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Salamander
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The TARDIS lands on an Australian beach in the near future. As they have fun on the beach The Doctor and his two companions, Jamie McCrimmon and Victoria Waterfield, are spotted by three men in a hovercraft. Suddenly the hovercraft approaches and they come under gun fire. The Doctor and his companions make a dash for some nearby sand dunes but the men from the hovercraft are in hot pursuit and start to encircle The Doctor and his companions. Rescue comes in the form of a helicopter piloted by a woman called Astrid Ferrier. Astrid takes them to her bungalow in a nearby district with the men, in the hovercraft, in hot pursuit.
In the bungalow Astrid explains that The Doctor was attacked because he bears an uncanny resemblance to a very important person known as Salamander who is a dictator plotting to become the ruler of the whole of Earth. After being attacked again, by the men in the hovercraft, The Doctor, his two companions and Astrid manage to escape while their hunters use the helicopter to hunt them down. However, because the helicopter's fuel tank had been punctured earlier by bullets it explodes mid-air.
Astrid takes the time-travellers to see a man called Giles Kent who explains that Salamander is a scientist and politician who has discovered a means of storing and distributing solar energy and thus ending starvation in a world ravaged by an increasing amount of natural disasters – whose occurrences Salamander is somehow able to predict. Even though most people see Salamander as a hero, there are others, like Giles and Astrid, who believe that he is just establishing himself as a dictator. Giles shows them a video of Salamander addressing the United Zones General Assembly. Giles tells The Doctor that the world praised Salamander as a hero as his Sun-Catcher satellite was intended to wipe out world famine, but he became suspicious that Salamander was merely using the Sun-Catcher to gain a position of power. His fears were then confirmed when he was sacked, from his position as Deputy Security Leader of the North African and European Zones, and then soon after many others lost their posts - all being replaced with people loyal to Salamander.
| The Doctor |
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Giles Kent then asks The Doctor to help him discredit Salamander by impersonating him. The Doctor is not convinced that he could be mistaken for Salamander – however, this is put to the test when Salamander's Security Chief Donald Bruce arrives to see Giles. The Doctor hides in a side room while Donald Bruce questions Astrid about the earlier events at her bungalow and the three strangers that had been spotted with her. Thinking that one of them is in the side room Donald Bruce goes to open the door. But instead of there being a stranger inside The Doctor is there, pretending to be Salamander, and Donald Bruce is completely fooled.
Realising that this is a unique opportunity The Doctor agrees to impersonate Salamander so as to help Giles and Astrid uncover the truth. It is decided that Jamie and Victoria will travel with Astrid to the Central European Zone, where they will infiltrate Salamander's inner circle of supporters, while The Doctor and Giles will travel to the Sun Conservation Establishment.
| Jamie |
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When arriving at the Central European Zone Jamie gains entry to Salamander's entourage by pretending to save the dictator's life during a faked bomb attack. He is employed as a security guard, and uses his new position to get Victoria a job in the kitchens. There they discover that a prisoner, Denes, is the latest person to be discredited by Salamander. Astrid, with help from Jamie and Victoria, attempts to rescue Denes. But during the rescue attempt Denes is killed and Jamie and Victoria are captured.
On learning of Jamie and Victoria’s arrest, The Doctor makes preparations to rescue his companions. However, Donald Bruce makes another visit to Giles Kent and discovers The Doctor preparing to impersonate Salamander. Sensing that Donald Bruce is disaffected with the real Salamander, The Doctor asks Donald Bruce for his help to rescue Jamie and Victoria and to prove that Salamander is not the good man he pretends to be. Bruce reluctantly agrees to aid The Doctor. And so The Doctor, disguised as Salamander, and Donald Bruce arrive at the base just in time to take charge of the interrogation of Jamie and Victoria. Before he reveals his true identity to his friends The Doctor is able to convince Donald Bruce of Salamander's true nature by getting Victoria to show her hatred of the would-be dictator.
Meanwhile the real Salamander enters a research plant and, via a secret lift, he descends to an underground shelter. There a group of people, lead by Swann, believe that an atomic war has taken place five years earlier and that Salamander has been risking his life to bring them supplies and food. It seems that Salamander has been duping them into causing the 'natural' disasters as a means of destroying two evil factions who continue to fight on the surface. This lie though is about to be exposed when Swann, while unpacking the food brought by Salamander, finds a piece of newspaper which is only one year old. When Swann accuses Salamander of lying the dictator takes Swann to some natural underground tunnels where he leaves him for dead.
| The Doctor or Salamander? |
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Swann though manages to reach the surface, outside the research plant, and is discovered by Astrid. Before he dies, he manages to tell her that his killer was Salamander. This prompts Astrid to make her way down to the shelter and tell the people that Salamander has deceived them and has killed Swann.
Meanwhile posing as Salamander, The Doctor manages to bluff his way into the records room while Donald Bruce arranges for the release of Jamie and Victoria. Giles Kent also arrives - as does Astrid with two of the people from the shelter. To the shock of everyone they recognise Giles Kent as Salamander's partner who helped trick them into going into the shelter. Giles Kent's true motives, to take control of the world himself, are thus revealed.
With Giles Kent exposed as a traitor he escapes into the tunnels where a self-destruct mechanism is located so as to blow up the station. Realising what he is about to do The Doctor and the others manage to escape just before Giles Kent sets off the device.
With everyone safe, and the rest of the people from the shelter rescued, Jamie and Victoria return to the TARDIS to wait for The Doctor – who has gone into the tunnels to confront Salamander and Giles Kent. Jamie and Victoria are at first delighted when The Doctor arrives. But when he pleads exhaustion, and then asks Jamie to pilot the TARDIS for him instead, Jamie becomes suspicious that this may not be the real Doctor. His suspicions are proved to be correct when the real Doctor arrives. Before they can tackle Salamander he activates the TARDIS' controls sending it spinning out of control with its doors still open. Salamander is sucked out into the vortex whilst The Doctor, Jamie and Victoria and are left clinging on to the TARDIS console in an attempt to save themselves from the same fate.
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