Edge of Darkness (1985): Season 1, Episode 4 - Breakthrough - full transcript

In America, the concept of "rapture"
is coming under public scrutiny.

According to billions
of US born-again christians...

Craven! You bastard!
You bloody murdering bastard!

It's your turn now, Craven!

Craven!

We know it was McCroon.
Why don't you admit it?

- I want the watch taken off my house.
- All right, but not the telephone intercept.

Across Wales,
coming up to the Pennines there.

Now getting into Yorkshire,
down into East Anglia,

and I think some particularly heavy
rain there, particularly on the Pennines.

Strong winds driving that rain on.
Winds getting up to 45 miles an hour,



so certainly some gale-force
southwesterlies mixed in it.

Down in the South,
not so much rain, but it will stay cloudy.

Little bits of drizzle from time to time.

But in the North,
a dry night and a pretty cold one, too.

Let's go over to the Atlantic chart
and see the reason for this.

And there it is. These fronts
strung out across the Atlantic.

They're the areas of cloud and rain,

and this situation
is not unlike a couple of weeks ago,

when we had some particularly heavy rain
in central parts of the country.

Here's the low giving the rain, giving
the strong winds. That's pushing on...

Remember me?

I've been waiting for you.

- I've already made the call.
- Then, I hope you said goodbye.

Ten years, Craven.



That's how long I've been waiting.

- Ten years.
- Ten years? We're talking about Ireland.

We're talking about 1973. Three Brigade.

We're talking about your job, Sergeant.

Turning good men into touts and traitors,

and when you were done with them,
turning them over to the Provos to be shot.

- For that, you killed my daughter?
- I was looking for you. She just got in the way.

- You fired both barrels into her chest.
- She was coming at me like a goalkeeper.

You could have picked me off blindfolded,
you daft Irish prat!

I was in no hurry.
I knew I'd get you sooner or later.

- How long have you been out?
- A year.

- You waited a whole year?
- I told you, I was in...

Someone told you where
to find us. Who was it?

Why don't you make your peace with God?

I want to know before
you pull that trigger.

What's the use? You were both marked.

It matters to me.

Ask her, Craven,

next time you meet her.

Please...

I want to know.

No! No! No! No! No! No!

No! No! No! No! No! No!

She no longer speaks to me.

Does that disturb you?

But you still see her?

Could you see her this morning?

In some societies, the dead are thought
to be reluctant to proceed on their way

because they fear what might happen
to them in the next world.

Do you think Emma's like that?

They're chased with threats and insults.

- Do you find such a notion fanciful?
- What worries me is not that she's gone,

but that we parted on such bad terms.

- You quarrelled?
- In Hyde Park.

I felt myself disintegrating.

She was telling me to hold on.

She kept asking me to be...

strong... like a tree.

A tree?

That was how she saw me.

Just...

And you became angry with her?

- Why?
- Because...

she allowed herself to be...

abused...

got herself into such a mess.

- How's the patient?
- Very interesting.

He has what primitives call a "bush soul".

He identifies himself with a tree.

- Is he suffering from shock, depression or what?
- All three.

- The "what" being...?
- Grief.

Hello, Ronnie.

- How are you?
- OK.

- Did you call into the house?
- Yes, we tidied up a bit.

Sorted things out.

Well... we got McCroon before he got you.

Why did you leave the marksman on site?

- Jesus Christ, Ronnie. He was going to kill you.
- You gave me your word.

Ronnie, I knew exactly what I was doing.

We saved your life.

Perhaps you didn't want it saved?

I was drawing it out of him.

He wanted to tell me.

I'm closing the case, Ronnie.

Nothing's ever cleared up, you know that.

We don't know how he got
the gun or your address.

We still don't really know why he did it,

but I don't think we ever will know.

It sounds callous, but at least you've been
spared the trial and the dirt that goes with it.

Your health, Ronnie.

And may she rest in peace.

Emma!

Emma!

I want her taken to London.

Tell me about Ireland.

It was my job to select
and train informers.

In those days, you could only find them
in jails. McCroon was one of them.

You know how it is with informers -
they grow to depend on you.

You encouraged that?

You do, don't you?

I had six or seven of them working for me.

Then when Anne got cancer,
I came home, and they were all... let go.

It was all out of my hands.

Some of them were betrayed to the IRA.

Some of them were used in dirty little
schemes, which meant their inevitable exposure.

None of them received the money
or the protection I had promised them.

They were bad times...

and they got a bad deal.

And McCroon remembered that?

Yes.

But he...

Something else motivated him.

I'm Detective Chief
Superintendent Ross. Who are you?

I'm Pendleton.

Craven mentioned the name.

I heard he was off his rocker.

Oh, not really.
Just needs a bit of a rest, that's all.

It's not that such things are motiveless.
Of course there were a motive.

It's just that mistakes sometimes happen.

♪ Ratatouille's
my favourite food, favourite food

♪ I could eat it
every day, every day, every day

♪ I could eat it every day, every day

♪ All I want
is ratatouille, ratatouille, ratatouille

♪ All I want is ratatouille, ratatouille ♪

Emma.

Ratatouille...

- I've been trying to tell you for ages.
- Emma?

Don't lose it. It's important.

Emma!

You could take us down there.

- You're one of the few people who could.
- Northmoor is a nuclear waste plant.

Anyone who breaks in
will be met with ultimate force.

It's the most dangerous
business in Britain.

Don't even think of it.

- Mrs Mac?
- Yes.

This is Ronnie Craven.
I spoke to your husband three weeks ago.

He gave me a name,
Toby Berwick, but I need his number.

I'm afraid he's going to be out till
four o'clock, but the number is 4721005.

4721005. I'll be in London tonight.
I'll ring him when I arrive.

Right. I'll pass it on.

- Thank you very much.
- Who was that?

A friend of a friend.

Can he help?

I hope so.

As the inquiry into the future
of the nuclear industry continues,

Jerry Grogan of the Fusion corporation of Kansas
has stated again his intention of buying IIF.

IIF is a pioneer
in the field of nuclear waste,

and there's widespread concern
about the company being sold overseas.

Whether the takeover would have the blessing
of the Department of Energy remains to be seen.

Nevertheless, the Government
is determined to press ahead

with its plans
to privatise the industry in due course.

Abroad now, the Gulf War and...

So, what you gonna do?

I'm going to go in.

I thought it was the most dangerous business
in England, run by the most dangerous men.

You're exaggerating again.

But I'm glad you're back. I've missed you.

You doctor would say it was a terminal
psychosis preceding complete collapse.

He doesn't use long words like that.

Hey! Pendleton!

Well?

It was one of the Gaia girls.

Women, Pendleton, even dead,
would not like to be known as "girls".

Well, is it radioactive?

Oh, yes.

We have isolated four separation
fission products in the water in her lungs.

In my opinion, there were more, but the decay's
so rapid that they've disappeared without trace.

- What was death by?
- Drowning,

but she'd been exposed to radiation.

What sort of radiation?

Well, it's impossible to say.
Radiation is radiation.

- Alpha waves probably.
- Could it be connected with spent fuel rods?

The caesium might be. 137 is a Beta emitter
thrown up during reprocessing.

So, what you are saying is for that body
to have been contaminated by caesium 137,

it would have to have been exposed
to a plutonium manufacturing process?

All I'm saying is... it's possible.

John?

John!

- Jedburgh.
- Where's everybody?

Chasing arse all over Europe.

- Hank's in the Lebanon.
- Any messages?

They're on the machine.

You could say, "Welcome home, Colonel," or
you could say, "How was Salvador, Colonel?"

Where's Colonel Kelly?

I had to leave him behind, John.

- What happened?
- He got himself shot up a little.

Badly?

- How badly?
- I don't know, John.

I got the word when I was leaving.

- Blood.
- It's not mine, pal.

It's Colonel Kelly's.

John,
did you tape the "Come Dancing" finals?

Yes.

- Craven, I thought they had you locked away.
- I was in hospital.

- Are you cracked up?
- No.

Do you like this programme, Craven?

- "Come Dancing"?
- Yeah.

It's my favourite programme. We don't
have anything like that in the States.

- You want a drink?
- Vodka and ice.

- All right.
- How was El Salvador?

Well, I spent the entire time
playing poker with gangsters.

One long round of gold
chains and designer jeans.

Those assholes. They figure
they have to kill half a million people

to make the region safe for democracy.

Plus, there's eight billion dollars' worth of
aid going there, and they all want a piece.

- How was the golf?
- Well, bodies kept turning up in the bunkers,

you need air support on the rough...
puts you off your game.

I hear they got McCroon.

They damned near got me, too.

They shot Khe San up pretty good.
Hence the weeping and rending of garments.

- What can I do for you?
- I want to know more about Gaia.

Clementine said
you had a hand in founding it.

Oh, did she indeed?

Well, there's some truth in that.

Why was the CIA promoting
a British anti-nuclear ecology movement?

Because in 1977, Carter wanted to stop
the worldwide spread of nuclear weapons.

Well, that meant
stopping the manufacture of plutonium,

and since the British were the largest
manufacturers, it meant stopping the Brits.

So, I was sent over here
with instructions to do just that.

But when I got here and looked for
the anti-nuclear lobby, there wasn't one.

There was CND, but who gave
a shit about them in those days?

So I had to start from scratch.

In the end, I got some of the best
scientists in this country on my side.

Then lo and behold, Carter issued PD 59.
That effectively started a new cold war.

Suddenly, America wanted
all the plutonium it could get,

so the Brits were back on our side again.

Then I got word from Langley -
dismantle Gaia. Good luck!

Thing's like Banquo's ghost -
it just won't go away.

- What it did do was go underground.
- So your involvement ended there?

Yeah,
more or less. Till Northmoor came along.

I found this in Emma's things.

A list of subway stations.

- It's the route they took into Northmoor.
- Are you planning on going down there?

Yeah.

What do you think'll be waiting down there?
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs?

I don't want to blow you out of the water,
but there's 100 miles of tunnel down there

on a dozen different levels.

You need some sort of three-dimensional
map to find your way around.

Tell you what, you find a proper route,
maybe I'll go with you.

That's what I hoped you'd say.

Boy, nobody dances like the British.
They deserved the Falklands.

- Toby Berwick?
- Hop in.

Who's this?

- My wife.
- What's she doing here?

Ask her.

If he's going down for ten years,
we might as well go together.

- Can you operate a keyboard?
- Yes.

Who else knows about this, besides you?

- There's a Mr Jedburgh.
- Well, who's he when he's at home?

He's Acting Energy Attaché
at the US Embassy, but he's straight CIA.

Well, we cannot expect
to call him to give evidence.

- There's Craven. He's a Yorkshire CID officer.
- How did he get involved?

His daughter was one
of the Gaia team that went there.

- Did she survive?
- Not for long.

Yes, I remember. I read about it.

Well, you'd better have him called.

If we can find him. He's skipped hospital.

You'll have ten minutes at the most,
and when I say go, we go, all right?

- Here.
- Where is it?

It's a new place. It's not on-stream yet,
but the terminals are in.

- How was Mac?
- All right. Sends his regards.

- Do you know him well?
- I wouldn't be here if I didn't.

Ten minutes.

Ronnie? Ronnie?

We're in.

Gaia. G-A-I-A.

G-A-I-A.

Aims.

Thank you, Mark.

- Harcourt.
- Someone's broken into the MI5 computer.

- They've got the Gaia file.
- Where are you?

- Office.
- I'll be right over.

Thank you.

- Try the Northmoor reference.
- Northmoor.

IIF.

The Craven number.

Craven.

First Gaia, then Northmoor, now Craven.

- Which one, Ronnie or Emma?
- Emma.

- Are they sure that it's an intruder?
- Absolutely.

Yes?

The longer we let them operate, the more chance
we have of finding out what they're after.

Well, it's your computer.

They've located the terminal.

- They're here.
- Go back. Access Security.

- Time we left, Ronnie.
- Access Northmoor Security.

- Access Oxford Street.
- We must go!

Access Oxford Street.

- Access Oxford Circus.
- Come on, for Christ's sake!

I'll give you three guesses
as to who that was.

I think we've got to get
someone into that plant.

Craven's the obvious choice.

If he can get into that terminal,
he can get into anywhere.

Oh, Jesus Christ!

Assistance requested.
Circle foyer at the Barbican Theatre.

Good evening, Mr Craven. I didn't
know that you were a theatre lover.

- You haven't seen a tall couple...?
- Slightly out of breath? They went that-a-way.

- OK, Delta Two.
- Delta Two.

- I've covered the area. No sign of them.
- Where the hell are you?

- I'm on the roof.
- I said follow the exit signs.

I did, and I'm on the roof.

- I asked for 30 officers.
- They're all inside, totally lost.

- Have you got them?
- Got? What?

The tickets. The ones Berwick gave you.

What's it about?

Incest.

- Thanks.
- I'm sorry, but I'm afraid this isn't goodbye.

- I've been asked to look after you night and day.
- By whom?

By Gaia.

- I'm under house arrest, is that it?
- Protective custody.

I'm very good at looking after people.

Ask Darius.

I'll sleep on the divan, OK?

- Craven.
- Sorry to ring so late. You were out earlier.

- I was at the theatre.
- Were you?

Harcourt and I stayed
home and watched the telly.

Interesting programme - "Shake Up Bits of
Information and Reassemble in Right Order".

- What do you want, Pendleton?
- You've been asked to give evidence

before the House of Commons
Energy Committee, remember?

- I said no.
- You don't say no to the Commons.

Be at the visitor's gate by 9.30.
They'll have a pass in your name.

And wear a tie...

something regimental.

Fridge... keeping me awake.

Come in...

for a while.

How much is that?

Morning.

Was this your idea,
bringing this Craven in?

My dear chap, why should I do that?

I hope you can rely on his testimony.
I'm told the man's deranged.

- What's the situation?
- I've seen the report.

The pathologist will mention radiation,
but without any analysis of its source.

He's simply going to
say she was irradiated.

Well, we'll just have to front it out.

- Hello, James.
- Hello.

Has Childs briefed you?

Yes, the union isn't going to like this.

You won't let me down, will you?

- I'll try not to.
- Good.

This is better than
hanging around in the hall.

I'll ring you when your name's called.

Doctor Menzies, you were
the pathologist who examined the body?

- What was the cause of death?
- Drowning,

but she had been exposed
to a great deal of radiation.

Are you able to confirm
the source of radiation?

No, but I am able to say
that activation products from fast neutrons

identifies her as having been
exposed to a criticality accident.

- What does that mean exactly?
- It means that she was in proximity

to concentrated fissile material.

- And where would you find that?
- In a reprocessing plant.

Waiting to be called?

Mind if I join you?

All politics, isn't it?

I suppose that's why
they call it the "mother of parliaments".

A lot of people got
Northmoor in their sights.

I'm one of them.

- Why would they call you?
- They know Emma broke into the plant.

- They think I can shed some light on it.
- And can you?

I can tell them what I've found out
since she died... which is quite a lot.

- It's the end for me when this gets out.
- How did you get involved in the first place?

It started back in the '60s.

The Ministry of Defence took over the
mines, started building storage facilities,

needed miners to maintain them, someone
in the union to look after the miners.

I were picked.
I signed the Official Secrets Act,

and that part of my job wasn't mentioned
outside of the executive committee.

Over the years,
Northmoor became an underground city.

Then came the defence cuts,
changes in strategy.

MoD didn't need Northmoor any more,
so they leased it to Bennett.

I were part of the deal. I suddenly found
myself dealing with a nuclear waste plant.

That must have made life difficult.

We had a national executive
paranoid about nuclear power,

and I were knee-deep in the stuff.

Was it Bennett who
rigged the last union vote?

He needed me. He knew he'd never
get another leader so compromised.

Why didn't you tell me this at the time?

How could I?

All right, let's get the next one.

Hustle! Hustle! Hustle!

He's safe! You're blind!

Darius.

- Well, where is he?
- He'll be along.

- You play this game?
- I'm a golfer, Schumaker.

I happen to believe that the game is sanctified.
I cannot imagine the same being said for softball.

- I never gave it that much thought.
- That's the story of your life, Schumaker.

- How was Salvador?
- A pain in the ass.

- What were you doing out there?
- Clearing up your mistakes.

It needed a field man like you, Darius.

- Who's he?
- Kurt Wagner, a White House staffer.

I thought this was company business.

We can't exclude the President
if he takes an interest.

Since when? Anybody else involved?

No.

- Hi, guys.
- Kurt, this is Darius Jedburgh.

- Good to meet you.
- Yeah.

This is for you.

"Dear Jed.

"Get into the ballpark
and steal the ball. Co-ord."

You guys. In the '50s, it was football.
In the '60s, surfers.

In the '70s, tennis players. Now baseball.
When are you guys going to grow up?

- We need plutonium, Colonel.
- This is a friendly nation, pal.

You know the rules.
Somebody's got to sanction this operation.

- The State Department, for openers...
- We'll handle the paperwork.

- All this waiting gets to you.
- Remember that TV programme you made?

Just about.

In it, you said
that Emma was murdered... by mistake.

- I don't remember. I were half-pissed...
- You were trying to tell me something.

I can't remember.

She was killed by mistake.
That's what you said.

Was it McCroon who made the mistake?

No. It were the people who paid him.
They made the mistake.

- They? Who are they?
- You know damned well who "they" are.

How did they make a mistake?

They knew someone had led the Gaia team
under the Northmoor defences.

They asked for a list of possible leaders.
As an old caver, your name were there.

Someone who knew
the shafts and vents of the old pits.

Someone whom Emma could persuade.
And they thought it were you.

- Me?!
- Yes, you.

They're ready for you, Mr Godbolt.

- They got it wrong.
- Like they always do.

- It were me.
- You?!

- You took them in?
- Yes. I hadn't completely sold out.

Why didn't you tell me?

- You're a police officer.
- She was my daughter!

You've been called, Mr Godbolt.

Godbolt.

I don't think they're
going to let you speak.

- You're not serious?
- Evidently, he signed himself out of hospital.

If Bennett got his psychiatric report,
it could undermine his testimony.

There's nothing wrong with my mind.

You have a fixation
for trees, Craven. An arboreal passion.

That can be made to sound
very odd by a skilled interrogator.

Anyway,
there's something better for you to do.

Still in one piece, I see.

And what's that supposed to mean?

People have a habit of dissolving
into their constituent parts these days.

The political climate does
not favour homogeneity.

Khe-San died.

Oh, he died peacefully in bed...

of gunshot wounds.

I'm sorry to hear that.

That makes me and old Mad Mike
the last survivors of the 'Nam team.

I wondered if you had made up your mind...
about our little trip?

- I hear you're taking Jedburgh.
- What?

Will you be armed?

- Yes.
- Well, if he gets out of hand, shoot him.

Remember he's an American,
so not basically on our side.

Goodnight, craven.
Give my love to clemmie.

Who was that?

Pendleton.

Oh.