The Murdoch Mysteries (2004) s14e03 Episode Script
Code M for Murdoch
Everyone is assigned a frequency.
Your job is to transcribe all wireless transmissions sent on that frequency.
Have you worked with wireless before? I was chief telegrapher on the Minto.
I suppose that's why they sent you.
Most of what we get here is ship to shore pretty tedious stuff, to be frank.
Why are we doing this? We are looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack: coded messages.
How does one tell it's a coded message? Experience, judgment.
I'll be doing that part.
Just make sure you jot it all down.
Let's get to work.
Sir, I think I've got one.
Got one what? A coded message.
First time's a charm, is it? It's 13 letters that repeat endlessly.
It's still transmitting.
What happens now? We have a situation, sir.
This is a code M situation.
Well done.
[LOUD BEEPS.]
Who on earth could that be? Hello? [RADIO.]
Code M.
Terrence Meyers.
Couldn't this have waited 'til morning? [MEYERS.]
This is important.
So, the Shall I get dressed? No.
No, - I don't think that's necessary.
- [MURDOCH.]
What's this all about, Mr.
Meyers? For the last six months, the Canadian government has been intercepting wireless telegraph transmissions.
Really? Government no longer believes in the right to privacy? No, 'course not.
Wireless signals are impossible to trace.
It's the perfect medium for enemies of the state to transmit encrypted messages.
We received this message approximately one hour ago.
And you need my help to decode it.
No, not necessarily, but we believe this one was intended for you.
For Murdoch find J-P.
J-P? James Pendrick.
Dr.
Janice Kemps.
It's an anagram for James Pendrick.
Hello, old friend.
- James Pendrick! - Murdoch.
Sir, look out.
- James Pendrick.
- Detective Murdoch.
I believe our old friend may be in need of our assistance.
How is James Pendrick sending you a distress signal? Oh, I believe Mr.
Pendrick is using a spark gap transmitter, possibly attached to something mechanical.
Hence the repetition.
I believe I will get dressed.
I've been experimenting with loop antennas for my radio backpacks.
Now, the signal is strongest when the antenna's broadside to the signal.
You have this made already? Oh, this won't help you.
Uh, the diameter of the antenna needs to match the wavelength of the signal.
And what was that frequency again? 78 Mhz.
Megahertz.
Multiply the inverse by the speed of light, 2-9-9-7-9-2-4-5-8.
Carry the seven, round to two decimal places Huh.
Which is what, exactly, in English? Uh-huh.
How long will it take you to make this? Shouldn't be more than a couple of hours for both.
Both? Well, yes.
You will need two antennas in order to pinpoint the exact location.
Triangulation.
Oh.
Hm.
150 degrees, 9.
3.
Yes? [NIELSEN.]
150 degrees, 9.
4.
[MURDOCH.]
Yes? 155 degrees, 9.
3.
- 155, 9.
3? - Yes.
155 minus 65 is 90 degrees.
We have a bearing.
Signal is coming from this direction.
Now to triangulate.
Station house number four, please.
Now, make sure the connection's good.
145 degrees, 3.
5.
[PHONE RINGS.]
Oh, no.
150 degrees Higgins-Newsome? Yes, sir.
Of course I'm still plotting, sir.
Yes, we We've just had a few problems, but they've all been all been rectified now.
In fact, I think it's all coming together quite nicely, It's forming a line, point to point.
We've really been trying, sir The truth is I fell asleep for just a second, sir, but I am fully awake now, I pro - Oh.
- What's going on? Sir, Detective Murdoch's on the Murdoch? 'Course it's Murdoch.
Who else would it be? No, I am still here, sir.
I'm sorry.
No, I'm right back to it.
Oh, gee.
Are you still there? Sir? Oh, no, yes, I've got it.
Yes.
We're losing a signal.
Are you sure? The antenna is fixed at 155 degrees, but we're now 5.
9 and dropping.
Henry, do you have a node? [HIGGINS.]
A what, sir? The graph.
Does it have a shape? Like a wave? [HIGGINS.]
It just seems to be going down, sir.
The signal was being broadcast along this bearing.
I want a room-by-room search of every building along that line.
Get the addresses from the fire map.
If that's all right with you, sir.
Well, if Pendrick's asking to be found, it means he's in trouble.
Get to it, lads.
- Thank you, Henry.
- Sir.
Inspector, a body has been pulled out of the river just south of Queen Street.
- You take it, Watts.
- Uh, certainly.
Thank you, sir.
That's Pendrick's assistant.
[MURDOCH.]
Svetlana Tsiolkovsky.
Yes, sir.
We've asked her to come in.
Of course.
Carry on, Murdoch.
I'm afraid I haven't seen James for several months.
What happened? His dog became sick and had to be killed.
Thank you.
Um, James was inconsolable for weeks.
I lost my patience.
I said to him, "It's just a dog!" He didn't see it that way.
He stopped speaking to me.
He wouldn't even look at me.
So, I left.
My heart was broken.
What has happened to my beloved James? I don't know.
We're just looking for him.
You're not alone.
A man came to my door three days ago.
He was very tall.
He had a beard.
He gave me this card.
I was to call him if James contacted me.
[MURDOCH.]
Walsh Tyler.
[SVETLANA.]
He said he was investor.
He was found on the banks of the Don River this morning.
He was beaten quite severely, by the looks of it.
Was the beating the cause of death? That won't be determined until the post-mortem, same with the time of death, I'm afraid.
Thank you.
- Do you have a name? - [WATTS.]
Not yet.
Took a bit of a pasting, didn't he? Yes, but not with a fist.
Some kind of weapon was used.
Henry, I'd like you to go to this address and find out what you can about this man.
He was asking about James Pendrick.
- Walsh Tyler.
- Yes.
If he's there, bring him in.
He's tall, beard.
I'd like a word with him.
Julia.
I know this man.
- You do? - You recognize him? His name is Dr.
Quinlan.
I don't know his first name.
He shared an office with a colleague of mine at university.
He studied immunology.
And this colleague's name? Gatlin, Professor John Gatlin.
Then I best talk to him, uh, once we find out more about what happened to the unfortunate Dr.
Quinlan.
He's been dead two days, judging by stomach contents.
Still trying to determine what weapon was being used.
- It was wide and flat.
- Mm Cricket bat? - Possibly.
- No bruising to the forearms? No, just the shoulders.
Why would he not defend himself? Is this the cause of death? Not sure.
I might know more when I take a look at his brain.
I'll leave you to it.
[BOTH LAUGH.]
Professor Gatlin, do you have any idea why someone would want to harm Dr.
Quinlan? None at all.
He he was he was highly regarded in his field.
As a matter of fact, he he believed he was on the cusp of a major medical breakthrough.
Well, what was it? He wouldn't say and his partner insisted on secrecy.
Who was his partner? A man by the name of Pendrick.
James Pendrick.
How long had Dr.
Quinlan been working with Mr.
Pendrick? A couple of months.
It wasn't entirely smooth sailing, but they must have had some success because they filed a patent.
What kind of patent? Uh, I I don't know.
I just learned that much from an investor who came by the office.
[MURDOCH.]
An investor? Was his name Walsh Tyler? Um, I'm afraid he didn't say.
Was he tall with a beard? Ah, yes.
Yes, he was.
I'm afraid I don't know much else.
Um, he was, he was looking for Dr.
Quinlan.
All I knew was their laboratory was up in Weston.
It appears to have been abandoned.
Somewhat hastily.
William, look.
Something terrible happened here.
[MURDOCH.]
Could this be where Dr.
Quinlan was beaten? Not beaten: thrown up against the wall with real force.
That would explain the bruising I saw.
This door doesn't open from the inside.
Dr.
Quinlan was imprisoned? Or he was thrown in there with someone who was.
What on earth was Mr.
Pendrick up to? William, look.
What do you make of this? That's James Pendrick's handwriting.
Was he testing compounds? I think not.
Potassium iodine is a compound, but argon is inert.
Let's see.
I wonder William, it spells Karnaki.
Joseph Karnaki.
The man who invented the microwave death ray.
That's a man you both knew.
That can't be a coincidence.
James Pendrick is sending me a message.
Wagno? Wagon.
Karnaki's wagon.
It had to be specially designed to handle the weight of the microwave death ray.
If you would just tell me what you're looking for, I'm sure I could help.
We believe your husband has mounted the weapon on top of a vehicle of some sort.
I'm hoping to learn anything I can about it.
He must've kept plans, blueprints of some kind.
Oh, I'm afraid I've never seen anything like that.
This one's locked.
Any idea what's in there? I'm afraid not.
I've never opened it.
No keyhole.
I wonder if Blueprints.
James was coming up with silly little contraptions.
Desk.
That desk; there was something inside of it.
Oh, bloody hell.
Your Dr.
Quinlan beat himself to death, by the looks of it.
[MURDOCH.]
What was James Pendrick working on that would cause a man to do such a thing? Some kind of drug that induces violent rage? Sir, I went to the address specified on the card, but the office was empty.
- They've moved? - It's like he was never there, sir.
Everything was in place, but there were no files in the drawers.
Perhaps it's a front.
We searched every building along the line of bearing.
- On both sides? - Yes, sir.
And nothing.
I'm sorry.
Right, Henry, I'd like you to locate Professor Gatlin and have him meet us at Pendrick's laboratory.
Right away.
Oh, ah, Violet Hart has asked to see you, as well.
Yes, that might explain the pattern of bruising but it wasn't his injuries that killed Dr.
Quinlan.
It wasn't? No, I found signs of severe inflammation - of the brain and surrounding tissue.
- Oof! My goodness.
Acute encephalitis.
I've never seen anything like it.
I have.
Not to this degree, but in medical school I dissected the brain of a rabid squirrel.
Rabies? No ordinary rabies.
The extent of the inflammation is astonishing.
He must have been in agony.
Miss Tsiolkovsky told me that Mr.
Pendrick's dog was recently ill and had to be put down.
Rabies, you think? According to Tsiolkovsky, this happened about three months ago.
He'd been working with Dr.
Quinlan for two months.
Perhaps the passing of his pup prompted Pendrick to pursue a cure.
And, in so doing, this man somehow contracted an even more potent form of the disease? We need to talk to an expert.
Rat brain.
Lateral slice.
White matter stain.
There is inflammation in the ventricles.
Yes, you're right.
Still in its early stages.
P-I plus one hour? Post-infection.
So he was sampling every hour? Uh, P-I plus two.
It means it was definitely more advanced.
But I was under the impression that rabies - took weeks to manifest itself.
- Not necessarily.
Rabies normally infects the, uh, nerves near the bite.
It then travels up those nerves towards the central nervous system.
As long as it remains in the peripheral nerves, the immune system, or a vaccine, can attack it.
But once inside the central nervous system, the disease is protected by the blood-brain barrier.
- The which? - Few years back, Max Lewandowsky theorized that every blood vessel in the brain is encased in a semi-permeable membrane that admits essential molecules, like oxygen, but blocks bloodborne pathogens.
- Like rabies.
- And, ironically, the, uh, the antibodies that might fight the disease are prevented from getting to the brain.
So, how did this progress so quickly? Did they inject it directly into their brains? Um, well, if that were the case, you'd see more localized inflammation, - but as you can see - It's everywhere, all at once, suggesting it was delivered by the blood, which means that James Pendrick must've created a strain of rabies that could breach the blood brain barrier.
That must've been why they were seeking a patent.
- For an accelerated form of rabies? - No.
I don't think so.
Professor, look.
Oh, my word.
[MURDOCH.]
What is it? [GATLIN.]
This shows inflammation that has receded.
P-T? Post Therapy.
He'd found a way to deliver a cure.
Any cure that could pass by the blood brain barrier would be worth a fortune.
Well, then, why wasn't Dr.
Quinlan cured? Perhaps the cure was intentionally withheld? Have either of you wandered through this part of the room since we've returned? No, why? Someone has.
And they're still here.
Toronto Police.
Come out of there and identify yourself.
Professor Gatlin, do you recognize this man? Yes, that's the man I spoke to last week.
You're Walsh Tyler.
That is not my true identity.
Then who are you? I'm Agent Felder.
I work for the American Secret Service.
Before we proceed, I think it would be best if we include my Canadian counterpart.
Agent Meyers? I might've guessed the American government was mixed up in all of this.
Then you would have guessed wrong.
Why do you say that? As Agent Meyers can attest, government is not a beast speaking with one mind.
It's a hydra with a thousand heads, all talking against each other, and that is especially true of the American Secret Service.
But you all take direction from your president.
Not all of us.
There are rogue elements inside the American Secret Service who seek to destroy him.
Why? President Roosevelt has proven himself dangerous to some very powerful people.
[MURDOCH.]
The robber barons.
Capitalists of every stripe are chafing at the new regulations.
They stand to lose millions and there's nothing they can do to stop him.
His reforms are very popular.
Their only hope is to replace him with a puppet who aligns with their interests.
And you believe such a plot is afoot now? Three weeks ago we uncovered evidence of a group of rogue agents calling themselves the Soldiers of Columbia.
They're plotting to overthrow the administration.
Soldiers of Columbia? They're led by a former agent.
You know him as Allen Clegg.
Clegg? That's impossible.
Clegg is dead.
We've seen proof.
Is this the proof you've seen? Clegg is dead.
Hanged October 7th, 1906.
[JULIA.]
These were taken after the post-mortem.
They've completed the Y-section.
- So, he is dead.
- Very much so.
- It's definitely Allen Clegg.
- You're quite sure? Look at the right eye.
It was hit with shrapnel.
- It looks like he lost it.
- Proof enough for me.
[FELDER.]
The photograph was taken at the Washington city morgue.
He has a very convincing Y-section.
How do you explain that? It's real.
The Y-section.
Good Lord.
[FELDER.]
Whatever your opinion is of the man, I think we can all agree: he's tough.
Any success, Mr.
Pendrick? Not as yet.
That's unfortunate.
You see, I'm under some time pressure here.
I would hate to think you were stalling.
I'm working as fast as I can.
What you're asking is difficult.
Not as difficult as failure.
Let me assure you.
What does all of this have to do with James Pendrick? All we know is that the Soldiers of Columbia are following his work.
Mr.
Pendrick appears to have stumbled upon an accelerated form of rabies.
Gentlemen, I believe the signal has returned.
- Southeast 9.
3.
- 9.
3.
We've determined the bearing of the signal at College and Bathurst to be coming from 155 degrees.
Once we determine the second bearing, we'll be able to pinpoint the location of the signal exactly.
- And we have one, sir.
- What is it? 155 degrees.
That's odd.
That that's the same as the first, Henry.
Have you dropped the ball, Keens? Oh, no, no, actually.
Actually, it makes perfect sense.
That's why the signal returned to us.
At night, radio waves reflect off the ionosphere.
The what? It's being broadcast from below the horizon.
And what does that mean? Well, sir, it's coming from beyond our border.
When we expanded our triangulation to account for the ionosphere, we found this.
- That's Lewiston.
- That was my initial thought.
It's not Lewiston.
We happen to know there's a secret American base That no longer exists and was never much of a secret.
Where then? The American government maintains a secret underground research facility here: Goat Island.
What kind of research? You know I can't divulge that.
Nerve gas, bacterial weapons? If Clegg has control of the island, that means this conspiracy is wide, as well as deep.
We best inform the president, then.
I'll call the Prime Minister.
[FELDER.]
I'd advise against that.
President Roosevelt is not a cautious man.
He'll launch a full assault.
Your friend will be killed.
The Soldiers of Columbia will escape.
Now, I've been tracking these fellows for almost a year.
I can't I can't allow them to escape.
Well, then what do you suggest? We'll contact my counterpart in Washington.
He'll bring a team with him.
That will take days.
James Pendrick is in mortal danger now.
We're not just going to be sat back on our backsides.
Then let's go together.
I know the facility.
I know how to get in.
We're on the same side here, Terrence.
Let's work together to rescue Pendrick and arrest the men that want to destroy my country.
I think you should take me with you.
Now don't be ridiculous.
She's a woman.
[JULIA.]
I'm a medical doctor.
Do any of you feel qualified to comment on Mr.
Pendrick's research? She has a point.
I'll hold the fort.
The doctor goes.
[FELDER.]
Now, there are two surface entrance points, but any attempt to breach them will trigger an alarm.
- Can the alarm be disabled? - Not from the outside.
What about guards? Well, that depends on how many people he brought with him.
If it's an underground facility, it would need to be ventilated.
Yes.
And that will be our means of ingress.
Now, the intake shaft extends to the cliff face here.
Once inside, we're going to have to split up.
You and I will try to locate and neutralize Clegg and his men and you two try to find Pendrick inform him.
Now, the only thing we won't have, unfortunately, - is a means to communicate.
- Ah! Low-range transmitters.
I trust we all know Morse Code.
[FELDER.]
Pendrick is likely being held in the laboratory here.
Shhh.
Someone's coming.
Clear.
[MAN.]
Wake up, Pendrick.
Time to get back to work.
Bring me the chair.
[PENDRICK.]
How do you expect me to think on two hours of sleep? [MAN.]
You can sleep when you're dead, Pendrick.
You know what needs to be done.
[PENDRICK.]
Oh, I do, do I? [MAN.]
My boss believes your problem is less one of concentration than motivation.
Are you going to beat me up again? I can see Mr.
Pendrick.
- No.
That hurts my knuckles.
- Uh-huh.
[MAN.]
It's my understanding you have a trick shoulder; easily dislocated.
- Here we go.
- Give him this.
[MAN.]
I'm sure I don't need to tell you that at any moment, I can get one of my boys here to help speed up the process, if I really needed to.
You're going about this in the wrong way.
I can solve this.
I just need more time.
You have awakened me, now leave me to my work.
What's this? Karnaki.
Who's Karnaki? Potassium, argon, sodium Potassium iodide.
Don't you know chemical formulas when you see them? I'm going to enjoy hurting you.
Get back to work.
Murdoch! Murdoch.
Murdoch.
Murdoch! Mr.
Pendrick.
- Julia.
- Are you all right? Beaten, sleep-deprived, but otherwise fine.
- I take it you received my signal? - Yes.
Thank goodness.
- How on earth did you send it? - They have an electric clock.
I attached a new wheel to the minute hand and had it brush by a wire in a sequence of dots and dashes.
It's ingenious.
- For the antenna, I used this marvelous lamp - Oh! He's receiving a message from the others.
- The others? - Terrence Meyers and an American agent.
On their way back, Clegg asleep, others also soon.
Thank God.
What happened, Mr.
Pendrick? What happened was I I put a bullet between the only eyes that ever trusted me completely.
Your dog contracted rabies? Yes.
And I swore no man would ever have to go through what I did.
So you attempted a cure? I read everything I could.
There was so much unknown.
I wanted to experiment, but rabies takes weeks to manifest.
I needed a version of the disease that would take days at best.
So you teamed up with Dr.
Quinlan? Yes, and we succeeded in creating a strain that breached the blood-brain barrier.
Instant rabies.
Yes.
Symptomatic within an hour.
Dead within three; it sped up our research by a factor of a 1,000.
We found a way to use the virus as a Trojan Horse, to smuggle the antibodies through the blood-brain barrier.
You turned the disease against itself.
Unfortunately, it's only worked on the disease that we created.
Not conventional rabies? No.
I was prepared to abandon the project, but our work attracted the interest of men who had other uses for it.
Clegg intends to weaponize this disease.
Yes, but, of course, a weaponized rabies is only useful if one could be inoculated against its effects.
One needs the cure as well as the disease.
Yes.
That is what Mr.
Clegg and his Soldiers of Columbia seek.
What he intends to do with it, I have no idea.
- Terrence Meyers.
- Mr.
Pendrick.
I'm Agent Felder.
We've come to get you out of here, Mr.
Pendrick.
Once we're safe, I'll call in reinforcements.
We must go.
They could return at any moment.
Yes.
Let's make haste.
Hello, gentlemen.
Clegg.
How's the eye? Doctor.
We've been expecting you.
I'm a little disappointed.
In all of you, really especially you, Felder.
Of all people, you should know never, - never underestimate me.
- How did you know, Clegg? Soldiers of Columbia have 1000 eyes that never close.
It's how we knew Mr.
Pendrick had created the most terrifying disease humanity has ever seen.
And we couldn't let that go to waste.
You intend to use this to rule the world? Terrence, Terrence.
No, not even I'm that ambitious.
Our goals are very specific.
Your plan is to assassinate President Roosevelt.
No.
We intend to convince him to resign his office.
He would never resign.
Well, he will have a strong incentive once we infect all of his children with Mr.
Pendrick's innovation.
And the new president will be one of yours.
He'll invade Canada and your fantasy of manifest destiny - will at last be a reality.
- Yes.
Yes.
But, first, I need a cure.
I'm not an immunologist.
The person who could create the cure you seek is dead.
Dr.
Quinlan.
He tested the cure on himself; didn't work.
Finding a cure for humans will take time.
I don't have time and I don't think I need it.
I think you have a cure, Mr.
Pendrick.
I think you have a cure and you've been stalling.
And I'm going to put that theory to the test.
No! Julia! No! If Mr.
Pendrick has the cure, she will live.
And if not? Well, you've seen the film.
Julia.
Is he right? Do you have a cure? That depends.
Are you familiar with Lansteiner's blood groupings? They've identified four: A, B, O and AB.
I'm type AB.
As am I.
Dr.
Quinlan, unfortunately, was type A.
- Highly agglutinative.
- Perhaps the agglutinins blocked - the passage of the antigen? - Do you have a cure? Yesterday I injected myself with the rabies and then the antigens.
- And you're still here.
- Yes.
I grew some symptoms, but they quickly receded.
Then it should work for me.
We're the same type.
My arm is twitching.
That's the first sign.
It will move quickly now.
Quick! Bind her to the chair.
We have to think this through.
If Clegg finds out we have the cure, - he'll kill us all.
- I don't care.
That's precisely why I've been dragging my feet.
- Pendrick the cure! - Is right here, Murdoch.
So, progress? We're moving as quickly as we can.
Oh! Fascinating.
I've heard that people with rabies have a fear of water.
- Is that true? - Stop it.
Would you look at that? Ahh!! [SCREAMING.]
What do I do? What do I do? Bathe it in alcohol.
Full immersion.
You'll want to be quick about it.
Quick! Get me alcohol! [MURDOCH.]
Pendrick! - Inject her.
- Hold her.
Steady, Julia, steady.
Relief is on the way.
- Get more alcohol! I need more! - Go get more alcohol! Ah! [MURDOCH.]
Julia? Speak to me.
It's working! Here, I'll take the cure.
One move and I smash it.
Murdoch.
Grab him.
He's working with Clegg.
Well, well, well.
What do we have here? How'd you know, Murdoch? Clegg knew we'd seen the film.
Only one other person knew that.
He's the reason Clegg knew we were coming.
Your phone call to Washington was actually a phone call here.
Of course.
I should have known.
You fools still think you can escape.
All I need to do Ahh! - Rabies? - Barbiturates.
Huh.
Ah! More alcohol.
Get me more alcohol.
Ahh, God.
- Where are we? - Somewhere on the island still.
We have to make it to the mainland.
Which way to the bridge? Let's get to the river first, then find our bearings.
What happened? What happened! What happened? They've got the cure.
They've The vial.
They've taken it with them.
After them! No, no, no this way.
We're close to the water now.
We're on the wrong side.
Damn.
We're going to have to double back.
[JULIA.]
William! Where is it? Where's what? The cure.
Give it to me.
Shoot them.
Shoot them and you'll be licking this off the rocks.
[GRUNTING.]
I'm indifferent to your survival.
Just give me the cure and I will let you live.
If you don't give me the cure, I will tear you limb from limb.
You best do what I say.
I won't be sane much longer.
Don't, Murdoch.
I will rip you all apart.
Give it to me.
Give it to me! - Murdoch! - No! No! William! [GUNSHOT.]
He's dead.
He was a brute, but I take no pleasure in his demise.
Do you see him? No.
He made it to the other side.
Well, if anything, he's proven hard to kill.
He has, indeed.
Let's get back to Canada.
Well, gentlemen, the Americans have picked up Agent Felder and are questioning him as we speak.
Any word on Clegg? Well, I doubt he could survive the falls and rabies.
Well, over the years, he's proved to be tough.
How's Julia? The doctors have given her a clean bill of health.
Your cure works, Mr.
Pendrick.
Thank God for that.
James.
Svetlana.
I brought you a gift.
A gift.
For me? I'm sorry about your dog.
Truly, I am.
It's I who should apologize.
It's all right.
Forgive me.
I I don't know what kind you like.
He's perfect.
I'll name him Quinlan.
Hello, Quinlan.
Oh, James.
Oh, Quinlan.
[MURDOCH.]
So, you are no longer infectious? Not in the least.
But, I must confess, - I do continue to feel some effects.
- Oh? To be honest, I may still have a bit of the beast in me.
Your job is to transcribe all wireless transmissions sent on that frequency.
Have you worked with wireless before? I was chief telegrapher on the Minto.
I suppose that's why they sent you.
Most of what we get here is ship to shore pretty tedious stuff, to be frank.
Why are we doing this? We are looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack: coded messages.
How does one tell it's a coded message? Experience, judgment.
I'll be doing that part.
Just make sure you jot it all down.
Let's get to work.
Sir, I think I've got one.
Got one what? A coded message.
First time's a charm, is it? It's 13 letters that repeat endlessly.
It's still transmitting.
What happens now? We have a situation, sir.
This is a code M situation.
Well done.
[LOUD BEEPS.]
Who on earth could that be? Hello? [RADIO.]
Code M.
Terrence Meyers.
Couldn't this have waited 'til morning? [MEYERS.]
This is important.
So, the Shall I get dressed? No.
No, - I don't think that's necessary.
- [MURDOCH.]
What's this all about, Mr.
Meyers? For the last six months, the Canadian government has been intercepting wireless telegraph transmissions.
Really? Government no longer believes in the right to privacy? No, 'course not.
Wireless signals are impossible to trace.
It's the perfect medium for enemies of the state to transmit encrypted messages.
We received this message approximately one hour ago.
And you need my help to decode it.
No, not necessarily, but we believe this one was intended for you.
For Murdoch find J-P.
J-P? James Pendrick.
Dr.
Janice Kemps.
It's an anagram for James Pendrick.
Hello, old friend.
- James Pendrick! - Murdoch.
Sir, look out.
- James Pendrick.
- Detective Murdoch.
I believe our old friend may be in need of our assistance.
How is James Pendrick sending you a distress signal? Oh, I believe Mr.
Pendrick is using a spark gap transmitter, possibly attached to something mechanical.
Hence the repetition.
I believe I will get dressed.
I've been experimenting with loop antennas for my radio backpacks.
Now, the signal is strongest when the antenna's broadside to the signal.
You have this made already? Oh, this won't help you.
Uh, the diameter of the antenna needs to match the wavelength of the signal.
And what was that frequency again? 78 Mhz.
Megahertz.
Multiply the inverse by the speed of light, 2-9-9-7-9-2-4-5-8.
Carry the seven, round to two decimal places Huh.
Which is what, exactly, in English? Uh-huh.
How long will it take you to make this? Shouldn't be more than a couple of hours for both.
Both? Well, yes.
You will need two antennas in order to pinpoint the exact location.
Triangulation.
Oh.
Hm.
150 degrees, 9.
3.
Yes? [NIELSEN.]
150 degrees, 9.
4.
[MURDOCH.]
Yes? 155 degrees, 9.
3.
- 155, 9.
3? - Yes.
155 minus 65 is 90 degrees.
We have a bearing.
Signal is coming from this direction.
Now to triangulate.
Station house number four, please.
Now, make sure the connection's good.
145 degrees, 3.
5.
[PHONE RINGS.]
Oh, no.
150 degrees Higgins-Newsome? Yes, sir.
Of course I'm still plotting, sir.
Yes, we We've just had a few problems, but they've all been all been rectified now.
In fact, I think it's all coming together quite nicely, It's forming a line, point to point.
We've really been trying, sir The truth is I fell asleep for just a second, sir, but I am fully awake now, I pro - Oh.
- What's going on? Sir, Detective Murdoch's on the Murdoch? 'Course it's Murdoch.
Who else would it be? No, I am still here, sir.
I'm sorry.
No, I'm right back to it.
Oh, gee.
Are you still there? Sir? Oh, no, yes, I've got it.
Yes.
We're losing a signal.
Are you sure? The antenna is fixed at 155 degrees, but we're now 5.
9 and dropping.
Henry, do you have a node? [HIGGINS.]
A what, sir? The graph.
Does it have a shape? Like a wave? [HIGGINS.]
It just seems to be going down, sir.
The signal was being broadcast along this bearing.
I want a room-by-room search of every building along that line.
Get the addresses from the fire map.
If that's all right with you, sir.
Well, if Pendrick's asking to be found, it means he's in trouble.
Get to it, lads.
- Thank you, Henry.
- Sir.
Inspector, a body has been pulled out of the river just south of Queen Street.
- You take it, Watts.
- Uh, certainly.
Thank you, sir.
That's Pendrick's assistant.
[MURDOCH.]
Svetlana Tsiolkovsky.
Yes, sir.
We've asked her to come in.
Of course.
Carry on, Murdoch.
I'm afraid I haven't seen James for several months.
What happened? His dog became sick and had to be killed.
Thank you.
Um, James was inconsolable for weeks.
I lost my patience.
I said to him, "It's just a dog!" He didn't see it that way.
He stopped speaking to me.
He wouldn't even look at me.
So, I left.
My heart was broken.
What has happened to my beloved James? I don't know.
We're just looking for him.
You're not alone.
A man came to my door three days ago.
He was very tall.
He had a beard.
He gave me this card.
I was to call him if James contacted me.
[MURDOCH.]
Walsh Tyler.
[SVETLANA.]
He said he was investor.
He was found on the banks of the Don River this morning.
He was beaten quite severely, by the looks of it.
Was the beating the cause of death? That won't be determined until the post-mortem, same with the time of death, I'm afraid.
Thank you.
- Do you have a name? - [WATTS.]
Not yet.
Took a bit of a pasting, didn't he? Yes, but not with a fist.
Some kind of weapon was used.
Henry, I'd like you to go to this address and find out what you can about this man.
He was asking about James Pendrick.
- Walsh Tyler.
- Yes.
If he's there, bring him in.
He's tall, beard.
I'd like a word with him.
Julia.
I know this man.
- You do? - You recognize him? His name is Dr.
Quinlan.
I don't know his first name.
He shared an office with a colleague of mine at university.
He studied immunology.
And this colleague's name? Gatlin, Professor John Gatlin.
Then I best talk to him, uh, once we find out more about what happened to the unfortunate Dr.
Quinlan.
He's been dead two days, judging by stomach contents.
Still trying to determine what weapon was being used.
- It was wide and flat.
- Mm Cricket bat? - Possibly.
- No bruising to the forearms? No, just the shoulders.
Why would he not defend himself? Is this the cause of death? Not sure.
I might know more when I take a look at his brain.
I'll leave you to it.
[BOTH LAUGH.]
Professor Gatlin, do you have any idea why someone would want to harm Dr.
Quinlan? None at all.
He he was he was highly regarded in his field.
As a matter of fact, he he believed he was on the cusp of a major medical breakthrough.
Well, what was it? He wouldn't say and his partner insisted on secrecy.
Who was his partner? A man by the name of Pendrick.
James Pendrick.
How long had Dr.
Quinlan been working with Mr.
Pendrick? A couple of months.
It wasn't entirely smooth sailing, but they must have had some success because they filed a patent.
What kind of patent? Uh, I I don't know.
I just learned that much from an investor who came by the office.
[MURDOCH.]
An investor? Was his name Walsh Tyler? Um, I'm afraid he didn't say.
Was he tall with a beard? Ah, yes.
Yes, he was.
I'm afraid I don't know much else.
Um, he was, he was looking for Dr.
Quinlan.
All I knew was their laboratory was up in Weston.
It appears to have been abandoned.
Somewhat hastily.
William, look.
Something terrible happened here.
[MURDOCH.]
Could this be where Dr.
Quinlan was beaten? Not beaten: thrown up against the wall with real force.
That would explain the bruising I saw.
This door doesn't open from the inside.
Dr.
Quinlan was imprisoned? Or he was thrown in there with someone who was.
What on earth was Mr.
Pendrick up to? William, look.
What do you make of this? That's James Pendrick's handwriting.
Was he testing compounds? I think not.
Potassium iodine is a compound, but argon is inert.
Let's see.
I wonder William, it spells Karnaki.
Joseph Karnaki.
The man who invented the microwave death ray.
That's a man you both knew.
That can't be a coincidence.
James Pendrick is sending me a message.
Wagno? Wagon.
Karnaki's wagon.
It had to be specially designed to handle the weight of the microwave death ray.
If you would just tell me what you're looking for, I'm sure I could help.
We believe your husband has mounted the weapon on top of a vehicle of some sort.
I'm hoping to learn anything I can about it.
He must've kept plans, blueprints of some kind.
Oh, I'm afraid I've never seen anything like that.
This one's locked.
Any idea what's in there? I'm afraid not.
I've never opened it.
No keyhole.
I wonder if Blueprints.
James was coming up with silly little contraptions.
Desk.
That desk; there was something inside of it.
Oh, bloody hell.
Your Dr.
Quinlan beat himself to death, by the looks of it.
[MURDOCH.]
What was James Pendrick working on that would cause a man to do such a thing? Some kind of drug that induces violent rage? Sir, I went to the address specified on the card, but the office was empty.
- They've moved? - It's like he was never there, sir.
Everything was in place, but there were no files in the drawers.
Perhaps it's a front.
We searched every building along the line of bearing.
- On both sides? - Yes, sir.
And nothing.
I'm sorry.
Right, Henry, I'd like you to locate Professor Gatlin and have him meet us at Pendrick's laboratory.
Right away.
Oh, ah, Violet Hart has asked to see you, as well.
Yes, that might explain the pattern of bruising but it wasn't his injuries that killed Dr.
Quinlan.
It wasn't? No, I found signs of severe inflammation - of the brain and surrounding tissue.
- Oof! My goodness.
Acute encephalitis.
I've never seen anything like it.
I have.
Not to this degree, but in medical school I dissected the brain of a rabid squirrel.
Rabies? No ordinary rabies.
The extent of the inflammation is astonishing.
He must have been in agony.
Miss Tsiolkovsky told me that Mr.
Pendrick's dog was recently ill and had to be put down.
Rabies, you think? According to Tsiolkovsky, this happened about three months ago.
He'd been working with Dr.
Quinlan for two months.
Perhaps the passing of his pup prompted Pendrick to pursue a cure.
And, in so doing, this man somehow contracted an even more potent form of the disease? We need to talk to an expert.
Rat brain.
Lateral slice.
White matter stain.
There is inflammation in the ventricles.
Yes, you're right.
Still in its early stages.
P-I plus one hour? Post-infection.
So he was sampling every hour? Uh, P-I plus two.
It means it was definitely more advanced.
But I was under the impression that rabies - took weeks to manifest itself.
- Not necessarily.
Rabies normally infects the, uh, nerves near the bite.
It then travels up those nerves towards the central nervous system.
As long as it remains in the peripheral nerves, the immune system, or a vaccine, can attack it.
But once inside the central nervous system, the disease is protected by the blood-brain barrier.
- The which? - Few years back, Max Lewandowsky theorized that every blood vessel in the brain is encased in a semi-permeable membrane that admits essential molecules, like oxygen, but blocks bloodborne pathogens.
- Like rabies.
- And, ironically, the, uh, the antibodies that might fight the disease are prevented from getting to the brain.
So, how did this progress so quickly? Did they inject it directly into their brains? Um, well, if that were the case, you'd see more localized inflammation, - but as you can see - It's everywhere, all at once, suggesting it was delivered by the blood, which means that James Pendrick must've created a strain of rabies that could breach the blood brain barrier.
That must've been why they were seeking a patent.
- For an accelerated form of rabies? - No.
I don't think so.
Professor, look.
Oh, my word.
[MURDOCH.]
What is it? [GATLIN.]
This shows inflammation that has receded.
P-T? Post Therapy.
He'd found a way to deliver a cure.
Any cure that could pass by the blood brain barrier would be worth a fortune.
Well, then, why wasn't Dr.
Quinlan cured? Perhaps the cure was intentionally withheld? Have either of you wandered through this part of the room since we've returned? No, why? Someone has.
And they're still here.
Toronto Police.
Come out of there and identify yourself.
Professor Gatlin, do you recognize this man? Yes, that's the man I spoke to last week.
You're Walsh Tyler.
That is not my true identity.
Then who are you? I'm Agent Felder.
I work for the American Secret Service.
Before we proceed, I think it would be best if we include my Canadian counterpart.
Agent Meyers? I might've guessed the American government was mixed up in all of this.
Then you would have guessed wrong.
Why do you say that? As Agent Meyers can attest, government is not a beast speaking with one mind.
It's a hydra with a thousand heads, all talking against each other, and that is especially true of the American Secret Service.
But you all take direction from your president.
Not all of us.
There are rogue elements inside the American Secret Service who seek to destroy him.
Why? President Roosevelt has proven himself dangerous to some very powerful people.
[MURDOCH.]
The robber barons.
Capitalists of every stripe are chafing at the new regulations.
They stand to lose millions and there's nothing they can do to stop him.
His reforms are very popular.
Their only hope is to replace him with a puppet who aligns with their interests.
And you believe such a plot is afoot now? Three weeks ago we uncovered evidence of a group of rogue agents calling themselves the Soldiers of Columbia.
They're plotting to overthrow the administration.
Soldiers of Columbia? They're led by a former agent.
You know him as Allen Clegg.
Clegg? That's impossible.
Clegg is dead.
We've seen proof.
Is this the proof you've seen? Clegg is dead.
Hanged October 7th, 1906.
[JULIA.]
These were taken after the post-mortem.
They've completed the Y-section.
- So, he is dead.
- Very much so.
- It's definitely Allen Clegg.
- You're quite sure? Look at the right eye.
It was hit with shrapnel.
- It looks like he lost it.
- Proof enough for me.
[FELDER.]
The photograph was taken at the Washington city morgue.
He has a very convincing Y-section.
How do you explain that? It's real.
The Y-section.
Good Lord.
[FELDER.]
Whatever your opinion is of the man, I think we can all agree: he's tough.
Any success, Mr.
Pendrick? Not as yet.
That's unfortunate.
You see, I'm under some time pressure here.
I would hate to think you were stalling.
I'm working as fast as I can.
What you're asking is difficult.
Not as difficult as failure.
Let me assure you.
What does all of this have to do with James Pendrick? All we know is that the Soldiers of Columbia are following his work.
Mr.
Pendrick appears to have stumbled upon an accelerated form of rabies.
Gentlemen, I believe the signal has returned.
- Southeast 9.
3.
- 9.
3.
We've determined the bearing of the signal at College and Bathurst to be coming from 155 degrees.
Once we determine the second bearing, we'll be able to pinpoint the location of the signal exactly.
- And we have one, sir.
- What is it? 155 degrees.
That's odd.
That that's the same as the first, Henry.
Have you dropped the ball, Keens? Oh, no, no, actually.
Actually, it makes perfect sense.
That's why the signal returned to us.
At night, radio waves reflect off the ionosphere.
The what? It's being broadcast from below the horizon.
And what does that mean? Well, sir, it's coming from beyond our border.
When we expanded our triangulation to account for the ionosphere, we found this.
- That's Lewiston.
- That was my initial thought.
It's not Lewiston.
We happen to know there's a secret American base That no longer exists and was never much of a secret.
Where then? The American government maintains a secret underground research facility here: Goat Island.
What kind of research? You know I can't divulge that.
Nerve gas, bacterial weapons? If Clegg has control of the island, that means this conspiracy is wide, as well as deep.
We best inform the president, then.
I'll call the Prime Minister.
[FELDER.]
I'd advise against that.
President Roosevelt is not a cautious man.
He'll launch a full assault.
Your friend will be killed.
The Soldiers of Columbia will escape.
Now, I've been tracking these fellows for almost a year.
I can't I can't allow them to escape.
Well, then what do you suggest? We'll contact my counterpart in Washington.
He'll bring a team with him.
That will take days.
James Pendrick is in mortal danger now.
We're not just going to be sat back on our backsides.
Then let's go together.
I know the facility.
I know how to get in.
We're on the same side here, Terrence.
Let's work together to rescue Pendrick and arrest the men that want to destroy my country.
I think you should take me with you.
Now don't be ridiculous.
She's a woman.
[JULIA.]
I'm a medical doctor.
Do any of you feel qualified to comment on Mr.
Pendrick's research? She has a point.
I'll hold the fort.
The doctor goes.
[FELDER.]
Now, there are two surface entrance points, but any attempt to breach them will trigger an alarm.
- Can the alarm be disabled? - Not from the outside.
What about guards? Well, that depends on how many people he brought with him.
If it's an underground facility, it would need to be ventilated.
Yes.
And that will be our means of ingress.
Now, the intake shaft extends to the cliff face here.
Once inside, we're going to have to split up.
You and I will try to locate and neutralize Clegg and his men and you two try to find Pendrick inform him.
Now, the only thing we won't have, unfortunately, - is a means to communicate.
- Ah! Low-range transmitters.
I trust we all know Morse Code.
[FELDER.]
Pendrick is likely being held in the laboratory here.
Shhh.
Someone's coming.
Clear.
[MAN.]
Wake up, Pendrick.
Time to get back to work.
Bring me the chair.
[PENDRICK.]
How do you expect me to think on two hours of sleep? [MAN.]
You can sleep when you're dead, Pendrick.
You know what needs to be done.
[PENDRICK.]
Oh, I do, do I? [MAN.]
My boss believes your problem is less one of concentration than motivation.
Are you going to beat me up again? I can see Mr.
Pendrick.
- No.
That hurts my knuckles.
- Uh-huh.
[MAN.]
It's my understanding you have a trick shoulder; easily dislocated.
- Here we go.
- Give him this.
[MAN.]
I'm sure I don't need to tell you that at any moment, I can get one of my boys here to help speed up the process, if I really needed to.
You're going about this in the wrong way.
I can solve this.
I just need more time.
You have awakened me, now leave me to my work.
What's this? Karnaki.
Who's Karnaki? Potassium, argon, sodium Potassium iodide.
Don't you know chemical formulas when you see them? I'm going to enjoy hurting you.
Get back to work.
Murdoch! Murdoch.
Murdoch.
Murdoch! Mr.
Pendrick.
- Julia.
- Are you all right? Beaten, sleep-deprived, but otherwise fine.
- I take it you received my signal? - Yes.
Thank goodness.
- How on earth did you send it? - They have an electric clock.
I attached a new wheel to the minute hand and had it brush by a wire in a sequence of dots and dashes.
It's ingenious.
- For the antenna, I used this marvelous lamp - Oh! He's receiving a message from the others.
- The others? - Terrence Meyers and an American agent.
On their way back, Clegg asleep, others also soon.
Thank God.
What happened, Mr.
Pendrick? What happened was I I put a bullet between the only eyes that ever trusted me completely.
Your dog contracted rabies? Yes.
And I swore no man would ever have to go through what I did.
So you attempted a cure? I read everything I could.
There was so much unknown.
I wanted to experiment, but rabies takes weeks to manifest.
I needed a version of the disease that would take days at best.
So you teamed up with Dr.
Quinlan? Yes, and we succeeded in creating a strain that breached the blood-brain barrier.
Instant rabies.
Yes.
Symptomatic within an hour.
Dead within three; it sped up our research by a factor of a 1,000.
We found a way to use the virus as a Trojan Horse, to smuggle the antibodies through the blood-brain barrier.
You turned the disease against itself.
Unfortunately, it's only worked on the disease that we created.
Not conventional rabies? No.
I was prepared to abandon the project, but our work attracted the interest of men who had other uses for it.
Clegg intends to weaponize this disease.
Yes, but, of course, a weaponized rabies is only useful if one could be inoculated against its effects.
One needs the cure as well as the disease.
Yes.
That is what Mr.
Clegg and his Soldiers of Columbia seek.
What he intends to do with it, I have no idea.
- Terrence Meyers.
- Mr.
Pendrick.
I'm Agent Felder.
We've come to get you out of here, Mr.
Pendrick.
Once we're safe, I'll call in reinforcements.
We must go.
They could return at any moment.
Yes.
Let's make haste.
Hello, gentlemen.
Clegg.
How's the eye? Doctor.
We've been expecting you.
I'm a little disappointed.
In all of you, really especially you, Felder.
Of all people, you should know never, - never underestimate me.
- How did you know, Clegg? Soldiers of Columbia have 1000 eyes that never close.
It's how we knew Mr.
Pendrick had created the most terrifying disease humanity has ever seen.
And we couldn't let that go to waste.
You intend to use this to rule the world? Terrence, Terrence.
No, not even I'm that ambitious.
Our goals are very specific.
Your plan is to assassinate President Roosevelt.
No.
We intend to convince him to resign his office.
He would never resign.
Well, he will have a strong incentive once we infect all of his children with Mr.
Pendrick's innovation.
And the new president will be one of yours.
He'll invade Canada and your fantasy of manifest destiny - will at last be a reality.
- Yes.
Yes.
But, first, I need a cure.
I'm not an immunologist.
The person who could create the cure you seek is dead.
Dr.
Quinlan.
He tested the cure on himself; didn't work.
Finding a cure for humans will take time.
I don't have time and I don't think I need it.
I think you have a cure, Mr.
Pendrick.
I think you have a cure and you've been stalling.
And I'm going to put that theory to the test.
No! Julia! No! If Mr.
Pendrick has the cure, she will live.
And if not? Well, you've seen the film.
Julia.
Is he right? Do you have a cure? That depends.
Are you familiar with Lansteiner's blood groupings? They've identified four: A, B, O and AB.
I'm type AB.
As am I.
Dr.
Quinlan, unfortunately, was type A.
- Highly agglutinative.
- Perhaps the agglutinins blocked - the passage of the antigen? - Do you have a cure? Yesterday I injected myself with the rabies and then the antigens.
- And you're still here.
- Yes.
I grew some symptoms, but they quickly receded.
Then it should work for me.
We're the same type.
My arm is twitching.
That's the first sign.
It will move quickly now.
Quick! Bind her to the chair.
We have to think this through.
If Clegg finds out we have the cure, - he'll kill us all.
- I don't care.
That's precisely why I've been dragging my feet.
- Pendrick the cure! - Is right here, Murdoch.
So, progress? We're moving as quickly as we can.
Oh! Fascinating.
I've heard that people with rabies have a fear of water.
- Is that true? - Stop it.
Would you look at that? Ahh!! [SCREAMING.]
What do I do? What do I do? Bathe it in alcohol.
Full immersion.
You'll want to be quick about it.
Quick! Get me alcohol! [MURDOCH.]
Pendrick! - Inject her.
- Hold her.
Steady, Julia, steady.
Relief is on the way.
- Get more alcohol! I need more! - Go get more alcohol! Ah! [MURDOCH.]
Julia? Speak to me.
It's working! Here, I'll take the cure.
One move and I smash it.
Murdoch.
Grab him.
He's working with Clegg.
Well, well, well.
What do we have here? How'd you know, Murdoch? Clegg knew we'd seen the film.
Only one other person knew that.
He's the reason Clegg knew we were coming.
Your phone call to Washington was actually a phone call here.
Of course.
I should have known.
You fools still think you can escape.
All I need to do Ahh! - Rabies? - Barbiturates.
Huh.
Ah! More alcohol.
Get me more alcohol.
Ahh, God.
- Where are we? - Somewhere on the island still.
We have to make it to the mainland.
Which way to the bridge? Let's get to the river first, then find our bearings.
What happened? What happened! What happened? They've got the cure.
They've The vial.
They've taken it with them.
After them! No, no, no this way.
We're close to the water now.
We're on the wrong side.
Damn.
We're going to have to double back.
[JULIA.]
William! Where is it? Where's what? The cure.
Give it to me.
Shoot them.
Shoot them and you'll be licking this off the rocks.
[GRUNTING.]
I'm indifferent to your survival.
Just give me the cure and I will let you live.
If you don't give me the cure, I will tear you limb from limb.
You best do what I say.
I won't be sane much longer.
Don't, Murdoch.
I will rip you all apart.
Give it to me.
Give it to me! - Murdoch! - No! No! William! [GUNSHOT.]
He's dead.
He was a brute, but I take no pleasure in his demise.
Do you see him? No.
He made it to the other side.
Well, if anything, he's proven hard to kill.
He has, indeed.
Let's get back to Canada.
Well, gentlemen, the Americans have picked up Agent Felder and are questioning him as we speak.
Any word on Clegg? Well, I doubt he could survive the falls and rabies.
Well, over the years, he's proved to be tough.
How's Julia? The doctors have given her a clean bill of health.
Your cure works, Mr.
Pendrick.
Thank God for that.
James.
Svetlana.
I brought you a gift.
A gift.
For me? I'm sorry about your dog.
Truly, I am.
It's I who should apologize.
It's all right.
Forgive me.
I I don't know what kind you like.
He's perfect.
I'll name him Quinlan.
Hello, Quinlan.
Oh, James.
Oh, Quinlan.
[MURDOCH.]
So, you are no longer infectious? Not in the least.
But, I must confess, - I do continue to feel some effects.
- Oh? To be honest, I may still have a bit of the beast in me.