Handlung

The time: the earliest years of the 20th century. The place: New York City. Inventor Nikola Tesla is at war with his rival Thomas Edison. However, there's an even greater threat in their midst.

Nikola Tesla's Night of Terror It is 1903 and on the edge of Niagara Falls, something is wrong at Nikola Tesla's generator plant, where someone - or something - is sabotaging the maverick inventor's work. Has Tesla really received a message from Mars? And where does his great rival Thomas Edison fit into these events? The Doctor and her companions Yaz, Ryan and Graham must join forces with one of history's greatest minds to save both him and planet Earth. Guest starring Goran Visnjic, Robert Glenister and Anjli Mohindra.

At Niagara Falls in the 19th century, Nikola Tesla, talks to an audience of investors about building his Niagara Generator there. He turns on the generator and electricity flares, and explains that he plans to harness the forces of Nature to make a worldwide wireless network. Nikola only requires an investment of $50,000 to transmit energy without wires. Two of the investors dismiss Nikola's theory as fantasy, and Nikola's aide Dorothy Skerritt objects. Nikola says that he received a weak signal from Mars, but that has nothing to do with the Generator. One of the investors, Brady, dismisses Nikola's work as a fairy tale and leaves.

The lighting wavers, and a worker arrives to tell Nikola that they have an emergency. The man takes Nikola and Dorothy to a corpse, and says that the man was apparently shocked to death. Nikola insists the machines are safe, but Dorothy says that they have to shut down and make sure there's no flaw. Her employer agrees but insists that he works alone.

That night, Nikola is going over the equipment and hears something moving in the distance. He assumes that it's Dorothy and yells that parts are missing from his machines. When he gets no response, Nikola grabs a wrench as a weapon and goes to investigate. He sees a green Orb hovering in the air. It drops into his hand, and Dorothy arrives and asks what it is. Nikola admits that he has no idea, and they hear something moving in the darkness. The inventor says that they have to go immediately and they run for the exit, but discover the door is locked. The Doctor runs in and asks if they've seen anything weird.

An energy burst hits the wall nearby and the Doctor takes cover with Nikola and Dorothy. Another burst hits Brady and knocks him onto the floor, and the Doctor wonders who shot him. She then leads Nikola and Dorothy out. They board a night train heading to New York, where Ryan, Yasmin, and Graham are waiting. The Doctor does the introductions and says that they were visiting and picked up a strange energy signature. Nikola and Dorothy introduce themselves, and the Doctor gushes over Nikola, insisting he's a total genius. She says that he's a liar about knowing nothing, and a robed figure comes in and fires at them with an energy blaster.

The group run out the back of the train car and the companions and Dorothy jump across the gap. The killer drops through a roof hatch, fires at the Doctor, and misses. She knocks him over the head, grabs the gun, and tells Nikola to continue. As they run, the killer charges energy from his hand. The Doctor manages to open the coupling and release the carriage, and it falls back with the killer--a human with his eyes glowing--on it.

The Doctor checks the blaster she took and confirms that it's Silurian in origin. She says that the killer wasn't Silurian, and asks Nikola why someone is shooting at him with an alien gun. The Doctor figures Nikola is lying about not knowing what's going on, and she's still detecting the alien signature on Nikola. Nikola refuses to hand the Orb to strangers, and Yasmin and Ryan point out that it's putting Nikola and Dorothy in danger.

Dorothy insists that Nikola is the only one who can deduce the device's function, and the Doctor agrees... and says that they're not letting Nikola and Dorothy out of their sight until they figure out what's going on. She asks Nikola where he got the device from,

The next day, the train arrives in New York City. The Doctor gawks at Golden Age New York as she walks down the street, but admits that most of the 21st landmarks haven't been built yet. Protestors have gathered outside of Nikola's lab and curse the inventor, saying that he's dangerous because his machines caused earthquakes and deaths. Dorothy insists Nikola's devices haven't hurt anyone, and Nikola tells them that they're trespassing in front of his lab.

Inside, Nikola complains that the protestors' opinions don't affect him. He goes to his lab, and Dorothy invites the others to check out the lab. The lab is a mostly empty room, and the Doctor is disappointed. The Doctor's companions have only a vague knowledge of what Nikola invented, and the Doctor talks about all the devices Nikola invented like drones and the radios. She admits that business isn't Nikola's strong point and he tore up his contracts.

Nikola shows them the Orb and it hovers up into the air. The inventor figures that it's working on remote control, and the Doctor says that it's an Orb of Thasser. It drops into her hand, and the Doctor explains that the Thasser are an ancient race that built the Orbs to spread information throughout the stars and share their legacy. The Doctor sonics the Orb and discovers that it's been repurposed, but can't figure out why. Nikola is intrigued by the sonic and realizes that she's an inventor. He's thrilled to meet a future inventor and talks about the thrill of inventing, and the Doctor agrees. Nikola asks her about her talk of aliens and admits that no one else sees the world as he does. He thought things would be different in America, and the Doctor warns that changing the world takes time. The Doctor tells Nikola to prove the doubters wrong.

Dorothy comes in with a letter from another investor, Morgan. Nikolai confirms that Morgan is the investor in his Wardenclyffe Project, then reads the letter and confirms that Morgan is pulling his funding. The inventor admits that he can't complete Wardenclyffe without it. Harold Green is listening at the window and slips away, drawing the group's attention. Dorothy says that Green is one of Edison's men, and the companions all know Edison. Nikola complains that Edison champions direct current rather than Nikola's alternating current, and dismisses Edison as a liar and a thief. The Doctor has the others guard the lab while she goes with Ryan and Graham to check out Edison.

Edison is giving a speech against Nikola's generator--and in favor of his generator-when the Doctor, Ryan, and Graham arrive. She says that they need to talk somewhere more private, and when he refuses the Doctor asks where he got alien weapons. Edison says that he keeps his feet on the ground, but agrees to talk to them privately when Ryan shows him the blaster.

They go to Edison's office and Graham notices that Edison has plastered his name all over the shop.. Once they're alone, Edison asks who has the gun's patent. He insists that he doesn't steal because there are a thousand patents in his name. Edison says that he gave Nikola a job when he first arrived in America, working as a ditch digger. Nikola eventually fixed Edison's generator and offered him a 10-buck raise, and Nikolai quit in outrage.

In Nikola's lab, Nikola tells Yasmin that all of his blueprints are in his head and there's not much in the lab. She asks about the Wardenclyffe Project, and Nikola talks about sharing human knowledge via wireless transmission. He wonders why no one else can see how it will change the world, and admits that he can't find any investors. The Orb pulses, giving off energy.

The killer enters Edison's factory and his hand glows with energy. He kills all of the workers except one who is on the floor, then finds the man.

The Doctor senses the energy discharge, and Edison asks where Harold is. They have no idea what he's talking about, and Edison says that Harold has disappeared the same day they showed up. Harold comes in and the Doctor sonics him and discovers that there are no human readings. As "Harold" growls, the Doctor tells him that no one else has to get hurt. They grab the blaster and run out to the factory floor, and see the corpses. They duck into a room, lock the door, and find the real Harold's corpse. The Doctor figures whoever is chasing them is using Harold's image to disguise its true appearance. Edison is offended at the death of his workers and Harold, and the Doctor says that they need to contain the killer. The Doctor realizes that they're in Edison's chemistry lab, and she starts mixing chemicals.

Nikola hooks the Orb up to one of his devices, and Yasmin mentions radar. Nikola is intrigued because he has been working on something similar, and they realize the Orb is scanning for something.

The Harold creature enters the chemistry lab,. When he steps into a circle of powder the Doctor has laid out, the Doctor lights it on fire. She asks the creature who it is and demands that it reveals its true form. "Harold" turns into a scorpion-like creature and then disappears. The Doctor runs out, calls Yasmin, and says that the aliens can look like anyone so she shouldn't let anyone in. Two men bring Dorothy in, holding Dorothy as a hostage. They say that they came for Nikola, and teleport away with Nikola and Yasmin.

Nikola and Yasmin find themselves in an alien ship, surrounded by hundreds of human-sized scorpion-like creatures. Their queen steps forward and welcomes Nikola by name.

The Doctor takes the TARDIS, Graham, Ryan, and Edison to Nikola's lab and confirms that Dorothy is all right. Dorothy tells her what happened, and the Doctor leads her into the TARDIS and makes a device to penetrate the aliens' cloaked base. Dorothy wonders where Ryan and the others came from, and Ryan says that the Doctor changed their lives. The woman says that she was the same before meeting Nikola, and Nikola showed her all her discoveries. Ryan assures her that they'll get Nikola back. The Doctor hooks the Orb up to the TARDIS console. Edison looks around the TARDIS, and Graham tells him to keep his hands to himself and they're not selling.

The Doctor traces the signal from the Orb and discovers that it's been hacked and it's receiving information. It's been repurposed and been scanning the earth since it got there... and finally found who it has been looking for: Nikola.

The Queen says that they're on the Throne Ship of the Skithra, above London. She explains that the ship is cloaked, and they have been searching for supplies. The Skithra have gathered parts from Nikola's Generator.

The Doctor realizes that the Skithra have no trail, and Dorothy figures the alien signal Nikola detected is from the Skithra. They go to Nikola's lab and Dorothy explains that Nikola intercepted the signal with his "Teslascope". The Doctor figures the Skithra increased their cloaking when they realized Nikola detected them. Edison is intrigued by the TARDIS and its travel companion, and Graham figures that Edison is only interested in a payout. The Doctor finds the recording with the Skithras' signal.

The Queen has Nikola and Yasmin examine the equipment, and Nikola blames himself for what happened. Yasmin tells him that they're in it together. Nikola then tells the Queen that the ship is a scientist's dream, but refuses to prepare it for battle. The Queen says that he is nothing on Earth, but Nikola refuses to use his inventions for warfare. Furious, the Queen tells her soldiers to kill Yasmin.

The Doctor uses a Braxian Bouncer to give them enough power to teleport her, Yasmin, and Nikola from the ship to the lab. She warns that she can jump to the Skithra ship but will have to wait until it charges back up to teleport back.

Nikola insists that Yasmin is his assistant and needs her. The Doctor teleports in and introduces herself to the Queen. The Queen is furious that the Doctor is trespassing, and the Doctor points out that the ship is scavenged from other alien technology. The Skithra Queen recognizes the Doctor's intellect and says that she will assist Nikola or die. Unimpressed, the Doctor points out that all of the Skithras' alien gear is breaking down and they've never thought of building their own technology.

The Queen explains that they required an engineer and kills one of her minions when it interrupts. She then says that Nikola discovered their signal because he signaled back. Nikola admits that he didn't know it worked, and the Queen says that she doesn't see a need for the Doctor and prepares to kill her. The Doctor quickly identifies alien technology to show how smart she is, and secretly throws a switch. She picks up a discarded camera, blinds the Queen with the flash bulb, and teleports herself, Yasmin, and Nikola back to the lab now that the Bouncer has charged back up.

Edison is impressed that the Doctor got Nikola back, and Nikola is offended that Edison is in his private lab. They all enter the TARDIS except Tesla, who tries to work out what they're doing. He finally goes inside and stares at the vast interior, and Edison admits that he couldn't figure it out, either. The Doctor contacts the Queen via the Orb and tells her to get her ship away from Earth. The Queen advises them to surrender or they will kill the millions of humans. Nikola refuses to accept the burden of sacrificing himself and goes outside.

The Queen tells her men to find Nikola and the others.

The Doctor goes out after Nikola, who starts out the window. Nikola talks about how he can't believe aliens would destroy Earth to obtain him. The Doctor jokingly notes that it's killing Edison that the Skithra want Nikola rather than him. Nikola says that they must all go while he surrenders himself, but the Doctor refuses. She says that he's going to change the world... once he saves it. The Doctor has him tell her all about Wardenclyffe, and he shows her and the others how the tower gathers Earth's energy and sends waves of energy upward. Ryan realizes that Nikola is proposing WiFi, and the Doctor figures they could use the tower to send one blast of energy at the ship. Edison doesn't believe the "fantastical idea" will work, and Nikola tells him that he has idea. The businessman says that he turned all of the inventions into sketches people can buy, and Nikola is too blind to see it,. Nikola dismisses Edison as man of parts, not ideas, and Graham tells them to quit fighting.

The Doctor and Nikola go to the tower and rig it to fire a burst of energy. While she directs the TARDIS shields into Wardenclyffe to protect them, she sends Edison and Yasmin to get people off the strength. Graham, Ryan, and Dorothy gather anything to defend Wardenclyffe when the Skithra arrive.

Yasmin fails to get people inside, and Edison loudly proclaims that Nikola's tower will kill them if they don't take refuge in their homes. The people run inside, and the Skithra projections teleports down nearby.

Ryan and Graham find Nikola's prototype "death ray".

The Doctor and Nikola hook the TARDIS shields up and power up the tower.

A Skithra finds a street urchin and the boy says where Wardenclyffe is. Edison and Yasmin arrive and Edison shoots the Skithra with a pistol. It teleports away, and Yasmin gets the boy inside. A Skithra in alien form climbs down a wall and advances on them, and Yasmin and Edison run away. More Skithra arrive and chase after them, and Edison manages to shoot one dead. They reach a tunnel that leads to Wardenclyffe that Nikola told them about, and they enter it just before the Skithra arrive.

The Skithra arrive outside the TARDIS' force field but can't get through it.

Yasmin and Edison arrive at Skithra, and the Doctor and Nikola come in and say that they have to barricade the door. The Doctor notes that the Skithra share a hive mind, and if they take out the Queen then it will take out the soldiers. However, she warns that the TARDIS shields will drop when they power up the tower, and there will be a 30-second gap between the two. Ryan and Graham figure that they'll keep the Skithra out until the tower is ready.

The Doctor and Nikola go into the TARDIS and charge up the power to the tower. The force field goes down and then Skithra move in. They break down the lab doors but don't attack. Two of the Skithra come in, and the "death ray" malfunctions. The Doctor realizes the Skithra aren't attacking because the Queen is there, and the Queen steps forward. She asks what the plan is, and blasts the gun out of Edison's hand when he tries to shoot her. The Queen demands Nikola, and prepares to kill them when they don't speak.

The Doctor step[s out and tells the Queen that she'll have to go through her to get Nikola. She tells the Queen that she's a parasite, and the Queen tells the Doctor that she has no weapons, armor, or escape. The Doctor says she gave the Queen the chance to evolve but she was too stupid to take it. and now she'll be destroyed. The Queen tells her that t5hey will kill everyone because they wouldn't surrender Nikola, and the human duplicates grab the Doctor. The Doctor teleports the Queen back to her ship, and Nikola activates the tower. It blasts the ship and the Skithra teleport back as well. The ship flies away from Earth, and Nikola smiles in satisfaction.

Later, people are cleaning up the streets. Edison buys a newspaper with a headline "Night of Tesla's Terror", and asks Nikola to come work for him. Nikola refuses, and Edison warns that Nikola will be bankrupt within a year if he doesn't. Unimpressed, Nikola says that he can't stop now.

Ryan and Graham say goodbye to Dorothy, and she admits that boring would be normal. The Doctor tells Yasmin that nothing changes and Nikola never gets fame or money. His vision of wireless energy does happen, and despite the fact that people don't remember Nikola, nothing changes. Nikola changes them and asks to study the TARDIS, and the Doctor tells him that he has enough magnificent inventions of his own. The inventor agrees, saying there's so much to be done, and thanks them all. Yasmin tells him not give up, and Nikola says that he works for the future and the future is his. He walks off, and the Doctor and her companions depart in the TARDIS.