Episode 2 Hard Sun

Contains some violent scenes and scenes which some viewers may find disturbing.

DCI Hicks, Elaine is joining us as your new DI.

-Is she working for you?

-Absolutely not.

You're the Renko that got stabbed, right?

-Hello, Daniel.

-Hello, Mum.

We have just been told to withdraw the surveillance.

Jesus, what is on that flash drive?

-Yeah, but how long does it say we've got?

-Five years.

I need to talk to my wife.

Charlie, is that you?

Who is this?

I think you know who we are.

-Is it true?

-Yes. Which is why I'm asking you to help me.

I need that flash drive.

No.

He's gone back to the public call box on Exeter Place.

Unit Two, you're prime to intercept.

PHONE RINGS

Hicks' residence.

I haven't got it.

I'm sorry? Is that Charlie?

Can you say that again? The line's bad.

Renko took it. It's gone.

Well, Charlie.

I don't know what to say.

If that's the case...

then I really can't help you.

I'm sorry.

TYRES SQUEAL

TASER BUZZES

I'm looking for Will Benedetti on news.

-Oh, yeah, he's just over there.

-Thank you.

Will Benedetti?

DI Renko. We spoke.

Can we talk somewhere private?

No...

Christ!

I don't get it. Why come to me?

Your name's on the website. You answered the phone.

So you need to listen. Really listen to what I'm saying.

They're killing everyone who's seen it. Everyone. Which means you.

So if you want to protect yourself, you need to run the story.

OK. OK, I can...I can do it. I can do that.

But I'm going to need the full dossier, everything you've got.

I can't do that. I need to hold something back.

But I can give you enough.

I need to retrieve the Hard Sun file.

You have a copy on a flash drive.

I need you to tell me where it is.

I already told them 100 times.

Elaine...Renko took it.

Took it where?

My name is Elaine Renko.

If you are watching this, I've been murdered by the British state.

During the course of a recent investigation,

my colleague DCI Charlie Hicks and I came into contact with

a classified government file, code-named Hard Sun.

I know you love your family, Charlie.

So as a mother...

and a daughter...

..please don't make me do this.

Where's Elaine Renko?

I don't know.

I see.

Come on, now. Just stop it. Turn it off!

It's not like you're giving me any choice, Charlie.

If I don't get back that file, can you imagine what will happen next?

The anarchy? Come on!

Why would you unleash that?

Help me.

Please...

Help Simone and Hailey.

And if not, then for God's sake you help your baby.

Tell me where to find Elaine!

I...can't!

Start with the wife.

PHONE RINGS

Simone Hicks?

Mrs Hicks, this is Detective Chief Superintendent Mark Donnellan.

What's wrong? Is Charlie OK?

You leave her alone.

She...she's pregnant!

Not for long.

Simone Hicks?

DS Angie Jones. You spoke to my colleague.

What's going on?

Can you come with us, please?

We need to talk about Charlie. It won't take a moment.

What's going on?

Is Charlie OK?

-All right, that's-that's enough!

-Where's the flash drive?

I sent Elaine to a dead drop. Call it off.

-What dead drop?

-Call it off!

-Where?

A loose brick in an alley. Now call it off!

What alley?

Behind the anarchist book shop in Stroud Green! Now call it OFF!!!

You're lying, Charlie.

Where are we going?

YOU LEAVE HER ALONE!

TELL ME WHERE IT IS!

I DON'T KNOW WHERE IT IS!

Last chance!

Simone's dead.

You are watching her die! You are killing your baby!

HE ROARS Do it.

Be alert, we have an incoming Code Yellow.

-Stand down!

-Code yellow, incoming.

-Stand down!

In order to protect myself, DCI Hicks and our loved ones...

I've made a partial version of the Hard Sun dossier available

to a newspaper of record.

-What newspaper? Trace it!

-I'm already on it.

The state will do its best to suppress

the release of this information.

Anticipating this,

a full copy of the Hard Sun dossier will be kept with this statement.

The flash drive was accessed here.

This dossier contains a complete record

of the British State's Civil Defence Emergency Planning

related to the Hard Sun event...

This is a police raid.

Do not touch your mobile phones, do not touch your computers.

..including plans for dissident control,

-the imposition of martial law...

-Where's Will Benedetti?

..and provisions currently under way for the establishment

of internment camps.

If any harm should come to me,

to DCI Hicks or to any of our loved ones,

this statement and the complete Hard Sun dossier will then be

released to the media and the internet and would be undeniable.

Whatever you read, remember, I have much more.

CAR HORN BLARES

This has been described as "possibly the greatest hoax

"of its kind since the Hitler Diaries."

How do you feel about that?

Well, obviously not great.

Look, the truth is I was offered something too good to be true.

But in the moment, I had to balance urgency and time pressure

against what I considered to be the public's right to know.

So I made a call.

And in retrospect, do you think you made the right call?

Well, it was a call that cost me my career and my reputation,

if that answers your question?

Will Benedetti, thank you for being on Hard Talk.

Perhaps inevitably, despite or maybe because of these disavowals,

the Hard Sun hoax has given rise to its own so-called

"Truther" movement.

On certain corners of the internet, you can

find as many conspiracy theories as there are stars in the sky.

Did the now discredited file refer to a meteor? Or a comet?

Or, perhaps a catastrophic solar storm?

-Daniel...

-Well, that's it...

You know it's after hours. Back to bed, please.

Thanks for watching.

Every government agency is preparing for the Hard Sun...

Humanity's days on Earth are numbered.

We have 1,800 days,

and our governments are spending those days lying to us.

The first question to ask is - would the Government lie to you?

And the answer is of course.

As far as our governments are concerned,

this topic must remain above Top Secret.

Reality is broken, the truth must be hidden.

And the masses need a teaching

proportional to their limited knowledge.

These fictions are necessary for the people,

and the truth becomes deadly to those whom

they believe are not strong enough to contemplate it.

They're doing it, them in there. MI5.

They take the truth and fold it into whatever shape they want.

They turn a leak into a conspiracy theory.

It's like, I don't know, origami.

Nah, nah.

They think they've got it all sealed off, but they're wrong.

It's out of the box, and you can't put it back.

DOOR OPENS

You see, the people who believe in it,

all the freaks and the nutters, the religious fanatics

and the psychos,

they're all going to come crawling out the woodwork.

SHE SCREAMS

You know, it just makes my head hurt.

You know, I feel like I've got to just cram it all in.

It's just like I'm forcing myself to remember everything, you know,

every detail.

Cos I know that soon, it's going to be gone.

I mean, all you want to do is protect the people that you love.

So how are you supposed to deal with it, knowing that you can't?

All right, knowing that no-one can? Ever.

Five years.

What's the point?

What's the point? The point is - everything you love is here now.

That is all that matters.

The funny thing is, is that there's only one person that

I can talk to about this on this entire planet.

And that's you.

I mean, I am lying to everyone on this Earth...

..but you...

KNOCKING

You shouldn't come here.

It's not being watched.

That you know of.

Did he tell you his wife left him?

No.

Of course he didn't. No.

So what is taking so long?

Lack of evidence. There's nothing to suggest that Hicks killed Butler.

-He's sleeping with the man's wife.

-That's motive, not evidence.

Then find some evidence.

Honestly, what does it matter?

In your head, you've already convicted him.

It matters because we cut you a deal!

We keep your son out of prison, you bring us Charlie Hicks.

Are we clear?

PHONE RINGS

Sorry, Dad. It's Charlie.

Erm...you carry on watching.

-Hey. It's really late.

-Oh, I know, I'm...

I'm sorry. I got caught up with something.

How's Hailey?

Yeah, she's great.

Oh, she did have another barney with Rochelle, though.

Oh? What about?

Whether God has a willy?

Apparently, he doesn't because he's not a boy.

That's good to know.

How are you? Hm? How's the bump?

-She's kicking right now, actually.

-Yeah?

Well, you know why that is, don't you?

She wants to come home.

We'll come home when you tell me what's going on.

-Hey. Nothing's going on!

-So who were those people?

Look, I told you. They were... They were coppers, all right?

They were police. Look, how many times?

Look, there was a threat to my life, and for about five minutes,

it seemed credible. But it was nothing.

Look, Simone, I don't know what else to say.

Huh? The kids are safe.

And you're safe. And we're all safe.

Look, erm... I've got to go.

Hailey's going to call you tomorrow.

She wants to talk to you about her project. It's about spiders.

Yeah, yeah, OK.

Listen, erm, give my love to your mum and dad, yeah?

Good night, Charlie.

Go and kiss Hailey for me.

And the bump. Give the bump a kiss.

The bump says good night.

All right, good night.

KNOCKING

Charlie, it's late.

BUZZ

Hello, mate.

What are you doing up?

Erm, er, rowing practice.

-Rowing?

-Yeah.

Oh, since when?

Since, like, a term or something?

Oh! You, er, you had a proper breakfast?

Not yet.

Right, how about I do you some eggs and then I give you a lift?

-How's that?

-Yeah. Yeah...

All right, good man, come on.

-Morning.

-Morning.

You all right, boss?

Sorry. Bit of a scare with the baby.

No! Everything all right?

Yeah, false alarm. Braxton Hicks.

-Ah.

-It's a bit early for that, innit?

No, they can come at six weeks, Braxton Hicks.

-Says Keith, father of hundreds.

-Six.

-Six?!

-Yeah, we live in a shoe.

Simone all right, though?

She's fine, mate. You know how it is.

Right, let's, er, let's do this. What we got?

Dominic Vaughan and Sabina Kesinovic, husband and wife

-and business partners.

-Yeah? What kind of business?

Sunstride PR. Corporate Public Relations.

-Reputation management.

-What, we got a list of clients?

George and Herbie are looking into it.

Is there any interest groups their work might have offended? Political?

-Environmental?

-Checking that, too.

-Any kids? Family?

No kids. Workaholics. He's got no family to speak of.

Hers live in Denmark.

We're notifying them via the Roskilde police.

Right, let's walk it through. What we saying?

He came in from what, the back door?

Using an electric pick-lock - professional locksmith tool.

-Traceable?

-Nah. You can get 'em anywhere.

Mr Vaughan tries to protect his wife. Our boy beats him down.

He breaks Mr Vaughan's arms and legs...

And makes him, y'know...

Watch.

So, what are we thinking?

He's lost some traditional male status role -

husband, father, provider.

So, he's looking to re-assert his identity as a man,

to be physically and sexually dominant.

All right...

so he's a dick.

Right, this was planned,

he knew the house, he probably knew the victims.

And it seems like their lives revolved around their work,

so...well, let's start there.

Happy birthday!

Oh! Wow!

-Thank you.

-I didn't buy it. I made it.

Oh! You did not make this?!

No way!

Can you read what it says?

Well, why don't you read it to Mummy, hey?

My mummy is kind. My mummy drives a car.

-My mummy....

-DOORBELL RINGS

Your mummy needs to answer the door.

Chris?

What's up?

Nothing. I just, erm, popped by to give you this.

It's just a birthday card, but many happy returns.

Life begins and all that.

So where are the kids?

-They're upstairs, getting ready for school.

-Oh, fair enough.

Well, give them a kiss from me.

Tell them I'll see them soon.

Have you been watching the news?

What news?

The Hard Sun.

Chris, honestly.

Is this the thing that you keep sending me the links about?

I haven't got time!

What is it?

Nothing.

It doesn't matter.

Happy birthday.

See you in a bit.

Oops. Sorry. I was miles away!

No worries. Wait. Is it Mari?

It is, yeah.

My god! How are you?

Um...I'm great! Thanks.

Books for your course?

Er, yeah. Er, essay on Milgram.

"Obedience To Authority."

Listen, I was so sorry to hear about Alex.

That's very kind.

How are you bearing up?

Yeah. Good, really.

Thank you.

Well...it was nice bumping into you.

Yeah, you, too.

Are you still friends with Charlie Hicks?

I see him every now and again, yeah.

I wonder, could you give him a message from me?

She said she knew me. I've never seen her before.

Who was she? Did you get her name?

-Well, I don't know who she was!

-Well, what did she say?

She gave me a message for you.

What message?

She said, "Renko knows what you did to Alex Butler.

"And why."

Charlie?

Charlie?!

Yeah. Yeah, no, I'm here. Sorry.

Listen, I'm just on my way to a thing at the moment.

-Can I call you back in a bit?

-Well, who was she?

I don't know. But I'm sure it's nothing.

I'll call you back when I can, OK? Bye.

Problem?

Yeah. Yeah, it's just Simone, my wife.

I think she knows something's wrong.

What am I supposed to tell her?

That's easy. Tell her a lie.

Yeah, well, I don't want to lie to her. I love her.

PHONE RINGS

Hello. Your call cannot be taken at the moment,

so please leave your message after the tone.

Sorry for the delay. I was on a call.

DI Renko... DCI Hicks. And you are?

Maggie Sweeting. Group Account Director.

Is there a problem? Are we in trouble?

Both of them? How? Was there a fire, or...

I'm sure this must come as a shock.

-An accident?

-But we do need to ask some questions.

Absolutely. Yeah, of course.

Erm...except, I feel a bit, erm, I ju... I need to, erm,

splash my face, if that's OK, some cold water to...?

Of course.

Can you believe our Maggie's 40?!

I don't want to! What age does that make me?

Anyone?

Oh, cheers, babe. It's a bit early for me, love.

Why don't I put the kettle on?

DOORBELL RINGS

Cake!

-What time are we picking up the kids, Geoff?

-I'd better go now.

Chris?

No! No, no!

Sit down! Sit on your arse!

PHONE BUZZES

Oh, God!

THEY WHIMPER

Oh, my god! Chris!

Oh, my god, Chris, don't hurt them, please! Don't hurt them, please!

Say a word to the police, one word, I end them all.

-Do you believe me?

-Yes! Yes, I do! Yes, I do, I believe you!

Oh, my god, please, yes, I believe you.

Cos we both know that you lie, don't we?

-Have you heard about Dominic, by the way?

-Oh, Chris, no!

I made him feel what it was like.

Crying like a baby, he was,

begging me to stop,

while I had his wife.

Funny enough, that was the first time I was ever unfaithful to you.

You've got half an hour to get here.

I can't...I can't do that! I can't!

Don't make me do that!

PHONE BEEPS OFF

It's maybe not all puppies and rainbows between the victims.

They joint-own the company,

so they're pretty cagey about the personal side of things,

but it turns out Sabina was consulting a divorce lawyer.

On what grounds?

The usual.

So who's the husband getting busy with?

A colleague called Maggie Sweeting.

So I had a gander at Maggie Sweeting's inbox

-and it turns out the husband...

-Ex-husband.

Well, estranged husband, is,

I wouldn't exactly say howling at the moon...

He sent her a dozen emails a day, mostly web links.

-Web links to what?

-Hard Sun.

It was a hoax they pulled on the news a few weeks ago -

a conspiracy to cover up the end of the world as we know it and all that

but he seemed a bit woo-woo for it.

All right. So, we need to know more about the husband.

Does anyone here know where Maggie Sweeting's gone?

PHONE BUZZES

SHE WHIMPERS

Oh, no.

Oh, no, no, no.

PHONE BUZZES

Surprise! Happy birthday, Mum!

Happy birthday, Mum!

Happy birthday!

PHONE RINGS

SHE WHIMPERS

Happy birthday.

Where are they? Where are the kids?!

Where have you taken them? Where are they?

They're playing.

Don't hurt them.

Don't, please.

Oh, God, please, Chris! Please don't hurt them!

Not going to hurt them.

I could never hurt them.

They're what I live for.

CHILDREN PLAY

But there is no future, so...

..I'm just going to help make them sleep.

Oh, no, don't say that! No, please!

Please don't, don't say that! Don't do that, don't!

I can't let them suffer through this.

No mum, no dad. I can't.

Oh, God. Chris! Chris! Please!

Well, there's no point in you crying now - you did this to us.

You ended our family!

Threw it all away.

You got what you wanted.

I hope you're happy.

Chris! Chris, please!

What can I do? What? What? What can I do? Please, please!

I'm begging you. I am begging you, please, please!

What can I do?

You remember the place where we made Jessica?

PHONE RINGS

So what've we got?

I think we're safe to confirm an interest in the Hard Sun thing.

Yeah? How much of an interest?

Erm, well, he's definitely a fan.

The husband's Chris Chapel, self-employed joiner.

Company went bust in 2012.

He and Maggie separated last year and he's taken the kids.

Look, we both know how this goes.

What, we trace his phone signal, deploy armed response

and a hostage negotiator?

Yeah, but that won't work.

I've seen it before - he kills his kids, he kills his wife.

And then he kills himself cos that's what they do, men like him.

They kill the people that they love because they're scared

they can't protect them.

Boss...

I can't set that process in motion

knowing that it ends with two dead children.

I can't do that.

All right, so?

So...

..I've got Keith, tracking her mobile.

She's heading out of London - out to the sticks.

-I don't follow.

-Look, I'm saying that we do this - me and you.

-Alone?

-Yeah.

-What, with no backup?

We haven't got time for that.

Now, it's either me and you or it's everyone,

and if it's everyone,

we might as well kill those kids ourselves.

Elaine, trust me.

Where are we going?

Nowhere nice.

PHONE RINGS

Are you going to take that?

No.

It's not important.

Hello, your call cannot be taken at the moment,

so please leave your message after the tone.

TONE BEEPS

OK, we're getting close.

Stop!

Back up!

SHE WHIMPERS

Where is he? Where's Chris?

Do you want your kids to live? Adam and Jessica?

Then where is he?

We've come here to help you, Maggie, but we don't have much time.

PHONE BUZZES

RINGING TONE

PHONE BUZZES

Where are you?

Outside.

I'm out the front.

Come here.

Now.

Can I just say something?

I need to say it for me.

Please just let me say it.

I am...

I'm so sorry, Chris, I...

..and I know what I did to you.

I'm tru... I'm truly sorry.

You...you deserve better.

SLIGHT BANG

Chris! Chris!

Chris, what do I do? Please!

Please, tell me what to do.

Come here!

-WHISPERS:

-Oh, no.

On your knees!

Oh, it's OK. They're asleep.

They're drugged.

-Shush!

-Daddy!

-We're police.

-Daddy!

Daddy!

Aggh!

Help!

Look at you, you prick!

You sad, sad wanker!

GUNSHOT

Take the kids, circle back to the car

but don't call it in until you're safe.

Just do it.

Come on.

Adam! Jessica!

-Are we lost?

-No. Shush!

-Where are you?

You need to be quiet now, really, really quiet.

You tell me where you are! Right now!

-Right now!

-I want to go home.

-It's OK.

-I want my mummy.

-Adam, do you want to make me angry?

-It's all right, shush.

Cos you're going to be in so much trouble, you and your sister!

I want my mummy.

-Adam?

-Shush!

-WHISPERS:

-OK, Jessica, you stay here. Hide here, OK?

I want you to be quiet, really, really quiet.

Don't make a sound, don't move.

CHRIS GROANS

Daddy!

Adam! Don't watch this! Don't watch!

Run away! Run away now!

-Adam, stay where you are!

-Don't, Adam. Daddy's sick.

You go find Mummy, find Mummy, OK?

Adam!

GUN CLICKS

Adam!

You stay where you are!

Stay right there! I'm almost done here.

Don't make me come looking for you!

Oi!

Bell end!

You're killing him!

Charlie, his kid's watching, his kid's watching!

CHRIS COUGHS

-Mummy!

-Jessica!

Oh, Jessica!

SHE KISSES THEM

You were right.

There'll be more like this when the news gets out - The Hard Sun thing.

Yeah.

You should talk to Simone. Tell her the truth.

Yeah? And what's that?

I don't know. Make something up.

Just talk to her.

Charlie! What are you doing here? What's happened?

I've been in the country.

I hate the country.

It smells and things live in it.

Look, I just want to say one thing, all right?

And then I'm going to go home, I'm going to have a shower

and play on the Xbox.

Yeah, I bought an Xbox, by the way.

OK.

Listen, what I've got to say, all right,

I'm not trying to be a caveman.

It's not a man and woman thing.

It's a love thing.

Does that make sense?

Simone, look at me.

You are safe, because I will protect you, no matter what.

You, Hailey, and the bump.

And as long as I draw breath, no-one will hurt you ever...

..and if they try... well, I'll kill them.

I need you to understand that.

OK.

So, when do I get to bring you home?

How about tomorrow morning...

..please?

Tomorrow sounds good.

PHONE RINGS

Boss?

Evening, Renko.

What do you want?

To make your life easier.

What's that supposed to mean?

You wanted evidence. I'm sending it through now.

PHONE BUZZES

Shit.

My god!

You've got him.

Mum, it's all it is,

I saw this thing on the news,

this...this thing about the sun.

And then, the next day or whatever,

people all over the TV were saying it was like a mistake or whatever.

And that makes sense, because...

..I've got this thing, in my head.

I look at their eyes when they say it's not true...

..and I think they're lying.

I've been thinking about it a lot, actually.

It's kind of been keeping me awake.

It's just like, why would they lie...

..you know?

But, yeah.

Guess you're at work or whatever, so...

..I'll speak later, yeah?

It's Daniel, by the way.

Bye.

Daniel? You've got a visitor.

It's not your mum. Sorry.

Daniel?

Such a pleasure to meet you.

I'm Jamie. I'm here to listen.

No-one is ever going to sing your favourite song ever again.

-I hurt someone - that's my confession.

-Who did you hurt?

I shouldn't trust you cos you're a liar.

Keeping a secret is... it's quite stressful.

Forgive me, Charlie, for I have sinned.

We've got the same problem.

Elaine Renko.

Come on, Dennis...

..for the love of God.