ULTRAVIOLET
the story so far ....


Episode 4 - MEA CULPA

The squad are called to a Catholic school where a 12 year-old boy, Gary, has stabbed his priest, Father Downey. Angie and Pearse suspect Code V involvement. Michael thinks they can't stomach the truth: child violence. Although Gary's classmates show signs of being uncomfortable with sunlight, Michael argues that mood swings and sensitivity to light could be symptoms of meningitis.

When Angie takes Gary's schoolmates into the Squad HQ for examination, Michael protests. He's uncovering evidence of a paedophile ring and suspects Gary was lashing out at one of his abusers.

The results of Pearse's blood-test confirm Angie's fears: Pearse has cancer. It needs immediate treatment. Pearse ducks the issue.

Jacob's investigations are bringing him closer to Michael - and also to Kirsty. Kirsty meets Frances to discover more, but is warned off. Jacob's getting closer to the truth - but the Code Vs have him under surveillance.

Gary is found in a local hospital, the victim of a dog attack. Angie takes him in for tests. There's no sign of a Code V bite, but he reacts strongly to Pearse's presence. Angie's certain he's been infected, along with his other classmates. By why would the Code Vs infect a class of school-children? And how?

Michael and Vaughan trace Gary's movements after the stabbing, to a known paedophile and pit-bull owner, Colin. Vaughan is aggressive towards Colin, who finally admits the existence of the paedophile ring. He used to take videos of Gary's soccer team and distribute them to members of the ring. One member, Oliver, has an allergy to the sun. Michael is suspicious: is this their Code V?

Vaughan and Michael trace Oliver's flat. The windows have been blocked out. A video camera and screen are set up in the bedroom. Vaughan puts in one of the numerous video tapes he has found: it's a tape of the room, focused on the bed. Oliver returns with a young boy. Michael sees him in the room, looks back at the screen to see an empty room, and shoots Oliver twice. He looks in the videoscope of his gun and sees Oliver writhing on the bed in pain. The image he'd seen on the screen was from the video Vaughan was playing. Oliver isn't the Code V: it's the boy. Michael hesitates, and the boy escapes.

The carbon bullets have wounded Oliver, but haven't killed him. Michael is tormented by the shooting, but Pearse clears him.

Oliver has a rare genetic disease, xeroderma pigmentosum, which makes him allergic to sunlight. The Code Vs have been using Oliver's condition to incubate a new strain of meningitis. Angie: "His inability to metabolise ultraviolet made him the ideal guinea pig. Our closest relative to genus Code Five".

Angie: "They've altered the meningitis bacteria to carry Code Five infection. Normally they infect with their own saliva, but these bacteria are transmitted human to human simply by close contact. That's the only way they can manufacture a Code Five epidemic: by making us the carriers."

Hence Gary's infection, followed by his classmates. In this instance Angie is able to produce an antiserum via Oliver's spinal fluid.

Frances tells Michael of Jacob's link-up with Kirsty. Michael drives to Kirsty's flat, where he watches Jacob disappear inside. Michael is hostile. Jealousy or concern?

Inside, Jacob is visibly struggling with the food Kirsty has cooked. He forces it down and then is sick: unknown to Kirsty, he has crossed over. She is now the target. Jacob kisses Kirsty. She hesitates, but he tells her he will do anything she wants. Jacob slowly starts kissing Kirsty's neck.

Oliver: "I had no choice."
Pearse: "There's always a choice. They can't force you to do what you don't want."
Oliver: "No, they force you to do what you DO want. They're very big on free will."
Gary's mum : "I want him to grow up normal, not a priest for God's sake!"
Angie: "How can they infect without penetration?"
Pearse: "Biological warfare. You isolated the active ingredient in garlic, what's it called..."
Angie: "Allicin."
Colin:
(to dog)
"You'd never take a piece out of anyone, would you Maxy? [to Michael] And he loves boys."
Michael: "Yeah, that makes two of you."


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