Once Upon a Time in Great Britain: Part 14

Callum smiles at Devant, sinister, proud of his latest killing.

Devant pulls out a silenced Glock 17 and shoots Callum in the hand. He’s a good shot.

Callum SREAMS.

Tom is frozen stiff with fear, convinced he’s going to die.

Balaclava 2 takes 2 tea towels twists one and offers it to Balaclava 1,who’s trying to shut out the pain. As he bites down, his Balaclava twists out of shape.

DEVANT

I expect you’ll want an explanation, Tom.

Devant pulls out a DVD from his overcoat. He takes it out of the case and puts it in the drive.

Balaclava 2 yanks the knife out quickly. Blood spurts all over him. Balaclava 1 SCREAMS. Balaclava 2 takes the other tea towel and ties it tight around the wound.

The DVD shows CCTV footage from a police station. Callum is sat in a room talking to a technician on computer. The techie is making a photo fit image. As Callum talks, the face changes shape, the hair shortens, and the image starts to look like Tom. The technician applies a darker skin-tone. Now it really resembles our narrator. After a few adjustments to the hairline and jaw line, it’s practically Tom’s image on screen. It becomes, we realise, Tom’s photo fit image from the news report.

DEVANT

I didn’t spend all this time and money solving this country’s problems just to have everything ruined by an unstable sixteen-year-old with a vendetta. With regards to the censor's office, what’s done is done Tom. And I can clear it up. I won’t have to clear your name because they will never find you- unless, of course, Callum walks out of this room.

Callum is sobbing uncontrollably.

DEVANT

You’ll never have to kill again. You’ll never have to worry about money.

FLASHBACKS

The Job Centre exploding.

The burned-out car.

Firing at the police and security, chasing him outside the sensor’s office.

The clip from Apocalypse Now.

MARLON BRANDO’S VOICE

The strength to do that…

Tom takes the gun from Devant. Devant nods to the other men. They leave.

Tom looks Callum in the eye and shoots him in the head. A look of determination changes instantly to apathy.

DEVANT

Good choice, Tom. The worst is over. You did as you were told. But Callum… he had issues. He liked his films too much. The two psychologists that I’d sent him to had no idea how unstable he was. They knew he had... a condition. He’d had a hard day. His work colleagues were making his life difficult, he felt under pressure from breaking the law and the secrets he kept. Then he found out that his legitimate job in fast food and his work colleagues didn’t exist any more. And all he wanted was to go home, watch a film and forget about the world. But the film was edited for violence. Because of his condition, that is one thing Callum could not tolerate. So he went behind my back, found out as much information about the censors as he could, then made a plan to kill them all. The people he killed only edit current news, so the people who edited his film weren't even targeted. They're in London. The people he killed were helping the campaign's PR. He's caused me a lot of problems. But anyway, he needed a getaway driver and a scapegoat. So he stumbled across you… It didn’t really go to plan for him. But now all of this is over, you probably want to ask the same question that anyone drowning in self pity would ask. 'Why me?'

He points to the TV.

CCTV footage flickers to life.

Tom, in his student days, is on the street at night. He has a girl on his arm.

We’ve seen this event in the opening scene, but not from this angle. A tall man argues with Tom. The girl steps into the argument. BAM! Tall man punches the girl in the face, hard. Her head flies back.

Tom SNAPS. He punches the man three times, throws a knee in that drops him, then Tom kicks him twice in the stomach and once in the face.

The video cuts.

The video now shows Tom working in the computer office. We saw some of this in the opening scene too, but it’s a continuation of this. At the edge of the shop floor, the manager’s office door flies open. Tom marches out, angered. Tom turns and shouts back into the office. We can lip read 'Fuck you!' Tom walks out. A nicely aligned, 2-metre-high stack of printer paper has been constructed on the shop floor. Tom pushes it all over. Customers jolt. The manager emerges, a little cautious, and glances to the camera.

TOM

You found all this out overnight?

DEVANT

No. We were watching you, Tom. We’ve been watching since you enrolled at university. Then we sent you the letter and hoped you’d turn up at the recruitment fair. It has taken me until now to get this campaign organised. Besides, how else would you get away with what you did? You broke that man’s eye socket and two of his ribs.

Tom gets the shivers. Devant knows so much about him.

DEVANT

We knew you were perfect for the role. You’re intelligent and hard working, like a lot of graduates, but you are also resilient and strong-willed. We knew you wouldn’t fold under the pressure.

TOM (Sarky)

Not even when you put my photo fit image on national television! Have I made you proud?

Devant leans on the doorway. He relaxes his business persona.

DEVANT

Tom… Getting a terrorist campaign passed through parliament would never have been the easiest thing to do. So we didn’t even try to pass it. The government have been very… particular about terrorism since Guy Fawkes got caught. Not many MPs know that I orchestrated the events in Manchester yesterday. Some of the few that do didn’t agree with it. They wanted the campaign stopped. They must have a problem with developing public health and well-being-

Tom cuts him off.

TOM

Right, first off- that is bollocks. And it’s not about testing graduates abilities either. Tell me the truth or I will do nothing for you.

DEVANT

It’s all of those and more, Tom. There are people stopping this country developing, very influential businessmen- people in power who could very easily persuade members of parliament not to follow the Prime Minister’s plans. These people are afraid of change, even though everyone agrees- change is all that is needed. I needed help with this, so I looked for a graduate. Someone who was looking for a challenge: a life-changing opportunity, who wanted it so bad they’d approach a stranger at an unmarked stall at a recruitment event full of adverts. I wanted someone proactive. The only encouragement I gave you was was posting you a leaflet. I knew you had a history of violence…

TOM’S FACE suggests, 'Oh, come on…'

DEVANT (Cont)

And I figured you could handle it. Other people, other graduates, and my colleagues, they couldn't.

TOM (realising)

That's why that guy tried to stab me!

DEVANT (genuinely concerned)

Someone tried to stab you?

TOM

In the middle of the street, Devant, he came right at me. I killed him too.

DEVANT

Was he- was he in all black, with sunglasses?

TOM

Yes. Yes, he was.

DEVANT

Where?

TOM

The back alley by Boots.

DEVANT

I will have it cleaned up. Tom, I have put you through a lot in the last few days. I planned a lot of it, but I didn't plan that and I apologise. Do you understand how close we came to losing? He must have been the last one. The rest are dead. I've had confirmation.

Devant nods to the screen. The images now show Tom, more recently, suited and booted, walking into the Job Centre, about to hand over the package.

Tom in the GUM clinic, package in hand.

And from a distance, Tom walking into McD’s.

Certifiable damning evidence of his guilt. It looks like Tom was walking into each place with full knowledge of what he was going to do. It looks like he was brainwashed from the start. His enthusiasm for the job looks like his enthusiasm for terrorism.

DEVANT

Your face was used because the other MP’s wanted the campaign stopped. You were the scapegoat. (Pause) Thankfully, as the government has at least some control over illegal immigration, we have a plentiful supply of scapegoats of our own. It wasn’t difficult for our contacts to pin it on someone who looks like you. Round about now the police will be killing an unknown foreigner who they will later accuse of the attacks. Now. You have a choice: go to the police – I don’t think you want to know what would happen if you did, but I’m advising you against it- or stay on the payroll. There’ll be more control, more power, more money.

TOM

What am I doing?

DEVANT (off the cuff)

You’ll have absolute control of all piracy in Manchester. All you have to do is find a legitimate cover job. Part time.

TOM

Not really a choice, is it…

FADE OUT

FADE UP

INT.COMMUNITY CENTRE-DAY

The building is housing a career guidance centre of sorts: like the Job Centre, but everybody in there is being designated a job. An employment officer is talking to a reluctant young man in a tracksuit.

EMPLOYMENT OFFICER

What are you going to do? You either turn up at 9am, or I hand you over to custody.

RELUCTANT YOUNG MAN

It's only 22 hours.

EMPLOYMENT OFFICER

There are other people who need this work too. You're job sharing.

It’s much more efficient. Employers stand in a group, looking for candidates. They don’t have stalls like in the recruitment fair. A sign on the wall states:

EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEED!

TOM (V.O)

Looks like I’m back in admin again. The cycle repeats itself… I’d be quite happy to update customer details for the rest of my fucking life, just as long as I’m not opening the post for everyone. You don't know what might be inside those packages. My CV’s not improved in months, but I’m not signing on- none of us are- and I know whatever job I get into I’m not going to be in it long. Because Devant needs me. The government needs me. What I’m about to take over is going to cause a lot of misery for a lot of people. But it’s not my misery. I’ve got a piracy network all to myself, not to mention a luxury city centre apartment. I know that I can take this. I can handle whatever card I’m dealt, no matter how much ammonium nitrate it’s been dipped in. There is nothing that can hurt me now.

ZOOM OUT

Tom is just another jobseeker in a room full of jobseekers, joining a queue.

FADE OUT

END

Once Upon a Time in Great Britain: Part 13

A door slams.

TONY’S VOICE

Fuck fuck fuck…

DAVE’S VOICE

Lock it.

TONY’S VOICE

Right, I’m not fucking joking. Never again. NEVER again. No more coke.

FADE UP

INT. TOM'S BEDROOM IN THE APARTMENT-DAY

TOM had gone back to bed, and he isn’t impressed with being woken up again. DAVE and TONY are in the corridor.

TOM (V/O)

If I weren’t so tired I’d have gone out there and beaten the shit out of both of them. But I suppose that’s a catch twenty-two situation. If I hadn't have got into this shit in the first place I could get a good night's sleep.

DAVE’S VOICE

What have we got…

Kitchen drawers rattle, he’s rifling through them, pulling metal things out.

Tom gets out of bed wearing the bulletproof jacket and sticks on a dressing gown. Nothing will make him take that jacket off.

TONY

Tom! Man of the moment! Listen, you’ve gotta do a huge favour for me.

TOM (Facetious)

Have I?

TONY

You bought a gun, didn’t you?

TOM

Everyone seems to know this.

TONY

Get it. Load it.

FLASHBACK

Tom is firing at the security services outside the sensor’s office.

CUT TO FLASHBACK

He’s sat in the car afterwards. No gun.

TOM

I lost it. (Pause) What have you done?

DAVE

This clown…

(Points at Tony, who’s stressing out)

DAVE (Cont)

Only did a couple of lines. Then told a load of customers at the bar all sorts of shit.

TOM

What?!

TONY

Not about you, or the bombs. Just about Yanyan and Devant. And us.

TOM (Sarcastic)

Oh, just that? Well…

Tom mock-wipes his brow.

TOM (cont)

They’ll never find me now, will they? Fuck me… Wait a minute. What about Yanyan?

Tony looks over at Dave. Dave nods.

TONY

She’s dead, Tom.

Tom contemplates this. Tries to act like it doesn’t bother him.

TOM

I’m fucking sick of your secrets, Dave. I move out today.

DAVE

She was leaving business cards all over the place.

FLASHBACK

The card Tom found in Bar Code.

DAVE (Cont.)

She was seeking attention. There are certain people in that bar that you do NOT want to get on the wrong side of. And if those people had found out I’m head of a national piracy network, she’d have been deported, and I’d have gone to jail for all that shit.

Dave points at the cupboard holding all the copying hardware.

TOM

You’re not the head of a 'national piracy network,' you pretentious cunt. You’re a Del Boy.

DAVE

There was a job you didn’t do, Tom. The mail services are losing thousands of letters a year. Devant wanted us to sort them out. We did that when you were asleep.

FLASHBACK

The smoke Tom saw when he was handing out the packages.

DAVE (Cont.)

Not that many people died, so it hasn’t had much news coverage. We didn’t find out we had to do it ‘til we’d already had about four lines of coke. You were out cold.

Dave looks over at Tony.

DAVE (cont)

And now thanks to NUMPTY over here, everyone in Code knows it was us.

The landline rings. Tony picks up.

TONY

Yes. No, don't let them in. I'm serious. Do not let them-

There's a SCREAM from down the phone.

TONY

My brain's going into meltdown, man.

BANG BANG BANG.

There’s someone at the door. They’re not very polite.

CU-TOM

FLASHBACKS

Quick frames of the police all over Manchester.

DAVE

Out the window. Come on.

TOM

What?!

Dave is already opening a window near the kitchen area.

TOM

We’re on the fourth floor, you knobhead!

DAVE

Shh!

BANG BANG BANG.

They’re not just knocking. They’re knocking it through. Dave roots through the kitchen drawers, shaking. We’ve never seen him nervous before.

TONY

There’s no way that’s the police.

DAVE

Fuck. Somebody at Bar Code shopped us.

TONY

That dickhead manager probably.

DAVE

Tony!

DAVE rugby-throws a large kitchen knife at Tony, cutting his arm.

TONY

Argh! You fucking prick!

DAVE pulls an even bigger one out of the drawer.

BAM! The door is put through. Four men charge into the room. They wear full black including balaclavas. One has a MiniDV camera. Two have crowbars. The cameraman wears a T-shirt saying GUNCHESTER. We’ve met him before.

Moments after the men walk in, CALLUM enters, sporting a different Benneton jumper. Tom’s face slips from fear to despair when he recognises him.

Tony picks up the knife and freezes.

Dave steps forward, yelling, knife raised. Balaclava 1 tries to turn away, and Dave sinks the knife into his shoulder. Balaclava 1 screams. Dave is not backing down.

Dave and Balaclava1 are shoved aside by the other intruders. 2 of them grab Tom by an arm each. Tom’s really mad. He’s pushing them together like he’s on the pec deck. They struggle, but manage to trip him and hold him down. He has to watch.

A crowbar lands in Dave’s face. Blood goes all over the kitchen work surface and pristine utensils. He’s not handsome any more. As he’s knocked away he holds onto the knife, which rips a large fissure in Balaclava 1’s shoulder, but stays embedded.

Tony has backed into a corner when the blows start raining down on his face and body.

Tom, eyes scrunched closed, starts to open them and watch the scene unfold. He’s becoming accustomed to violence and death. The despair he felt when the bombs went off is a distant memory.

But during this, Tom can hear footsteps. He turns to look away from the carnage. He glances to the broken door where these men came in.

SLOW MOTION

Executive shoes and black suit trousers are stepping forward.

TOM’S FACE:

Oh no.

CU TONY AND DAVE

They're almost dead, covered in blood, which is also splattered all over the flat. The blows keep raining down on them as the cameraman films. Dave and Tony become victims of the kind of material they peddled.

Executive shoes and trousers walk closer.

The balaclava-wearing men and Callum, all now drenched in blood, give Dave and Tony one last whack on the head. They’re dead.

And in walks Devant, the same black suit and meaning business. He stands over Tom in this scene of carnage without a speck of blood on him, technically. But Devant, we now know, is the guiltiest man in the room. He glances at Callum, straight-faced.

Once Upon a Time in Great Britain: Part 12

INT. ROYAL APARTMENTS- DAY

Tom shuts the door and locks it. He presses his back against the door and sighs, nervously. There’s no one in. Dave and Tony are probably on the bar. Tom switches on the TV. It’s an amateur pirate broadcast, probably made by students- a studio programme with dodgy lighting. Two people are being interviewed in front of an audience. Tom puts the tracksuit top in a bin liner from under the sink. He pours some Jack Daniels and ice into a glass and sits, sipping it, in front of the TV.

GUEST A

They were detonated in places supposed to represent political problems. The probable motives being bandied about: I’m not prepared to believe them at the moment and I’m even less inclined to believe this theory about the attack in the sensor’s office. In fact I believe the opposite. If he hadn’t seen so many films, which is what the gentleman here is suggesting: If he didn’t have this apparent obsession with violent cinema, this terrible scene wouldn’t have happened in the first place. He would have had no need.

PRESENTER

Now the police received an anonymous phone call from a young man with a strong Lancashire accent claiming responsibility for the sensor’s office atrocity. We don’t know yet whether this person is the person in the photo fit image. The suggestion is that it was the fact that a particular film that this young man had seen-

Presenter looks off-frame.

PRESENTER (contd.)

I’m being told not to mention the name- it was the fact that this film had been cut by the sensors that tipped this man over the edge. If these films had been left in their original form, this latest attack-

Cheers from the studio audience. Presenter raises his voice over them.

PRESENTER (contd.)

Wouldn’t have happened and the workers in this censor’s office would still be alive today.

GUEST A

But take a step back from this. It was this man’s obsession with violent cinema that-

WHACK.

An egg slams into guest A’s face, hard. He’s stunned.

VOICE (O.S)

Fuck you, you fucking Nazi! I’m an adult, why don’t I get treated like one?

Guest A is taking his eggy glasses off with shaky hands.

GUEST A

Possibly because you don't behave like one?

Studio camera pans around. Amateur security is dragging out a dreadlocked guy.

Tom switches the TV off.

BLACK.

Once Upon a Time in Great Britain: Part 11

INT. APARTMENT LOBBY- DAY

Tom is dressed in a white tracksuit and white baseball cap, with black wraparound sunglasses.

TOM (V/O)

It’s as far away as I could get from a suit. The only people out today are scallies, trying to prove they’re not scared. The theory is I’ll blend in perfectly.

Tom walks through the shopping centre- businesses are brave and proud, and have mostly stayed open. The police are everywhere.

TOM (V/O Cont.)

It’s a good job it’s hot. I’d still be sweating like a paedophile in a crèche if it were January.

Yanyan is further ahead, still looking over her shoulder, although her face is obscured as she tries to sell. Tom approaches her discreetly. But he’s not discreet enough for some…

RANDOM METROSEXUAL GUY

‘Scuse me mate.

Tom eyes the man suspiciously. He’s carrying a large guitar bag on his back.

METROSEXUAL

‘Scuse me. You look familiar.

TOM (Apprehensive)

I don’t recognise you.

METROSEXUAL

Is it Tom?

Tom's eyes widen in panic.

METROSEXUAL

I’m Chris; I’m Gina’s fella. From Student Village.

FLASHBACK

Corridor party from the opening scene. Chris wears the name tag ERIC CARTMAN on his forehead.

A combination of realisation and relief washes over Tom.

TOM

Fucking hell mate. How're you doing?

Chris and Tom shake hands, Chris eyeing him suspiciously. Tom didn’t normally wear tracksuits at uni.

CHRIS

Good. We’ve got another album out now, our third one.

TOM

Cool.

CHRIS

You’re braving it today aren’t you?

TOM

Yeah, you could say that.

CHRIS

I should have got a taxi to practice, really. Gina would go fucking mental if she found out I walked through Manchester.

TOM

Nah, nothing's gonna happen today.

CHRIS (confused)

How… do you know?

Tom realises he’s made an error and said too much.

TOM

You’re right. But God forbid. You know.

CHRIS (Cont)

So what you up to these days?

Pause.

TOM

I’m in business support.

CHRIS

Oh, like admin? Yeah, been there. Not my bag to be honest.

FLASHBACK

The laptop cases in the apartment

TOM

It’s not mine either, to be honest. I’m trying to get out of it.

CHRIS

Can’t really advise you mate, other than stay in it. There’s nothing out there. I’m caretaking at the recording studio at the moment but it’s just not paying the bills.

TOM

Things will improve, I guarantee. They’re just gonna have to get a hell of a lot worse before anyone does anything about it.

CHRIS

They can’t get much worse than this, mate. Remember Cambridge Louise?

FLASHBACK-

The corridor party again, and the girl labelled KATE WINSLET.

CHRIS

She died. Somewhere out here. Her mum just blanket texted me.

TOM

Jesus Christ.

CHRIS

She’d got a new job; She’d only come back up to Manchester a week ago.

Guilt hits Tom.

CHRIS

Hey, listen- I found some dodgy channel this morning- between channel four and five- It was like watching the news, only made by people who didn’t have a clue what they were doing. The lighting was bad and the cameras weren’t even fixed down, but they knew their facts. You couldn’t make it up. They’ve passed a new law in parliament. They’re basically saying that they can’t arrest terror suspects, because their 'intelligence'-

Chris makes speech marks with his fingers-

CHRIS (Cont)

-Wherever they’re pulling it from- is telling them that suspects are going to blow themselves up if anyone tries to apprehend them. They’re having to shoot to kill on sight. PM said it’s been happening in Afghanistan for long enough, and it’s only a matter of time before it was, you know, necessary here.

Tom nods, staring into space.

TOM

Scary times.

Pause.

CHRIS

Well, I’ve got practice.

TOM

Yeah. Stay in touch, Chris.

Tom hands him a business card.

CHRIS

You too mate. Here, check our website.

Chris hands him a card from the pocket of his guitar case.

TOM

Will do. See you later.

Tom approaches Yanyan, who's ahead of him with her back turned.

TOM

Yanyan.

No response. Tom grabs her arm and she looks up, terrified. It’s not Yanyan. It’s another, much younger Chinese lady doing the same job.

TOM (confused)

Sorry, uh…

He wanders off. He approaches a white guy running a news stand. The stand has loads of pictures of Tom’s photo fit all over the papers.

TOM

I’m looking for Yanyan.

WHITE STALL CLERK

Who?

TOM

Yanyan. Chinese woman.

WHITE STALL CLERK

She’s there.

TOM

That’s not Yanyan mate, that’s someone else.

WHITE STALL CLERK

I dunno, they all look the same, mate.

Pause.

TOM

That’s ‘cause you’re a fucking ignorant Nazi, you prick.

Tom walks off briskly, avoiding eye contact with anyone. Store clerk is stunned.

TOM (cont.)

For fuck’s sake.

Passers by glance nervously, more so than in previous scenes.

TOM (cont., to himself)

Where the fuck is she?

Tom walks down a back alley, away from any Police.

A man in all-black- suit, shirt, tie, sunglasses- is walking the other way. Unprovoked and without emotion, the man pulls out a knife and thrusts it at Tom’s chest. It hits the spider-silk vest but won’t go through. In PANIC, Tom instinctively grabs the arm holding the knife and SNAPS it with his elbow. The knife immediately points up to the assassin’s throat. ASSASSIN has only just started screaming when the broken half of his wrist points the knife towards himself and his throat is cut. Blood SPRAYS all over Tom’s face and chest. The man convulses and dies slowly.

Tom’s expression changes from fear to arrogant impatience, waiting for him to die- as if he’s becoming immune to the horror.

The convulsions stop, and the weight of the situation sinks in. Tom tries to suppress the panic hitting him.

He takes off the tracksuit top and wipes as much blood off his face as he can. Then he folds it to hide the blood.

He composes himself then steps out, wearing the white tracksuit bottoms and black spider silk vest.

As he walks further from the shops, he passes two SCALLIES.

SCALLY 1

He’s got the right idea, look. Where’d you get that flak jacket, mate?

TOM (dazed)

Uh… from the market.

SCALLY 1

What, the black market?

Tom senses the possibility of a racist undertone to the remark.

TOM?

What? What you tryin’ to say, you fucking nazi?!

Tom steps towards them and they run off. Bystanders on the high street notice and Tom curses himself, walking off.

Once Upon a Time in Great Britain: Part 10

FLASHBACK

The Ouija board from the opening scene, spelling out BANG.

INT. BEDROOM-DAY

Tom’s phone is ringing. Tom has been put to bed with all his clothes on, and there’s oil, blood and dust all over the sheets. He recognises the Dr Dre theme and jolts, disorientated. He takes his suit off quickly and kicks it to the other side of the room, disgusted in what he has done while wearing it. He winces- the bruise from the bullet on his chest is still bad. Tom hesitantly picks the phone up.

DEVANT

Mr. Aaronson?

In shock, Tom throws the phone away, like he’s just noticed he’s holding a poisonous spider. After a second he calms down and picks up the phone again.

TOM

You’ve got some fucking explaining to do pal. What the fuck.

DEVANT

I would drop that tone of voice if you want to improve this situation.

FLASHBACK: Tom at the computer shop, pushing the paper pile over, as seen in opening scene.

Tom clears his throat.

DEVANT

Tom, put ITV on for a second.

TOM

Yeah.

DEVANT

Now tune to the right.

Tom does. Another channel appears, hazy and with low sound.

DEVANT

One of many pirate channels newly available.

The screen is split in half. On the left it says '1996', and shows the demolition left by the IRA bomb. Market St. / Cross St. look like a war zone. On the right, a succession of images showing the devastation of the bombs Tom left is displayed under the heading “Present day”.

DEVANT

What a coincidence.

TOM

No, it’s not.

DEVANT

Correct. Yes, I work for the government. And in some respects, so do you. I was appointed in nineteen-ninety. I knew we needed to turn the Manchester around. Financially speaking it was performing badly against other UK cities. The mayor at the time was keen to take businesses out of London and into Manchester. So I had to take somewhat drastic measures. I set up an auction, Tom. I allowed various international terrorist factions to bid for the ability to claim responsibility for a terrorist attack. At the time, the IRA was doing very well. They could afford it, I orchestrated it, and since then Manchester has shone. How do you think you got to host the Commonwealth Games? You told me you were proud of the city, Tom. Now you know why. Manchester's profile has been raised nationally, that is. But internationally we have a very bad name. Now. I'd like to ask you about some of the places you delivered packages to. What do we do at the Job Centre, Tom?

Tom is still stunned from the barrage of information.

TOM

Uh… find jobs.

DEVANT

If you’re lucky. What else can you do? Something you’ve already done.

TOM

Sign on. And do not fucking patronise me.

DEVANT

You weren’t signed on for long, Tom. You kept yourself in work, even if you did lose that temper of yours and end up back at square one. But not everyone is as persistent as you. There won’t be a dole queue from now on, I think you’ll be glad to hear. Now people have a choice: take the job or go to jail.

TOM

You’re gonna have pretty overcrowded jails, mate, with the mentality of people in this country.

DEVANT

I doubt that. Keep watching.

The pirate channel shows footage of men in chemical suits, lined up outside a building with a high brick wall. As men in protective wear walk out carrying bodies, scorched and covered in some kind of dust, more chemical-suited men walk in.

DEVANT

How often did you see Dave and Tony in bar staff uniform, Tom? Virtually never? You are not alone in this, Tom. I wouldn’t throw you in the deep end and let you sink. They did this one.

The pirate channel shows the footage of the nail bomb incident at the GUM clinic.

DEVANT (Cont.)

I believe you saw the fruits of your labour there. The young have always had a responsibility to look after the old. Now the elderly population is increasing, Tom. And when I join it I want people to be able to look after me. How can I have that if the next generation- teenagers and twenty-somethings now- all become infertile through chlamydia? There’ll be even less people to look after them when they get to eighty, ninety, or older. I know a lot of people share my reservations. Britain has the most prudish attitude towards sex out of every country in the developed world, according to a recent survey. It also has the highest rates of STIs in Europe. And all the newspaper articles in the world won’t change it. Now you’ve drawn the required amount of attention to it, the education minister is rewriting the National Curriculum as we speak. The NHS is being simplified. The police will have more power. Common sense will prevail over political correctness.

TOM

You just made me kill two hundred people, for fuck’s sake. Don’t talk to me about common sense-

DEVANT (overlapping)

Tom. Tom. Look at the TV.

The footage shows a gutted, scorched fast food restaurant, where it seems a raging inferno consumed everyone inside. Bits of clothing and human fat are melted into the blackened, twisted furniture.

FLASHBACK FRAME

Tom’s dream of the bomb going off in the restaurant.

TOM gasps. We can tell it’s definitely the same restaurant.

DEVANT

In the time this restaurant was burning there was another, much bigger fire in Brazil. They cut down the trees, burn the soil to fertilise it, and replant grazing grass. And it’s that fire that allows restaurants like this to exist in the first place.

TOM

And the censor’s office in Wilmslow? I suppose you’ve got some explanation for that, you sick fuck. Who the fuck is that guy?

DEVANT

That… I am not at liberty to discuss at the present time although when I am, I guarantee you will be fully informed.

TOM (sarcastic)

Oh! Well, that makes everything alright, doesn’t it? That’s a big weight off my mind, Devant. That registry office had two full fucking families in it! What does that achieve?

DEVANT

Well, seeing as you asked, we want to start a variety of national political debates. Two in five marriages end in divorce. There were three thousand sham marriages last year. In a country of sixty million. That’s a big figure.

TOM

There’s fifty million in the UK.

DEVANT

No, Tom. There’s sixty. One in four children today will see their parents split up just like you did. We now have the highest divorce rate in Europe. Britain is becoming an international laughing stock. It’s the Prime Minister’s intention to turn around the attitudes and issues that are preventing development in these areas. They needed to be drawn to the forefront. So I was called in again. He needed to drum up support from his colleagues and associates. I’m very confident that people will be keen to help him make the necessary changes. And you, Tom… You’re the gentleman who made it happen.

TOM (Sarcastic)

I’m honoured. What the hell do I do now? Other than wait for my inevitable court appearance where, by the way, I’ll be doing a big song and dance about you.

DEVANT

You can rest assured that none of that will happen. Tom. We look after our own. This situation will be under control by tonight, but first I have to clear up some issues regarding your associate Yanyan.

FLASHBACK

Yanyan, terrified when Tom first approached her. It looks as if Devant’s words have just shocked her again.

TOM (sickened, terrified)

What have you done with her? She worked for you, didn’t she? I fucking knew it. She risked her life for you. You prick. All she did was sell DVDs. What the fuck are you going to do to me?

DEVANT

Relax. How can we justify spending the national budget on developing ammonium nitrate, Tom? The money has to come from somewhere. That’s what she does. She’s discreet and effective, just like hundreds of other workers. And she makes a living. The money then goes into science labs, like the one you saw at the warehouse. Energy drinks are refined to extract their trace of ammonium nitrate; this is concentrated, then stored in whatever we can send to a target. Now, with regards to Yanyan. I’ve just taken her off the street while I rectify your situation. Sit tight and I will be in touch.

The line cuts off.

His phone rings again. It's Yanyan.

TOM

Hello-

YANYAN

Tom come find me please Tom-

She switches to Mandarin, screaming in panic.

TOM

Yanyan? What's happening?

Yanyan screams and the call ends abruptly.