen and turns on the radio. A voice comes through. RADIO -very, looting and rioting. Incidents of mass panic and a general feeling of dread are sweeping the nation right now. Once again, citizens are advised to stay in their homes with all entrances secured. CLARA (realizing something) Danny. She opens up her phone and quickly dials. The phone rings once, twice, before being answered. DANNY (O.S.) Clara? CLARA Danny! Are you okay? DANNY (O.S.) Clara! You’re finally back! CLARA Danny, what’s going on? Is there a blackout where you are? DANNY (O.S.) It’s worldwide, Clara. Or very nearly. Whole cities have been going dark, it’s a panic. Nobody knows why.