Welcome to our World! Where we serve you cookies to ensure you get the best viewing experience on our site.

Did you know that you can remove censorship board-wide, use our advanced search functions, be notified when new content is posted, join our memberships, set episodes to show in any order you want & more if you are logged into your account?

Register or sign in here: ucp.php?mode=register

01x02 - Episode 2

Episode transcripts for the TV show, "Operation Buffalo". Aired: 31 May – 5 July 2020.*
Watch/Buy Amazon



The series is inspired by the true events of British nuclear b*mb tests conducted in the 1950s at remote Maralinga, in outback South Australia.

01x02 - Episode 2

Post by bunniefuu »

Who's gone?

Carmen. She she's gone.

CORINNE: The rumours are true -

you're flying hookers in.

Again, not the issue.

And you've lost one? Seriously?

I haven't seriously lost one,

but one may be seriously lost.

Identify yourself.

It's Leo, General.

You should know they've brought

the test forward to tomorrow.

Do you actually know

what they're really doing here?

Because I don't!

Word is the Defence Minister

has certain appetites.

MOLLY: Maybe some insurance

might be useful.

You're gonna have to

stay put for a while.

But this is where

we send people to die.

You know Alice? She told me

last week that she'd been r*ped.

(expl*si*n)

MURPHY: Hilly, mate,

this is ridiculous.

You know? Carmen could be

any-bloody-where.

If we had more men

HILLY: It's just you and me!

We can't have more men.

Do you understand?

MURPHY: I know we can't have

more men. I'm saying "IF"

HILLY: Hold on, hold on,

hold on, hold on, hold on,

hold on, hold on.

Jesus.

(JEEP DOOR CLOSES)

f*ck' hell.

Oh, sh*t!

Dead?

Nuh.

You right, mate?

He's out.

Hey, Murph

..there's a girl over here.

Please, God, let it be Carmen.

Ahh

(CLEARS THROAT)

sh*t.

Hilly

..do you think it could be him?

Who?

The r*pist, mate.

Jeep.

Pretty girl.

Leo said this is what happened

to Alice, wasn't it?

Who is she?

NEWSREEL NARRATOR:

After the detonation,

much of the real work begins.

Scientists and soldiers

at Maralinga

examine equipment

and infrastructure

to see how they've responded

to the b*mb.

As our boys trudge

through the desert and the heat,

they amass vital data,

which will inform both

government and the military

as to how to wage a nuclear w*r.

(GEIGER COUNTER CRACKLES)

(MEN CHATTER)

(GEIGER COUNTER CRACKLES)

(MEN CHATTER)

(EXHALES SHARPLY)

(LAUGHS FORCEDLY)

(EXHALES HEAVILY)

(SUITCASE LATCHES UNCLIP)

(EXHALES HEAVILY)

(SOBS)

(GROANS)

(HEAVY KNOCKING AT DOOR)

MAN: (OUTSIDE) Lunch

is being served in the mess, sir.

Right. Yes.

Thank you.

(WIND WHISTLES,

VEHICLE APPROACHES)

(CAMERA CLICKS)

WILLIAMS: (MUFFLED) Hello?

Hello? Testing.

Can you hear me?

Ugh. Bloody things.

Oh, God.

(STATIC)

BRESTON: (MUFFLED) Oh, yes.

I think I have you now,

Williams.

WILLIAMS: Ah. (INHALES)

Didn't get to 60, then?

What?

(LOUDLY) Didn't get to 60, then?!

Oh. Oh. Uh, it'll be about

40 by 10, or thereabouts.

(STATIC)

Not for long.

(BREAKING UP)

Not quite what we predicted.

MYER: What?

Shut up, Myer. We're talking!

(STATIC)

What?!

Ugh.

BRESTON: You'll find

it was 40 by 10.

They've shut it off?

What?

MYER: It only put out 35

(STATIC)

(ALL SHOUT IN FRUSTRATION)

(STATIC)

(MEN CHATTER)

So, if you'll forgive me,

Mr Moore,

what is the purpose

of your stay?

His Excellency thought

it might be a good idea

for me to spend some time

..to

..observe things around here.

Observe?

I see.

Your bloody marys, General.

Thank you, Swanny.

(CLEARS THROAT)

Keep 'em coming.

And we'll have the chablis

with the main.

SWANNY: Very good, sir.

Any particular part of the camp

you'd like to observe, Mr Moore?

MOORE: Let me assure you both

that His Excellency is a great

admirer of the work

you chaps are doing here.

And you well know the esteem

in which he holds you personally,

General.

But?

No, Major, there is no 'but'.

(CHUCKLES) Please understand,

I'm not here to poke holes.

You must know the huge

importance of this project

to Britain and the Empire.

There is no greater priority

for the cabinet

because nuclear is our future.

Her Majesty herself

is constantly briefed

on the subject.

She's keen to know all there is

to know about this place.

I say! That's a damn fine show,

isn't it, Leo?

It is, sir.

CRANKY: She's such a delightful

young thing, isn't she?

So, you're a career diplomat,

eh, then, Mr Moore?

I am, sir.

Well, if they've sent you here,

you're clearly prospering.

One has one's hopes.

Tell me, where did you school?

Winchester.

Ah.

Good.

And then?

Cambridge.

Tell me, did you ever

make the acquaintance

of those two utter b*stards

Burgess and Maclean?

Mm

No, I

..never had the pleasure, sir -

or, should I say, the shame,

sir.

Hanging's too good for them,

I say.

Commie traitors.

Hm.

CRANKY: Actually, you know,

when I think about it,

Russia's probably worse than hell.

So let them rot in Moscow

with Khrushchev, eh?

(LAUGHS)

(CHUCKLES)

My wife loves anything to do

with spies.

Can't get enough

Graham Greenes in her diet.

You know, I have it

on good authority,

Greene is a part-time spy too.

I've heard the same thing,

General.

Mm.

(KNOCK AT DOOR)

(DOOR OPENS)

Sir, Mr Moore, I'm

I'm afraid I'm being paged.

May I be excused, sir?

Yes, of course, Leo.

Thank you, sir.

We'll get to the reports later.

Mr Moore.

Please tell me you found Carmen.

We found someone else.

(SIGHS)

f*ck.

It's just never easy, is it?

Dead or alive?

Alive.

Man or woman?

Both. (CLEARS THROAT)

(SIGHS)

(MOVIE CAMERA WHIRRS)

I thought you released three

of those last night, Dr Ratchett.

RATCHETT: Six last night, actually.

And another six this morning.

(CAMERA CLICKS)

Need to establish a trail.

If ever there is one.

No trail so far?

I guess that's good news, then.

Very good news, Baxter.

It means the plume doesn't travel

..which means the radiation

doesn't either.

BAXTER: Whoo!

Wow. Looks like

that balloon's travelling.

RATCHETT: That's nature's work,

my boy, not the b*mb's.

It's a question of radium's

atomic weight, you see -

very heavy.

The cloud goes up,

the cloud comes down.

But for my purposes, of course,

I need to track the wind.

Uh, now you've lost me.

Uh (CHUCKLES)

That's one of the great things

about science -

it's a marvellous

conversation stopper.

(WIND HOWLS)

(NEWS MUSIC PLAYS OVER P.A.)

ANNOUNCER: Prime Minister Menzies

is to set out on a tour

to the United States

and the United Kingdom,

in which he will have

a series of meetings

with both

President Dwight Eisenhower

and British Prime Minister

Anthony Eden.

The atomic b*mb tests in Maralinga

are set to be at the top

of the agenda at both meetings.

Australia is clearly doing its bit.

(MEN CHATTER)

MAN: Hey, keep those buckets coming.

Keep those buckets coming.

The line's stretching quick.

Get in, get out.

Get in, get out.

BRESTON: Oh, I needed that.

Fresh air is a beautiful thing.

MAN: Oh, Dave! Mate!

(GROANS)

Feelin' a bit butchers, eh?

(SIGHS)

Yeah, Vic. I feel like sh*t.

Ah.

(VOMITS, COUGHS)

OK. OK.

(GROANS)

I'll get you up to the RCU.

(SIGHS) Thanks, Vic.

I feel really cold

all of a sudden, mate.

You get crook enough,

they'll send you to Adelaide

for a few weeks' recovery.

Yeah.

That'd be pretty sweet.

Thanks, mate.

That's alright.

Ta.

BAXTER: (OUTSIDE) Dr Ratchett?

Yes?

The scientists

want to have a word with you.

Just give me a couple of minutes.

Righto.

MAN: X-rays are fine, Leo.

No fractures.

It's a nasty blow, though.

Just needs bedrest.

CORINNE: Mm-hm.

Lewis, is there any sign of

sexual intercourse?

LEWIS: And that would be

relevant here because?

Because I'd assumed that

you'd given her a complete

examination.

Well, it depends what you mean

by 'complete', Leo.

I'd be surprised

if a consulting physician,

when presented with a patient

suffering from

evident cranial contusions

and potential subdural haematoma,

would instantly stampede

towards the vag*na

in order to ensure

the examination was complete.

(CLEARS THROAT)

Just being thorough.

Well, I must say,

yours is a very strange

and specific brand of thoroughness.

(VEHICLE APPROACHES, HORN HONKS)

CORINNE: Excuse me

for a moment, gentlemen.

Marilyn!

WOMAN: Yes?

Oh, yep. Yep, I'll do it.

Quickly, take him straight through

to Private Room 3.

Oh, God. Here we go. Come on.

That's it. I've got you now.

Come on.

(WOMAN SPEAKS RUSSIAN)

(CHUCKLES)

(SPEAKS RUSSIAN)

(CHUCKLES)

That's Russian.

I know. Can you speak it?

Just the little I picked up

in the w*r.

Did you get any of what she said?

Well, a a bit.

What bit?

The word 'people', I think.

We need Jones.

Check her luggage, will you, Lewis?

I need to call Baxter.

Uh, Jones speaks Russian? Really?

Don't leave her unattended.

Jones speaks Russian?

Nice luggage.

Hi, Alice.

Hi, Leo.

I need to talk to Baxter.

How do I?

Oh. Allow me.

Huh.

Baxter? Are you there?

BAXTER: Yeah, Leo.

Mate, can you get someone

to find Jonesy

and send him

to the hospital post-haste?

Consider it done, mate.

Tell him he may be here for some

time - he should bring a book.

(HANGS UP PHONE)

Thank you.

(g*nsh*t)

(BIRDS SCREECH)

(MEN CHATTER)

You've spent time in Cairo, Rupe.

What do you make of it?

Between you and me, Prime Minister?

Of course.

I'd get the hell out of there.

Egypt, Middle East - they're ancient.

Their problems are entrenched.

You know, I've always toed

the positive line

for you and Winston,

but, God, Tony, it will take

at least two decades

to sort out the issues

of Jerusalem alone!

Winston bequeathed you

a political and military disaster,

and he did so deliberately.

Churchill never wanted

my sun to rise, did he?

(DISTANT g*nsh*t)

I'm not sure how to put this, but

..are you in any way vulnerable?

(DISTANT g*nsh*t)

I beg your pardon, Prime Minister.

Vulnerable to what, specifically?

Your Mr Moore.

I've had word that he was

a very close acquaintance

of Guy Burgess.

Did you know about that?

Really, Tony.

Tongues are wagging in Whitehall,

Rupe.

I've been told. (SIGHS)

What are they wagging about,

specifically?

That your chief of staff

was having it off with a KGB spy.

That enough?

That was at least two years

before he came to work for me.

Nevertheless

..the most sensitive place

in the Empire, apart from Suez,

right now is Maralinga.

(DISTANT g*nsh*t)

It's in your patch,

and it's nuclear.

I can't have tongues wagging, Rupe.

What are you suggesting?

Do you love him?

I do.

(DISTANT g*nsh*t)

I'm sorry, but if you persist

in maintaining this relationship,

you'll have to resign from the FO.

Oh, don't worry, I'll make it

as dignified for you as I can -

make you a lord or something.

On the other hand

..if we were to come

to some arrangement,

I could make you permanent secretary

of the Foreign Office.

Well, you know

Dutchy's about to retire.

Listen to me, Rupe.

We have been friends for 35 years.

I want to look after you.

Oh, what do you mean by

"some arrangement"?

(g*nsh*t)

(BIRD SQUAWKS)

Eeyore! (CHUCKLES)

MAN: (IN DISTANCE) Sir!

How many have you bagged,

you mad bugger?

Oh, just the one.

(BREATHES UNSTEADILY)

SCHNEIDER SISTERS:

When the joint is jumpin'

And the night is right

And everybody's feelin' right

We get out the thimbles

and the old washboard

The kids go crazy

and they yell for more

Gonna dance and romance

to the Washboard Rock'n'Roll

Wanna do that

Washboard Rock'n'Roll ♪

(EXHALES HEAVILY)

(PHONE DIAL WHIRRS)

(LINE RINGS)

Uh, hello. I'd like to speak

with Minister Lachlan, please.

It's Molly Lipton.

Yes. Yes.

Oh, OK.

Yep.

Yes. It's Adelaide 9239.

Yes, I know the Minister.

We were together yesterday

in Maralinga.

Tell him it's very urgent.

(HANGS UP)

Hello?

(SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE)

LEWIS: So, these labels tell us

that everything in this trunk

was made in France and Italy.

It's expensive stuff.

Uh, nothing from here or Russia.

Any papers?

None that I could find.

You know, this luggage is English.

Hamstrow & Young.

My family swears by it.

I think she's English

and she's well connected.

You don't dream

in a second language.

Well, who says you don't?

Anyway, you're an Australian, Leo -

if only you had a FIRST language.

She speaks Russian.

Is that what we've come to?

Are we that paranoid,

someone just has to be able

to SPEAK Russian?

Do you have any idea

how parochial that sounds?

Do you recognise any of these?

Never seen anything like them

in my life.

JONES: What's up, boss?

Did Hilly and Murph fill you in

about the girl they found?

Yep.

Well, she can speak Russian.

She came to momentarily.

Do you really speak Russian, Jonesy?

Yeah.

Fluently?

Reasonably fluently, yeah.

How? Why?

Oh, since I was a child,

the Russians were always

my favourite writers.

I wanted to read exactly what

they wrote, so I taught myself.

What? You taught yourself Russian?

That's impossible.

OK, listen, can we focus here,

please?

I've got a gift for languages.

Admittedly, I did have five

or six lessons when I was about 12.

Had to do odd jobs to pay for them.

Alright! A heart-warming story,

to be sure.

Jonesy, I want you to stay

in this room.

Do not leave under any circumstances.

Corinne will give you a bedpan.

Really?

Yeah. If she wakes up again,

I want you to write down

every word she says.

In English or in Russian?

Well, Russian's gonna do me

a whole lot of bloody good,

isn't it, mate?

OK, Leo.

What? So you're just assuming

she's a spy?

My sentiment exactly.

I'm not assuming anything, Cor,

until we know more about her.

Why can't she just be a woman

who speaks Russian?

Well, she could be, of course,

because there are buckets of those

in South Australia, Corinne -

especially well-dressed, rich ones

who happen upon a nuclear facility.

I need to see the driver.

Are you coming?

Alright.

She needs some housekeeping.

I'll just be five minutes.

Don't you leave

before speaking to me first.

Yeah. OK.

And, Jonesy, if she does wake up

and you start chatting,

for God's sake,

don't give anything away -

especially about the camp.

We need to know why she's here

and what she knows,

not the other way round.

You speak any other languages,

Jonesy?

French, German, Spanish,

Turkish, a little Japanese -

wouldn't take it out at night.

God! Why haven't you applied

for intelligence?

Oh, I did.

But Australian intelligence

doesn't trust anyone

who speaks Russian or German, so

You know, I pass my spare time

writing a spy novel.

Do you?

I find it very therapeutic.

Not a bad little story either,

even if I am banging my own drum.

This one's gone blind.

Jesus.

Temporarily?

Don't know.

He probably dislodged his retina

in the accident.

Ironically, we're not all that

well equipped for eyes here.

Could have been blinded by

the flash of the b*mb, of course.

Academic, really, at this point.

We need to send him

to a specialist in Adelaide

as soon as he can travel.

Wait. Oi! We need to talk.

I can't right now, Cor.

Yes, you can.

(SIGHS) OK.

(MUTTERS) It never can be easy!

What is it?

I found it in the RCU this morning.

Beside a bag we keep

for storing instruments

that have been exposed to radiation.

What sort of instrument is it?

It isn't an instrument, Leo.

None that I know of.

I think it's a woman's ring.

This? Who could possibly wear this?

If I had to take a guess,

perhaps a woman who'd been

exposed to an atomic expl*si*n.

They brought her in this morning.

I was thinking it might belong

to the girl you lost.

Did she wear a large silver ring?

Maybe.

This is a melted woman's ring, Leo.

Why was she out there?

I don't know.

What was her name?

Carmen.

There's every chance

that she was abducted and r*ped,

just like Alice was, isn't there?

I don't know.

Yes, you do.

So, was she r*ped?

You must have checked.

She was remnants, Leo.

There's very little to check.

(SIGHS)

Who found her?

Why wasn't I told about this?

Well, the reason that

no-one can know about this

is that she was brought in

with two other blokes

in the same state she was.

Lewis thinks they were probably

black.

They were less than a mile

from the blast site, Leo.

Well, that's impossible.

There are no blacks here.

Oh, for God's sake, Leo!

Stop being so ridiculous.

If there are no blacks here,

then why does the army pay Dalglish

to drive out and push 'em out

past the perimeter?

I mean, I saw

what was left of them, Leo.

Christ!

You know you can't say anything.

I know, Leo.

They could sh**t you without a trial.

Leo, I bloody know!

Can I see the bodies?

They're gone.

And they weren't bodies.

They were spirited away

in lead-lined trucks.

And if they were in the RCU,

you know

that I couldn't show you in there.

Then I probably WOULD be shot.

You keep it.

I suspect you will need it

more than I do.

(SIGHS HEAVILY)

What do you think it is?

Reminds me of something.

Could it be Carmen's ring?

Her silver ring?

Right, but

..how would that become this?

A nuclear fireball, maybe.

Last night?

Do you think it's possible?

I guess.

Oh, sh*t.

Oh, sh*t. Poor Carmen.

The little that was left of her

was found with

a little of what was left

of two black blokes.

Are you saying

the black blokes took her?

I don't know.

But you could say that

if you wanted.

Solves a lot of our problems.

Especially Molly.

Leo, you have to tell Molly

that Carmen's dead.

I'll go to Adelaide in the morning.

(GENTLE PIANO MUSIC PLAYS)

(WHISPERS)

I never want to hear that name again.

Do you understand?

Yes.

ST JOHN: Charlie, please try him

again. I'm begging you.

I need to talk to him.

(CALL DISCONNECTS)

Charlie? Charlie?!

(GROANS)

(GROANS)

Uh

It's not my position, General,

I'm not condoning it.

I'm just saying both

our governments HAVE a position

and are adamant about it.

Yes, yes, of course.

But, you see, my wife asked me

in a letter the other day,

"How many Aborigines

have you met, dear?"

"What are they like?"

Now, my wife lives in Dorset

and I obviously live here.

Or is it Kent now?

One or the other.

Yet she assumes

that I have seen Aborigines,

whereas I have been told,

as you so rightly point out,

by two heads of government

and innumerable officials,

that there are no Aborigines

in this region.

Why would my wife be suffering

under this delusion, Mr Moore?

She's a clever girl.

And when I think about it, you know,

I've never really gone out there

to see for myself,

'cause they keep telling me

they're not there.

But, you know, sometimes I think

I damn well should

take a look for myself.

Otherwise it's, um a bit

remiss of me, don't you know?

Well, why don't you, sir?

Dammit, I will.

We'll get Leo and a driver.

Should be good fun.

But first, I feel as full

as a Catholic school.

Swanny, be a good chap and fetch

the Calvados, will you?

That should expel some slow learners.

Do we really need to bother

Major Carmichael, sir?

Doubtless he's busy.

My dear fellow,

every time I do something

without telling Leo first,

it turns out to be

an enormous c*ck-up.

Sir, I've had a very active career

in the public service.

Quite frankly, I don't merely

want to observe,

I want to serve.

Now, surely as busy as you are

and as busy as Major Carmichael is,

you could use an extra pair

of hands?

Yes, well, you make a good point.

Still, Leo should know

if I'm going out there.

(CRACKS KNUCKLES) Of course, sir.

MOLLY: She's missing, Bill!

Our darling girl is missing.

And she went missing

at your camp!

And you're gonna find her!

Molly, calm down and listen to me.

It's not my camp. I don't know

who you're talking about.

Her name is Carmen!

Do you hear me?!

Carmen! She was on your patch.

She was at Maralinga.

And if she's not found by tomorrow

I swear I'll take down

the lot of ya!

Christ!

I know what happens over there,

Phil.

I know everything.

And I have the negatives

and I have dozens of copies

of the photos of you and me, Phil!

I will take you down

and the government with you!

(CALL DISCONNECTS)

Hel Oh

(RANTS IN NATIVE LANGUAGE)

Minister Minister, please.

Phil! What a pleasant surprise.

Sorry, d*ck. Rude, barging in.

Sir Frank, so good to see you.

Phil, you're as white as a ghost.

Well, looks urgent.

Ought I to excuse myself.

No, Sir Frank, it's just, um

..I heard from Maralinga.

FRANK: Oh, we were just

discussing Maralinga.

So, what did you hear?

Oh, it's it's good news.

The results from the latest test

have just come through.

It's all good.

I just thought you'd like to know

as soon as possible, d*ck.

FRANK: All safe and sound, then?

Oh, everything's fine, Sir Frank.

Because d*ck and I

were just discussing the recent

Opposition attacks in the House,

accusing the PM of keeping

secrets about Maralinga.

Nonsense, of course,

but it seems to be

cutting through a little.

d*ck's opposite,

the odious Ryan fellow,

seems to be getting a bit

of a profile in the allied press.

"Odious fellow"

Sir Frank was telling me

the PM has an interesting idea.

PHIL: Excellent.

And whilst it's all

perfectly well out there,

the PM is concerned that the public

is insufficiently engaged

with the project.

He wonders if it's all a bit

distant and technical

to keep the punters interested,

and he was wondering if

the whole thing could be humanised.

Humanised?

FRANK: Mm.

Move away from the mushroom clouds

a step or two

and find a face to promote,

someone the public will like.

I told Sir Frank

we may have just the fellow.

A good-looking chap, w*r hero.

Ticks all the boxes, Phil.

Someone the public will trust.

Make the whole show feel reassuring.

Have him do tours, speeches.

Trust! Right. Yes.

I think it's a great idea, Sir Frank.

Well, I ought to be getting along.

Nothing else, Phil?

No, no, it's just a rush

of blood to the head.

I always like to be

the bearer of glad tidings.

Sorry to barge in. Thank you, d*ck.

Sir Frank.

See you in Cabinet

in the morning, Phil.

Indeed.

See you then.

(DOOR CLOSES)

sh*t! f*ck!

Jonesy.

(GRUNTS)

You scared the sh*t out of me.

What's happened?

She got away.

(CRIES OUT)

(SCREAMS)

Who are you and what are you

f*cking doing here?!

You're Australian.

I am.

And you're a soldier.

Am I in Maralinga?

Will you let me go, please?

No.

I'm British, dammit.

So you're a Russian Brit

or a Brit Russian.

Either way, we're gonna keep you

under lock and key

until we check out your story.

What story?

The one you're about to tell me.

Get up.

(GRUNTS)

Jesus, Leo!

Disappear, Jonesy.

I'll handle this.

Are you gonna talk?

I may if I find someone

worth talking to.

Leo! I say, Leo.

(MUTTERS) God.

Sir.

Been looking for you.

They thought you might be here.

Oh, you seem to have company, Leo.

Ah, this young lady was going to

observe the tests with us, sir,

but her jeep rolled

and she suffered head injuries.

General Crankford.

Yes.

Eva Lloyd-George.

Lloyd-George? I say.

My uncle is Gwilym Lloyd-George.

The home secretary.

What?

Gwilly?

Yes, Gwilly.

I believe he sent you a telegram

to say I was to be stationed here.

Gwilly. Yes, yes, of course.

Totally slipped my mind.

We've met once or twice

when I was younger

at my grandpapa's house.

He was the British prime minister

during the Great w*r, by the way.

Oh, yes, of course.

Come here.

Are you alright?

I say, that's a nasty-looking crack

on the noggin there.

Yes, I'm fine now. Thank you.

Oh, this is St John

St John Moore,

of the Foreign Office.

Miss Lloyd-George, it's an honour.

How do you do, Mr Moore?

I should help Miss Lloyd-George

back to her room, sir.

I won't be a moment.

Of course, of course.

But don't dawdle.

I need to steal you away, Leo.

Because St John and I have

decided that it's about time

we met some Aborigines.

I beg your pardon, sir?

Aborigines, Leo.

Out there.

Now?

Yes. Now, if you please.

I see. Aborigines out there.

Um sir, you know

there are no Aborigines in Maralinga.

It's the official line.

Strict government policy.

I was just telling him that.

Yes, well, my wife

thinks the government's policy

is a load of old rot.

I mean, it stands to reason,

doesn't it?

We've seen them in other spots

all round the place.

Some of them have to be here.

We employ that chap.

The Scotsman to keep them out,

don't we?

Sir, let's debate about this

tomorrow, shall we?

It's night, even if we knew

they were here,

we wouldn't have a clue where.

It's a beautiful moon.

ST JOHN: It is indeed.

Well, that settles it, then.

I'll just get changed, shall I,

General?

No, she needs bed rest.

It's doctor's orders, sir.

General, I'm fine.

Very well. Off you pop, then.

Change away.

Quick sticks.

And call me Cranky.

LZ.

EVA: I told you I was British.

LEO: Yes, but I didn't realise

exactly how British you were

at the time.

Very, very British.

And the Russian?

My mother was very, very Russian.

So just 50% British, then.

But that 50% is doubly devoted.

So, what do you do, Doctor?

Why are you here?

I'm a meteorologist.

We already have one of those.

Dear Quentin, yes.

He was my tutor at Cambridge.

I have a new research project.

It's an enormous opportunity

to be able to describe

conditions out here.

Tell me, Major, are we going to

see any Aborigines tonight?

No, no chance whatsoever.

Oh, shame.

You know, I looked in the Britannica

and the wombat has more paragraphs

than the Aborigines.

As did the koala.

Oh!

Is that a fire?

LEO: What? Where?

EVA: Stop there, please.

Cranky. Cranky, wake up.

What?

Who's there? What's going on?

Where the bloody hell are we?

We're out looking for Aborigines,

remember?

Really? When do we leave?

There's a fire over there

beside us.

Who the blazes are you?

Eva.

Huh?

Gwilly's niece.

Oh, yes. The niece. Of course.

There's a fire, you say.

Well, let's put it out, then.

I think what Dr Lloyd-George

is getting at

is that it may be

an Aboriginal camp.

Really?

EVA: Yes.

Well, tally-h*!

To the fire with speed.

Of course, sir.

I say.

My name is

General Lord Harrington Crankford.

Doubtless you've heard of me.

It's delightful to meet you.

Er you may, of course,

call me Cranky.

So, tell me all about yourselves.

Leo, do they not speak English?

No, sir.

Well, you might have told me.

I look like a damned fool.

Sorry, sir.

(CLEARS THROAT)

Parlez-vous francais?

Nor French, sir.

Dammit, man! No English, no French?

I'm sure they mean no offence, sir.

Why don't you give them a present?

Present? We don't have any presents,

do we?

May I?

It's Furlong & Enmore.

It's lovely and soft.

Splendid. Let's give it a try.

A gift?

Please.

Furlong & Enmore, Savile Row.

Sir, maybe we should be getting on.

So soon?

Yes, I expect.

Well, it's been jolly nice

to have met you.

We'll drop by again, shall we?

My wife will be delighted.

Good show.

(WOMAN SPEAKS

IN INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE)

It was the most beautiful thing

I have ever seen or heard.

Really, quite devastating.

I will grant you, there are some

things you do exceedingly well.

(KNOCK AT DOOR)

What?

Who is it?

St John Moore, sir.

Enter.

Sir

Sorry to trouble you, sir.

What is it?

I feel extremely awkward about this,

sir,

but it's something I think you

I may be wrong,

but there's something I think

you need to know.

What?

Major Carmichael has been saying

some rather disparaging things

about tonight's adventure

with the blacks, sir,

and about you.

Leo?

I find that very hard to believe.

I know it's not my place, sir.

Leo?

I just thought you should know, sir.

This is a highly,

highly sensitive facility

and you, as commandant,

must know whom you can trust.

I'm a great admirer of yours, sir.

The Boer, Kenya, France, India.

You deserve respect, sir.

Thank you, Mr Moore.

That will be all.

Thank you, sir.

(KNOCK AT DOOR)

Just a second!

Hello?

Oh, good morning.

My name's Whicker. How are you?

Good. OK, thanks.

What can I do for you, Mr Whicker?

May I come in?

Not until you tell me

what I can do for you.

Oh, yes, of course. Terribly sorry.

How rude of me. My apologies.

(CLEARS THROAT)

I'm from the Australian Security

and Intelligence Organisation.

ASIO.

May I come in?

Oh, very, uh sweet little house.

Oh, how can I help you, Mr Whicker?

Two days ago, you visited

a top-secret military

installation at Maralinga,

presumably

in your professional capacity.

And there's at least six things

wrong with that sentence.

(CHUCKLES)

I came here to ask you

a few questions.

But, more importantly

I'm here to help you, Molly.

Listen, mate,

you've got the wrong girl.

I have no idea

what you're talking about.

Hm.

I see. (CLEARS THROAT)

(YELPS)

Now, you listen to me,

you little wh*re.

We know what you've been up to.

We've been tapping Lachlan's phone.

We tap ALL the ministers' phones.

Now, I could so easily

just k*ll you, you know?

But my super, well, my super,

he must be getting soft.

He said to me, he said,

"She's just a working girl."

"She sounds smart."

"Why don't you pay her a visit,

Whicker,"

"and tell her to be discreet

to the point of silence"

"about Lachlan and Maralinga"

"and to never go back there,"

"or we should be forced to put

a very quick and very final end"

"to the matter?"

"Not just for her, but for her

little friends as well."

Now, do you understand

my super's point, Molly?

Mm-hm. (GRUNTS) Yes. Yes.

Ooh!

Good.

(KNOCK AT DOOR)

Hello.

Just leaving. (CLEARS THROAT)

Good day.

What the hell do you think

you've been doing, huh?!

Leo? Leo!

Let go of me!

(SLICING NOISE, THUDDING)

(MOLLY GASPS)

(SHRIEKS)

Oh, f*ck!

(MUTTERS)

Are you OK?

Uh-huh. (LAUGHS)

Who was he?

He said he was ASIO.

What did you do?

Nothing.

Look, there's a dead ASIO agent

on your floor.

We're not playing f*cking games here!

I called Lachlan.

Jesus, why would you do that?!

'Cause I was pissed

and I just told him that we

would blow the gaff on Maralinga

if we didn't get Carm back today.

I didn't think

he'd be the type to do this.

He probably isn't.

ASIO was probably tapping his phone.

That's what he said.

That's exactly what he said.

They were tapping his phone.

Moll, we can't fight these people.

I'm calling the cops.

No, you're not, because if you do,

you'll be found dead in a cell

by sundown.

These are very serious fellas.

OK, so, here's what we do.

We both have to clean up.

I'll call Lenny. He'll know someone

who can help with the body.

Yeah, Lenny.

If you have to call anyone,

only use payphones.

You and the other girls

have to disappear, starting today.

Somewhere very remote.

Lenny can help with that as well.

You have to be out of this house

in an hour, tops.

Leo, I'm not leaving without Carm.

Not without knowing that she's OK.

(BREATHES SHAKILY)

What?

You recognise this?

No. Should I?

It's a big silver ring.

That's not Carmen's ring.

I'm sorry, Moll,

but the news is bad.

What we think happened

is somebody abducted her

when she went to the latrine.

He took her a few miles away,

probably r*ped her.

He probably left her out there

to die,

but she managed to walk back

towards the camp.

By the time the test went off,

she was just too close.

Listen, you can't afford

to melt down right now.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry, but you have to clean up,

get your stuff together

and get out of here.

There's no time to mourn now.

(SOBS)

I want to help you.

OK? I have some money.

But, Molly, you need

to be tough right now, OK?

I am. Believe me, I am.

I am making you

the face of Maralinga.

Dad!

We only have about 90 seconds

before there'll be a knock

on the front door.

They're men I work with.

Oh, sh*t.

We can haul you away right now

and keep you in custody

pretty much forever.

Are you a spy?

Some of your people may be trying

to protect you from yourself.

You're not meant

to be seeing blacks, sir.

One of our balloons

has landed in the backyard

of one of my son's friends.

WILCOX: Is there something you know

that I, as the responsible minister,

ought to know about Maralinga?

I know it's you who's been doing

the leaking.