The Stone Tape

Colly!

Peter.

The big day yeah.

- Don't expect too much it's all in a mess.

If only we'd had another month.

Not a chance.

Looks good.

I mean it looks as terrible as ever but stronger.

Why didn't they tear it down?

Colly.

Well it would have been better.

They had to degut most of it, rip out floors,

replace nearly all the timber.

Wasn't much worth keeping.

Colly he found it.

Even so.

Himself.

- I mean I can understand about the park there,

at least it's big but this.

Ah he liked the style of it.

My God.

- One look that's all he needed, his mind was made up.

He said it spoke to him.

It spoke to him so it did.

I know what it said,

"Mr Ryan for pity's sake don't knock me down."

- He could've built from new at half the cost.

How long have you been down here?

Three, four months.

Got someone stashed away in there?

Mm?

Why not?

Hardly.

Quite like it, it's quite snug.

Eddie Holmes is a great help.

He's got most of your gear in position.

I'm glad you were able to spare him.

Ah he's a good man Eddie.

Hi Peter, setting a good example?

Conscientious boss, always the first in.

See what I got, a bunch of kids.

Mascot!

Stew, is that Stewart?

I come in peace.

What are you doing to him?

We're sacrificing a martian!

Right that's enough come on break it up now,

break it up.

Just a bit of clowning.

Innocent clowning sir!

Innocent you lot?

You missed all the fun Jill.

We sacrificed a martian.

You're late.

It's the bride's privilege.

I beg your pardon.

You're shaking.

I was nearly in an accident.

How, where?

Outside here.

I had a sort of momentary.

I don't know.

Blackout is the usual word.

It wasn't that.

- You should've been with me, I should've been driving you,

I'm sorry I couldn't make last night.

Peter please.

So now you get accident prone hmm?

Nothing happened.

Welcome to Taskerlands.

Thank you!

It doesn't look much now but wait 'till it's finished

then you'll get the full horror.

Don't put them off.

Everybody know Roy Collinson,

house master and bunny mother.

Any problems connected with the move,

finding digs in the area,

housing wives and harems, see Colly.

Why's it called that?

Taskerlands?

Yes what's it mean?

Work?

- Well it was built by a man called Tasker.

Original I like it.

Thank you, these were his lands.

He made a fortune out of iron railings.

It's not ancient then?

- Sorry to disappoint, no it was built about 1880.

Mostly owned by the one family,

requisitioned during the Second World War

by the American forces, derelict ever since.

Right let's butter their paws.

Lift soon to operate I hope because my office is up there.

And very palatial.

Of course or why be boss?

Reception desk with Sergeant Paterson.

Sergeant get to know these faces.

I know some already sir.

- From here on we're secret so no chums in,

no parties in the canteen,

which by the way is through there and extremely decent.

And working.

Loos that way, also working.

Right follow me.

This is lab one, soon there'll be two others like it

to spread in to.

And if that's not enough there are 500 acres outside.

Who else is coming here?

Nobody just us

But it's enormous.

We'll get bigger.

I'll expand the team with people I choose,

handpicked, the best, same as you're the best.

Aye flattery Pete.

Get's him a lot of places.

Absolutely fantastic.

- What about the others the washing machine crowd?

Here.

Forget it.

What that lot here?

- No can't you get it through your heads you're special.

Incredible as that may seem you are.

I'll spell it out for you.

This place is ours, it is all for us.

Because we are on the big one.

Do you want a pep talk is that what you want?

About the Japs.

- He's a bit simple, he's brilliant but simple.

Cliff it is always about the Japs.

In 10 years time they're going to have us

by whatever part of our anatomy they pick.

There will be no electronics industry anywhere in the world

but theirs, unless--

I think we've got a good chance.

We've only got one chance.

We've got to play cards so high they can't top it.

Ah so!

A completely new recording medium.

Have here in honorable pocket.

Oh shut up Stewart.

What about tape?

Tape's finished.

Well you can still improve it.

No its day is done.

Magnetic tape is compact, responsive,

all the sales chat up says it is.

Also, delicate and prone to lose its memory.

Like Clifford here.

As you so rightly say.

Nice time gentleman, for a breakthrough.

Just record me, say, the whole of Wagner's Ring Cycle

inside a ball-bearing with instant playback of course.

Can you give me 'till lunchtime?

And you can name your own royalties.

Oh it is royalties then?

Yep, forget about bonuses.

You'll be right in there, got his word on it.

Himself?

Yesterday.

"Just put the boots into old Nippon"

is how he delicately phrased it.

So if you want to be millionaires it's a crash program.

Find the medium, everything else follows.

Hardware?

We'll take the lot.

Computers, TV, home recording, satellites, they all follow.

Then Ryan Electrics becomes Ryan International

becomes Ryan Interspatial.

It's up to you.

I love this man's modesty.

- Thanks to Eddie you'll find all your junk

in familiar order.

Disorder.

Obviously sorry.

All this string.

- Now your pet projects will go on as before.

Eddie's digital crystal and so on.

But we're going to try something new.

We'll correlate all results together.

What if there's no connection?

The computer might spot.

Every clue counts.

Puts a lot on the programmer.

Jill's ready.

She's gonna try something very sophisticated.

Projections, extrapolations, a sort of randomized mix

with an accelerated uncertainty principle.

How's that?

Something of the sort.

You alright?

- Yes I, what about data storage, are these all we've got?

- Colly computer storage room when do we get it?

Ah yes well--

What?

There have been problems.

You were here to solve them.

Colly how much have they done?

Nothing.

Let me see.