Taphony and the Time Loop (TV story)

Taphony and the Time Loop was the twentieth episode of Series 1 of K9.

Synopsis
Gryffen tries to free a time being imprisoned by The Department. He was responsible for an experiment that bought the Time Blank into being and K9 assists him in his plan. Unfortunately the blank, in the guise of a girl (Taphony) turns on Gryffen and beings to drain Jorjie's life force in an attempt to stabilise her own existence.

Plot
In a Department prison, a girl walks looks at her virtual reality surroundings with confusion when Gryffen suddenly appears. He asks her if she knows her name, she replies that she doesn't. He asks her if she knows where she is but she says she doesn't know that either. Gryffen tells her not to be scared and he's her to help, he tells her that her name is Taphony and she is in a virtual reality prison. He explains to her that she doesn't know this because her memory has been blocked. He tells her he's getting her out of here, in 30 seconds he will disrupt the prison's security circuits and she will be able to escape, she will have to step out of her cell and go to a portal that will appear. She asks him who he is, he says he is a friend and tells her to be brave as she disapears. The security system is breached and Taphony puts off her VR goggles, the door opens for her and she exits her cell. She is met by two CCPCs who tell her to halt and return to her cell, when they grab her she reverses them and turns them into dust.

At the mansion Gryffen and K9 are working on the STM, Gryffen says it's taking too long and she should be away by now. K9 warns him he has no control as she is an unstable time entity, Gryffen says that's no reason to lock her out. He's releasing her into time to allow her to find a place where she belongs. Despite K9 persisting it's a bad idea, Gryffen doesn't listen. At the Department Mobile HQ, Thorne orders that the perimeter is sealed and make sure no-one enters or leaves the prison. June arrives and says it's an internal security matter, Thorne tells her that it was clearly engineered from outside the prison. The locking system was tampered with to a single cell, Thorne says he won't know if only one escaped until the video link to the prison is restablished. Thorne tells June the prisoner is a maximum security inmate associated with Project Taphony. Back at the mansion, Gryffen can't keep the portal open much longer, he is confused why she hasn't gone through. K9 explains that as a Time Blank she does not obey the normal rules of time, she has pyshical presence but her essence exists outside normal time. Gryffen is relieved to see she has gone through the portal, however as K9 sees, she appears in the house. Darius suddenly walks in with Gryffen's birthday cake singing 'For He's a Jolly Good Fellow' when he spots Taphony and they introduce themselves to oneanother. He offers her some cake but when she touches it, it disintergrates. Gryffen and K9 come down to meet her as Darius introduces Taphony to Starkey and Jorjie who have just walked in.

Gryffen tells Darius his birthday isn't until tomorrow as K9 scans Taphony, finding a partial memory block and a strange energy force. Gryffen introduces himself to her as Darius shows her to the lab. K9 warns Gryffen that as a Time Blank, Taphony will only be able to sustain her existance by absorbs the lifeforce of another which is why they need to get her back into the portal as soon as possible but as Gryffen says, he owes an explanation. Gryffen takes a look at her and finds no Pyshical damage as a result of her incarceration or escape. All Taphony remembers was that she was in prison but doesn't now why she's here, Gryffen explains to everyone that she didn't do anything and something was done to her. When the Department first started acquiring alien technology they began experimenting to see if they could create a being capable of time travel, Gryffen was briefly brought in because of his experience in the subject. The Department considered the experiment a failure and Gryffen recently learned that to keep it a secret, Taphony was locked up in prison. Gryffen couldn't rest until he freed her. Darius suggests showing Taphony around, Gryffen says it's a good idea and the kids leave.

K9 then quotes Gryffen's warning that "we've got to get her into the STM as quickly as possible", Gryffen says she is only a young girl that has been locked away and she should have some fun. K9 warns that the odds that she will cause a major time disruption is 94.78%. Gryffen tells him that as he had a role in what happened to her and his birthday is nearing, as he gets older he has to make amends for what has happened in the past. Gryffen says the Department imprisoned her because they are "inhumane and unscrupulous", K9 says also because she is very dangerous. As Gryffen and K9 watch Darius and the others show Taphony around, K9 finds that Jorjie is considerably paler than usual while Taphony is "blooming". Gryffen gives in, when Darius sees no reason that Taphony can't stay here, K9 warns it is in advisable as Taphony does not belong to our Time-Space continuum. Gryffen says his plan was to set Taphony free and not to have her stay here. Taphony doesn't want to leave here as it feels like home, Gryffen tells her that she must and that it's too dangerous. She gets angry and grabs him, causing him great pain and making him collapse. The team help him up and are shocked to find him has been rapidly aged.

K9 scans Gryffen's DNA aging rate, it's degradation has accelerated by a factor of 100. Jorjie asks why she has done this, Taphony says that he helped make her the way she is now he can feel what it's like to be a "freak in time". Jorjie follows her as she leaves the Chess room, she confirms to Taphony that everyone is angry at what she has done to Gryffen as he is their friend. Taphony says should't she be more concerned as she is sick herself, she dismisses it saying the Gryffen is in worse shape than she is. Jorjie suspects that Human relationships is new to her, she tells Jorjie that she feels lost. Jorjie trys to comfort her but Taphony warns that she doesn't touch her. Jorjie assures her that she knows she has had a bad time and is there for her, Taphony says that in all her life Jorjie is the only friend she's had. Jorjie says they will talk more later as she goes to lie down. Gryffen tells Darius, Starkey and K9 that the only thing that can help him is getting rid of Taphony. K9 confirms this, as long as she is here the disruption to Gryffen's timeline will continue. Gryffen accepts K9 was right all along, K9 warns him that if he has a Birthday in his present state it will become permanent.

When K9 says Gryffen has already nominated the solution Starkey warns that it's dangerous to get Taphony to do things she doesn't want to do. Darius says they don't want to become a "dried up pile", when this offends Gryffen Darius says he was talking about the cake. K9 stops the discussion of the Cake and says for Gryffen and Jorjie's sake, Taphony must be dealt with. Later in the Chess room, Jorjie tries to convince Starkey and Darius that she is not dangerous, she just doesn't understand as she hasn't mixed with people before. Darius argues the Jorjie is being stolen by Taphony and Starkey adds that Taphony wants her future for herself. Jorjie suggests she doesn't understand the harm she's causing and she wants to be friends. Taphony using rapidspeed arrives in the room, Jorjie is shocked that she can do it, she tells her she doesn't know how but she is just able to do it. Jorjie calls it cool and tries to get the boys to think that too, Darius reminds her of what she done to Gryffen. Taphony listened to what they were saying and she does want to be friends and she's only teaching Gryffen a lesson, she assures them Jorjie will be fine.

They go to the STM room to play frisbee, Darius throws it to Jorjie and Taphony slows it down. She tells her to throw it to Starkey and just as she's about to catch it she speeds up in front of him and catches it. Starkey, Darius and Jorjie throw it together and Taphony speeds up time around them. Taphony throws the frisbee to Darius and makes it slowly hover above his head and crash. K9 arrives asking Taphony what she is doing with his friends, she says they are her's too and they are having fun, which K9 decides to be over. Starkey assures Taphony she's going to make everything right, K9 warns him that Gryffen has 2.33 hours left and Jorjie has even less time. Jorjie starts to feel unwell and Starkey decides K9 is right, but Taphony speeds off. K9 scans Jorjie and confirms that Taphony's life essence is increasing as Jorjie's diminishes just as he predicted. Darius compares her to a Vampire, Jorjie still persists she wants to be friends. Gryffen says Darius is right and they need to treat Taphony as a threat, K9 agrees. Starkey asks how do they deal with her, and Darius asks how do they find her.

June goes to the House where she is met by Taphony, when she introduces herself Taphony realises that she is from the people who locked her away. She asks if Jorjie is alright, Taphony tells her Jorjie is her friend. She lets her in, June is shocked to find Jorjie near-death and Gryffen rapidly aged, the team alert her to the situation. June tells Gryffen he will explain later why he realised her, she asks what do they do for now. K9 tells her she must be returned to the portal and transported before she can do anymore damage and warns that Gryffen only has 1.57 hours left. Taphony arrives, Gryffen asks if she understands what she's doing, Taphony refuses to just jump into the portal and dissapear. K9 explains she will transport to a time and place consistent with her metafictional composition, Taphony argues she was given it. She asks if she will have friends, K9 tells her it is possible their might be other entities like her. She asks if they will play catch, he tells her it's unlikely that "pointless plastic entertainments" will exist. She asks if she will have a mother, he tells her that would be impossible. She says if she stays here she can have all of it, June tells her that absorbing Jorjie won't make her Taphony's mother and Darius tells her it won't make them her friends. Taphony says they are her friends, Darius tells her they won't any more and Starkey says if Jorjie is hurt they will won't nothing more to do. Taphony argues she is the only way she can stay here and understands, Starkey says she doesn't and Taphony speeds off.

Gryffen now has only 1.13 hours left, Starkey, Darius and K9 decide to split up and search for Taphony. Starkey finds Taphony but she uses her rapid speed to tease him around, she isn't happy to see him leave. Darius is met by Taphony and tells her to help Jorjie, she tells him she wants to play. Darius refuses to play catch and demands she helps Jorjie but she runs away, as he goes she isn't happy to see him go away either. June, Starkey and K9 are by Jorjie's side, she tells them if she isn't saved she wants to thank them all for looking out for her, Starkey assures her everything will be okay. Starkey asks K9 if there is any specific reason why Taphony needs Jorjie, K9 because she is also a female of similar age so she would be the most logical but not completely necessary choice. So she could easily have chose the life force of Starkey, June or Darius, Gryffen suggests he take Jorjie's place as he has the least time left. June decides as she is her mother, if anyone is going to offer it should be her. Starkey argues that Jorjie wouldn't want to lose her, June says she wouldn't want to lose him either. Darius suggests that they all offer, June agrees. Taphony arrives and freezes time, shocked that they would all offer to sacrifice themselves. K9 confirms it, shocking her that he is immune to the time freeze. K9 explains that like her he does not conform to all the rules of this time continuum. Taphony asks K9 if he understands what she is doing and that she only wants to stay, K9 understands but does not agree. She says that Jorjie understands as she is her friend, K9 asks her if she is her friend why is she doing this, explaining that people do not hurt their friends and would sooner hurt themselves. Like what the others are doing for Jorjie, that's what makes them friends.

She unfreezes them and Starkey and Darius tell her there is no reason she can't take them instead of Jorjie, she says there is a reason, they are her friends. She asks the Professor how long he has, he tells her 10 minutes. As they arrive in the STM room, Darius asks Taphony if there is any way to keep in touch, Taphony says he won't remember her but she always will to him. With only two minutes left for Gryffen, Taphony goes into the middle of the room as Gryffen powers up the STM. Jorjie arrives with June, who thanks her, she tells her that's what friends are for. Darius throws the frisbee to Taphony before she leaves. Then time is reversed all the way up to Gryffen finding she has gone through the portal, but this time she hasn't arrived at the house. Darius walks in singing 'For He's a Jolly Good Fellow' carrying the cake with Starkey and Jorjie behind him, Gryffen thanks him but tells him his birthday isn't until tommorrow. However, Gryffen decides that they celebrate anyway, Gryffen tells K9 that as he thought transporting Taphony through the portal would be dangerous he has finally proved him wrong for once. As Gryffen goes downstairs, K9 bids goodbye to Taphony who has safely arrived in a mysterious dimension suited to her.

Cast

 * K9 Mark 2 - John Leeson
 * Starkey - Keegan Joyce
 * Jorjie Turner - Philippa Coulthard
 * Darius Pike - Daniel Webber
 * Professor Alistair Gryffen - Robert Moloney
 * June Turner - Robyn Moore
 * Taphony - Maia Mitchell

Production crew

 * Writer - Anthony Morris, Graeme Farmer
 * Director - Mark DeFriest
 * Producers - Penny Wall, Richard Stewart, Simon Barnes
 * Executive producers - Jim Howell, Grant Bradley, Steve Robbins
 * Associate producers - Bob Baker, Paul Tams
 * Supervising producer - Dale Bradley
 * Co-Executive producers - Mark Blythe, Sam Tromans
 * Line producer - Pam Collis
 * VFX Director - David Napier
 * Series Production Designer - Jon Dowding
 * Episodic Designer - Adam Head
 * New K9 Design by - Paul Tams, Alex Kubalsky
 * Series Director of Photography - Ben Nott
 * Episodic Director of Photography - Tony O'Loughlan
 * Music by - Christopher Elves
 * K9 theme music by - Michael Lira
 * Editor - Russell Maggs
 * Casting - Faith Martin and associates
 * Episodic casting - Lisa Maloney
 * Drama/Dialogue coach - Peter Kent
 * Story Producer - Greg Walters
 * Script Adaption - Michaelet O'Brien
 * Production Accountant - Pru Donovan
 * 1st Assistant Director - Peter McLennan
 * Script Supervisor - Sue Ketchington
 * Costume Designer - Joanne Thompson
 * Makeup Designer - Sharon Robbins
 * Puppeteer - David Pawsey
 * Location Manager - Charles Boyle
 * Sound Recordist - Ian Grant
 * B Camera Operator - Dan Maxwell
 * Gaffer - Steve Monk
 * Key Grip - Billy Harmer
 * Special thanks to - Space Furniture, Shredox, J. Barbour & Sons Ltd, Heath Williams at Firefly Lighting, Videopro
 * Safety Supervisor/Stunt Coordinator - Danny Baldwin
 * Transport Manager - Alister Ward
 * Unit Manager - Graeme Suhr
 * Post Production Facility - Cutting Edge Australia
 * Head of Post Production - John Lee
 * Sound Design - Warren Pearson

Story notes
to be added

Ratings
to be added

Myths
to be added

Filming locations
to be added

Production errors
to be added

Continuity

 * Gryffen is rapidly aged by Taphony, this has happened many times in the Whoniverse. Most notably to the Fourth Doctor in DW: The Leisure Hive, the Tenth Doctor in DW: The Sound of Drums and Martha Jones in TW: Dead Man Walking.

Home video releases
This episode is featured in the Series One complete boxset.