Dead of Night

(Open POV)

TV studio…

"What happened to you in there?" A woman asked.

"Something happened to all of us, not just me. Miracle Day arrived and we all came out of it changed." Danes said.

"But why do you think people accept you as an expert?"

"I'm no expert, but I'm a free man. And since the miracle, the White House has said nothing. Scientists have said nothing. I think the establishment is scared into silence. I survived. I can say what I want."

"Such as?"

"Well, is anyone paying attention to the profits that the drug companies are making?"

Friedkin's home…

"We need drugs more than ever. But I think we should take all those pills, those tablets and those potions and give them to people free. Yes, that's what I'm saying, because that's how radical the world needs to be right now. Free drugs, free health care, free access for all." Danes said, on TV.

"You really think that's practical?" The woman asked, on TV.

"Who's to say what's practical anymore? That's pre-Miracle thinking."

Friedkin comes down the stairs in his dressing gown to turn off the television set.

Rex holds a gun to Friedkin's head, "Who told you to set me up?"

"Rex! put the gun down." Friedkin said.

"Because everywhere I turn, the whole CIA has been poisoned against me, by you. Now who told you to do it?" Rex asked.

"I don't know what you mean."

"Bullshit! You set me up, Friedkin, and you got paid to do it. Now, technically, we both know that I can't kill you. But you see, the beauty of this miracle is, if I shoot you just right, then maybe you might live in agony for who knows how long? Maybe a thousand years? Now you think about that. Because I've always wondered what part of the brain is memories, or personality, or what lets you control your own bladder."

"No, don't!" Friedkin said, terrified.

"Tell me!" Rex said, angrily.

"I, I, I don't know who they are. I never did. They just, they just paid me over the years. They've been there for decades and I can't, couldn't stop them. I mean, it's too late. Look, they've, they've only ever contacted me on one telephone number."

Car / Friedkin's home / Hideout…

Not the blue Mini or the Mercedes Benz.

"Get the phone number." Mikoto said, sipping on some Coke.

"Yes, I know that. Thanks." Rex said.

"Yeah, well, hurry up. I was right about the alarm. The police are on their way. Esther and Uiharu are tracking them." Jack said.

"That's confirmed. There's a police car on Fifth heading for Riverdale." Uiharu said.

"North or south?"

Esther and Uiharu are using the computers in a nearby hideout.

"North. I mean, heading from the north going south." Esther said.

"Gwen, Shirai, one car from the north." Jack said.

"On it." Shirai said.

"We're doing it." Gwen said, looking at Shirai.

"They only contact me. They call me through that. But listen, Rex, you won't find them. I never did. They're everywhere. They know everything." Friedkin said.

"Well, I just have one more thing to say. Don't go deaf." Rex said.

"What? Aah!"

Rex has fired his gun next to Friedkin's ear and runs out of the house.

Car / Hideout…

"You took your time." Jack said.

"One unit on Tacoma. Jack, you'd better move. They're right on top of you." Esther said.

Gwen and Shirai deploy two stingers behind the car then get in.

"Go, go, go, go, go!" Gwen said.

"Not bad, team. Not bad at all." Jack said.

"What did we get?" Shirai asked, looking at Rex.

"We got a cell phone. So whoever made the Miracle, now we've got contact." Rex said, taking out a cell phone.

(Jared's POV)

Hideout…

In Washington DC, people are wearing white masks with painted sad faces and carrying candles in procession through the streets. Gwen, Mikoto, and Saten watch them go past as they are shopping.

"Anything? Any news?" Gwen asked.

"Yup. No need to worry. Everything's good. The CIA moved Rhys and Anwen to a safe house. I don't exactly know the location. And they're in the custody of Sergeant Andy Davidson." I said, looking down at my MacBook Pro.

"Well, we've got his number. Have you called him?" Gwen asked.

"That line has been decommissioned. And we're trying." Uiharu said, sadly.

"Okay, that's my bloody family, so hurry it up. Right, here we go. Brand new mobiles for everyone, courtesy of Jack's cashpoint card. I hope I didn't clear you out." Gwen said, tossing everyone new cell phones, including me.

"Not a chance. That account's been gathering interest since 1906." Jack said, smirking.

"And some new clothes. Just some basics. If they don't fit, then tough. Jack." Gwen said, tossing Jack a carrier bag. "And food. Everyone is panic buying so I had to go to the petrol station, and all they had was crisps."

"Gwen, you mean gas station. You also mean chips. Crisps are called chips here in the United States." I said, happily.

"Thank you, Mister Translation." Gwen said, smiling.

"Oh, a mobile is a cellphone, and by cashpoint, I think you mean ATM." Esther said.

"Jared, Esther, don't ever leave my side, okay? It is absolutely mental out there. Some TV show said that the Miracle was a virus, and then some website said it was the plague, so they all run to the shops and they clear the shelves." Gwen said.

"There's a new cult out on the street. That rally. They call themselves The Soulless." Saten said, while she has one of the masks. "Apparently, everlasting life has robbed mankind of their souls."

"It turns out Friedkin was telling the truth. His cell phone was contacted by only one number. I traced it, but it hits a vine." Uiharu said, looking at a monitor.

"What's a vine?" Gwen asked.

"A vine is when you trace a number back but the trail branches out, then it branches out again and again, Piggyback those secondary numbers spreading out almost exponentially. So instead of tracing one number you're chasing five hundred thousand. What?" Rex asked, taking his shirt and dressing off.

The wound on Rex's body is not pretty.

"You should be in the hospital." Mikoto said, looking at Rex.

"Hey, less of the sympathy. He can keep working, the bastard." Gwen said, annoyed.

"You're gonna keep just going on and on about your kid, huh? Do you want her here with us, hmm? Maybe she can go play in that corner where the lead paint chips look extra tasty." Rex said.

Gwen throws Rex the mask, "Got you that from your mates, The Soulless."

"Did you get me painkillers?" Rex asked.

"They were sold out. We were a bit unlucky." Saten said.

"I think we should take all those pills, and all those tablets and those potions, and give them to people free." Danes said, on screen.

"See, now this guy has got a good idea. Free drugs." Rex said.

"So who is this guy, Oswald Danes?" Jack asked.

"Ah, he just got lucky. He's a convicted murderer and pedophile sentenced to death on Miracle Day."

"All the same, he's on every channel. We need to investigate anyone who's making a profit out of all of this." Jack said, looking at the monitor.

"On it, doing it." Gwen said, typing onto a laptop.

"So go back, search family history, everything."

"I know. Thank you, I know what I'm doing. And this lemonade. This lemonade is flat."

"It's lemonade. It's supposed to be flat. Especially iced tea, it's supposed to be flat." I said, sipping on my Lipton iced tea. "Thanks for the iced tea, Mikoto."

"You're welcome." Mikoto said, sipping on her Lipton green tea.

"What, fizzy, fizzy lemonade and iced tea?" Gwen asked, looking at me.

"It's fizzy in the UK and flat in the US." I said, still sipping on my Lipton iced tea.

"Hmm, just about sums it up." Gwen said, sadly.

"How are we doing on the money?" Rex asked.

"I can't trace where the bribes came from, but I'm going through Friedkin's patterns of behaviour instead." Esther said.

"He's a Section Chief. You're not getting into those files."

"Hmm, really? You want to bet? This Torchwood software, it's serious." Esther said.

"It really is. That was how I was able to wipe Torchwood off the map." Uiharu said, smirking.

Rex puts a fresh dressing over his wound as he looks at Esther, "What are you doing with that?"

Esther sets up contacts on her new phone, "Nothing. I'm just putting my numbers in."

"Whose numbers?" Rex asked.

"My sister's." Esther said.

"You're gonna phone your sister?" Rex asked.

"No, I…"

"Esther, what the hell is the matter with you? Don't you know how serious this is? The CIA is gonna be monitoring her calls."

"I'm sorry, okay?"

"Well, think next time."

"Rex, come on. Esther is not used to this." Mikoto said.

"Well, I'm not used to this either. It doesn't make me stupid." Rex said.

"That's enough, okay?" Jack asked.

"And who the hell put you in charge?" Rex asked.

"I think the CIA did. You're a member of Torchwood now, whether you like it or not." Jack said.

"I'm sorry, okay? I really am. I just, I've never done all this before. You guys have. I sit at my desk and read blogs for a living. Rex, it's my sister. She's just. She's not well." Esther said, frowning.

"Yeah, it's irrelevant." Rex said.

"I tried to do a search on morphic fields, because that's the best that Jared and I could work out, that some sort of morphic field suspended the human race. But oh, it's got to be more than that." Jack said.

"What do you mean?" Shirai asked.

"It's like there's some sort of energy behind this. A will, a drive, a consciousness, because this miracle, it's more than people just surviving. They are so alive. You saw Lyn, that woman at the airport. She should have been paralysed but she just kept on going. And I've seen bodies at the morgue, burnt and broken, still alive, staring right at me. They weren't even allowed to be unconscious. It's as if something is willing them to go on, each and every individual forced into life." Jack said.

"That was me. All the way through my accident, wide awake." Rex said, his eyes widening.

"You could feel everything that happened. You survived that car crash. Um, does it still hurt?" Uiharu asked.

"Yeah."

"So, what did the search say?" Esther asked.

"Well, that's the problem. Everybody's had the same idea. Morphic field gets ten million results." Jack said.

"Then I'll go through them, all ten million. See, that's what I do when I'm at my desk. Hard work." Esther said.

"At least we have something in common, Esther. Doing work on the computer." Uiharu said, smiling.

"I know. Jared, now I see why you have someone like Uiharu as I do Esther." Rex said, looking at me.

"Yup. I love Uiharu." I said, happily.

"Ui….ha….ru!" Saten said, flicking Uiharu's skirt to get a scream out of her.

"Saten! Is now really the time for that? We're working!" Uiharu said, angrily.

"Uh huh. Striped blue panties today."

"He cockblocked the ATF." Esther said, laughing a little.

"I have no idea what any of that means." Gwen said.

"The ATF's the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. They asked the CIA about information on a warehouse here in Washington, but Friedkin forwarded the request onto ancillary three times."

"What's ancillary?" Saten asked.

"Well, it's a paper chase, Saten. That's a guaranteed way to lose something in the system." Uiharu said.

"So if he tried to stop people from seeing the warehouse, then maybe he was paid to protect it, which would indicate there's something in there. It's at Third and Boston, south west." Esther said.

"All right, so we've got a mission. First thing we need to do is steal new cars." Rex said.

"Ahem. So who's giving the orders?" Jack asked.

"Okay, Torchwood, what do you say?"

"We need to steal new cars."

Street…

Everyone, including me, is trying door handles. Gwen throws a stone through a window as Mikoto uses her ability to unlock another car's door handle. Two car alarms go off.

"Got two." Gwen said.

Stolen car 1 / Stolen car 2…

Hotwired and with the alarm turned off. Gwen and I are driving the two cars.

"There's somebody's dry-cleaning back here. And it's my size. I'm taking these. My clothes are stinking. Ladies, avert your eyes. That includes you, World War Two." Rex said.

"At least I am with more girls than boys." I said, looking straight ahead. "Lead the way, Gwen. I'm still following you."

"Look at this phone." Mikoto said, while she found a smartphone. "These new phones aren't bad. The camera is good quality too."

"Sissy! Ooo. Let me take some photos of you." Shirai said, grabbing a smartphone from the pile and she began taking photos of Mikoto. "You look good like this. Or this."

"World War Two, I know you didn't just take a picture of me changing my pants." Rex said, watching Jack take a photo off the smartphone.

"You're changing your pants?" Gwen asked.

"Pants mean trousers." I said, laughing a lot.

"Are we really on a mission here?" Rex asked.

"Yeah, well, maybe this is the way Torchwood does things, mate." Gwen said.

"Yeah, well, maybe you want to drive on the other side of the street like Jared is doing, mate." Rex said.

"Oh." Gwen said, sadly.

We drive into an empty car park.

"Third and Boston. That's the one. Security profile says the guard's on a quarterly rotation. That means he checks in with base every fifteen minutes starting on the hour." Esther said.

"All right. So, we gonna come up with a plan, or is that just the American thing to do?" Rex asked.

Outside the warehouse…

Esther drives the first car up to the guard, with Gwen in the back.

"Hi." Esther said, happily.

"Hi." The guard said, smiling.

"I wonder, can you help? We're a little bit lost. Sorry. The British abroad. Hopeless, honestly. But I think we're trying to get to Boston Avenue. Is it Boston Road or Boston. Is it Boston Street?" Gwen asked, as the guard leans in with her grabbing his tie and slams his forehead against the car, knocking him out.

"You've done that before." Esther said.

"So many times."

Jack, Rex, Gwen, Mikoto, Shirai, and I go to the alarm box. Esther is back in the car with Saten and Uiharu, using her new phone.

"Esther, Uiharu, how much time do we have?" I asked, wearing my Augma headset.

"You have eleven minutes." Uiharu said, her voice coming out of the Augma.

"Well, I can unlock it. But I can only do it by tricking it into thinking it's booting up for the day." Mikoto said, an electrical shock coming out of her. "My ability can do that easily."

"But sissy, that means all the lights are going to turn on with every single computer in that building booting up." Shirai said, looking at Mikoto.

"Do it. Esther, Uiharu, Saten, keep watch." Rex said.

"Right." Esther said, her voice coming out of my Augma.

"And I'm done." Mikoto said, using her ability to mess with the alarm box.

Warehouse…

The place is full of pallets of cardboard boxes wrapped in clingfilm.

Jack opens one with the PhiCorp logo on it, "Let's see what's in this."

Big bottles of tablets.

"Let me see that. It's drugs. It's legitimate drugs." Rex said.

"What is it? Metanec. Metanec is a painkiller, yeah?" Gwen asked.

"Hallelujah."

"There are thousands of drugs. Millions of them." Mikoto said, her eyes widening.

"It's PhiCorp." I said, grabbing Mikoto's hand.

"Yeah, you know PhiCorp, Jack, Jared. PhiCorp's a big pharmaceutical company. We've got PhiCorp back home. I mean, it's everywhere. It's worldwide." Gwen said, looking between Jack and I.

"These are the same pills that I've been taking. The beauty of it is is that they're non-narcotic. They keep you painless and wide awake. It's the perfect drug for the new world order." Rex said.

Jack finds a clip-board, "There was a delivery yesterday."

"When was the first one?" Shirai asked.

"Way back. Oh, hold on. Deliveries go back at least a year. All for drugs. All from PhiCorp." Jack said, flipping through the clipboard.

Rex opens another set of doors, "Oh my God."

Warehouse 13 size.

"It's bigger on the inside than the outside. Like the TARDIS. But this is much worse." I said, squeezing Mikoto's hand.

"These are all painkillers? All of these boxes?" Shirai asked.

"Kuroko, they're ready for a war." Mikoto said, an electrical shock coming out of her head.

"No. They were ready for the Miracle. PhiCorp knew it was coming." Rex said.

(Open POV)

City General Hospital…

Vera touches the bruised neck of a woman who is gasping to breath. She fetches a policeman.

"You, come here. This woman's husband strangled her. She doesn't die so he keeps strangling her. And now her brain is soup and her hyoid bone, her neck, is like dust and you're telling me that's not murder?" Vera asked.

"We've charged him with assault." The policeman said.

"Well, that's not enough! This is what murder looks like now."

"Don't blame me. We're not even allowed to say attempted murder anymore, because murder's impossible. The whole system's breaking down."

"It's the NIH. They say you're late for some kind of panel." A nurse said, looking at Vera.

It is 10:06.

City Hall panel room…

"I'm looking at an additional half million people a day." Rosenbloom said.

"What's up?" Vera asked.

"The fifty percent of pregnancies that spontaneously abort are not aborting. Genetic mistakes are suddenly viable."

"No baby is a mistake." Murphy said, annoyed.

"Oh." Rosenbloom said, sadly.

"What hospital are you from?" Vera asked.

"Providence. Doctor Carey Murphy." Murphy said.

"Yeah, I was a Catholic too once. I got better. We're talking brain outside the skull, no skin, no face, suffering. Yeah, these are mistakes."

Jilly drops something, making a big clatter, "Oh hell. Oh hell. Sorry. But actually, I think we can help. Jilly Kitzinger. Hi. Pain management in newborns is something that we've already got going on at PhiCorp, so we can roll out a strategy."

"Fine, we've got a bigger problem. Somebody got off a plane from New Delhi in Boston last night and now we've got cholera. I warned you." A balding man said.

"I seem to recall no shortage of clean water in Boston. Turn on a tap, gentlemen. Can we talk about the situation in the ERs?" Vera asked.

"And I'm gonna keep warning you. We're gonna see more of this every day." The balding man said.

"We're not done with the birth issue, guys. They're putting contraceptives in the water supply in India, mainland China. That's something we might have to look at here." Rosenbloom said.

"That's not a serious proposition?" Murphy asked.

"It doesn't matter what happens in the long term if we lose the heart of our health care system now. We need more facilities, more space, but who's gonna organise it?" Vera asked.

"We'll put it on the agenda, but I think we're getting pretty far off track here. Can we talk about the contraception option with some professional distance, please?" Rosenbloom asked.

Outside City Hall…

Vera takes a cigarette break.

Jilly joins Vera on the steps, "It's been raining on and off, like it wasn't end of the worldly enough."

"We don't deserve this Miracle. We're just gonna screw it up like we always do. Human damn beings. And I'm including myself." Vera said.

"PhiCorp needs feedback from medical staff. Why don't you come and talk to us?" Jilly asked.

"My schedule is a little full."

"Okay. That's fine. But you gave a commencement speech last year at Columbia about your college mentor. How she worked for Doctors Without Borders when they were just starting out in Biafra. And you said you wanted to find a way to give back like she did. Did you find that?"

"I was talking about field work."

"Everything's field work now. I mean, FEMA. FEMA is hopeless. It's a pot of glue that still thinks it's a racehorse. PhiCorp can really do something." Jilly said.

"You're just out to make a profit." Vera said.

"Well, companies profit by turning situations around to their advantage. But isn't that how every human damn being gets through their day? Come in and say hello. Just once."

"Maybe."

"I'll take that as a yes. Oh God, I've got to go. Busy, busy. But you have my card, and you won't regret it. And that's a promise." Jilly said, sitting up and walking away from Vera.

(Jared's POV)

Hideout…

"Okay, we do a deep search on this PhiCorp. I want to peel back security and find everything." Jack said.

"I can handle company history." Esther said.

"I can do European operations. It isn't that different from the Japanese one." Uiharu said, looking at Esther.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute. After we do all this research, then what do we do?" Rex asked.

"We go in, whether that means infiltration or confrontation."Jack said.

"So we're just gonna sit on this information? Come on, guys, seriously? I mean, we've got a major link between an international corporation and the Miracle and we're just gonna keep it to ourselves?"

"We got this far on our own."

"Yeah, but see, it's not just about us. Not anymore. This is about doing the right thing for the state and for the people."

"Jack, he's got a point." Mikoto said, looking at Jack.

"Okay. We need a friend with connections. Got any ideas?" Jack asked.

"All right, my senior instructor at Langley. I'm pretty sure he'd still give me a chance." Rex said, smiling.

"He's CIA." Shirai said, looking at Rex.

"He's ex-CIA. Look, I know this is a risk. I know that. But it's a risk I'm willing to take. So, World War Two, what do you say?" Rex asked.

"Okay." Jack said.

"Okay." Rex said, phoning his man.

"How long is this supposed to take anyway?" Shirai asked.

"A while." I said, sadly. "Miracle Day isn't my favorite adventure."

"But it needed to happen." Mikoto said. "Right."

"And I've got proof. I've got photographs and documentation. But I can't compromise you or your family, sir. You know I would never do that. So maybe we could meet somewhere neutral. How about the lobby of the Freeville Hotel? It's on North Street West. The Freeville Hotel." Rex said, his phone near his ear.

Outside the Freeville Hotel…

Rex watches from across the street as police cars screech to a halt outside the Freeville Hotel, and armed police go inside, "Damn."

Alleyway…

"What's the use? We discovered this PhiCorp shit, but everyone's been turned against us. We're still on the run. We can't trust anyone." Jack said.

"They can't have got to everyone we know, and they can't be tracking the cell phones because they're new." Esther said.

"I warned you. Whoever these people are, they're good and they're ready for us, which puts us back at square one. We tackle PhiCorp ourselves." Jack said.

"And is that standard Torchwood policy?" Rex asked.

"I suppose it is, yeah."

"You know, you dress like it's World War Two, so I don't expect you to be up on current events, but there is no Torchwood. It's dead. Gone. Buried."

"It's us."

"As far as I can see, you got all your staff killed."

"They were my friends."

"Your dead friends."

"Rex, don't." Esther said, sadly.

"Rex, don't. You want me to stop? I'll stop. Who the hell are you people anyway?" Rex asked.

"Rex, hold on. Hold on. We're got to work together on this, Rex. Don't, Rex. Don't. Don't! Rex!" Gwen said, angrily.

"Crap." I said, when Rex drives off in one of the stolen cars.

Rex plays rock music - by Drake, - loud as his wound starts bleeding again.

Street…

"The city's going wild." Esther said.

"Everyone's out drinking. Nobody knows whether it's a party or a wake." Gwen said.

"At least the Railgun and her friends are back at the hideout." I said, grabbing Esther's hand.

"Yeah."

"My arm is itching." Jack said, looking between Gwen and I.

"Poor baby." Gwen said.

"I think it's infected." Jack said, scratching his arm.

"Do you know, you're worse than Rhys. It's itching because it's healing. Now stop it, Jack. Oi, Jack."

Jack is heading across the street to the Golden Gopher, "Mortal man, mortal needs."

"Well, we've got work to do." I said, squeezing Esther's hand.

"I am so mortal." Jack said, happily.

A car drives past, with a drunken man standing up out of the sunroof.

"Hey, baby. What's up? Yeah! Whoo!" The sunroof screamer said, excitedly.

"There's a poem. I have been one acquainted with the night. I have walked out in rain and back in rain. It's probably not about walking. I suppose it's about death." Esther said.

"Yeah. The poets are the ones who are really gonna suffer, aren't they? All those poems about death." Gwen said.

"Well, it was Robert Frost, so maybe it really was just about walking. Oh. My apartment's that way. Ten minutes down the freeway, turn off at eleventh. Home." Esther said, smiling.

"Esther, you'd be arrested on the spot." I said, looking at Esther.

"And that'd be worse than this? I'd be safe, be warm. Wouldn't be holding the two of you back. I don't know if I can do this." Esther said.

"What's wrong with your sister?" Gwen asked.

"She's not sick. She just can't cope. Never could. I'm the youngest but I've always looked after her."

"Well, she's in that direction. But I'm warning you, you give up now and you'll prove that Rex was right."

"Can't have that." Esther said.

"Nope, we can't." I said, frowning.

"Miles to go before we sleep."

"Mmm hmm." Gwen said.

(Open POV)

Golden Gopher…

Jack goes to the bar, touching a man's bare chest on his way.

"Scotch." Jack said, seeing a dish of tokens. "What are these?"

"Sobriety chips. Got two month chips, six month chips. They got a whole bowl of ten year chips around here somewhere. People are throwing a lot of sober out the window tonight." Brad said.

"Sorry I can't add to your collection, unless you want a button." Jack said.

"Oh, you damage that coat, I'm jumping over this bar to protect it."

"Jack. You like the coat?"

"Brad. Passionately."

Danes' motel room…

Atlanta, Georgia. Danes still has his thing about food.

"What's the latest from the White House, Candice? Are we getting any sort of clarity?" George asked, on TV.

"Well, off the record, George, this miracle is so impossible a lot of high level officials are thinking the word alien, meaning an intervention or at least an influence from beyond this world. But so far still, no one is willing to say it out loud." Candice said, on TV.

"Well, bringing the discussion back down from outer space, we saw some action today. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case asking for adjustments to the life sentences of convicted criminals because these days, how long is life?"

"Right. The argument is that a life sentence is now potentially infinite. Tomorrow we've got Oswald Danes in our Atlanta studio…"

Danes turns off the TV and goes out for some ice, "It's okay?"

His police guard nods. Once out of sight, Danes leaves the ice bucket and makes his escape.

Mabel's Diner…

Danes has gone out for a coffee and meal. A young couple are sitting across the aisle.

"For the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible body must put on incorruption, and this mortal shall put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and the mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying which is written, Death shall be swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" The preacher asked, on TV

Vera's home…

Vera comes home and starts to undress.

"Doctor Juarez. I'm gonna need you to dress this again. And I'm afraid I'm gonna have to insist." Rex said, falling to the floor.

Later, with a new dressing on.

"I'm gonna need your help. You know, medicine and care, just until I clear my name." Rex said, happily.

"I'm just taking your word for it that you're not a traitor." Vera said, smiling.

"Oh, yeah? But, you know, you've already given me drugs, taken me into your home. You know, we both have the power to make a case against one another."

"Nice."

"Yeah."

"So what you're saying is, that's what our relationship comes down to. Blackmail."

"Huh. Well, when you put it that way, it's kind of hot." Rex said.

"Rex, I'm exhausted." Vera said.

"Me too."

They kiss, long and slow.

Brad's apartment…

The boys are getting jiggy, too.

"Do you have protection?" Jack asked.

"What for? Can't die now. Don't need nothing in-between." Brad said, smiling.

"That's not how it works anymore. A lifetime of regret just got even longer, that's all."

"Fine. You're calling the shots."

"Yes. Yes, I am." Jack said, pushing Brad to his knees.

Vera's home…

Also having coitus.

"Ouch." Rex said.

"Are you okay?" Vera asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Come on."

Mabel's Diner…

The TV evangelist is still demonstrating that he knows the fifteenth chapter of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians off by heart. Or he has it on teleprompter.

"The sting of death is sin, and the sake of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us our victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." The preacher said, on TV.

The woman across the diner has recognised Danes and told her boyfriend. Danes leaves.

Outside the Diner…

"Hey. Hey!" A man said.

"I was just leaving. Just leaving." Danes said.

"Carla, is this the guy?"

"It's him." Carla said, her eyes widening.

"No, you got me mistaken with somebody else." Danes said, looking at the man.

"Oswald Danes, the child killer."

"No."

"If you don't want to be recognised, don't put your face on TV!"

"Let's get him." Carla said.

Danes runs to the nearest patrol car. The patrol officers are taking a coffee break.

"Officer. That kid, he's harassing me." Danes said, looking at a cop.

"Oh, not fair, man. You know who you got there? Look at him." The man said.

"It's a mistake."

"I think you should go home, sir." The patrolman said.

"That's Oswald Danes. Do you know what he said about the girl, the one he killed? She should have run faster. That's what he said." The man said.

"Go home right now."

Carla and her boyfriend leave.

"Thank you. Thank you very much. I'm just trying to get back to my motel. Do you think you could give me a lift? It's just off two seventy eight." Danes said, looking at the cop.

"Yeah, get in." The patrolman said, opening the car door.

"Thank you." Danes said, entering the cop car.

Secluded location…

"What? Is there a problem here, officer?" Danes asked.

"You can get out, sir." The patrolman said.

"Oh shit. All right. Of course. Of course. Here we go. Huh, here we go."

"Don't you worry, sir. Nothing on your face. You'll still be nice and handsome for the TV." The patrolman said, as Oswald gets hit in very painful places. "You should have run faster, Oswald."

Vera's home…

After the ecstasy.

"Are you saying the pharmaceutical companies knew that it was gonna happen?" Vera asked.

"Only one company. PhiCorp. You okay?" Rex asked.

"My, my mother had a massive stroke last year. I, I had to make a choice. God, if I'd just kept her alive a little longer. If I'd been warned. They even gave me their card. PhiCorp. Some woman called Kitzinger. She wants me to go to some kind of private meeting."

"Well, you know you have to go and find out more. I need to know what they're doing."

"Rex, that's your job, not mine."

"What? Hey, listen, I'm serious. I need you to do this."

"You break in here, threaten to expose me for helping you and now you want me to, what, spy for you?" Vera asked.

"Yeah. Will you?" Rex asked.

"No."

"PhiCorp knew, Vera. Okay? They could have warned us. Think about your mother. I mean, you let her die."

"I'm taking a shower. Let yourself out. And I don't need to see you again." Vera said, entering the bathroom.

Brad's apartment / Hideout…

Brad is snoring, Jack is making a phone call. Jared has his Augma headset on his head.

"Gwen, Jared, I had to call. I thought of a thing." Jack said, phone near his ear.

"Are you drunk?" Jared asked, sipping on a bottle of Coke.

"A little. You?" Jack asked.

"Well, some of us have to work."

"Jared's right. Your turn to talk." Gwen said, her phone near her ear.

"I know. I was thinking about how you're immortal and I'm dying. And what I wanted to say was, we're good, aren't we? You, Jared, and me. A good team. I missed you." Jack said.

"I was thinking, if this had happened a bit sooner…" Gwen said.

"I know. I wish this happened in 2008 instead of 2011." Jared said, sadly.

"Same. He'd still be here, Ianto."

"And Owen. And Tosh."

"Dead friends." Jack said, frowning.

"I'm sorry." Gwen said.

"I wish he was here now. I wish Ianto was here. Not much of a team, is it, but we've still got each other. You, Jared, and me, just like the old days. We don't need anyone, do we?" Jack asked.

"Sorry." Esther said.

"We don't need Rex."

Hideout…

"Uiharu and I had to bounce a signal off Paraguay, but it's to say thanks." Esther said.

"Esther wanted to say thanks for letting her be able to talk about her sister." Uiharu said, smiling. "So we were able to get in contact with Rhys and Anwen for you, Gwen."

On Gwen's screen, a baby cries.

"Oh, my God. Rhys, oh my God. Thank you, Uiharu and Esther!" Gwen said, looking at her screen.

"Can you see me? I can see you. Can you see me?" Rhys asked, on screen.

"Yes, I can see you. A little bit too much of you, not enough baby. Put up the baby."

"Hey, give your mam a wave."

Brad's apartment…

"We don't need anyone, right, Gwen, Jared? Gwen? Jared?" Jack asked, phone still near his ear.

Hideout…

"Anwen. Hello, little sweetheart." Gwen said, smiling.

"Hey, it's your mummy, look. Your mam." Rhys said, on screen.

"Hello, darling. We're safe and we escaped. We're fine, I promise. And I'll be home as soon as I can. I will."

"Andy said he can move us with police supervision back to Swansea, so we're all ready and waiting for you. Hey, it's mam. Hello, mam."

Outside the motel…

The patrol car dumps Danes on the pavement and drives off.

"Rough night, Oswald?" Jilly asked.

"Oh God. What was it? Was it Jill? No, let me guess. Jillian?" Danes asked.

"Jilly. Jilly Kitzinger. Told you you'd need me. Now we have a very important meeting to go to, so you can get cleaned up on the plane to Dulles."

"Dulles? Why?"

"These are the times that make men, Oswald. So it's your choice. Stay where you are, or stand up tall and stride across the skin of the world. Which is it?"

"Let's see. If that's a promise of help, you'd better deliver, Miss Jilly Kitzinger." Danes said.

"I will, sir. I promise." Jilly said, happily.

"I'll hold you to it. Lead on."

Outside the Garfield Building…

Back in Washington DC, Rex is sitting on a bench when his phone rings.

"Yeah?" Rex asked.

"You left me your number 'cause you knew I'd give in." Vera said, her voice coming out of the phone speaker.

Outside the Hospital…

"Okay, I'm not the CIA, I don't go undercover, but maybe I can get you inside." Vera said.

Outside the Garfield Building…

"Yes!" Rex said, happily.

Hideout…

Jack returns with a hangover, "I feel awful, which is amazing. I thought we broke up."

"Yeah, well, there's work to be done. So they just look like contact lenses, huh?" Rex asked, looking down at the Eye-5's.

"Mmm hmm. Look at the laptop. They're the one piece of Torchwood tech Jared and I kept. Jared has his own pair while I have mine. We'll be using my pair for this. It's like a camera, see? Okay. Side to side. See?" Gwen asked.

The view on the screen changes as Gwen looks around the room.

"That's very, very cool. Where'd you get it from?" Rex asked.

"A distant moon of a distant star." Jack said, smiling.

"Ha, ha, ha. Really, where'd you get them from?"

"A distant moon of a distant star. I am loving this hangover. I knew mortality would make life more intense. Ow!"

"Hey, don't touch my pills. I need that for legitimate pain." Rex said, when Jack tossed painkillers in his mouth.

"I need them too."

"You weren't impaled."

"Ha. You should have seen the other guy. Oh, that face. Rex doesn't like his jokes too gay."

"No, Rex doesn't like men in their forties acting like they're twenty."

"And we've got a winner. Now, hush. Esther's sending me texts." Gwen said.

"And we can communicate with the Eye 5s just by typing." Uiharu said, while Esther is typing on her keyboard.

This is Esther.

"Hello, Esther. I'm Gwen." Gwen said.

"Yeah, but there's no sound." Rex said.

"But we have lip-reading software for it. Just look at Gwen. Exactly at her." Saten said.

"Mmm hmm." Rex said.

"Now say something." Gwen said.

"My name is Rex Matheson, representing the Central Intelligence Agency."

"My name is Rex Matheson representing the Central Intelligence Agency." The computer said.

"All right, all right. That'll work. I can get inside with those." Rex said.

"Problem. This pair of the Eye 5s, they're isomorphic. Biometrically tuned in to me and me alone." Gwen said.

"Seriously?"

"Didn't the Martha Jones substitute use them?" Shirai asked.

"Yeah. I recall her using them during the 456 invasion." Mikoto said. "From what Jared told us."

"Girls. Shut up. Mmm hmm. If anyone's going on this mission, it's got to be me." Gwen said, as Uiharu types Liar! with the former cop closing the laptop that is running the software. "Yep. What?"

"This is going to be a long night." Jared said.

Jack and Jared are stifling laughs.

PhiCorp…

"We very much appreciate your coming. PhiCorp knows how busy you must be." A representative said.

Vera is escorted into a screening room. The seats are filling up.

"No, I don't think this is right. I was here to see a Miss Kitzinger." Vera said.

"No, this is the meeting. I think you may know some of these people. Andy Collier from Johns Hopkins. Shelby Lewis, she made the shortlist for the Lasker Prize." The representative said.

"Okay."

"We're starting in five."

"Oh, if you'll excuse me."

"First door on your left."

"Thank you." Vera said, opening a fire door to let Gwen in. "Where's Rex?"

"No, I'm not Rex, I know. Hello. Long story. Go back to the meeting and keep Jilly Kitzinger there for as long as you can. Go." Gwen said.

"Are you giving me orders?"

"Yes, go."

Hideout…

"Doctor Juarez did good." Uiharu said, looking at the monitor.

"Yeah. Vera's exactly how I remembered her." Jared said, eating some chocolate Pocky.

"Rex, how did you talk her into it?" Shirai asked.

"Well, it's not exactly a professional relationship. Think of it like your relationship with Railgun here." Rex said, looking between Mikoto and Shirai.

"Oh. Of course it had to be that kind of relationship." Mikoto said, rolling her eyes.

Gwen sees someone coming down the main stairs at PhiCorp with Jilly.

"Oswald Danes." Jack said.

"What's he doing there?" Esther asked.

"Tell her to follow Oswald."

"No, no. No way. Let her stay on the mission." Rex said.

"Gwen find out anything about Oswald Danes?" Jack asked.

"Nothing special, apart from being a monster. He just chose the right day to be executed on. He's got nothing to do with this stuff." Esther said.

Jack calls up A WYUB interview with Danes.

"I'm sorry, no. I have been forgiven. A substantial number of people have forgiven me. I can feel that in my heart, in my guts. And forgiveness, it's like a tide or storm. It clears the air. I'm very lucky to have been forgiven, and I feel very, I feel very blessed. And I think of forgiveness as a cure." Danes said, on screen.

PhiCorp conference room…

"Gentlemen, Mister Danes." Jilly said, smiling.

Hideout…

Rex's phone rings, "Yeah?"

PhiCorp screening room…

"Who was that woman?" Vera asked.

"She works for me. Are you at the meeting yet?" Rex asked, his voice coming out of the phone speaker.

"Yeah, but it's not a meeting. It's some kind of presentation."

Hideout…

"All right, well, keep the line open. I want to hear." Rex said.

PhiCorp screening room / Hideout…

Jilly sees Vera and waves before sitting down. The lights dim.

"Hello, and thank you for coming. I'm Congressman Patrick Morganthall. Some of you are listening to us from Los Angeles…" Morganthall said, on screen.

"A Congressman?" Esther asked.

"Others from PhiCorp locations in Cleveland, DC, Dallas, Singapore, Hong Kong…." Morganthall said, on screen.

"PhiCorp was ready worldwide." Mikoto said, an electrical shock coming out of her head. "Of course this had to be on a global scale."

"Sissy, if they knew about the Miracle. Did they cause it?" Shirai asked.

"Our modern drug prescription system has served us very well for many decades, but times have changed. Times have changed a great deal. The need for drugs is far outstripping the access to the people with the means to prescribe them. Something has got to change. And that's why later today I will be introducing legislation to make all prescription drugs, all painkillers, antibiotics, almost all medications available without a prescription." Morganthall said, on screen.

"Think it'll, what, multiply sales by tenfold?" Esther asked.

"Pish. Try a thousand. They're cashing in big time." Rex said.

"Where's Jack and Jared?" Saten asked.

Jack and Jared have gone. Gwen has found Jilly's office and picks the lock. She then hacks into her computer.

"And I am not just talking about making new laws. I am talking about making an entirely new society. Now this is a massive enterprise, ladies and gentlemen. But it's up to us. All of you are experts in your own fields." Morganthall said, on screen.

Vera makes a call, "Jilly just left."

"Oh, shit." Rex said.

Gwen gets an Eye-5 message - trouble kitzinger. She leaves the desk as the download onto her flash drive continues.

"Call her. Call Jilly Kitzinger." Rex said.

Jilly's office / Screening room…

Jilly has returned to her office, where Gwen is hiding behind a bookcase but with a clear view of the desk.

Jilly's phone rings, "Doctor Juarez, hello."

"It's Vera. I'm in the screening room. I have some, some. can you come here? Can I ask you some questions?" Vera asked.

"Sure. Sure. Is everything all right? You sound kind of shaky." Jilly said, leaving her office.

Gwen grabs the flash drive and also leaves.

Hideout…

"Oh." Esther said.

"Good work, Gwen Cooper." Rex said, smiling.

"Phone." Uiharu said, while a phone vibrates. "Saten. Can you get that?"

"It's not mine." Saten said, as it is the red phone. "Oh. They're calling Friedkin."

"Yeah. Maybe. Or they're calling us." Shirai said.

"You ready, Uiharu?" Mikoto asked, and Uiharu readies the trace.

"Yeah?" Rex asked, answering the phone as the triangle symbol is there. "Hello? Who's there? Who are you? Who am I talking to? Who is this?"

The call ends.

"I got nothing. We hit a vine. But still, they could have traced that phone." Uiharu said, frowning.

"Yeah, I know. Come on, we got to get the hell out of here, out of DC. Pack that stuff up quick." Rex said, looking at Esther, Mikoto, Shirai, Saten, and Uiharu.

"What are you smiling for?" Esther asked.

"I think we got 'em worried. Let's go. And let's find out where the hell Jack and Jared went."

(Jared's POV)

WYBS green room…

Jack and I climbed in through a window in the green room. Location assumed by the presence of a table of refreshments.

"Okay, you ready for me?" Danes asked.

"Yeah. I suppose we are." I said, leaning against the wall.

"I'd apologise for being late, but it wasn't my fault. I was needed across town. Still, made it, and this will be going on live, yes? Can one of you tell me who's interviewing me?"

"Yeah, it's er. Sod it." Jack said, drawing his gun as I took out Ebb and Flow in dual pistol mode.

"I suppose men like you were always on their way."

"Why did you meet with PhiCorp today?" I asked, aiming my two guns at Danes.

"You two will have to ask them." Danes said.

"Did they mention the name Jack Harkness and Jared Shay? Have you heard of those names?" Jack asked.

"Never. Why do you ask, Jack? I figured if you cared that much about the names, it was probably yours and his."

Jack takes out a small memo recorder, "We just want you to talk."

"What about?" Danes asked.

"We saw you on TV saying you feel forgiven for taking the life of an innocent child. That's a lie. I know it's a lie." I said, still aiming my two guns at him.

"How do you know that, Jared, with such certainty?"

"Tell us the fucking truth! The murder of Susie Cabina. I bet you don't feel sorry at all."

"The truth is, she flaunted it. Her innocence. Most people, they get hit or whatever, it's hours before the bruises rise up. But they showed right away with her. It was like I was painting on her. And she looked so beautiful. I thought it couldn't get any better than that. But oh, Jack, Jared, I swear to you, right then at the end, I felt her life leave and she left through me. Yeah. You know that feeling? I think you both do. And I relive it every single night, because that was the best moment of my life." Danes said, looking between Jack and I.

Jack and I lowered our guns.

"Now I understand. Jared does too. You're doing all this because you're searching for one thing. One simple thing. Execution. World without death, so you get to live. And it's killing you." Jack said.

"Jack, Jared, what are you going to do with that recording?" Danes asked.

"Well, we're at a television station, right? Well, we might as well broadcast it. And tell this to the entire world." I said, smiling.

"Excellent idea. If only I didn't have to do this. Boys! Take that recording off them." Danes said, and the thugs grab Jack and I, twisting our arms behind us. "I did visit PhiCorp and they were kind enough to offer me protection."

"In exchange for what?" Jack asked.

"The message. Don't hurt them, just get rid of them. It was nice to meet you two, Jack Harkness and Jared Shay. Well, you can hurt them a little, but not the faces. That's how it's done these days."

"Let me be clear. I'm not calling for free drugs. I'm calling for free access to drugs. I want every American to have the power to be able to buy whatever they want and need without a prescription. If that means that some drug companies are gonna make a profit, then maybe that just ensures that they'll take better care of us. Because government has abandoned us." Danes said, on TV.

Jack and I are getting repeatedly punched below the belts before being thrown out onto the street.

Outside WYBS…

"And I'm thinking of companies like PhiCorp. They'd never abandon us, because they need us. If we're talking about medications, I have to say that I'm somewhat of an expert. I spent a lot of long years in solitary confinement, a dangerous man companies like PhiCorp tried to help. They put me on a drug regime with every drug known in the world. Uppers, downers, sideways, and bled. Every single one…" Danes said, on TV.

"Did you two see him in there? Did you see Oswald Danes? Did you touch to him?" A woman asked.

"Did we what?" Jack asked.

"Oswald. Did either of you touch him?"

"Oh. I wish we did." I said, letting out a sigh. "I wish we did. Because I hate him. I hate him, so, so much."

"They stick with us. And I'm asking you now to join with me in this great enterprise as we all walk across the fragile skin of this wide world together. The future is now endless and it's terrifying. I'm offering you my hand to walk on this long journey together. Walk with me. That's all I ask. Walk with me." Danes said, on TV.