When a local teenager disappears Gwen is drawn into an investigation that reveals a darker side of Torchwood. Hundreds of people have disappeared without trace, but why is Jack obstructing attempts to find them? The answer seems to lie in the rift, and as Gwen follows the trail she makes a shocking discovery.
Opening credits JACK (voiceover) : Torchwood. Outside the Government, beyond the police. Fighting for the future on behalf of the human race. The 21st century is when everything changes... And Torchwood is ready. EXT NIGHT, Barrage Bridgelike thing Dark, empty. We see it in long shot so it's mostly bits of bridge and lights. As is traditional there's a full moon. A teenager is walking alone, lit from beneath, red lights and white, casting big shadows. Mobile phone beeps. It's the text message noise. He checks the screen. It says "UR 9 mins late! MUMxx". He grins and looks up. Long shot of distant figure in a window, cutting to closeup of Nikki. INT NIGHT Nikki's flat She waves. Her left hand, a ring on her middle but not ring finger. Out in the dark he texts her back. Mobile phone beeps. Message from Jonah : Chill ! :-P NIKKI : Hm ! Cheeky bugger ! She grins and turns away. EXT NIGHT, Barrage Jonah watches her leave the window, then moves on. Wind blows an empty cup along. Signs swing in the wind, which is suddenly strong enough to buffet Jonah around. He's barely making headway. He staggers into the handrail. Whooshing electrical crackling wind roars. Flashing lights and the camera spirals in from above. Then Jonah screams, there's a flash, and his phone drops clattering on the bridge, screen still lit... and no sign of Jonah. Opening credits EXT DAY, Barrage Long shot again, now with the thing across the top of the screen, most of the image filled with grey water. Seagull noises, Andy starts to talk, and we're slightly closer to see Andy pacing towards Gwen with the handrail bars in front of them. ANDY : Jonah Bevan, born 15th of February 1993, son of Nikki Bevan and Paul Millet, 14 Cliffs Rise, Penarth. Disappeared walking home from football practice, been missing now for seven months and eleven days. No body, no sightings since that night. Disappeared right where we're standing. GWEN : Uh-huh. ANDY : Which is where we found this. He sent a text to his mum, she was looking out the window and they waved to each other. She's certain everywhere was deserted. GWEN : What about the investigation ? ANDY : Usual procedure, searched the home, checked the computer, spoken to all known friends and relatives, made publicity appeals, but no significant leads... And look, sorry, Is this beneath you now ? GWEN : No ! ANDY : Then what's with the attitude ? You've got a face like a slapped arse. GWEN : I'm waiting for you to tell me where you were. ANDY : Where I was when ? GWEN : At the wedding. ANDY : Rang you. I had to work. Temple changed the rota at the last minute. You know how it is. GWEN : I checked the duty logs. You weren't working. You had three days off. ANDY : What are you spying on me now ? GWEN : I thought we were mates. And you just don't turn up ! ANDY : I just thought, being as Rhys has got a problem with me... GWEN : Rhys thinks you're great ! It's you who has a problem with him ! Ever since I've known you You've always made sarky comments about his weight ! ANDY : Well He could stand to lose a couple of pounds... GWEN : Let it go ! Let it go. ANDY : Yeah, well, I can't ! All right ? I don't want to sit there and watch you pledge your stupid life to him ! I've got better things to do of a Saturday ! Happy now ? GWEN : Oh, Andy ! Nudges him. ANDY : Get off ! GWEN : I thought we'd been through all this. I mean You're a lovely fella and (indistinct)... ANDY : It's not like a bloody tap. I can't just switch it off. GWEN : But this was like what three years ago. I mean, look I didn't know... I didn't realise you still had feelings... ANDY : I don't, all right ? I just had a moment. Don't flatter yourself. GWEN : Ok ! If you want to talk about it... ANDY : I wanna talk about this kid. Jonah. GWEN : Teenagers go missing all the time. I mean, why is this one so special ? ANDY : I was the first one here. Sat with his mum all night and all the next day. Every time I tell her we've got nothing new, I see a bit of her die. GWEN : Anything strange about the case ? ANDY : Like you don't know. He turns and walks away. She looks puzzled and follows him. Close up on a police car, slightly different location. Andy and Gwen are standing at the back watching something on a screen. CCTV frames like show Jonah's jumpy progress and then... GWEN : What just happened ? ANDY : Exactly. The camera records one frame every six seconds. GWEN: He could've done a lot in six seconds, jumped over the side, hidden somewhere... ANDY : No, he's looking at something. Look, something's glowing, just out of the camera's line of sight. Like a flare, it's not there in the previous frame... or the next. GWEN : Could be one of the lights on the Barrage. ANDY : All right, stop lying. You know what happened here. Why aren't you telling me ? GWEN: What are you talking about, Andy ? ANDY : Right... 45 minutes later... (CCTV screen shows the SUV pulling up and a familiar long coated figure get out). What's your mate Mulder doing there ? GWEN : Jack ? INT HUB, Toshiko's work station TOSH : No recognisable rift activity around the Barrage on that date. GWEN : What about if you tried... ? TOSH : I ran checks for three months either side. Then extended the radius by a mile and checked again. Still nothing. GWEN : OK. Thanks. INT HUB, Jack's office He's in his dark shirt, standing behind his desk, putting his gun in the holster and threading the belt through as he talks. JACK : When did you say this was ? GWEN : About seven months back. Were you on the Barrage that night ? JACK : They have this cute little coffee shack. I sometimes stop by there. GWEN : A boy went missing. Just under an hour before you were there. JACK : OK. GWEN : Jonah Bevan, 15 years old. I thought maybe you were out there because of him. JACK : Maybe if we'd registered rift activity. GWEN : No. I just checked with Tosh. It was all clear. JACK : Sorry. Can't help. (He walks past her to leave. He stops in the doorway and turns back to her). Want me to look into it for you ? GWEN : No, it's fine. So it was just a coincidence then ? JACK : Guess so. Gotta run. Weevil hunting with Ianto. He says it with such glee you have to wonder what Weevil Hunting actually means to them. Gwen sort of smiles after him... somewhat doubtfully. EXT NIGHT, Cardiff from above Very wooshy today, with sirens. INT NIGHT, Cheap coffee place Gwen shakes a packet of probably-sugar. Some man and a woman stagger in the door, and both Gwen and Andy watch them until they've staggered past. Then Gwen goes back to her drink. ANDY : So, you're covering it up then ? GWEN : Jack said it was a coincidence. I can't help. ANDY : Thanks a lot. Should've known. Bloody Torchwood. Fob me off, why don't you ? GWEN : No. If there was something going on, I would tell you. ANDY : Do you know what's happened to you, Gwen ? You've got hard. GWEN : Yeah ? Well, maybe I've had to. ANDY : You used to care. You used to be bothered about people. Didn't matter who they were, or what they did. And now you're talking about coincidence, like people go missing all the time. Like it's a fact of life. The old Gwen would have been up there to see Nikki Bevan in a flash. You're one of them now, aren't you ? Too busy to bother with one missing child. What is it, not major enough for you ? Not spooky enough ? Sorry to bother you. Takes his hi-vis yellow jacket and leaves. Gwen looks dismayed. EXT NIGHT, Nikki's front door Doorbell rings. Front door, wobbly glass, shape moving behind, until Nikki opens the door. GWEN : Nikki Bevan ? Gwen Cooper. I'm working with the police on Jonah's disappearance. Nikki doesn't ask for ID, just steps out the way and lets the nice lady in no recogniseable uniform late at night walk in. INT NIGHT, Nikki's flat All the curtains are closed. The TV is on. And there's video tapes on every visible surface, in scattered heaps radiating out from around the TV. NIKKI : Andy said you might be round. GWEN : Oh, he did, did he ? NIKKI : Reckons you've got a different area of expertise. What is it, forensics ? GWEN : I'm just a fresh eye. NIKKI : Sorry about the mess. GWEN : Wow, film fan, are you ? NIKKI : Crowds. GWEN : Sorry ? NIKKI : It's all crowd footage. Ever since he went. Football matches, concerts, festivals... Anywhere there's a crowd, I record it. Go through it, frame by frame, checking every face. Sometimes I think it's him, but the picture's so grainy, I spend hours looking at one corner of the screen. But then the next day, I check again and it's not. (Sighs, shrugs, but smiles). It's the hope that's killing me. GWEN : Even if you saw him, what would you do ? NIKKI : Find someone that was with him. If I could just let him know I saw him. He's gotta be out there somewhere. (Pause. Gwen looks away). Do you think I'm mad ? GWEN : No, I think you'd make a great policewoman. INT NIGHT, Jonah's room Posters, skeletons, and a chain of lights that look a bit like skulls. The duvet cover looks like a football team thing. GWEN : His room's as he left it ? NIKKI : I sleep in here some nights. Bury my head in the pillow. It still smells of him. Except, the more I do it, the more it smells like me. I keep his diary for him. I sit in here and imagine I'm him. What do you think I did wrong ? GWEN : Sorry ? NIKKI (sighs) : Maybe I was too nosey... or not interested enough. Maybe he felt unloved. All I've got is questions. INT NIGHT, Nikki's hallway GWEN : What about Jonah's dad ? NIKKI : We were only together about six weeks. I thought when he first went missing and was on the telly, his dad might get in touch. But no, still manages to disappoint. Oh, hang on ! Andy tried to find me a support group, but there weren't any. So I thought I'd set one up myself. It's our first meeting. Will you come ? Hands her a leaflet. Searchlight. GWEN : Oh, I dunno. NIKKI : Andy'll be there. And I'm gonna do food. Oh, come on. I don't wanna be sat there on my own. GWEN : I'll try, I've got to go. EXT NIGHT, Cardiff from above Screeches and sirens. INT NIGHT, Gwen's flat Rhys is sat on the sofa, watching TV. He turns it off as soon as Gwen comes in. GWEN : I'm sorry, I know, I'm late. RHYS : Three hours ! GWEN : It was a work thing, time just got away from me. Ooh, wine ! We can do it another time though, yeah ? RHYS : This is the fourth another time, Gwen ! You said you'd cook. GWEN : Did I ? RHYS : When are we gonna have this talk ? GWEN : Let's do it now. Come on, now's good, I'm ready. Babies. Now. RHYS : Really ? GWEN : Do you think I've changed ? RHYS : Eh ? GWEN : Since I joined Torchwood. Am I different ? RHYS : Why ? GWEN : It's just something Andy said. OK, let me just tell you this one thing, OK ? RHYS : Go on. GWEN : He still fancies me. Rhys laughs hysterically. GWEN : Don't laugh, Rhys. That's why he didn't come to the wedding. RHYS : Bloody hell. Poor sod. GWEN : Oi ! I am a very sexy lady... and you are a very lucky man ! Just remember that, OK ? Picks up wine glass... and unzips her coat. She has her husband's full attention. RHYS : We're not gonna talk about kids tonight, are we ? GWEN : We could do some practising. RHYS : Oh-ho-ho ! Exit, quickly, in direction of bedroom. INT DAY, Gwen's bedroom Gwen barges in and Rhys sits up in bed. GWEN : Tell me you love me ! RHYS : Gimme the toast. GWEN : Come on, tell me you love me first ! RHYS : Gimme the toast first ! GWEN : Tell me you love me ! Mobile phone beeps. RHYS : Whoa ! GWEN : Hey ! Answers phone. TOSH : Gwen ? GWEN : Hi, Tosh. TOSH (In the Hub) : I've dug up some new data on that night at the Barrage. I think you might wanna take a look at it. GWEN : I'll be right there. Hangs up. RHYS : Deserting me, are you ? GWEN: Yep. (Smooches him). Ugh, crumbs. Climbs off him out of bed. RHYS : Oi ! Gwen leaves. INT HUB, Toshiko's workstation GWEN : Hey, what have you got ? TOSH : It's barely a blip on the system. So insignificant, I've been ignoring it. But when I looked closer... This is what we recognise as standard rift activity. But what I've discovered is a negative rift spike that occurred at the time you're querying. Now, we've always assumed that these readings were residual rift flares. Like an aftershock. But, because this one coincided with Jonah's disappearance, I think we've been misinterpreting. GWEN : OK, so ? TOSH : So, we've always believed that things can only come through the rift one way. What if we're wrong ? What if the rift doesn't just leave stuff behind ? What if it also takes ? GWEN (long silent thinky) : Who else have you told about this ? TOSH: No-one. I called you as soon as I realised. But It could be a coincidence, or an anomaly. I can't be sure unless I can cross-reference it with other examples. GWEN : Tosh, Can we keep this to ourselves ? There's something I have to do. TOSH : Whatever you think is best. GWEN : Thank you so much, you're such a sweetheart. Gwen leaves as quickly as she came. EXT DAY, Cardiff from above, nice grey roads and stuff. EXT DAY, Somewhere greener Close up of Gwen. Close up of Searchlight poster, first meeting Monday 27th month-conveniently-covered. Andy arrives, dressed in grey with horizontal stripes, looking... well, gormless, really. ANDY : You're looking into it, then. GWEN : Still the same old me. ANDY : Thank you. GWEN : Yeah, well, I dunno why I bother, you're so rude. ANDY : How's Rhys ? Other than hungry. INT DAY, A village hall type place, with a fold out table, a tea urn, and a line of stacking chairs NIKKI : Oh. It's you two. ANDY : Oh, that's nice. NIKKI : I thought there'd be more here by now. It's gonna just be me, isn't it ? GWEN : No, I'm sure it won't. People will come. ANDY : Yeah, you know, "If you build it, they will come". Field Of Dreams ? No ? Just me, then. NIKKI : Anyway, sit down. They sit, awkwardly. Fiddle with clothes. Long shot shows them very small in even this small hall. ANDY (sotto voce, to Gwen) : It is gonna be just us, isn't it ? Knock on door. WOMAN WITH MAN : Hi. Um... We're looking for Nikki. NIKKI : Yeah, that's me. Come in. It's brilliant you found us. There's food there, drinks, so help yourself. Knock on door. MAN IN TURBAN : Is this missing persons ? NIKKI : Yeah. Come in. Erm, do you wanna drink ? Many, many, people come in and take chairs... all the chairs... Gwen and Andy get up to leave them chairs, people get more chairs out, this hall is full, every kind of people, all for the same reason. ANDY : Bloody hell ! How many of them are there ? EXT DAY, Same hall, grey wall blocks Andy comes out, looks around, sees Gwen and heads over to her. ANDY : You OK ? GWEN : It's getting a bit too much now. Noises from the hall, many voices, spill out behind them. ANDY : I dunno what you mean. GWEN : I said I'd help you look for one lad. What about all those people in there, what... 40, 50 ? Am I supposed to help all them, too ? ANDY : Course not. Just focus on Jonah. The rest aren't part of this investigation. GWEN (Lightbulb) : But they are. Of course they are. ANDY : No, no, they're not ! GWEN : Find a pattern. Find out what happens, we might find Jonah. ANDY : What ? GWEN : Brilliant. You're brilliant ! I've gotta go. Runs. ANDY : Where you going ? GWEN : Cross-referencing ! ANDY : Cross-referencing ? INT HUB, workstation TOSH : Cross-referencing ? GWEN : You said we need more data to be certain the rift takes people. List of all missing persons in Cardiff over the last ten years. I'll deal with the personal details, and I'm sending you dates, locations and approximate times they went missing. TOSH : And you want me to check the dates they went missing, against negative rift spikes ? GWEN : Yes, I do, and I'll dig out any CCTV footage. TOSH : What about Jack ? Do we tell him what we're doing ? GWEN : When we're sure. Tosh, if we can prove you were right, we can start looking for the people who've been taken, maybe even try and stop it from happening. Montage of research. CCTV, rift spikes, hands, bits of paper, keyboards, Gwen and Tosh looking thinky, people photos, notepads, lists, Tosh's breasts. Bits of paper, printouts, photos of missing. Jonah photo goes on wall, scream in the background. Others follow, many many others. A map goes up with little red dots going on it. Bell tolls for each dot. Forms are attached to each missing photo, saying "Rift Spike", and a red marker is used to dot each, bell tolling each time. Eventually Gwen is standing in the interrogation room with every wall covered in this stuff, missing people, mapped, with Rift spikes. Disorienting spin with chorus of screams. TOSH : Oh, my God ! There are really this many ? GWEN : Now we tell Jack. INT HUB, Meeting Room GWEN : Cardiff has an epidemic of missing persons, totally out of kilter with any other comparable city. And it's all down to the rift. IANTO : Are you sure they aren't just normal missing persons ? People do go missing for other reasons. GWEN : No. Toshiko cross-referenced the locations with the rift spikes. The people we've identified here are definitely victims of the rift. OWEN : What do we think happens to them ? JACK : Scattered through time and space, I guess. OWEN : Cheery thought, thank you. JACK : This is good work. But I don't know what you want us to do. GWEN : We Find a way to prevent it. JACK : Toshiko, can we predict when the spikes are gonna happen ? TOSH : Er, No. And they're gone in a matter of seconds. JACK : Then I don't know how we combat them. GWEN : Jack, we have a duty here. These people are victims of the rift. If they'd been attacked by a Weevil... JACK : Weevils We can catch. If they're victims, we fix their wounds, but this, we don't know when it's gonna happen, we don't know where they end up. Seriously, Gwen. GWEN : Hm ? JACK : Practically, tell me what we should do. Pause of all stare at Gwen. GWEN : We help those left behind. Jack looks down. GWEN : Why not ? JACK : It's nothing to do with us. Move on. GWEN : Jack, you should see these people... JACK : Some things we can't fix. GWEN : So we don't even try ? OWEN : Look, Jack's right. They need counselling. Support. That is not us. GWEN : Ah, OK, is that what you all think ? We are the only ones who know the truth. We can help them. We don't have to be this hard. It's not a badge of honour... ! JACK : Close this down. Walks away. GWEN : Jack ! IANTO (gets up to follow, holds stop-hand up to Gwen) : I'll talk to him. GWEN : So, is that it, then ? We just sweep it under the carpet ? OWEN : "God Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change". Holds up broken and wrapped left hand for a moment. GWEN : Oh, bollocks to serenity. OWEN : For a lovely girl, you've got a very dirty mouth. GWEN : Yes. OWEN : I'm with Jack. Gets up to leave. Ianto and Jack are talking in the halls outside. TOSH : We did our best. Gets papers and leaves. GWEN : Thanks, Tosh. Jack looks back in at Gwen, then away. His pointy finger of telling off hand gestures to Ianto say No pretty clearly. Also there's some hands on hips going on, both sides. Nobody's pleased. Jack stalks off. Ianto turns and looks at Gwen, hands still on hips... then the last image is a long shot of Gwen, sitting alone. EXT DAY, nice green trees place Slow pan across with a tree in front means Gwen sits apparently alone for some seconds, even as Rhys talks. RHYS : So On the one hand, you've got blokes like Mo, who swears it's the best thing he's done in his life. And then on the other, you've got Big Dave, who says it feels like his life has ended and now he's a second class citizen in his own house. Although to be fair, he said his life had ended when Susy made him ditch the bike... GWEN : Will you just stop wittering ! Thank you. God... ! RHYS : It's not wittering. It's talking. We're supposed to be talking. I've been trying to talk to you for a week but for some reason you don't want to. GWEN : Oh Wake up, Rhys ! What's the point ? We don't need a talk ! It takes two seconds' thought ! How are we supposed to have kids with my job ? Torchwood does not do maternity leave ! "Oh I'm sorry Jack, I'd love to help out with the aliens, but I can't get a babysitter ! No no no I'll sort out that bomb once I've dropped Rhys Junior off at nursery". Stop dancing around it, it's a dead question ! RHYS : You know, sometimes I f*cking hate you ! I mean, look at you, caught up in your little group, like nothing else matters. Like being a hero is an end in itself. Well It's not. You save this city. Well done. You save the world, whatever. What for ? GWEN : Sorry ? RHYS : Why are you doing it ? What are you trying to protect ? What are you fighting for Gwen ? GWEN : Because if I don't, Rhys... RHYS : Shut up, I'm talking now, right ? You do it so people can live their lives. And there's nothing more important than that. Falling in love, getting married, buying flats, having kids, or not. But real life. That's what you're protecting. And if you're starting to think that your sh1t is more important than real life... then we're not gonna last very long here, love. GWEN : I'm sorry. There's this thing at work... RHYS : I don't care ! I don't care. When you're with me, we deal with us, right ? Our lives. You got a problem at work, you sort it at work. INT HUB, Great big keys outside the cog door Door rolls open with clunks and usual alarm sounds. Gwen walks in, door rolls closed. GWEN : Jack ? Here's something, follows it upstairs to. INT HUB, Hothouse and balcony Gwen pushes glass door open and walks in. GWEN : Jack, I... A very, very distracted Jack and Ianto are snogging, naked, and, er, vigorously engaged with hands in low places. GWEN : Oh, God ! (Laughs) I'm sorry. Walks out. Naked Jack is grinning. Naked Ianto is grabbing things and attempting to very quickly be not-naked Ianto. Your faithful transcriber rewatches carefully to be sure she gets all the details. Ianto has clothes on very quickly indeed and follows Gwen out before she's back to the stairs. IANTO : Er... Unbuttoned Ianto gets Gwen's attention. GWEN : Ianto, I'm sorry, I didn't realise. IANTO : It doesn't matter. GWEN : And I wouldn't have come in if I'd known... JACK : Always room for one more. (Jack is also unbuttoned. On Ianto it looks awkward. On Jack it's more of a challenge. He sort of strides out, shirt hanging open, while Ianto is still working on buttons. Jack poses, hand on hips, leaning on the railing). We could've used you an hour ago for naked hide-and-seek. IANTO : He cheats. He always cheats. And Ianto looks really rather happy about that. JACK : Was there something you wanted ? GWEN : Jonah Bevan. The missing boy. I'll make it my own special project, my responsibility, nothing to do with anyone else. I'm not letting it go. JACK : No. GWEN : What ? JACK : I don't know how I can be any clearer. GWEN : Oh, well... Tosh has her projects, so does Ianto. (Currently involving doing his belt up). Why can't I ? JACK : Leave it alone. GWEN : I can't. Staring competition. Gwen doesn't back down. Jack stares back, then just switches attention to Ianto. JACK : Coming back in ? Work to do. IANTO : Yup. GWEN : Jack ! We're not finished ! JACK (walking back into the Hothouse) : Yes, we are. Closes the door behind him. IANTO (turns just at the closed door) : Er... There's a package on your desk. Nods and goes back in. Naked Jack is just visible through the glass. Yes, work to do indeed... INT HUB, Gwen's desk Gwen finds package. Gwen gets small electronics box out. [SCENE_BREAK] INT, Somewhere with coffee Andy in his day glo on his phone. Phone rings. GWEN : Hello ? ANDY : You still working ? GWEN : Sort of. ANDY : Thought so. There's a cup of tea here with your name on it. INT NIGHT, Coffee and tables again They sit at a table. Andy fiddles with the newly acquired electronics. ANDY : And you think this will help us with the Jonah Bevan case ? GWEN : Andy Just leave it will you, this is high tech stuff. ANDY : Sorry, no. It's GPS. GWEN : What ? ANDY : Global Positioning System. About as high tech as... oh, my mobile phone. What you've got here is a glorified map. Ooh, X marks the spot, eh ? X being the middle of the Bristol Channel. Oh, no, hang on, sorry, no. Flat Holm Island. Who's sending you out there then ? That's just deserted scrubland. GWEN : Couldn't get us a refill could you ? ANDY : While you bask in my technical brilliance ? He leaves, she phones home. INT HUB, Ianto's coffee station Phone rings, bubbly burbley electronic thing, and Ianto picks up, shoving it on his shoulder so he can do drinks. IANTO: Hello ? GWEN : You left me that package, didn't you ? JACK (from off screen) : Ianto ? IANTO : I dunno what you mean. GWEN : Ianto What's going on ? JACK (still unseen, much louder) : Ianto ! IANTO (looking up in Hothouse direction, hangs up) : Night, Gwen. GWEN : Ianto Don't you... It hangs up and she hisses. ANDY : Right, so first thing in the morning, we hire a boat. I know a couple of boat skippers who owe me a favour. So we'll head out to Flat Holm, poke around, see if we can't sort this out. GWEN : Or even better, you get me the boat and I'll tell you what I find. ANDY : No boat trip, no boat. I'm part of this. GWEN : Ok. ANDY : Brilliant ! GWEN : But you do as I say. ANDY : Yeah, course. Listen, I was going to ask - promise me you won't laugh, have you got any vacancies coming up ? You know, with Torchwood. Cos I was thinking, I'm great to work with. You know you could tip them the wink. GWEN : Maybe. Yeah. INT NIGHT, Gwen's flat Gwen, keys, lets herself in. There's framed designs on the wall, one has little hearts in two quarters. It's dark and doors are closed. She goes to go in the bedroom... and finds bedding in front of the door. So that's a night on the sofa then. She sighs, scoops them up, and heads off. EXT DAY, distant water and a boat SELLER : What can I get you, lads ? DAYGLO GUYS : Two burgers and two cheeseburgers... EXT DAY, closer to the boat Gwen runs up as Andy shakes hands with boat guy. ANDY : Fifty quid. GWEN : That's a bit steep, innit ? Offer him 35. ANDY : Gwen, I'm not being funny, if you wanna haggle, go to Morocco. GWEN : All right, 50 quid. ANDY : Open waves, here we come. GWEN : Get us a couple of teas before we go. ANDY : You're kidding ? You're not kidding. I dunno... And he actually does head off for the nearby seller. Gwen watches him go and goes over to the boat guy. GWEN : Do this for me and I'll give you 100 quid. Engine starts. Andy, tea in each hand, looks up. ANDY : Oi ! Runs after them, but no chance. Boat's gone. GWEN : I'm sorry, Andy ! ANDY : Yeah, right ! GWEN : I'm sorry ! Grumpy Andy is left with only tea. EXT DAY, water and boat called Chara Travel in boat Gwen has lifejacket. Water has greyness. Gwen has wind in hair. It's trying to look pretty and being very British about it. EXT DAY, Flat Holm island Boat drops Gwen off and goes away again. Clever, Gwen, you walking home then ? But she waves it off and gets the GPS out. It beeps. She puts it away and goes looking. There's rock. And some island. And a lighthouse. So she goes to look in the lighthouse. Curvy spiral staircase. And a light. So she's up in the light bit and there's pretty distorted images of her and then some Staring Soulfully Out. Three people, two wearing red trousers, one with a blanket over their head, walk past on the island below. And walking behind them is Jack. They're heading for some clumpy concrete block buildings, dug in to the ground. Gwen runs down the stairs to follow them. There's a lot of stairs. And then a path. So she's a bit behind then. Down some steps, into a building, and it's. INT DAY, apparently abandoned building She gets her torch out and goes down. There's a buzzing, electrical sound. She follows it to a box. Opens that, sees a red light and a plastic thing with a button. Pushes the button to make a louder buzz. And again. FEMALE VOICE : All right ! Who are you ? GWEN : Torchwood, access code 474317432. I'm with Jack Harkness. FEMALE VOICE : He's supposed to warn us about visitors. GWEN : Law unto himself, isn't he ? Static hisses. Metallic thud. A door opens. Behind it is light, and a woman wearing red. HELEN : And he knows we'll always forgive him. She nods and gestures. Gwen hesitates, then follows. INT DAY, Ratty corridor The infrastructure is only slightly less abandoned looking in here. But there's a lot more signs of life. Door slams. Music plays. Someone coughs. At the end of the corridor someone in a wheelchair is pushed along. On the doors are chalk boards, with names. Jules. Alice's room. There's distant screaming. Gwen stops and looks in a room. It's pretty dark in there, but there's chairs and a TV in a cage, and some absent looking people. One woman has scars on one side of her face. When she sees Gwen looking in she pulls her hair to cover them and leaves quickly. TV BLARES : In the bush, those that stand out can become immediate targets for predators. At late February the population has reached its former strength... Gwen is staring. Stares at the woman as she goes back to her room. Helen watches Gwen. HELEN : This your first time ? We all find it difficult at first. Are you looking for anyone in particular ? GWEN : Yes. How many people are down here ? More chalked names : Earl, Saeed. HELEN : Didn't he tell you ? Sobbing. GWEN : What's that ? Gwen goes to look in one of the rooms. Sobbing continues. A man with his head in his hands is crying. GWEN : Is he OK ? HELEN : We do our best to help him. GWEN (sees another chalk board, whispers the name) : Caroline... (Goes around corner after Helen, calls out after her). Sorry, but why are they... ? Interrupted by flashback. "Have you seen Caroline", Caroline Hall. Gwen puts her hands to her mouth, face of oh no. Earl has a picture. Saeed Taufiq. Alice Devlin. And the penny drops. HELEN : Are you all right ? GWEN : Oh, my God... They're here. What are you doing to them ? What's going on here ? Tell me ! JACK : I'll take it from here, Helen. It was Ianto, wasn't it ? GWEN : What are you doing ? JACK : I can explain. Walks forward. GWEN : Nooo, no, no, no. You stay away from me ! Backs away, pointing at him. JACK : Gwen Let's go outside and talk... GWEN : These are the people taken by the rift ! What are they doing here ? What have you done ? And another name plate, Jonah's room. JACK : Gwen, listen to me. GWEN : He's here. He's been here all along. JACK : It's not that simple. GWEN : Open it ! JACK : Gwen, before I... GWEN : Now ! Staring match. Of doom, this time. Silent and unhappy. Jack walks past and around behind her, never takes his eyes off her. Then he opens the door with a key card. Gwen goes in. INT DAY, Jonah's room GWEN : Hello ? Jonah ? He breathes heavily, wheezing. GWEN : I'm looking for Jonah. JONAH : Why ? GWEN : Am I in the right room ? JONAH : Yes. I'm Jonah. He steps forwards. He's a grown man, and he has scars everywhere we can see. GWEN : Erm... I'm sorry. I must be in the wrong room. The Jonah Bevan I'm looking for is 15 years old and he went missing from the Barrage. JONAH : That was me. Who are you ? GWEN : My name is Gwen Cooper... and I'm with Torchwood. What... What's happened to you ? JONAH : I was walking home. There was a light. I woke up and the land was on fire, there were flames, for miles on end. A man pulled me from the flames. Took me to a building, where they tried to work on the burns. I thought I was going to die. I don't remember when the ground started shaking, and then I realised it wasn't a building after all. It was a rescue craft. The last off a burning planet. (Close up of hands of nervous rubbing). We watched the Solar System burn. It was so beautiful. GWEN : I am so sorry for what's happened to you ? JONAH : Can I trust you to tell the truth ? GWEN (she takes his hands) : Of course. JONAH : Am I really home ? GWEN : Yes. You're home. JONAH : Thank you. GWEN : Jonah, I've come because your mother is still looking for you. JONAH : She's still alive ? GWEN : You've only been gone for seven months. She never stopped looking. JONAH : I tried so hard to come home. I was lost so long. GWEN : You're safe now, you are safe. JONAH : Can I see her ? Can you bring her here ? GWEN : Is that what you want ? He nods. EXT DAY, Flat Holm island, with a big view of empty water Gwen is sitting on the edge, staring out. Jack comes up from behind and joins her. JACK : When I took over Torchwood, there were two, just like Jonah. Ravaged from falling through the rift. Being kept in the vaults, neglected. I wanted them looked after. I set this place up. Told the staff these were experiments that had gone wrong. GWEN : How many are there ? JACK: Seventeen, last count. It's increased over the last year. Like the rift is trying to correct its mistakes. GWEN : But not all the missing return. JACK : No. GWEN : You can't keep them hidden. They have families who deserve to know... JACK : Gwen, they're sick. In ways you could never imagine. We can't fix them. We just care for them. GWEN : Jonah's asked me to bring Nikki here. JACK : No. GWEN : She has a right to know. JACK : No way. GWEN : She said not knowing is the worst part. JACK : How are you going to tell her her child has aged 40 years in the last seven months ? That he's scarred, that he cannot look after himself... GWEN : We don't have the right to hide it from her ! JACK : If you tell her, you have to tell her about the rift and Torchwood. GWEN : Then I will. JACK : What if she doesn't believe you ? GWEN : I have to try. We owe her the truth. Jack, if you'd lost someone, wouldn't you want to know ? Gray's theme, pensive look away. GWEN : Let me try. (Puts her hand on his). Please. He looks back at her. EXT DAY, boat back, windswept Gwen EXT DAY, Nikki's Flat outside the window, turn to look over the Barrage INT DAY, Nikki's Flat Nikki, staring out the window, turns to talk to Gwen. NIKKI : We've got another meeting on Tuesday. Will you come to that, or... ? You're not here for small talk. GWEN : I've found Jonah. NIKKI : Is he dead ? GWEN : No. NIKKI : Is he hurt ? GWEN : We're looking after him. NIKKI : Where ? Can I see him ? She sobs. GWEN: Yes. NIKKI (looks down, trying not to cry. Gwen comes over and takes her hands. Nikki looks at her) : Sorry. GWEN : Nikki There are things I have to tell you first. And all I'm asking is you trust me. INT DAY, Police station Phone rings. Andy gets it out, checks who, does a sort of whole head eyeroll, and answers. GWEN : Andy, I know you hate me right now. ANDY : I'm hanging up. GWEN : No, please don't. It's about Nikki. I found Jonah. ANDY : Where ? GWEN : I can't tell you that. ANDY : Oh, here we go again ! Piss off, why don't you ? GWEN : I've got Nikki with me. I've told her about Torchwood and about what we do. I need you to confirm to her that I'm not mad or dangerous or a liar. ANDY : You used me, Gwen. GWEN : I'm sorry. ANDY : That's how you see me, isn't it ? Occasionally useful. Worth stringing along, in case I can ever help you. GWEN : Andy... ANDY : You'd never recommend for me to join Torchwood, would you ? GWEN : No. ANDY : Thank you. GWEN : I want to take Nikki to see Jonah. But you've got to tell her she can trust me. We can fix this, Andy. We can make it right. ANDY : Put her on. GWEN (hands phone across) : Nikki... NIKKI : Andy ? EXT DAY, pretty boat on shiny water. Nikki and Gwen are inside. Nikki sighs big. Gwen goes to stand outside looking all windswept again. INT DAY corridor at Flat Holm Different people in the corridor today. Still lots of red dressed people looking after people. Helen escorts Nikki and Gwen to the door. Nikki looks around, sees the people and the laundry bags and dire need of new paint and lightbulbs. NIKKI : Ok... where is he ? Jonah's Room. Helen uses the card. GWEN : Remember what I said. You're not going to recognise him at first. NIKKI : I know. GWEN : He's aged. He's been injured... NIKKI : I just want to see him. GWEN : You understand what I've told you now, Nikki. He's not a child, any more. NIKKI : It doesn't matter. I have to see him. Let me see him. GWEN : Ok. INT DAY, Jonah's room Close up on Jonah, the most scarred side, breathing with heavy wheezing. Behind him figures come into view. NIKKI : Hello ? Jonah ? JONAH : Yes ? NIKKI : I can't see you. Jonah ? JONAH : Mum ? NIKKI : No. No ! She backs up. JONAH : It's OK, Mum, it's me, it's OK. NIKKI (Gwen catches hold of her but it looks like she wants to run) : Stay away ! JONAH : I'm sorry, I'm really, really sorry. NIKKI : What're you doing ? What have you done to me ? GWEN : Nikki, I promise, this is Jonah. NIKKI : That is not my son ! (She points at him. He bows his head and curls in on himself. She turns away). Get me out, I want to get out of here. GWEN : Will you listen ? This is him. NIKKI : You are sick ! GWEN : Listen... NIKKI : All of you ! JONAH : Did you fix my wardrobe door ? We bought it flat-pack, made it together. The bottom left hinge keeps coming loose. You said you'd sort it. NIKKI : No. JONAH : Every evening you buy a bottle of beer. You let me sneak one sip. Just the one. Don't want to get a habit, right ? NIKKI : Stop it ! JONAH : You've two alarms cos you always sleep through the first. NIKKI : Make him stop ! JONAH : You talk about the day when you can earn decent money and afford yourself some decent make-up. NIKKI : I'm not hearing this ! JONAH : You won't buy me a double bed cos you don't understand what I need it for. NIKKI : Shut up ! JONAH : When I ask why you haven't got married, you say, "I'll never be lonely, cos I've always got you". It's me, Mum. It's me. NIKKI : Jonah ? Finally smiles through tears and goes over to him slowly. JONAH : I feel so lost. I've walked for years, trying to get home. I'm sorry. NIKKI : Why ? JONAH : That night. I was late. I'm sorry. Nikki makes an "oh" sort of face, like no he should never think that. She reaches, slowly, and touches the scars. He grabs her and they hug. JONAH (sobs) : The sights I've seen, Mum. NIKKI : It's fine ! JONAH : It'll take time. NIKKI : Look... It'll be OK. It's happy hugs now, she's rubbing his back and smiling. But Helen has come in behind them. HELEN : You have to leave Jonah now. NIKKI : What ? JONAH : Helen, I'm fine. HELEN : It's for your own benefit. NIKKI : No. I'm taking him home now. GWEN : Nikki, stop for a second. You can't just take him out of here. Jonah sits back down behind them. NIKKI : I know how to look after my child. I'll tell them he's my father. I can take care of him... ! HELEN : We can't allow that. NIKKI : He's my son, I say what's allowed ! GWEN : Jonah ? JONAH : It's started again. NIKKI : What's happening ? HELEN : He's starting the downswing. GWEN : What's a downswing ? NIKKI : What is it ? Jonah ? HELEN : You've seen him in the good phase. It gets briefer every day. It really might be best if you leave. JONAH : Helen... ! HELEN : Oh, it's all right, sweetheart, I'm here. JONAH : Make it stop ! HELEN : I ever wish I could. Please, it would be better if you didn't stay. NIKKI : I'm not leaving. I'm not leaving him. GWEN : Ok. HELEN : Then you should move away. GWEN : Why ? Will you tell me why ?! Jonah splutters, then screams. Really loud, and not stopping. EVERYONE : Oh... ! Hands over ears, backing away. Gwen is last to leave but can't stay in there. GWEN (voiceover) : I'd never heard a sound like it. This primal howl. The scream lasts 20 hours every day. EXT DAY, Boat and water again Gwen looking thinky. GWEN (voiceover) : Before the rift returned him, Jonah had looked into the heart of a dark star. What he'd seen had driven him mad. Nikki looking devastated. Gwen looking sad. FADE TO BLACK One week later. INT DAY, Nikki's flat Nikki, all dressed in grey, closes the door and wanders in, arms crossed. Gwen follows. GWEN : They say you can visit... whenever you like. When he's in a good phase. NIKKI : Promise me you won't do this to anyone else. Before, I had the memory. Whenever I thought of him, I'd see him laughing with his mates, playing football, scoffing his breakfast. And now I just hear that... that terrible noise. GWEN : I thought you wanted to know what happened to him. NIKKI : I did. I was wrong. It was better when I didn't know. Before you... I had hope. Gwen just walks out. Nikki looks down. INT HUB Interrogation room mixed with INT DAY, Nikki's flat Gwen gets a step ladder and takes down all the notes on the missing. They've been up there a week ? Can't have many people to interrogate at Torchwood then. Nikki, bag in hand, starts clearing out the video tapes. All of them useless to her now. Then she gets Jonah's diary and a box and starts packing up his room. They both pause on something of Jonah's, Gwen with his file, Nikki with some clothes of his. Nikki pauses to smell them. Gwen touches the photograph's face. Nikki sobs and holds the clothes close. She sits on the bed and cries. Gwen pushes the file drawer closed. Jack watches her through an archway. Gwen walks away past him without stopping or seeming to notice. Jack looks at the file cabinet : Missing. Then he walks away. INT NIGHT, Gwen's flat Gwen lights a match and then a candle. A door closes behind her and Rhys walks in. She's got candles and wine and flowers. RHYS : Apology, is it ? GWEN: Tonight, we talk about what you want. Kids... the future, anything you want. RHYS : Are you all right ? (He walks over to her. She's sniffing and trying not to cry). Hey, come here. Big hugs. GWEN (Sobs) : I'm sorry... ! RHYS : Do you want to sit down ? GWEN (softly) : OK. They sit on the sofa. Gwen cuddles into Rhys and he holds her and kisses her forehead. RHYS : Now then... you tell me everything. From the beginning. GWEN : There's this woman, Nikki. She had a son... Jonah. He went missing seven months ago... FADE TO BLACK
Adrift