Escape to LA

(Open POV)

Sarah's home…

Esther parks outside number 1032. It is boarded up and has Keep Out painted on the boards.

"Sarah? It's me. It's Esther. Sarah? Are you there?" Esther asked, while someone undoes the five locks on the front door and opens it, but keeps the chain on. "Hey."

"These people, they were looking for you. They kept asking me questions about you." Sarah said.

"I know. I'm sorry. I can't stay long but what have you done with the house? Where are the kids?"

"They're in here with me."

"Can I see them?"

"Esther, I'd never hurt them."

"But, I can't stay."

"Mom!" A girl said, nearby.

"I'm leaving town. I've got to go today." Esther said, sadly.

"Don't go to Boston. There's cholera in Boston, they said on the news. Don't go to Philly either. Dysentery. New York's got typhus and hemorrhagic fever." Sarah said.

"Sarah, that's just what they're saying online. It's not that bad."

"But we've changed. All of us, didn't we? Something in the air infected us. It made us godless."

"Let me in. Let me see the girls."

"I'm not letting them out. They can't come outside. I won't let them."

"Let me in, Sarah, please." Esther said, as Sarah shuts the door on Esther.

"Mom, tell her to stop." A girl said, her voice nearby.

"Honey, I know this is crazy but, you're safe, I promise. Look, I'm working with these people and we're gonna stop this. I'm leaving town with them and we've got some things to do, but I'll come back as soon as I can. Please. Please let me say goodbye to the girls."

"No." Sarah said.

"Mom!" The girl said, her voice nearby.

"No."

"I'll come back as soon as I can, okay?" Esther asked.

Esther's car…

Esther makes a phone call, "Hello. Yeah, I'd like to report there are two children that I believe might be in danger. Melanie and Alice Drummond, daughters of Sarah Drummond. Their address is 1032 King Sovereign Road. I'm sorry, I can't give you my name. I just want you to help them."

Surveillance car…

The black car has the rotating triangle on its media screen.

"Confirmed. I found Esther Drummond. The pathway to Torchwood's open and clear." The assassin said.

"Follow her to Harkness. Do what you like with the others." The cousin said, their voice over the phone.

"And the miracle continues with health care throughout America now reaching a state of crisis." Candice said, on TV.

"The courts have been flooded with claims and counter claims as people adjust to a new form of life." NNM said, on TV.

"I had a heart attack in October. The company replaced me, but I can still work. It's not like I'm gonna die, am I? So if I have to sue them to get my job back, then I will." A sick man said, on TV.

"Who is there to speak for the living when the White House is silent? The Vatican is silent? The scientists are silent? Well, I am not." Monroe said, on TV.

"In business news, pharmaceutical companies are predicting record profits. PhiCorp has pledged a payback scheme in local communities around its Los Angeles headquarters." Candice said, on TV.

Venice Beach, California…

"Ugh. Twenty seven hundred miles. Man, am I sick of your ugly faces. I can't believe we were stuck with a station wagon while the Asians got the RV." Rex said, annoyed.

"For starters, the RV was big enough for five people. I needed them by my side." Jared said, smiling.

"Thanks for giving sissy and me the bed." Shirai said, happily.

They all get out of the estate car and RV and stretch. Jared, Mikoto, Shirai, Saten, and Uiharu stayed in the RV.

"Kuroko…" Mikoto said, whacking Shirai's head with her hand. "That's what you get after the twenty seven thousand miles in that RV."

"At least I got your approval sissy."

"Anyone got change for the meter? Last thing we need with stolen cars is getting a ticket." Rex said.

"No coins." Jack said. "And we're not using the arcade coins. In case we need Mikoto to use her Railgun."

"No, I've only got plastic. You said no plastic." Esther said, smiling.

Rex goes to a magazine vendor, "Hey, my man. You got change for a dollar?"

They head onto the beach.

"Wow, look at that horizon. We've reached the edge of America." Gwen said, happily.

"Decades since I saw the Pacific. Must be about seventy years." Jack said, smiling.

"Are you kidding when you say things like that?" Esther asked.

"Oh, ho, ho. I wonder."

"So where's PhiCorp from here?" Mikoto asked.

"I think it's ten miles that way."Jared said, looking down at the iPhone 4S. "It's in another city. The nearest PhiCorp headquarters is in LA. And we're at Venice Beach."

"We need to find somewhere to hide while we plan the assault." Jack said.

"Oh, can't we stay here by the sea? Not some stinking, dirty pit for once, Jack. Please?" Gwen asked.

Rex, Mikoto, Shirai, Saten, and Uiharu have got themselves something to eat.

A hippie woman hands Rex a leaflet, "Hey, man. Believe."

It says Dead is Dead. Rex sees them posted up all over the place, then makes a call.

Washington DC / Venice Beach…

"Can't get rid of you can I, dead man walking?" Vera asked.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let me ask you something. What is this Dead is Dead shit? I see posters all over the place." Rex said.

"It's the latest campaign. As if Oswald Danes wasn't bad enough, this one is led by Ellis Hartley Monroe. One of those small-town mayors trying to make a name for herself. Where are you?"

"Sorry, Doc, no can say. But if I wanted to know where I could get prescription drugs in Los Angeles, no questions asked, then you could make your own conclusions."

"And that's the only reason you called me?"

"Well, you are the doctor."

"What are you doing in LA?" Vera asked.

"I never said I was in LA." Rex said.

"Well, it might surprise you to learn that I haven't got my own private network of drug runners on the West Coast."

"Come on, Vera. You'll find a way. I've seen what you can do with the doctor patient relationship, and the Hippocratic oath, it doesn't cover it."

"Ellis Hartley Monroe started the Dead is Dead campaign, and do you know why? She thinks we should treat people who should have died as if they're already dead. And right now, I think she's got a point. I'm busy. Thank you, Rex."

"You are so gonna call me back."

"I am so not."

Abandoned hospital…

A group is being taken on a quick tour by a woman.

"We don't have all day, Doctor Juarez. This hospital has been empty since '92, '93. But it's still in remarkable condition, all things considered. So if you could listen. Now, we have representatives from City General, Saint Mary's, Saint Helen's, The Open Brook, Grand Maple Forest, Attenwood's and Woolsey Heights, yes? All of you with ICU Departments stretched to the breaking point. This would be the solution. We bring 'them all here, all the emergency patients en masse. Rather than fifteen hospitals at maximum capacity, we have one. This one." Bisme said.

"But this place is abandoned. We're gonna need equipment and staff." Vera said.

"All that taken into consideration, but the strategy would work."

"So we just put everyone inside and close the door? Do you know what they used to call that in the old days? A plague ship." Simran said.

"Let me stress this. This is a short term measure. The plan itself would have to be initiated by tomorrow."

"That's impossible." Vera said, crossing her arms.

"That's not enough time." Simran said.

"The people want a healthcare solution and they want it immediately. Now for most of the people, Miracle Day is just that, it's a miracle. People are beginning to move beyond the panic to the possibilities of a golden age." Bisme said.

"As long as the sick and the old are hidden away from sight." Vera said.

"Exactly. But let's not forget, this isn't anything new. The western world has always hidden its unwanted. We signed on for that a long time ago before any miracles appeared. And you, you said yourself, the plague ship is an old idea. Now I have set up a schedule and I've made a list of transport liaison managers. If you would just…"

Apartment…

The team are shown the accommodations by a hefty tattooed man.

"I'm not gonna pretend. It ain't nirvana. If you want somewhere with no questions asked, this is the best I've got." The landlord said.

"Well, as long as it's got electricity and a roof, this is all we need." Rex said.

"Hot water would be good." Esther said.

"I don't suppose it's any good asking who you are." The landlord said.

"We're the next generation of Symphogear." Jared said, smiling. "I'm the one in orange. That's all you need to know."

"I'm the one in red." Rex said.

"And I'm the blue one, but I'm not that big into swords." Gwen said.

"Yeah, and I'm the green one. Cash in hand, and there's more of that tomorrow as long as you don't tell anyone we're here. If anybody does ask, you let us know straight away." Jack said, handing the landlord some cash.

"Sure thing. By the way, if you get hungry, there's a cafe on the corner that does a guava jalapeno cheese tart that's just fabulous. Laters." The landlord said.

Their landlord leaves.

"Fabulous? What is it with you? You make everybody around you gay?" Rex asked.

"That's the plan." Jack said.

"Okay, now we can use this place as our delivery address, we can order that spare server. Then we start in on PhiCorp. But first thing we've got to do is lift out the security profile." Esther said.

Gwen's phone rings, "Oh, sorry, I've got to take this. Sorry. Er, yeah. I, sorry."

Venice Beach / Swansea…

"No, you know what Torchwood's like. It's terrible. We even brought in Japanese middle school girls from Academy City into this. I mean, we're living in this shed thing. And there's no electricity, there's no water, it's dark and cold and damp." Gwen said, annoyed.

"Huh. I thought it was boiling hot in Los Angeles all year round." Rhys said.

"Yeah, well, they lied, Rhys. They lied."

"What's that noise? Is that people?"

"Yeah, street gangs."

"Was that a seagull?"

"Er, it's a woman, er, on the rampage. A mad woman. Anyway, so how's my little girl?"

"Don't call me that, Gwen."

"You're very funny. Do I get to say hello?"

"No. It took me two hours to get her to sleep. She was fretting like mad. I'm not waking her, so tough." Rhys said.

"I'm not on holiday, Rhys. I'm out here working." Gwen said.

"Still tough. So, what's happening with PhiCorp then?"

"Uh, yeah, things. Esther's bouncing this signal off a Chinese satellite so I don't want to say too much just in case." Gwen said, and someone is taking photographs of her. "There's one thing you've got to sort out, okay, and that's my dad. They keep saying that the hospitals are full of MRSA, so can you get him out?"

"That's impossible, honestly, now. They said on the news no one's allowed to move. But he's safe enough, Gwen."

"I have never felt so far away. Look, I just don't trust the hospitals, Rhys. Please, there's go to be something you can do. Look, I've got to go, okay? I'm busy. They really need me. We're on a mission. Er, just get my dad out, Rhys, okay, and I'll phone you tonight."

"It's already tonight."

Gwen ends the call.

The photographer reports in, "Torchwood located."

Apartment…

They are using a plain wall as a big screen for the computers.

"Sorry. Rhys. Sorry." Gwen said, sadly.

"We've all got family. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can see them." Esther said, smiling.

"Okay, what do you need me to do?"

"Well, this PhiCorp raid means we need to lift out the security protocols on Jilly Kitzinger's files. You think you can do that?" Rex asked, looking at Gwen.

"Mmm hmm. Got Torchwood software ready and waiting." Gwen said, looking at her laptop.

"There is a lot of…" Danes said, on the wall.

"Jack, Jared, you're obsessed with Oswald Danes." Mikoto said, looking at the wall.

"Well, I'm going to put a permanent trace on him so we always know where he is." Jared said, typing away on his MacBook Pro.

"Well, what about Jilly Kitzinger? Have we found anything else on her?" Saten asked.

"She's freelance. She's been working with PhiCorp for about six months. She's good, but I don't think she's connected. She just happened to be at the right place at the right time." Rex said.

"Just like Oswald. We're wasting our time tracking them." Esther said.

"It's never a waste of time, because our greatest problem is that what's happened to the world is invisible. But quite by chance Oswald's found himself right at the heart of it. George Eliot wrote this chapter in Middlemarch. She said that if you take a piece of metal with random scratches all over it and hold a flame up to the metal, the scratches look like they're forming patterns circling around the light. And that's Oswald. He's blazing away and patterns are starting to revolve around him. And all we have to do is keep watching." Jack said.

Danes' hotel…

Danes is in a very nice hotel room, with a soft bed. He is enjoying listening to the fizz as he unfastened drinks bottles from the mini-bar. There is a knock on the door and Jilly enters. A guard's back can just be seen outside.

"Change of plans. Got some statistics here. You'll need to memorise them. The White House is planning some sort of rally in Los Angeles. We might have to move by the end of the week. But the good news is, PhiCorp has asked me to stay at your side full time. Evidently someone over there believes you're important. Who am I to argue?" Jilly asked.

"Glorious. I'll bet that's killing you, Miss Kitzinger, because you can't stand the sight of me." Danes said, happily.

"No I can't. No sir, not at all. But it is not my job to like you. I will find your coffee. I will accompany you to the studio, recommend whether Diane Sawyer is better than Piers Morgan. All that and more, but between me and you, it's your hands. I can't look at your hands without thinking about what they did."

"You ever wonder why anyone considers me important?"

"I'm sure someone's got a reason."

"Wouldn't you like to know what it is?"

"Very much so."

"How much do you know about our masters at PhiCorp? Because I did a little searching of my own last night. It's been a long, long time since I was allowed online. I tried to find out who's above PhiCorp, who owns them. And the strangest thing happened. The information just scattered away. All sorts of names and tangents and diversions, but nothing tangible. And that's when I recognised the pattern, because I've had a lot of experience perfecting how to hide myself online. And suddenly I'm looking at someone else doing the same but on a massive scale. Worldwide. I wonder why. Time to go." Danes said.

"What for?" Jilly asked.

"Central News, three thirty. Isn't that right?"

"If you would let me finish, they cancelled you. Apparently they've booked someone else."

"Who did they get?"

"Ellis Hartley Monroe, the darling of the Tea Party. She's been looped on channel 55 all day long, and she's radical." Jilly said, happily turning on the TV.

"I think someone's got to say it. Dead is Dead. We are surrounded by people who should have died. I'm sorry for them, yes, nut these people fill me with terror. Am I the only one brave enough to say it? They should have perished. I'm sorry, but they should. And by persisting, they are draining the resources of healthy living citizens. Now I'm nobody special, but I'm a mother and a voter and an American, and I'd like to think that that means something. This is what I want." Monroe said, on the TV.

"Looks like you've got a rival." Jilly said.

"The Dead is Dead campaign asks…"

"You'd better think of a line, Oswald, or you'll be yesterday's news."

"And taken to a place that's safe. And I mean safe for the rest of us."

Apartment…

"The Dead is Dead campaign asks that these citizens be removed from society and taken to a place that's safe." Monroe said, on TV.

"Um…all I have is a couple of aspirin." Jared said, looking inside his sling bag and taking out a bottle of aspirin.

"Thanks." Rex said, taking the bottle from Jared.

"Well, that's political pragmatism." Monroe said, on TV.

"Haven't you got family in California?" Esther asked.

"No, I'm from New York." Rex said.

"But when you were injured I went through your file, and…"

"There's no one."

"I appreciate that this is a delicate subject. Don't speak ill of the dead, my mother always told us." Monroe said, on TV.

"That's the problem with this job. Family always comes second." Esther said.

"I said there's no one! Okay?" Rex asked.

"Because Dead is Dead, and sometimes segregation is vital and necessary. Because these living deceased should not have equal rights. No sir. They should be removed. They should be contained. And then they should wait. Because I believe their passage to the afterlife has but paused. And when this miracle ends, death will find them. Their time will come and they will die." Monroe said, on TV.

Maurice's apartment…

An old man is returning with shopping when he sees his front door is open, so he gets out his concealed shotgun and enters cautiously.

"Don't shoot. It's me, Dad." Rex said, sadly.

"What the hell are you doing in my place?" Maurice asked.

"Getting these." Rex said, picking up a bottle of Metanec pain killers.

"You put them back. Those are mine."

"Looks like stolen property to me."

"So what if they are? You gonna arrest me?"

"CIA agents don't arrest people, Dad. You know that."

"Yeah, then what? You gonna torture me? You people, you've already ruined the world and now you want to take away a man's livelihood?" Maurice asked.

"Somehow this is my fault?" Rex asked.

"You and your precious government. You changed the rules on us. Don't tell me this ain't some damn experiment. I don't want to live forever, especially like this."

"Put the gun down, Dad."

"Don't you tell me what to do. Not in my…" Maurice said, while Rex gets the shotgun off his father. "Son of a bitch. Give me that back."

"No, you're liable to shoot somebody." Rex said.

"It ain't even loaded."

"Really?" Rex asked, breaking the gun open to see two shells in the barrels.

"Well, so what if it is? I need protection living in this dump." Maurice said.

"But you don't have to live this way. Don't you understand that?"

"Don't you pretend to give a shit if I live or die."

"Please, come on, please. Don't give me…"

"You never cared for anybody and you know it."

"Don't give me that. That's bullshit, Dad. That's bullshit and you know it." Rex said.

"What did you come here for, Rex? Tell me that. What the hell did you come here for?" Maurice asked.

"I got hurt, Dad. I got hurt bad." Rex said, showing his father the wound where the steel rod went through his heart.

"So what? I've been dying out here for fifteen years. You never once cared. Get the hell out."

Apartment…

Mikoto and Shirai unpacks their new server.

"So to recap, there's over a hundred dedicated servers identical to that one inside the PhiCorp building, all containing corporate data." Esther said.

"According to Jilly Kitzinger's information, number one hundred thirteen's server is secured. It is accessible by only the top worker." Uiharu said, standing on the other side of the projector screen.

"That's our target." Jared said, happily.

"And when PhiCorp says secure, they mean secure."

"Uiharu and I have never seen firewalls like this before. Our only option is to steal number one thirteen, to physically take it and cover our tracks by leaving a duplicate in its place." Esther said.

"And the duplicate we have is empty." Shirai said.

"So we damage it. Fire damage. PhiCorp will think the information's lost, not stolen and they won't overreact." Uiharu said, smirking.

Gwen's phone rings, "Oh, sorry. It's off."

Swansea…

Rhys gets a text - Not Now! while he is feeding baby Anwen.

"That's your mother, that is. How do you like that then, eh?" Rhys asked.

Apartment…

"All right, I can scout out the building. So how are you gonna get me inside?" Rex asked.

"I don't think so. Not your mission, Agent Matheson. You're still on CIA lists. It's way too risky to pass you through security." Jack said.

"And what makes you any better?" Rex asked.

"Jack wiped me, himself, and Jared off the map, remember? He's got a piece of software that removes any reference to Torchwood online." Gwen said, happily.

"And removing the reference to Torchwood also removes my involvement with the Avengers, Sarah Jane Smith, and Sherlock Holmes. Which in turn keeps them safe."Jared said, smiling. "There's no record of us, unlike you. I am trying to keep the involvement of the Railgun and her friends to a low, Rex."

"Okay, Dead is Dead. That's me, huh?" Rex asked.

"Rex, you're a better strategist than any of us. Maybe you can figure out what to do next. Let's check this out. This is the IT centre where the servers are housed. Floor 33, maximum security, completely enclosed. We need to gain access, but it's restricted with some heavy duty biometrics." Esther said.

"There's only one man that can get complete access to the servers. It's the man who designed it. His name is Nicholas Frumkin." Uiharu said.

"Well, what kind of biometrics? I mean, what level?" Mikoto asked.

"Every entry needs voice print, palm print, iris recognition by him and him alone." Esther said.

"Okay. Then I know exactly what you need to do." Rex said, looking between Jack and Gwen.

Park…

Jack and Gwen are strolling hand in hand when they meet a couple pushing a baby in a stroller.

Gwen uses a Minnesotan accent, "Oh, hey. My gosh, look at her. She is a beauty. Hey, baby."

"Don't I know you? I swear we've met before. You're er…" Jack said, looking at Frumkin.

"I'm Nicholas." Frumkin said.

"That's right. Nicholas Jackson, isn't it?"

"No, Nicholas Frumkin."

"Yeah, yeah. I think we've met."

Apartment…

"Yes." Uiharu said, looking at Esther.

Back at the apartment, the computer plays that back for Esther and Uiharu.

"Nicholas Frumkin. Nicholas Frumkin. Nicholas Frumkin." The computer said.

Park…

"My name's John Smith."Jack said, shaking Frumkin's hand.

"Your baby is just so amazing. She's just awesome." Gwen said, looking down at Frumkin's baby.

"She's a keeper, isn't she?"

Gwen holds out an aluminium drinks bottle, "Would you mind holding that for me? Thank you so much."

Later, Shirai will spray the metal bottle to reveal Frumkin's fingerprints.

"Look at you. Wow. Oh, thank you. I'll just take that off you." Gwen said, carefully placing the water bottle by the handle and straight into her bag.

"Hey, doesn't she remind you of our little girl?" Jack asked.

"Yeah. Oh, you should see her."

"You know, we'd better be moving along. It's lunch hour, you know, so…" Frumkin said, sadly.

But Jack and Gwen have got the photograph on their phone.

"Oh, there she is." Jack said.

"There she is. Her name is Sally Anne Louise Matilda Jane. We couldn't choose." Gwen said.

"She's beautiful." Frumkin said.

"Thank you, I know. Look at her little face!" Gwen said, pushing the phone almost into Frumkin's eye, and the computer grabs his iris pattern.

Apartment…

"We got it." Uiharu said, looking back at Saten.

Park…

"So it was er, it was awesome meeting you. Just super good." Gwen said.

"Yeah, you too. See you around." Frumkin said.

"Sure thing, hot diggity."

"See you later. Take care." Jack said, while the couples part. "You're so never doing that accent again."

"That was Jared's idea for me to do a Minnesotan accent. I can't believe he made me do that, Jack. I am mortified. I'm absolutely mortified." Gwen said, frowning.

The man has been watching them.

Abandoned hospital…

Everyone is wearing surgical masks as the place gets set up.

"I thought you had a system." Vera said.

"We did have a system. The system fell apart. Saint Helen's and Open Brook sent all their patients here at the same time. We can't even move them upstairs." A male nurse said.

"Why not?"

"Second floor, no electricity. This building has been abandoned for twenty years. Then we get all the patients from Conniston Drive."

"But that's a hospice."

"The hospices are closing down. They're redundant. But their intake is still sick."

"So they just sent them without asking?"

"You know how long it takes to process one patient? Imagine what we're dealing with. Hey, the public's not allowed inside." The male nurse said, as a woman entered the room with her father.

"Look, just take him. Take him! That's his books and his pills and he likes that old sweater." The woman said.

"You can't just dump him here with us."

"Yeah? Well, I'm sick of it. I'm sick of his piss and his smell. Everything he eats he throws up. Am I supposed to look after him forever now? I'm not doing it. I tried but I can't, okay?" The woman asked, leaving the hospital room.

"But, but you can't. Ma'am!" The male nurse said, angrily.

Vera heads into a makeshift ward, "That hallway should be empty. Go and fetch Mister Holland. This is disgraceful."

"Doctor, help." A patient said.

"Hey, why don't we get masks?" A sick man asked.

"I know. I'm sorry, but we haven't got our procedures right yet. Just give us a little more time." Vera said.

"I don't want to lie next to these. They're like corpses."

"I know, I'm sorry, but they aren't actually dead."

"What if they're infectious?"

"Can't you take the baby outside? It's not safe in here. They keep talking about disease." A sick woman said, and there was a baby crying.

"Is she yours?" Vera asked.

"I don't know who she is. She's not my problem. She was just left there. No one's checked on her in twenty minutes. It's not my job."

"For God's sake, there's not paperwork with that baby. There's no ID. This is ridiculous. Find Sally Richter. Tell her it's an emergency. Tell her I said so. Doctor Juarez, City General."

Outside the abandoned hospital…

"Look at this. And we're calling it a sterile area?" Vera asked, looking at Bisme.

"Teething troubles. The transfer itself seems to be working on the whole." Bisme said.

"Yeah, until we get cholera."

"Doctor Juarez, I told you this is a temporary measure. It's only for a short term."

"Then? What happens next?"

"I'm not at liberty to say." Bisme said.

"I am on the medical panel." Vera said.

"One of the panels. One of the many panels. One of the fifteen, and that's in DC alone. I guarantee plans are being made and we'll make…"

Monroe is giving an interview, "No, that's not fair, ladies and gentlemen. The slogan Dead is Dead is hardly appropriate on hospital grounds. But this project demonstrates the bold thinking that we need in America. Behind me, we have people in the right place. It's as simple as that. People in the right place. Behind those doors they pose no danger to society."

"Over here!" A reporter said, angrily.

Limousine…

Jilly joins Danes in the back, "Tiny little problem."

"Those cameras were here for me." Danes said, looking at Jilly.

"I know." Jilly asked.

"It's just a timing malfunction, that's all. The moment I lose my platform, I get thrown back to the mob. And I'm not doing that. Do you hear me? I'm never going back. So if you don't want me angry with you, missy, if you don't want PhiCorp angry with you, you're gonna put this right. Is that understood?"

"Perfectly." Jilly said, getting out of the limousine.

"The words of Ellis Hartley Monroe, a philosophy which is now sweeping around the country. She's put drug campaigners such as Oswald Danes in the shade as her popularity soars. The Dead is Dead campaign has connected with the public…" The radio said.

Outside the abandoned hospital…

"This is why I need your pledges and support, not for me, but for the greater good. Because I want to fund a programme nationwide that rebuilds our wonderful cities, that zones them to redistribute the population in accordance with the Miracle. This would be a new America, a new world, a new heaven. Now it seems to me we've relied too much on the pharmaceutical companies, or as I call them, drug dealers. Companies like PhiCorp profit off disaster and I think that's wrong." Monroe said.

Danes has donned a surgical mask and is standing at the hospital door.

"Oswald! Oswald!" The reporters said, at the same time.

"He's going in, Mrs Monroe. Why don't you?" A female reporter asked.

Abandoned hospital…

"We'll keep these doors closed because this must be hygienic. See? Very hygienic." Danes said, closing the hospital doors.

Outside the abandoned hospital…

"Brave man. I wouldn't go in there." Simran said.

"Do you know who that is?" Vera asked.

Abandoned hospital…

Danes talks to the patients, "I think that they are scared of you. But not me. I'm not scared of you. How, after all, how could I be? Because we're the same. Yes, we are. I am just the same as you. Just the same."

"I'm so cold." An old woman said.

"Oh, it's all right. Of course. Of course. Here, hang on. Just a moment, please. There we go." Danes said, fetching the old woman another blanket. "Everything will be fine. There. How is that?"

"Oswald! Oswald!" The reporters said, outside.

"You've been abandoned, all of you. You're the unwanted. And there are people out there who are preaching all sorts of dangerous lies about you. And who is out there talking on your behalf? Hmm? I'm here to tell you, I will. I promise I will. Because you need help. You need food. And you need security. And I swear to you, I will not rest until those things are given to you. And I will help you." Danes said.

"Bless you." A patient said, smiling.

"Yes, and you. I'm here to help. I will help all of you. Yes, join with me now. And I can understand your pain, all of you. I understand it because I have suffered the same as you."

"I still recognise you behind that mask. You bastard." The sick man said.

"That's okay. No, that's fine. I understand, sir. I will not hide. I have come in here to stand beside you. And I am proud of that, sir. I will not hide my face." Danes said, removing the surgical mask and the reporters outside can see it through the windows. "But we're the same. Don't you see? I was supposed to die. I was abandoned and I was faithless, and I was lost. Look at me. Look at me. I mean, after the miracle, I have risen. Oh, I have risen with unending life. And I can promise all of you that same rapture."

"Oswald, over here!" The reporters said, outside.

"Please, whoever you are, this child's been abandoned. Can't you get her some help?" The sick woman asked, looking at the baby.

"Oh, poor little thing. Of course. You see, she's fine now. Dead is not dead. No, not anymore. Life is life. Aw, look at her. I can promise you with all my heart, this little girl will live forever and ever, and ever, and ever!" Danes said, picking up the baby.

Outside the abandoned hospital…

The reporters are going crazy as Danes holds up the abandoned baby for them to see through the windows.

Jilly is on the phone, "Listen, clear the damn schedule. It is Oswald twenty four seven from here on out. Doctor Juarez."

"This is disgusting." Vera said, rolling her eyes.

"I know! Jilly said, happily.

"Oswald! Oswald!" The reporters said, angrily.

"If you think I'm sharing a camera with that man. What the hell am I paying you for? Get a hold of Fox, tell them I'm heading for New York." Monroe said, taking a coffee from the chauffeur then gets into her car.

Monroe's limo…

"Hotel then airport. No, hotel first, then I need to see Mister Coulidge. Can you find his address? It's in the book. This coffee tastes kind of weird." Monroe said, dropping the cup, then passes out.

The chauffeur contacts the people behind the triangle.

Frumkin's car…

In an underground parking garage, Nicholas Frumkin gets into his vehicle. A man pops up from the back seat and puts a knife to his throat. He also has a recorder.

"What do you want?" Frumkin asked.

"What's your name, sir?" The assassin asked.

"I'll give you money."

"I just need your name. Nice and clear, if you could." The assassin said, holding up the recorder.

"Frumkin. Nicholas Frumkin." Frumkin said, sadly.

"There's an organisation, Mister Frumkin, called Torchwood. Now, I'm only telling you this so you know who's to blame. Torchwood is about to access your secure site with a student-based disciplinary committee called Judgement, which means I also need access using your biometrics."

"I can tell you how to get in. There's a code."

"No, there's not."

"There is. I swear to you, there's a code that you can use to…"

"Shush, shush, shush. I'm afraid I studied all the specifications. The protocol is quite clear. I need the biometrics of poor Nicholas Frumkin. Which means firstly your voice. Consider that done. And then…"

"Please. Please don't. Please." Frumkin said, terrified.

"It's your system, which means it's your fault. Because the next thing I need is the palm of your hand, and then one of your eyes. But just one." The assassin said.

"No!"

"Don't worry, no one dies."

"Argh!"

Apartment…

"Let's go, sissy!" Shirai said, getting close to Mikoto. "This blow torch warms my heart as it warms you…"

Mikoto and Shirai are using a blowtorch on the server hard drives, to imitate fire damage. Mikoto then zaps Shirai with a bit of electricity through her ability.

"Now isn't the time, Kuroko." Mikoto said, an electrical shock coming out of her head. "God. When will you realize it?"

Truck…

Esther, Uiharu, and Saten are monitoring the Eye-5s, which the screen says are online.

"Is everything online?" Saten asked.

"Yeah. We have a good signal." Uiharu said.

"Ui….ha….ru!" Saten said, flicking Uiharu's skirt up with her hands to cause her friend to yell in embarrassment.

"Saten! Is now the time?" Uiharu asked.

"Mhm. You're sporting the four leaf clovers again."

"Besides those two doing whatever they were doing. Those five clowns should be in position. I'll go check that 105 access. You know, I should be running this operation, not going to check the road. I'll be back." Rex said, leaving the truck.

Esther makes a call.

"Social Services." Veronica said, her voice coming out of the phone.

"Hi. Yes, I'm calling from FBI. police liaison. I was given this number by Susan Malpass. I just need to check some details on, let me see, the name's Drummond. Sarah Drummond, King Sovereign Road." Esther said.

Social services / Truck…

"I've got it right here. Children Alice, seven and Melanie, eight." Veronica said

"That's it. We're just chasing an update." Esther said.

"Well, they're in the system now."

"Right. I'm sorry. What does that mean?"

"It'll take a few days. They'll stay at Brayden Long Heights until we can find them foster homes. We'll try and keep them together. It shouldn't be too much of a problem."

"I'm sorry. Are you saying that they've been removed from the home?" Esther asked

"That's right. This morning at eight a.m." Veronica said.

"I thought you said you were gonna work with the family."

"We tried. Of course we did. But it wasn't considered safe, and the mother has been admitted for psych."

"She what?"

"She's been under observation in the psych ward under the care of a Doctor, where is it? Doctor Cottesloe. That's it. No report on file yet. Should be something in tomorrow or the next couple of days." Veronica said.

"What happened? How did she end up like that?" Esther asked.

"What did you say your name was?"

"Where is she? Where is she now?"

"I'm sorry, who are you exactly? Can I ask what's the reason for this call?"

Truck…

Esther rings off.

"Esther? You okay?" Uiharu asked.

"I'm fine. Uiharu." Esther said, looking at Uiharu. "Okay. Okay, okay."

"You don't look okay." Saten said, while Esther is starting to dial another number. "Want us to leave you alone?"

"I'm fine." Esther said, as Rex returns.

"Access is fine. Okay, let's see those five do their stuff." Rex said.

PhiCorp HQ…

Gwen and Mikoto check their appearances.

Gwen has her hair pinned back, red lipstick, tight black dress and high heels. Mikoto has her hair pinned back and she is wearing a suit and dress shoes.

Gwen looks like a business woman while Mikoto looks like a business man with the two wearing pairs of Eye-5 contact lenses.

"Okay, here we go. Let's go, Railgun." Gwen said, looking at Mikoto.

"Yeah. Let's." Mikoto said, smiling.

Truck…

Uiharu types good luck. Rex scoffs.

"What is wrong with good luck?" Esther asked.

"It's kids' stuff. Torchwood and Judgement keeps treating this like it's a game." Rex said, as Esther's phone beeps. "Oh, I'm sorry. Are we interrupting you? Who could be sending you messages right now?"

"It's just this thing. It's personal." Esther said.

"No one should have that number."

"Be quiet, Rex. We're in." Uiharu said, smiling.

PhiCorp lobby…

"Can I help you?" The lobby guard asked.

"Hi. Yes, we're here for the training sessions." Mikoto said.

"Your names?"

Gwen and Mikoto hand over fake passports.

"Yvonne Pallister and Jamie Bond, international sales." Gwen said.

"Only problem is I don't see any training going on today." The lobby guard said.

"We got an email last night from Lorraine in Human Resources."

"I'll call them."

"Okay." Mikoto said, smiling.

Truck / PhiCorp lobby…

Uiharu intercepts the call, "PhiCorp Human Resources. This is Lorraine. How may I help you?"

"Yeah, I have an Yvonne Pallister and Jamie Bond down here. They say there's some kind of training." The lobby guard said.

"Yes. Send them right up. Floor twenty one." Uiharu said.

PhiCorp lobby…

"Okay. Floor twenty one. Go on up." The lobby guard said.

"Thank you." Mikoto said, walking away with Gwen.

PhiCorp service area…

Jack backs up a delivery lorry and opens the rear.

"Hold up. Hold up. Who are you?" A burly guard asked.

"Delivery." Jack said.

"I don't have anything on my schedule."

"It says Human Resources."

Another intercepted phone call.

Truck…

"Human Resources. Yes, our document shredder had crapped out. We had to rush a new one. Send it on up." Esther said.

PhiCorp service area…

"Sure thing. Go on up. Need some help?" The burly guard asked.

"No, I'm good." Jack said, happily.

Truck…

Tears are running down Esther's face.

"What's wrong with you?" Rex asked.

"Nothing." Esther said, sadly.

PhiCorp…

Gwen and Mikoto meet Jack at the service lift.

"Hello, handsome. Love the uniform." Gwen said.

"Ditto. Come on." Jack said.

"Oh, hold on. Whoever wears heels to work is heroic. Why do women put up with these things? Look at 'them." Gwen said, removing her shoes and holds them up.

"The fire department's average response time is twelve minutes. When they arrive, Esther and Uiharu are gonna direct them to the fourteenth floor." Jack said.

Shirai teleports in with Jared, as they reunite with the others.

"Hello, sissy." Shirai said, hugging Mikoto tightly. "You look wonderful in a suit. Well, the distraction should buy us another five minutes before they start checking other floors."

"Yup." Jared said, grabbing Mikoto's hand.

"Let's go, mistress, fanboy, Railgun, and Shirai." Jack said, setting fire to his delivery note then blows it out under a smoke detector to set off the alarm.

Truck…

"Well, there's a fire on the fourteenth." Uiharu said, typing on the laptop.

PhiCorp floor 33…

"Please exit the building." Someone on the speaker said.

The staff leave in a quiet and orderly manner. Jack, Gwen, Mikoto, Shirai, and Jared arrive outside the server room.

"Please state your full name." The computer said.

Gwen plays back the recording.

"Nicholas Frumkin." Frumkin said, on tape.

"Please place your right hand on the sensors as indicated." The computer said, and Frumkin's prints have been transferred to a latex glove, which Gwen is wearing. "Please look closely at the circle below."

Truck…

"Iris in five." Esther said.

PhiCorp floor 33…

The Eye 5 transforms to Frumkin's iris pattern.

"Access granted." The computer said.

"I never thought that would work." Gwen said.

"Welcome back, Nicholas."

Truck…

"They're in. That's a relief." Saten said, looking at the monitor.

"Good. Esther, you want to tell me what's wrong?" Rex asked, looking at Esther.

"My sister. Child Protective Services. They took her kids." Esther said, sadly.

"And they've got your number?"

"No, I set up a relay. It's anonymous, okay?"

"All right."

"And if you really want me to be heartless, Rex, I'm the one that reported her. Happy now?"

PhiCorp server room…

"Server one thirteen." Jared said, grabbing Shirai's hand.

"Little bastard." Gwen said, as she is about to start disconnecting cables when her phone beeps.

Truck…

They see this through the Eye-5s.

"Now she's on the telephone? What the hell is wrong with you people?" Rex asked.

PhiCorp server room / Cardiff hospital…

"Yeah, Anwen all right?" Gwen asked.

"She's fine. She's at home. Look, I know you're busy, but I was just phoning about your dad." Rhys said.

"Is he okay?"

"He's fine. Same as ever, no change. I just saw him and he sends his love. But I did what you said and I made a fuss about getting him moved."

"Okay. Look, I haven't got time for this, sweetheart. Just tell me, can you get him out of there?" Gwen asked.

"Yes I can. Shall I go ahead?" Rhys asked.

"Oh, I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. Just do it and leave me alone. Oh, and give Anwen a big kiss. Okay? Bye." Gwen said, ending the call with Rhys.

They swap the PhiCorp hard drives for the burnt ones in the packing case. Jack, Mikoto, Shirai, and Jared leaves Gwen to finish off reconnecting.

"Good luck." Jack said.

"Okay, go." Gwen said.

Truck…

Esther talks and types, "Reattach six five five dash three two one."

"But still, it must have been tough, though." Rex said.

"There's nothing else I could have done. She wouldn't even let me see them. She had the house all barricaded up." Esther said, sadly.

"Wait, you saw the house?" Saten asked.

"Well, yeah. Of course Esther would, Saten. She had to look out for her family." Uiharu said, pouting.

"Esther, you went by the house! What if you were followed? Oh my God, you're such an idiot." Rex said, annoyed.

"I'm doing my job, okay? And then three two two to three four zero." Esther said.

"You've compromised the security of the entire mission! Come on!"

PhiCorp server room…

The assassin sneaks up behind Gwen.

"Three two two. Okay, three two four." Gwen said, realizing there is someone behind her, turns and gets punched.

Truck…

"I've lost her. I've lost Gwen." Esther said, looking at the monitor.

"But we still have Misaka." Uiharu said, looking at her monitor.

"What the hell just happened?" Rex asked.

PhiCorp service area…

"Oh no…" Mikoto said, frowning.

Jack, Mikoto, Shirai, and Jared open up the back of the delivery truck to see the burly guard with a tight ligature around his neck.

"Sissy…" Shirai said, sadly. "What happened?"

"Gwen." Jack and Jared said, at the same time.

Truck…

"Well, output from the Eye-5s goes dead without consciousness." Uiharu said, looking at her monitor. "That's what Jared told me when I was testing them out."

"Oh. So Gwen is now unconscious? While Misaka is awake?" Saten asked, looking at Esther.

"I don't know." Esther said.

"Esther, I warned you!" Rex said, angrily.

PhiCorp server room…

The door is still ajar. Jack draws his gun and enters with Jared, Mikoto, and Shirai. They find Gwen bound and gagged with a computer cable.

"Gwen! Can you hear me?" Jack asked, dropping his gun.

Truck…

"Are you all right?" The computer asked.

"It's back. Oh, no." Esther said, her eyes widening.

"Can you hear me?"

PhiCorp Server room…

"Gwen, who did this to you?" Mikoto asked.

The assassin knocks Jack, Jared, Mikoto, and Shirai out.

"Sis…" Shirai said, her eyes closing.

Truck…

"Misaka…" Uiharu said, sadly.

Esther, Rex, Saten, and Uiharu get to see the spy's face.

"Shirai." Saten said, frowning.

"Oh no, no. Please God, no." Esther said, looking at the monitor.

"God damn it! Esther, this is all your fault!" Rex said, angrily.

PhiCorp…

The lift is up on 33. The guards are all hors de combat.

"Come on. Come on. Esther, Uiharu, can you override this elevator?" Rex asked.

Truck / PhiCorp…

"We can't. The fire department has shut down the building's system." Uiharu said, looking at the monitor.

"Okay." Rex said.

"Rex, it's thirty three floors. Sixty six flights of stairs and you've got a ruptured chest." Esther said.

"Oh, man. Good luck."

PhiCorp server room…

Jack, Jared, Mikoto, and Shirai suddenly wake up to find themselves tied to servers with computer cables.

"Ah! Ah!" Jack said, terrified.

"Jack. Jared. You okay?" Gwen asked, looking between Jack and Jared.

"Yeah." Jack said.

"We are." Jared said, looking at Mikoto and Shirai. "Mikoto? Shirai? What about you two?"

"Computer cables. That's new." Mikoto said.

"It is, sissy. What happened?" Shirai asked.

"I did." The assassin said.

Truck…

"I'm so sorry." Esther said, letting out a lot of tears.

PhiCorp server room…

"Who the hell are you?" Gwen asked.

"Names aren't important right now." The assassin said.

"Oh great, he's cryptic." Mikoto said, an electrical shock coming out of her head.

"What do you want?" Jared asked.

"Well, clearly, I want Jack dead." The assassin said.

"Then why am I still alive?" Jack asked.

"That's the point. It's got to be said Miracle Day has hardly been advantageous for those in my line of work, the day the killing stopped. But I can't tell you, Jack, how wonderful it is, how truly wonderful it is to meet somebody who's mortal. It's my holy grail."

"If he's the only one that can die, then it's in your interest to keep him alive." Shirai said, looking at the assassin.

"That's exactly what I'm doing. Haven't you noticed the absence of killing? Because this captain fascinates me. I've been paid to eradicate him, but that only makes me wonder why. What makes you so different?" The assassin asked.

"I don't know." Jack said, sadly.

"And yet you're the only one left, the only true human."

"If I knew, I would tell you. I'm trying to find out the same thing myself." Jack said.

Esther and Uiharu types to both Gwen and Mikoto respectively - ask who's employing him.

"Yes, I know. Thank you." Gwen said, annoyed.

"Who employs you?" Mikoto asked.

"Don't you have any idea, Jack? They told me it was a very long time ago. Don't you remember?" The assassin asked.

"Who? Who told you that?" Jack asked.

"This would be so simple in the old days. Tell me what I want, or I'll slit Gwen Cooper's throat. I keep wondering during these miraculous days, would it be better or worse knowing that her pain will last forever? I think better." The assassin said, his knife close to Gwen's throat.

"Leave her alone!" Jack said, angrily.

"Then tell me!"

"I don't know."

Rex is gasping his way up the stairs.

"You're very special to them, Jack. They trust me enough to tell me that. But I hear rumours of miracles yet to come, of a new society being forged here on Earth, and I'd like to guarantee my place. So, tell me, what did you give them so long ago?" The assassin asked.

"When?" Jack asked.

"Tell me who's employing you." Gwen said.

"You'll never stop them, for this is who they certainly are. They are everywhere." The assassin said.

PhiCorp floor 26…

Rex stumbles, and drops his gun with a clatter. His shirt is covered in blood. A Dead is Dead leaflet is on the stairs.

"Shit." Rex said, annoyed.

PhiCorp server room…

"They are always. They are no one. They have been waiting for such a long time. Searching the world for a specific geography." The assassin said.

"What the hell does that mean?" Jack asked.

"That means that they've found it. And they've made it magnificent." The assassin said, putting away his knife and takes out his gun.

"Who are they?!" Mikoto exclaimed.

"They once had names." The assassin said.

Truck…

"Long ago." The computer said.

PhiCorp server room…

"And those names were…" The assassin said, when Rex empties his gun clip into him.

The assassin falls against the wall, leaving a smear, and gurgles into unconsciousness.

"Oh, shit." Rex said, his eyes widening.

"He was just about to tell us." Gwen said, sadly.

"Thanks? Anybody? Thanks?"

"And you shot him in the throat."

"Yeah, well, dead is dead."

"It's such an unfortunate phrase, Dead is Dead. It's coarse. I know, as a survivor, it's hurtful. The last thing that we need right now is a campaign that's going to empower the mob." Danes said, on TV.

"The words of Oswald Danes are quickly becoming a worldwide phenomena." Candice said, on TV.

"Today the story of Danes and the abandoned child truly went viral." NMM said, on TV.

Japanese reporter, Spanish reporter.

"As the White House stays silent, we ask, is Oswald Danes now becoming the voice of the people? Is he the one true representative of this miracle age?" NMM asked, on TV.

TV studio…

Backstage.

"You are trending like never before, you clever bastard." Jilly said, happily.

"Miss Kitzinger, you make it all sound planned. I was just trying to help those unfortunate souls." Danes said, looking at Jilly.

"Well, it's working. Guess what they're calling you in France. The Sainted Danes."

"That's almost blasphemous."

"And now you're a definite for the Miracle Rally. Flights are booked to Los Angeles. They want you to speak from the stage and guess who you're replacing." Jilly said.

"Ellis Hartley Monroe?" Danes asked.

"Ellis Hartley Monroe. Oh, she must be livid."

"We contacted the office of Ellis Hartley Monroe asking for a response but they told us that Mrs Monroe will not be making any statements for the foreseeable future." Candice said, on TV.

Monroe's limo…

Monroe wakes up bound and gagged, still in the back of her car, but in a wrecker's yard.

"Mrs Monroe? We'd like to apologise. We're really very, very sorry about this. Indeed, we'd like to imagine if time and tides had flown a different way, we could have almost been friends. I hope that's some consolation at the end." The cousin said, through the car's speaker.

The grabber picks up the limo.

"The truth of it is, we liked your message, Mrs Monroe. We liked your style, but we already have Oswald Danes. We don't need another. And certain aspects of your strategy were revealing our hand just a little too soon. And we have been planning this so carefully for such a long time." The cousin said, through the car's speaker.

The limo gets dropped into the crusher.

"Because we are everywhere. We are always. We are no one. And soon the families will rise." The cousin said, through the car's speaker.

The compacter disgorges a cube of crushed car. Deep inside, an eye flickers from side to side.

(Jared's POV)

Apartment…

"Got anything?" I asked, sipping on some bubble tea.

"Oh, it's gonna take days, weeks, but Uiharu and I are rushing through a primary sift for basic patterns." Esther said.

"Good morning." Jack said, looking at Rex.

"Yeah." Rex said.

"Thanks again for saving my ass yesterday."

"I was saving their asses. World War Two, you were just gravy." Rex said, looking at Mikoto, Shirai, Gwen, and I.

"I'm sorry I made such a mess of it." Esther said, sadly.

"That was your final warning. You give it any more thought? That maniac said it was someone you knew." Rex said.

"Not that easy when you've lived through thousands of years." Jack said, frowning.

"Gonna keep talking that shit, huh?"

"We got it! This is the first basic pattern. And they're land prices. Our estimates for it date back years. And they're linked to these construction plans." Uiharu said, loading something up on the wall.

"Plans for what?" Saten asked.

"They're calling them overflow camps for all the patients in ICU. Looks like PhiCorp is taking charge of them, like they own them. Sold some kind of strategy to the UN." Esther said.

"PhiCorp and whoever else is behind them. But what the hell are they up to?" Gwen asked.

"Whatever it is, I bet it ain't good." Rex said.

"It doesn't look good." Shirai said, letting out a sigh. "Since it is PhiCorp."

Gwen's phone rings, "Bollocks! Bollocks! I am so, so sorry. I have been so busy I didn't ring you back. But look, I'm gonna call you back in half an hour and that is a promise."

Cardiff Hospital / Apartment…

The beds in the corridors are empty.

"Calm down. Don't worry. I'm phoning with good news, that's all. It's about your dad." Rhys said, happily.

"What is it? What's happened?" Gwen asked.

"I said it's good news. Now stop and listen, you daft thing. I've got him onto that scheme, top of the list."

"What scheme?"

"Government's stepped in to prop up the NHS. They're spending millions, they said. They're building these sort of camps to help people."

"Overflow camps?" Gwen asked.

"Aye, that's it. And I got your dad inside the South Wales site." Rhys said, smiling.

"Okay, Rhys, listen to me. Do not let them go. Do not let them take my father. I haven't got time to explain, just bloody move."

"They just moved him out."

"Then stop them, okay? This is bloody PhiCorp, Rhys, and they are up to something. Move! Don't let them go! Just get him back. Get him back now!" Gwen said, angrily.

But the last of the ambulances have just left.

"Gwen? It's too late." Rhys said, sadly.

Apartment…

"They've got my dad, Jack, Jared, Mikoto. They've got my dad." Gwen said, looking at Jack, Mikoto, and I.