Episode One
Programmed As Time Agents
Frederick Rotherford and Thaddius Arrington have been taken out of their own times by mysterious people with power over time and great mental abilities. They have not met each other yet and are not clear who their masters are. They do know they are time agents and they are being sent on a mission, the details of which they do not know.
They have been impressed with telepathic suggestions, not to reveal who they really are or what they are doing. They are also forbidden to indiscriminately kill people as they could affect the time lines.
Their First Mission
Frederick Rotherford and Thaddius Arrington arrive in a cave, in the dark, a little confused. They have no memories of how they got there or exactly what happened after they were taken out of time, just the vague telepathic memories they have been given.
They introduce themselves and look around. They explore the cave and head towards the way the wind is blowing. They emerge in the mouth of the cave. It is night time and cold and there is snow on the ground. The ground sloped downwards away from them.
Gun Shot
They suddenly hear a monstrous roar and a gun shot. A voice calls out, then another roar and gun shot. They decide to retreat into the cave to escape the cold, although they are wearing both a large warm coat and some sort of one-piece jump suits under their normal clothing.
They examine their possessions further. Thaddius has a strange wallet, with some empty paper on it. Frederick has a large electronic tool.
Something in the Cave
Frederick sees something in the paper of Thaddius’s wallet, some sort of schematic for a “sonic screwdriver”, the electronic tool he has. When he looks again it is gone. When Thaddius examines it further, it briefly shows him an image of a bell.
They rest for a while at the back of this cave. They chat further and it emerges that Thaddius is from 1859, a hundred years before Frederick. Thaddius is incredulous. Frederick plays with his device and works out it beeps when he points at metal things. It is registering something further back in the cave.
They investigate and find buried at the back, behind a pile of small rocks, is a small oriental golden bell. The same one Thaddius saw in his wallet paper.
Down the Mountain
They return to the front of the cave and find the sun has begun to rise. They can see they are high up in some vast mountain range, on a snow cap. Below them some distance away is a building, which is blurred in the morning light. They decide to head there and as they head down the snow gives away to scrub land.
Along the way down they encounter a path that leads over the mountain and follow it, as it heads down. They arrive at the remains of a camp, with someone lying dead in it, hurt by claw marks. The tracks suggest a second person was camped here, plus monstrous foot prints of some sort of creature. They speculate that it could be a bear and keep moving.
Detsen Monastery
They eventually reach the build, which is wooden with a palisade and appears to be oriental in design. There are figures at the walls, who call down asking their business at the Detsen Monastery. They have a feeling the figure is not speaking English, yet they can understand him. When they reply, they are aware they are using a language he can understand. Frederick says they are travellers from England. They are asked if they are friends of Professor Travers and are allowed in.
As they enter, they can see the place is some sort of wooden religious Buddhist Monastery. There are armed warrior monks in black carrying sticks and more religious priests in orange. The warrior monks surround them and their leader, Krisong, moves over to interrogate them.
Holy Ghanta
Krisong asks who they are and what they are doing here. Frederick tries to explain but he is not sure himself so his explanation is weak. Thaddius takes out the bell and the monks fall to their knees in reverence. The bell is their Holy Ghanta, which has been missing for 300 years. Krisong demands to know where they found it and scoffs that it was in a cave. He asks if they know Professor Travers, who is injured and may see them later.
Meanwhile other monks have called the Abbot, Songsen, who arrives with a group of priests. He is polite and welcoming. When he hears they found the Ghanta by chance, he says no it is providence and their coming has been foretold. They should be welcomed and given food and refreshment.
Thaddius passes over the bell and the Abbot leads a chant as they move away taking the bell to their shrine. One warrior monk, Thomni, is instructed to take them to the kitchens, where he tells the chef about them returning the Ghanta and they are made nice food and tea, but struggle with chopsticks.
Professor Travers
A European enters the kitchen and has some food, saying this is better than the usual. He is Professor Edward Travers and he asks them who they are and why they are here. Frederick tries to make out they came here from England, but is rather confused and his explanation is picked apart by Travers. They do get from him the year is 1935 and they are in Tibet, in the Himalayas. Travers believes they are a rival expedition, which Frederick denies.
When Krisong arrives as well, demanding to know why they are here, Frederick decides to explain they are from the future. But when he tries, some sort of mental block stops him. He gives in and goes along with Travers’ story that they are a rival expedition. Travers is glad they have told him the truth and tells them he will find the Yeti before they do!
The Yeti
They then discuss further the Yeti, who are supposed to be mythical. Perhaps that is who attacked Travers. Travers scoffs at this, as he believes the Yeti are meek and harmless. They are not monsters just another race of humans.
Krisong tells them that the Yeti are not a myth, but the spiritual guardians of the monastery and they would not attack anyone unless they were evil and a danger to this place. Then he leaves when Travers scoffs at this.
Thomni escorts Frederick and Thaddius to their quarters, which have simple straw beds. They settle for a while and rest, considering what could be going on and what they should do next.
Caravan Attacked
They hear chanting and a gong summons them to dinner where all the monks are in the kitchen. They struggle further with chop sticks and very hot sauces. Then a commotion breaks out as something bad has happened. They go outside and find someone wounded has reached the gates of the Monastery. They are from a supply caravan, which has been attacked by monsters – Yeti. There are wounded.
Krisong organises some warrior monks to accompany him up the mountain to help. Travers and the time travellers go with them. They find hand pulled carts, some broken, wounded and dead, smashed supplies. They do what they can to help and bring the caravan back down the mountain to the Monastery.
The monks are upset as most of their weekly supplies are lost and there are few others who ever come here. The wounded villagers are cared for at the Monastery. Travers remains adamant this is not the work of the Yeti, who are supposed to be timid.
The Yeti Strike
Then two Yeti are seen standing still further up the mountain. They are large, fat furry monstrous creatures with clawed hands. Travers is confused, as they do not look at all like he expected. One of the Yeti begins to move down towards them.
Krisong organises the warrior monks to defend against the creature. Some with slings and rocks on the palisade, others with sticks in front of the gates. Travers loads his rifle and aims from the gate. The time travellers watch from within the Monastery as the Yeti comes close and attacks, making a terrible roar. Thaddius attempts to read the creature’s mind, but he seems to read nothing from it.
A fight breaks out, in which the monster throws around a number of monks and injures them, while their attacks do nothing. Even a rifle shot from Travers does nothing to stop the creature. Thaddius joins in with his sword, but even a blow from that weapon seems to do nothing.
Robots!
Then suddenly the creature just stops. It is motionless. Thaddius did not like the sound his sword made when he hit the creature. He examines the creature further and realises under the artificial fur is metal. They turn the creature over as it is tied up by the monks. Frederick realises it is a robot, covered in fake fur.
The monks call out as they see the other Yeti on the mountain side are simply walking away.