The Empty Hand (audio story)

The Empty Hand was the fourth and final audio story in Aliens Among Us 2.

Publisher's summary
An innocent refugee has been shot point-blank on the streets of Cardiff. It causes an upsurge in terrorist attacks.

An innocent refugee has been shot point-blank on the streets of Cardiff by a policeman. It's a catalyst for protests in the streets.

An innocent refugee has been shot point-blank on the streets of Cardiff by Sergeant Andy Davidson. It's the end of Torchwood as we know it.

Plot
Andy wakes up at work in the interview room with PC Nicki Owen, incapable of remembering what had happened to him and feeling a strange feeling in his hand. Owen tells him that he murdered an unarmed refugee and shows him a recording that shows him shouting racial obscenities before shooting him three times. He asks for Torchwood.

In the Hub, Mr Colchester meets Rhys, who has brought Andy. Whilst Rhys does not believe Andy could possibly have done the shooting, Mr Colchester was very critical of the police. Orr takes Andy's equipment and reacts to his desires by asking to be degraded and demonised, making them sick, although Andy insisted that that was not what he was into.

Ng visits Ro-Jedda, using her receptionist as a battering ram, and accuses her of framing Andy, which she denies. Ro-Jedda claims that the police are her top priority and has supplied them with brand new equipment.

Tyler goes to visit Andy but is told that he is on a leave of absence. He tells PC Owen, in an unofficial capacity, that the public should be aware of Andy's identity. She watches an interview with Burda Sadiki of Lives Not Bullets.

Mr Colchester tells Andy that his tests have not detected anything abnormal with him and that the footage had definitely not been altered. He tells Andy and Ng that the news have connected the shooting with that of the late DI Bunton's and, at Ng's request, looks for a connection between the two and finds that they both attended Professor Helen White's diversity seminar. Meanwhile, Jack is approached by Xander of Red Doors, who tells him of their plan.

The footage of the shooting is leaked, distressing Andy, who heads home. On the way, a shopkeeper congratulated him on killing the refugee, leading Andy to assault him. He is called by PC Owen, who tells him that she leaked the footage and says that she had called to apologise, but chose not to after he mentioned DI Bunton.

Ng goes to the university to see Professor White, but is told by Stacey that she has not been seen in some time and that, rather than being a professor of ethics, she is a professor of chemistry. Ng enters White's safe and finds blueprints of a hand that Mr Colchester connects to Andy's claims of a strange feeling in his hand. She spots Jack at the uni but heads back to the Hub.

Jack meets Stacey and a male student, both of whom are heading for the protest, and equips them with flash grenades, stun guns, flares and animal masks before leaving to recruit more people. Xander calls him and asks for Andy's address for a diversion and a "little experiment".

Rhys goes to Andy's house with beer and threatens to camp on his doorstep if he does not let him in. When journalists begin arriving, having been tipped off, Andy lets him in. Protesters arrive and throw a brick through the window, after which Rhys orders a Chinese takeaway. Using a spectograph, Orr analyses the blueprint and finds that the device requires a radio signal. Andy racially abuses and punches the takeaway man after Rhys unwittingly exposes him to radio static. He is arrested by PC Owen before Ng arrives, scares off the protesters with her gun and removes the device using a bottle opener. Orr identifies the device as a quantum splice and spots a small copyright logo for 3Sol.

At the protest, Jack continues to encourage the protesters. Ng, Rhys and Andy go to the docks and locate a container registered to both the university and 3Sol, inside of which they find the source of the transmissions and footage of Professor White's diversity seminar. Rhys finds the bodies of White and her Sorvix bodyguards, recently having been executed. Ng calls Mr Colchester and updates him. Orr tells her to meet them at Cardiff City Hall.

Xander and Jack meet and Xander tells him that Red Doors killed Professor White and her bodyguards and that Red Doors wanted the technology once the situation was dealt with.

Ro-Jedda, having eaten the police commissioner, prepares to give her speech announcing the outsourcing of policing to 3Sol. Ng uses Ioan as a battering ram once more and pulls a gun on Ro-Jedda and Tyler. PC Owen searches Ioan's desk and finds manufactory records linking the order of police radios to their technical alteration with quantum boosters. Ng is called by Rhys, who tells her that Andy's house has been burnt down. Ro-Jedda tells Ng that the transmission of the speech would activate the police officers with quantum splices and cause them to shoot into the crowd. Jack arrives and overrules Ng, taking over and making a compromise.

At the protest, Ro-Jedda delivers her speech and claims that both DI Bunton and Andy were innocent of any wrongdoing and had killed terrorists in "Operation Quantum". She claims that the police commissioner had resigned and that, until a new one could be appointed, policing would be taken over by 3Sol.

Rhys opens the door to PC Owen, who asks to see Andy. Owen apologises to him and gives him a document containing the refugee's name. He says that he plans to quit the force, but Owen asks him not to, saying that he was "one of the good ones". Andy, however, says that there might not be any good ones.

At the Hub, Ng, Mr Colchester and Orr confront Jack about how Torchwood has been run and ask how he could know about the transmission and White's death. Jack berates them and says that he is the only leader there. Yvonne Hartman disagrees and calls his bluff, asking him to "deal her in" for the game for Torchwood.

Cast

 * Captain Jack Harkness - John Barrowman
 * Ng - Alexandria Riley
 * Mr Colchester - Paul Clayton
 * Orr - Sam Béart
 * Tyler Steele - Jonny Green
 * Rhys Williams - Kai Owen
 * Sgt. Andy Davidson - Tom Price
 * Ro-Jedda - Rachel Atkins
 * P.C. Nicki Owen - Sarah Annis
 * Newsreader - Laura Dalgleish
 * Stacey - Kristy Philipps
 * Student - Aly Cruickshank
 * Takeaway Man - Richard Elfyn
 * Xander - Sanee Raval

Worldbuilding

 * Rhys likes HobNobs and leaves the malted milks. Mr Colchester says that nobody likes malted milks.
 * Ro-Jedda has introduced recycling centres to all police depots, increased funding for community outreach by 30% and supplied the police with new radios and uniforms.
 * After shooting a refugee, Andy is patted on the back by PC Pringle.
 * Lives Not Bullets is a group that speaks out against police brutality.
 * Jack turned the conference room into a private sauna by pumping steam into it. Mr Colchester restores it to its proper function.
 * DI Pete Bunton shot and killed Farooq Sadiki and later killed himself.
 * Andy volunteered for seminars on diversity and litter-picking.
 * Footage of the shooting does the rounds on clickbait.
 * Animal masks are stolen from a shop.
 * PC Owen lived in Tiger Bay and saw DI Bunton beat up children on her mother's street all the time.
 * Ng helps Stacey make stink bombs. According to Jack, they are an aphrodisiac on Meridian Prime.
 * Jack compliments Stacey on her bobble hat.
 * Jack gives Stacey and her friend flash grenades, stun guns, flares and animal masks.
 * A schlonkerfest is an event held on Meridian Prime. Ten people is barely enough for one.
 * Rhys goes to Andy's with crisps and dip and a six pack of beer.
 * Lauren Mooney is a journalist.
 * Orr runs White's blueprints under a spectograph.
 * Andy has not yet got around to renewing his TV Licence.
 * Rhys uses a dustpan and brush to tidy up after a brick breaks Andy's window.
 * Rhys orders a Chinese takeaway, including prawn crackers.
 * Rhys mentions Al Capone and his taxes.
 * Rhys suggests playing a drinking game to the current chart-toppers.
 * Quantum splices look like coral discs. They are used to chip and monitor extraterrestrial immigrants and do not always exist, making them non-invasive.
 * Jack crowd surfs at the protest.
 * Ro-Jedda ate the police commissioner. She gave her indigestion.
 * Ro-Jedda asks Ioan for a herbal tea.
 * The police radios contain quantum boosters.
 * Jack calls Tyler Ro-Jedda's tea boy.
 * Jack and Yvonne mention poker.

Continuity

 * Rhys considers Andy a close friend. (TV: Adrift, Children of Earth: Day Five)