Cobra (2020–2021): Season 2, Episode 6 - Cyberwar 6 - full transcript
Reeling from the events in Kent, the COBRA team are briefed on a sophisticated malware which has infected the UK's critical infrastructure.
Water may douse the flames,
but who controls the water?
Think before you drink.
Francine Bridge made a categoric statement that she...
Well to be fair,
it's probably cleaner than the water where she comes from.
There's a Firestorm meme doing the rounds.
Our candidate in Kent has retweeted it.
That tiger ride's going smoothly then.
You didn't put me in this seat to fight clean
and you know it, so stop being hypocrites.
I've been speaking to my equivalent at the American Embassy.
The imagination boggles.
- What's he like? - She!
Does anybody see what's happening here?
- We do see but... - It's one thing after another!
Death by a thousand cuts.
Justice.
I mean, they're not even asking for anything!
You asked me to come and work for you once.
Come and work with me.
I've lost her loyalty.
She's a fucking mole.
- You're fired. - No, I resign!
Cerberus. The multi-headed dog
that stands at the gates of Hell.
Get me the Prime Minister.
He's about to do the news conference.
Stop him.
Dostoevsky was held captive
in a rat-infested fortress...
subjected to a mock execution...
shipped off to a...
brutal prison camp in Siberia,
with a sadistic maniac in charge
who lashed men...
for sleeping on their wrong side...
in bed.
There's a correct side?
Apparently Jesus...
slept on his left.
Is it helping?
Not being Dostoevsky...
Yes.
Cool.
Are you going to bed now? It's only...
It doesn't make much difference, to be honest.
Okay.
- See you later. - Mmm.
As Government sources dismiss press reports
of Robert Sutherland being "burnt out",
the Prime Minister abandoned a press conference
at Number 10 Downing Street.
They say he has been suffering from dizziness after a minor illness.
We believe that the Cerberus code is part of a massive
critical infrastructure hit
of which the water supply in Kent was just a starter.
They might come all at once or in waves.
But we do know it's massive.
So we don't know...
if Cerberus is the Chinese...
or the Russians?
Well, like our own attacks on the Iranians,
it could easily be a joint enterprise.
There are no identifiable command call-backs
that we can find in the code.
Now, normally,
a virus would need to refer back to a controller
who might tell it to start, stop,
destroy yourself.
But here there's nothing.
There may be no way of stopping it now.
- Fraser? - So...
we've ranked the targets of a general critical infrastructure attack
into a top five but it's not exhaustive.
One...
a few, or...all of these.
We can't sit around and do nothing.
They could bring down planes,
black out the entire country,
cripple the water supply.
They've already had a good go at that.
How do we end this?
In a face-saving way.
Increase our retaliations.
See, that is not going to work...
Division 45 was created for precisely that reason, wasn't it?
We've boasted about our offensive capacities.
The Americans have made it very clear
that they are not going to help us.
So we do it without them...
Well, I have to admit when I was Home Secretary
I'd always have a bit of a snooze
when people banged on about
the danger of Cyber-attacks.
Sorry...
Is it a time...for joking?
Um...
- In all fairness, Prime Minister... - I do not need...
a translation service, thank you.
I've already sacked one traitor.
- Anyone else considering acts of disloyalty... - Piffle!
Anna Marshall wasn't disloyal.
That's a category error, Robert,
which is frankly rather disappointing,
from a man who never tires of reminding us
that he studied Philosophy at Balliol.
And don't give me the Scottish stare either.
You're from Stirling!
Not Drumchapel.
I think it's a matter of record,
I never saw eye to eye with Anna Marshall.
She's the kind of...
ghastly liberal snob who thinks
her cleaning lady's a loyal friend,
rather than a reluctant wage slave.
Misplaced loyalty, yes,
unbearably sanctimonious,
Christ, yes!
But she was never disloyal.
I'm...afraid, Prime Minister,
I'd have to agree with the Foreign Secretary on that one.
The loyalty bit, anyway.
Not the cleaning ladies...
for what it's worth.
Well, let me enlighten you on that, Fraser.
It's worth nothing.
It looks as if all that's left is to banish Kent to France.
Get a grip, man...
He's losing it.
You went in too hard.
Bugger that! He's the bloody Prime Minister!
If he can't cut it,
he should make way for somebody who can.
Well...
as Home Secretary I shall continue to...
Chair the meeting.
Protocol suggests you are correct.
Right. My top priority is to secure and protect...
Come to tell me you agree with them all?
No.
Good.
I need time to find a replacement for Fraser.
You're not going to fire Fraser.
High Chaparall?
You remember it?
Linda Cristal played Victoria Cannon.
You're my new Chief-of-Staff.
No thanks.
Maybe I should reappoint Peter Mott...
just to play...
pointless games of one-upmanship with Archie.
A tale told by an idiot all right.
You're angry because Archie kicked your ass for a change
and I understand how that must hurt.
But I'm not here for chit-chat or quotations.
My job is strictly National Security.
Would you like me to update you on our strategy?
Oh we have a strategy? Oh good.
You have instructed me to be proactive.
I'm sorry, I...
Yeah.
I'm just not used to people carrying out my instructions anymore.
Heracles.
Killed Cerberus.
Now we can run around trying to protect everything
from power stations to air traffic control centers
but in the end it's like chasing a hundred cats at once.
If you do want to up the ante...
don't bother with any more symbolic targets.
You have to play very dirty.
With what?
With Heracles.
You know...
characters from Greek mythology are all very well and good
when it comes to scary operational names but...
It's a bit more than that.
It's malware designed to confuse and disable
missile defense systems around the world.
Cyber-war works like any other war:
it escalates, very fast.
If the attack vectors aren't controlled properly,
or if it extends beyond the prime target...
this war could escalate in ways we can no longer contain.
Senior Cabinet sources have muttered about instability
within the Sutherland cabinet after the rumored sacking
of his closest adviser, Anna Marshall.
This has still not been confirmed by Downing Street.
Meanwhile, here in Kent,
the election remains on a knife-edge.
And Francine Bridge accuses her Tory opponent
of trying to stoke a fake culture war
and Roger Hawkins continues to flirt
with the Firestorm conspiracy website.
Back to you in the studio.
It's all gotten very ugly.
Look.
Did Hawkins put this out?
I don't know if he printed them
but his people are distributing them.
Right, well, I'll speak to his people,
'cause I can't believe they'll sanction this kind of stuff.
I can. It's more siren now than dog-whistle.
What's happening with Anna Marshall?
She resigned.
I heard she'd been fired.
She resigned.
Right.
The police have been in touch with me about security.
Right. How many is it this time?
Rape or death or both?
God.
217.
4 credible. 1 very credible.
A group calling themselves J23,
who have formed out of the remnants of National Spirit, have sworn...
to prevent Kent from having a Black MP.
Of course they didn't actually say "Black".
- I can't stay at home while I'm in London. - No, sure, sure.
We'll get you a flat.
I'm gonna stay with Anna.
It's two hour's drive from the Constituency.
Yeah, but what about the Press...
I mean...
I think we've got bigger things to worry about, don't you?
Your destination is...
1.5...miles away.
At the next junction...
turn right.
Turn right.
Are you alright?
Why did you run?
It's a one-way street, love.
You can't be turning the wrong way down a one-way street.
Yeah, I know.
Well, why did you then?
My Sat-Nav...
It...it told me...
I know you!
No...hold on...
Can I get a selfie?
Oh, no...no...
Hiya.
You alright, madam?
No. I've had an accident.
Highways England has issued an urgent traffic alert,
warning drivers that accidents are occurring
due to faulty motorway ELS Sat-Nav data.
Motorists are urged not to begin any journey by road until further notice...
So, it's started.
It's bloody mayhem out there.
What's happening?
They've attacked the traffic control system.
Including Sat-Nav Apps.
People are getting a ton of mis-information.
There are accidents across the major cities.
Also the motorways are grid-locked.
They've put up fake speed warnings of 30 mph.
That's about normal for the M25 isn't it?
Funny if you're getting cut out of your car...
What?
Who are you?!
- I'm Audrey Hem... - No!
I don't actually care who you are.
She works with me, leave her alone.
Carry on then.
Traffic lights, control centers,
Sat-Navs, the works.
- We need to prioritize the motorways. - Agreed.
But who knows what they'll target next.
In some places the tailbacks are already so bad that
we are going to have to organize emergency relief deliveries.
Also...
this.
Firestorm symbols are everywhere.
Where's the PM?
I don't know. He was informed, so...
We need to act.
I know.
So?
Are you going to get the ball rolling?
I am.
I thought he was going to shoot me, Anna.
I'm not surprised.
He just took a photo.
Until that moment, all the threats had just felt...
a bit unreal.
Apparently all the navigation apps are buggered.
People are driving into rivers
and the wrong way down motorway slip roads.
I once did that once actually.
One of those mad loopy junctions
with an Odeon and a Frankie and Bennie's.
Is that one of ours?
I've never seen that.
Has he?
I don't think so.
Even Robert...
Oh, who knows...
Obviously, it has to be you.
Obviously.
This is in the national interest.
We can't have an absentee Prime Minister.
100% agree, Joseph.
Tell me something I already know.
He's using you as a stalking horse
and then he'll step over your twitching corpse.
The long and the short of it, Motty.
I wish you'd stop calling me "Motty".
Joseph Obasi is not an enigma at all.
He is simply a man who has one thing
and one thing only on his mind.
Nothing wrong with that.
Nothing wrong with it at all. I'm all in favor of ambition.
He's allowed to be ambitious.
Very liberal of you, Archie.
And he's right.
We can't have an absentee Prime Minister.
Okay, you go and find a peasant girl
with a low bodice and an inviting neck.
I've got some thinking to do.
My President is rather busy with events in the South China Sea...
And if we deploy Heracles,
how do you think that'll affect his job down there?
Don't do it.
We have no choice.
We would find a move like that...
very concerning.
Not as concerning as we found it
when a substantial part of the North Sea landed on Kent.
Oh, I'm sorry...
I forgot...
You don't like it when I mention that little gaffe, do you?
I'll speak to the President again.
Make sure he understands exactly what's at stake.
People won't be happy.
Happiness is over-rated.
Quick word?
Are you prepared for this?
Yeah...
'Cause, uh...
we may have to go right to the brink.
And cold wars can very easily become hot ones.
Is it 3 hours or 5?
Is what?
The time difference with Santiago.
Five.
And the clocks go forward.
He's going downhill.
Obasi is on manoeuvres.
Well, he's the one leaking on Robert.
I know!
Robert thinks it's me.
His head's not with us.
We can't survive this, if he's not on top of his game.
He can't even sort out this shit-show in Kent.
Obasi can sort out Kent.
He's had enough of Hawkins.
I'm off to Pixie Hollow.
Good morning, Anna.
May I come in?
You don't like me, Anna.
That's not exactly true...
I know what you're going to say but I get it.
I'm not everybody's cappuccino.
I was going to say, "That's not exactly true. I detest you".
Good.
But that loathing...
which I assure you is entirely mutual...
shouldn't be based on incorrect assumptions.
One of which is that
my self-deprecating humor...
betrays a lack of seriousness.
The other assumption is that I don't care about my country.
- Not true. - Get on with it, you vile old crook.
Robert's in a bad place.
Since your departure
the Cyber threat to our nation has intensified.
You have to come back.
- I can't. - If you don't, Obasi will move.
And I will be forced to move with him.
You don't want to move?
Who knows Robert best?
In politics I mean.
Me.
You.
And after you...?
Okay.
Go...and talk to him.
He won't see me.
He'll see you.
Do you think it was easy for me to come here?
What's that old Nazi doing here?
Just planning a bit of genocide!
Rude Millennials...
first on the ze list, I'm afraid.
Carry on clicking, Comrade...
It's a critical situation, Anna.
Earlier I spoke to Francine Bridge
about a controversial leaflet
circulating in her constituency.
I have never suggested that Kent should pay reparations for slavery.
It's an absurd invention
which is being used by a renegade Tory candidate
who is clearly aligning himself
to be used by the same forces who are behind Firestorm.
And who do you think that is?
I've no idea.
But I call on Robert Sutherland to do the right thing.
- Great to see you, Joseph. - Yes.
Let me show you the, uh...
You're doing door-to-door canvassing in Medwick town
and surrounding areas?
That's right. The less traditional areas.
Traditional. Right.
And what campaign material are you using?
Uh...the leaf-letters have a new batch...
No, that's not one of ours.
- Whose is it? - Uh...
Independents against...
Have your team handed any out?
Not to the best of my knowledge.
Roger, it's a moot point
whether you're a Russian or just a useful idiot.
Yet I have supported you...
- when others have not. - I know. And I'm very...
But you seem to be under a misconception
which is...
sadly common...
that I will dismiss any allegations of racism
as political correctness.
Or that I think there is no such thing
as structural discrimination.
For the record,
neither are true.
Okay, look,
the very fact that you're here, proves...
The very fact that I'm here...
proves that one of the holders
of the three great offices of State has come to visit
so show some damn respect.
Respect works both ways, Joseph.
On reflection,
I think it would be better if I return to London
and inform the Prime Minister of what I have found here.
Yeah, send him.
Send him, send Archie,
send Malcolm X if you want.
He's unavailable,
due to being dead, you...
total chump.
Because I am going to win this election
with or without the support of the leadership
who no longer represent true Conservatism
and takes the knee
to George Soros and the like.
"And the like".
Of course.
Full House, Roger.
I've seen enough.
If we suspend him now...
we don't have a candidate.
If I were a betting man...
- Which you are. - Which I am.
I would expect Firestorm to support him now.
It's the perfect outcome.
One they possibly planned.
If we suspend him...
doesn't that increase his chances of winning?
Yes. And then we have to figure out
whose victory would be...who would be the bigger ass-ache.
And I'd suggest it's not
an embittered and vengeful crank
crawling back to Westminster.
Worked for you.
In fairness, Archie does not serve
- the interests of a foreign power... - Who asked you?
And while I went to work for him
because the only other choice was political oblivion...
he is 100% committed to keeping you in post.
Unless you make it impossible.
I was unaware there was even a debate on the issue.
Might I make a suggestion, Prime Minister?
Why are you calling me "Prime Minister"
instead of Robert all of a sudden?
You're the one who calls me Robert.
What are you up to?
My suggestion would be to find somebody
who can act as a clandestine link
between us and the opposition...
- to lance this boil. - No.
Someone who is close to Francine Bridge
- and the opposition. - No!
Well, that's a terrible shame, Prime Minister,
because I assumed
you hadn't got your head completely stuck
in the soup tureen of paranoia
from which you've been guzzling of late.
This is the last fucking time, Archie!
I've already asked her along for a meeting.
Archie!
I thought we agreed...
Rookie error.
You don't want it?
I wanted to give Robert one last roll of the dice.
Hopefully it's worked.
You think he still has it in him?
We'll have to see won't we.
But when Robert's firing on most cylinders,
I would put my money on him
before anybody else.
Which is what I did.
I did not...
advise Rachel to go away.
I made the wrong call on Hawkins.
You made a call.
Your reasons for doing so were understan...
- I made the wrong call. - Yeah, okay, you did.
We've never fallen out.
Yes, you were very angry once
when I was voted onto the ball committee
and... you came bottom
because nobody really knew who you were.
I loved you.
- I just never ever dared to say... - Robert...
It doesn't matter now.
Would you like me...
to talk to Francine about a meeting
- with the Leader of the Opposition? - Yes.
And you should address the nation
on the threat we're under.
Time for honesty with the people.
You're good at that.
Okay.
You need to stop watching and start acting.
Make them stop,
or you will share in the disaster.
Okay.
Interfering with missile defense systems
in the middle of a geopolitical crisis,
isn't the solution.
- No-one thinks we'll...go through with it do they? - No.
They think your PM is...
and I quote:
"A dying bee crawling towards oblivion".
A dying bee.
Maybe.
But make sure they know that's when you're most likely to get stung.
If they don't push the kill switch,
by 3:00 pm tomorrow,
we will activate Heracles
with consequences that will knock...
everybody off their balance.
Our American friends have found out
the next big Cyber-attack
will be the economy.
The banking system,
all financial transactions,
credit cards...
- How do we...? - We don't.
The malware is already buried in the system,
sending back reassuring data
while preparing its chaos once they detonate.
And the same will be true across
our entire infrastructure system,
including nuclear power stations.
The Prime Minister is going to address the nation.
Then what do we do?
Then we check our hand
and adopt our best poker face.
I am speaking to you today,
because of the very grave situation in which the country finds itself.
Late last night,
the latest in a wave of
serious Cyber-attacks
was launched on our country.
This one involves
the disruption of our financial systems
and was designed
to bring our economy to its knees.
I'm afraid to say that
no-one will be able to use
any kind of cards for purchases or...
withdrawing cash
and our intelligence shows that...
this situation...
is only likely to worsen
in the coming days.
Now this could involve
an attack on our critical infrastructure,
the like of which we have never seen before...
and which could result in further loss of life...
catastrophic impacts on the vulnerable,
and indeed,
the destruction of our economy.
And it is my firm belief
that what began as
"Operation Ruin Britannia"
is now a joint operation
between two hostile nations.
Are you listening?
Does he sound like he's crawling into the long grass to die?
Unless we have clear evidence
that the kill-switch has been activated in Cerberus by 3:00 PM today,
we will go to a new level of conflict
with dire consequence for everyone.
Including you.
Clearly though,
these Cyber and information attacks
are part of an overall assault
which includes a campaign of misinformation
extending to my own family
alongside interference
in our political processes
that has led to a crisis of faith
in those whom you should most trust.
As a result, one of our most...
distinguished judges...
was brutally murdered.
And there are still,
according to the security services,
credible assassination threats
against senior politicians.
Now as of today...
I have suspended the party membership
of our candidate in the forthcoming Medwick by-election
because of his involvement in the Firestorm platform
which I believe is being
supported by Russian specialist Cyber-units
and for distributing racist propaganda.
Now, it is too late for us to nominate an alternative,
so I call upon you
to vote for any candidate
so long as they are wedded to the principles of democracy
and the rule of law.
Lastly,
I have this to say
to those who seek to bring our country to its knees...
whether that be in Moscow,
Beijing
or the capital of any hostile nation.
We may not be...
the power we once were,
and perhaps that is why...
we have been chosen for this demonstration of brute power.
But we have a history...
of continuing the struggle...
when the odds are against us.
And I will stop at nothing...
to end this...
unprecedented...
and completely unprovoked attack
against our country.
Cyber-warfare...
is still warfare.
Just because it takes place out of sight
and without explosions
does not mean that it does not cause...
extraordinary suffering.
And we will defend ourselves
by any means necessary
just as we would...
if we were being threatened by nuclear weapons.
We will undertake a struggle
of Herculean proportions...
to defend ourselves as a sovereign nation State.
- Thank you. - Prime Minister!
If I could just have everyone's attention for a moment?
In this rather unprecedented time
I'd like to welcome the Leader of the Opposition.
Very grateful, Robert.
That was an excellent speech by the way.
Thank you.
Nice to have you back, Francine.
Alright no need for that.
So how does this stop?
What do they want?
We don't know.
It looks like we've reached a point
where the war is almost running itself.
So what do we do?
We have an offensive Cyber capacity.
It involves interference with...
missile defense systems.
It was developed by Division 45
of the Cyber Unit
with other countries
including Israel.
But we have modified
its attack vectors.
Modified...
We have made it more of a shotgun than a precise weapon.
Why?
Because if we unleash it,
it will have two consequences.
First,
it could give off false missile alerts...
Well, that's quite dangerous, isn't it?
That IS quite dangerous.
What's the second consequence?
If we release it somewhat wildly
then it could fall into the hands of...
smaller fish.
It could start off that...
inadvertent hot war
we've been warned so much about.
I think the days of suggesting
nuclear subs with no weapons are over.
And I think when the country is under threat,
as it is,
it is the duty of any reasonable opposition
to support the government in its task.
Thank you, Chris.
Anna will coordinate with your office
over that other small matter in Kent.
Unfortunately this new J23 group
have issued further threats
with regards to violent interventions
in the election.
We're increasing security
and I'll be briefing both of you
once our main problem is out of the way.
Watch out.
I may not give her back.
We'll see.
Obviously we wouldn't actually do it?
Release Heracles?
I have been asked before,
"In the event of a nuclear attack would I push the button"?
And your answer is clearly "yes", because...
Well...
That's how deterrents work.
Would you?
Would I push a button...
that incinerated millions of men, women and children?
I'm afraid sighing...
doesn't really cut it.
- Hegel... - No.
No I don't think philosophy...
There's always a place for philosophy.
And I think there's a...
genuine dialectic...
- when it comes to... - Would you push the button?
If you saw a nuclear missile headed towards London?
You know what I'd do.
I'm heading over to Labor Party HQ
and then down to Kent with Francine.
But you'll come back.
What do you think?
Hi.
They've detected the Cerberus virus in a nuclear plant.
It's been lying dormant and harvesting data.
When is our deadline?
30 minutes.
Currency's taking a massive hit.
Stock exchange suspended.
No time-stamping possible on any transactions
makes it impossible.
We are heading for total financial collapse.
You are aware of the risks?
This has the potential
to start World War Three.
It will destabilize anti-missile defenses
around the globe.
How about the Americans?
Have we heard anything?
A sign of any sort?
Nothing.
So the idea is to
make it less of an election,
more a referendum on democracy.
Yep. Agree with that.
Tolerance.
Wishy-washy.
Well, we can toughen it up
but we need to make sure you sound reasonable next to Roger.
That shouldn't be too difficult.
What's wishy-washy about tolerance?
I'm just saying better words, that's all.
Don't give yourself a hot flush.
- How many bloody times... - They're not a joke!
I know, I'm sorry.
Don't do it.
We need a signal, Kelly.
We need a sign!
This is not the time to light a fuse.
You're piling pressure on both players.
They have to send an immediate message
that it's over
or we go active.
Yeah?
Thank you.
That was the Governor of the Bank of England.
The Pound is in total free-fall
and all their systems are compromised by Cerberus.
They can't do a thing.
We're heading for the buffers.
Stand by, Eleanor.
He said to stand by.
Well, go on then, if you want to get past!
Did he just hit your car?!
Activate Heracles.
Do it now.
Get out, get out, get out!
- What's going on?! - Get out!
No, I know him! He's safe.
He's one of Eleanor's.
- Go, go! - Get out, get out!
Miss, clear the vehicle!
Go! GO!
Wait!
There's a change in the pattern.
Time-stamping's back to normal!
The transactions are clearing again.
They've blinked.
There's a kill-switch.
With both the US and the Chinese fleets
pulling back from the brink in the South China sea,
there are hopes that the Cyber threat to the UK has also diminished.
The Prime Minister, Robert Sutherland...
- had this to say earlier. - Mum!
Assassinations...
electoral interference...
false alerts...
and lastly,
an all-out Cyber-attack.
The aim?
To create such chaos
that it would destroy our democracy
and show the world what damage can be inflicted
without the need for missiles.
I am pleased to tell you tonight
that the threat appears to have receded,
thanks to the efforts of our own Cyber defenses.
We should be in no doubt however,
that there is no room for complacency.
For next time,
the consequences could be far worse.
Tonight, I must also express
my outrage at another terror attack
on a parliamentary candidate,
Francine Bridge,
who has fortunately survived
without major injury.
The life of my colleague and friend,
Anna Marshall, however,
hangs in the balance.
Anna...
represents the best traditions of our country,
tolerance,
decency,
and a desire to serve the national interest.
I hope...
you will hold her in your prayers,
as I do.
but who controls the water?
Think before you drink.
Francine Bridge made a categoric statement that she...
Well to be fair,
it's probably cleaner than the water where she comes from.
There's a Firestorm meme doing the rounds.
Our candidate in Kent has retweeted it.
That tiger ride's going smoothly then.
You didn't put me in this seat to fight clean
and you know it, so stop being hypocrites.
I've been speaking to my equivalent at the American Embassy.
The imagination boggles.
- What's he like? - She!
Does anybody see what's happening here?
- We do see but... - It's one thing after another!
Death by a thousand cuts.
Justice.
I mean, they're not even asking for anything!
You asked me to come and work for you once.
Come and work with me.
I've lost her loyalty.
She's a fucking mole.
- You're fired. - No, I resign!
Cerberus. The multi-headed dog
that stands at the gates of Hell.
Get me the Prime Minister.
He's about to do the news conference.
Stop him.
Dostoevsky was held captive
in a rat-infested fortress...
subjected to a mock execution...
shipped off to a...
brutal prison camp in Siberia,
with a sadistic maniac in charge
who lashed men...
for sleeping on their wrong side...
in bed.
There's a correct side?
Apparently Jesus...
slept on his left.
Is it helping?
Not being Dostoevsky...
Yes.
Cool.
Are you going to bed now? It's only...
It doesn't make much difference, to be honest.
Okay.
- See you later. - Mmm.
As Government sources dismiss press reports
of Robert Sutherland being "burnt out",
the Prime Minister abandoned a press conference
at Number 10 Downing Street.
They say he has been suffering from dizziness after a minor illness.
We believe that the Cerberus code is part of a massive
critical infrastructure hit
of which the water supply in Kent was just a starter.
They might come all at once or in waves.
But we do know it's massive.
So we don't know...
if Cerberus is the Chinese...
or the Russians?
Well, like our own attacks on the Iranians,
it could easily be a joint enterprise.
There are no identifiable command call-backs
that we can find in the code.
Now, normally,
a virus would need to refer back to a controller
who might tell it to start, stop,
destroy yourself.
But here there's nothing.
There may be no way of stopping it now.
- Fraser? - So...
we've ranked the targets of a general critical infrastructure attack
into a top five but it's not exhaustive.
One...
a few, or...all of these.
We can't sit around and do nothing.
They could bring down planes,
black out the entire country,
cripple the water supply.
They've already had a good go at that.
How do we end this?
In a face-saving way.
Increase our retaliations.
See, that is not going to work...
Division 45 was created for precisely that reason, wasn't it?
We've boasted about our offensive capacities.
The Americans have made it very clear
that they are not going to help us.
So we do it without them...
Well, I have to admit when I was Home Secretary
I'd always have a bit of a snooze
when people banged on about
the danger of Cyber-attacks.
Sorry...
Is it a time...for joking?
Um...
- In all fairness, Prime Minister... - I do not need...
a translation service, thank you.
I've already sacked one traitor.
- Anyone else considering acts of disloyalty... - Piffle!
Anna Marshall wasn't disloyal.
That's a category error, Robert,
which is frankly rather disappointing,
from a man who never tires of reminding us
that he studied Philosophy at Balliol.
And don't give me the Scottish stare either.
You're from Stirling!
Not Drumchapel.
I think it's a matter of record,
I never saw eye to eye with Anna Marshall.
She's the kind of...
ghastly liberal snob who thinks
her cleaning lady's a loyal friend,
rather than a reluctant wage slave.
Misplaced loyalty, yes,
unbearably sanctimonious,
Christ, yes!
But she was never disloyal.
I'm...afraid, Prime Minister,
I'd have to agree with the Foreign Secretary on that one.
The loyalty bit, anyway.
Not the cleaning ladies...
for what it's worth.
Well, let me enlighten you on that, Fraser.
It's worth nothing.
It looks as if all that's left is to banish Kent to France.
Get a grip, man...
He's losing it.
You went in too hard.
Bugger that! He's the bloody Prime Minister!
If he can't cut it,
he should make way for somebody who can.
Well...
as Home Secretary I shall continue to...
Chair the meeting.
Protocol suggests you are correct.
Right. My top priority is to secure and protect...
Come to tell me you agree with them all?
No.
Good.
I need time to find a replacement for Fraser.
You're not going to fire Fraser.
High Chaparall?
You remember it?
Linda Cristal played Victoria Cannon.
You're my new Chief-of-Staff.
No thanks.
Maybe I should reappoint Peter Mott...
just to play...
pointless games of one-upmanship with Archie.
A tale told by an idiot all right.
You're angry because Archie kicked your ass for a change
and I understand how that must hurt.
But I'm not here for chit-chat or quotations.
My job is strictly National Security.
Would you like me to update you on our strategy?
Oh we have a strategy? Oh good.
You have instructed me to be proactive.
I'm sorry, I...
Yeah.
I'm just not used to people carrying out my instructions anymore.
Heracles.
Killed Cerberus.
Now we can run around trying to protect everything
from power stations to air traffic control centers
but in the end it's like chasing a hundred cats at once.
If you do want to up the ante...
don't bother with any more symbolic targets.
You have to play very dirty.
With what?
With Heracles.
You know...
characters from Greek mythology are all very well and good
when it comes to scary operational names but...
It's a bit more than that.
It's malware designed to confuse and disable
missile defense systems around the world.
Cyber-war works like any other war:
it escalates, very fast.
If the attack vectors aren't controlled properly,
or if it extends beyond the prime target...
this war could escalate in ways we can no longer contain.
Senior Cabinet sources have muttered about instability
within the Sutherland cabinet after the rumored sacking
of his closest adviser, Anna Marshall.
This has still not been confirmed by Downing Street.
Meanwhile, here in Kent,
the election remains on a knife-edge.
And Francine Bridge accuses her Tory opponent
of trying to stoke a fake culture war
and Roger Hawkins continues to flirt
with the Firestorm conspiracy website.
Back to you in the studio.
It's all gotten very ugly.
Look.
Did Hawkins put this out?
I don't know if he printed them
but his people are distributing them.
Right, well, I'll speak to his people,
'cause I can't believe they'll sanction this kind of stuff.
I can. It's more siren now than dog-whistle.
What's happening with Anna Marshall?
She resigned.
I heard she'd been fired.
She resigned.
Right.
The police have been in touch with me about security.
Right. How many is it this time?
Rape or death or both?
God.
217.
4 credible. 1 very credible.
A group calling themselves J23,
who have formed out of the remnants of National Spirit, have sworn...
to prevent Kent from having a Black MP.
Of course they didn't actually say "Black".
- I can't stay at home while I'm in London. - No, sure, sure.
We'll get you a flat.
I'm gonna stay with Anna.
It's two hour's drive from the Constituency.
Yeah, but what about the Press...
I mean...
I think we've got bigger things to worry about, don't you?
Your destination is...
1.5...miles away.
At the next junction...
turn right.
Turn right.
Are you alright?
Why did you run?
It's a one-way street, love.
You can't be turning the wrong way down a one-way street.
Yeah, I know.
Well, why did you then?
My Sat-Nav...
It...it told me...
I know you!
No...hold on...
Can I get a selfie?
Oh, no...no...
Hiya.
You alright, madam?
No. I've had an accident.
Highways England has issued an urgent traffic alert,
warning drivers that accidents are occurring
due to faulty motorway ELS Sat-Nav data.
Motorists are urged not to begin any journey by road until further notice...
So, it's started.
It's bloody mayhem out there.
What's happening?
They've attacked the traffic control system.
Including Sat-Nav Apps.
People are getting a ton of mis-information.
There are accidents across the major cities.
Also the motorways are grid-locked.
They've put up fake speed warnings of 30 mph.
That's about normal for the M25 isn't it?
Funny if you're getting cut out of your car...
What?
Who are you?!
- I'm Audrey Hem... - No!
I don't actually care who you are.
She works with me, leave her alone.
Carry on then.
Traffic lights, control centers,
Sat-Navs, the works.
- We need to prioritize the motorways. - Agreed.
But who knows what they'll target next.
In some places the tailbacks are already so bad that
we are going to have to organize emergency relief deliveries.
Also...
this.
Firestorm symbols are everywhere.
Where's the PM?
I don't know. He was informed, so...
We need to act.
I know.
So?
Are you going to get the ball rolling?
I am.
I thought he was going to shoot me, Anna.
I'm not surprised.
He just took a photo.
Until that moment, all the threats had just felt...
a bit unreal.
Apparently all the navigation apps are buggered.
People are driving into rivers
and the wrong way down motorway slip roads.
I once did that once actually.
One of those mad loopy junctions
with an Odeon and a Frankie and Bennie's.
Is that one of ours?
I've never seen that.
Has he?
I don't think so.
Even Robert...
Oh, who knows...
Obviously, it has to be you.
Obviously.
This is in the national interest.
We can't have an absentee Prime Minister.
100% agree, Joseph.
Tell me something I already know.
He's using you as a stalking horse
and then he'll step over your twitching corpse.
The long and the short of it, Motty.
I wish you'd stop calling me "Motty".
Joseph Obasi is not an enigma at all.
He is simply a man who has one thing
and one thing only on his mind.
Nothing wrong with that.
Nothing wrong with it at all. I'm all in favor of ambition.
He's allowed to be ambitious.
Very liberal of you, Archie.
And he's right.
We can't have an absentee Prime Minister.
Okay, you go and find a peasant girl
with a low bodice and an inviting neck.
I've got some thinking to do.
My President is rather busy with events in the South China Sea...
And if we deploy Heracles,
how do you think that'll affect his job down there?
Don't do it.
We have no choice.
We would find a move like that...
very concerning.
Not as concerning as we found it
when a substantial part of the North Sea landed on Kent.
Oh, I'm sorry...
I forgot...
You don't like it when I mention that little gaffe, do you?
I'll speak to the President again.
Make sure he understands exactly what's at stake.
People won't be happy.
Happiness is over-rated.
Quick word?
Are you prepared for this?
Yeah...
'Cause, uh...
we may have to go right to the brink.
And cold wars can very easily become hot ones.
Is it 3 hours or 5?
Is what?
The time difference with Santiago.
Five.
And the clocks go forward.
He's going downhill.
Obasi is on manoeuvres.
Well, he's the one leaking on Robert.
I know!
Robert thinks it's me.
His head's not with us.
We can't survive this, if he's not on top of his game.
He can't even sort out this shit-show in Kent.
Obasi can sort out Kent.
He's had enough of Hawkins.
I'm off to Pixie Hollow.
Good morning, Anna.
May I come in?
You don't like me, Anna.
That's not exactly true...
I know what you're going to say but I get it.
I'm not everybody's cappuccino.
I was going to say, "That's not exactly true. I detest you".
Good.
But that loathing...
which I assure you is entirely mutual...
shouldn't be based on incorrect assumptions.
One of which is that
my self-deprecating humor...
betrays a lack of seriousness.
The other assumption is that I don't care about my country.
- Not true. - Get on with it, you vile old crook.
Robert's in a bad place.
Since your departure
the Cyber threat to our nation has intensified.
You have to come back.
- I can't. - If you don't, Obasi will move.
And I will be forced to move with him.
You don't want to move?
Who knows Robert best?
In politics I mean.
Me.
You.
And after you...?
Okay.
Go...and talk to him.
He won't see me.
He'll see you.
Do you think it was easy for me to come here?
What's that old Nazi doing here?
Just planning a bit of genocide!
Rude Millennials...
first on the ze list, I'm afraid.
Carry on clicking, Comrade...
It's a critical situation, Anna.
Earlier I spoke to Francine Bridge
about a controversial leaflet
circulating in her constituency.
I have never suggested that Kent should pay reparations for slavery.
It's an absurd invention
which is being used by a renegade Tory candidate
who is clearly aligning himself
to be used by the same forces who are behind Firestorm.
And who do you think that is?
I've no idea.
But I call on Robert Sutherland to do the right thing.
- Great to see you, Joseph. - Yes.
Let me show you the, uh...
You're doing door-to-door canvassing in Medwick town
and surrounding areas?
That's right. The less traditional areas.
Traditional. Right.
And what campaign material are you using?
Uh...the leaf-letters have a new batch...
No, that's not one of ours.
- Whose is it? - Uh...
Independents against...
Have your team handed any out?
Not to the best of my knowledge.
Roger, it's a moot point
whether you're a Russian or just a useful idiot.
Yet I have supported you...
- when others have not. - I know. And I'm very...
But you seem to be under a misconception
which is...
sadly common...
that I will dismiss any allegations of racism
as political correctness.
Or that I think there is no such thing
as structural discrimination.
For the record,
neither are true.
Okay, look,
the very fact that you're here, proves...
The very fact that I'm here...
proves that one of the holders
of the three great offices of State has come to visit
so show some damn respect.
Respect works both ways, Joseph.
On reflection,
I think it would be better if I return to London
and inform the Prime Minister of what I have found here.
Yeah, send him.
Send him, send Archie,
send Malcolm X if you want.
He's unavailable,
due to being dead, you...
total chump.
Because I am going to win this election
with or without the support of the leadership
who no longer represent true Conservatism
and takes the knee
to George Soros and the like.
"And the like".
Of course.
Full House, Roger.
I've seen enough.
If we suspend him now...
we don't have a candidate.
If I were a betting man...
- Which you are. - Which I am.
I would expect Firestorm to support him now.
It's the perfect outcome.
One they possibly planned.
If we suspend him...
doesn't that increase his chances of winning?
Yes. And then we have to figure out
whose victory would be...who would be the bigger ass-ache.
And I'd suggest it's not
an embittered and vengeful crank
crawling back to Westminster.
Worked for you.
In fairness, Archie does not serve
- the interests of a foreign power... - Who asked you?
And while I went to work for him
because the only other choice was political oblivion...
he is 100% committed to keeping you in post.
Unless you make it impossible.
I was unaware there was even a debate on the issue.
Might I make a suggestion, Prime Minister?
Why are you calling me "Prime Minister"
instead of Robert all of a sudden?
You're the one who calls me Robert.
What are you up to?
My suggestion would be to find somebody
who can act as a clandestine link
between us and the opposition...
- to lance this boil. - No.
Someone who is close to Francine Bridge
- and the opposition. - No!
Well, that's a terrible shame, Prime Minister,
because I assumed
you hadn't got your head completely stuck
in the soup tureen of paranoia
from which you've been guzzling of late.
This is the last fucking time, Archie!
I've already asked her along for a meeting.
Archie!
I thought we agreed...
Rookie error.
You don't want it?
I wanted to give Robert one last roll of the dice.
Hopefully it's worked.
You think he still has it in him?
We'll have to see won't we.
But when Robert's firing on most cylinders,
I would put my money on him
before anybody else.
Which is what I did.
I did not...
advise Rachel to go away.
I made the wrong call on Hawkins.
You made a call.
Your reasons for doing so were understan...
- I made the wrong call. - Yeah, okay, you did.
We've never fallen out.
Yes, you were very angry once
when I was voted onto the ball committee
and... you came bottom
because nobody really knew who you were.
I loved you.
- I just never ever dared to say... - Robert...
It doesn't matter now.
Would you like me...
to talk to Francine about a meeting
- with the Leader of the Opposition? - Yes.
And you should address the nation
on the threat we're under.
Time for honesty with the people.
You're good at that.
Okay.
You need to stop watching and start acting.
Make them stop,
or you will share in the disaster.
Okay.
Interfering with missile defense systems
in the middle of a geopolitical crisis,
isn't the solution.
- No-one thinks we'll...go through with it do they? - No.
They think your PM is...
and I quote:
"A dying bee crawling towards oblivion".
A dying bee.
Maybe.
But make sure they know that's when you're most likely to get stung.
If they don't push the kill switch,
by 3:00 pm tomorrow,
we will activate Heracles
with consequences that will knock...
everybody off their balance.
Our American friends have found out
the next big Cyber-attack
will be the economy.
The banking system,
all financial transactions,
credit cards...
- How do we...? - We don't.
The malware is already buried in the system,
sending back reassuring data
while preparing its chaos once they detonate.
And the same will be true across
our entire infrastructure system,
including nuclear power stations.
The Prime Minister is going to address the nation.
Then what do we do?
Then we check our hand
and adopt our best poker face.
I am speaking to you today,
because of the very grave situation in which the country finds itself.
Late last night,
the latest in a wave of
serious Cyber-attacks
was launched on our country.
This one involves
the disruption of our financial systems
and was designed
to bring our economy to its knees.
I'm afraid to say that
no-one will be able to use
any kind of cards for purchases or...
withdrawing cash
and our intelligence shows that...
this situation...
is only likely to worsen
in the coming days.
Now this could involve
an attack on our critical infrastructure,
the like of which we have never seen before...
and which could result in further loss of life...
catastrophic impacts on the vulnerable,
and indeed,
the destruction of our economy.
And it is my firm belief
that what began as
"Operation Ruin Britannia"
is now a joint operation
between two hostile nations.
Are you listening?
Does he sound like he's crawling into the long grass to die?
Unless we have clear evidence
that the kill-switch has been activated in Cerberus by 3:00 PM today,
we will go to a new level of conflict
with dire consequence for everyone.
Including you.
Clearly though,
these Cyber and information attacks
are part of an overall assault
which includes a campaign of misinformation
extending to my own family
alongside interference
in our political processes
that has led to a crisis of faith
in those whom you should most trust.
As a result, one of our most...
distinguished judges...
was brutally murdered.
And there are still,
according to the security services,
credible assassination threats
against senior politicians.
Now as of today...
I have suspended the party membership
of our candidate in the forthcoming Medwick by-election
because of his involvement in the Firestorm platform
which I believe is being
supported by Russian specialist Cyber-units
and for distributing racist propaganda.
Now, it is too late for us to nominate an alternative,
so I call upon you
to vote for any candidate
so long as they are wedded to the principles of democracy
and the rule of law.
Lastly,
I have this to say
to those who seek to bring our country to its knees...
whether that be in Moscow,
Beijing
or the capital of any hostile nation.
We may not be...
the power we once were,
and perhaps that is why...
we have been chosen for this demonstration of brute power.
But we have a history...
of continuing the struggle...
when the odds are against us.
And I will stop at nothing...
to end this...
unprecedented...
and completely unprovoked attack
against our country.
Cyber-warfare...
is still warfare.
Just because it takes place out of sight
and without explosions
does not mean that it does not cause...
extraordinary suffering.
And we will defend ourselves
by any means necessary
just as we would...
if we were being threatened by nuclear weapons.
We will undertake a struggle
of Herculean proportions...
to defend ourselves as a sovereign nation State.
- Thank you. - Prime Minister!
If I could just have everyone's attention for a moment?
In this rather unprecedented time
I'd like to welcome the Leader of the Opposition.
Very grateful, Robert.
That was an excellent speech by the way.
Thank you.
Nice to have you back, Francine.
Alright no need for that.
So how does this stop?
What do they want?
We don't know.
It looks like we've reached a point
where the war is almost running itself.
So what do we do?
We have an offensive Cyber capacity.
It involves interference with...
missile defense systems.
It was developed by Division 45
of the Cyber Unit
with other countries
including Israel.
But we have modified
its attack vectors.
Modified...
We have made it more of a shotgun than a precise weapon.
Why?
Because if we unleash it,
it will have two consequences.
First,
it could give off false missile alerts...
Well, that's quite dangerous, isn't it?
That IS quite dangerous.
What's the second consequence?
If we release it somewhat wildly
then it could fall into the hands of...
smaller fish.
It could start off that...
inadvertent hot war
we've been warned so much about.
I think the days of suggesting
nuclear subs with no weapons are over.
And I think when the country is under threat,
as it is,
it is the duty of any reasonable opposition
to support the government in its task.
Thank you, Chris.
Anna will coordinate with your office
over that other small matter in Kent.
Unfortunately this new J23 group
have issued further threats
with regards to violent interventions
in the election.
We're increasing security
and I'll be briefing both of you
once our main problem is out of the way.
Watch out.
I may not give her back.
We'll see.
Obviously we wouldn't actually do it?
Release Heracles?
I have been asked before,
"In the event of a nuclear attack would I push the button"?
And your answer is clearly "yes", because...
Well...
That's how deterrents work.
Would you?
Would I push a button...
that incinerated millions of men, women and children?
I'm afraid sighing...
doesn't really cut it.
- Hegel... - No.
No I don't think philosophy...
There's always a place for philosophy.
And I think there's a...
genuine dialectic...
- when it comes to... - Would you push the button?
If you saw a nuclear missile headed towards London?
You know what I'd do.
I'm heading over to Labor Party HQ
and then down to Kent with Francine.
But you'll come back.
What do you think?
Hi.
They've detected the Cerberus virus in a nuclear plant.
It's been lying dormant and harvesting data.
When is our deadline?
30 minutes.
Currency's taking a massive hit.
Stock exchange suspended.
No time-stamping possible on any transactions
makes it impossible.
We are heading for total financial collapse.
You are aware of the risks?
This has the potential
to start World War Three.
It will destabilize anti-missile defenses
around the globe.
How about the Americans?
Have we heard anything?
A sign of any sort?
Nothing.
So the idea is to
make it less of an election,
more a referendum on democracy.
Yep. Agree with that.
Tolerance.
Wishy-washy.
Well, we can toughen it up
but we need to make sure you sound reasonable next to Roger.
That shouldn't be too difficult.
What's wishy-washy about tolerance?
I'm just saying better words, that's all.
Don't give yourself a hot flush.
- How many bloody times... - They're not a joke!
I know, I'm sorry.
Don't do it.
We need a signal, Kelly.
We need a sign!
This is not the time to light a fuse.
You're piling pressure on both players.
They have to send an immediate message
that it's over
or we go active.
Yeah?
Thank you.
That was the Governor of the Bank of England.
The Pound is in total free-fall
and all their systems are compromised by Cerberus.
They can't do a thing.
We're heading for the buffers.
Stand by, Eleanor.
He said to stand by.
Well, go on then, if you want to get past!
Did he just hit your car?!
Activate Heracles.
Do it now.
Get out, get out, get out!
- What's going on?! - Get out!
No, I know him! He's safe.
He's one of Eleanor's.
- Go, go! - Get out, get out!
Miss, clear the vehicle!
Go! GO!
Wait!
There's a change in the pattern.
Time-stamping's back to normal!
The transactions are clearing again.
They've blinked.
There's a kill-switch.
With both the US and the Chinese fleets
pulling back from the brink in the South China sea,
there are hopes that the Cyber threat to the UK has also diminished.
The Prime Minister, Robert Sutherland...
- had this to say earlier. - Mum!
Assassinations...
electoral interference...
false alerts...
and lastly,
an all-out Cyber-attack.
The aim?
To create such chaos
that it would destroy our democracy
and show the world what damage can be inflicted
without the need for missiles.
I am pleased to tell you tonight
that the threat appears to have receded,
thanks to the efforts of our own Cyber defenses.
We should be in no doubt however,
that there is no room for complacency.
For next time,
the consequences could be far worse.
Tonight, I must also express
my outrage at another terror attack
on a parliamentary candidate,
Francine Bridge,
who has fortunately survived
without major injury.
The life of my colleague and friend,
Anna Marshall, however,
hangs in the balance.
Anna...
represents the best traditions of our country,
tolerance,
decency,
and a desire to serve the national interest.
I hope...
you will hold her in your prayers,
as I do.