Paradox

You may never see the northern lights

far south again and you have your eyes closed.

I'm dreaming.

There's no need to dream.

It's all out here.

- Go back to bed. - No, she's...

You need your sleep.

Think about tomorrow.

Please, love.

Is it two o'clock already?

How did it get so late?

It's not that late.

We should sleep.

No, stay.

Kirsty?

Full halo CME observed at 2.32.

Location of flare and direction of CME

indicates the solar storm is reaching dangerous levels.

I'm expecting it to peak in 18 hours.

'We'll circulate warnings. '

Tell them to be alert for the next 36 hours.

All units stand by. This is Control.

We have a black van approaching.

No. False alarm. He's heading down Deansgate.

- Let's call it a night. - No. We wait.

I thought I'd lost you.

I'm not going anywhere.

Maybe we could meet. Somewhere public.

Amy only left... What? How long? Two months ago?

You need time.

No, I'm over it. Believe me.

I don't want to be the rebound thing.

You're not!

Oh, shit!

You're in early.

No-show last night. Couldn't sleep.

I've a favour to ask.

He's called Christian King. Dr Christian King.

Space scientist. Prometheus Innovation.

Space scientist?

He wants to see a detective.

Dr King stipulated that the officer should be intelligent

and one with an imagination, if that was at all possible.

I'm quoting.

Please present your identification to the camera.

Thank you. Please proceed.

Rebecca Flint?

DI Flint, yes. Christian King.

Do you recognise any of these images?

Where did they come from?

They were streamed live at 2.33am. Who by?

Do you recognise them? No. Should I?

If the images represent one incident, the severity of that incident would suggest you'd be aware of them.

Why do you believe they're connected?

I know they're connected.

Identical time codes.

Pause that.

Well, it looks as if there's been an explosion.

There's something else you should consider.

- June 15. - That's today.

20.33.

- That's... - That's ten hours from now.

It... Whatever... It hasn't even happened?

Yet.

Knowingly making a false report...

Criminal Law Act 1967, section 5, clause 2.

I'm a police officer, Dr King. My time is valuable.

You know nothing about time, DI Flint.

I know when it's being wasted.

Perhaps you've been overworking, Dr King.

Let me out, please.

Threatening a police officer is an extremely serious offence.

I'm not threatening you.

I'm concentrating your mind.

OK, from my extensive police training,

I can say that we're looking at something that hasn't happened yet.

I deduce that one of your colleagues was messing around on YouTube...

This computer isn't networked to any others in the building.

There is, of course, another scenario, DI Flint.

I'm planning to blow something up

and I've decided to announce it to the world first.

The number on the mobile in the image.

Ring it.

And then decide if I'm wasting your time.

Lauren, Harry and Kitty are unable to take your call now.

'Please leave a message. '

King's a world-renowned scientist.

Why would he issue a threat - hoax or otherwise?

Psychotic, psychopathic?

He accidentally downloaded an episode of CSI bouncing off a satellite?

No, the phone number's real. The name, Lauren.

And that's odd, isn't it?

Issuing a warning with all that detail.

The dead girl looked pretty convincing.

Run a background check on him.

Straight As. Only child.

No wife, no record.

- Political affiliations? - Not that I can find.

He has worked with explosives before.

Where?

Something called the Raven Mine Dispersal System.

His contract was for two years. He left suddenly after three months.

Terminated because he was too unstable?

80% of the work he's doing for Prometheus is for the MOD.

He must be vetted regularly.

He held a police officer hostage, he threatened to detonate a bomb.

You should have just pulled him in. I don't think it's that straightforward.

You weren't in the room with him.

Yes, he's intimidating. Dangerous, even.

But I keep asking myself, "Why tell me?"

If there is any chance Dr King intends to blow something up in nine hours,

we have to take this seriously.

- I'll talk to Counter Terrorism. - No.

This is mine.

I want this.

Oh, God.

Call the engineer.

I don't give up that easily.

- I've got a job. - I'm heading out.

It's urgent.

- DC Garda? - Gada. Callum Gada, ma'am.

Rebecca.

How's it progressing?

X- ray event's building.

We're looking at a big one.

I've warned NASA their space station crew might be absorbing their yearly dose of radiation.

Are you OK?

What exactly do you want to ask me, Simon?

Security informs me a DI Flint visited you.

Anything I can help you with?

Quick tips on how you...

I heard you chatting when I came in at 4.00.

How's it going?

.. Save thousands of pounds...

So far... But that's it. I can't get her to meet.

It could be a total disappointment.

No, no, no. She's the one - I know it.

It has a decent-sized...

Keep the noise down. I'm working tonight.

by a nice park.

They were sent via an unauthorised transmission from our imaging satellite, Prometheus 2.

Any breach of computer security

should be reported directly to myself and head of security.

You know the protocols.

Christian?

Obviously I know the protocols!

Is DI Flint returning?

I'm expecting so.

Sorry.

What did the doctor say?

Her throat's less inflamed. Just continue taking the antibiotics.

Any news?

Um, I'm... I'm fine.

Look, please, Harry, if you lose this, what are we...?

Oh, for Christ's sake, Lauren!

Mum!

I have to go. I need to get Kitty to bed.

Yeah.

I love you.

I got you a whiteboard.

I know how much police officers like writing on boards.

If you could e-mail me the images...

Personal equipment is not permitted.

No material leaves this building without clearance.

We're on a case here.

I've transferred a copy of them to that computer.

Is the work you're doing classified?

At the moment, I'm monitoring space weather.

A magnetic storm.

Why did God create economists?

To make weathermen look good.

I don't believe in God.

If you need me...

my door's always open.

I thought King didn't know you were coming back.

He didn't.

Then how come he was expecting you?

It's bloody elaborate for a coded warning.

The IT system here has a default deny firewall.

It someone outside has managed to breach it,

wouldn't they be stealing data, not leaving grainy pictures?

OK, assuming King's put these images together, Photoshopped them maybe,

then what's he telling us?

How do we know he isn't just watching us chase our tails?

King and the images, that's all we have.

We need to establish - are the images connected. If so, how?

Our two fixed points - Kirsty Harmsley.

Licence.

Driving licence.

The dialled number's a residential in Tedsford - Mr Harry Phelps. His wife is Lauren.

There's a female called Lauren on the answerphone message.

Are any of them flagged? Any connection with Christian King?

Does anyone recognise that?

- Clip from a movie? - What? A snuff movie?

It's hard to tell if it's real or staged.

Check for missing girls 5 to 10.

What do we recognise?

- That's a bridge, right? - It has an abutment.

Kid Wonder got a Boy Scout badge in bridges.

Bridge over road carrying train lines?