The Custodians (TV story)

The Custodians was the ninteenth episode of Series 1 of K9 and focused on June.

Synopsis
"Little Green Men" is a new virtual reality game that is sweeping the nation. It is the brainchild of a strange company that has designs on taking over the youth of the world. However the game has a hidden secret. It has a link to a strange telepathic alien that turns humans into his own kind. K9, Starkey and June race to save Darius and Jorjie from being turned into scaley green creatures. Gryffen tries his best to save the youngsters as their condition worsens.

Plot
At the Gryffen House, Jorjie opens up her new VR game, Little Green Men. She puts on a VR headset that resembles a pair of alien hands and enjoys the game. In the Department Mobile HQ, June listens to news of panic spreading across London and around the country. The Emergency services have been swamped with calls. June asks the driver why aren't they moving. He tells her the city is in chaos and that huge queues are building up, making it impossible for emergency vehicles to make their way to the hospital. She finally makes contact with Gryffen and asks him where Jorjie and the boys are. He says they were doing homework the last time he checked; is anything wrong? She tells him to get them. June tells the driver to drive to Gryffen's house. Gryffen walks in on Jorjie playing and tells her that her mother wants her. She doesn't respond to him. He goes up to her and calls her but gets no response. He touches her headset but is pricked by razor-sharp spines that have suddenly grown. He calls June and tells her to come by immediately. Gryffen goes downstairs to check on Darius and finds him in Mariah with the same headset that Jorjie had. Gryffen touches it and is pricked again.

Gryffen carries Darius into the STM room and calls for Starkey and K9 to go to the Chess room. June arrives and goes to the chess room. She is shocked to see Jorjie in her current state. Gryffen warns her not to touch the headset. Gryffen says they have to get to a hospital. June says she doesn't need a doctor; she needs a scientist. Gryffen calls for Starkey and K9 but they have no answer. Gryffen suspects Starkey might be in the same state as Darius and Jorjie. K9 arrives with Starkey who is fine, much to Gryffen's relief. K9 scans Jorjie and Darius and sees they have strong vital signs and no tissue damage. June goes to pull the headset off but Gryffen warns her not to touch it. K9 says the spines are the headset's self-defense mechanism. Gryffen asks Starkey about the game. Starkey says its a networked virtual reality game and all the kids are mad about it. K9 says it's a VR headset and an interactive game controller. Gryffen warns that what is happening to Jorjie and Darius could be happening to all the children using it. June says it's a matter of national security and parents will besiege hospitals with their kids. K9 detects that out of the 21 million calls received by the emergency services in the last thirty minutes, twenty million calls feature the keywords 'son', 'daughter', 'Little Green Men' and 'VR Game'. Twenty million children have been infected. K9 detects a weakness in the VR signal and June manages to pull the headsets off.

Darius and Jorjie appear pale and stare into space as if their minds have been wiped clean. Some sort of signal is being transmitted by the game which is disrupting their neural processes. K9 says that nothing on Earth or in the rest of the cosmos could do that. In his database of 22 million systems of transmission from nine thousand worlds across ten thousand centuries he hasn't seen this one, therefore it doesn't exist. Gryffen suggests he hasn't encountered it. K9 tells him that if it existed the transmission would be of such power and sophistication its creator could not possibly be unknown to him. June takes a look at the box and finds it was made by Greenroom Entertainment. She decides to pay them a visit and Starkey asks to join her. She says that as a matter of national security, the Department will handle this. However Starkey refuses to sit here and do nothing. K9 agrees with Starkey and they both go with June. They get to the front door of Greenroom Headquarters. June presses the buzzer and introduces herself. She is told that Senior Vice-President John is unavailable. When she emphasises that she is from the Department, the doors open.

They see a recording of John apologising that he isn't available. Starkey recognises him as a Custodian. June warns that he has thirty seconds until K9 levels the building. K9 says in a demonic voice that his Doomsday weapon is online and Armageddon mode is activated. John gives in and they go to the lift. June asks Starkey about the Custodians. He tells her they run juvenile detention centres and he was strapped to their VR education systems. They meet John. June asks him about the game Little Green Men and how to stop it. He tells her Greenroom entertainment is aware of the situation and is working to resolve the problem; normal programming will resume shortly. June gets K9 to threaten him again. She asks where the signal is being delivered from. He says it's from the presentation room. She asks where that is. When he doesn't answer, K9 threatens him again. John tells her it's on Level Three. K9 detects an alien and goes to investigate. Starkey follows him and leaves June.

At Gryffen's House, he sees that Jorjie's arm is turning green and lumpy. He contacts June, he says her condition is stable but there is some sort of infection and her skin is becoming hardened and discoloured. She asks what is happening. He tells her he doesn't know as he isn't a medical Doctor. She tells him to keep her updated. June tells John they have to go to level three and shut the signal broadcast down. He tells her there is no need as they are on level three. She argues that nothing is being broadcast from here. She warns him not to mess with her. Thorne arrives. She ascertains Little Green Men is his creation but he tells her the she needs a higher security clearance for him to confirm it. K9 searches for the alien. Starkey arrives in a darkened room where he is soon met by K9. They spot a heavily breathing alien in a chair. K9 cannot identify it as an existing species in his memory banks; logically it shouldn't exist. Starkey asks if it's extinct. K9 said the thought hadn't occurred. Gryffen takes a sample of the green skin off Darius. He contacts K9 and asks if he and Starkey are safe. Starkey assures him and asks about Jorjie and Darius. Gryffen tells him he's losing them to an infection. He's done tests but he can't isolate it as the signal is unstable. K9 suggests it's because of proximity to the telepath.

K9 tells Gryffen to examine one of the headsets to look for glitches. K9 tells Starkey he thinks he knows how the signal is delivered. He scanned for machine based modes of delivery but ommitted scans for telepathic transmissions. Even the most powerful telepaths in the universe would not be capable of sending though impulses anywhere near this intensity. Its controlling 20 million children's minds. K9 identifies the alien as an Etydion, the most powerful telepathic race that ever lived. K9 didn't scan for a neural signal; it was not known that there was a living Etydion in the universe. Starkey suggests they were slaves but K9 explains that the Etydions willingly sold themselves, having been at one time the most valuable commodity in the universe. With an Etydion in your invasion armada, it could broadcast a wave of fear so intense, that the opposing army would drop their weapons and flee. The vanquished and conquered banded together to vapourise the Etydion homeworld. K9 tells Starkey it is tied up as a necessity. Because Etydions are receivers as well as transmitters, if they transmit nothing then they must be made to feel nothing. They have to be completely cut off from their senses. K9 is contacted by Gryffen, who has found the glitch, a low level emitter in the middle digit of the claw attached to unidentified alien DNA, which K9 tells him is Etydion DNA to amplify the telepathic signal. Starkey receives a signal in his brain from the Etydion. Starkey apologises that he can't help him.

The light is suddenly turned on and Starkey and K9 hide as Thorne shows June the Etydion on the screen. This shocks her, she warns Thorne that anyone found abducting aliens, sheltering or harvesting secrets about technology from an extra-terrestrial can be secretly tried and convicted by the Department. John tells her that he wasn't abducted. He offered himself to them as it was frightened and sick when he came. Hhe was given the home it wanted. In gratitude, the Etydion gave Greenroom Entertainment a means to reach its target audience in ways that they never dreamt was possible. The target audience being children, the future, the VR games are clearly the first step in reaching them: a networked virtual reality broadcast, coupled with a mild telepathic signal to draw and hold the audience. This will produce the kind of children every educator and every parent wants, good children. As Thorne tells June, good and quiet children make good and quiet citizens. John signals the Etydion as Thorne tells June it's what they have been working for, a population that will be happy, content and untroubled. June argues that it's because they can't think. Thorne calls it an "overrated pastime". Despite K9's warnings, Starkey decides to show himself and is followed by K9.

K9 tells the Etydion to release Starkey from his control. June is contacted by Gryffen. He tells her he's losing Jorjie and Darius; this is far bigger than an invasion. They are being changed on a cellular level. Despite Gryffen's warning, she insists that he shows her them. She is heartbroken at what is happening to Jorjie. She shows Thorne what his broadcast is doing. Thorne gives in and tells John to shut the transmission down. When John doesn't comply, Thorne orders him. John asks him for the magic word, Thorne threatens him with violence if he doesn't obey. He tells Thorne and June that he wants fifty million credits to end the transmission. Thorne realises he is being blackmailed, John tells him to remember before he bounces his "little head", he is the only one who knows how the transmission works. Thorne refuses to give in. June demands he gives it to him. He tells her the Department will be bankrupt if he authorises the transfer. June explains that the Department will be needed as there will be no Human population to protect. She begs him to save Jorjie. As Gryffen comes back to the Chess room he is shocked to find the mutation has progressed. The children's skins have become greener and are growing spines. Thorne gives in and announces the credits will be transferred once the transmission ends. When John delays, Thorne and June demands he ends the transmission now. He tells them he's trying to but something is wrong; the creature won't respond.

K9 detects a massive neurological surge. Starkey, under the Etydion's control, pulls the wires connecting it. Now John has no control. John doesn't understand what's happening but June does: he has been outsmarted; the Etydion was tricking him; neither John or Thorne were in control. As June goes to the presentation room, Thorne tells John that he'll see his containment sectors from the inside. K9 tells the Etydion to free Starkey as he is no threat. the only threat is K9 if Starkey is harmed. The Etydion releases him as June and Thorne arrive. K9 tells them the Etydion is irreplaceable as it is the last of its species. June tells Thorne he has to destroy it. K9 tells them the Etydion plans to make Earth its new home and populate it with its own kind. However, even an Etydion isn't that powerful so he is using the DNA in the headsets to amplify the signal. Thorne prepares to take action but the Etydion affects him with its mental powers and knocks him out. June tries to kill it, but is affected as well. K9 tells him that his determination is threatening lives and he has no choice but to stop him. Starkey then shoots K9 and disables him.

June gets back up and K9 warns her not to use the weapon. He won't be able to protect her. She shows Jorjie to the Etydion and begs him not to take her away from her. Gryffen contacts June, telling her the alien DNA has stopped spreading. K9 explains that the Etydion is a receiver and transmitter of emotions and is currently receiving very strongly. Darius and Jorjie return to normal as the Etydion dies. Gryffen contacts June and shows her Jorjie, restored to normal.

Cast

 * K9 Mark 2 - John Leeson
 * Starkey - Keegan Joyce
 * Jorjie Turner - Philippa Coulthard
 * Darius Pike - Daniel Webber
 * Professor Alistair Gryffen - Robert Moloney
 * June Turner - Robyn Moore
 * Thorne - Jared Robinsen
 * John - Bash Kruck
 * Etydion - Tarek Beheby

Production crew

 * Writer - Shayne Armstrong, S.P. Krause
 * Director - James Bogle
 * Producers - Penny Wall, Richard Stewart, Simon Barnes
 * Executive producers - Jim Howell, Grant Bradley, Steve Robbins
 * Associate producers - Bob Baker, Paul Tams
 * Supervising producer - Dale Bradley
 * Co-Executive producers - Mark Blythe, Sam Tromans
 * Line producer - Pam Collis
 * VFX Director - David Napier
 * Series Production Designer - Jon Dowding
 * Episodic Designer - Adam Head
 * New K9 Design by - Paul Tams, Alex Kubalsky
 * Series Director of Photography - Ben Nott
 * Episodic Director of Photography - Tony O'Loughlan
 * Music by - Christopher Elves
 * K9 theme music by - Michael Lira
 * Editor - Patrick Stewart
 * Casting - Faith Martin and associates
 * Episodic casting - Lisa Maloney
 * Drama/Dialogue coach - Peter Kent
 * Story Producer - Greg Walters
 * Script Adaption - Michaeley O'Brien
 * Production Accountant - Pru Donovan
 * 1st Assistant Director - Peter McLennan
 * Script Supervisor - Sue Ketchington
 * Costume Designer - Joanne Thompson
 * Makeup Designer - Sharon Robbins
 * Puppeteer - David Pawsey
 * Location Manager - Charles Boyle
 * Sound Recordist - Ian Grant
 * B Camera Operator - Dan Maxwell
 * Gaffer - Steve Monk
 * Key Grip - Billy Harmer
 * Special thanks to - Space Furniture, Shredox, J. Barbour & Sons Ltd, Heath Williams at Firefly Lighting, Videopro
 * Safety Supervisor/Stunt Coordinator - Danny Baldwin
 * Transport Manager - Alister Ward
 * Unit Manager - Graeme Suhr
 * Post Production Facility - Cutting Edge Australia
 * Head of Post Production - John Lee
 * Sound Design - Warren Pearson

Story notes

 * After this episode's broadcast on Disney XD, broadcast of new episodes halted and Taphony and the Time Loop wouldn't be broadcast until 2nd October, a gap of over 4 months between the two episodes.

Ratings
to be added

Myths
to be added

Filming locations
to be added

Production errors
to be added

Continuity

 * When Starkey asks what happened to the Etydions, he suspected "Galactic Slavers". (K9TV: Curse of Anubis)
 * The footage of Jorjie that June shows the Etydion is from K9TV: Sirens of Ceres.

Home video releases
This episode is featured in the Series One complete boxset.