The Undeclared War (2022) s02e06 Episode Script
Season 2, Episode 6
1
Did you access the MAC address
at Phil's terminal?
You were there for ten minutes.
The Chinese was slang.
I couldn't translate it,
so I brought another linguist down.
Who was it? Calvin Song.
They have introduced a worm
into the government system.
Tar pits.
The worm jumps inside
and then we trap it.
We've got it. It's trapped.
Saara says you have something.
A long alphanumeric.
Possibly a ciphertext.
We need Vadim Trusov.
We've got an attack coming
out of China at present,
and he holds the key.
Don't worry, we'll get you out.
I've never asked you
for a favour like this.
The PM wants this deal.
He wants nothing less than
resetting China's relationship
with the West.
There's something underpinning
the government's lack of support
for our response to the worm attack.
If I were to open these files,
it would doubtless be flagged.
It's Calvin, he's been found dead.
SHARP SNAP Barbara?
CLANGING
What are you doing?
What's going on?
Where are the boys?
They're at my mother's.
What the hell's going on, Barbara?
The cleaners
they took care of Calvin
and they, um
They take care of loose ends.
Is that what you are, Barbara?
A loose end?
I saw you
in St James's Park.
You were with Nicky Chan.
Nicky Chan was your old friend
from college, wasn't he?
Your lover.
You deleted the surveillance reports
on him, didn't you?
And now he's posing as a legal
counsel to Xiangxin Corporation
and attending talks
with the Prime Minister.
Did you give him the MAC address
for one of our sandbox computers?
Please, just tell me
that I am missing something.
Tell me that you are not the mole,
Barbara, please.
I can't tell you that, Danny.
I need you to tell me everything.
Everything?
I need to understand
how you did this
how this happened.
It was easy
WHISPERS: What?
The MAC address, I mean.
They'd planned the whole thing.
They'd worked the whole play out.
We need the MAC address
of a sandbox in Malware.
We launched a ransomware attack
on the NHS.
It will land in Malware
some time soon.
It contains some Mandarin text.
They'll call your department.
Who was that?
Malware. I'll go.
I will.
Find a way to get the engineer
away from the terminal.
You wouldn't be an angel
and get me a latte from
the coffee van, would you?
When you have the MAC address,
call Calvin Song down.
Make up some reason.
Sorry, just too much Chinese slang.
Calvin, however, is all over it.
Why Calvin?
The less you know at this stage,
the safer you are.
Obviously now I know why Calvin.
But that is all I did
I swear.
All?
Nicky gave his FSB friends
the MAC address,
which almost drew us into
a war with Russia.
In return, they stole the
encrypted key for God knows what
and gave it to Nicky and the MSS.
Do you have any idea what we've
been dealing with, Barbara?!
Not to mention your colleague,
Calvin,
who looked up to you,
is dead!
I know that!
Don't you think I know that?!
I am sorry. I'm so sorry
Oh, you're sorry? You're sorry?
What can I say?
"I'm mortified"?
"I want to die with shame"?
But none of it will ever be enough.
But how, Barbara?
How?!
He trapped me.
He found my weak spot.
I bet if you looked in your files,
you'd see me named as a CCP spy
in intercepted messages.
He played the victim perfectly.
And if I didn't despise him, I'd
I'd almost admire him for it.
MOUSE CLICKS
I was so sure of myself.
I was sure that I was doing
the right thing
righting historical wrongs
the tarnishing of
the Chinese people by Britain
for political gains.
And then it was too late.
You still could've told me.
You didn't have to steal
the MAC address.
I didn't care
about losing my job
but he knew
he knew they could never be sure
that you weren't party to it
and that you'd lose your job
and that would destroy you.
That would destroy both of us.
I did it to protect you.
It was just this one thing.
I swore that was all I would do.
And then
I hoped that it would go away
and it did, for a while.
You wanted to protect me?
You had an affair with him
to protect me? No.
No, I didn't have an affair,
I swear.
I didn't have an affair.
Barbara, you've betrayed us all
and now you expect me
to believe that?
No, but
that bit's true.
I love you, Danny.
The moment you turn yourself in
I'm out of GCHQ anyway.
What was it all for, Barbara?
I have to hand myself in.
And maybe I won't be safe
but you three will be.
BARBARA SNIFFLES
And at least this way
I can take Nicky down
blow his cover.
I have to hand myself in.
No.
No, not yet.
I'm not ready to lose you.
Maybe Nicky's not
the only one we can take down.
China is his big thing.
When he was my junior at Trade,
he was the one that drove through
that nuclear deal
and you, me, even GCHQ,
we are just a means to that end.
What do you mean?
Makinde.
He's at the heart of this,
I'm sure of it.
He used Marston as a shield
to keep us away from the deal,
he knocked us back at every turn -
Marston as good as admitted it.
This trade deal was more important
than British lives.
And Xiangxin are part of it.
The anti virus software,
the facial recognition.
I did some digging.
British citizens' biometric data
in the hands of the CCP.
Mass surveillance, deepfakes.
But Makinde is behind it.
He did the nuts and bolts
on the China nuclear deal in 2022.
They must have got to him then.
But Danny, you've got no proof.
There is something.
A recording. It's a sound file
MOUSE CLICKS
of him negotiating
at the nuclear deal
but it's Director's
authorisation only.
I know what I have to do.
Before they arrest you
and suspend me,
I'm gonna expose Makinde,
how he's selling us out to China -
I'm sure he is
and you're gonna help me.
BEEPING
David is the only person that has
access to the audio file.
Then we need his ID card and login.
What time does he get in?
David doesn't get in till 8.45.
Give yourself enough time
so you can be ready.
You need to be near
the door when David arrives
so you can get to him
before he goes in.
But how do I get his card and login?
I'll tell you.
MUFFLED SPEECH
Danny?
The worm's destroyed the trap.
It's realised it's in a tar pit.
Right. Um
You're gonna have to
run with this, Roz. Right.
We'll go through the code again,
find the expected outcomes
written in,
see if we can modify them
to stop it propagating.
Yeah. You're making all
the right moves.
I'll inform David when he comes in.
Saara, did Michaela come through?
Did she get them out?
They've arranged a boat to pick
them up and take them to Hong Kong.
All right.
And how are they, Vadim and Hai?
They're OK,
still at the warehouse, safe,
for the time being.
You need to be near him
when he goes into his office.
You'll need something
like a newspaper or a magazine.
Right on his shoulder.
Memorise the number.
You have only got one chance.
David, the worm's broken out.
You'd best come in, then.
Vadim Trusov has the key.
It's a ciphertext -
an algorithmically produced
alphanumeric string
stolen from us by the Russians.
The Chinese launched the worm
to try and find the lock
this key opens.
All to damage printers across
UK government departments?
Well, it's a distraction,
a deception,
or a glitch, unfinished code.
Keeps us guessing.
Why am I only hearing this now?
Well, we thought we had Trusov
but MI6 were beaten to him
by the MSS.
So we've lost him?
I asked the Americans to extract him.
I told them there was
a valuable asset available
whom we were unable to help.
I'll have to explain that to Alex
and MI6
not to mention
the Foreign Secretary.
Well, what about the Prime Minister?
What about him?
He's negotiating with the Chinese -
we currently have Chinese wormware
in our Ministry of Defence.
From what I understand,
the deal's as good as done.
My bet is he won't want to make
a noise about this
until it's signed and sealed.
Parliament will have to vote on it.
In fact, what I wanted to say, David,
is that I
I wanted to apologise
for yesterday,
asking you to open
the sealed audio file.
I was in the wrong.
Things have been difficult.
What, with Barbara?
I just want you to know
that whatever happens,
I really appreciate your support
and your friendship.
Well, thank you, Danny.
Feeling's mutual.
Now, we'd best get on
and get a grip on this worm.
Danny, come and look
at what Saara's found.
It's a neural network.
AI.
It learns from everything we do.
Any attempt to combat it
just makes it smarter.
Well, it's gonna take months
to reverse engineer it,
or even build and train an AI,
or modify an existing one
but you know that, so
So we do build one.
We use the malware's own code.
We make a replica of the worm
from its own neural network,
but manipulate its concept of time.
So run the replica at double speed.
So we can see where the worm's going
before it gets there.
Like I said, all the right moves.
MUFFLED CHATTER
Nine o'clock, zero hour,
I send the file -
the pictures of you and Nicky,
the surveillance reports you deleted,
a picture of Nicky's business card -
then I open the sealed file.
I'll only have a few minutes
to find the right one.
Jesus.
Alex Sheldon, please.
You'll have max ten minutes
before Charlie has read the file
and sends a team for you
and comes to relieve me of my duties.
I need those ten minutes.
In the time I have
before they come for me,
I have to find the Makinde recording.
After I use David's login
to access the sealed records
it's going to take time
to sift through the audio files.
AUDIO FILE PLAYS
I'll send a bunch of emails, admin,
whatever, to cover my tracks
so the email I send
with the recording
will be harder to spot.
My opening of the files
under his login
will trigger an alert
on David's computer.
You phone in your confession at 9.15.
I pray that I can find
that recording.
Barbara.
Charlie.
May I remind you that
China Cyber Security law
and Data Security law are
National Security measures.
They're not trade matters.
Personal and critical data must,
by law,
remain within Chinese jurisdic
May I remind you that
China Cyber Security law
and Data Security law are
National Security measures, not
I cannot say.
I am a representative
of Her Majesty's Government.
But if the CPP were looking
to make such an investment,
you would recommend your
father-in-law's hedge fund
in Shanghai?
The CPP is free
to invest wherever it sees fit.
As I said, I'm here to negotiate
this nuclear contract
between our great nations
because I believe that China is
a global partner, not a threat.
15 million?
You'd have to consult
my father-in-law,
but I understand 20 million is
the benchmark for such investments.
My ambition is to see China
once more at its rightful place
as one of the heads of the table.
You are a true friend of
the Chinese people.
Now, what about Richard Marston?
He'll have to be looked after.
DANNY: I can't email
the audio file directly.
If they recover it,
it could be suppressed.
So I'll hide it -
embed it somewhere they won't expect.
Come on. Come on, come on, come on.
Come on, come on, come on.
WHISPERS: Come on, come on, come on.
Dan, step away from your desk.
You are relieved of your duties
and all level access
with immediate effect.
I think that might be mine.
I don't understand, Danny.
I'm sorry, David.
Right, you'll need to check
what he's just been doing on there.
On it.
You'd better come with me right now.
But will it work?
I've no idea
but at least
we'll have given it a shot.
Roz, will you kindly take the helm?
OK
back to work.
But if the CCP were looking
to make such an investment,
you would recommend your
father-in-law's hedge fund
in Shanghai?
The CCP is free
to invest wherever it sees fit.
As I said, I am here
to negotiate this nuclear contract
between our great nations
because I believe that China is
a global partner, not a threat.
15 million?
You'd have to consult
my father-in-law,
but I understand 20 million is
the benchmark for such investments.
My ambition is to see China
once more at its rightful place
as one of the heads of the table.
You are a true friend of
the Chinese people.
Now, what about Richard Marston?
He'll have to be looked after.
Prime Minister Makinde,
is this a defining moment in British
and Chinese trade relations?
I have to say,
I am very proud to put
the most far-reaching agreement ever
between the UK and China before
Parliament for approval tomorrow.
It covers areas
of financial services,
technology, security and energy.
PHONE RINGS.
We will no longer be
a competitor or a hostile target,
but a global collaborator.
PHONE BEEPS
Charlie, what is happening?
Why aren't you answering me?
These
These goons outside,
if they are yours,
why are they not coming
to arrest me?
And if they aren't yours,
and they're cleaners, then
where the hell are you?
BEEP
How's Barbara?
She's confessed to being
a foreign agent.
It's out of our hands.
You, however,
are still under investigation
as we assess the full extent of
your knowledge of her activities.
Just to be clear
when was it you discovered
Barbara was the CI?
Barbara confessed to me
this morning. Hmm.
Yet you first checked those records
last night.
You're gonna have to be
very clear about your timeline.
Replica's running.
Government systems are down again.
This better work.
Williams?
It'll pass through government
systems without affecting them,
connecting to each new IP first.
When real worm arrives there,
he'll think he's been there already,
so just passes on through -
no more damage done.
That's the theory, at least.
Good work, everyone.
We need to meet.
I don't care, just be there.
Michaela from the NSA is online.
Extraction team are in place.
We're in play. Sharing other links.
That's their boat.
Do you copy, Vadim?
Yeah, yeah, we're here.
Boat is nearly in position.
When you exit the warehouse,
keep low.
Head straight for the boat.
Once you're on it,
you're on American territory.
Get to the boat now.
Come on, Hai, this is it.
I can't go to America.
Vadim, go.
Hai, go!
Hai, there's nothing you can do
for your parents now.
They'd want you at least
to have the opportunity.
But maybe that isn't what I want.
You don't want freedom?
What is freedom
if you can never go home?
Guys, this is not the time or place.
Get to the boat. Move now!
Hai, we've got to go You go.
I need to stay here
to fight.
I owe you my life.
Go, flower boy!
VADIM GRUNTS
FOGHORN HONKS
Welcome to America, Vadim.
My colleague has something for you
but first, you've got something
for us and we want it now.
You OK?
He's safe. Vadim, he did it.
YOU did it, Saara.
No man left behind.
You're a good soldier.
Is this what you were looking for?
Deeply appreciated.
Over and out.
And you referred the matter to us
as soon as you discovered it?
I discovered evidence
yesterday evening,
I confronted Barbara,
she confessed to me this morning.
You still came into work
and continued to perform your duties
for over an hour
before alerting security.
Well, a government system
has been attacked.
I had to see that Roz Cavendish
was in command of the situation.
Yet you found time
to send emails about
staff overtime, contracts.
Well, those are
the kind of things that,
you know, if a line manager
is removed from post,
can slip through the cracks, so
Let's move on.
DOORBELL RINGS
DOORBELL RINGS
DOORBELL RINGS
DOORBELL RINGS
Barbara
I think you and I should have
a little talk, don't you?
Come in.
Ready?
Saara, let's introduce
Vadim's ciphertext to the replica,
find out what this thing
is looking for.
Let's go down the wormhole.
Right, where are we?
Looks like Aviation Authority -
air traffic control.
FAST BEEPING Now?
Department of Education,
foreign students' applications.
What?
Is that a bank?
Pattern. I'm not seeing a pattern.
London Stock Exchange.
More banks.
JP Morgan. Money? Is that it?
Uh, what just happened?
Where are we?
It's not our code.
Well, whose is it?
The worm's only gone
and got himself a green card -
he's gone stateside.
Shit, that was the pattern -
immigration, trade, defence,
aviation, banks.
It was looking for a way to jump
the Atlantic to the US system.
Sally, Michaela Jones, NSA,
on-screen in the comms room
right now.
Any thoughts where it's headed
on their system?
Looks military, ma'am.
It's still moving.
Something here's tagged.
A-U-K-U-S.
AUKUS.
The satellites that control
the South China Sea
missile defence system.
The system is US-commanded,
Australia-maintained.
GCHQ did the encryption.
Our replica tells us that AUKUS
was the worm's ultimate aim.
When the Russians stole our data,
they stole the key from us.
That was the Chinese component
in the exploit.
They broke the worm back into
our system.
The chaos and damage
were all deflection.
It was looking for a way
into your system.
Once there, they would introduce
the stolen key
and find the goal it fitted.
The South China Sea
missile defence system.
We believe the real target in this
has been Taiwan.
It could be interpreted
that an attack is imminent.
Informing General Perez
and Joint Chiefs of Staff directly.
You might want to have them reset
the defence system's
encryption codes.
"Might want to"?
Is that British understatement?
Yes, confirm,
British understatement.
Change the nuclear codes.
Already on it.
Good catch, guys. Thanks.
Things might be getting busy
around here, so I've got to go.
We'll make all the materials
available to you right away.
Well done, Lieutenant Colonel.
I'm starting to understand Danny.
Who's to say Taiwan
wasn't deflection too
if they can get into
our satellite systems?
Glad you could make it.
I've been a bit busy with an attack
by your friends at the CCP.
I'm assured by my opposite number
that this was a rogue
non-state APT10,
an attempt to undermine our talks
with China,
one which I am happy to say
did not succeed,
thanks to the efforts of GCHQ -
yours primarily, I imagine.
I heard the Prime Minister
signed this China deal.
Indeed.
It still needs to be voted on
by Parliament,
but it's widely agreed that it is
a diplomatic triumph.
What about the redacted parts
of the deal.
Parliament won't get to see?
Chinese facial recognition
on the streets of the UK,
Chinese anti-malware software.
Xiangxin are world leaders
in these technologies.
This will help to make
our streets safer.
Is this seriously why you dragged me
all the way up here?
You're in that place because of me.
Now, I have plans -
plans I HAD hoped you'd be a part of.
This is a done deal, so
"Get with the programme"?
Fine, have it your own way.
I've got the official
farewell banquet to attend.
But Parliament hasn't voted
on it yet.
You'd have to consult
my father-in-law,
but I understand 20 million is
the benchmark for such investments.
My ambition is to see China
once more at its rightful place
as one of the heads of the table.
You are a true friend of
the Chinese people.
Now, what about Richard Marston?
He'll have to be looked after.
Where did you get this?
Danny Patrick, right?
The source is not at issue.
Of course it is.
Roz,
you are being played.
This is obviously a deepfake,
and a pretty crass one at that,
probably laid inside the system
by these same rogue Chinese hackers.
You're smarter than this.
This is how it's done, isn't it?
How what's done?
Whenever confronted
with the uncomfortable truth,
deny, deny, deny,
then turn the story
on the messenger.
You know what?
Think whatever you like,
but I am warning you
I'm here as a courtesy
to give you a heads-up.
Yes, you have helped me
in my career,
but I do not do your bidding.
I am not "your girl"
and you will not gaslight me.
Roz, think very carefully
before you
I have thought carefully.
It's not me you need
to put your case to
it's the public.
What have you done?
Roz!
I'm afraid Nicky Chan
had left the country
by the time you got around
to making your confession.
And as for you
14 years, I understand,
is the maximum.
With no previous
and an understanding judge
I imagine may consider
a single-figure sentence.
With good behaviour,
five years maybe.
I hope it was worth it.
Such great hopes for you, Barbara.
Cut to the chase.
It's just all so
middling.
Piss off, Alex.
Five years.
What age will, um
Elliot be?
20?
And, uh
Fabian? 17?
I mean, you won't miss everything,
I suppose.
Did you really just come here
to gloat?
I came here
to make you an offer.
I'm offering you a way out -
a way to save yourself,
your husband, even,
though I'm not sure about
your marriage.
You never were. Hmm.
And possibly a chance
to repay Mr Chan.
Now, the only people who know
what you've done so far
are Danny, Charlie Francis,
perhaps some of his team,
David Neal and myself.
What if we kept it that way?
What if everything carried on
as normal and you go back to work?
You want me to be a double agent.
Back working for me
like the good old days.
They think
they have something on you.
That's useful.
What do you say?
All charges against your wife,
Barbara Napier, have been dropped.
How?
Any enquiries into your actions
as her accomplice
are therefore dropped.
What's going on, Charlie?
You'll have to ask someone else
about that.
So, am I free to go?
Regarding your other actions,
Daniel Patrick,
you are to be detained
for breaches of
the 1989 Official Secrets Act,
namely the theft and distribution
of STRAP 3 confidential material.
Leave him, for Christ's sake.
Let him walk out.
Ready?
Yeah.
Don't worry,
it was the right thing to do.
And remember, I'm a scrappy bastard.
Today, the Prime Minister
and the Foreign Secretary
stand accused of what
one senior official called,
"At best, a grave conflict
of interest,
"and at worst,
accepting what appears to be"
"a bribe from Chinese officials"
"in return for political access
and influence."
In secret recordings,
the Prime Minister allegedly demands
a £20 million investment
into his father-in-law's
Shanghai-based hedge fund.
He also suggests that, quote,
"Richard Marston
will need to be looked after."
Now, the Prime Minister,
Andrew Makinde,
hasn't been seen yet,
but within the last few hours,
a Downing Street spokesperson said,
"The recordings are fake,"
"but I can tell you that tonight's
banquet with the Chinese delegation"
"has now been cancelled."
And with opposition leaders calling
for immediate resignations,
intelligence agencies
reportedly investigating the breach
and public outrage mounting,
the demand for answers is only
likely to get louder.
MUFFLED YELLING
The GCHQ whistle-blower
who brought down the Government,
allegedly an unnamed senior manager,
has, according to sources,
been released without charge.
It is not yet clear
why no charges were brought.
What is clear is that espionage,
once seen as the stuff
of the Cold War,
is now firmly back
on the public agenda.
Did you access the MAC address
at Phil's terminal?
You were there for ten minutes.
The Chinese was slang.
I couldn't translate it,
so I brought another linguist down.
Who was it? Calvin Song.
They have introduced a worm
into the government system.
Tar pits.
The worm jumps inside
and then we trap it.
We've got it. It's trapped.
Saara says you have something.
A long alphanumeric.
Possibly a ciphertext.
We need Vadim Trusov.
We've got an attack coming
out of China at present,
and he holds the key.
Don't worry, we'll get you out.
I've never asked you
for a favour like this.
The PM wants this deal.
He wants nothing less than
resetting China's relationship
with the West.
There's something underpinning
the government's lack of support
for our response to the worm attack.
If I were to open these files,
it would doubtless be flagged.
It's Calvin, he's been found dead.
SHARP SNAP Barbara?
CLANGING
What are you doing?
What's going on?
Where are the boys?
They're at my mother's.
What the hell's going on, Barbara?
The cleaners
they took care of Calvin
and they, um
They take care of loose ends.
Is that what you are, Barbara?
A loose end?
I saw you
in St James's Park.
You were with Nicky Chan.
Nicky Chan was your old friend
from college, wasn't he?
Your lover.
You deleted the surveillance reports
on him, didn't you?
And now he's posing as a legal
counsel to Xiangxin Corporation
and attending talks
with the Prime Minister.
Did you give him the MAC address
for one of our sandbox computers?
Please, just tell me
that I am missing something.
Tell me that you are not the mole,
Barbara, please.
I can't tell you that, Danny.
I need you to tell me everything.
Everything?
I need to understand
how you did this
how this happened.
It was easy
WHISPERS: What?
The MAC address, I mean.
They'd planned the whole thing.
They'd worked the whole play out.
We need the MAC address
of a sandbox in Malware.
We launched a ransomware attack
on the NHS.
It will land in Malware
some time soon.
It contains some Mandarin text.
They'll call your department.
Who was that?
Malware. I'll go.
I will.
Find a way to get the engineer
away from the terminal.
You wouldn't be an angel
and get me a latte from
the coffee van, would you?
When you have the MAC address,
call Calvin Song down.
Make up some reason.
Sorry, just too much Chinese slang.
Calvin, however, is all over it.
Why Calvin?
The less you know at this stage,
the safer you are.
Obviously now I know why Calvin.
But that is all I did
I swear.
All?
Nicky gave his FSB friends
the MAC address,
which almost drew us into
a war with Russia.
In return, they stole the
encrypted key for God knows what
and gave it to Nicky and the MSS.
Do you have any idea what we've
been dealing with, Barbara?!
Not to mention your colleague,
Calvin,
who looked up to you,
is dead!
I know that!
Don't you think I know that?!
I am sorry. I'm so sorry
Oh, you're sorry? You're sorry?
What can I say?
"I'm mortified"?
"I want to die with shame"?
But none of it will ever be enough.
But how, Barbara?
How?!
He trapped me.
He found my weak spot.
I bet if you looked in your files,
you'd see me named as a CCP spy
in intercepted messages.
He played the victim perfectly.
And if I didn't despise him, I'd
I'd almost admire him for it.
MOUSE CLICKS
I was so sure of myself.
I was sure that I was doing
the right thing
righting historical wrongs
the tarnishing of
the Chinese people by Britain
for political gains.
And then it was too late.
You still could've told me.
You didn't have to steal
the MAC address.
I didn't care
about losing my job
but he knew
he knew they could never be sure
that you weren't party to it
and that you'd lose your job
and that would destroy you.
That would destroy both of us.
I did it to protect you.
It was just this one thing.
I swore that was all I would do.
And then
I hoped that it would go away
and it did, for a while.
You wanted to protect me?
You had an affair with him
to protect me? No.
No, I didn't have an affair,
I swear.
I didn't have an affair.
Barbara, you've betrayed us all
and now you expect me
to believe that?
No, but
that bit's true.
I love you, Danny.
The moment you turn yourself in
I'm out of GCHQ anyway.
What was it all for, Barbara?
I have to hand myself in.
And maybe I won't be safe
but you three will be.
BARBARA SNIFFLES
And at least this way
I can take Nicky down
blow his cover.
I have to hand myself in.
No.
No, not yet.
I'm not ready to lose you.
Maybe Nicky's not
the only one we can take down.
China is his big thing.
When he was my junior at Trade,
he was the one that drove through
that nuclear deal
and you, me, even GCHQ,
we are just a means to that end.
What do you mean?
Makinde.
He's at the heart of this,
I'm sure of it.
He used Marston as a shield
to keep us away from the deal,
he knocked us back at every turn -
Marston as good as admitted it.
This trade deal was more important
than British lives.
And Xiangxin are part of it.
The anti virus software,
the facial recognition.
I did some digging.
British citizens' biometric data
in the hands of the CCP.
Mass surveillance, deepfakes.
But Makinde is behind it.
He did the nuts and bolts
on the China nuclear deal in 2022.
They must have got to him then.
But Danny, you've got no proof.
There is something.
A recording. It's a sound file
MOUSE CLICKS
of him negotiating
at the nuclear deal
but it's Director's
authorisation only.
I know what I have to do.
Before they arrest you
and suspend me,
I'm gonna expose Makinde,
how he's selling us out to China -
I'm sure he is
and you're gonna help me.
BEEPING
David is the only person that has
access to the audio file.
Then we need his ID card and login.
What time does he get in?
David doesn't get in till 8.45.
Give yourself enough time
so you can be ready.
You need to be near
the door when David arrives
so you can get to him
before he goes in.
But how do I get his card and login?
I'll tell you.
MUFFLED SPEECH
Danny?
The worm's destroyed the trap.
It's realised it's in a tar pit.
Right. Um
You're gonna have to
run with this, Roz. Right.
We'll go through the code again,
find the expected outcomes
written in,
see if we can modify them
to stop it propagating.
Yeah. You're making all
the right moves.
I'll inform David when he comes in.
Saara, did Michaela come through?
Did she get them out?
They've arranged a boat to pick
them up and take them to Hong Kong.
All right.
And how are they, Vadim and Hai?
They're OK,
still at the warehouse, safe,
for the time being.
You need to be near him
when he goes into his office.
You'll need something
like a newspaper or a magazine.
Right on his shoulder.
Memorise the number.
You have only got one chance.
David, the worm's broken out.
You'd best come in, then.
Vadim Trusov has the key.
It's a ciphertext -
an algorithmically produced
alphanumeric string
stolen from us by the Russians.
The Chinese launched the worm
to try and find the lock
this key opens.
All to damage printers across
UK government departments?
Well, it's a distraction,
a deception,
or a glitch, unfinished code.
Keeps us guessing.
Why am I only hearing this now?
Well, we thought we had Trusov
but MI6 were beaten to him
by the MSS.
So we've lost him?
I asked the Americans to extract him.
I told them there was
a valuable asset available
whom we were unable to help.
I'll have to explain that to Alex
and MI6
not to mention
the Foreign Secretary.
Well, what about the Prime Minister?
What about him?
He's negotiating with the Chinese -
we currently have Chinese wormware
in our Ministry of Defence.
From what I understand,
the deal's as good as done.
My bet is he won't want to make
a noise about this
until it's signed and sealed.
Parliament will have to vote on it.
In fact, what I wanted to say, David,
is that I
I wanted to apologise
for yesterday,
asking you to open
the sealed audio file.
I was in the wrong.
Things have been difficult.
What, with Barbara?
I just want you to know
that whatever happens,
I really appreciate your support
and your friendship.
Well, thank you, Danny.
Feeling's mutual.
Now, we'd best get on
and get a grip on this worm.
Danny, come and look
at what Saara's found.
It's a neural network.
AI.
It learns from everything we do.
Any attempt to combat it
just makes it smarter.
Well, it's gonna take months
to reverse engineer it,
or even build and train an AI,
or modify an existing one
but you know that, so
So we do build one.
We use the malware's own code.
We make a replica of the worm
from its own neural network,
but manipulate its concept of time.
So run the replica at double speed.
So we can see where the worm's going
before it gets there.
Like I said, all the right moves.
MUFFLED CHATTER
Nine o'clock, zero hour,
I send the file -
the pictures of you and Nicky,
the surveillance reports you deleted,
a picture of Nicky's business card -
then I open the sealed file.
I'll only have a few minutes
to find the right one.
Jesus.
Alex Sheldon, please.
You'll have max ten minutes
before Charlie has read the file
and sends a team for you
and comes to relieve me of my duties.
I need those ten minutes.
In the time I have
before they come for me,
I have to find the Makinde recording.
After I use David's login
to access the sealed records
it's going to take time
to sift through the audio files.
AUDIO FILE PLAYS
I'll send a bunch of emails, admin,
whatever, to cover my tracks
so the email I send
with the recording
will be harder to spot.
My opening of the files
under his login
will trigger an alert
on David's computer.
You phone in your confession at 9.15.
I pray that I can find
that recording.
Barbara.
Charlie.
May I remind you that
China Cyber Security law
and Data Security law are
National Security measures.
They're not trade matters.
Personal and critical data must,
by law,
remain within Chinese jurisdic
May I remind you that
China Cyber Security law
and Data Security law are
National Security measures, not
I cannot say.
I am a representative
of Her Majesty's Government.
But if the CPP were looking
to make such an investment,
you would recommend your
father-in-law's hedge fund
in Shanghai?
The CPP is free
to invest wherever it sees fit.
As I said, I'm here to negotiate
this nuclear contract
between our great nations
because I believe that China is
a global partner, not a threat.
15 million?
You'd have to consult
my father-in-law,
but I understand 20 million is
the benchmark for such investments.
My ambition is to see China
once more at its rightful place
as one of the heads of the table.
You are a true friend of
the Chinese people.
Now, what about Richard Marston?
He'll have to be looked after.
DANNY: I can't email
the audio file directly.
If they recover it,
it could be suppressed.
So I'll hide it -
embed it somewhere they won't expect.
Come on. Come on, come on, come on.
Come on, come on, come on.
WHISPERS: Come on, come on, come on.
Dan, step away from your desk.
You are relieved of your duties
and all level access
with immediate effect.
I think that might be mine.
I don't understand, Danny.
I'm sorry, David.
Right, you'll need to check
what he's just been doing on there.
On it.
You'd better come with me right now.
But will it work?
I've no idea
but at least
we'll have given it a shot.
Roz, will you kindly take the helm?
OK
back to work.
But if the CCP were looking
to make such an investment,
you would recommend your
father-in-law's hedge fund
in Shanghai?
The CCP is free
to invest wherever it sees fit.
As I said, I am here
to negotiate this nuclear contract
between our great nations
because I believe that China is
a global partner, not a threat.
15 million?
You'd have to consult
my father-in-law,
but I understand 20 million is
the benchmark for such investments.
My ambition is to see China
once more at its rightful place
as one of the heads of the table.
You are a true friend of
the Chinese people.
Now, what about Richard Marston?
He'll have to be looked after.
Prime Minister Makinde,
is this a defining moment in British
and Chinese trade relations?
I have to say,
I am very proud to put
the most far-reaching agreement ever
between the UK and China before
Parliament for approval tomorrow.
It covers areas
of financial services,
technology, security and energy.
PHONE RINGS.
We will no longer be
a competitor or a hostile target,
but a global collaborator.
PHONE BEEPS
Charlie, what is happening?
Why aren't you answering me?
These
These goons outside,
if they are yours,
why are they not coming
to arrest me?
And if they aren't yours,
and they're cleaners, then
where the hell are you?
BEEP
How's Barbara?
She's confessed to being
a foreign agent.
It's out of our hands.
You, however,
are still under investigation
as we assess the full extent of
your knowledge of her activities.
Just to be clear
when was it you discovered
Barbara was the CI?
Barbara confessed to me
this morning. Hmm.
Yet you first checked those records
last night.
You're gonna have to be
very clear about your timeline.
Replica's running.
Government systems are down again.
This better work.
Williams?
It'll pass through government
systems without affecting them,
connecting to each new IP first.
When real worm arrives there,
he'll think he's been there already,
so just passes on through -
no more damage done.
That's the theory, at least.
Good work, everyone.
We need to meet.
I don't care, just be there.
Michaela from the NSA is online.
Extraction team are in place.
We're in play. Sharing other links.
That's their boat.
Do you copy, Vadim?
Yeah, yeah, we're here.
Boat is nearly in position.
When you exit the warehouse,
keep low.
Head straight for the boat.
Once you're on it,
you're on American territory.
Get to the boat now.
Come on, Hai, this is it.
I can't go to America.
Vadim, go.
Hai, go!
Hai, there's nothing you can do
for your parents now.
They'd want you at least
to have the opportunity.
But maybe that isn't what I want.
You don't want freedom?
What is freedom
if you can never go home?
Guys, this is not the time or place.
Get to the boat. Move now!
Hai, we've got to go You go.
I need to stay here
to fight.
I owe you my life.
Go, flower boy!
VADIM GRUNTS
FOGHORN HONKS
Welcome to America, Vadim.
My colleague has something for you
but first, you've got something
for us and we want it now.
You OK?
He's safe. Vadim, he did it.
YOU did it, Saara.
No man left behind.
You're a good soldier.
Is this what you were looking for?
Deeply appreciated.
Over and out.
And you referred the matter to us
as soon as you discovered it?
I discovered evidence
yesterday evening,
I confronted Barbara,
she confessed to me this morning.
You still came into work
and continued to perform your duties
for over an hour
before alerting security.
Well, a government system
has been attacked.
I had to see that Roz Cavendish
was in command of the situation.
Yet you found time
to send emails about
staff overtime, contracts.
Well, those are
the kind of things that,
you know, if a line manager
is removed from post,
can slip through the cracks, so
Let's move on.
DOORBELL RINGS
DOORBELL RINGS
DOORBELL RINGS
DOORBELL RINGS
Barbara
I think you and I should have
a little talk, don't you?
Come in.
Ready?
Saara, let's introduce
Vadim's ciphertext to the replica,
find out what this thing
is looking for.
Let's go down the wormhole.
Right, where are we?
Looks like Aviation Authority -
air traffic control.
FAST BEEPING Now?
Department of Education,
foreign students' applications.
What?
Is that a bank?
Pattern. I'm not seeing a pattern.
London Stock Exchange.
More banks.
JP Morgan. Money? Is that it?
Uh, what just happened?
Where are we?
It's not our code.
Well, whose is it?
The worm's only gone
and got himself a green card -
he's gone stateside.
Shit, that was the pattern -
immigration, trade, defence,
aviation, banks.
It was looking for a way to jump
the Atlantic to the US system.
Sally, Michaela Jones, NSA,
on-screen in the comms room
right now.
Any thoughts where it's headed
on their system?
Looks military, ma'am.
It's still moving.
Something here's tagged.
A-U-K-U-S.
AUKUS.
The satellites that control
the South China Sea
missile defence system.
The system is US-commanded,
Australia-maintained.
GCHQ did the encryption.
Our replica tells us that AUKUS
was the worm's ultimate aim.
When the Russians stole our data,
they stole the key from us.
That was the Chinese component
in the exploit.
They broke the worm back into
our system.
The chaos and damage
were all deflection.
It was looking for a way
into your system.
Once there, they would introduce
the stolen key
and find the goal it fitted.
The South China Sea
missile defence system.
We believe the real target in this
has been Taiwan.
It could be interpreted
that an attack is imminent.
Informing General Perez
and Joint Chiefs of Staff directly.
You might want to have them reset
the defence system's
encryption codes.
"Might want to"?
Is that British understatement?
Yes, confirm,
British understatement.
Change the nuclear codes.
Already on it.
Good catch, guys. Thanks.
Things might be getting busy
around here, so I've got to go.
We'll make all the materials
available to you right away.
Well done, Lieutenant Colonel.
I'm starting to understand Danny.
Who's to say Taiwan
wasn't deflection too
if they can get into
our satellite systems?
Glad you could make it.
I've been a bit busy with an attack
by your friends at the CCP.
I'm assured by my opposite number
that this was a rogue
non-state APT10,
an attempt to undermine our talks
with China,
one which I am happy to say
did not succeed,
thanks to the efforts of GCHQ -
yours primarily, I imagine.
I heard the Prime Minister
signed this China deal.
Indeed.
It still needs to be voted on
by Parliament,
but it's widely agreed that it is
a diplomatic triumph.
What about the redacted parts
of the deal.
Parliament won't get to see?
Chinese facial recognition
on the streets of the UK,
Chinese anti-malware software.
Xiangxin are world leaders
in these technologies.
This will help to make
our streets safer.
Is this seriously why you dragged me
all the way up here?
You're in that place because of me.
Now, I have plans -
plans I HAD hoped you'd be a part of.
This is a done deal, so
"Get with the programme"?
Fine, have it your own way.
I've got the official
farewell banquet to attend.
But Parliament hasn't voted
on it yet.
You'd have to consult
my father-in-law,
but I understand 20 million is
the benchmark for such investments.
My ambition is to see China
once more at its rightful place
as one of the heads of the table.
You are a true friend of
the Chinese people.
Now, what about Richard Marston?
He'll have to be looked after.
Where did you get this?
Danny Patrick, right?
The source is not at issue.
Of course it is.
Roz,
you are being played.
This is obviously a deepfake,
and a pretty crass one at that,
probably laid inside the system
by these same rogue Chinese hackers.
You're smarter than this.
This is how it's done, isn't it?
How what's done?
Whenever confronted
with the uncomfortable truth,
deny, deny, deny,
then turn the story
on the messenger.
You know what?
Think whatever you like,
but I am warning you
I'm here as a courtesy
to give you a heads-up.
Yes, you have helped me
in my career,
but I do not do your bidding.
I am not "your girl"
and you will not gaslight me.
Roz, think very carefully
before you
I have thought carefully.
It's not me you need
to put your case to
it's the public.
What have you done?
Roz!
I'm afraid Nicky Chan
had left the country
by the time you got around
to making your confession.
And as for you
14 years, I understand,
is the maximum.
With no previous
and an understanding judge
I imagine may consider
a single-figure sentence.
With good behaviour,
five years maybe.
I hope it was worth it.
Such great hopes for you, Barbara.
Cut to the chase.
It's just all so
middling.
Piss off, Alex.
Five years.
What age will, um
Elliot be?
20?
And, uh
Fabian? 17?
I mean, you won't miss everything,
I suppose.
Did you really just come here
to gloat?
I came here
to make you an offer.
I'm offering you a way out -
a way to save yourself,
your husband, even,
though I'm not sure about
your marriage.
You never were. Hmm.
And possibly a chance
to repay Mr Chan.
Now, the only people who know
what you've done so far
are Danny, Charlie Francis,
perhaps some of his team,
David Neal and myself.
What if we kept it that way?
What if everything carried on
as normal and you go back to work?
You want me to be a double agent.
Back working for me
like the good old days.
They think
they have something on you.
That's useful.
What do you say?
All charges against your wife,
Barbara Napier, have been dropped.
How?
Any enquiries into your actions
as her accomplice
are therefore dropped.
What's going on, Charlie?
You'll have to ask someone else
about that.
So, am I free to go?
Regarding your other actions,
Daniel Patrick,
you are to be detained
for breaches of
the 1989 Official Secrets Act,
namely the theft and distribution
of STRAP 3 confidential material.
Leave him, for Christ's sake.
Let him walk out.
Ready?
Yeah.
Don't worry,
it was the right thing to do.
And remember, I'm a scrappy bastard.
Today, the Prime Minister
and the Foreign Secretary
stand accused of what
one senior official called,
"At best, a grave conflict
of interest,
"and at worst,
accepting what appears to be"
"a bribe from Chinese officials"
"in return for political access
and influence."
In secret recordings,
the Prime Minister allegedly demands
a £20 million investment
into his father-in-law's
Shanghai-based hedge fund.
He also suggests that, quote,
"Richard Marston
will need to be looked after."
Now, the Prime Minister,
Andrew Makinde,
hasn't been seen yet,
but within the last few hours,
a Downing Street spokesperson said,
"The recordings are fake,"
"but I can tell you that tonight's
banquet with the Chinese delegation"
"has now been cancelled."
And with opposition leaders calling
for immediate resignations,
intelligence agencies
reportedly investigating the breach
and public outrage mounting,
the demand for answers is only
likely to get louder.
MUFFLED YELLING
The GCHQ whistle-blower
who brought down the Government,
allegedly an unnamed senior manager,
has, according to sources,
been released without charge.
It is not yet clear
why no charges were brought.
What is clear is that espionage,
once seen as the stuff
of the Cold War,
is now firmly back
on the public agenda.