Black Hunger (TV story)

Synopsis
The Department are using an alien device which literally eats rubbish. Darius sees an opportunity to make some money and snatches the device. However the alien virus in the device escapes and threatens to devour everything it touches.

Plot
In the sewers, two men in hazard suits are looking through the rubbish dumped there. One of them then uses a device which sprays Microbes on the rubbish, Darius walks in and hides as he takes a look. The Nanoforms manage to consume all of the rubbish, Darius is interested in this. Darius then makes a noise which alerts the men to his presence but he manages to run away before they catch him. As one of the men grabs an empty can of Cola, the nanoforms start to eat at his hand as the other man sucks the Nanoforms back into the device. At the House Gryffen and Starkey fail an experiment, Gryffen complains that there is a hygeine problem with "three teenagers and a dog running around". Gryffen tells Starkey he has traced the contamination to the Chess room, the source is Pepperoni Pizza. When Starkey argues that he pays Darius to clean up, Gryffen tells him Darius promised to today but hasn't. Starkey and K9 look through the dirty chess room as Darius looks through the sewer to snatch the device, he then finds an empty hazard suit.

At Department HQ, June asks the survivor about the accident, he tells her he suspects it's alien. He tells her a mishap like this hasn't occured any other time he used the device, June suggests it could have been a malfunction but he says that the microbes are harmless as yeast and have turned into "bloodthirsty flesh-eaters". Darius brings the device to the house and uses it on the rubbish, he is amazed at it's efficiency. The worker shows June the scene of the accident, where they find the device is gone, she scans the empty hazard suit and detects a possible alien trace. Drake arrives wondering where the device is, the worker tells him it's gone. Drake firmly demands the worker tells him where it is. Drake asks what June is doing here, June asks him the same question as this is merely a city sanitation issue. He tells her that dissapearance of state property is a very serious problem. June then asks him how he heard about it so quickly, he replies that he is "Eternaly vigilant".

In the Chess room, Darius wakes up from his nap as the Microbes clean his rubbish up for him. As he is unknowingly followed by microbes he uses the device to retreat them back. Jorjie arrives angry that she has been sent to help clean up, K9 and Starkey give her another compliments for her to accept helping them. When they arrive in the Chess room and are shocked to find the room absolutely spotless. He gives a generic excuse for how he cleaned it up and shows Starkey his cleaned clothes. Darius blames K9 for a fart sound but he says it wasn't him as Darius knows. Starkey and Jorjie ask what the thing under the red sheet is and reveal the device. K9 detects an unstable cross species, ordinary yeast cells spliced with something "more sinister". Darius compares it to a simple vacuum, K9 detects he is lying.

Cast

 * K9 Mark 2 - John Leeson
 * Starkey - Keegan Joyce
 * Jorjie - Philippa Coulthard
 * Darius Pike - Daniel Webber
 * Professor Alistair Gryffen - Robert Moloney
 * June Turner - Robyn Moore
 * Drake - Connor Van Vuuren
 * Thorne - Jared Robinsen

Production crew
to be added

Story notes

 * This is the first K9 episode to feature the death of a Human.

Ratings
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Myths
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Filming locations
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Production errors
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Continuity

 * Atrios appeared in DW: The Armageddon Factor.

Home video releases
to be added