8/14/2019 S1E08 DOOMWATCH - FACTION 9

1/4

8/14/2019 S1E08 DOOMWATCH - FACTION 9

2/4

1

SEASON 4 EPISODE 8

FACTION 9Written by GRANT FOXON & SCOTT BURDITT

It was teatime, and Doctor Chantry was putting a well-preparedShepherds Pie in the oven. As she closed the door and set the temperature,she was about to set the timer when the doorbell rang. Now who can that be?Typical I am starving! she thought. Paul Grover was on yet another errand at

Adam Quists behest. He hoped this wasnt going to be awkward. Looking upformer Doomwatch employees wasnt really his speciality. An old ladyanswered the door.

Hello? said Doctor Chantry.

Hi, Paul recognised her from the old case file photos immediately. Myname is Paul, sorry to just drop by, I tried calling but the phone just keptringing, so I took a chance you were in, seeing as I pass your house on the wayhome. I work for a section of the government known as the Department forthe Observation and Measurement of Scientific Work or Doomwatch for short,

but I am sure you already know that.

Yes, I do apologise I was in the bath earlier and I cant help but ignorethe world for an hour!

Doctor Chantry just smiled as Paul handed her his I.D card. Withoutwaiting for an answer he continued I hope you got our letter?

Yes, I did, just a minute, she disappeared for a second. She already hada dusty brown bag next to the door with a somewhat antiquated Dictaphoneinside. The bag was marked Faction 9 with a marker pen.

I hope it works, she said, Now Id love to chat but I am starving, drop bytomorrow about six oclock if you can and we can have a proper chat about thegood old days and this intriguing case, now I must go I really am starving andI have my son coming round for tea. She smiled.

Yes, of course, that would be great said Paul as he took the bag. I willsee you then!

Great, bye for now she closed the door and rushed into the kitchen.

Paul stood for a moment dumbfounded. It wasnt usually this

straightforward in Doomwatch!

8/14/2019 S1E08 DOOMWATCH - FACTION 9

3/4

2

Back at Doomwatch, he hoped that by plugging the tape recorder in itwouldnt simply blow up. Quist would be fuming and Timmons would laugh athim. He gingerly pressed play and waited. The voice on the tape wassurprisingly clear and there was no mistaking it was that of Doctor Chantry.

Testing, testing 1,2,3god I hate these things. My name is DrFaye Chantry and investigating with me is Geoff Hardcastle. Thedate is 8th July 1971.

We have now arrived in Shropshire and this is theinvestigation following field reports into various local watersupplies carrying harmful bacteria agents.

If you ever hear this recording maybe your life too will be indanger. I dont know. I dont even know why Im still doing thisreport, except that Faction 9 didnt deserve their fate. This is DrFaye Chantry signing off.

Paul stopped the tape and thought carefully about what he had justheard. He would catch up with Doctor Faye tomorrow.

The next day he was back at Doctor Chantrys house promptly for six. Hesat inside, with one of the sweetest cups of tea in his hand that he had everhad.

Thank you for the tape Doctor Chantry, is it OK if we keep it until theinvestigation is closed?

Yes of, course I will fill you in on the story a bit better now, I am notsure what was on the tape but this is basically what happened. It was the

summertime and I remember feeling wonderful getting away from the busy,inhale-exhale world of London. Things in Shropshire were beautiful. A slowerpace of life and a far more relaxed one greeted us as we arrived.

We were there to investigate the sudden appearances of Hepatitis A andother forms of bacterium in the local water supply.

We first went to the local water board but were told where the bacteriumseemed to come from. A river that happened to flow through a militaryinstallation set up a few years back. Geoff and myself were surprised to learnthat the governing body there had made no effort to contact the water board

or even Doomwatch. We decided we needed to investigate.

We rung back through to Doomwatch and they contacted the Ministerbut still no word was made about this installation. It was then that we decidedtojump the fence as it were. We found the installation a reasonably small

venue but never the less imposing to be concealed mostly by woodland. Withwire cutters, Geoff cut our way and we immediately set about investigating.

We arrived at the area where the river flowed through. Sure enoughthere was an open sewer pipe. It was then that we saw the two soldiers. Weimmediately ducked out of cover. They were wearing protective suits but it

was then that I noticed how very gaunt they looked. They both looked like theywere starving. It was a sinister sight indeed. The soldiers seemed to be taking

8/14/2019 S1E08 DOOMWATCH - FACTION 9

4/4

3

readings from inside the sewer pipe. After a while they slowly plodded back totheir base. We then took a sample of water from the pipe and headed back outto lodgings.

Back at the hotel we tested the water. Sure enough it was littered with

harmful organisms. We couldnt believe it. And yet still the installation hadmade no contact with the outside world to warn them. We decided that weshould break in and confront them. Perhaps they needed someone to tell themhow dangerous and irresponsible they were behaving. We headed back to theinstallation, our earlier hole in the fence still there. We sneaked back in andheaded towards the main house.

It didnt take us long. Once there, we headed straight towards the mainbuilding. There didnt seem to be any nightly patrols. I couldnt help but feelthat something was verywrong here. We entered the main building. There

were a few lights on and a desk. Suddenly the C/O a youngish and vaguely

attractive man called Symons appeared out of nowhere. He proceeded topunch Geoff and send him into a table. In a gruff voice that failed to fit his

body he demanded to know what we were doing here. I replied by telling himwho we are and that we represented Doomwatch. These failed to get us anykudos with him. He smiled and told us he was in charge of similar body that

was entirely operating for the military called Faction 9. They were here toinvestigate bacterium and its uses in warfare. The concept sent a shiver downmy spine. Then he informed us that it had all gone wrong.

Faction 9 were being used. In reality Symons discovered that he, like hismen had all suffered depression and some time although, mostly only to mild

degrees. He also discovered the building to be ill equipped to deal with thedangers posed by bacterium outbreak. The building was also designed topromote ill feeling and unhappiness. Faction 9, were in reality an experiment.They were being exploited, used as lab rats to see how they would cope undercertain pressures. The bacterium also affected their minds. In recent years ithas been believed that certain bacterium could indeed attack tumoursparticularly brain tumours. But other strains appear to attack other areas ofthe mind. Many of Faction 9 lost their appetite and became appalled at thesight of food, for others, madness appeared in different forms, but it stillappeared.

It was horrible, people being exploited. Marked out by some bureaucratas expendable. Symons had realised this and decided to poison the water.Faction 9 wanted revenge. They then told us to leave as they were expectingsome form of execution squad to finish them off.

Geoff and I left and sure enough Faction 9 seemed to disappear. BothGeoff and I received threatening phone calls never to talk about what weencountered that day. But it still lingers in the mind. Symons eyes showed thathe had accepted his own death and new his small act of revenge was nothing.That may too have been part of the experiment.

THE END