Polly and Ben weaponize the solvent
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Ben explains his plan to convert a fire extinguisher into a spray device for Polly's solvent mixture, intended to attack the Cybermen, and they prepare to empty and refill it.
Polly lists the ingredients of her solvent mixture, the 'Polly cocktail', which include benzene, ether, alcohol, acetone, and epoxy-propane, confirming its potential potency against the Cybermen.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Tense and slightly dismissive, masking deeper concern for Jamie's well-being and frustration with the group's fractured cohesion under pressure.
Ben actively collaborates with Polly to repurpose a fire extinguisher into a weapon, explaining the mechanics of the device while dismissing Jamie's attempts to help due to his injury. His tone shifts from focused problem-solving to defensive and slightly patronizing when Jamie insists on assisting, culminating in a sexist remark that reveals his protective instincts and latent biases. Physically, he is hands-on, handling the extinguisher and chemicals with urgency, but his dialogue betrays underlying tension and a need to assert control.
- • Repurpose the fire extinguisher into a functional weapon to combat the Cybermen.
- • Protect Jamie from overexerting himself due to his injury, even if it means clashing with him.
- • Jamie is not physically capable of helping due to his injury, and pushing himself could worsen his condition.
- • Certain tasks (like handling weapons) are inherently 'men's work,' reflecting his 1960s-era biases.
Focused and slightly exasperated, balancing the need for urgency with the frustration of managing Ben and Jamie's interpersonal conflict.
Polly is the scientific driving force behind the 'Polly cocktail,' meticulously listing the solvent components (benzene, ether, alcohol, acetone, and epoxy-propane) and preparing the mixture. She mediates the conflict between Ben and Jamie, urging them to focus on the task at hand. Her hands are steady despite the urgency, and she takes on a leadership role, ensuring the weapon is properly assembled. Her dialogue is concise and practical, but her exasperation with the bickering is palpable.
- • Successfully create and weaponize the solvent mixture to target the Cybermen's vulnerabilities.
- • Keep Ben and Jamie from escalating their conflict, ensuring the group remains functional under pressure.
- • The solvent mixture will effectively dissolve the Cybermen's organic components, giving the group a fighting chance.
- • Ben and Jamie's personal tensions are a distraction that could jeopardize their survival, and she must intervene.
Frustrated and determined, masking pain and a deep-seated need to contribute, even if it means clashing with Ben.
Jamie, recovering from an injury, insists on helping despite Ben and Polly's objections. His dialogue is defiant and determined, reflecting his Highlander pride and refusal to be sidelined. Physically, he is propped up in the sickbay, but his posture suggests readiness to act. His frustration with Ben's dismissal boils over, leading to a brief but charged exchange before he ultimately defers to the group's decision. His presence adds tension to the scene, highlighting the companions' fractured unity.
- • Prove his capability to help, despite his injury, to avoid being seen as a liability.
- • Ensure the group's mission succeeds, even if it means deferring to Ben and Polly's judgment in the moment.
- • His injury does not define his ability to contribute, and he can still play a crucial role in the fight against the Cybermen.
- • Ben's dismissal of him is rooted in concern, but it also reflects a broader undervaluing of his capabilities.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
The alcohol is one of the five solvents Polly and Ben identify in the moonbase sickbay, selected for its corrosive properties to dissolve the Cybermen's organic components. Ben and Polly pour it into the fire extinguisher alongside benzene, ether, acetone, and epoxy-propane, creating the 'Polly cocktail.' The alcohol's volatility adds to the weapon's destructive potential, making it a critical ingredient in their improvised defense. Its inclusion highlights the group's willingness to use any available resource, no matter how dangerous, to survive the Cybermen threat.
The fire extinguisher is the central object of this event, repurposed by Ben and Polly into a makeshift weapon to spray the 'Polly cocktail' at the Cybermen. Ben explains its mechanics—how the bottle holds the solvent and the cylinder pushes gas to create pressure—before emptying and refilling it with the corrosive mixture. The extinguisher's transformation from a safety tool to a weapon symbolizes the group's desperation and ingenuity. Its pressurized spray mechanism becomes the delivery system for their only viable defense against the Cybermen, turning an everyday object into a potential game-changer in the invasion.
The nail varnish remover (acetone) is one of the key components of the 'Polly cocktail,' a volatile solvent mixture designed to dissolve the Cybermen's organic components. Ben references it as part of the list of chemicals Polly has prepared, highlighting its role in the improvised weapon. Its inclusion underscores the group's resourcefulness, using everyday materials to counter an existential threat. The acetone's corrosive properties are critical to the weapon's effectiveness, making it a linchpin in their survival strategy.
The epoxy-propane is one of the volatile components in the 'Polly cocktail,' mixed by Ben and Polly to enhance the solvent's corrosive properties against the Cybermen's organic components. Ben pours it into the fire extinguisher alongside benzene, ether, alcohol, and acetone, creating a highly reactive blend. The epoxy-propane's inclusion reflects the group's scientific desperation, combining unstable chemicals to maximize the weapon's effectiveness. Its presence in the mixture symbolizes their willingness to take extreme risks to survive the invasion, turning lab hazards into a potential salvation.
The bottle from the fire extinguisher is emptied by Ben and refilled with the 'Polly cocktail,' becoming the container for the volatile solvent mixture. Polly measures the chemicals precisely, ensuring the correct proportions, while Ben grips the bottle firmly, ready to attach it to the extinguisher cylinder. This bottle is the vessel that holds the group's hopes for neutralizing the Cybermen, its contents a fragile but potent weapon. The act of refilling it underscores the urgency and precision required to turn everyday objects into tools of survival.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
"Jamie volunteering to help, but being shut down, leads to tension between Jamie and Ben, and the decisions of who will stay behind."
Jamie’s Exclusion and Ben’s Mission"Jamie volunteering to help, but being shut down, leads to tension between Jamie and Ben, and the decisions of who will stay behind."
Jamie’s Exclusion and Ben’s MissionKey Dialogue
"BEN: "So, get it? This bottle holds the stuff that puts the fire out and this cylinder pushes gas into the bottle so that stuff squirts out here. Now, all we've got to do is to undo it. Phoar. Empty it and fill it with Polly cocktail.""
"POLLY: "I've got it all ready here.""
"BEN: "Blimey, one of them should do it. Now, we'll need another one of these.""
"JAMIE: "Right, I'll get it.""
"BEN: "No, you stay where you are, Jamie.""
"POLLY: "Jamie, you're not well enough.""
"JAMIE: "It takes more than a wee crack on the head to keep a McCrimmon down.""
"BEN: "Look mate, we don't want you cracking up on us. I'm sure Polly's very impressed.""
"JAMIE: "Look, I said I was better. Would you like me to prove it to you?""
"BEN: "Any time, mate.""
"POLLY: "Look, come on. Haven't we got enough trouble without you two fighting each other?""
"BEN: "Oh well, come on then. Not you, Polly. This is men's work.""