From: rad@cix.compulink.co.uk (Cray Communications)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.drwho
Subject: Summary: The Abominable Snowmen pt 6
Date: 8 Jan 1993 12:50:03 -0600
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
Reply-To: rad@cix.compulink.co.uk
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu


WARNING: Spoilers for episode 6 20 lines ahead




















Episode 6
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As the viscous bubbling ooze which is the intelligence pours forth 
more and more into the mountain cave, over in the monastery Travers 
explains to the Dr, Victoria, Jamie and Thomni about his experience 
earlier when he saw the Abbot with 3 Yeti enter the cave carrying a 
glowing pyramid. The Abbot's connection is news to the Dr - this 
provides him with a missing link in his theories, and now it is clear 
the Khrisong has rushed headlong into danger. The five off them rush 
off to help.

Outside the doors to the Inner Sanctum, Khrisong catches up with 
Songtsen and warns him that he is in danger from the master. 
Padmasambvha's voice speaks out, its tone harsh: "WHENCE CAME YOU BY 
SUCH FOOLISH THOUGHTS ?"  But Khrisong is unimpressed: "Don't try to 
frighten me. Who are you ? ... A master who controls the Yeti. What is 
hidden in there ?" After giving Songtsen more instructions, 
Padmasambvha opens the doors to the Inner Sanctum and bids Khrisong 
enter. Khrisong is still awed by what he is doing and foolishly hands 
over his sword to the Abbot when requested ("you may not take weapons 
into the presence of the master") even though he can see that Songtsen 
has been put in a trance. This mistake is fatal; as soon as his back 
is turned, Songtsen runs him through. "YOU HAVE DONE WELL, SONGTSEN. 
YOU WILL NOWWWW..... why are you making me do this ? why ? release me. 
I beg of you. I have ..... SONGTSEN. YOU WILL NOW GO FORTH WITH THE 
MONKS. YOU WILL NEVER RETURN !" As the doors to the Inner Sanctum 
close the Dr and his companions arrive to see Khrisong's stricken body 
and the Abbot with a blood-stained sword in his hands. "SONGTSEN! KILL 
THEM !" but the Abbot is quickly overpowered. Khrisong is in his death 
throes: "My time has come ... My brothers, they are not to blame 
Songtsen. He was in a trance ..." And so the warrior monk dies and, in 
sadness, the Dr and the others leave the Anteroom taking the Abbot 
with them. When they have gone, the room is filled by the hideous 
laughter of the Intelligence.

Back in the great hall Thomni explains to Sapan and the other monks 
how it is that Khrisong has been slain by Songtsen. When Sapan tries 
to question the Abbot about this he screams into life and must quickly 
be overpowered again. This outburst causes great consternation in the 
monks but they are quietened when the Dr arrives to explain more about 
what is going on. "Songtsen is merely a puppet ... Your Abbot is not 
responsible, but neither is Padmasambvha. He too is controlled. Now, 
do as you'd planned: leave the monastery. There is great evil here." 
Travers, however, is convinced that the evil emmanates from the cave, 
but Sapan is practical: "Wherever it may be, what can we do to 
overcome such a force. My brothers, let us obey the Dr."

The Dr elects to stay: "I have to. This thing that's here. This evil. 
It will spread. It has to be stopped and I can do it." Thomni stays to 
help, as does Jamie, as does Victoria despite the Dr's protests. 
Before all the monks leave, the Dr hypnotises Songtsen in order to 
elicit more information about the intelligence and its purpose: " (the 
Yeti ?) They were designed to serve the intelligence ... (This 
intelligence - it is confined to the cave ?) No. It has broken its 
promise. Now it demands the whole mountain ... (These yeti, they are 
controlled ... the control units they were made somehow ? somewhere ?) 
The master laboured for nearly 200 years. With the help of the 
intelligence he built the creatures and the other wonderful machines 
(These small Yeti models their movement must be mirrored by the real 
robots ... but there must be a controller - a machine that gives out 
the orders. Now where is that controller ?) Sanctum ... behind the 
throne there lies a hidden room." The Dr can feel himself close to 
success: "How do I get into it ? Songtsen, how do I get into it ?" But 
the Abbot will answer no more.

Meanwhile Travers, still convinced that the Dr is barking up the wrong 
tree, persuades one of the other warrior monks to go with him up the 
mountain towards the cave so that he can take a shot at the glowing 
pyramid with his rifle. On their way up they pass several Yeti going 
down, towards the monastery. When they reach the cave they see that 
the intelligence has oozed right out and is now spreading around the 
mountainside. There's no way that they'll be able to get to the 
pyramid to shoot it and so, defeated, they are forced to turn back.

As the monks prepare to leave, the Dr warns his companions of the 
dangers they will face when they confront Padmasambvha in the Inner 
Sanctum: "Whatever happens, Thomni and you must smash the controls ... 
Padmasambvha will use supernormal powers if necessary." Victoria is 
particularly under threat by being hypnotised again and Thomni is 
instructed to teach her the Jewel of the Lotus chant to help her 
combat this. Sapan offers the help off the warrior monks but the Dr 
insists that they are needed to protect the lamas. As the monks and 
lamas leave, the Dr explains to Thomni, Jamie and Victoria what they 
must do: "I will go into the Sanctum first and deal with Padmasambvha. 
As soon as it's safe, make for the curtain behind the throne, that's 
where the control room is." Of course, when the Dr is asked what will 
happen when the machinery is destroyed his reply, as is usual in these 
cases, is that he hasn't the faintest idea. Jamie protests: "We might 
all be blown to smithereens !", but the Dr thinks this unlikely.

When Travers and his companion monk arrive back at the monastery, all 
the monks have left, the Dr and his companions have gone to the Inner 
Sanctum and three Yeti are standing guard outside the gates. They are 
activated but immobile - waiting.

"WHY ARE YOU HERE ? WHY DID YOU NOT HEED MY WARNING ? YOU ARE 
STUBBORN, DR." The Dr, like Khrisong before him, is also unimpressed: 
"Who are you ?"

"YOU KNOW WELL IT IS I THE MASTER PADMASAMBHA WHO SPEAKS."

"Oh no it isn't. I know Padmasambvha, he's my friend. Where've you 
come from ? Why are you using his body in this fashion ?"

"SUCH A BRAIN AS YOURS IS TOO SMALL TO GRASP MY PURPOSE ... I HAVE 
MUCH POWER", and a torch lifts from the wall and swipes towards the 
Dr. "Simple levitation - a childish trick. Now stop playing games and 
open these doors, or are you afraid to meet me face to face." The 
taunt seems 
to work and the doors to the Inner Sanctum creak open. "Anything could 
happen now", the Dr warns, "just trust me and above all dont panic". 
As previously planned he goes in first on his own, bringing himself 
under mental attack from the Great Inelligence. The Dr cries out and 
Jamie nearly runs in after him but Victoria reminds him that they must 
wait for the Dr's signal,which comes soon after. When the companions 
enter they too find themselves held immobile by the mind of the 
Intelligence. Sensing victory, it gives out a ghastly laugh, but then 
the Dr steps up his efforts and Jamie and Thomni break free from its 
grip. They run to the control room behind the throne and start 
smashing up all the alien artefacts within. Victoria, still stuck, 
sees the hand of Padmasambvha move over to the models by his side and 
bring in the Yeti to help him.

Outside the monastery gates, the three Yeti come to life and start 
moving in, rapidly, towards the Inner Sanctum. Travers and the warrior 
monk follow them in.

The Dr tries to get Victoria to go to the Yeti models and smash them 
up but, despite chanting the Jewel of the Lotus desperately, she is 
unable to move. Jamie, in the control room, can't understand why the 
Yeti are still active since they've destroyed all the machinery but 
then he recalls a large sphere in there which looks like one of the 
Yeti control units. When they smash this up, the control units in the 
Yeti explode, just in the nick of time as one's about to murder the 
Dr. The Intelligence is undeterred: "ONE STROKE OF FORTUNE WILL NOT 
SAVE YOU". Travers, who arrived with the Yeti, fires a shot into the 
body of Padmasambvha. "STUPID MAN. DID YOU NOT FEEL ENOUGH OF MY POWER 
WHEN YOU MET ME IN THE CAVE ?" "The cave", thinks the Dr, "Jamie, 
there was a pyramid in the cave". "There's one here too!", comes the 
reply. "Destroy it !" "NOOOOOOooooooooo........" As Jamie and Thomni 
smash the pyramid in the control room, Padmasambvha's body convulses 
and drops back limp onto the throne, and the pyramid in the cave 
bursts in a huge exposion which takes out most of the mountain. The 
Great Intelligence is defeated - it's links with the Earth severed. 
Padmasambvha regains control of his body for 
the last time: "At last. Peace ... Dr."

The Dr breathes a sigh of relief, as does everyone else there 
(Travers: "It was decidedly tricky for a minute or two"). Thomni can 
summon back the other monks and lamas now which he does by slowly 
sounding the Detsen gong. He would like the Dr to stay so that he 
could be thanked by Songtsen and the others but the Dr decides, as 
usual, that it is time for them to leave. They say their goodbyes and, 
with Travers accompanying them, set off up the mountain. Halfway up 
they see the remains of one of the Yeti. "They were clever machines", 
the Dr comments, "it's almost a pity to have had them destroyed. But 
at least you'll have something to take home from your expedition, Mr 
Travers". But the explorer is sceptical: "Nobody'll believe me. They'd 
think I'd had it made." Then Victoria spots a timid furry creature up 
the mountain, a real Yeti ! Travers, excited, sets off to pursue it 
while the Dr and his companions laugh.

Jamie is fed up with the cold: "It's all right for you", he tells the 
Dr, "in your home made Yeti kit ... Just look at my knees - they're 
bright blue ! Can you no land us somewhere warmer next time ?" The Dr 
replies enigmatically, "Well, Jamie, you never know do you", and as 
they enter the TARDIS he starts a little tune on his recorder.

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