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[edit] Everything Changes
OPENING CREDITS
FLYOVER CARDIFF. shot pauses and zooms in on an area of the city
CUT TO EXT. STREET - NIGHT. Heavy rain pours down, it is dark. Floodlights come on and a body can clearly be seen lying in the street, SOCO (Scene of crime officer) and police officers are milling around the scene.
CUT TO: Two police officer’s standing in the rain, a male and a woman. The male is holding a cup of coffee.
GWEN: Oh, hot.
Gwen takes the coffee
PC: Gwen, there's not enough. You didn't order.
Gwen walks away towards another police officer
PC: (off camera) What do I do now?
GWEN: (Calls back) Well I've only just arrived so tough.
GWEN: Who is it?
PC ANDY: I dunno, some bloke. You going to stop over on Friday?
GWEN: I dunno, what is it? Drinks?
PC ANDY: A bit of pizza I think.
GWEN: Might do, yeah.
Police Officers move SOCO, ‘SOCO leaving scene’ can be heard from the police radio.
PC ANDY: Ay ay, what’s happening here then.
POLICE OFFICERS: On you go. Come on now.
PC ANDY: Move back if you could, thank you.
He starts moving people back, moves away from Gwen who is left to watch on her own
GWEN: Hey what's going on?
Gwen speaks in general to anyone then walks up to SOCO
GWEN: Excuse me sir, What is it, what's happening?
SOCO: Buggered if I'd know, it's orders from above.
GWEN: But the body is still there though, isn't it though. You can't just leave it.
SOCO: Move back they said. Clear the site. Special access they said.
GWEN: For who?
SOCO: Torchwood.
A black SUV pulls into the site. Four people get out, Jack, Suzie, Owen and Toshiko. They walk past the police and stand by the body, rain still pounding down
GWEN: Who's Torchwood?
SOCO: Special op's or something.
He glances at Gwen's coffee
SOCO: That hot?
GWEN: Huh? Oh yeah, have it. But they're not allowed in there, they could contaminate the evidence and all sorts. I mean how can they…
SOCO: Don't ask me. There's no procedure anymore. It's a fucking disgrace.
The SOCO walks away with Gwen’s coffee, Gwen stares after him and then looks at the Torchwood team. Jack turns in her direction but does not appear to be looking at her. Gwen tries to see what they are doing. She looks up and sees a multi story car park.
INT. FLIGHTS OF CONCRETE STAIRS
Gwen runs up the stairs and into the car park a few floors up. She goes to the edge of the car park floor and leans over the balcony, and starts to watch and listen to them.
POV GWEN overlooking body and Torchwood team
EXT. ALLEY NEXT TO THE BODY Torchwood around the murder victim.
JACK: There you go, I can taste it, oestrogen. Definitely oestrogen.
He looks up slightly, dripping with rain
JACK: You take the pill flush it away, it enters the water cycle. Feminises the fish. Suzie pulls a gauntlet from a crate and puts it on JACK: Goes all the way up into the sky and then falls all the way back down onto me. Contraceptives in the rain. Love this planet. Still least I won't get pregnant. Never doing that again. Jack looks at Suzie
JACK: How's it going?
SUZIE: Nothing yet, its got to connect. I just gotta feel it.
OWEN: Then hurry up and feel it. Freezing my arse off here.
SUZIE: I can't just flip a switch! It's more like access, it, it grants me access.
OWEN: Whatever that means.
SUZIE: It's like, oh oh oh oh
The glove starts to glow, working.
JACK: Positions…
OWEN: If I get punched again, I'm punching him right back.
JACK: Just concentrate. Suzie… Jack nods at her and then Suzie places her hand under the corpse's head. The rain stops around them and the lights get brighter. The corpse breathes out. Gwen looks down, she is shocked.
BODY: There was, I was, I was, I was… oh my god what‘s goin’ on?
TOSHIKO: Listen to me, we've only got 2 minutes so it's important that you listen, ok…
BODY: Who are you?
TOSHIKO: Trust me. You're dead.
BODY: How am I dead?
OWEN: You were stabbed.
BODY: I'm not dead I can see you.
TOSHIKO: We've brought you back, but we haven't got long. I'm sorry but you've got to concentrate. Who did this to you? What did you see?
BODY: But why am I dead?
TOSHIKO: Who attacked you?
CORPSE: I don't want to be dead!
SUZIE: 60 seconds.
TOSHIKO: You've got to think, just focus on me. What was the last thing you saw? Jack sighs, clearly frustrated.
BODY: I didn't see anything. I dunno. TOSHIKO: Who killed you? Did you see them?
BODY: I dunno. There was something behind me.
OWEN: Police said one stab wound in the back.
TOSHIKO: So you didn't see anything.
BODY: No. There is a long pause, each Torchwood member looks at the body
BODY: what happens now?
SUZIE: 30 seconds.
TOSHIKO: But he didn't see anything.
SUZIE: Don't waste it.
TOSHIKO: What else do I say?
JACK: (crouching down) What's your name?
BODY John. John Tucker.
JACK: Ok John. Not long now.
BODY: Who are you?
JACK: Capt’n Jack Harkness. Tell me what was it like when ya died? What did ya see? (pause) John, tell me what you saw.
SUZIE: 10 seconds.
BODY: Nothing…I saw nothing…oh my god there's nothing. (John stops breathing, his head falls back into Suzie’s hands, dead once more and the rain resumes falling heavily. Gwen stares at them from above SUZIE: Shit!
OWEN: I said it was stupid telling him he was dead.
TOSHIKO: Well you try it.
OWEN: Trust me. Like that's gonna work.
JACK: Told the last corpse he was injured and he wasted the whole two minutes screaming for an ambulance. Maybe there's no right way of doing it. Jack looks up, straight at Gwen and calls out JACK: What do you think?
CUT TO GWEN STANDING AT THE CAR PARK WALL LOOKING OVER Gwen leans back shocked when Jack sees her. She runs across the car back and back onto the street. She bends down breathing shallow, shocked and confused.
CUT TO ARIEL VIEW OF CARDIFF
INT. GWEN‘S FLAT - LATER THAT NIGHT Gwen enters pauses in the entrance and then goes upstairs and walks towards the sofa. Rhys, her boyfriend, is sitting watching TV
GWEN: Still up?
RHYS: In 'ere. They said on the news murder in the city centre. Were you there?
GWEN: No. I dunno, nothing to do with me… How come you’re still up though? Gwen sits next to Rhys and kisses him on the forehead. Clearly they are an established couple
RHYS: Oh, Banana Boat came round. He was saying he's got plans. He's off again next summer.
GWEN: How come you’re not pissed then?
RHYS: Ooo well we 'ad a cup o' tea. He's read this thing about diabetes. Me and him 'avin tea, that's middle age that is. There's some Chinese in the fridge.
GWEN: No I’m not hungry. You coming to bed?
RHYS: Just finish here. This man's found his sister.
GWEN: I'll see you in a minute. Gwen walks away.
CUT TO GWEN’S BEDROOM - NIGHT. Gwen lying awake in bed unable to sleep.
ARIEL CARDIFF - DAY
INT. POLICE OFFICE, CARDIFF - DAY. Gwen enters and sees a colleague walking down the stairs carrying files.
GWEN: Yvonne, can you do me a favour? Can you a search for me?
YVONNE: Join the queue.
GWEN: It's a Captain Jack Harkness, can you check him out? Gwen passes Yvonne and starts to walk up the stairs
YVONNE: I'm busy. See's there's proper channels, Gwen. What sort of Captain?
GWEN: Dunno, just a Captain.
YVONNE: If I get time.
GWEN: (calls down stairs) Thanks
INT. POLICE MURDER INVESTIGATION ROOM, CARDIFF. Police officers are looking at crime scene photos pined to a wall and discussing the facts of the case. Gwen enters carrying a tray of tea and coffee.
OFFICER : Sarah Palaster, 72. Murdered in her front room. Rani Ghosh, 45. Murdered in Robin Tree Alley and now John Tucker, 19, murdered in Sangavalith Lane. There's absolutely nothing linking these three victims. Apart from the way they died. As far as we can tell, all with the same weapon. A blade, approximately 8 inches long, 3 inches deep.
YOUNG COP: The two women were stabbed from the front but John Tucker was stabbed from behind. What does that tell us about the killer?
OFFICER: That he's a coward.
EXT. A STREET - DAY Gwen and Andy exit police car and walk towards a pub.
GWEN: But those people last night. The people in the car. Who were they? What's Torchwood?
PC ANDY: I dunno, special ops.
GWEN: Yeah but what does that mean?
PC ANDY: Bet you ten quid they're DNA specialists. It's all DNA these days. Like that CSI bollocks. CSI Cardiff, I'd like to see that. They'd be measuring the velocity of a kebab. Gwen and Andy enter the pub. A bar brawl is in progress. Gwen and Andy enter and try to separate the combatants.
ANDY: Thank you very much. Thank you… Gwen is pushed aside and knocked over, she bangs her head on a pillar and appears to be in pain.
INT. HOSPITAL, CARDIFF. DOCTORS ROOM - LATER THAT DAY. A doctor is treating Gwen’s head injury. Gwen walks out of the doctors room holding her head, she sees a man running up the stairs, she believes him to be Jack. She follows him up the stairs, running. Upon reaching the top of the stairs Gwen finds a plastic-sealed doorway and Jack has disappeared. She hears a door bang open below her and looks over the stairs to see a porter.
GWEN: ‘Scuse me. Sorry. It's all sealed off up there. Who did that? Gwen indicates the sealed door
PORTER: I thought it was you lot.
GWEN: But what's it for? What's happened.
PORTER: I dunno. 9 o'clock this morning it was all sealed off, they never said. Chemicals or something. The porter walks off, Gwen enters through a gap in the plastic of the sealed off door.
GWEN: Hello! Gwen walks forward and sees a figure at the end of the corridor
GWEN: Sorry I'm just looking for someone… Gwen cautiously approaches, talking to the figure
GWEN: (to self) Yeah, right, clever… The weevil remains motionless except to tilt it’s head at her
GWEN: Anyway I dunno if you saw a man come through here. A tall man, in one of those big sort of military coats. Ok. If you could answer, this is official business. Gwen notices the man appears to be wearing a mask.
GWEN: You alright? That's good. That's a good mask sort of thing… Look I'm sorry if I'm interrupting something, but we can stop this now, ok? It's all very well playing silly buggers but I'm busy, alright. Now I'm looking for a man in a big grey coat. I said we can stop being silly. The weevil opens its mouth and hisses. The porter enters the corridor and walks towards Gwen
PORTER: Ah, there you are. I did ask but I saw Doctor Mahieb cos I thought it was him said about the police, but he said no and then I said about the chemicals and he said don't be so stupid, “what chemicals?”So I dunno, could be anything. The porter walks towards Gwen and notices the Weevil
PORTER: Who've you got with you there then? So much for sealing it off. Oh, ha, there's a face, nice one, oh tell ya mate you should try plastic surgery. Not on the NHS mind. The Porter glances from the weevil to Gwen.
PORTER: You alright?
GWEN: Yeah
PORTER: Bloody hell that is brilliant. That's like, erm, Hellraiser! That's first class that is! The porter stands close to the weevil and indicates the teeth. PORTER: Look at that! It’s just like real teeth. The weevil grabs the caretaker’s head and bites into his neck, blood spurts from his pierced jugular
ENTER JACK, OWEN AND SUZIE. Jack grabs Gwen and runs down the corridor with her
JACK: Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go, go!
Intercut with shots of Owen and Suzi subduing the weevil and putting a black plastic bag over it’s head. Jack stops at the end of the corridor. Gwen continues running out of the corridor and down the stairs. She stops running in the hospital entrance hall. Gwen goes into the hospital car park sees the Torchwood SUV. The SUV leaves the car park at speed, honking the horn to move her from their path. Gwen begins to run after it and then gets into a police car and pursues. PC Andy, eating, sees her drives past.
ANDY: Oi!
EXT. OVERVIEW - CONTINUOUS The police car follows the Torchwood SUV along the motorway
GWEN: (VO) Registration, Charlie Foxtrot 06.
INT. POLICE CAR, GWEN DRIVING. Gwen speaks into the police radio.
GWEN: Foxtrot Delta Uniform.
OFFICER : (Over radio) Charlie, Foxtrot 06, Foxtrot Delta Uniform. Erm, hold on I think Yvonne wants a word.
INTERCUT WITH: INT. POLICE STATION CONTROL ROOM – CONCURENT Yvonne stands in front of a bank of screens showing CCTV footage and speaks into the radio
YVONNE: (Over radio) No sign of a Captain Jack Harkness.
GWEN: Did you search outside Cardiff?
YVONNE: No that never even occurred to me. Course I did! I went nationwide. There are about 15 Jack's and John's with that surname, none of them a captain.
GWEN: S'pose he could've made it up.
YVONNE: The only Captain Jack Harkness on record was American.
GWEN: That's it, he's American.
YVONNE: Which you forgot to tell me.
GWEN: So who is he?
YVONNE: American volunteer, Royal Air Force 133 squadron. ’Cept he disappeared. Vanished off the records, presumed dead.
GWEN: When was that?
YVONNE: 1941 at the height of blitz. The morning of January the 21st 1941, Captain Jack Harkness failed to report for duty. Never seen again until now. What's going on Gwen, you seeing ghosts?
EXT. IN FRONT OF MILLENNIUM CENTRE - DAY Gwen following the SUV in police car. The SUV pauses, Jack, Suzie, Owen and Tosh exit the vehicle and the SUV departs. Gwen parks in the middle of the square and exits the vehicle and shouts after Torchwood.
GWEN: You lot. Oi Torchwood! The Torchwood team ignores her and continues walking. Gwen starts to follow and is approached by a security guard.
SECURITY: Oi! You can't leave that there! GWEN: Police!
SECURITY: I can see that love and you're still not leaving it there. Gwen looks over at the Millennium Fountain and notices the Torchwood team have vanished. Gwen walks towards the fountain.
SECURITY: I'm talking to you! Excuse me! Move your bloody car! Gwen wanders around the fountain trying to see how they could have disappeared.
INT. POLICE CAR – A SHORT TIME LATER Gwen is speaking into her radio.
GWEN: Did you get anything on that registration?
OFFICER: (over radio) No such number.
GWEN: What does that mean?
OFFICER: (over radio) It doesn't exist, double checked for Swansea, triple checked. There's nothing, no such vehicle. But Temple's been asking ‘bout you Gwen. You in trouble? PC Andy enters Gwen‘s vehicle.
PC ANDY: I have walked! I have bloody walked! They share a glance, Gwen appearing apologetic
EXT. MILLENNIUM FOUNTAIN – SHORT TIME LATER Gwen stands next to the Millennium Fountain.
GWEN: They were here and then they were gone, and look there's nowhere to hide, they just disappeared! Andy stands near, arms folded.
PC ANDY: Temple's not just livid he's doing his nut.
GWEN: There was a man I'm telling you. There was this porter, he was in a porter's uniform and he was killed,or at least he was injured, he must have been injured! Right in front of me! This man in a mask sort of lashed out and…
ANDY: I've told you, all hospital staff present and correct.
GWEN: I saw it.
PC ANDY: That's sick. Gwen, sweetheart think about it, what sort of story is that? You're not well, come with me I'll take you home.
GWEN: They were here…
PC ANDY: Come on. Andy puts his arm around Gwen’s shoulder and guides her to the car
CUT TO CCTV footage of Gwen and Andy returning to the car.
SHOTS OF CARDIFF
INT. GWEN'S FLAT- LATER SAME DAY Gwen enters the living room./kitchen and sees Rhys cooking.
RHYS: Look at me, cooking. Hot pot! Or as ze French call it, 'ot pot. Gwen smiles fondly and kisses Rhys
GWEN: I should've phoned. I've gotta work.
RHYS: You should be off sick.
GWEN: I know. But they were short and there's a match on tonight. I said I'd take another shift, I'm sorry. Forgive me, go on, forgive me, say you forgive me.
RHYS: (smiles) Yeah… Gwen kisses Rhys
GWEN: I gotta go.
ARIEL CARDIFF
EXT. MILLENNIUM FOUNTAIN - NIGHT Gwen is walking round the millennium square fountain, trying to see how Torchwood could have got away earlier. She notices a pizza delivery bike drive past. CUT TO CCTV footage of Gwen, on hub computer screen.
INT. JUBILEE PIZZA – SAME NIGHT Gwen enters the pizza shop. A young lad works behind the counter.
GWEN: Scuse me, Gwen Copper, CID. I'm making some enquiries ‘round the bay. I need to check some people out on your list if that's ok. I don't supposed you deliver to a Captain Jack Harkness.
PIZZA LAD: Ah, I dunno.
GWEN: Well could you 'av a look? The man behind the counter checks the computer.
PIZZA LAD: No. He's not a regular anyway.
GWEN: J. Harkness or just Harkness. The pizza boy checks the computer again.
PIZZA LAD: No.
GWEN: Ok, never mind. Thanks anyway. Gwen starts to leave Jubilee Pizza then turns back to the counter GWEN: I don't suppose you've got a Torchwood? PIZZA LAD: Oh aye! We do them all the time. They're good customers.
EXT. CARDIFF BAY - NIGHT Gwen walks along the bay carrying pizza boxes.
INT. TOURIST INFORMATION OFFICE – LATER THE SAME NIGHT Gwen enters the reception area and looks around. A man enters through a beaded curtain behind the desk and smiles at Gwen.
GWEN: Oh hiya. Sorry I'm late. Someone ordered pizza.
IANTO: Who's it for?
GWEN: I think it's, a Mr Harkness. Gwen flinches as the door she entered through closes behind her. Ianto presses a button behind the desk and a part of the wall opens to reveal a passageway. Gwen looks surprised.
IANTO: Don't keep em waitin‘. Gwen goes to the doorway and glances back at Ianto. He inclines his head in encouragement. Gwen walks cautiously down an ill lit brick passageway. A door opens at one end of the corridor, Gwen walks towards it and enters a lift. She goes down several storeys. She exit’s the lift and goes through a large cog shaped door ahead of her. Camera pans right, around the Hub. The cog door and some bars slide shut behind Gwen. She glances at them and then notices a cylindrical container in which a hand is held in pale blue bubbling liquid. The Torchwood members working at their stations
CUT TO Someone welding, the mask is removed to reveal Suzie.
CUT TO Jack on the balcony walk down the stairs and into his office. Gwen walks towards Jack’s office door past Toshiko and Owen who are on the computers. Gwen approaches slowly and they start laughing, Owen turns round on his chair to face Gwen
OWEN: I can't do this, I'm sorry. I'm rubbish. I give up.
TOSHIKO: (pointing) He set me off.
SUZIE: Well that lasted nought point two seconds.
OWEN: Mmm, she's actually carrying pizza.
JACK: Come on! She was gonna say here's your pizza and I was gonna say how much? And she says oh, whatever, 20 quid and I say ooo… I don't have any money. I was working on a punch line, I'd have got there, but it would have been good.
GWEN: There's your pizza, I think I better go.
JACK: I think we've gone past that stage.
SUZIE: You must have been freezing out there, how long you walking round? Three hours?
GWEN: You could see me?
SUZIE: Mhmm.
JACK: And before we go any further. Who the hell orders pizza under the name of Torchwood?
OWEN: Err, yeah, that would be me. Sorry I'm a twat.
GWEN: That man at the hospital? That porter? What happened to him? That was real wasn't it, he was attacked?
JACK: He's dead.
GWEN: But there's no one gone missing.
TOSHIKO: I took the body, retrospectively changed the work rota. Planted a false witness who saw him leaving the hospital, giving him an alibi for the next 48 hours so that when his body is pulled out of the docks next Tuesday night, he's only been missing for three days.
GWEN: He was murdered.
TOSHIKO: Yeah.
GWEN: And you covered it up.
TOSHIKO: (Shrugs) It’s my job.
GWEN: And that other man, John Tucker. Last night in the alleyway, I saw you…
JACK: And what did you see?
GWEN: You revived him.
JACK: No. What did you see?
GWEN: You resuscitated him.
JACK: No. What did you, see?
GWEN: You brought him back to life.
JACK: Yeah.
GWEN: Who are you?
JACK: Torchwood.
GWEN: What's Torchwood?
JACK: This is Torchwood, all around you. Jack indicates the Hub.
GWEN: And what happens to me?
JACK: Ohh…
GWEN: I'm police. Constable Gwen Cooper you can't do anything.
JACK: Alright PC Cooper. Do you want to come see?
GWEN: See what?
JACK: You saw the murder. Come and see the murderer. Jack walks away, expecting Gwen to follow. Gwen pauses and Suzie notices her expression.
SUZIE: Go with him. Gwen puts the pizza down on a sofa and follows Jack.
GWEN: What is Torchwood? Who are you? What is this place? Something screeches above Gwen and she ducks.
GWEN: What was that?
TOSHIKO: Bored) Pterodactyl.
JACK: (off screen) Are you coming?
INT. TORCHWOOD CELLS. Jack opens the cell block door and enters followed by Gwen. The line of cells are dark, the paint on the wall flaking off. The cells have one clear wall, facing the corridor, with air holes. They walk to the end of a line of cells and Jack switches on the light to the end cell. Gwen looks in and jumps when she sees the Weevil inside.
JACK: It's alright. It's safe. It's sedated. It's called a weevil, or at least we call them weevils. We don't know their real name because they're not too good at communicating. But we got a couple of hundred of them in city. Living in the sewers, feeding off the…well it's the sewers you can guess. But every once in a while one of them goes rogue, comes to the surface, attacks. Actually it's been happening more and more and we have no idea why. But it's alien. Look into its eyes. Jack gets a stool for Gwen and helps her sit. He remains standing behind her.
JACK: There you go. Take your time. It was born on a different world and it's real. Gwen stares into the weevil’s eyes
INT. TORCHWOOD HUB CENTRAL - SOMETIME LATER. Jack and Gwen stand in the centre surrounded by the rest of the team at their stations. Jack makes introductions.
JACK: Owen Harper, Gwen Cooper.
OWEN: Dr. Owen Harper thank you.
JACK: Toshiko Sato, computer genius. Suzie Costello she's second in command, and this is Ianto Jones he cleans up after us and gets us everywhere on time.
IANTO: I try my best…
JACK: And he looks good in a suit.
IANTO: Careful. That's harassment sir.
GWEN: But why are you telling me their names, I'm not supposed to know am I? this is classified isn't it?
JACK: Way beyond classified…
GWEN: Then you shouldn't be telling me. What're you going to do to me?
JACK: What do you imagine?
GWEN: Well I've seen too much. Your names and everything and the weevil…you can dump a man in the water a lie about his death…
JACK: Ok, Tosh finish that calibration tomorrow morning. Owen first thing get hold of Chandler and Belle because I think they're lying. Ianto, if he needs back up then you better be on stand by. Suzie, I know it's a pain in the ass but I need the costing on the glove research… And as for you, you're coming with me. This way. Jack looks at Gwen and then walks way, again expecting Gwen to follow.
GWEN: I'm getting tired of following you.
JACK: No you're not and you never will… He turns to look at her then steps onto a stone platform
JACK: Stand on here, come on, with me. Jack holds out his hand to Gwen, helps her step onto the platform and then puts his arm around her
TOSHIKO: (off screen) Goodnight!
OWEN: (off screen) Later!
JACK: Now, you came in through the front door, lets take the scenic route. Jack presses a button on his wrist cuff and the ceiling 4 stories up opens. The platform starts to move upwards. Gwen grabs Jack‘s arm to steady herself. Suzie looks up at them as the platform rises.
EXT. IN FRONT OF MILLENNIUM FOUNTAIN - CONTINUOUS Jack and Gwen stand on the platform, which now appears to be a normal paving slab. They are apparently in clear view of the passing pedestrians.
GWEN: But…but they can see the lift. Why aren't they, I mean, we are right out in the open they can see everything.
JACK: Do they look like they can see us?
GWEN: No but look at us, we couldn't be anymore public. Jack shouts at a passer by. The man does not notice them.
JACK: Hello! Hey you there! Hello! It's called a perception filter, he can sort of see us but we don't quite register. Just like something in the corner of your eye. It only works on this exact spot. Step off… Jack moves from the platform and waves at a passing lady who stares at him.
JACK: Hi! Nice night. Ooh, and low we are perceived.
GWEN: How does it work?
JACK: No idea. We know how to use it, not how it happens. But if I were to guess I would say it was once a dimensionally transcendental chameleon circuit placed right on this spot which welded it's perception properties to a spacio-temporal rift. Now that sounds kinda ridiculous. Invisible lift has got more of a ring to it don't you think?
GWEN: But hold on, if no one can see it when the lifts coming up, there's a bloody big hole in the floor, don't people fall in?
JACK: That is so Welsh.
GWEN: What is?
JACK: I show you something fantastic, you find fault. Jack walks away followed by Gwen.
ARIEL VIEW CARDIFF
INT. A BAR. Gwen and Jack are sitting at the bar. Gwen drinks deeply from her pint glass.
GWEN: The thing is I just don't understand.
JACK: No I'll tell you what I don't understand. You're going to rattle on with this “how can this be true?” kinda shtick. What's it going to take for you people. If you want evidence of aliens, how about that great big space ship hovering over London on Christmas day? What about the battle of Canary Wharf, a Cyberman in every home?
GWEN: My boyfriend says it's like some kind of terrorism. Like they put in drugs in the water supply, psychotropic drugs causing mass hallucinations and stuff.
JACK: Yeah, well your boyfriend’s stupid.
GWEN: Oh you've met him? Jack laughs and sips his water.
GWEN: So you catch aliens?
JACK: Yep.
GWEN: You catch aliens for a living.
JACK: Yes we do.
GWEN: You're an alien catcher.
JACK: Yes I am.
GWEN: Caught any good aliens?
JACK: Tones of them.
GWEN: That's a hell of a job.
JACK: (laughs) Sure is.
GWEN: This is so weird. And who are you then?
JACK: Captain Jack Harkness.
GWEN: I did some research and there's only one Captain Jack Harkness on record and he disappeared in 1941.
JACK: Well that couldn't be me…could it?… We don't just catch aliens; we scavenge the stuff they leave behind, find ways of using it, arming the human race for the future. The 21st century is when it all changes and you gotta be ready.
GWEN: But who's in charge of you, is it the government or what?
JACK: We're separate from the government, outside the police, beyond the United Nations cuz if one power got hold of this stuff, they could use it for their own purposes.
GWEN: But so could you.
JACK: All alien technology stays on the base no one's allowed to take anything outside.
INT. TOSH’S KITCHEN- CONCURRENT Toshiko enters and takes an alien device from her handbag.
INT. OWEN’S BATHROOM - CONCURRENT Owen getting ready to go out, he removes a bottle from his bathroom cabinet
INT. SUZIE’S HOME - CONCURRENT Suzie removes the metal glove from her bag.
INT. BAR - CONSECUTIVE Gwen and Jack sitting in the bar drinking.
GWEN: So go on then, how the hell did you end up in Cardiff?
JACK: This is Torchwood 3. Torchwood 1 was London, destroyed in the battle. Torchwood 2 is an office in Glasgow, very strange man. Torchwood 3, Cardiff, Torchwood 4 has kinda gone missing but we'll find it one day.
GWEN: So you just fancied Cardiff?
JACK: There's a rift in space and time running right through the city. The weevils didn't come on a spaceship, they kinda just, slipped through. All sorts of things get washed up here, creatures, time shifts, space junk, debris. Flotsam and jetsam.
GWEN: Sounds like Cardiff…
JACK: Hey hey hey, don't knock it I'm a citizen.
GWEN: But where are you from?
JACK: (Shrugs) All sorts of places.
GWEN: The thing is we could liaise on this, this serial killer. I could be like your liaison with the police.
JACK: Right I can see the mistake: you think that because we turned up at the scene of crime we're out to catch the killer.
GWEN: Uhhuh…
JACK: Sorry, nothing to do with us.
GWEN: Then what were you doing there?
JACK: Testing the glove, we need murder victims, simple as that. The glove only works on the recently deceased. The more violent the trauma the stronger the resurrection. All we needed was fresh meat.
GWEN: No you were asking that man John Tucker, I saw you. You were asking him about his killer…
JACK: He'd just been murdered. What else are you gonna ask? GWEN: You could get an ID, you could help.
JACK: (Shrugs) We're busy.
GWEN: And your work is more important?
JACK: Now you got it.
GWEN: Well that's tough shit cos if you let me go then I have a duty, I can tell them what you've got because that glove could help us.
JACK: If you remember.
GWEN: What do you mean?
JACK: How’s your drink?
GWEN: Have you poisoned me?
JACK: Don't be so dramatic. It's an amnesia pill, my own recipe, with a touch of denial and a dash of Retcon. Wake up tomorrow morning and you'll have forgotten everything about Torchwood, worst still you'll have forgotten me. Which is kinda tragic. Gwen appears shaken. She gets up leaves the bar. Jack follows her onto the street and calls after her
JACK: Don't think you can fight it by staying awake, I mixed in a little sedative to.
GWEN: Then I'll tell someone…
JACK: Do you really wanna do that? Do you really want us to come and find them too?
GWEN: You bastard!
JACK: Language! Nice knowing you Gwen Cooper. Jack winks at her and walks away. Gwen watches his go then runs away.
EXT. A CAR PARK ENTRANCE/EXIT RAMP Gwen runs up the ramp away from the car park.
EXT. A STREET Jack walks slowly up the street, hands in his pockets.
INT. GWEN’S STUDY - LATER Gwen feverishly begins typing everything she has learnt about Captain Jack Harkness, Torchwood and the glove onto her computer in an attempt to conserve the knowledge.
INT. A BAR - SAME EVENING. Owen stands at the bar, he looks over and sees a girl further down the bar. He moves to talk to her.
OWEN: Hello.
LINDA: Alright.
OWEN: You having a good time?
LINDA: I was.
OWEN: Can I buy you a drink?
LINDA: No thanks I'm fine.
OWEN: Am I wasting my time?
LINDA: I dunno, are you?
OWEN: Look I've gotta be up early, I've got a hell of a day tomorrow and I really can't be bothered with all the chat. Owen sprays his face with liquid from the bottle he took earlier.
OWEN: So do you want a drink or what? The girl’s attitude markedly changes. suddenly finding Owen irresistible she kisses him passionately.
LINDA: Bloody hellfire! You're coming home with me you are. Right now. The girl pulls Owen’s lapels and drags him from the bar.
INT. GWEN’S STUDY - LATER THE SAME NIGHT. Gwen continues typing details about Torchwood onto her computer
INT. TOSHIKO’S HOUSE – CONCURRENT Toshiko is scanning the spine of a book (A Tale of Two Cities) from her bookcase. She then moves to the computer and places the alien scanner alongside. The contents of the books appear on the computer screen - the pages flipping.
INT. GWEN’S STUDY Gwen continues typing.
INT. SUZIE’S HOUSE - CONCURRENT Suzie uses the glove to resurrect a fly which has died on the window sill and it flies away.
INT. GWEN’S STUDY. Gwen types READ THIS!!!!!! She is struggling to stay awake.
EXT. A STREET NEAR TO THE BAR - CONCURRENT Owen and Linda are walking from the bar. Her boyfriend sees them and jogs over.
COLIN: Oi you bastard, come 'ere. Linda what do you think you are doing with him? What the fuck do you think you're doing with him?
LINDA: I'm taking him home and I'm having him, now piss off.
COLIN: What the fuck do you think you're doing with my girlfriend you bastard.
OWEN: Hey, I didn't know. She was on her own, she never said.
COLIN: You tosser, you fucking tosser.
LINDA: Colin, button it. He's mine.
COLIN: Do you wanna have a go do you? Wanna have a go? Well come on then mate.
OWEN: Well if it makes it easier… Owen sprays his face with the alien liquid again. The boyfriend’s expression changes and he kisses Owen.
COLIN: I'm so having you.
LINDA: I'm having him first.
OWEN: Taxi!!
INT. GWEN’S STUDY. Gwen begins to fall asleep, her typing flawed and her vision blurring
INT. TORCHWOOD HUB Ianto hacks into Gwen’s computer - ’Gwen Cooper - Home Intercept’ is written on his screen
INT. GWEN‘S STUDY - CONCURRENT Gwen’s document is highlighted, deleted from the screen and the computer powers down. Gwen, confused, tries to type on the powerless keyboard, then falls asleep over the computer.
EXT. WIDE ANGLE VIEW OF ALTOLUSSO APARTMENT BUILDING - CONCURRENT Shot closes in. Jack is standing on a narrow structure jutting horizontally from the roof of the building. 360 degree shot widening to view of Cardiff.
INT. GWEN’S STUDY - NEXT MORNING. Gwen is slumped over her computer. Rhys enters with a cup of tea. Rhys kisses Gwen’s hair and she wakes, still groggy.
RHYS: Did you get pissed?
GWEN: No. What time is it?
RHYS: 7:30. You said you were working last night.
GWEN: I was.
RHYS: Then how come you fell asleep in here?
GWEN: I haven’t…I was, typing. That is work…
RHYS: Not having a go, just saying. It's not exactly clever going out on a lash when you've just had a bang on the head. Hope you didn't drive in that state…who were you with? Diane?
GWEN: Must have been yeah.
INT. POLICE STATION ENTRANCE- LATER THAT MORNING. Gwen enters, followed by Yvonne
YVONNE: Had any luck?
GWEN: With what?
YVONNE: Captain Jack Harkness.
GWEN: How’d ya mean? Who's he?
YVONNE: Oh don't worry about me. Go ahead, wasting my time! Gwen walks up the stairs looking confused by the conversation. She walks upstairs and down a corridor, she walks past another police man.
OFFICER: Hi
GWEN: Hi Gwen enters an office where plain clothes police are working at desks.
DI JACOBS: Aye aye, come to see where the real work's done.
GWEN: Yes sir. That's right sir, how's it going?
DI JACOBS: Sod all. Gwen sees a diagram of a knife.
GWEN: Is that the murder weapon? The officer nods and stands to join her looking at the picture.
DI JACOBS: Clever mind. They worked it all out on the computer. Took measurements from the stab wounds; calculated the shape of the blade and stuff, even those prongs. I dunno how they do it. Nasty lookin’beast though. Do you recognise it?
GWEN: (Shakes her head) No.
DI JACOBS: We're trying to trace it. Can't be that many of them. Sort of, ornamental. We're checking the CV logs with customs in case it's been imported. Find the knife we might find the killer, well if it rings any bells give us a shout.
GWEN: Yeah, thanks. Gwen leaves the office and walks through the police station.
INTERCUT WITH: images of the drawing of the knife as she walks
EXT. A ROOF CAR PARK - LATER Gwen and PC Andy stand. PC Andy is telling an anecdote, Gwen is not listening, she is thinking about the knife.
INT. GWEN’S FLAT - LATER THAT DAY. Rhys is preparing dinner, Gwen sits at the table. Gwen is not really listening to Rhys; again thinking of the knife. She appears to be remembering seeing it before. Rhys talks while handing out dinner.
INT. GWEN’S BEDROOM - THAT NIGHT. Gwen lies in bed thinking about the knife. The alarm clock reads ‘2.01’. She gets out of bed and goes to her study. She draws a picture of the knife on a piece of paper. She finishes it, looks at it, screws it up and throws it in the bin. She leans back in her chair. She sees the knife again. A magazine of events at the Millennium Centre on her desk attracts her attention. She has written ‘remember’ on the cover.
EXT. IN FRONT OF MILLENNIUM CENTRE. NIGHT. Gwen is walking outside the millennium centre, she sees a figure near the fountain, the figure appears as Suzie and Gwen remembers the knife. She then remembers a welding mask, and Suzie removing the mask. Gwen does not yet remember clearly.
SUZIE: Hello again. You were right, you told Jack we should liaise with the police I was the only one who bothered, so, I was the only who saw the report. Suzie pulls the knife out of her bag
SUZIE: You got a good likeness.
GWEN: I'm arresting you for… How do I know you?
SUZIE: I thought you might've seen it and that can trick the amnesia, just one specific image if you're clever. He said you were good. Anyway it's not much good now, I can’t really… She gestures with the knife
SUZIE: You're going to put up a fight so I've got… She searches her handbag
SUZIE: Erm hold on…sorry. She pulls out a gunand drops her bag
SUZIE: There that's better She points the gun at Gwen and cocks it. Gwen looks terrified
GWEN: Put it down…
SUZIE: You had to come back…
GWEN: Put don't the gun.
SUZIE: You're the only one who can make the link…well the only one in public. Torchwood's gonna find out by morning, but I'll be gone. I don't know where, far away… What am I going to do? I loved this job, I really loved it. And now I've got run. Oh, Christ! How can you do any other job after this?
GWEN: Please put down the gun.
SUZIE: It gets inside you, you do this job for long enough and you end up thinking…how come we get all the, the weevils and bollocks and shit. Is that what alien life is? Filth? Then maybe there's better stuff out there, brilliant stuff, beautiful stuff., just… But they don't come here. This planet's so dirty, that's all we get, the shit.
GWEN: I don't know what you're talking about.
SUZIE: I wish I could forget.
GWEN: Why did you kill those people?
SUZIE: For the glove. Suzie steps forward
GWEN: Just stay where you are.
SUZIE: I needed the bodies, that's how it works, violent death. It was so easy. To bring them back I just positioned myself behind the head so they never see me twice.
GWEN: You killed 3 people.
SUZIE: It was the only way. The more I use the glove, the more I control it…
GWEN: I don't understand what glove? Where have I seen you before?
SUZIE: If I can get enough practise, then think what the glove could do. If I could get it to work all the time, on anything, beyond two minutes, if I could get it to work permanently, it could resurrect. Resurrection on demand for the whole world, isn't that good? Jack rises up on the invisible lift between them
SUZIE: Isn't it though? Well that's what I've been working for. All day, all night, the rest of them go swanning about while I'm working. You gotta get inside this stuff. Surrender yourself to it, I did with the knife and the glove, and that's why the perception filter isn't going to work on me… Suzie turns and shoots Jack in the forehead, he collapses. Gwen is shocked, he seems to have appeared from nowhere.
GWEN: What... who is he? Where did he come from? What have you done… Suzie points the gun at Gwen and cocks it.
GWEN: Please don't…
SUZIE: I can't let you go, She steps over Jack’s body and towards Gwen. GWEN: Please…
SUZIE: I’ve got to… Gwen begins to sob in fear, hands clutching her hair.
SUZIE: I'm sorry, I've got, I've got to… I’ve got to… Jack stands up behind Suzie. A bullet wound in this forehead heals as Gwen watches.
JACK: Put down the gun. Suzie turns to look at Jack
JACK: Suzie, it's over, now come with me… Jack offers her his hand to Suzie. Gwen looks on disbelieving. Suzie turns to look at Gwen and then puts the gun under her chin and pulls the trigger, she collapses, instantly dead.
GWEN: I…remember; I remember. Gwen falls to the floor.
INT. JACK’S OFFICE THE HUB - LATER THAT NIGHT Ianto puts the glove and the knife into a secure box tagged ‘ not for use’ and puts the box in Jack‘s safe. Owen and Toshiko put the alien devices they had taken onto Jack's desk.
INT. TORCHWOOD MORGUE Jack zips up Suzie’s body bag, puts it into one of the many freezer units and walks away
EXT. ROOF OF MILLENNIUM CENTRE - DAWN Jack and Gwen are standing on the roof talking.
GWEN: Owen and Toshiko, you didn't tell them that you were shot in the head and survived.
JACK: You didn't tell them either. Followed my lead. Keep doing that and you might just get through this.
GWEN: But she killed you…
JACK: I can't die.
GWEN: Ok…
JACK: But I can't…Something happened to me a while back, long story and far away. But I was killed, and then I was brought back to life and ever since then, I can't die.
GWEN: But how?
JACK: I dunno. One day I'll find a doctor, the right sort of doctor and maybe he can explain it, but until then…
GWEN: Nothing kills you?
JACK: Well, kinda freaks people out, so, best if you don't say anything.
GWEN: It doesn't matter anyway - you'll only wipe my memory again.
JACK: Why would I do that? Torchwood's got a vacancy. Job going spare, do you want it?
GWEN: But…what do you need me for?
JACK: Because maybe you were right, we could do more to help. What do you think? Wanna join up?
GWEN: … yeah. Gwen turns to look at the city. Jack smiles
GWEN: I do yes.
CLOSING ARIEL VIEW OF MILLENNIUM CENTRE The pterodactyl flies over the centre
GUEST CAST CREDITS
Body (John Tucker)- Rhys Swinburn; Yvonne - Olwen Medi; Young Cop - Guy Lewis; SOCO - Jason May; DI Jacobs - Glwyn Vaughn-Jones; Officer - Dion Davies; Hospital Porter - Jams Thomas; Weevil - Paul Kasey; Security Guard - Mark Heal; Pizza Lad - Gary Sheppeard; Man (Colin)- Gwilym Havard Davies; Woman (Linda)- Cathryn Davis
Please note: This script has been reproduced as accurately as possible for Torchpedia from the televised episode. It is not a re-production of the actual script by Russell T Davies.
[edit] Day One
INT. BOWLING ALLEY
Gwen and Rhys bowling, having a good night out.
EXT. OUTSIDE CINEMA, CARDIFF – NIGHT
Gwen and Rhys walk out of the cinema / bowling alley complex and onto the street.
GWEN: Next time I'm choosing the film…
RHYS: I was told it was…
GWEN: I fell asleep Rhys…
EXT. A RESTURANT
Gwen and Rhys sit at an outside table eating a meal, chatting.
RHYS: What does it mean? Special ops?
GWEN: It's no big deal. Mainly filing.
RHYS: Special archiving.
GWEN: Can we talk about something else?
RHYS: Oh come on, it's your first day tomorrow. I'm excited for ya. Big promotion.
GWEN: (laughing quietly) secondment.
RHYS: You’ll be brilliant.
GWEN: (Kisses Rhys) Let's have an early night.
RHYS: (Eager) Cheque please!
Gwen laughs. Rhys looks up and outside. He sees a ball of flame fly across the sky.
RHYS: Bloody hell is that plane on fire?
GWEN: It's not a plane.
Gwen stands and begins to rush away
RHYS: We haven't paid!
GWEN: Come on.
Gwen takes Rhys’ hand and they begin to run, to get a better view. The ball of fire crashes far across the city.
RHYS: What was that?
Gwen receives a text message which reads only ‘Torchwood’
GWEN: I gotta go to work.
OPENING CREDITS
EXT. TORCHWOOD SUV
People entering the SUV, focus on feet.
CUT TO INT. TORCHWOOD SUV
Owen driving, Jack in the front passenger seat. Toshiko and Gwen sit in the rear of the vehicle
JACK: Simple locate and clean up operation. Find that meteorite before anyone else gets their hands on it. Jack turns to look at Gwen.
JACK: Good to see you by the way.
A screen and keyboard fold down in front of Toshiko.
OWEN: Tosh you found it yet?
GWEN: You got enough kit? TOSHIKO: Basic tracking and surveillance for the crash site. With this we can tap into CCTV networks, social databases… GWEN: (Looking at screen) Is this CRIMINT? This is the police computer you shouldn't have this.
JACK: You might want to stop’ you’, and start saying ‘we’.
TOSHIKO: Crash site is 100m ahead.
The SUV pulls into a cleared space in a wooded area. The army have set up a base of tents and are patrolling the site alongside police.
OWEN: Shit. The amateurs got here first.
JACK: Alright usual formation.
Jack walks towards one of the tents, followed by Owen, Toshiko and Gwen.
GWEN: What's usual formation?
OWEN: It varies.
GWEN: How can a usual formation vary? Oh!
Gwen runs back to the SUV to pick up her forgotten bag. She enters the tent and the others have already gone.
PVT MORIARTY: Who the hell are you?
GWEN: Oh sorry…
SGT JOHNSON: This area's restricted.
GWEN: No it's alright I'm with special ops. I'm special ops. Torchwood, I'm with Torchwood.
SGT JOHNSON: Don't mess with me little girl. You're not with Torchwood, and even if you were…
Jack enters from the back of the tent, behind the soldiers.
JACK: …you'd have put out the welcome banners. Now first of all she's no little girl, from where I'm standing.
Jack assesses Gwen.
JACK: All the right curves in all the right places. But she's Torchwood, we both are and we'd appreciate it if you'd leave us to do the real work.
Jack offers his hand to Gwen, she takes it.
JACK: Shall we?
Jack and Gwen leave through the rear of the tent and enter a small wood – the crash site.
JACK: Let's see what we came for.
Gwen lets go of Jack’s hand as she sees the others and stops. A large boulder sits in a deep crater, Owen and Toshiko examining it. Jack continues to the other side of the crater.
OWEN: Bog standard space debris. That's a technical term.
GWEN: Yeah thanks.
JACK: So take all the readings and let's get out of here.
They all open their tool boxes and throw tools to each other, practiced speed and efficiency.
OWEN: Make yourself useful sweetheart, pass us the big chisel form the toolbox.
GWEN: Not sweetheart; Gwen. One syllable, sure you can manage it.
OWEN: Not sweet cheeks, freckles, new girl?
Gwen picks up a chisel from the toolbox.
GWEN: It's a shame your tool's not big enough for the job, darling. Catch.
Owen fails to catch the chisel and it sticks into the boulder. A blue glow can be seen in the cut and a pinkish/purple gas begins to leak out.
OWEN: Shit! JACK: Owen, Tosh. Put this on.
Jack throws gas masks to them Owen and Toshiko then places a gas mask over Gwen’s face. Jack and Gwen stare up at the gas rising from the object.
EXT. AN ALLEY- NIGHT
A girl talks on her mobile phone. She is upset
CARYS: Eddie is this all I get now. Your voicemail? You bastard, you could've at least had the dignity to text. I've been standing around all on my own, I'm sick of this. Waiting around for you to show up. I wish I'd never met you. I wish I was dead. No. I wish you were dead… Call me back.
POV gas. Carys hangs up and turns round. She sees the gas and fearfully backs against the alley wall. From angle of CCTV: the gas enters Carys’ mouth.
EXT. A NIGHTCLUB ENTRANCE
Three doormen stand by the entrance and allow in some girls.
BANKSEY: Evening ladies.
LADIES: Hiya handsome.
Banksey checks out the ladies as they enter the club.
BANKSEY: Ooo very nice.
He turns to see Carys trying to enter.
BANKSEY: Where do you think you're going?
CARYS: I've been in once, I only went out to make a call.
BANKSEY: There's no re-admission.
Carys kisses Banksey.
BANKSEY: Erm…ok then. On you go.
Banksey turns to the other doormen, proud.
BANKSEY: Watch and learn boys.
INT. THE SAME NIGHTCLUB
Carys notices a man by the bar and goes over to him. She takes him to the toilets and starts kissing him.
MATT: I don't even no your name.
Carys moves his Matt’s hand to her bum.
MATT: Overrated, names.
They kiss and Carys sits on the edge of the sinks, helping Matt shove down his trousers they have sex.
MATT: I don't think I can hold on…
CARYS: Well don’t.
Matt orgasms, yells and then becomes a glowing golden gas. Carys absorbs the gas and the boy’s place is taken by a small heap of dark ash.
INT. THE HUB
GWEN: I'm so sorry.
JACK: Seriously. Stop saying that.
GWEN: But I am. I mean, I'm really really sorry. God I can't believe it.
OWEN: Didn't they teach you health and safety in the police?
GWEN: You two chucked tools at each other so I…
OWEN: We didn't miss.
GWEN: I'll sort it. Whatever's happened I'll deal with it. What do you think has happened? I mean it was just gas wasn’t it? Can’t be too bad… can it?
OWEN: Right because gas never did anyone any harm.
JACK: On the plus side we've got good evidence.
Jack opens a box on the autopsy table.
JACK: Relatively undamaged.
OWEN: On the down side, there's an alien on loose. We don't know where it is, why it's here or what it's going to do.
TOSHIKO: Give her a break…
GWEN: Oh this has been the worst first day ever.
JACK: We all make mistakes. Get over it. Now we find and recover whatever came out of there.
Ianto clears his throat. He stands on the balcony with a clipboard looking down at them.
IANTO: This might help. Night club death, been phoned in a 999. Circumstances sound… a little unusual.
Gwen walks up the stairs to him and takes the clipboard.
IANTO: Might be connected.
EXT. THE NIGHTCLUB.
PC Andy is guarding the entrance. The Torchwood SUV pulls up. Owen, Jack and Toshiko enter the club running. Gwen follows them
JACK: Torchwood
PC ANDY: Gwen?
GWEN: Hi.
PC ANDY: Bloody hell, look at you all posh. Special ops, we're all wondering.
GWEN: I meant to call. It's been a bit of a whirlwind.
PC ANDY: Go on then, tell us all.
Jack leans out of the entrance and glares at Gwen.
JACK: Coming?
GWEN: Yeah sorry. You can go away now, no point you freezing your arse off out here.
PC ANDY: Boss of me now are you?
GWEN: Err... say hi to everyone for me…
PC Andy nods to her and Gwen enters the nightclub
INT. NIGHTCLUB TOILETS
The Torchwood team stand in the toilets with Banksey looking at the pile of ash.
GWEN: This is all that's left?
BANKSEY: How's that possible?
JACK: Question is how did you know this used to be a body?
CUT TO FLASHBACK:
Banksey is watching Carys and Matt over the CCTV, masturbating until he sees the man reduced to a pile of ash.
CUT TO: Return to Nightclub toilets.
BANKSEY: Bit of a shock I tell you.
JACK: We need to see that CCTV.
INT. NIGHTCLUB SECURITY ROOM
The Torchwood team watch the CCTV footage of the toilets
JACK: Well…
TOSHIKO: Oh my god…
GWEN: He just…
JACK: Came and went.
OWEN: (laughs) Now that's how I'd like to go.
TOSHIKO: I'm sure we could arrange it.
BANKSEY: How can that…it doesn't make any sense. It's not possible!
GWEN: Do you know the girls name? Did the two of them arrive together or did they meet in the club? Is she a regular, would any of the other staff know her?
BANKSEY: I dunno. We get hundreds of people here very weekend, we don't keep tabs.
JACK: Thanks for your help. We've got all we need.
Jack guides Banksey out of the room.
GWEN: What are you talking about? We don't have a clue. We don't even know her name.
Jack leaves the room followed by the others, they walk through the club on their way to the exit, talking as they go.
JACK: We'll need a body from the crowd chamber with a close match to the dead guys appearance. Disfigure the face, dump it some place remote. Make it look like a suicide attempt.
GWEN: You have a stash of bodies?
Jack is scanning the area , pauses near the bar as Tosh and Owen leave.
CUT TO:
EXT. ALLEY BEHIND NIGHTCLUB
Gwen chases Jack into the alley behind the club as he continues scanning the area.
GWEN: What about his family? You can't just fake his death.
JACK: You want to tell his family he died screwing an alien?
GWEN: You don't know that for sure.
Jack scans the area with a machine
JACK: Same elements we recorded at the crash site. It's all over the club but strongest in this area. Something happened here.
Jack looks up and sees a CCTV camera
INT. NIGHTCLUB SECURITY ROOM
Gwen and Jack watch the CCTV tape of the alley, they see the gas inhabit Carys. Jack removes the video and keeps it.
GWEN: It's my fault. If it weren't me he'd still be alive.
JACK: It'll get you nowhere, that kind of thinking. At least now we know a little more. The alien's taken on a host body.
GWEN: We can't let her kill again.
INT. CARYS’ HOME - NEXT MORNING
Carys and her father, Ivan.
IVAN: I said to them you're putting yourselves out of work behaving like this. I can get five polish guys who work all day, don't take any breaks. Happy as Sam boys all for 56 quid above board. I told Niall, why should I bother with your moaning mates when I could get this. Carys, you alright?
CARYS: Yeah?
IVAN: Hung over from Ella's eh? What did you get up to last night?
CARYS: I can't really remember. Mullered I was.
IVAN: Gotta go. Tony needs a van by nine. You in tonight?
Carys nods and Ivan kisses her on the head then leaves the house. Carys sits, near catatonic.
INT. THE HUB
Jack scans a transparent mapped board with a green laser.
GWEN: So what's this supposed to do?
JACK: I'm using satellite tracking data to determine the inward trajectory of the meteorite.
TOSHIKO: He means he's trying to find out where it's come from.
JACK: Hey, sometimes a little techno-babble is good for the soul.
GWEN: So this is like a route planner.
TOSHIKO: Not far off.
GWEN: Rhys, my boyfriend, is a transport manager; he does this sort of stuff but on a slightly smaller scale.
TOSHIKO: You have a boyfriend?
GWEN: Yeah, have you?
TOSHIKO: Don't have time with this job.
GWEN: What about you, you seeing anyone?
OWEN: You gotta be joking. I can get all the grief I need 'ere.
GWEN: None of you have partners?
OWEN: Just you newbie.
GWEN: I'm not being rude or anything; well maybe I am, but how do you switch off from all this stuff? What do you do to relax?
OWEN: I torture people in happy relationships.
INT. CARYS’ BATHROOM
Carys crouches in the shower crying
INT. THE HUB
TOSHIKO: The gas traces have been named as vorax or ceronium.
JACK: Great my two favourite gases. Check to find out what we know about them.
Gwen looks at Toshiko’s computer.
GWEN: What's this doing?
TOSHIKO: I've taken an image of the girl from the CCTV footage and cross referenced with the UK population.
GWEN: You can't have every face in the UK on there that would be against civil liberties, data protection, all that stuff.
JACK: Still doing that ‘you’ instead of ‘we’ thing.
OWEN: 119 suspects, this thing is supposed to give us a single clear match.
TOSHIKO: The CCTV was too low res, I've tried magnifying and augmenting but it just breaks up which means the software can't function properly.
IANTO: It's narrowed the numbers down, I could check through the rest. You know, the old fashioned way, with my eyes.
GWEN: What about the fingerprints I took of the alleyway wall?
She checks. After a moment the computer screen shows ‘no matches found’
GWEN: It was a long shot.
OWEN: Just a bit.
GWEN: At least I'm trying to do something.
OWEN: No you're trying to do anything.
JACK: The CCTV must've picked up her arrival at the club. Tosh can you re-format the image recognition software to trace her journey backwards via the street camera network?
TOSHIKO: I'll try but it'll take a while to process. Every possible turn, on every street corner. It means hundreds of thousands of probabilities.
JACK: Have a go. At least we'll know where she started the evening.
GWEN: We could cross reference that with the addresses of the remaining face matches.
OWEN: Good one Newbie, that's a bit more like it.
INT. CARYS’ BEDROOM
Carys sits at her dressing table brushing her hair. She clutches her stomach and cries out 3 times, each time louder, more pained. The alien inside. The doorbell rings and the pain eases, fresh food for the alien. Carys runs downstairs.
GAVIN: You're keeping that website in business.
The postman, Gavin, hands her a parcel. Carys slams the door and she feverishly begins removes his belt.
GAVIN: …so your dad's not in then.
CARYS: Get your clothes off!
She pushes him onto the sofa.
GAVIN: Steady Cas
She straddles him
GAVIN: Ok that's enough. Joke over. Barry's put you up to this has he?
CARYS: Shut up.!
The door of the lounge opens and Jack enters. He is wearing white overalls and a gas mask. He points his gun at Carys. Toshiko enters behind him and Gwen and Owen come through the front door.
GAVIN: What's going on?
JACK: Put your trousers on and get out!… Now!
Gavin leaves.
JACK: It always breaks my heart to say those words.
TOSHIKO: Air quality is ok.
They remove their gas masks. As Gwen removes hers Carys runs past.
JACK: Gwen, look out!
Carys reaches the door. Owen throws a device on the floor. A beam of light shines upwards from the device and imprisons Carys.
GWEN: What's that?
OWEN: It's a sort of inflatable cell. Power runs down after an hour though, the battery lives are bollocks.
JACK: Who said you could use that?
OWEN: (Looking hopeful) Erm, I just stopped the prisoner escaping.
JACK: You know the rules. None of that stuff leaves the building without my express permission.
OWEN: Fine, don't thank me.
Jack releases Carys with his wrist cuff and Gwen takes her by the shoulders.
GWEN: Come with us.
INT. THE HUB
They enter the hub, Gwen leading Carys.
JACK: See what you find out from her.
GWEN: But aren't you gonna help me? I don't know what I'm doing.
JACK: Usually better if you don't say that in front of the prisoner.
Gwen takes Carys to the cell block and puts her in a cell.
CARYS: Are you MI5? Where am I? What’d want?
GWEN: I think you know Carys.
CARYS: How do you know my name? I've never been in trouble. What do you want from me?
GWEN: I know there's something living inside you, and I know what it made you do. His name was Matt Stephens, his parents lost their only child at three o’ seven this morning.
Carys cries out in pain as the alien takes control.
CARYS: You broke my ship.
GWEN: Come on then. Where are you from and why are trying to invade earth because you forget about enslaving us.
CARYS: Who said anything about enslaving?
GWEN: Well that's what you lot do… Aliens, isn't it?
CARYS: No. I just want the energy, the climax. I live off that energy.
GWEN: Right, just to recap, you've travelled here to feed off orgasmic energy.
CARYS: There's nothing else out there like it. You taste so good, you're the best hit there is.
Carys cries out is trown against the cell wall as she fights to regain control. Gwen opens the cell door to check on her.
CARYS: Help me. Please get it out of me.
Gwen helps Carys to her feet then looks confused for a second. Carys pushes Gwen against the wall and starts to kiss her.
CUT TO: Owen sitting at his station watching the CCTV footage of Carys’ cell.
OWEN: Hello, happy birthday me.
CUT TO CELL: Gwen and Carys kiss passionately, Gwen commenting in pauses.
GWEN: Ok first contact with an alien not quite the way I expected.
INT. THE HUB. OWEN’S STATION
Owen continues to watch the CCTV and calls Toshiko and Jack over.
OWEN: Oi, you lot. Treat.
TOSHIKO: Wow.
JACK: Wow.
OWEN: I thought she had a boyfriend.
JACK: You people and your quaint little categories.
TOSHIKO: We should really get her out of there.
They stand watching the screen.
JACK: (Not moving) Yeah… I mean yeah, come on.
Jack runs towards the cell block.
OWEN: Just recording it first.
They go to the cells.
INT. CARYS’ CELL
CARYS: No, it's no good. It has to be a man.
Gwen tries to kiss Carys and is pushed away. Carys cries out in pain.
CARYS: Promise me, promise me you'll help me.
Gwen’s phone rings and she backs pout of the cell.
GWEN: I promise.
Gwen closes the door and answers the phone.
GWEN: Hi. RHYS: (on phone) Not still at work?
Jack and Toshiko arrive in the cell block entrance.
GWEN: Afraid so.
Jack mimes asking Gwen if she is ok. She winks and gives him a thumbs up.
RHYS: What time will you be back, I'm just about to start cooking.
GWEN: Not really sure when I'll be finished though.
RHYS: Is it exciting though? Is it full of excitement?
GWEN: Err...some…
RHYS: Is now a good time?
GWEN: Not the best.
RHYS: Oh pity me; I'm a special ops widow.
GWEN: I'll call you later.
Gwen hangs up. She holds the phone to her and backs against the clear front of another cell. The weevil jumps at the glass growling, she screams and backs away then exits the cell block.
INT. THE HUB
Gwen enters the main hub and meets Owen who claps at her.
OWEN: Way to go newbie, that is what I call a methodical investigation. I can't wait to see you take down her particulars.
Gwen runs at him and grabs his lapels, pushing him against a wall.
OWEN: What are you doing? Get off me.
GWEN: That girls body has been over run by I don't know what and you think it's a joke!
OWEN: Alright, Jesus I'm sorry.
GWEN: We should be helping her; she's not some lab rat.
OWEN: No she's a murderer and you were the one who wanted her caught. How come suddenly she's your best friend?
Jack appears next to them from the corner.
JACK: You know strictly speaking, throttling the staff is my job.
Gwen lets Owen go. Ianto arrives with takeaway food. Owen moves his neck, sore.
IANTO: So who's for Chinese?
INT. THE HUB BOARD ROOM
The team sits around the table eating. Jack is telling a story and laughing.
JACK: … she says, she says if I'd known what he was I never would have married him.
TOSHIKO: She knew, she knew all along.
OWEN: She did definitely, she didn't care.
IANTO: Until he started leaving black piles of mucus in the bath tub.
JACK: Oh that was the big giveaway. Aliens have no sense of household hygiene.
Jack takes a drink then taps the table.
JACK: Which reminds me, gotta pee.
Jack exit’s the room. The remaining team look at Gwen.
OWEN: So what's he told ya?
GWEN: What about?
TOSHIKO: Himself.
GWEN: You've been here longer than I have.
TOSHIKO: We were banking on you.
OWEN: You're a copper. You're trained to ask questions.
GWEN: You don't know anything?
OWEN: Not who is, where he's from, nothing. Except him being gay.
GWEN: No he's not. Really do you think?
TOSHIKO: No. Owen does, and I don't.
IANTO: And I don't care.
OWEN: Period military is not the dress code of a straight man.
GWEN: I think it suits him. Sort of classic.
TOSHIKO: Exactly. I’ve watched him in action, he'll shag anything if it's gorgeous enough.
GWEN: We know he's from America right?
OWEN: We don't even no that for sure.
TOSHIKO: No US citizen by the name of Jack Harkness born in the last fifty years
GWEN: Maybe his identity's classified.
IANTO: He used to be something big in the CIA, that's what I reckon.
GWEN: He must have his reasons for wanting to keep things secret.
OWEN: Sure he does. Not stop me wanting to know what they are.
GWEN: What's that sound?
They notice the sound of crying coming from the CCTV footage of Carys' cell. Jack re-enters the room again, Gwen gets up and walks over to the screen, concerned and upset.
GWEN: What are we doing having Chinese while a girl fights for her life?
JACK: Actually while we've been eating the computers have been running a full bio-scan of Carys; profiling her blood, metabolism, organs, skin, the works. So we can see what effect the alien is having on her. They've also been taking samples of the air in the cell so we can analyse any changes in the environment around her. Now is that enough? Do you want more? Cos, err... it gets kinda borin‘...
GWEN: You've been hidden down here to long. Spending so much time with the alien stuff, you've lost what it means to be human.
JACK: So remind us…Tell me what it means to be human in the 21st century.
GWEN: Alright.
INT. THE HUB
Gwen is at her station working on the computer. She starts printing off details and pictures of Carys' life.
Gwen presents the information to Jack.
GWEN: Carys Fletcher born, November 30th 1987. School reports, personnel reports from her temping agency, swimming badges from when she was 6, reports of her mother's death in a car crash when she was 10, and last years emails discussing the relative merits of Orlando Bloom and Heith Ledger.
JACK: Why have you done this?
GWEN: This isn't about meteorites or gases. We have a trapped girl and we have to save her. When I was with her in the cell Carys told me she was losing. We have to find a way to keep her fighting, remind of who she is.
Jack sits and stares at her,
GWEN: Have I got something on my face?
JACK: No, err... it's just…it's… brilliant. You are brilliant.
Jack appears genuinely pleased with her work.
GWEN: Thank you. So I think we should bring in her dad.
JACK: You're kidding right?
GWEN: We've gotta find something to connect with her, make her fight back.
JACK: Our priority is to contain the alien threat, not to put civilians in a cell with it.
GWEN: We should be helping her.
JACK: Gwen there is no…
GWEN: …If we don't, who will Jack?
JACK: Are you always this awkward?
TOSHIKO: (Over the intercom from her station) You should take a look at this.
Gwen and Jack go over to Toshiko.
TOSHIKO: This is the normal composition of the air in that cell. And these are the readings from the last hour.
An increase in activity in the air is shown on screen.
TOSHIKO: The alien is secreting an ultra powerful form of air born pheromones, sex pheromones. A thousand times more than anything we would've experienced.
JACK: She's a walking aphrodisiac.
GWEN: I did wonder why i…actually I sort of snogged her.
JACK & TOSH: We know.
JACK: Now, still wanna put her father in the cell?
GWEN: God no. We can't let any man near.
TOSH & GWEN: Owen!
INT. CERYS’ CELL.
Toshiko and Gwen go to the cells. Owen is standing naked in Cerys’ cell, Carys has gone.
TOSHIKO: (over intercom) Jack, Carys is out of the cell.
OWEN: Cheeky bitch took my swipe card.
JACK: I'll deal with it. And tell Owen he needs to work on the abs a bit harder.
Toshiko opens the cell door for Owen and he exit’s the cell
OWEN: I was taking some readings, keeping an eye on her and bang…
TOSHIKO: You got away lightly, be thankful she was only interested in your swipe card.
GWEN: Are you alright now, or are you still feeling a bit of a cock?
INT. THE HUB
Carys wanders around the main hub, Jack finds her.
JACK: No exit, sorry.
Jack blocks Carys’ exit. She runs back and tries to open some double doors behind a table but they are. She stands on one side of the table, Jack on the other, teasing him in which way she will go. They see a knife on the table between them and both lung for the weapon at the same time. Carys gets there first and swipes at Jack who ducks.
JACK: Yeah, you want a little rough and tumble huh?
Carys’ swipes at him again and Jack picks up a pole from the table
JACK: Well lets make it a fair fight!
Jack backs Carys against a pillar with the bar and Carys manages to cut his leg. Jack stoops clutching the cut and Carys uses the time to run. They fight briefly and Carys pushes a wheeled chair at Jack. He jumps it.
CARYS: You won't stop me.
Carys runs back down the stairs and Jack goes the other way to block her exit, prepared to fight. Carys picks up the jar with the hand.
JACK: Put it down! It's worthless to anyone but me! Down now, or I'll shoot!
Jack draws his gun, but allows her to walk past him towards the exit, still carrying the hand. CARYS: So shoot me, you say you will, but the eyes say won't! I'm going, don't stop me!
Carys pauses, in pain, fighting the alien.
CARYS: Please, help me.
Jack is briefly sympathetic and Carys enters the lift. The doors close and Jack runs up the stairs. Jack reaches the top at almost the same moment as Carys and runs after her. They enter the Tourist Information Office where Ianto is waiting.
IANTO: Need me to do any attacking sir?
JACK: Appreciate the offer. Just open the door.
Jack holsters his gun as Ianto opens the door
JACK: Now give me the jar.
Jack holds out his hands for the jar with the hand. Carys pauses and then throws the jar on the desk where it smashes and rolls to the floor. Jack cries out in anguish and grabs the hand. Gwen and Toshiko enter notice Jack holding the twitching hand then run after Carys, searching for her but she has gone.
INT. THE HUB
They discuss Carys.
GWEN: After all I said a severed hand is more important to you than Carys' life?
JACK: You wanna prove yourself? Find her. Get your old pals in the police to do something useful for once.
GWEN: Alright I'll give them a call. Put out an APB. Woman possessed by gas, nobbin' fellas to death.
Jack rolls his eyes. Owen enters
OWEN: Oi, you better get in 'ere.
They follow him into the autopsy room and watch him from the balcony as he stands behind his table. On the table sits a rat inside a glass tank.
OWEN: So I was trying to interpret the results of the bio-scan., yeah but it's all just a mess, like there's no definitive readings; because everything in her body keeps changing, nothing stays constant. So as soon as you think you've got something clear, the metabolic rate, blood pressure or whatever, it all goes wild again.
JACK: Because she's fighting the alien being for control over her own body.
OWEN: Yeah so anyway I decided to do a comparative diagnostic, recreate the circumstances, accelerate the process a little. See what's gonna happen to Carys.
GWEN: Yeah, thanks.
OWEN: I infected the rat with a combination of the vorax and the ceronium gas traces we found down at the crash site and at the nightclub.
TOSHIKO: Looks fine so far.
OWEN: Once the gases start to flow round the body, the party really starts. The heart rate triples, the brain triples pressing against the side of the skull, as that keeps the lungs begin to shrink making it impossible to breathe and…the pressure increases on all the internal organs until…
The rat explodes into a bloody mess in the glass tank.
OWEN: Rat jam!
JACK: That's what's going to happen to Carys?
GWEN: I'm losing, that's what she said to me.
OWEN: Right now it's a struggle between where Carys ends and the alien begins.
EXT. A STREET IN CARDIFF
Carys walks down the street, everywhere she looks couples are affectionate or there are posters with erotic images.
INT. THE HUB
GWEN: We have to think like her. Put ourselves in her place. It's the only way to find her.
JACK: Except we don't know what her controlling impulse is right now. Carys, or the alien inside? Last thing I saw was a fight for control.
TOSHIKO: The overriding factor for the parasite is to have sex. It's a survival instinct, it's bound to be the s strongest drive.
GWEN: Alright say your Carys, you're desperate for sex because that's what the thing inside you needs, but you know it will kill, where would you go?
OWEN: I'd come round and shag you. What? It's a joke. Can't I ever have a joke with my team mates?
TOSHIKO: Right now, no.
JACK: So what're we talking about? Brothels, lap dance clubs, anywhere there's eager men.
TOSHIKO: I know what I'd do.
INT. EDDIE’S FLAT – DAY
Carys has gone to visit her ex-boyfriend, Eddie.
EDDIE: What the hell are you doing here? You look a bit wired.
CARYS: I had to see you.
EDDIE: You shoulda called, Betha might've been in.
CARYS: I could kill you.
EDDIE: I could bloody kill you. What the hell was that message you left on my mobile last night? Sounded like you were off your face.
CARYS: If I wanted to, I could kill you, now.
EDDIE: Look…I told you, I'm not leaving Betha. You're a lovely girl, but it's just not gonna happen.
CARYS: You were my first, see. I never told you coz I thought you'd laugh, and you're crap. All you want to is to come and you don't care what's underneath.
EDDIE: Oh yeah, have a go, get it outta your system.
Carys suddenly clutches her stomach and leans over, fighting still.
CARYS: Do you love me Eddie? Did you ever love me?
EDDIE: Nah.
CARYS: You could've saved yourself.
Carys grabs Eddie and kisses him.
EDDIE: What?
INT. EDDIE’S FLAT – LATER
Jack and Gwen enter the flat, Carys has already gone.
GWEN: We're too late.
JACK: Tosh was right though. She went for the ex-boyfriend. Lucky she's young. Work your way through my back catalogue and we'll be here 'til the sun explodes.
Jack leaves, followed by Gwen.
GWEN: So where's she gonna go next?
JACK: And how long before that thing destroys her body.
INT. TORCHWOOD SUV - NIGHT
JACK: So what's our next move?
OWEN: Stop the entire city of Cardiff from shagging
GWEN: Put bromide in the water supply.
JACK: No. To hit and miss.
OWEN: Yeah and the water company got really pissed off the last time we did that.
Gwen looks at him slightly shocked.
TOCHIKO: It could've picked any body in Cardiff, why her?
GWEN: Just assumed it was random.
JACK: Demanding Carys' life to get what it needs.
OWEN: So what else do we know about her to give us leads?
JACK: Anything you can think of?
GWEN: What're you all looking at me for?
OWEN: You did all the profiling.
GWEN: I don't know, sorry!
OWEN: She's really great under pressure.
JACK: There's gotta be something. What did you say Carys' job was?
GWEN: Just a temp. A receptionist.
JACK: Where's she working at the moment?
TOSHIKO: I could pull her employment files up… Conway clinic.
OWEN: You're joking!
JACK: What's the problem?
OWEN: It's a bloody fertility clinic. Sperm donors, an unlimited supply of orgasmic energy without all the build up.
JACK: Perfect hit.
Jack turns the car round and heads to the clinic.
INT. CONWAY CLINIC.
RECEPTIONIST: Carys, you're not on today are you?
CARYS: It needs more, the energy it's not lasting.
RECEPTIONIST: Sorry...
Carys punches the receptionist in the face.
Over the intercom a voice says “Mr Turnstone, room number 1 is ready now.” A man enters the room. Carys takes the sample pot from him. Off camera a scream is heard.
INT. TORCHWOOD SUV
Jack hands Gwen a gun.
GWEN: What's this for?
JACK: Need a diagram?
GWEN: I've never used a gun.
JACK: You were in the police.
GWEN: I was on the beat.
JACK: Carry it and make sure you don't need to use it.
INT. A ROOM IN CONWAY CLINIC
Carys is in the room with another donor.
MAN: I'm asking for you to get out.
CARYS: Just relax, I can help.
MAN: I don't think so love, I'm gay!
INT. TORCHWOOD SUV
GWEN: What do we do if we find her? How are we going to get that thing out of her?
TOSHIKO: Judging by the test results the gas needed a host because prolonged exposure to our atmosphere is poisonous to it. So bodies are the perfect environment.
JACK: So if we isolate it from Carys' body…
OWEN: It won't survive for long.
JACK: Sounds like we have ourselves a plan.
GWEN: Force it to die.
OWEN: Just like it did to those poor blokes.
GWEN: What about Carys?
OWEN: Better start praying we get to her in time.
INT. CONWAY CLINIC
The Torchwood team enter the clinic
JACK: Out! Out! Get as far away as you can!
The men in the clinic leave as ordered. They search the building for men and for Carys. They enter rooms, guns leading, searching but in each room they find only piles of ash.
GWEN: Oh god, how many more?
OWEN: (shouted out of shot) In 'ere!
They all enter the room and surround Carys.
JACK: Nowhere to run.
He points his gun at Carys
CARYS: All the sex, all we see, all we think. So much beauty and so much fear. We want it but we're so afraid of…
She cries out and collapses onto the floor, Gwen moves to her to assist.
OWEN: The strain on her body is too much. Any second now, she's rat jam.
CARYS: One more. Each time is less, each time the feelings weaker. Once more, make me feel alive. Make me feel human.
She shakes Gwen, desperate.
GWEN: I can't.
JACK: I can.
Jack moves to Carys and crouches before her. Gwen moves away.
GWEN: Jack… JACK: I've got some surplus of a life, I'm giving it away.
Jack places his hands on her cheeks
JACK: You really wanna feel something?
Jack kisses Carys.
OWEN: What's he doing?
TOSHIKO: I dunno.
Carys glows with golden light, similar to the orgasmic energy.
JACK: That was just a kiss; imagine the buzz you'd get from the rest.
Carys collapses.
JACK: Wasn't exactly the reaction I anticipated.
OWEN: Her body won't last much longer,
GWEN: Use me. Leave Carys, take my body as host…
Gwen her hands behind Carys' head
GWEN: Just let her live.
Jack takes Gwen’s arm to stop her.
GWEN: I'm stronger than she is, I'll live longer, you might be able to save me. I dunno…
JACK: Ok
TOSHIKO: Jack. You can't let her…
JACK: Like she said, she's responsible for this.
Gwen stands and makes demands of the alien inhabiting Carys.
GWEN: Come on do it, leave her…
The gas leaves Carys' body. It stops in front of Gwen for a second. Gwen closes her eyes. Jack gets the inflatable cell and it encloses the gas. Gwen opens her eyes.
OWEN: How long can it survive in there?
TOSHIKO: It's pretty weak. Why?
OWEN: Bit worried about how long that battery will last for.
GWEN: Look…it's dying.
The gas disappears leaving a pile of dust behind it, the battery dies in the cell just after. Jack picks up and handful of the dust and then lets it trickle through his fingers.
JACK: Travel halfway across the universe for the greatest sex and still end up dying alone.
Gwen bends down next to Jack, she leans over and puts her hand under his chin lifting his head slightly, and kisses him lightly on the lips.
GWEN: Thank you.
She gets up and walks away. Jack stops for a second, he breathes and then turns to watch her leave, he then places a finger on his lips.
INT. CARYS‘ HOUSE
Gwen brings in Carys, Jack is standing behind her dad. Her dad greets and hugs her. Jack smiles at Gwen.
INT. THE HUB
Gwen is taking down her display on Carys' life. Jack walks in.
JACK: Still here? Everybody else is off doing…whatever it is they do when they're not here.
GWEN: How long you been there?
He shrugs and smiles, she smiles back and continues taking down the papers.
GWEN: I wanted to finish off.
JACK: Do one thing for me. Don't let the job consume you. You have a life, perspective, we need that.
Gwen finishes taking down the papers and puts her hands on her hips.
GWEN: Who are you Jack?
JACK: I'm sorry.
GWEN: You can't die. You tell me the 21st century is when it all changes…that we have to be ready.
JACK: So you do.
GWEN: But how can you know?
JACK: You think knowing the answers will make you feel better?
GWEN: Who are you, what are you doing here?
JACK: Go home Gwen Cooper. Eat lasagne, kiss your boyfriend, be normal…for me.
INT. GWEN’S HOUSE
Gwen and Rhys eat dinner – lasagne. Rhys is talking about work, Gwen is not listening.
RHYS: Am I boring you?
GWEN: Sorry.
RHYS: Too good now to care about transport routes are we?
He smiles and Gwen kisses him
GWEN: Let's go to bed.
FLYOVER CARDIFF BAY
GUEST CAST CREDITS
Private Moriarty - Adrian Christopher; Sergant Johnson - Ross O’Hennessy; Carys Fletcher - Sara Lloyd Gregory; Banksy - Ceri Mears; Matt - Justin McDonald; PC Andy - Tom Price; Ivan Fletcher - Brendan Charleson; Gavin - Rob Storr; Mikey - Lloyd Everitt; Eddie Gwynne - Alex Parry; Bethan - Felicity Rhys; Receptionist - Naomi Martell; Mr Weston - David Longden
Please note: This script has been reproduced as acuratly as possible for Torchpedia from the televised episode. It is not a re-production of the actual script by Chris Chibnall.
[edit] Ghost Machine
Opening shots and series recap
JACK: (VO) Torchwood: outside the government, beyond the police. Tracking down alien life on Earth and arming the human race against the future. The 21st century is when everything changes, and you’ve gotta be ready.
EXT. AN ALLEY – DAY
Gwen and Own run out of a narrow street and into a wider road. Toshiko speaks to them through their earpieces, directing them towards an alien artifact which has been identified.
TOSHIKO: (over com) Owen, Gwen. Left into the alley, right, 30 meters.
GWEN: What is it? What can you see?
INTERCUT WITH:
Toshiko in the hub, a map on the computer screen in front of her showing the positions of Gwen and Owen and Jack relative to the alien object.
INTERCUT WITH:
Overview of the Torchwood SUV.
TOSHIKO: Jack. Sharp right, 20 meters.
JACK: (over com) Can you identify the target?
TOSHIKO: No, still trying to get a visual. 20 seconds contact.
INTERCUT WITH:
Gwen and Owen run through crowded streets in Cardiff, CCTV footage.
TOSHIKO: 15 seconds.
JACK: (Over com) No heroics! We got no idea what we’re dealing with.
TOSHIKO: 10 seconds.
EXT. A STREET - CONCURRENT
The SUV squeals to an abrupt halt and Jack exit’s the vehicle.
TOSHIKO: Got it! Got a visual; suspect’s male, wearing a hoodie.
INT. A SHOPPING ARCADE - CONCURRENT
The suspect runs through the shopping arcade followed by Gwen and Owen.
TOSHIKO: Go Gwen!
SECURITY: Oi!
The suspect runs under a closing shutter, Gwen just manages to roll under before it shuts in front of Owen and Jack. Jack turns to the security guard operating the shutter.
JACK: Come on, open it up. Open it up!
SECURITY: Alright, alright
The shutter begins to open and Jack and Owen run through as soon as they are able and chase after the suspect and Gwen.
INT. TRAIN STATION ENTRANCE - CONSECUTIVE
The suspect jumps over a ticket barrier closely followed by Gwen. Two train station workers stand near by but take no action to stop them from jumping the barriers, but instead shout after Gwen.
STAFF #1: What’s he done?
STAFF #2: Musta done something!
STAFF #1: Get him!
The suspect runs down a tunnel in the train station. He pushes past people and as he does so he looses his balance slightly and slows. Gwen grabs his arms and tried to hold him. The suspect wriggles out of his jack and escapes, leaving Gwen standing at the train station exit holding only his coat.
GWEN: Damn!
TOSHIKO: He’s there, you did it!
GWEN: I was that close…
TOSHIKO: No. You got it.
GWEN: I’ve lost him Tosh. I lost him.
TOSHIKO: I swear. Whatever it is, you’re holding it.
Gwen looks at the coat and goes to check the pockets.
TOSHIKO: Let me check my…
Gwen pulls a small alien device out of the pocket and holds it in both hands, staring at it. She pushes the central button and the scene flickers and changes.
EXT. TRAIN STATION - NIGHT
Gwen stands in the same place. The people have disappeared and it is dark. Gwen looks around, fearful. She hears a steam train and turns to see a young boy exit the train station to her right. He wears short trousers and a hat and holds a teddy bear and a small suitcase. He has a name tag attached to his blazer.
GWEN: Hello… Who are you?
The boy looks towards her and walks closer.
GWEN: Can you hear me?
TOM: (echoing voice) I want to go home
Gwen sees the name on his tag.
TOM: No one knows who I am here. I’m lost.
POV TOM, backing slowly away from Gwen.
GWEN: (with trepidation) Come back… come back.
The boy continues to walk away, back the way he entered. He fades away. Gwen looks down at the alien device in her hand and presses the button. She re-appears at the station - modern day. Jack runs to her, closely followed by Owen.
JACK: Sorry, that damn gate cut us off…
Jack notices that Gwen looks upset.
JACK: Gwen? Are you alright?
GWEN: I’ve just seen a ghost.
OPENING TITLES
INT. THE HUB
Toshiko works at her station. Jack stands behind her, watching her computer screen. The rest of the team are in the hub nearby but out of shot.
TOSHIKO: This is the feed from the station camera.
Jack steps forward and picks up the ghost machine from Toshiko’s desk, the moves away. Toshiko continues describing the CCTV footage.
TOSHIKO: Gwen grabs the kid, she’s got his jacket and he just slips out.
Focus on JACK who moves near to GWEN on the balcony.
JACK: (to Gwen) You okay with this?
Gwen nods that she is fine and they listen to Toshiko’s commentary.
TOSHIKO: and then…
Toshiko shakes her head in confusion at the footage.
TOSHIKO: Jack and Owen arrive. Then, nothing.
Toshiko turns to look at Jack and Gwen who are standing behind her looking away. Ianto walks up the stairway and enters shot. He holds a tray of mugs. They take drinks and Toshiko continues.
TOSHIKO: Sorry…
GWEN: No, it was as real as this is… more real. I didn’t just see that little boy, I could, I could… hear what he was thinking I could feel it. Like I was lost.
Show Owen who is below Gwen and Jack.
OWEN: Tense emotion can be part of a neurological event. Hallucinations, dementia…
GWEN: I wasn’t hallucinating, Owen and I’m not bloody senile!
Jack ignores them and continues inspecting the ghost machine, holding it in both hands.
JACK: You pushed this button then that’s what caused this apparition moment?
GWEN: Yeah.
Jack goes to push the button in the centre of the ghost machine. The others all call his name and tell him not to use the machine. They clearly all believe he will push the button. Jack holds his hands out in response, surprised that they believe he would use the machine.
JACK: As if!
GWEN: that’s how it felt. Like an apparition. A ghost.
JACK: Toshiko, where do we start?
TOSHIKO: The guy you were chasing, I’ve got loads of CCTV so tracking him down is gonna be easy. The little boy, you said there was a name on the card around his neck…
GWEN: Flannigan. Tom Erasmus Flannigan.
JACK: Unusual name, that’ll help. Run a full check; births, marriages, deaths… criminal record, passports. However long it takes, wherever he is, we’ll find him.
OWEN: Found it! Flannigan, Thomas Erasmus 74 Veneron Terrace, Bute.
Owen closes a telephone directory and holds it up to the others.
OWEN: He’s in the phone book.
Jack, Gwen and Toshiko do not respond but look a little deflated.
EXT. A FRONT DOOR IN THE SUBURBS - DAY
Shot shows a front door with the number ‘74’. Shot widens to Gwen knocking on the door. The door is opened by a lady. Turn to lady’s POV to reveal Gwen standing on the doorstep beside Owen.
GWEN: Hi, I’m DI Cooper this is PC Harper. Could you spare a few minutes please?
ELERI: Yeah, okay.
The lady leads them into a cosy living room. An elderly, but healthy looking man sits in an arm chair at the far side of the room.
ELERI: Dad visitors, from the police.
TOM: Oh, caught up with me at last have ya?
He is smiling, a happy gentleman who knows he is not really in any trouble. Gwen responds in kind, keeping the tone light.
GWEN: I’m Gwen, this is Owen, he’s training. It’s just routine. We’re looking for eyewitnesses to an incident at the railway station last night.
ELERI: We were here, weren’t we dad? Strictly Come Dancing finals… that newsreader.
OWEN: Ohh, she’s got legs up to ‘er arm pits ain’t she?
TOM: Would you like a cup of tea?
GWEN: I’d love one thanks.
The lady stands and begins to leave the room to make tea.
GWEN: Owen will give you a hand.
ELERI: This way.
TOM: She’ll talk him to death that lad.
Gwen chuckles and sits down in the armchair next to Tom, now vacated by his daughter.
GWEN: He gives as good as he gets.
TOM: She’s right though. We were in all last night, we wouldn’t have seen anything.
Gwen searches her bag in her lap and pulls out a notebook
GWEN: Just for the record, you are Tom Erasmus Flannigan?
TOM: My father was an Erasmus, his father before ‘im.
GWEN: Now that’s not a Welsh accent is it?
She smiles at him and Tom laughs.
TOM: No, lived ‘ere 66 years an’ still sound like a barra’ boy. I was evacuated during the war, 1941. The Germans bombing the hell out of the East End.
GWEN: Cardiff was being bombed as well as London, wasn’t it?
TOM: We were taken out to the countryside from here. My mother packed me a suitcase…
INTERCUT TOM’S REMINISCENCE WITH:
Flashback’s of the same scene Gwen saw of the train station. During flashback shots Tom in VO.
TOM: Big sister wrote my name on a card an’ they put me on the train at Paddington. Kept saying I had to go, to be a good boy. Tellin’ me not to cry, and there was the pair of ‘em cryin’ their eyes out…
Tom pauses and is a little saddened, but not upset by the memory, the pain has been weakened with time.
TOM: That was the last I saw of them, though I didn’t know that then of course, waving goodbye…
GWEN: How old were you?
TOM: 8
GWEN: You must have been very, very frightened…
TOM: I didn’t know a soul here. There was a mix up, I’d kept my head down so much, they forgot all about me, so they left me all on my own. Felt like the end of the world. I wandered down this tunnel totally lost. Forgotten. Looking for someone, anyone who’d look after me. ‘Why don’t they come for me?’ I kept thinkin’ ‘no one knows me, I’m lost‘. They worked it out in the end, they came back for me. An’ I got taken in by a lovely couple, no kids of their own. And well, end of the war, I’d no one left in London so I stayed ‘ere. I’m still ‘ere now… just.
EXT. TOM’S HOUSE – DAY
Gwen and Owen leave the house and walk towards the SUV.
GWEN: Don’t get it. He was the boy at the station.
OWEN: Can’t comment, I was stuck in the kitchen with motor mouth thanks to you.
GWEN: So what I saw was just a bit of him from years before, sort of, hanging around?
A phone rings, Gwen picks it from her pocket and answers. Owen sighs at her annoyed and gets into the car to wait.
GWEN: Hi.
RHYS: (over phone) Hiya Gwen. Er, I’m just puttin’ a wash on.
INTERCUT WITH:
INT. GWEN’S KITCHEN - CONCURRENT
Rhys stands with a pile of clothes on the floor in front of the washing machine.
RHYS: Got any whites need doin’.
GWEN: Er, I dunno. Just leave it, I’ll sort it out.
RHYS: Oh, no. It’s no trouble, just remind me erm, which drawer do the tablets go in?
GWEN: Just leave it.
RHYS: Okay, so are you in or out tonight?
GWEN: I dunno.
RHYS: Again!
GWEN: I’m sorry?
RHYS: All I’m askin’, are you in or out tonight?
GWEN: I don’t know.
RHYS: Gwen, I can’t live with all this secret squirrel stuff, can’t you tell me if yer comin’ home?
GWEN: Well naggin’ isn’t helping.
RHYS: Right… well that’s me told.
GWEN: Ah Rhys…
RHYS: I’m not stayin’ in on the off chance, Dav’s havin’ mates round tonight, I’ll stay at ‘is.
Owen honks the horn of the SUV a few times in frustration. Gwen looks at him and returns to her call but Rhys has hung up.
GWEN: Hello?
She gets into the SUV. Owen sighs at her and starts the engine, impatient.
GWEN: Alright.
INT. THE HUB
Jack types at a computer, he zooms in on a picture of Bernie. The others work nearby.
JACK: Our friend with the alien machine in his pocket is one Sean Harris, AKA Bernie.
GWEN: And what he’s doing with an alien machine is anyone’s guess. 19 years old, string of convictions, burglary, shoplifting, credit cards…
IANTO: Do warn me if he’s droppin’ in.
TOSHIKO: Successful conviction. He was steeling tyres off a car when the owner turns up, gives him so much grief he apologises, starts putting them back on again which is when the police show up. And here, shoplifting, conviction, bottle of vodka and 3 pot noodles.
OWEN: (playing an arcade game) Criminal mastermind… Got anywhere with that, er, mystery object?
JACK: Alien of course, gorgeous nano technology, makes NASA look like Toys r’ Us.
OWEN: Ah, well you’ve really narrowed things down ‘aven’t ya?
The ghost machine is being scanned by a machine similar to a CAT scanner; Gwen takes it from the machine.
GWEN: At the station I was doin’ this but when I held it, it lit up and went mad.
OWEN: Not doin’ it now is it?
GWEN: No.
TOSHIKO: So, what next?
JACK: This kid, Bernie, where does he live?
TOSHIKO: Splott
OWEN: Splott?
IANTO: I believe estate agents pronounce it Splo.
EXT. A DOOR – DAY
Toshiko knocks on a door. An unkempt woman smoking a cigarette answers and looks at them unimpressed. Gwen stands behind Toshiko a little distance away.
TOSHIKO: Hi. I’m looking for Bernie, he in?
BERNIE’S MUM: Friend of his are ya?
TOSHIKO: Yeah, I’m from…
BERNIE’S MUM: I’m his mother, he’s a robbin’ little bastard, he ain’t settin’ foot in this house ‘til he pays me the 50 quid he owes me.
Bernie’s mum slams the door.
INT. A PUB
Shot of a man playing snooker.
SNOOKER PLAYER: He’s bad.
INT. AN ARCADE
Shot of a teenage boy.
KID IN ARCADE: Said he’d give me an ipod an’ he never. And he smoked my fags.
INT. A SHOP.
Shot of a young woman.
WOMAN IN SHOP: Wouldn’t piss on ‘im if he was on fire.
EXT. GRASS NEXT TO A CANAL – DAY
Toshiko and Gwen lean on a tall brick structure, Owen walks towards them carrying paper wrapped food.
GWEN: Bernie Harris, the Scarlet Pimpernel of Splott.
TOSHIKO: Tell me about it, give me aliens any day.
She turns to Owen as he leans next to them.
TOSHIKO: Any luck?
OWEN: No. I got 4 pasties for a pound. Anyone?
Jack approaches them, hands thrust in his pockets.
GWEN: If I wanted days like this I’da stayed in the police.
TOSHIKO: We did try, Jack.
Owen offers Jack a pasty. Jack looks annoyed, sighs and walks off. The others follow him alongside the canal and under a wide bridge.
OWEN: What’s he gonna tell us? Got it off an alien down the market?
GWEN: Where are we going?
Owen throws the paper bag from his pasties on the floor, lagging behind the others.
JACK: Back to the railway station, perform an experiment. We replicate the original event as far as possible, observe and analyse the results.
GWEN: What I have to do that again?
JACK: Someone has. Any volunteers?
Jack throws the ghost machine to Owen.
OWEN: Wowh.
GWEN: We don’t know what it is, what it does…
JACK: No.
GWEN: Jack, this could be dangerous.
JACK: Yeah.
Owen pauses and looks at the ghost machine,
OWEN: Er, I don’t mean to be picky but I think I can spot some flaws in this plan…
JACK: I’m sorry. I thought you were the guys who gave up looking for a 19 year old kid this morning. I figured maybe you were after something more exciting, bit of a challenge.
OWEN: This door to door stuff never gets us anywhere.
Owen looks at the ghost machine again, it is lighting up.
OWEN: Guys! Come ‘ere!
They continue walking, leaving Owen standing under the bridge.
TOSHIKO: Owen… Owen.
OWEN: Wait!
Owen pushes the central button on the ghost machine. The scene shimmers and changes to:
EXT. THE CANAL BRIDGE – NIGHT
It is a rainy night, very quiet. A girl staggers under the bridge, the opposite end to Owen. She is crying, leaning on the wall as she walks along, she keeps looking over her shoulder. She stops and leans against the wall, taking a compact from her bag. She starts talking, she faces Owen but is talking to herself, she cannot see him.
LIZZIE: He’s a rotten bastard! My mom was right, his eyes are too close together! I said it’s just a dance, but he wants to go further with it. I shouldn’t have gone outside with him.
OWEN: What’s your name?
A man enters, he has been following Lizzie. He calls out to her. Searching.
ED: Lizzie! Lizzie Lewis.
Lizzie looks towards Ed, afraid but she does not move. Ed walks towards her slowly.
LIZZIE: You’re a bad one Ed Morgan. The girls said not to go with you and they were right.
ED: Am I bad? Am I a bad boy? You’re a big girl now Lizzie…
Lizzie begins to back away as Ed approaches, nervous.
ED: …can make your own decisions. It’s why I like you…
Lizzie starts to hang on his compliments, he is winning her over and he stands close.
ED: You’re not like the others, don’t follow the herd. You’re smart. Don’t you like it that someone can see how smart you are? Huum? I can see you Lizzie, the way you really are.
Ed takes her cheeks in his palms and kisses her, she does not resist at first. Then as he becomes more forceful she tries to push him away. He slaps her across the face and she screams. Ed grabs her hair and pulls out a small pocket knife, holds it across her cheek.
ED: I won’t hurt you, don’t.
LIZZIE: (sobbing) I told my mum I’d be home by 9.
ED: Ssshh!
Ed pushes Lizzie against the bridge wall, Lizzie sobbing and crying out.
LIZZIE: Please! Help me! Help me!
The scene shimmers again and cuts back to:
EXT. CANAL BRIDGE – DAY
Owen gasps back in the present. Gwen runs towards him, Jack and Toshiko slowly following her.
GWEN: Owen, are you alright?
OWEN: (gasping for breath) She was so scarred. I couldn’t, I couldn’t move… I couldn’t help, I couldn’t help.
Gwen takes the ghost machine gently from Owen, Owen gasps again and starts to sob.
INT. THE HUB
The Torchwood team sit around discussing the situation.
JACK: The first time it happens to Gwen. A boy at the railway station.
GWEN: Who’s now in his 70’s alive and well and living in Bute Town. Second time happens to Owen. Like me he didn’t just see it, you felt emotions that weren’t yours.
OWEN: (nodding) She was terrified.
JACK: The victim’s name was Lizzie, it was maybe 40, 45 years ago. Toshiko, do we know anything about her yet?
Toshiko reads from her computer screen which shows a black and white picture of Lizzie and scrolling writing.
TOSHIKO: Elizabeth Lewis, Lizzie. Only child of Mabel Ann Lewis of Haffle Street. Died March 29th 1963. Raped and murdered on Pembroke Street, under the bridge, 17 years old.
OWEN: He killed ‘er.
TOSHIKO: No one was brought to trial,
OWEN: Told ‘er mum she’d be home by 9… so what about Ed Morgan? That’s what she called ‘im, you’re a bad one Ed Morgan. Look it up.
TOSHIKO: Kind of a common name.
GWEN: What’s the connection, where did they come from? It’s like being haunted.
Jack looks at the computer screen showing the scan results of the ghost machine, excited by the results.
JACK: Quantum transducer! Look, look!
Toshiko joins him, equally excited.
TOSHIKO: Wow! I’d kill to get one of those! Transducers convert energy from one form into another, they’re in headphones. They convert electrical signals into sound and they’re in this device too, converting quantum energy and amplifying it…
GWEN: …into ghosts.
JACK: Of course, it’s emotion. Human emotion is energy. You can’t always see it, or hear it, but you can feel it. Ever had de’ja vu? Someone walk over your grave? Ever felt someone behind you in an empty room? Well there was, there always is.
GWEN: A ghost.
Jack nods and Toshiko seems spooked. Owen is ignoring them, flicking through a file, thinking only of Lizzie rather than the alien object.
OWEN: What else have we got on Lizzie Lewis? What else have we got?
TOSHIKO: Erm…
She returns to her computer to check.
TOSHIKO: 1963 the records aren’t always that detailed…
OWEN: What about newspapers, witness statements, coroner’s reports?
JACK: Owen!
Jack becoming increasingly irritated by Owen’s tenacity with the subject.
TOSHIKO: What do you want me to find exactly?
OWEN: Well there must be somethin’.
JACK: For the case to be re-opened you’d need new evidence or a new witness.
OWEN: I saw it happen…
JACK: No you didn’t! You weren’t there! You saw the echo of a moment amplified by alien technology. So just tell me how that’ll play in Court.
OWEN: Since when did we care about Court?
JACK: Tomorrow we go lookin’ for Bernie Harris and we find out what he knows about this ghost machine. We do our job and find where this thing came from. Now go home.
Jack walks away, angrily dismissing Owen.
JACK: Gwen, with me!
Gwen looks at Owen sympathetically then follows Jack. Owen gathers his files to leave.
INT. THE HUB SHOOTING RANGE
Jack is loading a gun. A row of sidearms lies on the table in front of him, he checks each one. Gwen peers around the door and then enters.
GWEN: Jack? Wowh!
POV GWEN. A long tunnel extends away into darkness, an underground railway tunnel or large sewer. Targets in the form of weevil cut-outs are dotted about, the length of the tunnel. Jack turns to Gwen, she looks shocked, speechless. Jack indicates the guns to her, patient.
JACK: You need to know how to use these.
Gwen looks at the guns uncertain.
JACK: Though I hope you never have to.
GWEN: So do I.
She giggles nervously.
GWEN: I’m sorry, it’s just… I don’t even kill spiders in the bath.
JACK: Nor do I. Not with a gun!
Gwen laughs, relaxing a little. Jack gestures as the guns.
JACK: It’s all yours.
Gwen looks at him, still uncertain, needing guidance,
CUT TO:
Jack and Gwen wear yellow eye guards, blue ear defenders and headsets. Jack loads a gun for Gwen and passes it to her. She takes it and waves it, pointing it at Jack’s face. He dodges back pushing her hand down so the gun is aimed at the floor.
JACK: Target’s that way!
He points down the length of the tunnel.
GWEN: Right.
She takes a deep breath and holding the gun in both hands pulling it up to aim, reaching first over her head. Jack grabs her wrist and helps her aim.
JACK: Let’s keep the roof in one piece shall we?
Jack smiles and flicks one of her hands from the gun.
JACK: One hand, not two. Turn sideways to the target.
Jack stands behind Gwen, brushing her hair back so he can speak in her ear, stroking her neck a little as he does so.
JACK: Look along your shoulder, down your arm, straight line to the sights. Bring up your gun.
Gwen lifts her arm quickly.
JACK: Woh, woh, woh, woh. Not too fast, it’s all in the breathing.
Jack holds the gun with her and raises it.
JACK: Hold it firm, don’t grip it.
Jack cocks the gun and moves his hand to Gwen’s waist, pulling Gwen against him.
JACK: Breathe in…
Jack breathes in.
JACK: Focus, breath out, squeeze gently.
Gwen shoots then gasps happily and laughs, proud. Jack hugs her.
JACK: That was a joint effort. Try it again, this time on your own, and remember…
MONTAGE
Jack and Gwen shooting various guns, Jack continually instructing Gwen as she becomes a better shot. Return to: The hub shooting range.
JACK: Nice work. Like I said, hope you never have to use ‘em.
GWEN: Yeah.
She checks her watch.
GWEN: Oh God, look at the time! When do you get to go home? You seem to live here! You don’t, do you?
JACK: (Shrugs) Gotta be ready. The 21st century is when it all changes. And, I hate to commute.
GWEN: (Smiling) When do you sleep?
JACK: I don’t.
GWEN: Doesn’t it get lonely at night?
Jack looks blank, a little sadness carefully hidden.
GWEN: I better get back, Rhys’ll be wondering where I am.
JACK: Goodnight.
Jack looks after Gwen as she leaves then starts to put the guns away.
INT. GWEN’S FLAT – NIGHT
It is quiet and the lights are out.
GWEN: Hello!
She turns on the light, the flat is empty. She goes to the answering machine and plays the message.
RHYS: (On machine) Hi, it’s me. I’m at Dav’s and erm, playing poker, but I’m winning, wehey! Just so you know, erm, I put yer whites on earlier, even though you were bloody grumpy. It’s still in the machine so you’ll have to hang ‘em up. I put the veggies out but I didn’t do the washin’ up, but there’s not much of that. So erm, we haven’t done it in weeks anyway. I’ll see ya when I see ya, ta ra.
Gwen takes the ghost machine from her bag.
INT. OWEN’S FLAT – NIGHT
Owen sits in a chair with his eyes closed, opposite full length windows overlooking Cardiff bay. He replays the vision of Lizzie and Ed in his mind. He holds a copy of the ‘Cardiff Examiner’ from 1963 showing the incident.
INT. GWEN’S FLAT
Gwen looks at the ghost machine and presses the central button.
CUT TO – VISION
Gwen sits on the kitchen counter in her police uniform. Rhys is with her.
RHYS: Hello there. Gotta stay out of trouble now then have I?
GWEN: Best behaviour, I’m a fully trained police officer, I’ll have you on the floor and handcuffed like that.
She snaps her fingers.
RHYS: Oh, promises, promises…
They kiss. Gwen walks around within her vision, saddened by how happy she and Rhys were then.
RHYS: I’m so proud of you.
Gwen releases the button on the ghost machine, pauses and presses it again. The room shimmers.
CUT TO – VISION.
A horn sounds outside the window and looks out. Gwen is dressed up to go out in the vision.
GWEN: Taxi’s here, we’re gonna be late.
Rhys comes into the living room half dressed in a suit.
RHYS: Not worn this thing since my last interview.
Gwen laughs at him.
RHYS: I’ll wear jeans and a t-shirt.
GWEN: It’s my mom’s 60th. She wanted us all smart, that’s the whole point.
RHYS: But, I bust my zip, I’ll be flashing my family allowance if I’m not careful!
Gwen picks up a stapler and brandishes it chasing him, laughing.
RHYS: What are you doin’ with that?
GWEN: I’ll staple it!
RHYS: You’re not coming near my valuables with that!
Gwen chases Rhys from the room.
In the present Gwen sits on the sofa considering the ghost machine. Rhys enters, leaning in the doorway.
RHYS: Hiya. Dav and Karen had a barney, she’s makin’ ‘im sleep in the spare room, I didn’t fancy the sofa. Look I don’t mind you workin’ all the hours, I really don’t, just so long as you still wanna come home at the end of it all.
GWEN: I do. I’m here, and you’re gorgeous.
Gwen walks to Rhys, hiding the ghost machine behind her back and kisses him.
RHYS: Bet you haven’t done the washin’ up…!
Gwen smiles and kisses him again, they fall to the sofa Gwen straddling his lap.
GWEN: Lets leave it ‘til tomorrow, aye?
RHYS: Aye.
Gwen slips the ghost machine into her bag while she kisses Rhys.
INT. OWEN’S FLAT – NIGHT
Papers and files about Lizzie are scattered about the floor, Owen gathers them and flicks through a few pages. He looks down a suspect list, it shows: ‘Morgan, Edwin – released without charge. No further questioning’. He checks the telephone directory and finds a list of addresses, rips out the page. He drinks spirits from the bottle and smiles.
INT. OWEN’S CAR – MORNING
Owen has crossed various names through on the phone directory list – he has been searching for Eddie for a long time. He picks up a pile of fake identity cards and chooses one. He exits the car and walks to the front door of a property, knocks. There is no answer so he checks the window, a man appears briefly behind the net curtain and Owen looks through the letter box.
EDDIE: Who is it?
OWEN: Mr Morgan.
The door opens and Eddie looks through the gap. He is now a dishevelled old man, ravaged by time, overweight and unhealthy looking.
EDDIE: What do you want?
OWEN: Well Mr Morgan, I need to come in.
Owen shows his identity card and Eddie leads him through to the kitchen.
EDDIE: Who said there was gas? I can’t smell anything, there’s nothing wrong, I’d have noticed. Can you smell anything? Was it next door?
OWEN: Can we go into the living room, Mr Morgan?
Owen follows Eddie through the flat. It has old fashioned décor throughout.
EDDIE: There’s nothing in here. No gas fire I mean, haven’t got one. There’s electric heater, I don’t hardly use it. What you lookin’ for?
OWEN: Sit down Mr Morgan.
They sit opposite each other in the living room.
EDDIE: Was it next door? Tell her should mind her own business, something wrong with her, makes stuff up. Is it her? You won’t find anything if it is, all in ‘er ‘ead, know what I mean? What’s your name?
OWEN: (Leaning forward) How long ‘ave you lived ‘ere Mr Morgan?
EDDIE: Hum, years, this was my mam’s house.
OWEN: Then you’d remember your neighbours, people that used to live in this street a while ago, people who lived… just ‘round the corner. Like in Abbot’s Street. Like Mabel Lewis. She’s only passed away a few years ago, did you know? Course she moved away long before that.
Eddie’s fingers tighten where they rest on his knee.
OWEN: Couldn’t bear the memories, her daughter, her own, only child… died in ’63. Lizzie. Yeah, good old Lizzie Lewis.
A flash of Lizzie under the bridge.
OWEN: She loved dancing, do you remember? You should. Pretty girl, blonde hair, blue eyes. Used to wear a little pink coat.
Eddie’s hands clench into fists.
OWEN: Bet she saved all her pennies to get that, all the rage. She was wearing it the last time you saw her. Last time anyone saw her… alive. Remember now? I know what happened under the bridge that night. Just the two of you, in the dark. Water dripping from the roof to the canal, Lizzie’s hair all wet from the rain, cold and crying. I know what you did Ed Morgan. There you are just, living your life. Free as a bird. Lizzie told her mother she’d be home by 9 didn’t she? ‘Please don’t’ she said ‘please’. ‘You’re a bad one Ed Morgan, the girls said not to go with you and they were right’.
EDDIE: (Stands and shouts). Get out! Get out! Get out!
OWEN: (Stands to leave) You won’t get away with this.
EDDIE: You’ll get nothing from me. I told you before, you’ll get nothing from me!
Eddie chases Owen out of the door.
EDDIE: Ger out of my house! Get out of my house!
The door slams behind Owen. A dog barks and a postman next door stares at him. Owen nods then looks down, trying to be inconspicuous.
INT. EDDIE’S HOUSE.
Eddie stands behind the door.
EXT. STREET OUTSIDE EDDIE’S HOUSE.
Owen jogs back to his car. A young lad is sitting in a nearby park smoking, his hood up. He glances up at Owen then looks away quickly. Owen looks over and spots him.
OWEN: Bernie Harris!
Bernie runs across the park, Owen tries to enter but the gate is locked. He runs around the edge of the park to cut off Bernie.
OWEN: Oi!
Bernie trips over an elderly lady’s bag which is on the floor and he stumbles, kicking the contents of the bag over the floor. He runs down a path where a group of lads are playing football, Owen close behind.
BOY: Go on, kick ‘is ‘ead in!
Bernie runs over a graffitied bridge and through residential streets, over a fence and into a back garden where a lady sits. She nods in Bernie’s direction as Owen follows him into the garden. Bernie jumps a wall and lands in a paddling pool. A girl is playing on a trampoline.
GIRL: Dad, there’s a man in the garden!
Owen follows Bernie in and out of the garden.
GIRL: There’s two men in the garden!
Bernie jumps another wall and falls into a garden full of chickens. He gets up and jumps another fence into a garden with a high brick wall. Owen lands behind him and Bernie runs to the back gate - it is padlocked.
OWEN: Bernie Harris.
BERNIE: Who?
OWEN: That wasn’t a question.
BERNIE: Please, don’t hurt me, please. I got asthma!
OWEN: I’m not gonna hurt ya… I’m gonna bloody kill ya!
INT. A BAR
Owen and Bernie sit at a table with pints of larger.
OWEN: Why’d they call you Bernie?
BERNIE: (Shrugs) Burn’d my neighbour’s shed down when I was 12.
OWEN: What for?
BERNIE: I was just havin’ a fag, got a bit carried away like.
Jack enters the bar, followed by Gwen and Toshiko.
JACK: Well, this is cosy. Hope he bought you flowers.
BERNIE: If this is about the dodgy fags I didn’t know what happened to them alright?
Gwen throws the ghost machine to Jack who puts it on the table in front of Bernie.
JACK: Well, it’s probably worth knowing we’re probably the only people you can tell.
Bernie glances around at them all then addresses Jack.
BERNIE: Me and a mate was using this lock up down on Mora Street. Used to belong to this old guy, soft in the ‘ead he was. Still loads of his stuff in it, but we chucked most of it. There was this old biscuit tin full of foreign coins, weird bits of rock, and that.
He nods to the ghost machine.
BERNIE: Thought it might be worth somethin’, take it down the Antiques Roadshow.
JACK: Ha!
BERNIE: Well you dunno do you? Cash in the attic and all that. So, I takes the tin ‘ome with me an’ that thing starts switchin’ itself on.
He speaks quietly, confiding to Jack.
BERNIE: It makes you see things, real things. Real people. I was down the old wharf near the bay, I see this woman with a bundle, summat wrapped up, it was night time, and she was puttin’ it into the water all secret like. It was weird cuz, it was like, I was her somehow. She was scared, she knew what she was doin’ was wrong. I knew, without seein’, it was her baby. Wrapped up. Dead. She hadn’t told anyone, then she just ran away, and I realised, I know ‘er. She’s old now but she lives up by the Catholic church in Splott. So I goes up to see her, told her what I’d seen. She give me money not to tell anyone else.
OWEN: You blackmailed her.
BERNIE: She offered. Look, I’ve seen things you wouldn’t believe. There’s the old bridge, on Pembroke Street. I saw a man, and a girl, from ages ago, he was following ‘er, back from a dance along a canal…
OWEN: Yeah, I know. I saw it. He doesn’t know anything does he?
Jack, in agreement, picks up the ghost machine and stands to leave.
JACK: Bernie, been fascinating meeting you.
BERNIE: Ay! That’s mine! You can’t just walk off, I got rights!
Jack leads