First I knew, they called up from the morgue. They were laughing. They said, "What's happening up there? You on strike?" Turns out, no one had died. Twenty-four hours since this hospital had a death. Not one. Not from old age, not from injury, not from sickness. All day long.
EstherCould be just a coincidence, I suppose.
That's what I said, yeah. Then I was on a call to St. Jude's in Chicago. They said, "Well, here's a funny thing. Past twenty-four hours, we've registered no deaths." Not one. So I called my ex-husband - he's at Cedar Brook - same story. All day, no deaths. I tried London. I have this friend at the Royal Free Hospital. I called her. She said, "Oh, that's weird. It's the same thing over here." Twenty-four hours, no one's died. What do you think of that, hm? One lucky day.
Esther
Torchwood, that wasn't a virus. It's gotta be some sort of malware.
NNoah
It's like nothing I've ever seen. The word "Torchwood" has vanished. It's been eradicated. If you search for "Torchwood," you get no results. Nothing gets no results.
Esther
There's gotta be something on paper.
NNoah
Shelves are buried. It's all gone. I asked Yvonne. She said it was classified under the 456 regulations. She said you want to stay away.
Esther
Why?
NNoah
They all died. So the story goes, anyone that worked for Torchwood was killed in action. And they died young.
Esther
That man-
He was after me, not you.
Esther Why? Why would he want you dead?
On the very day that no one's dying? Wish I knew. And what got you so involved?
Esther
I'm not even authorized for this, but this friend of mine, I was telling him about Torchwood and he crashed his car while I was talking to him. And I can't help but thinking that it's all my fault.
Esther
So what is Torchwood?
Torchwood no longer exists.
Esther
Then what was it? Because there were photos in that file of a man who looked just like you, but it said 1939, then 1925. Is he your father?
I suppose it must be. [grimaces]
Esther
Are you all right?
Esther
Considering what we just went through, I would say that was a miracle.
Yeah, another one. The Torchwood Institute was set up by the British Royal Family in 1879 to defend the realm of Great Britain by investigating the unusual, the strange. And the alien.
Esther
I'm kind of guessing alien doesn't mean foreign.
Alien. As in extraterrestrial.
Esther
Oh, my God.
This whole situation worldwide, that's exactly the kind of thing we used to investigate.
Esther
Torchwood, they said that people died, but there was that other photo. Gwen Cooper. There was no date of death.
She's still alive. The last one left. And I'm gonna keep her safe, which means making sure that the Institute stays dead and buried.
Esther
So that first email last night, the one that just said Torchwood? [takes a drink of water]
Wasn't me. God knows who it was. But that was enough to call me back, and I got to work releasing the malware, destroying hard copies, removing all traces of the word, using Retcon.
Esther
What's Retcon?
It's a smart drug. Selective amnesia.
Esther
[realising] No.
You won't remember a thing. [catches Esther as she passes out] Nice to meet you, Esther.
This lemonade. This lemonade's flat.
Esther
It's lemonade. It's supposed to be flat.
What? Fizzy, fizzy lemonade?
Esther
It's fizzy in the UK and flat in the US.
Hmm. Just about sums it up.
It's like there's some sort of energy behind this. A will, a drive, a consciousness, because this miracle, it's more than people just surviving. They are so alive. You saw Lyn, that woman at the airport. She should have been paralysed but she just kept on going. And I've seen bodies at the morgue, burnt and broken, still alive, staring right at me. They weren't even allowed to be unconscious. It's as if something is willing them to go on, each and every individual forced into life.
That was me. All the way through my accident, wide awake.
And you could feel everything that happened? It still hurt?
Esther
So what did the search say?
Well, that's the problem. Everybody's had the same idea. Morphic field gets ten million results.
Esther
Then I'll go through them, all ten million. [to Rex, pointedly] See, that's what I do when I'm at my desk. Hard work.
Esther
He cockblocked the ATF.
[laughs] I have no idea what any of that means.
Esther
The ATF's the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. They asked the CIA about information on a warehouse here in Washington, but Friedkin forwarded the request onto ancillary three times.
It's a paper chase. It's a guaranteed way to lose something in the system.
Esther
So if he tried to stop people from seeing the warehouse, then maybe he was paid to protect it, which would indicate there's something in there. It's at Third and Boston, south west.
All right, so we've got a mission. First thing we need to do is steal a new car.
Ahem. So, who's giving the orders?
Okay, Torchwood, what do you say?
We need to steal a new car. [grins]
Esther
I'm leaving town. I've got to go today.
SSarah
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.
Esther
Sarah, that's just what they're saying online. It's not that bad.
SSarah
But we've changed. All of us, didn't we? Something in the air infected us. It made us godless.
Esther
Let me in. Let me see the girls.
SSarah
I'm not letting them out. They can't come outside. I won't let them.
Esther
Do you think I'm useless?
No. I think you're new to all this.
Esther
Yeah, but I'm CIA.
So's Rex. But he's just pretending. And that's the big secret, Esther. At times like these, the game goes to the person who speaks with the loudest voice. But pretty much everyone just wishes their mother was here.
I'm going with you. I don't know, I could be your... assistant.
Esther
We told you, not a chance. That assassin said that you're too connected. And besides, you're too fragile, Mortal Man. [she kisses him on the cheek]
Esther
You look after yourself. You're unique. You're Category Jack.
Right, I'm gonna follow. I phoned Washington and pulled a few strings; I've got observer status.
No, no, no! Wait a minute, that's why we sent Rex!
I am not a member of Torchwood, so you can't give me instructions. And I need to see that place for myself. I was on the panels, Jack. I helped set these things up.
Esther
Any trouble, I can help get her out.
...Okay. I'm going with you. I don't know, I could be your... assistant.
Esther
We told you, not a chance. That assassin said that you're too connected. And besides, you're too fragile, Mortal Man. [she kisses him on the cheek]
[sulky] All I get is a kiss?
Esther
You look after yourself. You're unique; You're Category Jack. So, don't you go getting into trouble.
Well all the guards are going. Regular army's coming in. They'll shut it down.
Esther
It was sanctioned. By the government. And they've got my name. They've got my name, I was on staff as Esther Drummond.
Esther, listen. Stop it, okay? Just stop it. You saved me.
Esther
I spent all that time wanting a job like yours. Look at me now.
It's okay. You're allowed to feel like this. Come here. {he kisses her forehead} But listen to me. This is not over. Not for Torchwood. And I need you in this fight. So get it together. And do it fast.
Esther
Done. I'm fine now. I'm ready.
So, these are the Torchwood clowns?
Torchwood did more to piece this together than the entire CIA.
You're that English girl, Cooper...Have I got that right?
No, I'm not English. And I'm not a girl.
Esther
Gwen, this is Allen Shapiro. Don't. Really, don't.
Well, he's not scaring me. Hello.
I am sick of her already. Can we deport her? Let's deport her.
Hey, hey, hey, leave her alone.
Sorry, sir. With all due respect, Gwen Cooper's proven herself to be extremely useful. I think it's worth keeping her on our side.
Because most women that bitter, you've slept with. [to Esther] Did you make that mistake?
Esther
No. No, sir, I did not.
Esther Drummond. Rex said you did a good job out in the field.
Esther
Thank you, sir.
In my opinion you deserted your post. I'm docking your pay. [to Jack] And what is it with you, Red Baron? You got Snoopy up your ass?
While you're wasting time, Mister Shapiro, we've got the names of the people who are responsible for causing the Miracle. I suggest we get to work.
Torchwood is going to work for the CIA?
I think the CIA can work for Torchwood, if you're lucky.
We've got a plane ready and waiting twenty minutes away. The sooner we pool our resources, the sooner we can end this thing. All right, let's go. Everybody out.
What about him (Angelo)? We've got a very sick man here.
Didn't you read the news? Nobody dies. Now, there's a nurse around here somewhere. You got two minutes. Don't leave them alone. [leaves]
Jack...did we just join the CIA?
Esther
[about the Null Field] How does it work?
I can't tell you. That's the point. Just listen to me. I knew this stuff the second I saw it. Yes, it's alien technology. The only examples of it on Earth were in the Torchwood Hub. They were buried in the ruins.
Esther
But Angelo had people watching.
He must have salvaged it, knowing the Miracle was coming.
Esther
So what did he do? Trigger it with your DNA or something?
Maybe that was revenge, or maybe giving me a clue. But there's only one course of action left now. You have to get me out of here.
Jack, listen to me. The CIA is not the enemy. That's why I brought them in. Don't you understand? You don't-
[an agent walks past, they quickly pretend to be examining the lattice]
Keep your head down. Be calm.
Look, you don't need to run anymore, okay? We can protect you.
There's a reason why Torchwood was secret. We kept things hidden from the human race. This technology is a science the world should never know.
Esther
How can you know that?
I know, Esther, because I've seen the future. I've walked the future world and breathed its air. And this technology would send it to damnation. Just imagine the stealth technology of a null field hiding bombs, hiding planes, shielding one side from radiation while the other side burns. This thing would be the end of us. This timeline would be terminal.
Esther
He's right.
Esther
Even if the government... Even if the government had this one panel and they put people inside and they died, it's the same thing as the ovens. It's control over life and death, and we've seen that that doesn't work.
But you trust me, don't you? Both of you? After all we've done? Please, I'm begging you, get me out of here. Look, this is the Alpha plate. Without it this is just a bunch of metal. You've got to get me and the plate away from this house.
Jack, listen to me. We can't, okay? We are the CIA and this is a genuine CIA operation.
This is history, Rex. This is everything. Please, get me out.
Torchwood · 349 quotes
