Opening credits
JACK : (voiceover) Torchwood. Outside the Government, beyond the police. Fighting for the future on behalf of the human race. The 21st century is when everything changes... And Torchwood is ready. EXT NIGHT - Outside a warehouse A Weevil runs across and in. INT NIGHT - Warehouse The weevil keeps running through a bunch of... bus shelters? Owen and Tosh chase it with torches, guns aimed. The weevil finds something and snarls at it. Owen finds weevil and gets snarled at. The something is a body. Owen examines it.
OWEN : He's dead. EXT NIGHT - Cardiff from above Swiftly zooming to INT - Tourist Office We get a close up on the front door - very close, the outside is in a different location - with the Mayor newspaper from Boom Town blocking the little window. We're in a pov shot, watching the door pushed open. Inside, the Closed sign is the first thing we see, and Ianto is lounging at the counter flicking through a magazine. There's music on in the background - identify ? He doesn't immediately look up. Bell jangles.
IANTO : Sorry, (looks up, looks her down and up.) we're closing. (Goes back to his magazine. The clock on the wall says 1.15 - and it's night. A bit past closing !) A hand holds out an ID card. It's like someone pulled Ianto's string, he's upright and all flustered efficiency right away.
IANTO : Excuse me, ma'am. He goes along the counter to where we know the door button is and gestures to the wall. POV camera shows us the secret door swinging open. INT Hub - Autopsy area Upside down naked dead guy head. The dead guy the weevil found.
JACK : Documents on the body identify the victim as (Holds up a drivers licence, all filled in. 11-01-82 Wales.) Meredith Roberts.
OWEN : No obvious signs of violence.
GWEN : Are we saying it wasn't the Weevil ?
OWEN : Give me a chance, Miss Cooper. I've only just started.
IANTO: 'Jack, your VIP visitor is here.' (Jack runs out of the room, leaving the others to trail after).
GWEN : I didn't realise we were having a visitor. INT Hub - Door area Door alarm starts going, we see Jack through the bars and then Jack's view of the door.
JACK : Suddenly, in an underground mortuary, on a wet night in Cardiff, I hear the song of a nightingale. Martha walks in, Ianto following her.
JACK : Miss Martha Jones. (Oi, Jack, that's Doctor Jones to you !) But Martha's all smiles, and Jack smiles back at her. Opening credits INT Hub - Desk area
MARTHA : Oh, it's good to see you, Jack.
JACK : Toshiko, Owen, Gwen, Ianto, (Ianto raises hand.) meet Martha.
OWEN : Just a casual visit or... ?
MARTHA : I'm here to complete your postmortem. INT Hub - Autopsy area
JACK : Dr Jones is from UNIT.
GWEN : Oh, I'm sorry, sorry, I get a bit confused. Which one's UNIT ?
JACK : Intelligence, military, cute red caps. The acceptable face of intelligence gathering on aliens. We're more ad hoc. But better looking.
MARTHA : I identified a pattern from UNIT's data on sudden deaths. Toxic shock. Nothing to link the victims. Different ages, sexes, ethnic origins, occupations. But there was a statistically significant concentration in South Wales. She's getting her gloves and doctor coat on.
JACK : Come on, Martha, be honest. You just came all this way to see me.
MARTHA : Still struggling to conquer your shyness, Jack ?
OWEN : So what about this pattern, then, Dr Jones ?
MARTHA : (Examines the body in odd places, starting with toes, moving on to eyeballs.) They were being written off as suicides or accidents. Look. Puncture mark. Hypodermic needle. You'll find his bloodstream was pumped full of ammonium hydroxide.
OWEN : Yeah Bloodstream. That was the thing I was going to do next.
MARTHA : Have you checked his medical records ?
OWEN : Er, No. I was just about to.
MARTHA : Well Let's give it a go. You never know, Owen, you might learn something. INT Hub - Desks Tosh on the computer. On the screen Royal Cardiff Infirmary Records, Patient Name Meredith Roberts, Date of Birth 11 01 1962. So... either these records go month / day / year or it's 2007 for this week only. Or Owen can't add up. Because he reckons...
OWEN : One Meredith Roberts, age 45.
TOSH : I know there's been a major crash on the NHS system. Wiped a shedload of files.
MARTHA : Including all the victims I flagged up from the UNIT data. And now yours.
TOSH : A computer crash wouldn't delete data so cleanly. This is deliberate. Let me look into it. Weird wipe to INT Hub - Jack's office
JACK : How's the family ?
MARTHA : Getting better. They send their love.
JACK : Give them mine. So, End of the World Survivors Club.
MARTHA : God, I am so glad to see you, Jack !
JACK : See, you did come all this way just to see me. It's the jaw line. Once seen, always yearned for. (Laugh together, then pause.) Do you miss him ?
MARTHA : No. I made my choice. Maybe sometimes.
JACK : Ah !
MARTHA : Tiny bit. Tiny, tiny. Then I come to my senses again. Anyway, I've got plenty to occupy me.
JACK : Oh, yeah, Miss Highfalutin'. What is it ? Medical officer ?
MARTHA : Oh, yes.
JACK : So do I have to call you ma'am ?
MARTHA : No. Just follow my orders to the letter. Laughs together again.
JACK : You should have called me if you were looking for a job.
MARTHA : I wasn't. This woman from UNIT rang out of the blue, said I was just what they needed, that I'd come highly recommended by an impeccable source.
JACK : You mean... ? Points upwards.
MARTHA : Well, who else would have done it ?
JACK : He must have thought he owed you a favour. Guess we all do. So Do you think you could get me one of those red caps for personal use? I'm thinking Ianto might look good in it.
MARTHA : You want uniforms, get your own. Now, am I going to get the guided tour ?
JACK : Yes, ma'am, whatever you say, ma'am! Huah !
MARTHA : Leave it ! INT Hub - Hot house with the plants in.
JACK : So that's the hot house. Tour continues this way, ladies, please. No dawdling. They dawdle.
GWEN : Um, so, you know Jack pretty well, then ?
MARTHA : Oh, we were only together for... a few days. But it was pretty intense.
GWEN : You mean... ?
MARTHA : Oh, God, no ! No, not that sort of intense. Nothing like that. Why ? Are you and him... ?
GWEN : No, no, not at all.
MARTHA : We must be the only two people on the planet.
GWEN : I know. What are we doing wrong ? Laugh together.
JACK : Oi, you talking about me ?
GWEN : No, no, we were just discussing alien flora, weren't we ?
MARTHA : Oh, yeah.
JACK : She's no fun. Raise your game, girls ! INT Hub - desks There's a light box with a bit of tech lying on it. Martha, naturally, fiddles.
MARTHA : You've got some well weird kit. What's this ?
JACK : Be careful. It's an alien artefact.
OWEN : Yeah, There's a lot of argument about this. But for my money, it's got to be a surgical instrument.
MARTHA : Really ?
JACK : He's guessing. Typical medic.
OWEN : Hmm. Okay, right. Well, I call it a singularity scalpel. See, what it does is it concentrates energy on a tiny fixed point without damaging anything on the way. It's brilliant.
MARTHA : It's amazing.
GWEN : Yeah, do you remember the last time you did that, Owen... ?
OWEN : Yes, yes. Right, now, all we're going to do is, we're going to vaporise this paper without even scorching the cup.
JACK : This is going to end in tears.
OWEN : OK.
Fiddles at length, gets a clear picture of the paper on the little screen, gets a power up noise, presses the button aaaand...
IANTO : Aagh ! Ianto has chosen a bad moment to walk up the stairs between the desks, tray in hand. Whatever was on it goes flying as he reacts to a small explosion in his work area off behind him. It's only hilarious if you're not him.
OWEN : Er, haven't quite got the calibration right yet. Ianto glares at Owen in quite possibly the cutest way ever. Gwen and Jack are lol. Ianto pulls himself together and walks the rest of the way up the stairs.
IANTO : Jack.
JACK : Mmm.
IANTO : There's been another attack. Assault with a hypodermic. Only this time, the victim survived. Woman, aged 27. She's in the hospital. (Jack goes to leave, others follow.) Medical records wiped, just like the others. Weird and colorful screen then EXT NIGHT - Cardiff from above looking very veiny. INT - Hospital. Martha's drawing blood. Woman on a bed surrounded by monitors, team Torchwood gather round.
MARIE : Yeah, but the doctors said they'd finished with me.
MARTHA : We're a bit different.
GWEN : We know this is tough on you, Marie. But did you recognise the man who attacked you ?
MARIE : I already told the police.
JACK : We're different from them, too.
MARIE : No, I never seen him before.
GWEN : Did he say anything in the course of the attack ?
MARIE : No.
MARTHA : Open wide. Swabs her mouth.
MARIE : Look, he just, he came towards me with a great big bloody needle, didn't he ? You know, my dog bit him and then I kicked him in the nuts.
JACK : Respect ! INT Hub - The Hothouse being used as a bio lab. Owen and Martha are doing the dance of successful lab bench sharing. They're helping each other with colorful chemistry and nice pretty graphics and such. Looks like fun.
MUSIC : "Feel Good Inc" by Gorillaz. Indistinct muttering mostly, only words coming clear are
OWEN : This is a... three four. Your basic lab montage. Then there's a big blobby blue screen, and Owen and Martha standing next to each other staring at it.
OWEN : So you and Jack go back a long way ?
MARTHA : Forward and back, really.
OWEN : What brought you together ?
MARTHA : Let's say we were under the same doctor. Owen is puzzled.
MARTHA : (Is working. Nods at screen.) These killings - why the ammonium hydroxide ? It's a weird way to kill someone.
OWEN : Yeah, Yeah, it's gross. It's like injecting them with bleach.
MARTHA : Unless the objective isn't just killing.
OWEN : It's destroying something in the victim's bloodstream.
MARTHA : It's getting rid of evidence ! INT Hub - Jack's office Using the window as a big screen, files on Marie up on it.
JACK : Locally, we've got a murder victim and a survivor. Both attacked with hypodermics, both with their medical records wiped.
MARTHA : And more cases across the UK. We think the point of the attacks is to destroy evidence of their medical condition.
JACK : Gwen, Ianto, pursue the criminal investigation.
GWEN : OK.
JACK : Martha, Owen will follow up with the medical side.
OWEN : Fine.
JACK : Tosh, any luck in retrieving those medical records ?
TOSH : Not yet. I'm gonna have to dig down into the system memories, see if I can find any remnants of deleted or temporary files. Completely illegally, of course.
JACK : Do what you have to. We're not dealing with a freak with some needle fetish. This is a conspiracy.
INT Hub - Desk and door.
TOSH : Ianto, the police have found another body in Heath Park. From the initial reports It's got all the hallmarks of the other attacks.
IANTO : I'll get Gwen, head out there now. EXT DAY - Cardiff from above. EXT DAY - somewhere in the park. SUV pulls up to crime scene, with tape and SOCOs and a bit of a tent. Gwen and Ianto get out, head in.
GWEN : What have you got ?
POLICE : Body was found early this morning. Caucasian male, early 20s.
GWEN : OK, thanks. (Inside, examining body.) Who is he ?
POLICE : Barry Leonard. Student. Doctor said it looked like...
GWEN : Toxic shock. INT Hub - Corridor, then meeting room door
GWEN : The attack took place in the woods, so no witnesses, no CCTV.
MARTHA : Same as the others.
GWEN : Yeah. Tosh just checked Barry's medical records - already wiped.
MARTHA : And The puncture mark on his eyeball was identical to the other victims. I mean, Jack's right. These attacks are not random, they're clinical. Professional. More like assassinations.
GWEN : Except Barry Leonard was a student. Who'd assassinate a student ?
MARTHA : Student Loans Company.
GWEN : Yeah, yeah, I think you've just cracked it. (laughs together) But why delete medical records ? You know, what did all these people have in common ?
MARTHA : Owen's analysing Marie's test results now. I'm hoping that will give us an indication.
GWEN : So we're still in the dark, no idea where the killer will strike next and the attacks are getting more frequent.
MARTHA : We keep looking, Gwen, we'll find something.
IANTO : 'Martha, call from the hospital. Marie's had some sort of seizure.' INT Hub - Hothouse.
MARTHA : They want us at the hospital. Marie's collapsed.
OWEN : Yeah ? My money's on this stuff. From Marie's blood. It's a new one on me.
MARTHA : Yeah, me too. Have you run an isoenzyme analysis on it ?
OWEN : No, not yet. What are you thinking ? Parasitic infection ?
MARTHA : Could be.
OWEN : It's got to be down to this stuff, cause otherwise I haven't got a clue what's wrong with her.
MARTHA : Yeah - no infections, no deficiencies in organ function, perfect cholesterol levels, ideal blood pressure.
OWEN : Yeah, exactly. She's so normal, she's abnormal. INT DAY - Hospital
MARTHA : (waving little torch light in her eyes) Marie ? Marie, can you hear me ?
MARIE : Mmm, yeah.
OWEN : OK, you've got something in your blood that we don't recognise, all right ? We think it's behind your current illness and we need to know what's been happening to you so we can help you.
MARIE : Well, you're the doctors. You tell me. Swift set of corpse closeups to change scene.
STUDENT : Barry was my best mate. INT DAY - Student flat Music in the background, just a beat. Keep Out sign rather uselessly on the outer wall. Ianto and Gwen and the student all have mugs.
STUDENT : We were doing the same course. Met him on the first day.
GWEN : Was Barry doing any sort of drugs at all ?
STUDENT : Well, he used to be really clean. Reckoned he had to be careful about what went into his body because of his diabetes.
IANTO : Barry was diabetic ?
STUDENT : Sure. But when they cured that, he was doing booze, blow...
GWEN : Wait a minute. You're telling me Barry's diabetes was cured ?
STUDENT : Sure.
IANTO : That's impossible.
STUDENT : Well, he stopped taking insulin. He was fine.
IANTO : (bleeps his ear) Owen, something you should know.
GWEN : So who performed this miracle cure ?
STUDENT : I don't know. He was very quiet about that. All I know is, he was suddenly flashing a load of wedge about.
IANTO : Barry Leonard is said to have recovered from diabetes. INT DAY - Hospital
OWEN : Thanks, Ianto. Right, Listen, Marie, you're gonna have to level with us. This could be a matter of life and death. Have you ever had a serious medical condition ?
MARIE : Too good to be true.
MARTHA : What do you mean ?
MARIE : I had HIV.
MARTHA : You're perfectly clear of antibodies. That's not medically possible.
MARIE : That's the Reset.
MARTHA : Reset ? What are we talking about ? A drug ?
OWEN : Right, I'm not familiar with Reset, so any idea of a chemical name ? Marie laughs, then starts coughing.
OWEN : Where d'you get it from, Marie ?
MARIE : I got it from the Pharm.
MARTHA : The farm ? What farm ?
MARIE : No, P-H-A-R-M, the Pharm. It's a medical research place, all right ?
OWEN : How did you get it from there ?
MARIE : They gave it to me. They paid me a lot of money. They said I should to keep quiet about it cos it was part of the contract.
MARTHA : Are you saying you were a clinical trial subject ? She collapses on the bed and starts twitching.
MARTHA : Marie ?
OWEN : Convulsing.
MARTHA : Marie !
OWEN : I'll give her another 10ml.
MARTHA : You're all right. Monitor flatlines.
MARTHA : She's dead. Buzzing... Martha stares as a swarm of small bugs pour out of Marie's mouth. Martha and Owen back away, waving them off. Owen slaps some button on the wall and an alarm starts.
OWEN : Emergency ! Biohazard ! Get us out of here ! So I guess they can't get out. They curl up small and cover up in the corner, put the little paper masks actually over their mouths... which would have been useful earlier, but they never wear them on TV anyway. Buzzing louder... then the swarm falls down, dead. Alarm keeps going in the background... Owen holds up one bug on the tip of his finger. INT Hub - Meeting room Nice mayfly graphic on the big screen there.
MARTHA : So it's an alien larva, incubating in human bodies.
OWEN : We've never seen anything like it. So it left Marie's body when she died, presumably looking for another host for its next stage of development.
MARTHA : Which could have been us.
OWEN : Yeah. Fortunately, when they didn't find one quickly, they died.
MARTHA : I wonder what this cute little larva grows up to be ? Camera moves behind a pillar and when it moves out again they're no longer alone in the room. Team meeting. And someone's being really swish with the scene changes this week.
OWEN : This, folks, is a molecular model of the drug that we found in Marie's blood.
MARTHA : She called it Reset.
IANTO : So what does it do ?
OWEN : Think about when you run a virus scan through your computer, yeah ? The software works its way through the files and when it finds a Trojan or a virus or whatever, identifies it and then it deletes it. That is what this stuff does to the human body. But it's not just viruses. It's harmful bacteria, toxins, even mutant cells, you name it. It's like the body's been turned back to its factory settings.
MARTHA : It's the ultimate magic bullet. Supersedes anything and everything in the pharmacological armoury.
GWEN : But That would be the greatest medical discovery in history.
MARTHA : Exactly. Except, it comes bundled with a lethal alien parasite.
JACK : Ah, not so good a discovery.
MARTHA : The parasite needs a healthy body until it's incubated. So the parasite egg incorporates this magic bullet, which puts everything in the system back to its factory settings.
JACK : Reset. Neato. So who runs the Pharm ?
IANTO : Well, the public image is innocent enough. Private-public partnership between the government and a consortium of the pharmaceutical companies. Researching and developing cutting-edge biotechnology.
TOSH : Their IT systems are way more cutting-edge than they need to be. Plus, they've got seemingly unrestricted security clearance.
MARTHA : Which means they'd have the capability to erase medical records if they wanted to.
TOSH : Exactly.
JACK : Who runs this outfit ?
GWEN : Institute director is a Dr Aaron Copley.
OWEN : Yeah, I know his work. He's one of the most respected research scientists in his field.
IANTO : Harvard graduate. Did research at Cambridge. Last job, Harvard Professor of Molecular Pharmacology. Came to the UK to set up the Pharm.
JACK : Hmm, he's kinda handsome, too. D'you think he'll like visitors ? EXT DAY - Lane leading up to the Pharm SUV pulls up at security gate, guard checks their name against a list.
JACK : Torchwood. Guard nods and lets them in. Jack, surprised, looks over at an equally raised eyebrows Owen. Then on the way in notes the guards' guns. INT DAY - Office at the Pharm Copley sits behind his desk, looking through the Torchwood file. Jack sits in front, Owen stands at the back.
COPLEY : Sorry you've had a wasted journey, Mr... Harker ?
JACK : Harkness. And it's Captain, but you can call me Jack.
COPLEY : Captain ? Where did you park your boat ?
JACK : (laughs alone) I like a man with a sense of humour. Know any good gags about clinical trials ?
COPLEY : Well, Jack, none of these faces mean anything to me. And as the institute director, I would have met them personally, had they been our trial subjects.
JACK : Dr Copley...
COPLEY : Professor, actually.
JACK : But I can call you Aaron, right ? See, this is a little awkward. Two of these people were murdered. Another died of a parasitic infection of alien origin and one of the victims mentioned your organisation's name shortly before she died.
COPLEY : Alien origin ? That's preposterous.
OWEN : Er, Professor, when I was writing my MD thesis, your published works on immunology were very helpful, so thank you.
COPLEY : I'm Glad to be of service.
OWEN : Now, if there was a drug that could restore the human body back to its factory settings, as it were, you would know about it.
COPLEY : You're right, I would. But nothing like that exists.
JACK : I had a boyfriend whose nostrils flared when he was lying.
COPLEY : I'm already late for my next appointment.
JACK : You go ahead. We'll have a look around.
COPLEY : Well, obviously our research suites are classified, so we can't grant you access to those, but we'd be delighted to give you the PR tour.
JACK : Normally, Aaron, we go where we like.
COPLEY : Not here, actually. Ask Whitehall. We're fireproof.
JACK : Yeah. I had a bad experience with a politician recently. I tend not to listen to Whitehall any more.
COPLEY : Let me get someone to guide you back to your vehicle. EXT DAY - The Pharm Two armed guards take up position in the door as Jack and Owen leave the building and get back in their SUV.
JACK : Was it me, or was he a little touchy ?
OWEN : Yeah, so much for the polite approach. We need to turn this place over.
JACK : (pressing buttons and beeping his wristband) Oh, yeah. According to these readings this place has the highest concentration of alien life forms this side of the Rift. (Looking at outbuildings with barbed wire. Then looking at guard.) Grey is so not her colour. EXT DAY - Cardiff - Plas from above. INT Hub - Desks
TOSH : I can't hack in there, Jack. And if I keep on trying with a brute-force approach, they'll know they're under attack.
JACK : An alien life form is preying on the humans bloodstream. I need a way in there.
IANTO : Tosh, I've got the results of that research. On the screen now. Several screens of web pages, including listsings for The Pharm, South Wales.
TOSH : Ianto, that's brilliant ! They're in the market for volunteers.
JACK : That's understandable, given their wastage rate.
GWEN : Then One of us goes in undercover.
JACK : No, we don't know enough about the workings of that place. Too many things could go wrong.
MARTHA : Unless you were to put a medic in there. Someone who knew what to look for.
OWEN : Yeah, but I can't do it. They know me now don't they.
MARTHA : I know it's hard to believe, Owen, but I wasn't thinking of you.
JACK : No way.
MARTHA : Come on, Jack, I've been in worse places and you know it.
JACK : (Checks around his team. Gets raised eyebrows from Gwen, a head shake from Owen but nothing from the others. Looks at Martha.) OK. INT Hub - Arch near the armoury. Jack climbing up the stairs to the other side of his office. Owen stops him.
OWEN : Jack, can I have a word ? Listen, I know you're big buddies from way back whenever, but you can't just send her in like this.
JACK : Trust me. She's more than capable. I'd rely on Martha if the world was ending. In fact, I did. INT Hub - Autopsy area Actually the camera starts out in the desk area looking in. There seem to be shower curtains in the doorway to the autopsy area. I had not noticed that before. Now I'm amused.
IANTO : OK, these are the plans for the Pharm's buildings. From what Jack and Owen saw, they reckon that the main house contains Copley's office, medical research suites and the accommodation for the clinical trials subjects.
MARTHA : What about the buildings at the rear ?
IANTO : Restricted area, fenced off, armed security. Jack thinks that's where the readings of alien life forms came from.
MARTHA : Cool.
IANTO : But you don't need to go anywhere near there.
MARTHA : Spoilsport.
IANTO : The first thing you need to do is get yourself accepted as a clinical trials subject. Don't try too hard, don't draw too much attention to yourself.
MARTHA : Be invisible. I can do that.
IANTO : Once you're in, we need you to gain access to the Pharm's IT systems, close down the system firewalls and security protocols. That way Tosh can gain access to the files and see what they're really up to.
MARTHA : Industrial espionage. It's very civilised.
IANTO : Once you've done that, get out. Don't take any unnecessary risks.
MARTHA : Understood.
IANTO : Cool.
MARTHA : So, Jack asked me if I could get you a UNIT cap to wear.
IANTO : (Surprised to slight blinky.) Did he ? Well, red is my colour. (Goes up the steps opposite.)
MARTHA : So am I right in thinking that you and he... ?
IANTO : We... dabble.
MARTHA : Yeah ?
IANTO : Yeah.
MARTHA : So what's his dabbling like ?
IANTO : Innovative.
MARTHA : Really ?
IANTO : Bordering on the avant garde.
MARTHA : Wow.
IANTO : Oh, yeah. (Is elsewhere, in his happy place. For quite a while.) Huh. So shall we get your cover story sorted ?
MARTHA : Absolutely. INT Hub - Jack's office
IANTO : Fake ID. First name Samantha. Thought the Jones would be safe.
MARTHA : OK. How do I stay in touch ?
TOSH : Communication's very tricky. The whole place could be wired. We don't want you chattering away to us and being overheard.
JACK : But I want to monitor you at all times.
MARTHA : So ? Tosh presents a box.
MARTHA : I don't need contact lenses.
TOSH : You need these. INT Hub - Desks Now we see on the computer screens a sort of rounded version of the area, Martha pov.
OWEN : OK ?
MARTHA : Oh, I'm a camera !
JACK : As Chris Isherwood once said to me when we were cruising the Kurfurstendamm.
TOSH : And we... can... text.
(Types "U LOOK WE C", and it shows up on the POV shot).
MARTHA : Wow !
TOSH : Power comes from the body heat, so they only work when you're wearing them.
OWEN : Yeah, so you have to wear them everywhere. Eyebrow flash.
MARTHA : Well I'll be doing some things with my eyes shut, then.
JACK : In case of an emergency, we can speak directly to you.
TOSH : The lens will communicate with your sensory neuroreceptors. Bypasses the auditory system.
MARTHA : But can't these signals be intercepted ?
IANTO : Alien technology. Which exploits a solution to the EPR paradox.
MARTHA : Oh, quantum entanglement of remote particles. OK, cool.
IANTO : (rather quieter) Yeah.
JACK : Did I mention she was brilliant ? Flashy transition - mayfly larva graphic, couple other things, exterior of the Pharm.
[SCENE_BREAK]
INT DAY - Room at the Pharm. They're drawing blood again. Close up. Do they do it just to make me shuddery ?
TESTER : It's standard procedure to take two blood tests. One of them will be analysed overnight. Thank you, Nurse. So tell us the places you've been to, Samantha.
MARTHA : Well, I had a great time in North America, France and Germany, Australia...
TESTER : What about the Third World ? Africa, Latin America ?
TXT: "warning triangle !"
MARTHA : No, but I'm sure I'll get round to it.
TESTER : Travel off the beaten track can be a bit of a problem for us. If you had some exotic tropical disease, there could be unexpected side effects, and volunteers welfare is our absolute priority.
MARTHA : Oh I don't think there'll be any problem with that. And of course I'm very conscious of health issues.
TXT: "warning triangle !"
MARTHA : My mum's a nurse. Door opens, Copley walks in.
TESTER : This is Professor Copley, Samantha. Institute director.
COPLEY : Hi, Sam. Nice to meet you.
MARTHA : Hello.
JACK : Tell her to get close/ To Copley. TXTS it.
COPLEY : I see you're a postgraduate student at the moment.
MARTHA : That's right.
COPLEY : Studying what ?
MARTHA : Creative writing. So I really need the cash.
COPLEY : Well I'm sure you'll understand, Samantha, that we have a lot of applicants.
JACK : Tell her not to lose him.
TXTS.
COPLEY : We'll let you know in due course.
MARTHA : Actually, there's something I should have told you.
COPLEY : Oh, yes ?
MARTHA : It'll show up in the test results anyway. I did have a hepatitis infection.
OWEN : No, no, no, she's bullshitting. It's her way in.
MARTHA : I mean, I'm fine now, but it stays in the blood. Strictly speaking, it's incurable, right ?
COPLEY : Well That puts a different complexion on things. We could use a subject with hepatitis. Are you available to start right now ?
MARTHA : Well, sure. I've brought my overnight things.
COPLEY : Then all we need is your signature on this confidentiality agreement.
OWEN : She's in.
JACK : As Chris Isherwood also said, it's not the getting in, it's the getting out.
COPLEY : Thank you.
MARTHA : So What sort of drugs will you want me to take ?
COPLEY : We have got various products at the clinical trials stage. You'll be given a full briefing once we've finalised the programme, and of course we won't proceed unless we have your informed consent.
JACK : Come on, Martha.
OWEN : Let her settle in. It's gonna be a long night ahead.
EXT NIGHT - Cardiff from above. INT Hub - Desks Tosh brings two mugs of coffee.
TOSH : You and Martha are getting on well.
OWEN : Yeah, you know me - Mr Sociable.
TOSH : She's beautiful.
OWEN : Is she ?
TOSH : You know she is.
OWEN : Yes, well, fair cop.
TOSH : And a doctor. Perfect match.
OWEN : No, she's only interested in work.
TOSH : Do you think ?
OWEN : Yeah, a bit of flirting so I'll show her the ropes. Plus, if I tried anything with her, I think Jack would have my kneecaps. (Rueful grins.) What happened to that, um, pool tournament you were organising ?
TOSH : That ? It was never a tournament.
OWEN : What was all that about, then ?
TOSH : It was supposed to be a date.
OWEN : Sorry ?
TOSH : I was asking you out on a date.
OWEN : A... a date ?
TOSH : You didn't realise ?
OWEN : You and me ?
TOSH : Yeah.
OWEN : I see. And... you still want that ?
TOSH : Yeah.
OWEN : Right.
TOSH : I just thought if we spent some time together, an evening...
OWEN : All right.
TOSH : Sorry ?
OWEN : Just do it.
TOSH : Are you being sarcastic ?
OWEN : No.
TOSH : You're being polite. You'll stand me up.
OWEN : I've just said yes, haven't I ? One date, see how it goes, which might be nowhere.
TOSH : That's fine. A drink.
OWEN : OK.
TOSH : Yeah.
OWEN : And I'm going to keep flirting with people, Ok ? Just cos of this, doesn't mean I'm going to stop flirting.
TOSH : You can be king of flirts.
OWEN : Ok. Right, then.
TOSH : Yeah.
OWEN : Good. We should, er... concentrate on Martha.
TOSH : Yeah.
INT NIGHT - The Pharm - Patient room. Alternating with the Hub desks whenever the Team are talking. They do that a lot. Martha is lying on the bed, then sits up. Sneaky time! Sneaky out the room into the corridor. See through the lenses back at the base. See Martha sneak some more in the corridors and find the stairs. Owen TXTS "Be Careful", which I'd call unnecessary but later... Anyway, Jack joins Tosh and Owen at the monitors, and Martha wanders some more. Gets to the Admin door, rattles the handle. Locked.
OWEN : Tosh, can you get us past this ?
TOSH : Easy peasy. She just needs to get the lenses to within the EPR field. TXTS "Look Closer". Martha moves her head closer, and the magic eyeballs now let the Hub computers figure out the numbers on the lock. Tense sequence of number guessing! Wait for the numbers to flick and decide before the guards catch up ! Is better than the lottery balls, I tell you. So, anyways, 41040 and she gets in just before the guards get there. Scary ! Then she finds the computer, sitting there waiting for a password.
OWEN : Tosh, can you help her blag her way into the computer system ?
TOSH : It'll take time to talk her through it.
JACK : We don't have time. I want her out of that office.
TOSH : Well, if I can get her to give me remote control of the computer...
TXTS Instructions like : Go to network and connections and then there's a lot of typing and hey lookit.
TOSH : ...I have control.
MARTHA : (Talking out loud exactly like they didn't want her to when they gave her the lenses.) The life cycle of the parasite. They call it the Mayfly.
GWEN : Wow. We've never seen a species like that before.
TOSH : It's beautiful.
OWEN : It's lethal.
JACK : But what is Copley doing with them ? 'Martha, now we've got control,' we can download all of this and go through it here. Get out of there pronto. Martha, doors, corridors. Tension ! Tense music !
GWEN : Tosh Do you have that code-breaker software ?
TOSH : I'm sending the patch through now.
GWEN : Thank you. Lots of screens of computer stuff. Martha on stairs. Then an alarm rings.
SECURITY : 'Break out in Zone A. All patrols to Zone A immediately. Breakout in Zone A. Break out in Zone A. All patrols proceed with extreme caution. The escaped creature is extremely dangerous.' Martha grins and looks out the window, watching the fun thing where the armed security guards are now scared. TXT says "Get to safety". Naturally any companion of the Doctor's takes this to mean 'climb out a window and go looking for trouble'. Only on the kids show they get away with it.
GWEN : Jack ? I've got the list of the clinical trials subjects here.
JACK : Meredith Roberts, Marie Thomas, Barry Leonard. All the murder victims. Ooh, who's BD ?
GWEN : Executive actions ?
JACK : Old CIA terminology for assassinations. The Pharm are running their own hit man, which is kind of unusual for a medical research facility.
GWEN : Wait a minute, there's a name here that we haven't seen before. Elin Morgan ? She hasn't been reported missing or dead.
JACK : She soon will be. Take Ianto and pull her in. EXT NIGHT - The Pharm Martha climbs down a drainpipe and dusts herself off. Alarms are still blaring. She runs, sees the fence and the wire and the lock. Voices get closer, mostly indistinct. She runs and hides behind a small bush.
GUARD : Find it before it gets any further... sector 12 now...
SECURITY : 'Do not attempt to approach the creature, is that understood ? Stun and sedate only, the creature is highly dangerous.'
GUARD : Understood. Come on, keep moving ! The guards type the number in and go in the restricted zone. They let the gate swing closed behind them, for this is TV and they are both stupid and busy. Martha runs up and catches the gate before it closes, dodges inside.
OWEN : What the hell is she doing ? If the Pharm have their own hit man, God knows what they're capable of.
JACK : Yeah, and I put her in there. Alarm, whistles, and pov with blurry edges as Martha runs around in the restricted area for no actual reason. Sorry, just... she's doing exactly what she was warned not to do. Because she was her own boss for a year, so it makes sense to her. Just... no. So, then there's weird noises, warbling and hissing. Martha turns and... white out.
OWEN : sh1t !
JACK : What was that ?
TOSH : Radiation surge ? We've lost her signal ! Martha rubs her eyes, I think taking the lenses out.
MARTHA : Agh ! Ah ! Eerie warbling continues, then around the corner hops a full grown Mayfly, looking about as big as a car right then.
MARTHA : Agh ! Runs and hides behind a yellow wheelie bin.
GUARD : There it is ! Call patrol. Creature located. Zone A, sector 12. The Mayfly goes past, and Martha steps out from behind the bin to follow it... I can only assume she's forgotten she doesn't have her invisibility key, for this leaves her clearly visible, and oddly enough she gets shot by the security guards. Sedative dart, she collapses.
TOSH : I can't get her back.
OWEN : We have to get her out of there.
TOSH : That place is swamped in security. If we try and steam in, we'll be putting her at risk !
OWEN : We can't just leave her in there can we ?
TOSH : If I can't get her signal back in 30 minutes, then we think of alternatives.
OWEN : Anything could be happening to her in there.
JACK : Martha can handle herself. She's been in worse situations than this.
OWEN : Sure about that ? EXT NIGHT - The SUV on the road. Gwen's getting something up on a computer map.
IANTO : What's that ?
GWEN : Billy Davis' mobile. He'll be at Elin's flat in three minutes. Ianto hits the accelerator and we watch the SUV speed through the streets. INT NIGHT - Elin's bedroom BD sneaks in sneakily with the needle in one hand and a spray in the other. When Elin wakes up he sprays her and she stays still, eyes staring open. He moves in with the needle...
GWEN : Hands above your head ! Up ! Gwen has a gun and just gestures with it. That gets BD away from Elin. Then Ianto walks in and stun guns him. He's getting good at that.
IANTO : Jack, we've got Billy Davis. He could help get you into the Pharm. INT NIGHT - The Pharm Martha is tied to a bench in a weird spread out cross shape. Very blasphemy bondage medical.
MARTHA : Will you tell this gorilla to let me go ?! What is going on ?!
COPLEY : (Dismisses the armed guard) Good work.
MARTHA : I'm here as a clinical volunteer. You can't treat me like this !
COPLEY : You lied to us, Samantha.
MARTHA : Can I just explain ? I got bored stuck in that room, so I went for a walk, and first that thing attacked me, and then your heavies assaulted me.
COPLEY : You don't owe any loyalty to Torchwood. Jack Harkness has treated you in a criminally irresponsible way.
MARTHA : Who ? I really don't understand !
COPLEY : Don't bother. This is not an interrogation. Torchwood is irrelevant to us, not even a nuisance. In fact, they've done us quite a favour putting you in here. We've analysed your test results - you really are something special. INT Hub - Cells BD is tied to a chair in the gap between cells, a computer monitor screen next to him and a trolley with a bunch of Owen's stuff in it on his other side. Owen fiddles around being vaguely medical.
BD : Agh ! I got terrible guts, dunno what it is.
JACK : Bad conscience, Billy. Try confessing.
BD : Get stuffed.
JACK : OK, let's do it the hard way. Cell door at the other end opens, and out comes a Weevil, chained at the neck. Ianto is handling it like a guard with a dog. Except it growls at him, so just a bit less friendly. But he glares at it and it turns towards BD. Runs to him, growling and snarling. The chain lets it almost all the way to BD, Ianto hanging on to keep it that little bit back.
BD : Merciful Christ ! What the... ? Agh-hhh ! Weevil roars.
JACK : They have a tendency to act up.
IANTO : Losing him !
BD : Please !
JACK : Something to say, Billy ?
BD : Yeah, yeah, whatever you want, just get it away from me ! Get it off me ! Ianto uses the Weevil spray and packs the Weevil back into its cell. Which is a bit unfair, really, since the spray apparently hurts them. Like whipping a dog that only barked when you told it to. Mind you, they're using it for something bordering on torture, bit like some pics I've seen of US methods, so being humane isn't their first concern. Ianto shuts it in and closes the door.
JACK : OK, Billy, you've been on a killing spree, why ?
BD : I work for the Pharm ! They'd been giving people this Reset drug. But there were these side effects - parasites or something. They were gonna die anyway, so I had to get rid of them before any weird symptoms showed up... in public. INT The Pharm - Martha's test bench.
COPLEY : Do you know what lymphocytes are, Samantha ?
MARTHA : A kind of white blood cell, part of the immune system.
TESTER : Well, your lymphocytes are really quite extraordinary.
COPLEY : We've never seen anything like them before, not in a human being. Aliens are a different matter.
MARTHA : Aliens ? I don't know what you're talking about.
TESTER : Your lymphocytes and God knows what other cells have mutated.
MARTHA : Mutated ? How ?
COPLEY : Under the influence of radiation. Radiation that's not found in the temporally stable environments on Earth.
MARTHA : I don't know what that means.
COPLEY : We've dealt with aliens before, but we have never come across anything as exotic as you. A human being who's travelled in time and space. Tell me about it. How is that possible ? What did you see out there ?
MARTHA : This is mad. I don't know what you mean.
COPLEY : Fine. If that's the way you want to play it. However it happened, it means that you have a uniquely effective immune system, which is exactly what we need. We're developing a drug that's going to change the world, Sam. Incurable cancers, AIDS, all the scourges of the human race wiped out. A revolution in medicine and social welfare. Except it's still imperfect. I'd like to know what your funky lymphatic system makes of those imperfections.
MARTHA : I am not taking that !
COPLEY : But you volunteered. It's a bag of Reset, and it's now flowing into her arm. Bad ! INT Hub - Cells
JACK : OK, Billy, we're going into the Pharm and you're going to front it for us.
BD : Yeah, yeah. OK. My stomach ! My stomach ! My stomach ! Agh ! Agh ! Coughs up blood.
OWEN : Whoa !
JACK : Owen, we need him alive !
OWEN : Yeah, all right, I'm flying blind here, Jack !
JACK : Do something !
OWEN : Let's start with this. (Gets out the Singularity Scalpel and starts fiddling.) I think I've got it, OK ? I've got the calibrations right. I can get it out of him. Er, not quite - we have a belly burster, the bug spraying blood and guts everywhere on its way out. Nasty.
? : Whoa !
? : God !
JACK : Owen, deal with it.
JACK : Are you sure you had those calibrations right ?
OWEN : I'm sorry, all right ? (Grabs a bucket and some tongs, grabs the Mayfly, which looks about as long as someone's forearm and is all skittery and alive.) He must have breathed in larva when one of his victims died. This could have been me, or Martha. He drops it in a bucket. Torchwood has a Mayfly. INT The Pharm - Martha on the cross bench.
TESTER : I've given her twice the critical dose.
COPLEY : So, Mayfly larvae are incubating ?
TESTER : Are you sure about this ? Her immune system's clearly reacting. There's obviously quite a fight going on inside her.
COPLEY : Keep your nerve. We're making history. INT Hub - desks
TOSH : Ianto, what have you done with Billy Davis' body ?
IANTO : Um, I was just about to dispose of it. Why ?
TOSH : I've thought of a way we can use him to get us into the Pharm. Clever, huh ?
IANTO : Oh, you are warped on the inside. How do you think of these things ?
TOSH : I'll take that as a compliment. EXT NIGHT - Cardiff, then the road to the Pharm. Team Torchwood are hiding in the back... BD the corpse is apparently driving, duct taped to the wheel. The gate lets him in. His car parks outside the Pharm... and he slumps forwards to headbutt the wheel. I lol and then feel vaguely guilty.
JACK : Tosh, Gwen, Ianto, check out Zone A. We're going after Martha. Let's go ! INT Pharm - Martha room Martha's looking really ill now. Jack slams the door in and comes in gun aimed.
JACK : Hands above your head ! What have you done to her ?
OWEN : Tell me that's not Reset !
COPLEY : She's survived the larval stage, the only subject ever to do so. Fascinating. Turns out these bugs practice sibling cannibalism. Only the strongest individual is left now. God knows what happens next.
OWEN : Put a stop to this !
COPLEY : I can't. I don't know how. EXT NIGHT - Warehouse in Zone A and INT NIGHT - Warehouse in Zone A. Doors, Team, poking around inside crowded place. Dramatic spot lighting. Things in tubes. Waving guns and torches around. The Tester lady is changing jars on a tube.
GWEN : Put your hands above your head ! Tester does. Team move in. See what is in the big tube.
TOSH : Ianto.
IANTO : Bloody hell. INT Pharm Now Martha going all bumpy in the middle and moving and stuff. Bugly baby ! Er, sorry. Very creepy, belly burst imminent.
OWEN : Jack, this thing's killing her. I don't know what I can do.
JACK : Owen, stay calm, there has gotta be something. Owen finds the Scalpel in his bag. Third time lucky ? Or splatter the guest star ? INT - Warehouse of tubes Nekkid Weevil ! In a tube ! Moaning.
GWEN : What's happening here ?
TESTER : This is what the Pharm is all about. We farm captive aliens for the exotic chemical products they metabolise.
IANTO : What the hell do you get from a weevil ?
TESTER : Some pesticides, and a quite powerful chemical defoliant. But the weevils aren't what's going to clinch the Nobel for us. The Mayfly, our feedstock for Reset. Given time, we'll tweak the product for human use, and then it'll be bigger than penicillin. Now there's a sad big bug in a tube. Gwen seems to relate. There's some clever posture mirroring going on, except with more legs.
IANTO : Jack, I can give you a report on Zone A. They're holding dozens of creatures captive down here. They seem to be using them as test subjects. INT - Pharm with Martha.
JACK : Understood, Ianto. Tell Tosh to go for total shutdown. This place is a torture chamber.
COPLEY : I don't need to debate medical ethics with you.
JACK : You abused the Mayflies, you turned them into parasites !
COPLEY : We didn't understand how the Mayflies reproduced. We tried to limit the damage.
JACK : What, by murdering people ?
COPLEY : They were going to die anyway. We're on the edge of the greatest discovery in history. It gotta be worth a few sacrifices ! You must understand that, Jack, you're involved in alien research.
JACK : Not like this. I'm closing this place down.
COPLEY : In your dreams. This is a state of the art, official facility.
JACK : Oh, I'm not going to do it by sending a memo. We're in control of your IT systems. As we speak, we're crashing your data banks, wiping your records.
COPLEY : That's cyber terrorism !
JACK : And that's just for starters. We're going to trip the systems of your fire, radiation and biohazard safety networks. The power will cut, sprinklers will be activated, and a large part of this facility will be sealed and flooded with inert gases.
COPLEY : The aliens will die.
JACK : They're already dying. This way they'll be put out of their misery.
COPLEY : For God's sake, we're on the same side !
JACK : No. Combating hostile aliens is one thing, but this is slavery, exploitation, a war crime ! Martha starts twitching, seizure time.
OWEN : Jack, I need your help ! Jack runs over to her and tries to hold her down. Wasn't she already strapped down ? Copley legs it while he's busy. Owen ? He's been fiddling with the Scalpel, getting the settings right... probably.
JACK : What the hell are you doing to her ?!
OWEN : This is the only way we'll save Martha. I think I understand how it works.
JACK : You'd better be sure because it's never worked before. Owen, are you sure it's safe ?
OWEN : Ok, Jack !
JACK : Owen, tell me you're sure ! You could kill her with that thing ! We're losing her ! Extreme close up of Owen eyes. He's really not sure and then the screen with the wiggly bug on it. Swooshy sound of scalpel working and...
MARTHA : Ah ! Martha sits up screaming... then falls back. Flatline bleep.
JACK : What have you done ? Bleeeeep... and then she starts coughing. Owen's panting so loud you can hear he only just restarted breathing too.
OWEN : Oh, bloody hell, it worked. Thank God for that.
JACK : Let's get her out of here. Jack picks up Martha, who kind of walks. Owen grabs his bag and puts his coat around her. EXT NIGHT - The Pharm, everyone exiting the building. Many people, indistinct voices. Maybe 'Come on you lot, this is not a drill, come on'. Tosh walks and plays on her laptop.
OWEN : I am prescribing rest and recuperation for you, madam, and a few days in bed, preferably under my supervision.
MARTHA : Owen, I don't know how to break this to you : I've got a boyfriend.
OWEN : Yeah, but has he saved your life like I did ?
MARTHA : Um, yes, actually.
OWEN : Oh.
GWEN : Arms up on there. Tester at gun point, leans on the car.
JACK : Do it. Tosh hits a key, and the laptop says SHUT DOWN. Screaming and alarm starts.
ANNOUNCE : 'Facility shut down in progress. All personnel must evacuate immediately. Facility shut down in progress. All personnel must evacuate immediately.'
JACK : Ok, let's go !
COPLEY : Did you really think I was going to let you just walk away ? You've ruined everything I've worked for. Copley has a gun. Owen turns, puts himself between Martha and the threat. Spreads his arms out, hands up.
OWEN : Now, let's not be stupid. Ok ? We're both rational men, scientists. I know you don't want to shoot that. Hell ! Owen very wrong. Copley shot him. Ianto jumps, reacts with shock. Owen falls, hits the ground, chest bleeding. Tosh shocked too. Jack pulls his gun.
COPLEY : You're next ! He's talking to Martha, aiming at her... er, in classic bad guy fashion he doesn't just pull the trigger and killing spree the whole team. Jack pov shot shows us Martha and her big hair are in his line of fire. Tricky shot, worse than the Blowfish, but Jack pulls it off, and Copley goes down with a hole in his forehead. For all the good that'll do. They rush to Owen's side.
MARTHA : Owen ! Can you hear me, Owen ?!
TOSH : You've got to help him !
JACK : Owen, stay with me. Owen. Owen, look at me, look at me. Owen, look right at me. Stay with me, Owen, stay with me. Stay with me, buddy. Come on. Come on.
MARTHA : Owen, speak to me ! He's gasping for breath, big rattly noisy breath, he blinks, and then... he neither blinks nor breathes. He looked so scared and now he just looks empty.
MARTHA : He's dead.
JACK : (whispers) Owen... Team Torchwood reactions of shock and woe. Big crane shot from above. Owen lying there all blood soaked and broken. End.
Plan: A: Captain Jack; Q: Who calls in Martha Jones to assist in investigating a string of mysterious deaths? A: UNIT; Q: What organization does Martha Jones work for? A: the team; Q: Who does Captain Jack call in Martha Jones to assist? A: the trail; Q: What leads to a medical testing centre? A: her life; Q: What does Martha Jones risk to go undercover in The Pharm? Summary: Captain Jack calls in Martha Jones, now working for UNIT, to assist the team in investigating a string of mysterious deaths. However, when the trail leads to a medical testing centre, The Pharm, Martha puts her life on the line to go undercover in the increasingly sinister pharmaceutical facility.