Silent Witness (1996) s23e10 Episode Script
The Greater Good, Part 2
1 The press have said this could be a nerve agent.
Katherine Dukes.
I'm the one who asked for the second postmortem.
You can change your name, but you can't change what you've done.
No-one's going to want to take the blame for this.
Talk about cover your backs.
I've decided it's time for me to leave the Lyell.
Clarissa, no.
You can't.
What are you talking about? I'll fly, you throw.
First Private John Sealy, then his father.
Now, his grandmother.
There's some kind of chemical equation here.
Vail? SHE BREATHES RASPINGLY Help.
Jack? Help! Professor Thomas Chamberlain.
I'm a forensic pathologist.
This is a high security area, sir.
I understand.
Is that Jack Hodgson in that ambulance? Please, step away.
/f Please, I need to know.
Is that the ambulance containing Jack Hodgson? Please, step away.
That's all I Professor Chamberlain? Yeah.
Lt Colonel Ben Carmichael.
/font Yes, yes, we met At the Coroner's Office.
Yeah.
Look, my colleague, Jack I've been alerted about what happened.
Is Jack Hodgson in that ambulance? Blood was taken from DS Vail, and it's been confirmed she died from a nerve agent.
Which means that Jack? In all likelihood also came into contact with it.
This is the initial police report from the scene.
Right.
/fon It would appear that DS Vail had gotten some of the nerve agent on her clothing.
And when Jack went to help her, almost certainly secondary contamination.
He was decontaminated before being brought in.
Jack? KS79.
What? What? He said something.
What did he say? Assistant Commissioner Harry Lennox.
Sir.
You've handed over to Counter-Terrorist Command? Yes, sir.
Well, let's hope they find out what this is, where it's come from, and then hand the investigation back to you.
Yes, sir.
Now, let me introduce you.
Good morning, Harry.
And you must be Detective Inspector Guyatt.
Ma'am.
Sandra Gibbs, Home Office.
To business? Now, let me be absolutely clear - no cameras, no recording devices.
This is a high-security area, and anyone contravening these protocols will be dealt with.
And that includes you, minister.
Quite right.
So what do we know so far? The driver of the car was Major Mark Sealy.
When we investigated the circumstances of the crash, DS Vail came into contact with something.
A hot zone has been set up where we believe DS Vail was contaminated.
A warm zone perimeter, which we'll be reaching soon.
Showers for decontamination.
The fire brigade are on hand to help with that.
Major Sealy is the father of Private John Sealy? Yes, that's right, Ma'am.
And Private Sealy died as a result of a brain aneurysm? An organophosphate was found in his body.
Nothing to do with the nerve agent? It just seems extraordinary that a nerve agent has been found at a crash site where the father of Private Sealy I'm sure there's no link.
And Private Sealy's grandmother was also found dead, and she, I understand, once worked for Porton Down.
The investigation's ongoing.
She worked as a scientist specialising in nerve agent research.
Yes.
So I've just been informed.
Three generations, all working for the MOD, and one of them used to be a government adviser.
All these factors are being taken into consideration, Ma'am.
Wasn't someone else contaminated? Jack Hodgson, a forensic scientist from the Lyell Centre.
What's his condition? Critical, I understand.
What are they treating him with? Atropine to begin with, but, er, it doesn't seem to be having any effect, so pralidoxime Pralidoxine.
Right.
How long before Porton can tell us what this stuff is? Without a pure sample? A week, possibly longer.
A week? Vail died within 15 minutes of coming into contact with whatever it is that's contaminated Jack Professor Chamberlain We are as worried, as frightened and as in the dark as you are.
What about Vail's body? Could that not tell us something? As you know, there are no visible signs of what kind of nerve agent this might be.
So PHONE BUZZES Excuse me.
Clarissa, hi.
How's it going? I'm trying to get some answers from the Army, but they're not forthcoming.
Nikki's about to start the postmortem on Major Sealy.
Clarissa, you need to get out of there right now.
A PM on Major Sealy is not safe.
We're taking precautions, Thomas.
Don't worry.
How is he? He's, um He's not well.
But he's-he's alive.
He's alive.
You be careful.
My middle name.
It seems the postmortem on Major Sealy is already under way.
Yeah, heading there now.
Nikki? Dr Alexander.
Lt Colonel Ben Carmichael, MOD Liaison officer.
How can I help? Is that the body of Major Sealy? Yes, I'm about to continue his postmortem.
I've taken a sample of his blood to test for acetylcholinesterase and a second sample for Porton Down.
Well, I suggest you stop before those results are known.
I've been working on this body without any CBRN protection since it came in.
If the body was going to contaminate me, it would've happened already.
And yet you are now wearing CBRN clothing.
I've also turned off the ventilation.
It's called, as I'm sure you know, taking every necessary precaution.
I respect the fact that this is an ongoing murder investigation Our colleague, Jack Hodgson, is dying, but he's not dead yet.
And I understand that, but Clearly that's not true.
Porton Down could take weeks to disclose what this nerve agent is, by which time Jack will be six feet under.
Can you live with that, Lt Colonel Carmichael? Because I can't and I won't! Preservation of life - isn't that the priority? We need to find out from these bodies who attacked them and why, if we're to have any chance of identifying what's killing Jack.
Mr Hodgson.
Thomas Chamberlain.
Clarissa told me that you were on your way.
I never thought for a moment that my son would Is he going to die? HE SIGHS DOG BARKS THEY BREATHE HEAVILY HE COUGHS Have we got any photos from the crash site? Er, yeah.
I can download them from Jack's account.
October the 6th, 2019.
I'm Dr Nikki Alexander, this is Lt Colonel Ben Carmichael.
I'm about to continue the postmortem of Major Mark Sealy .
.
with Lt Colonel Carmichael observing.
The reason I'm filming using extra cameras is to record and relay everything we find.
The time is 17:15.
The photos have downloaded.
So, he appears to have injuries consistent with an RTC.
Bruising to the chest, fractured ribs, a fracture at the base of the first metacarpal on the right hand, bruising to the sole of the right foot.
But he also has a number of linear abrasions, scratches to the right side of the face, swelling over the left cheekbone, and apparent grip marks to both upper arms.
So it's possible that he was in an altercation prior to the traffic collision.
Would you be able to identify any attackers? Hopefully.
Let's open him up.
Are you sure you want to do this? If the body's been infected with a nerve agent, we can create an antidote to save Jack.
How's Jack? Er, still no improvement.
When I saw him at A&E, I'm sure he was trying to tell me something.
Something he'd found, maybe.
From the crash site? Mm.
I've accessed the photos he took.
That's Carmichael.
What's he doing here? Well, he suggested we stop the postmortem, but we suggested we'd carry on.
He was at the hospital when I got there.
And when we met the Coroner about Private Sealy's death.
MOD Liaison Officer.
The chest cavity is filled with blood.
Rupture of the proximal descending thoracic aorta.
Which suggests? He died from the injuries he sustained within seconds of the car crash.
And not the nerve agent? We'll know for certain when we see the blood test results but, as far as I can determine, for now .
.
not the nerve agent.
May I suggest we take every necessary precaution by sealing up this body? And then I'll arrange for its removal.
HELICOPTER WHIRS SIREN WAILS Major Sealy came round the bend, probably too fast.
The car skidded.
The road's still wet due to the rain.
He comes off the road, comes down this embankment here .
.
where the car hits this mound of earth, comes to a stop at an angle.
How do I look? We need to find out what this is, how Jack can be treated.
I thought I'd go to the hospital.
Is that OK? Yes, of course.
I just need to see him .
.
in case Nikki, er, ever heard of KS79, KS seven-nine? No.
What? I don't know.
Jack took some photos at the scen some envelope, a code, some.
.
Maybe a formula of some kind.
I've no idea.
Clarissa will know, if anyone does.
Yeah.
Give him my love, won't you? C H 3.
What's behind the glass? Is that a P? And then N 2 .
.
O.
Two.
N2O2.
If so, it's not complete, but this looks like the chemical formula for Tabun.
Tabun? No wonder DS Vail died within minutes.
Because of the cut, it got in to her bloodstream.
How is Jack still alive? Secondary contamination.
DS Vail looks to have got some of the nerve agent onto her clothing, and Jack must have inhaled it while he was trying to save her life.
Whoever wrote this formula looks to have combined Tabun with something else, but it's partially covered in debris.
Well, where's the note now? They must have found it, which means they must know what it is.
Which means they should know by now how to treat Jack.
HE BREATHES HEAVILY MONITOR BEEPS Jack? Can you hear me? Jack? It's your daddy.
I still owe you a bottle of Bushmills.
Do you hear? Do you hear? I love BREATH RASPS .
.
you.
Tabun? Are-are you sure? Yeah, Jack took photos of what looks like a handwritten formula.
Can you send them over? Send them over? I assumed you'd already got them.
No.
Jack took the photos in Major Sealy's car.
I mean, if the police don't have the original documents, they must still be there.
Must've been found by now.
Look, as far as I know, all that's been found is an envelope with KS79 on it.
No formula.
And you have no idea what this KS79 might be? If we knew that, we would tell you, Professor.
We would know how to treat your colleague, Jack.
Ben, why were you at the Coroner's Office? You found organophosphate at the second postmortem Or is it this KS79? Look, I'm sorry, Professor.
I need to go.
If we find out anything more about this KS79, you have my word I'll tell you.
For Jack's sake.
Apparently, Professor Dukes was questioned by Wiltshire Police in 1998 about a number of trials involving five young servicemen in the '70s.
What kind of trials? Well, "safety trails", they were called, but the details have been redacted.
Well, we know Porton Down have been responsible for experimenting on servicemen and women, so Yeah, but here's the rub - despite a two-year inquiry, no charges were brought.
Professor Dukes leaves Porton, gets divorced, and joins Barton Pharmaceuticals.
DNA confirms that these marks on Major Sealy's face were made by his mother.
She attacked him? Also, the acetylcholine test confirms that Major Sealy wasn't affected by the nerve agent.
We know the nerve agent was there.
But how did it get there? I'm assuming Sealy had it with him in his car.
However it got there, he was dead before the nerve agent was released.
Hand prints, finger prints, and this boot which we now know doesn't belong to Major Sealy.
Anything on the inhaler? Well, neither Professor Dukes nor Major Sealy was prescribed one.
What about the earlier break-in? I've been promised the results later today.
So, we have some kind of altercation, yeah? Professor Dukes scratches her son's face.
Did Major Sealy kill his mother? The size of the boot print does not fit Major Sealy.
That strongly suggests that someone else was in the house at the time of the murder.
NOTIFICATION BEEPS That could be the results.
Edmund Michael Fishbourne, also known as Fish.
Traces of his DNA were on the packet of cocaine that Jack found.
Maybe that explains why the shed was set on fire.
DI Guyatt.
We need intel now .
.
on an Edmund Michael Fishbourne.
What do we know about this sports watch that Jack found in Private Sealy's locker? Well, Jack was going to complete the same course.
The last time that John ran it, he stopped en route and Jack thought that, because he was contaminated with the organophosphate .
.
he may have encountered it on his run? Exactly.
Copy that, thanks.
Eddie Fishbourne.
Ex-soldier.
Served in Afghanistan.
They're sending a photo.
He was officially discharged for attacking a senior officer, setting fire to his tent.
Got it.
During his court martial, he was accused of being radicalised, a charge he vehemently denied.
Right.
Did he know John Sealy? Probably.
They served in the same regiment.
Mm.
Maybe they had a falling out, and he's targeted John and his family.
But why did Eddie Fishbourne break in? Was he looking for something? Is Eddie Fishbourne in the squat? They kicked him out a week ago, haven't seen him since.
I didn't do anything! Come on! Get off! COUGHING LOUD CLATTERING DOOR RATTLES Armed police! Get down! Get down! Do not move! Do not move! Mr Fishbourne Fish.
Fish.
These two plastic containers found in the back of your van I told you, I got them from a mate.
He told me they killed Japanese knotweed.
According to the toxicology it's an insecticide.
Banned in this country some years ago.
It doesn't do what you think it does.
It doesn't kill weeds.
I didn't know But you did know John Sealy.
He had nothing to do with this, other than agreeing to help me store it in his shed.
I got kicked out the squat, was forced to sleep in the lock up - and it was giving me a real headache - I felt like shit.
I was about to get rid of it, and then I saw John.
He was going away - first tour of duty - so I sorted him a bag of coke as a going away present.
We have evidence that you were at Major Sealy's house She The coke was in there.
An unknown nerve agent was found close to where Major Sealy crashed his car.
Nerve agent? I don't know anything about that or what happened to John's dad.
I just heard that John had this stuff in his body .
.
and I thought it was because of me.
Because of the insecticide.
Where were you yesterday evening? I went to the house but there were people there.
What people? John's dad, his grandmother What happened? I don't know.
Interview suspended 11:35am.
Are you sure you don't want me to help you do this? I'm fine.
You did Major Sealy.
PHONE BUZZES ALARMS WAIL You said to call you if anything changed.
Well I'm so sorry.
Yep.
They've put Jack into an induced coma.
I contacted Barton Pharmaceuticals.
Now, Professor Dukes left work at 17:56.
So I've tracked her path to Major Sealy's, which is just over an hour away.
She stopped to buy some petrol, but look here.
What am I looking at? Other CCTV cameras suggest the man in the blue car followed Professor Dukes for 36 minutes.
Who is he? He's a ghost.
The car is registered in the name of Douglas Eland, who died in August.
Is there a connection between Douglas and Katherine Dukes? A few petechial haemorrhages on the upper face Yes.
.
.
and the eyes.
Consistent with asphyxiation Also .
.
external signs of injuries to the neck on both sides.
Suggesting someone may have held her there.
Not to kill, necessarily.
Small amounts of debris .
.
and apparent bloodstains under the fingernails of her left hand .
.
consistent with the wounds on Major Sealy's face.
They promised to come back and tidy up.
Who did? MoD.
You should see what they've done to Professor Dukes office.
Her computer, her laptop, most of her work files, old records.
They said they'd be coming back to open that.
Do you know the code? No.
Is this her handwriting? I think I'm the only one who can read it - she got me to type up her findings.
KS79.
Katherine Sealy, 1979.
Do you recognise this man? Looks like the man who said he was Professor Dukes' brother.
Would your security team have any footage of this man? Yes, I would think so.
OK K.
S.
Come on.
KEYPAD BEEPS OK Five of you.
Porton.
Lung cancer.
Cancer.
Lung cancer.
At Porton.
Cancer of the oesophagus.
Hm.
And who are you? Porton Still alive.
I've found our ghost.
The five servicemen that Professor Dukes conducted safety trials on were exposed to various quantities of the nerve agent KS79.
Some were hospitalised, others allowed to go home a few days later.
All of them experienced respiratory problems.
Asthma? Possibly.
All of them, bar two, died an early, complicated, often very painful death.
Douglas Eland died just recently.
But the man who's still alive from these trials is the man who followed Professor Dukes to Major Sealy's house.
Arthur Simpson.
Arthur was the last survivor of an experiment that was initially denied and then covered up.
These trials .
.
did Katherine think the same thing had happened to her grandson? Maybe that's why she asked for a second postmortem.
Exactly.
Possibly.
But she was wrong.
The trace of organophosphate that you found was from a pesticide that Fish had.
It had absolutely nothing to do with the safety trial.
If Katherine Dukes told her son about her responsibility for the original trials That could have been why they foug We know Arthur Simpson went to Barton Pharmaceuticals.
We know he followed Katherine Dukes to Major Sealy's house.
And we know from DNA that Professor Dukes scratched her son's face.
And it could be her son who caused fingertip bruising on Katherine Dukes's neck.
Will you listen?! What is he talking about? You need to accept what you've done! I'm out.
I'm done.
I'm going to do the right thing! I'm going to take it back SHE GASPS, YELPS HE COUGHS Looking for your inhaler, Mr Simpson? Detective Inspector Karl Guyatt.
Professor Dukes deserved everything she got.
SHE GROANS Did you call an ambulance? Mark? Mark? Please.
You've got to help me.
What is it? It's in her throat.
"Porton Down Chemical Defence Establishment".
Is it intact? Appears to be.
Thank God.
I'm going to ask you both now to leave.
And turn off the ventilation.
Thomas! Please.
Do as I ask.
Whilst we're waiting for Porton Down, I'm going to put a sample into the spectrometer.
Thomas, I think it's too dangerous.
Let's wait.
For what? A couple of hours before they get here? And then a couple more before they get back to Porton to run exactly the same test that we can do right here, right now? And what happens to Jack in the meantime? We have to find out what this is.
I I don't understand.
What? Oh, God.
Thomas? I can feel it.
Nikki, I can I can feel the nerve agent.
But you're wearing a respirator.
HE COUGHS I can still I can still do this.
We need an ambulance urgently to the Lyell Centre.
No! I PRINTER WHIRS HE GROANS HE GRUNTS How is this happening?! HE GASPS FOR BREATH It's the canister from the respirator.
What do you mean? That's what she created - KS KS79, a nerve agent that can infiltrate these charcoal filters.
HE COUGHS You have to get out.
The ventilation is off Get out, both of you! Get out! The ambulance on its way.
No.
No-one can come in here.
No No! No, Thomas! font c No-one can come in here.
HE GROANS Thomas? I can't I can't I can't breathe.
I can't breathe.
No! What are you doing? Don't, Thomas! There's no point.
Think, think, think, Clarissa.
What can infiltrate carbon filters? Think! Um Some kind of corrosive? Maybe Dukes combined a nerve agent with, er with an acid gas? Yeah, an acid gas.
Cyanogen.
Cyanogen.
Cyanogen.
Cyanogen chloride Save Jack.
CELLPHONE BUZZES Think.
The ambulance is outside.
Sodium Sodium Sodium thiosulfate.
Treat Jack.
Treat Jack.
They can treat you too.
No.
Nikki, I'm dying.
I'm dying, Nikki.
Say goodbye to Rosie.
And save Jack.
Save him.
Promise me.
Promise.
HE GROANS HE MOANS Thomas? Thomas? Thomas! Thomas! Thomas! Thomas! They're here.
SIREN BLARES HE BREATHES HEAVILY I wanted you to know .
.
that I was going to tell you first about leaving the Lyell.
But I knew you could persuade me to stay.
Don't leave me, Jack.
I can't lose you too.
How's he doing? All we can do is wait.
Why didn't I listen to you? Going for a farewell drink, like you said.
All of us together.
I should have made the connection sooner - the charcoal and the canister.
No-one knew what that nerve agent was capable of.
Well, I'm going to make sure that, from now on, they do.
As far as Porton was concerned, the KS79 had been destroyed.
They had no idea she'd kept some samples.
Why would she do that? In case someone else - a foreign agency - discovered it, deployed it.
By keeping a sample, there would be a chance of creating an antidote.
She knew just how powerful, how deadly it was.
And when she did her safety trials, she knew what she was administering? I don't know She was a scientist, yesting possible and probable outcomes.
She knew the risks, but this was all about testing herself, her brilliant new formula - all for the greater good.
And who exactly decides what that is, and on whose behalf? Not Arthur Simpson, Douglas Eland, those other three young men Professor Dukes experimented on.
Not Detective Sergeant Vail, Professor Thomas Chamberlain! SHE SHUDDERS Professor Dukes's formula - your colleague, Jack, photographed it at the site of the crash.
It came through to the Lyell.
And .
.
did you see it? You know where he might have put it, after he photographed it? I'm assuming he put it in an evidence bag and handed it over as part of the ongoing investigation.
Well, obviously, Porton don't want that falling into the wrong hands.
Obviously.
Thomas said that, when Jack arrived, he was trying to tell him something about the nerve agent.
The formula.
We need to find it before they do.
So many people have died because of this secret.
What do we do with it? What would Thomas do? Thomas? He would want the truth to be known.
Together with what was on the USB I found in Professor Dukes's safe, it's proof of what happened to Arthur and his colleagues, and his partner, Douglas.
That truth needs to be exposed.
For the greater good.
THOMAS ON VIDEO: Look at that.
Wow! ROSIE ON VIDEO: You're so lame! THOMAS LAUGHS Whoa, yeah! Look at that go! THOMAS LAUGHS Oh, wow, that's fantastic! Go on.
Keep going.
Keep going! THOMAS SIGHS AND LAUGHS Better late than never.
I'm not going to miss you for one minute.
You made it, then.
Mm.
Thanks to Thomas, I did.
THOMAS ON VIDEO: Come on, jump in here! Well done, Rosie! ROSIE LAUGHS Still six at heart.
We both are.
Look, look, you're flying it! THEY LAUGH Testator silens Costestes e spiritu Silentium.
Katherine Dukes.
I'm the one who asked for the second postmortem.
You can change your name, but you can't change what you've done.
No-one's going to want to take the blame for this.
Talk about cover your backs.
I've decided it's time for me to leave the Lyell.
Clarissa, no.
You can't.
What are you talking about? I'll fly, you throw.
First Private John Sealy, then his father.
Now, his grandmother.
There's some kind of chemical equation here.
Vail? SHE BREATHES RASPINGLY Help.
Jack? Help! Professor Thomas Chamberlain.
I'm a forensic pathologist.
This is a high security area, sir.
I understand.
Is that Jack Hodgson in that ambulance? Please, step away.
/f Please, I need to know.
Is that the ambulance containing Jack Hodgson? Please, step away.
That's all I Professor Chamberlain? Yeah.
Lt Colonel Ben Carmichael.
/font Yes, yes, we met At the Coroner's Office.
Yeah.
Look, my colleague, Jack I've been alerted about what happened.
Is Jack Hodgson in that ambulance? Blood was taken from DS Vail, and it's been confirmed she died from a nerve agent.
Which means that Jack? In all likelihood also came into contact with it.
This is the initial police report from the scene.
Right.
/fon It would appear that DS Vail had gotten some of the nerve agent on her clothing.
And when Jack went to help her, almost certainly secondary contamination.
He was decontaminated before being brought in.
Jack? KS79.
What? What? He said something.
What did he say? Assistant Commissioner Harry Lennox.
Sir.
You've handed over to Counter-Terrorist Command? Yes, sir.
Well, let's hope they find out what this is, where it's come from, and then hand the investigation back to you.
Yes, sir.
Now, let me introduce you.
Good morning, Harry.
And you must be Detective Inspector Guyatt.
Ma'am.
Sandra Gibbs, Home Office.
To business? Now, let me be absolutely clear - no cameras, no recording devices.
This is a high-security area, and anyone contravening these protocols will be dealt with.
And that includes you, minister.
Quite right.
So what do we know so far? The driver of the car was Major Mark Sealy.
When we investigated the circumstances of the crash, DS Vail came into contact with something.
A hot zone has been set up where we believe DS Vail was contaminated.
A warm zone perimeter, which we'll be reaching soon.
Showers for decontamination.
The fire brigade are on hand to help with that.
Major Sealy is the father of Private John Sealy? Yes, that's right, Ma'am.
And Private Sealy died as a result of a brain aneurysm? An organophosphate was found in his body.
Nothing to do with the nerve agent? It just seems extraordinary that a nerve agent has been found at a crash site where the father of Private Sealy I'm sure there's no link.
And Private Sealy's grandmother was also found dead, and she, I understand, once worked for Porton Down.
The investigation's ongoing.
She worked as a scientist specialising in nerve agent research.
Yes.
So I've just been informed.
Three generations, all working for the MOD, and one of them used to be a government adviser.
All these factors are being taken into consideration, Ma'am.
Wasn't someone else contaminated? Jack Hodgson, a forensic scientist from the Lyell Centre.
What's his condition? Critical, I understand.
What are they treating him with? Atropine to begin with, but, er, it doesn't seem to be having any effect, so pralidoxime Pralidoxine.
Right.
How long before Porton can tell us what this stuff is? Without a pure sample? A week, possibly longer.
A week? Vail died within 15 minutes of coming into contact with whatever it is that's contaminated Jack Professor Chamberlain We are as worried, as frightened and as in the dark as you are.
What about Vail's body? Could that not tell us something? As you know, there are no visible signs of what kind of nerve agent this might be.
So PHONE BUZZES Excuse me.
Clarissa, hi.
How's it going? I'm trying to get some answers from the Army, but they're not forthcoming.
Nikki's about to start the postmortem on Major Sealy.
Clarissa, you need to get out of there right now.
A PM on Major Sealy is not safe.
We're taking precautions, Thomas.
Don't worry.
How is he? He's, um He's not well.
But he's-he's alive.
He's alive.
You be careful.
My middle name.
It seems the postmortem on Major Sealy is already under way.
Yeah, heading there now.
Nikki? Dr Alexander.
Lt Colonel Ben Carmichael, MOD Liaison officer.
How can I help? Is that the body of Major Sealy? Yes, I'm about to continue his postmortem.
I've taken a sample of his blood to test for acetylcholinesterase and a second sample for Porton Down.
Well, I suggest you stop before those results are known.
I've been working on this body without any CBRN protection since it came in.
If the body was going to contaminate me, it would've happened already.
And yet you are now wearing CBRN clothing.
I've also turned off the ventilation.
It's called, as I'm sure you know, taking every necessary precaution.
I respect the fact that this is an ongoing murder investigation Our colleague, Jack Hodgson, is dying, but he's not dead yet.
And I understand that, but Clearly that's not true.
Porton Down could take weeks to disclose what this nerve agent is, by which time Jack will be six feet under.
Can you live with that, Lt Colonel Carmichael? Because I can't and I won't! Preservation of life - isn't that the priority? We need to find out from these bodies who attacked them and why, if we're to have any chance of identifying what's killing Jack.
Mr Hodgson.
Thomas Chamberlain.
Clarissa told me that you were on your way.
I never thought for a moment that my son would Is he going to die? HE SIGHS DOG BARKS THEY BREATHE HEAVILY HE COUGHS Have we got any photos from the crash site? Er, yeah.
I can download them from Jack's account.
October the 6th, 2019.
I'm Dr Nikki Alexander, this is Lt Colonel Ben Carmichael.
I'm about to continue the postmortem of Major Mark Sealy .
.
with Lt Colonel Carmichael observing.
The reason I'm filming using extra cameras is to record and relay everything we find.
The time is 17:15.
The photos have downloaded.
So, he appears to have injuries consistent with an RTC.
Bruising to the chest, fractured ribs, a fracture at the base of the first metacarpal on the right hand, bruising to the sole of the right foot.
But he also has a number of linear abrasions, scratches to the right side of the face, swelling over the left cheekbone, and apparent grip marks to both upper arms.
So it's possible that he was in an altercation prior to the traffic collision.
Would you be able to identify any attackers? Hopefully.
Let's open him up.
Are you sure you want to do this? If the body's been infected with a nerve agent, we can create an antidote to save Jack.
How's Jack? Er, still no improvement.
When I saw him at A&E, I'm sure he was trying to tell me something.
Something he'd found, maybe.
From the crash site? Mm.
I've accessed the photos he took.
That's Carmichael.
What's he doing here? Well, he suggested we stop the postmortem, but we suggested we'd carry on.
He was at the hospital when I got there.
And when we met the Coroner about Private Sealy's death.
MOD Liaison Officer.
The chest cavity is filled with blood.
Rupture of the proximal descending thoracic aorta.
Which suggests? He died from the injuries he sustained within seconds of the car crash.
And not the nerve agent? We'll know for certain when we see the blood test results but, as far as I can determine, for now .
.
not the nerve agent.
May I suggest we take every necessary precaution by sealing up this body? And then I'll arrange for its removal.
HELICOPTER WHIRS SIREN WAILS Major Sealy came round the bend, probably too fast.
The car skidded.
The road's still wet due to the rain.
He comes off the road, comes down this embankment here .
.
where the car hits this mound of earth, comes to a stop at an angle.
How do I look? We need to find out what this is, how Jack can be treated.
I thought I'd go to the hospital.
Is that OK? Yes, of course.
I just need to see him .
.
in case Nikki, er, ever heard of KS79, KS seven-nine? No.
What? I don't know.
Jack took some photos at the scen some envelope, a code, some.
.
Maybe a formula of some kind.
I've no idea.
Clarissa will know, if anyone does.
Yeah.
Give him my love, won't you? C H 3.
What's behind the glass? Is that a P? And then N 2 .
.
O.
Two.
N2O2.
If so, it's not complete, but this looks like the chemical formula for Tabun.
Tabun? No wonder DS Vail died within minutes.
Because of the cut, it got in to her bloodstream.
How is Jack still alive? Secondary contamination.
DS Vail looks to have got some of the nerve agent onto her clothing, and Jack must have inhaled it while he was trying to save her life.
Whoever wrote this formula looks to have combined Tabun with something else, but it's partially covered in debris.
Well, where's the note now? They must have found it, which means they must know what it is.
Which means they should know by now how to treat Jack.
HE BREATHES HEAVILY MONITOR BEEPS Jack? Can you hear me? Jack? It's your daddy.
I still owe you a bottle of Bushmills.
Do you hear? Do you hear? I love BREATH RASPS .
.
you.
Tabun? Are-are you sure? Yeah, Jack took photos of what looks like a handwritten formula.
Can you send them over? Send them over? I assumed you'd already got them.
No.
Jack took the photos in Major Sealy's car.
I mean, if the police don't have the original documents, they must still be there.
Must've been found by now.
Look, as far as I know, all that's been found is an envelope with KS79 on it.
No formula.
And you have no idea what this KS79 might be? If we knew that, we would tell you, Professor.
We would know how to treat your colleague, Jack.
Ben, why were you at the Coroner's Office? You found organophosphate at the second postmortem Or is it this KS79? Look, I'm sorry, Professor.
I need to go.
If we find out anything more about this KS79, you have my word I'll tell you.
For Jack's sake.
Apparently, Professor Dukes was questioned by Wiltshire Police in 1998 about a number of trials involving five young servicemen in the '70s.
What kind of trials? Well, "safety trails", they were called, but the details have been redacted.
Well, we know Porton Down have been responsible for experimenting on servicemen and women, so Yeah, but here's the rub - despite a two-year inquiry, no charges were brought.
Professor Dukes leaves Porton, gets divorced, and joins Barton Pharmaceuticals.
DNA confirms that these marks on Major Sealy's face were made by his mother.
She attacked him? Also, the acetylcholine test confirms that Major Sealy wasn't affected by the nerve agent.
We know the nerve agent was there.
But how did it get there? I'm assuming Sealy had it with him in his car.
However it got there, he was dead before the nerve agent was released.
Hand prints, finger prints, and this boot which we now know doesn't belong to Major Sealy.
Anything on the inhaler? Well, neither Professor Dukes nor Major Sealy was prescribed one.
What about the earlier break-in? I've been promised the results later today.
So, we have some kind of altercation, yeah? Professor Dukes scratches her son's face.
Did Major Sealy kill his mother? The size of the boot print does not fit Major Sealy.
That strongly suggests that someone else was in the house at the time of the murder.
NOTIFICATION BEEPS That could be the results.
Edmund Michael Fishbourne, also known as Fish.
Traces of his DNA were on the packet of cocaine that Jack found.
Maybe that explains why the shed was set on fire.
DI Guyatt.
We need intel now .
.
on an Edmund Michael Fishbourne.
What do we know about this sports watch that Jack found in Private Sealy's locker? Well, Jack was going to complete the same course.
The last time that John ran it, he stopped en route and Jack thought that, because he was contaminated with the organophosphate .
.
he may have encountered it on his run? Exactly.
Copy that, thanks.
Eddie Fishbourne.
Ex-soldier.
Served in Afghanistan.
They're sending a photo.
He was officially discharged for attacking a senior officer, setting fire to his tent.
Got it.
During his court martial, he was accused of being radicalised, a charge he vehemently denied.
Right.
Did he know John Sealy? Probably.
They served in the same regiment.
Mm.
Maybe they had a falling out, and he's targeted John and his family.
But why did Eddie Fishbourne break in? Was he looking for something? Is Eddie Fishbourne in the squat? They kicked him out a week ago, haven't seen him since.
I didn't do anything! Come on! Get off! COUGHING LOUD CLATTERING DOOR RATTLES Armed police! Get down! Get down! Do not move! Do not move! Mr Fishbourne Fish.
Fish.
These two plastic containers found in the back of your van I told you, I got them from a mate.
He told me they killed Japanese knotweed.
According to the toxicology it's an insecticide.
Banned in this country some years ago.
It doesn't do what you think it does.
It doesn't kill weeds.
I didn't know But you did know John Sealy.
He had nothing to do with this, other than agreeing to help me store it in his shed.
I got kicked out the squat, was forced to sleep in the lock up - and it was giving me a real headache - I felt like shit.
I was about to get rid of it, and then I saw John.
He was going away - first tour of duty - so I sorted him a bag of coke as a going away present.
We have evidence that you were at Major Sealy's house She The coke was in there.
An unknown nerve agent was found close to where Major Sealy crashed his car.
Nerve agent? I don't know anything about that or what happened to John's dad.
I just heard that John had this stuff in his body .
.
and I thought it was because of me.
Because of the insecticide.
Where were you yesterday evening? I went to the house but there were people there.
What people? John's dad, his grandmother What happened? I don't know.
Interview suspended 11:35am.
Are you sure you don't want me to help you do this? I'm fine.
You did Major Sealy.
PHONE BUZZES ALARMS WAIL You said to call you if anything changed.
Well I'm so sorry.
Yep.
They've put Jack into an induced coma.
I contacted Barton Pharmaceuticals.
Now, Professor Dukes left work at 17:56.
So I've tracked her path to Major Sealy's, which is just over an hour away.
She stopped to buy some petrol, but look here.
What am I looking at? Other CCTV cameras suggest the man in the blue car followed Professor Dukes for 36 minutes.
Who is he? He's a ghost.
The car is registered in the name of Douglas Eland, who died in August.
Is there a connection between Douglas and Katherine Dukes? A few petechial haemorrhages on the upper face Yes.
.
.
and the eyes.
Consistent with asphyxiation Also .
.
external signs of injuries to the neck on both sides.
Suggesting someone may have held her there.
Not to kill, necessarily.
Small amounts of debris .
.
and apparent bloodstains under the fingernails of her left hand .
.
consistent with the wounds on Major Sealy's face.
They promised to come back and tidy up.
Who did? MoD.
You should see what they've done to Professor Dukes office.
Her computer, her laptop, most of her work files, old records.
They said they'd be coming back to open that.
Do you know the code? No.
Is this her handwriting? I think I'm the only one who can read it - she got me to type up her findings.
KS79.
Katherine Sealy, 1979.
Do you recognise this man? Looks like the man who said he was Professor Dukes' brother.
Would your security team have any footage of this man? Yes, I would think so.
OK K.
S.
Come on.
KEYPAD BEEPS OK Five of you.
Porton.
Lung cancer.
Cancer.
Lung cancer.
At Porton.
Cancer of the oesophagus.
Hm.
And who are you? Porton Still alive.
I've found our ghost.
The five servicemen that Professor Dukes conducted safety trials on were exposed to various quantities of the nerve agent KS79.
Some were hospitalised, others allowed to go home a few days later.
All of them experienced respiratory problems.
Asthma? Possibly.
All of them, bar two, died an early, complicated, often very painful death.
Douglas Eland died just recently.
But the man who's still alive from these trials is the man who followed Professor Dukes to Major Sealy's house.
Arthur Simpson.
Arthur was the last survivor of an experiment that was initially denied and then covered up.
These trials .
.
did Katherine think the same thing had happened to her grandson? Maybe that's why she asked for a second postmortem.
Exactly.
Possibly.
But she was wrong.
The trace of organophosphate that you found was from a pesticide that Fish had.
It had absolutely nothing to do with the safety trial.
If Katherine Dukes told her son about her responsibility for the original trials That could have been why they foug We know Arthur Simpson went to Barton Pharmaceuticals.
We know he followed Katherine Dukes to Major Sealy's house.
And we know from DNA that Professor Dukes scratched her son's face.
And it could be her son who caused fingertip bruising on Katherine Dukes's neck.
Will you listen?! What is he talking about? You need to accept what you've done! I'm out.
I'm done.
I'm going to do the right thing! I'm going to take it back SHE GASPS, YELPS HE COUGHS Looking for your inhaler, Mr Simpson? Detective Inspector Karl Guyatt.
Professor Dukes deserved everything she got.
SHE GROANS Did you call an ambulance? Mark? Mark? Please.
You've got to help me.
What is it? It's in her throat.
"Porton Down Chemical Defence Establishment".
Is it intact? Appears to be.
Thank God.
I'm going to ask you both now to leave.
And turn off the ventilation.
Thomas! Please.
Do as I ask.
Whilst we're waiting for Porton Down, I'm going to put a sample into the spectrometer.
Thomas, I think it's too dangerous.
Let's wait.
For what? A couple of hours before they get here? And then a couple more before they get back to Porton to run exactly the same test that we can do right here, right now? And what happens to Jack in the meantime? We have to find out what this is.
I I don't understand.
What? Oh, God.
Thomas? I can feel it.
Nikki, I can I can feel the nerve agent.
But you're wearing a respirator.
HE COUGHS I can still I can still do this.
We need an ambulance urgently to the Lyell Centre.
No! I PRINTER WHIRS HE GROANS HE GRUNTS How is this happening?! HE GASPS FOR BREATH It's the canister from the respirator.
What do you mean? That's what she created - KS KS79, a nerve agent that can infiltrate these charcoal filters.
HE COUGHS You have to get out.
The ventilation is off Get out, both of you! Get out! The ambulance on its way.
No.
No-one can come in here.
No No! No, Thomas! font c No-one can come in here.
HE GROANS Thomas? I can't I can't I can't breathe.
I can't breathe.
No! What are you doing? Don't, Thomas! There's no point.
Think, think, think, Clarissa.
What can infiltrate carbon filters? Think! Um Some kind of corrosive? Maybe Dukes combined a nerve agent with, er with an acid gas? Yeah, an acid gas.
Cyanogen.
Cyanogen.
Cyanogen.
Cyanogen chloride Save Jack.
CELLPHONE BUZZES Think.
The ambulance is outside.
Sodium Sodium Sodium thiosulfate.
Treat Jack.
Treat Jack.
They can treat you too.
No.
Nikki, I'm dying.
I'm dying, Nikki.
Say goodbye to Rosie.
And save Jack.
Save him.
Promise me.
Promise.
HE GROANS HE MOANS Thomas? Thomas? Thomas! Thomas! Thomas! Thomas! They're here.
SIREN BLARES HE BREATHES HEAVILY I wanted you to know .
.
that I was going to tell you first about leaving the Lyell.
But I knew you could persuade me to stay.
Don't leave me, Jack.
I can't lose you too.
How's he doing? All we can do is wait.
Why didn't I listen to you? Going for a farewell drink, like you said.
All of us together.
I should have made the connection sooner - the charcoal and the canister.
No-one knew what that nerve agent was capable of.
Well, I'm going to make sure that, from now on, they do.
As far as Porton was concerned, the KS79 had been destroyed.
They had no idea she'd kept some samples.
Why would she do that? In case someone else - a foreign agency - discovered it, deployed it.
By keeping a sample, there would be a chance of creating an antidote.
She knew just how powerful, how deadly it was.
And when she did her safety trials, she knew what she was administering? I don't know She was a scientist, yesting possible and probable outcomes.
She knew the risks, but this was all about testing herself, her brilliant new formula - all for the greater good.
And who exactly decides what that is, and on whose behalf? Not Arthur Simpson, Douglas Eland, those other three young men Professor Dukes experimented on.
Not Detective Sergeant Vail, Professor Thomas Chamberlain! SHE SHUDDERS Professor Dukes's formula - your colleague, Jack, photographed it at the site of the crash.
It came through to the Lyell.
And .
.
did you see it? You know where he might have put it, after he photographed it? I'm assuming he put it in an evidence bag and handed it over as part of the ongoing investigation.
Well, obviously, Porton don't want that falling into the wrong hands.
Obviously.
Thomas said that, when Jack arrived, he was trying to tell him something about the nerve agent.
The formula.
We need to find it before they do.
So many people have died because of this secret.
What do we do with it? What would Thomas do? Thomas? He would want the truth to be known.
Together with what was on the USB I found in Professor Dukes's safe, it's proof of what happened to Arthur and his colleagues, and his partner, Douglas.
That truth needs to be exposed.
For the greater good.
THOMAS ON VIDEO: Look at that.
Wow! ROSIE ON VIDEO: You're so lame! THOMAS LAUGHS Whoa, yeah! Look at that go! THOMAS LAUGHS Oh, wow, that's fantastic! Go on.
Keep going.
Keep going! THOMAS SIGHS AND LAUGHS Better late than never.
I'm not going to miss you for one minute.
You made it, then.
Mm.
Thanks to Thomas, I did.
THOMAS ON VIDEO: Come on, jump in here! Well done, Rosie! ROSIE LAUGHS Still six at heart.
We both are.
Look, look, you're flying it! THEY LAUGH Testator silens Costestes e spiritu Silentium.