Endless Night Part One Wizards vs Aliens

Out there - that's the Neverside.

-ELEVATOR PINGS

-No!

I think the form filter's jammed.

You've become human!

Whoa! I hope I make a half-decent dad.

Yay!

-Benny!

-Tom!

-Tell me we can get back home.

Come on!

We left the Neverside

and everything's gone back to the way it was.

-Benny Junior!

-Neverside is like dream world.

And like a dream, it fades.

-I shall never forget.

-What colour were his eyes?

I'm not sure either.

I've lost him and now I'm going to lose you.

One morning you'll wake up

and what happened on the Neverside will be like fragments of a dream.

Goodbye, Tom.

Goodbye, Lexi.

Once, there will have been only darkness.

And the evil things of the night held sway in the world.

For there will have been no sun in the sky,

But only a black moon riven with silver.

No flower did bud and all will have been misery.

Then a fiery comet will have come a-crashing into the dark moon

and pieces will have been raining upon the Earth.

The moon itself would have been pushed away,

letting the sun shine on things for the first time.

And the dayside will have been born and with it the first wizards.

Yet beware,

should the endless night return,

the powers of wizards is lost.

Moon, it's an eclipse. Just an eclipse.

That's all. You'll see at noon tomorrow.

But moon stones will still be raining down or how will

-Randal be having this?

-Hang on, you mean that's moon rock?

As falling from the heavens and even on the very head of Randal Moon's

greatest of greatly-great-great grand grand grand fathers.

And is that how you got your name?

Because someone got hit in the head with a piece of moon rock?

I will not be seeing the amusement of it.

-He most assuredly did not.

-I suppose it could be moon rock.

There's no question it was hit by meteors.

But the moon never permanently covered the sun.

It's in orbit.

Mybit? Whichbit? Whatbit?

No, not your bit, orbit.

Demonstrate, professor.

The crystal ball is Earth.

The orange is the sun.

This is the moon.

Earth orbits the sun.

The moon orbits Earth.

If you will be saying so.

But sometimes the moon's orbit brings it close enough to block out

the sun completely from us, and that casts a shadow over Earth.

Which is an eclipse.

Yes, yes, but evil will still be making the most of time of shadows.

And wizard magic will be weaker when the moon covers the sun.

Is Moon getting the heebie-jeebies?

It's always the same when there's an eclipse.

He's like a dog chasing his tail.

But nothing ever happens, does it?

Randal Moon will be attuned to his silvery sister.

There will be a chill in his blood tonight.

A feeling that this passing...

will be a bad moon.

Relax, tomorrow's only a partial eclipse.

It won't even go dark.

And, Tom, we should be going.

We should? Where?

Quinn's birthday party.

It's suppose to be a surprise for him, not for you.

Yeah.

Look, I'm not really in the mood.

Come on, it's Quinn.

Katie will be there. Everyone will be there, even me.

I know, I'm just tired, Benny.

I've not been sleeping so well lately.

Oh, why is that?

Just dreams.

Weird dreams.

It doesn't matter.

And besides Mr Fisher's science project,

I've got magic homework to do.

So, tell Quinn that I'll see him tomorrow. OK?

Yeah.

Laters.

Bye, Mrs Crowe, bye, Moon.

Magic is important, Tom, but...

..so are friends.

Don't take them for granted.

Don't worry. I won't.

And you're quite all right?

There's nothing bothering you?

I'm fine, Gran.

Like I said, I'm just tired.

BOTH: Hail the Might of Nekron!

We have awaited this alignment for months.

Is all prepared?

In 13.5 hours

Earth's moon will begin its partial eclipse of the sun, Father.

The Gravizon has been calibrated for lunar mass.

We await only the optimum point of conjunction.

Then we shall visit night upon the wizards! Behold!

The Nekross shall conquer the moon!

LAUGHTER

HE GASPS

HE STIRS

Run!

This way!

No!

ALARM BEEPS

Oh, yeah.

That's good.

Morning! Did you sleep OK?

Weird dreams. Being chased through woods.

A teacher after your homework, I bet.

And there's this kid. I keep dreaming about a boy and...

Is it something to do with when I was in the Neverside?

Was he there?

You know what I told you about the Neverside, Tom.

It's full of tricks and deceptions... shades and shadows.

What do you remember about this boy?

I really don't know.

Just a boy.

Do you know how old he is?

What colour hair?

No idea. What's it matter? It's just a dream.

-Random.

-Yes. Of course it is.

I mean, none of my dreams make any sense at all.

Apart from the cheesecake recipe.

You ready, Dad?

I'll just get my bag.

-Is he OK?

-Yes. I think so.

I was trying to see how much he still remembers of Benny Junior.

But the memory is as good as gone. He'll be fine.

Come on then, people, there's an eclipse coming, let's do today.

Thank you.

Oh!

Help yourself.

Their master plan is clever.

In fact, forgive me,

I can find no better description for it than, inspired.

Perhaps we should act sooner, Excellency?

There is no need for haste, Jathro.

And I have never doubted the King's capacity for ingenuity

or, indeed, cruelty, which is why you must take care.

Should you be discovered, it will be...painful.

Fear not.

I shall take all necessary steps in the cause of self-preservation.

And the Glory of Nekron of course.

The glorious day approaches.

Technician 15! What do you think you are doing?

Most exquisite Excellency, I was addressing a malfunction.

I will give you a malfunction,

if you do not report to the flight deck immediately.

Final checks on the Gravizon - now!

Yes, exquisite Excellency.

Soon you will not be so much exquisite, simply ex.

Tom! Bonjour!

Morning, Mr Sherwood.

Richard.

-Hey, Tom, can you give me a hand?

-What is it?

It's my dad's reflector telescope.

And my father's before me.

In fact, he built it. So be careful with it.

It's heavy and delicate.

Never realised you came from a line of stargazers, Benny.

Oh, mais oui.

The year that I was born, man first walked on the moon.

I wanted to be an astronaut when I grew up.

It wasn't to be.

But I'm betting one day Benny here will be the first Sherwood in space.

What a day that would be.

As long as he doesn't get kidnapped by aliens, eh, Tom?

-NERVOUS CHUCKLE

-Round here? No chance.

Come on, we should get this telescope set up.

If only your dad knew you'd already been in space.

It's crazy all the stuff I've done.

And I can't tell him any of it.

Give us a shout if you spot those aliens!

CHUCKLES

Lunar alignment in 30 minutes.

Are all systems prepared, sister?

-TOM:

-'Out there, that's the Neverside.

'A place of dreams and nightmares.

'I won't abandon my brother.

'He might not be here any more.'

-Lexi. Are you unwell?

-No, I...

I am perfectly well.

We must all be alert.

We have spent months preparing for this moment.

Its success will bring us victory over the wizards.

It shall be a great day for Nekron.

And a very dark one for Earth.

So, how was the party?

It was cool.

Katie brought Quinn down to the bowling alley,

he had no idea we'd all be waiting for him.

I told him you were sick.

-Oh, you didn't have to do that.

-Yeah, well...

I hope you slept better last night?

-No more dreams?

-Nothing that made sense.

It's just my brain in scrambled mode.

Yeah, you'd used to that!

Yeah, right.

Now, has everybody remembered your eclipse glasses, yes?

ALL: Yes.

So your grandad actually built this? It's amazing.

It's sort of a family heirloom.

My grandad and dad used to watch the stars for hours together.

Me and dad did the same when I was little.

It's how I got hooked on science.

I never thought about science being handed down to you.

It's like Mum...

It's like mum passed magic on to me.

One day maybe I'll have kids.

And I'll show them the stars too.

And I'll tell them how...

..I went up there and fought aliens.

Kids.

Imagine having a kid.

How weird would that be?

I suppose it would be cool teaching him how to play football.

Yay!

No!

Are you OK?

Yeah.

Just the thought of having a kid.

Sort of freaks me out.

Made a miraculous recovery then, Clarkey?

Yeah. Sorry, I missed it, mate.

No worries, got plenty more birthdays to come.

Look at all this, Trust the Benziac to go over the top.

It's a telescope, its not going over the top,

it's just a bit more advanced than a cereal box with a hole in it.

Good point, Benny.

-Benny's grandad made this.

-What?

That's so cool! Can I look through it?

Well, it's pointing at the sun,

so only if you want to burn your eyes out.

But you can take a look at the pictures later.

-You're taking pictures of the sun?

-Yeah.

-Using the camera to make a spectroscopic analysis.

-Yeah...

That's a nice camera though. Careful you don't fry the optics.

Don't worry, I'm using diffraction grating.

Right...

My dad was a newspaper photographer,

he left me all this cameras when he died.

What exposure are you using?

-F22 maximum.

-Yeah, you're going to need that.

Someone told me strange things could happen around an eclipse,

but Benny and Quinn getting geeky? I never saw that coming.

Moon?

Where are you?

Have you see Moon?

Oh...

Tell me, Stickley, and tell me soon, where is hobgoblin Randal Moon?

Listen up, you'll think it fable, He is hid under the table!

-Ah!

-Whatever do you think you're doing?

Mistress, the passing of the moon, it will be almost upon us.

Calm down, Moon.

It'll all be over in the flutter of a fairy's wings, you'll see.

Now come on out.

You really are frightened, aren't you?

You're trembling.

There will be evil to come, Mistress, Randal Moon will be

seeing it a-coming in the darkness.

Right, everyone's got their protective glasses on

-and their eclipse viewers at the ready?

-ALL: Yes!

Good. Oh, come on, Jenkins.

Good. The show's about to start.

Here we go!

That way. Idiot!

All systems are readied.

The eclipse is beginning

Activate the Gravizon!

Gravizon activated, Majesty.

-Oh!

-It will be beginning!

That's amazing!

Stunning!

-That's clearly going to help.

-Thank you.

It's reached maximum phase.

That's it? Show's over?

We've got maths next!

The partial alignment is complete.

Engage the Gravizon! We will take control of their moon!

And move it!

As my King commands, so it is done.

Now, let there be darkness!

Got it wrong, Benziac. It's going for the full monty!

No! It can't be! That isn't possible!

Moon! Whatever are you doing?

Experiencing some velocity drift.

Compensate by five degrees.

Immediately, exquisite Excellency.

Unseen hands, they'll be a-gripping the moon! Aye and Randal Moon, too!

They only predicted 38% solar obscuration.

Talk English, not Martian, Benny!

The moon, it was only supposed to hide 38% of the sun.

Look - it's three quarters covered!

I didn't think they got stuff like this wrong.

They don't!

This can't be happening!

Another ten degrees' adjustment, technician.

Oh, dear. This isn't good. Not at all.

You'll be a-telling Randal Moon!

Oh, Moon, can't you hold on to something?

It's bad enough with one moon playing silly beggars,

never mind two!

It will be the unseen force a-grasping

Randal Moon's silvery sister,

it will be playing him like a puppet, Mistress.

But what sort of unseen force?

Randal Moon will be but a hobgoblin, he will be knowing only this,

it will be not the force of nature.

CRASH

Approaching totality, Father.

Totality.

Prepare thrusters for the final manoeuvre!

Fire thrusters!

Look!

It's getting bigger!

It's getting closer!

RUMBLING

What was that?

An earth tremor!

It's going to hit us!

The moon! It's going to hit us!

Where are you running to?

Where are you going to go?

It's no use, there's nowhere to hide!

Position achieved.

Fix relative position!

Maintain the moon's new position relative to the sun's movement.

Splendid

It's stopped.

But what happened?

The moon can't do that!

Well? Any bright ideas?

I could do with a ray of sunshine right now.

Katie's right. It's impossible.

Mum's on her own. She'll be going out of her head.

I'm going to make sure she's all right. Yeah?

And I'd better check on my little sister. She's at playgroup.

-They'll all be scared.

-Yeah, try not to worry.

Yeah. Right.

-Is it the Nekross?

-Maybe.

But this isn't like anything they've ever done before.

Why would they?

Because they know wizards get their three spells every sunrise.

-You can't have a sunrise if the moon is blocking it out!

-Exactly.

No sunrise - no magic.

Whatever they're up to, this isn't over, Benny.

I've got a bad feeling this is just the beginning.

Europe is in darkness.

The tides are in chaos.

Four hours on and the world is reeling with shock.

The moon seems to have adopted a new solar-stationary orbit

between Earth and the sun.

Western Europe has come to a halt as people desert their jobs

-to be with loved ones.

-As offices are left empty

and the transport infrastructure struggles with this mass exodus,

governments have called for calm.

Is this the end of the world?

Not necessarily, I mean...we don't know.

During about four or five hours of chaos

as the country and the government were falling apart...

It's against all laws of physics.

According to the internet this could be the work of aliens.

It's as good an explanation as any.

We seem to have shaken the humans' bombastic faith in being

the sole life form in the universe!

We hold the very existence of their world in our grasp

and soon the wizards will learn the price of its survival!

People are gathering in large numbers at churches

and in ad hoc candlelit vigils as the eclipse continues.

KNOCK ON DOOR

Benny, are you coming in?

-I'm sort of busy.

-Come back up to the house.

You shouldn't be out here on your own.

No. I've got things I need to do.

That's the second one in the last hour.

No-one knows what's going to happen next. It's not safe.

-So we've got to be prepared.

-Your mother's right.

Now, I'm a rational man, but what's happened today, it's not natural.

I don't mind telling you, it's got me scared.

I've been scared before, Dad. More times than you know.

But I've never given up hope.

Oh, Benny, darling, that's very brave of you.

But we're in a serious situation.

Benny, are you even listening to us?

People out there - they think the world is going to end.

Sorry, I've got to go!

Don't worry, the world's not finished.

-Not today anyway.

-Benny!

It's the Nekross, all right. Look!

So what are we looking at?

It's my spectroscopic analysis of the eclipse.

But I don't see any Nekross.

There! The spectroscopic signature of the Zarantulus.

I've charted it before. No-one else would ever spot it

because they wouldn't know what to look for.

Are you saying the Nekross dragged the moon out of orbit

and parked it smack over the sun?

And pushed it closer to Earth to increase the size of the eclipse!

Wizards across the whole of Western Europe are cut off from the sun,

and as long as the eclipse lasts, what magic we've got is weaker.

The eclipse has knocked out the Network of Mirrors.

They've isolated every wizard.

Can't Randal Moon help? Where is he?

He will be standing in for a book-end!

Where do you think he is?

He's connected to the moon,

and anything the Nekross do to it has an effect on him.

You mean he's stuck up there?

Like a pigeon up a magician's sleeve.

HIGH-PITCHED SOUND WAVE

-What is that?

-The scrying mirror.

The Network of Mirrors, it will be infiltrated by technockery.

Randal Moon can feel it. Agh!

Attention wizards!

Oh, my goodness! Nekross!

We have control of your moon,

and with it we have blocked out your sun.

There will be no more sunrises.

And wizards are left weak and defenceless in its shadow.

Nekross, do you hear me?

The halfling wizard! We hear you.

And I see your fear!

I'm not scared of you!

And you can't put the whole of Earth in an eclipse.

When we have harvested the wizards in this sector

we will move on to the next, bringing shadow and taking magic

from across your world until we have taken every wizard!

We'll still fight you. Even without magic.

And how would you do that?

Persuade your armies to fire missiles at us? We will return fire.

And we will obliterate them!

No! This is a war is between us - wizards and Nekross.

You've never hurt innocent people before! Don't drag them into this!

You do not dictate the rules of this war!

There are no rules!

And these "innocent people", your unenchanted, are your weakness.

We will do with them as we wish - to force your defeat!

You're holding the world hostage!

Whilst the moon remains on its new position, your world is dying.

The climate will change, the seas will rise

and the tides will become land-drowning tsunamis.

The Days of the Ever Night will be returning!

Millions of people will die.

And you cannot allow that.

You are duty-born to protect the unenchanted.

At all costs.

What is it you want?

The surrender of all wizards.

Forget it! Not happening!

Then your world will die in shadow.

Your innocent unenchanted will starve and choke on toxic air.

If you take all the wizards, then you'll starve, as well!

You'll have used up all your food supply!

Which is why, on your surrender, we shall farm you like cattle.

The Nekross shall feast forever.

No way!

There will be no sunrise, you are no good.

We shall allow you 24 hours to give yourselves up to the Nekross

or watch your entire world die.

The tremors are coming more often.

It's as if this area is the epicentre.

We're on the verge of a

total environmental disaster.

To move the moon with magic? It will be beyond wizards.

What's that?

It will be the wizards' call to war.

There is always another option to war.

-We've still got science.

-What? Our science against Nekross science?

You've always been the most spectacular mate, Benny.

I'm saving my friends.

So you can extract my magic, every drop of it.

But you have to end the eclipse.

And I will snap his bones... and sup the very magic from them!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd