From: rad@cix.compulink.co.uk (Cray Communications)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.drwho
Subject: Summary: The Abominable Snowmen pt 3
Date: 8 Jan 1993 12:49:40 -0600
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway
Reply-To: rad@cix.compulink.co.uk
NNTP-Posting-Host: cs.utexas.edu


WARNING: Spoilers for episode 3 20 lines ahead





















Episode 3
---------

In the courtyard by the Buddha, Jamie's sphere, left there by the Dr, 
begins to beep and roll, in the direction of the captured Yeti.

In the monastery's great hall, the Dr concludes that the Yeti is in 
fact a robot. Pulling back a furry flap on its chest he discovers a 
now empty circular cavity which, the Dr explains, must have held a 
control unit of some sort which was dislodged during the fight at the 
gate. This unit must still be out there ! Khrisong, however, wont 
co-operate: "Why does someone wish harm to the monks of Detsen." He 
forbids anyone leave the monastery and, despite their protests that 
they only want to help, sets Thomni to guard them.

Travers is the only person, suspiciously, not too bothered by this 
turn of events. He feigns tiredness and hurriedly leaves the hall. 
Following Khrisong he reaches the courtyard where a sentry receives 
instructions to allow no one to leave: "Be watchful. These Yeti are 
more dangerous than we thought." Travers asks to talk to Khrisong in 
private, out of earshot of the sentry but within his sight. Travers 
pleads that since it is now known that these Abominable Snowmen are 
mechanical things that he be allowed to go hunting for the "real" 
Yeti. Khrisong forbids it: "anyone may be controlling these monsters, 
even you." But Travers is undeterred. When Khrisong has left he goes 
up to the sentry and tells him that Khrisong has just given his 
permission to allow him out, and the gullible sentry believes him.

Back in the great hall, Thomni, who disagrees with Khrisong's mistrust 
of the Dr, explains that reluctantly he still has to follow his 
orders. Victoria then points out that the sphere that they took from 
the cave would probably fit into the Yeti's cavity. This fact had not 
escaped the Dr who had dismissed it because Jamie's sphere was too 
light, but now he thinks better of it so they go off to find it back 
in the courtyard. They in fact pass the sphere, rolling in the 
opposite direction, in a corridor on the way there, but the sphere 
conceals itself in a dark corner as they trundle past. When they reach 
the statue of the Buddha the sphere is, of course, gone, and 
remembering Travers' hurried departure earlier they suspect him of 
taking it. This 
suspicion is heightened when they discover Travers is not in his room 
sleeping but has in fact tricked his way out of the monastery. But the 
sentry at the gate saw no one taking a sphere in the courtyard and the 
Dr can't bring himself to believe that Travers is behind all of this.

Khrisong, meanwhile, leads the Abbot Songtsen to the hall where the 
Yeti has been fastened down with chains. Sapan and Rinchen have also 
been at work, constructing a strange framework of wood and coloured 
thread around it which they explain is a ghost trap. The two aged 
lamas are troubled by the beast: "The devil in his guile wears his 
armour beneath the skin to protect his evil heart ... Such a being is 
against nature, it troubles me". Rinchen reprimands Khrisong for 
allowing the Yeti to be brought into the monastery and Khrisong snaps 
back furiously. Songtsen intervenes but Khrisong's position is very 
difficult: "Rinchen finds much fault with me of late ... I willingly 
would lay down my life for you and my brothers but can I combat this 
with mildness." Songtsen explains, "ours ways are the ways of peace 
... you must not seek to change them" but Khrisong counters "I would 
fight to preserve them." The Abbot decides to seek guidance from the 
master and, sitting down on the floor cross-legged, enters into a 
trance.

The Dr, Jamie, Victoria and Thomni arrive from the courtyard. They 
explain to Khrisong about Travers' trickery and about the sphere's 
disappearance. Somebody is clearly trying to prevent them learning 
what is going on and Khrisong, half convinced, decides that he himself 
will go to look for the other wretched sphere outside the gates. He 
leaves with the Dr and Jamie.

Thomni and Victoria are left watching the Abbot in his trance: "Yes 
master. I hear you master. I am coming." He gets up and leaves, moving 
like a sleepwalker. Victoria is puzzled: "Is he all right ? Who's he 
talking to ? Where's he going ?" Victoria starts to follow, but Thomni 
prevents her. He explains about Padmasambvha, the master of Detsen who 
is only ever seen by Songtsen, and who lives in the Inner Sanctum. 
Victoria finds all this rather quaint: "You mean to say you've lived 
here all this time and never been in there. You *are* funny. Aren't 
you the tiniest bit curious ?" Thomni is most definitely not, the 
whole idea shocks him: "It is forbidden."

In the Inner Sanctum next to Padmasambvha is a small table holding a 
relief map of the monastery and its surrounding area. On it are 
several small model Yeti. Padmasambvha's hand reaches out over the map 
and moves two of them closer to Detsen. Out on the mountainside, two 
Yeti come to life and begin to move along a corresponding route, 
watched by Travers hiding behind a rock. Songtsen arrives at the Inner 
Sanctum as he was bid. "FAR BETTER IF THE YETI HAD NOT BEEN BROUGHT 
INTO THE MONASTERY". The Abbot explains the Dr's involvement. "HIS 
MIND IS ON A COMPLEX PLANE. IT IS HARD TO FATHOM." But then in a 
harsher hiss, "I MUST NOW MAKE SURE OUR PLAN IS 
IMPERILED NO MORE" and the two Yeti models are moved again, this time 
bringing them right to the 
monastery gates. 

Khrisong, unaware that two Yeti are closing in on him, refuses to 
allow the Dr and Jamie to help him search, leaving them in the 
courtyard. Just as he finds the sphere, which begins to give out a 
loud beeping sound, the Yeti arrive. One lifts him up by the wrist and 
wrenches the sphere from his grasp. The monks emerge to fight them off 
but the Yeti ignore them, disappearing into the darkness. The Dr 
explains to Khrisong that these creatures are controlled: they were 
not programmed to fight but just "came to get their ball back."

"IT WOULD SEEM THAT THE YETI HAVE CAUSED SOME LITTLE UPSET AT THE 
GATES." Padmasambvha then instructs Songtsen that he must take a small 
glowing pyramid to the cave up in the mountain. Three Yeti, pointed 
out on the map, have been allocated to escort him there. When the 
pyramid 
is in place the Great Intelligence will focus its will upon this 
planet. Then, "IT WILL BEGIN TO GROW AND AT LAST TAKE ON PHYSICAL FORM 
... MY WORK WILL THEN BE DONE."

Jamie mentions the strange beeping sound which emerged from the sphere 
as it was found by Khrisong. The Dr explains that this is some sort of 
signalling which, with the proper equipment, could be traced to its 
source. Khrisong, defeated, allows the Dr and Jamie to go to the 
TARDIS for whatever they need. Soon after they depart, Songtsen 
arrives at the courtyard, manned again by just the lone sentry, 
Garbachan, who he hypnotises so that he can pass by undetected.

Jamie and the Dr reach the three Yeti which are waiting to escort 
Songtsen. They are clearly switched off so the Dr would like to 
examine them but Jamie cautions against this and they carry on towards 
the TARDIS. Songtsen arrives with the pyramid soon after. The Yeti 
jerk into life and form a protective triangle around him. Together the 
four of them move off up the mountain.

Aware of Victoria's childish curiosity everyone in the monastery 
agrees that she should be kept an eye on especially as she keeps 
wandering near the sanctum. Thomni is given this task but is soon 
tricked by Victoria who runs off to do some nosing around. When she 
reaches the Anteroom she is warned off by Padmasambvha: "THE MONKS 
WOULD LOOK UPON YOUR PRESENCE HERE AS SACRILIDGE. 
GO QUICKLY !" She returns to the hall where the captured Yeti lies 
bound and finds, at her feet, Jamie's sphere, which has finally 
finished its long trek from the courtyard. Curious, she picks it up, 
but then the sphere comes to life and forces itself into the cavity at 
the Yeti's chest. The flap over the cavity snaps shut and for a moment 
nothing happens. Then the Yeti's eyes snap open and it begins to 
thrash about, breaking chains and ghost strap with equal ease.

------------









Newsgroups: rec.arts.drwho