'The Mark of the Berserker' (Part 2) by Joseph Lidster

Leading Clyde away from the friends that he no longer remembers, Paul uses the pendant once again, this time ordering his son to keep away from his mother. Luke and Rani decide to tell Sarah what has happened, but their friend is unobtainable, her mobile switched off while she tracks down a mischievous alien slug inside a hospital. Luke has another idea, and he uses his laptop to contact Maria in Washington D.C. and ask for her dad’s help in hacking into U.N.I.T.’s top secret files to look for information on the alien pendant. Meanwhile, Paul uses the alien artefact to obtain a flashy new sports car, duping the salesman into handing it over for free. However, Paul’s actions have a price, as the strange tattoo continues to spread down his arm… While Luke tries phoning Clyde again, only to be told to get lost, Rani continues to worry about her father, who is still doing press-ups outside Sarah’s house. Alan’s search of the U.N.I.T. database uncovers a picture of a soldier covered in bizarre markings similar to those on Paul – the price of using the alien pendant. These artefacts belong to an ancient race of alien soldiers known as the Berserkers, ruthless warriors who send their pendants out into space as a means of swelling their ranks; when anyone finding a pendant is enticed into using its powers, they transform into a Berserker. One such pendant was found by a soldier stationed at Park Vale barracks, but it was lost when the building was hit by a bomb during the war – it is the same pendant that Jacob West found in the mud, dug up in the plumbing works at Park Vale School… Paul uses the pendant’s powers to take Clyde on a ‘shopping trip’, obtaining more and more expensive gifts for his son; however, his transformation into a Berserker is getting worse, as he keeps glimpsing images of his alien persona in reflections. Meanwhile, Alan uses U.N.I.T.’s systems to trace Clyde’s mobile phone, relaying the information back to Luke and Maria, who immediately head off in pursuit with the aid of Carla and her car. Sensing that despite all his new presents, Clyde is still troubled, Paul uses the pendant to make his son tell him what is wrong; when Clyde reveals that he is still worried that his dad will leave him again, Paul promises to make things right – only to weaken once more, using the pendant to make Clyde forget all his worries, and his mother. Paul then drives Clyde to Lynport Marina, where he plans to obtain a yacht in which they can travel the world together; however, the pain from the Berserker transformation proves too much, and Paul collapses to his knees in agony. Luke gives Carla’s sat-nav an upgrade, enabling them to track Clyde’s mobile phone; they arrive at the marina just in time to see Paul’s transformation complete; Carla is shocked at the monster her husband has become: glowing lines now cover his face, and his eyes glow with rage and power. Paul tells them that he is now a Berserker, and that he will make the whole world follow him. At that moment, help arrives in the form of the one person Clyde still remembers: Sarah Jane Smith! Sarah tries to reason with Paul, but the man is too far gone, and wants to turn Clyde into a soldier to fight in the Berserkers’ war too. With Sarah’s encouragement Clyde appeals to his father, urging him to remember all the good times he shared with him and Carla. As the Berserker’s hold over Paul begins to weaken, Sarah shows him his reflection in her compact – the plan works, and Paul manages to fight off the alien influence, allowing his body to reject its transformation and return to normal. Paul tears off the pendant and throws it to the ground, halting its malicious hold over Rani’s father and the car salesman. While Sarah tells Luke and Rani how Alan used U.N.I.T.’s systems to access the N.H.S. database and get a message through to her, Clyde muses on how he could use the pendant’s power to bring his family back together again; but Paul has learnt his lesson, and tells his son the life they would have wouldn’t be real. When Paul confesses that he ran away from Mel because he couldn’t handle the fact that she is pregnant, Clyde tells him that although that he no longer needs him because he has his mum and his friends, the baby does need him. Hearing Clyde’s words, Paul realises that he must accept his responsibilities, and he sets off back to Mel – but only after he has returned all his ‘shopping’. Clyde has one last task for the pendant, using it to make his mum forget all about it, before hurling the object into the water of the marina… That night, Luke visits Sarah at home, to apologise for showing his dad around her attic. Sarah admits that she would have probably done the same to impress her father – her parents died when she was a baby, and she would do anything to see them again. Clyde knows there is a lot of his dad in him, and that if not for his friends, he would be weak too; Sarah responds by telling Clyde he is a lot stronger than he gives himself credit for. After Clyde has left for home, Sarah wistfully turns to an old photograph of her parents…

Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith), Thomas Knight (Luke), Daniel Anthony (Clyde Langer), Anjli Mohindra (Rani Chandra), Yasmin Page (Maria Jackson), Joseph Millson (Alan Jackson), Alexander Armstrong (Mr Smith [Voice]), Ace Bhatti (Haresh Chandra), Jocelyn Jee Esien (Carla Langer), Gary Beadle (Paul Langer), Prasanna Puwanarajah (Car Salesman)

Directed by Joss Agnew
Produced by Matthew Bouch
Executive Producers Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner
A BBC Wales production

TX (CBBC):
10th November 2008 @ 5.15pm
17th November 2008 @ 4.35pm on BBC 1

Notes:
*Featuring Sarah Jane Smith, Luke, Clyde, Rani, Maria and Mr Smith