Spooks

The assassination of the head of the armed forces - Quinn is the suspect.

We're interrupting this programme for a special bulletin.

An attempt's been made on the life of the Chief of Defence. Doctors are fighting to save Sir John's life.

You don't know who I am, do you?

Herman Joyce. This is about Lisa.

My daughter's in a facility in Maine, in a catatonic state of withdrawal.

We did recruit a girl, Lisa Joyce. She didn't work out. He blames me.

Now I'm taking everything from you. What are you going to do with me?

The mother of all set-ups. There'll be a sniper rifle left at the scene. It'll have my fingerprints on it.

I've been set up. The man behind it is ex-CIA. His name is Herman Joyce.

You're a liar.

Tom, Herman Joyce was killed in a car crash. He died five years ago!

Don't let Joyce win. It's over, Tom.

I'm just trying to clear my name. You know what I must do.

'I've destroyed your very soul, Tom Quinn.

'You're like Lisa now - in your own personal hell.'

Urgent telephone call from Downing Street, Mr Mace.

HE BREATHES HEAVILY

National emergency...

National emergency! Lay down.

No, no, no. Just let me take this in.

Tom Quinn shot the Chief of the Defence Staff, then shot Harry Pearce to escape?

You know this is our chance. 'Then take it.'

Call an air ambulance to London.

'I am as near as I can get to the scene of the assassination of the Chief of the Defence Staff...'

Do you want to pull over, Danny? I'm OK.

'Police and emergency services...' We've got to get back to London!

I do hope the Prime Minister's backing him? I can rely on that absolutely? 'Absolutely.'

Right. I'm going to move very fast.

'..In connection with the shooting. He's described as white, tall...' They're describing Tom.

'He is armed and dangerous.' Tom's dead.

No! We don't know that! TYRES SCREECH Stop the car, Danny!

'There's speculation that the suspect drowned on the Suffolk coast while trying to escape.

'Police have cordoned off all nearby beaches.'

Who's given you authority...? Would you get your hands off my files!

MOBILE RINGS

Ruth? You and Danny had better get back here.

Special Branch plods are turning the place over. On whose authority?

They say the Joint Intelligence Committee have launched an investigation, but can they do that?

Ruth, tell Harry. You do realise...

Ruth? Oh, no. What?

The Chairman of the JIC just walked in. Listen, Doghouse now! No more phone calls, please.

Danny! Doghouse - we've go to go!

I'm launching an investigation, sanctioned by Downing Street, so you are all suspended.

This is going to be something of a blood bath.

Thank you.

Gentlemen.

DOOR HANDLE RATTLES

Can I help you?

I've come to see, um, Mr Pearce.

Sorry. No visitors today. This is ridiculous. He's my boss.

Come on. Off!

I aim to finish the investigation at MI5 in the next few days.

The whole culture at Thames House is rotten, so we are cleaning the stables.

What about Harry Pearce?

Harry...will retire on medical grounds.

The rest of his department will be dismissed,

or, if evidence is there, prosecuted for helping the rogue officer amongst them.

Excuse me. Can I talk to you?

Sorry? It's about Mr Pearce.

They say he's a spy. He is.

The thing is, I work for him, and I'm in love with him. They won't let me see him. Could you give him a note?

I don't think so. I mean, I... I'll write it.

No. Sorry.

I'm...having his child.

OK.

Are you sure this is in the interests of national security?

Absolutely. We cannot have another Tom Quinn.

So, could I have a vote to authorise the investigation? Which is nearly over.

Did the Prime Minister personally order this? He's fully informed.

Not the same thing.

Hugo, I know you're an old pal of Harry Pearce, so I take your judgment to be clouded.

Oh! Clouded, am I?!

Anyone against?

Then I proceed.

So did we all shake our tails? They have three on me. I had to do the taxi trick. I biked all over.

The chairman of the JIC is looking through all our files, down to old apple cores in our desks,

and we've got to sneak off here just to talk. What the hell is going on?! What's Oliver Mace doing?

Maybe he thinks you all helped Tom. That's really stupid. Maybe not.

What do we know about Oliver Mace? Has he ever done any real spying? MI6 before chairing the JIC.

Reputation as a desk spook. Oh, no! The worst!

I also heard he's got a hidden past as quizmaster in Northern Ireland. I heard worse - he steps over the line.

In Kosovo, three Serb agents died in his detention. He's a very dangerous man. He's treating us as traitors -

suspending us, having us followed! I smell the stench of deep politics.

What do we do? Get some dirt on him.

We'd never get near him.

Then we'll take his big stick away. What do you mean? Prove Tom was innocent. But he wasn't!

He's accused of murder, treason. He shot Harry trying to get away! We don't know why he shot Harry.

We need to speak to Christine Dale, maybe Tom talked to her. Hey! Spare some change?

Will you give us some change for a cup of tea? Go away!

You've got a tracking device on you. Get rid, and get out now! I bet there's one on your bike. Oh!

I'm sorry!

Sam, check your bike. Have you got it?

I've got it! I've got it!

Move! Let's go!

Who the hell was that? Guardian angel?

Bastard...bastard...

Not here. Repeat, not here. Device found.

Oi!

SIREN BLARES

Can I help you? We want to see Christine Dale. She's not available at this time. And you are...?

A friend of the family.

CIA. Top vintage.

PAGER BEEPS Why are they leaning on her?

Well, she slept with our traitor. Don't call Tom that. God, I can't bear it!

Oliver Mace wants to see me.

Once more, have you seen Tom Quinn?

Again and again, I'm loyal to the United States of America,

so, no, I did not help Tom Quinn.

No.

No!

No, no, no!

No!

I didn't! I never helped Tom Quinn!

So why does your computer reveal so many visits to sites selling illegal firearms? Monitoring those sites

is part of my job! Some personal, pornographic interest?

No. Shall I tell you what I think, Miss Reynolds? What?

You procured this gun for Tom Quinn. How dare you accuse me!

Little career advice - let the waters close over your time in this service. OK, that's it!

What's behind this investigation? What is the chair of the JIC doing,

getting his hands dirty with the likes of us?! What are you doing? Well, this is jolly(!)

I'll have you arrested. For what?

The Official Secrets Act is a whole supermarket of offences. You have some kind of hidden agenda here.

If there is to be an agenda, it will be mine.

Oliver, we speak now.

Or must I embarrass you before junior personnel?

The JIC will be recalled. There's a serious threat to national security here. I can't keep to the niceties.

I like the niceties. They protect us from tyranny. Moral high ground is a bit of a sandbank for you, Harry.

The tide is coming in. This department is still independent.

This department is rotten to the core! If you want to prove that, you'll have to do it by the book.

The JIC will meet again first thing in the morning.

I'll see you there, Oliver.

Hope you're feeling up to it.

What's going on, Harry?

Yes, at the station, there was this tramp. Harry... Adam! You come most presently upon your hour.

Everyone, I'd like to introduce you to your vagrant. All right? How are you doing?

This is Adam Carter. I've bulldozed a few rules and seconded Adam from 6 to help us sort out this mess. Yeah.

We've got one hell of a situation here, but...

there's a neat way to get the gremlins off our backs. Oh, yeah? What's that?

We prove Tom Quinn was innocent. Yes! We're in for an all-nighter. We need sandwiches, coffee, tea...

I'll get that. I mean, I don't have to. I don't get the tea, usually.

Thanks, Sam. Not still bugged, are you? What? Oh, no!

He wasn't innocent, though, was he? Sorry. Till we really know, let's assume Tom WAS the man you knew.

We're going round in circles. He shot Harry! But he was facing arrest for treason

with zero chance of proving his innocence. He HAD to escape.

If it had been me, I'd have pulled the trigger.

What about you, Harry? If you'd been in Tom's position, would you have shot you?

I don't want him to be guilty.

Right, let's take a break.

Adam!

Do you have any, you know, plan?

No. Not really.

Right. I did something once... when I was stationed in Damascus.

I made up a story to discredit a high-ranking intelligence officer in the Syrian secret service.

The guy was a torturer. A real pig.

He was about to find out that his wife was an agent I was running. I had to stop him,

so I put it about that the, um, pig

was not a pig,

but a mole working for the Israeli secret service.

And do you know what?

It turned out to be true. What happened?

The Syrians hanged him. Israelis went ape, of course.

What about the agent? I married her.

Right.

You'll meet her. She's gorgeous.

Don't plan too much, Danny. Let things just...crinkle out.

I shouldn't be talking to you.

Spooks too spooked to talk to each other?

Strange days, Harry.

Are you sure you ought to be out of hospital? Do shut up, Hugo, and just tell me what's going on!

There's a conspiracy... in the darker corners of government. Oh, my prophetic soul!

They want to establish a unified, single-track intelligence... in a melded command structure.

Whitehall speak for taking political control of the intelligence services.

They want to run a new MI6 from Downing Street with a political head in Cabinet. I've seen this coming.

The nightmare of a Ministry of State Security!

Our very own KGB! They also want to give members of the security services the power to arrest people.

Why all this now?

They fear what's coming in the Gulf - al-Qaeda's final push to take over Saudi Arabia.

And we all know what that means - an onslaught of terrorism in the West.

And to counter it, they want a secret service that does exactly what the Government wants

and gives the public positive intelligence. Even if there isn't any!

Does the Prime Minister know about this? The PM?

Bends his ear to anyone who whispers "modernisation".

What are we going to do?

We?

I'm sorry, Harry.

I'm going to let go. Take retirement. Cottage near Newmarket.

Sip a malt on a frosty morning, watching the horses on the gallops.

Let them have their new world order.

I can't do that, Hugo. You'll not stop these people, Harry.

They'll crucify you. A crucifixion it is, then!

MOBILE RINGS

'Harry.'

Tom?

You all right?

Well, you perforated my shoulder and damn near got my lung. Apart from that, things are hunky-dory(!)

I couldn't let you bring me in. Meet me.

No, I can't. Why not? Because I don't think you believe me, Harry. I don't think you trust me.

Could it be anything to do with the memory of you holding a shotgun in my face? I'm innocent, Harry.

I didn't assassinate Sir John Stone. You'd better be innocent. What do you mean? There are conspirators.