The City and the City

'Nowhere else works like the cities.

'Beszel...

'..and Ul Qoma.

'But there are places where the cities meet,

'where it's hard to observe the borders.'

The dead girl's name is Mahalia Geary.

She lives in Ul Qoma.

She winds up dead in Beszel.

A girl called me from Ul Qoma.

Mahalia is dead because she found out the truth.

Orciny, a golden city without restriction, without borders.

Jesus Christ, look where you're going, will you?

Who is she?

Your wife, last seen on Gunterstrasz.

I guess you don't know about the other one...

Yolanda Stark.

Mahalia's friend. No-one's seen Yolanda for a while.

No-one can reach her.

What's through there?

That's a newly discovered section.

Very unsafe at the moment, so there's no access.

They let her work in the closed-off section.

Do you think you can get me in there?

Orciny is real. They invite you.

Kriserai!

'Orciny. Katrynia thought you could go there.

'You wait.

'They find you.

'But not me.

'I'm a cop.'

Gerit ga-la! San-dakh!

All right, all right!

St-redakh!

St-redakh! St-redakh! St-redakh!

Arghhh!

I'm interested in archaeology.

Yeah, yeah. More or less. I'm a police officer.

I'm here helping with an international investigation.

Chief Inspector Dhatt.

Chief Inspector Dhatt!

Sorry.

OK, all right.

OK, all right!

'This was Ul Qoma, so I unsaw familiar Beszel streets.

'But really, I was still in that ancient underground chamber.

'I was seeing an ark sailing towards a distant island citadel.

'Orciny.'

I'm sorry, I don't understand.

We have a problem, my friend.

Suicide is illegal in Ul Qoma.

She just had too much of that stuff they give tourists in bars.

OK? And then she slipped.

You're seeing her. Romantically.

Yeah.

Yeah, I am. Yeah, so...

Happy ending, then?

Thank you.

Is there anyone you want to call, or anything?

Mind if we keep this to ourselves?

Well, us and the Ul Qoma Militsya.

How come you were in the wrong place at the right time?

I was just, um... I was just winding down at the end of the day.

You know? Sorry I spoilt your evening stroll.

Look you, er... You got drunk and you fell into the canal.

That happens, doesn't it?

I didn't fall.

Falling isn't a crime. But the other thing is.

You tell a pretty story anyhow.

I know some people like sad endings.

I mean, they say they don't, but they do.

I've never understood that.

I like mine to be happy.

You know, you're going to... You'll have a sore head in the morning.

Being a cliche hurts more.

Falling for the guru like I'm some little groupie?

You're smarter than that. Clearly not.

"Our comic flesh".

I'd like to think it was more than that.

Well, he's a lucky man.

Not really.

After tonight's little show, I'm just an embarrassment,

a nuisance...

Maybe you should do it after all. What's that?

Arrest me.

Well, I er... I left my cuffs at home, so...

Thank you.

What the fuck, Borlu!

Where is she? Where's the girl?

The girl is on the way home to Mum and Dad.

She's lucky she's not in detention.

You're a piece of work.

I should have told you. You should have told me?!

You broke the terms of our agreement!

I'm not one of your illegals!

You know, your possible deportation may be beyond my control.

There's a limit on how much I can protect you.

We need to speak to Bowden, find Yolanda.

Your visa expires tomorrow, Borlu.

Why is this case so important to you?

When did she stop being "Unknown Corpse 101"?

It's personal, isn't it?

Mobile to mobile costs a fortune so this better be good.

"Right-wing Besz politician cosies up to US entrepreneur"?

What's that about?

Listen, just talk. This place is porous.

Major Syedr and Mike Gorse, CEO of Sear and Core.

What, the mining company?

They made a mint on the Coltan market,

but left a trail of corpses in the Congo. It was serious.

It's weird, right? In bed with the Yanks isn't Syedr's party line.

Well, maybe the Major plays all sides.

So, did you pick up anything specific? Bowden? The Bol Ye'an dig?

Not yet. Any sign of Yolanda?

No.

I've got to go.

Time for a bollocking.

Be safe. Yeah, you too.

Indian OK?

It's a bit early for that, isn't it?

Breakfast like a king, dine like a pauper.

Don't want to confuse the body's circadian rhythms.

That's how you get fat.

Dr David Bowden? Senior Detective Qussima Dhatt.

Inspector Tyador Borlu, ECS, Beszel.

We met once. Do you remember?

Did we?

Yeah.

What I want to know, officers,

is what are you going to do to protect me?

Protect you from what?

I think you know, don't you?

Mahalia Geary, now Yolanda.

Looks like anyone with a connection to the third city is being targeted.

Third city? You're talking Orciny.

Well, the doctor is the guiding light.

He started it all.

If anything, Orciny is more of a challenge

in these oppressive times.

You must be very upset.

About Mahalia. Now Yolanda too.

Of course I am very upset. We all are extremely upset.

Where were you the night she was killed?

You're not honestly telling me I'm a suspect?

We are speaking to everyone connected to Mahalia Geary.

We took a look at that restricted area of the dig.

What's going on down there?

Early days. Difficult to say.

Very heavy security.

Must be sensitive.

Everything is sensitive in this city.

We have to be careful.

Industrial pollution threatens heritage sites globally.

So, that's what you think it is?

A major Ul Qoma heritage site?

Did I say Ul Qoma? I'm no politician, Inspector.

Mahalia was one of the few people who could get in there, wasn't she?

So, what you knew, you must have been close.

What is it about your line of questioning that sounds so familiar?

Mahalia was a handful, she could be tricky.

Perverse, even.

Did you have an affair with her?

I'm not sure that's the right word.

What is the right word? I had to end it - whatever you want to call it.

Because? Because of her bullshit.

She forgot she was the apprentice. Perhaps I was too open with her.

So, you had an argument. Then what?

Yeah, and then... Then she left.

This was the night she went missing?

Look, I've been completely honest.

Her ego was a little bruised, that's all.

It wasn't a bruised ego that killed her.

Did you go looking for her?

She made it very clear that she didn't want me chasing her.

She was more angry than upset.

Mahalia was...

She was intelligent.

She had a future as a scholar of Orciny.

An unaccountable city beyond reach?

They're dangerous ideas to put into someone's head, aren't they?

Aren't they?

The idea of Orciny has always threatened the authorities.

There's a price for speaking the truth.

Is that what you think happened to her?

To Mahalia. That she paid that price?

Now I know where we met!

Katrynia had time for my dangerous talk.

We all miss Kat.

Well, my wife's got nothing to do with this investigation.

Are you sure about that? What do you mean?

It means that I'm feeling victimised. Excuse me.

I'm due at the Bol Ye'an dig.

Whoa!

I'm sure you'll take care of the cheque, won't you?

He's playing us.

I think Bowden was right.

I think you were victimising him.

What? Your wife... and him?

That's personal.

Maybe your personal makes you the wrong man for the job.

Maybe it makes me the right guy. He's an obvious target.