Power Cell (audio story)
Power Cell was the first story in the UNIT audio anthology Shutdown, produced by Big Finish Productions. It was written by Matt Fitton and featured Jemma Redgrave as Kate Stewart, Ingrid Oliver as Petronella Osgood and James Joyce as Josh Carter.
Publisher's summary[[edit] | [edit source]]
Osgood and Captain Josh Carter are sent to investigate the disappearance of a UNIT scientist.
Meanwhile, alien technology has fallen into the hands of Lyme Industries, and Kate Stewart can't persuade the company's CEO, Felicity Lyme, to give it back.
But UNIT find themselves fighting a third battle when innocent people start to die. Who are the mysterious assassins? And what does Felicity Lyme want with top secret alien technology?
Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]
UNIT scientist Professor Harrison is murdered at his home. Osgood goes to a pub quiz with Jay and Jeff, the latter of whom is killed on the bus on his way home. With Harrison's report a week overdue, Kate has Josh take her to King Henry's University and meets Felicity Lyme, whose company, Lyme Industries, funds the material science, biochemical and physics facilities and intends on taking over Harrison's work. Kate does not find this acceptable and leaves, calling Sir Peter Latcham, the minister responsible for the Department of Energy and Environment, to demand that UNIT's technology is returned.
On Kate's orders, Josh pulls Harrison's personnel file and heads to his home with Osgood. They find evidence of a struggle, his laptop wiped and a small amount of a grey viscous fluid which, at UNIT HQ, Osgood determines comes from Harrison's brain tissue. With Harrison's recent work involving alternative to fossil fuels and Lyme Industries being an energy supplier, Kate has Osgood review all technology sent to King Henry's and intends on going with Josh to reclaim them tomorrow. However, Kate is forbidden entry without a pass and is told by Lyme that her application will take five days to be processed. The technology, Osgood finds, is largely unidentified.
Osgood meets with Jay and learns that both Jeff and Tess, a lab assistant at King Henry's, have gone missing. Jay believes that he is in danger. Kate decides to make Jay Osgood's assistant and breaks into King Henry's with Josh using Osgood's sonic lockpick. They find a wounded Dr Eastwood and are unable to get him out before one of several intruders kills him. Kate and Josh flee out of a window, shot at by security, and use a camouflage field to get to Osgood in the getaway car. A bomb explodes as they leave, destroying the lab, and Kate becomes convinced that somebody high-up is leaking UNIT information.
Kate heads to Lyme Industries with Josh and an extraction team and, to her surprise, Lyme hands over the UNIT artefacts, saying that she has no further use for them. Lyme also confirms that she has hired Cerberus Global Solutions as armed security and demands that UNIT keep away.
Osgood explains to Jay what her real job is, having previously told him that she worked in government IT, and they are attacked by masked figures. Josh arrives and Jay uses the holographic thought projector to temporarily distract them with a hologram of a "robot death-machine from the future"; when the attackers realise that it is a fake, Jay sacrifices his life by detonating a plasma grenade, destroying Osgood's flat. Osgood and Josh leave with Kate, who, not trusting the government, decides that they will go to Geneva.
Although Kate is proving more of a nuisance than the Brigadier ever did, Lyme and Sir Peter believe that there is nothing that UNIT can do and toast to the future.
Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Kate Stewart - Jemma Redgrave
- Osgood - Ingrid Oliver
- Captain Josh Carter - James Joyce
- Felicity Lyme - Alice Krige
- Jay Roy - Asif Khan
- Dr Kenton Eastwood - Tyrone Huggins
- Sir Peter Latcham - Nigel Carrington
- Radio Announcer / Quizmaster - Beth Chalmers
Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Jay takes Osgood to a pub quiz with Jeff.
- The oldest stone keep in England is the White Tower.
- Osgood is unfamiliar with at least some of the Terminator films.
- Jay is with Denise.
- Lyme has been married at least twice.
- Sir Peter is in charge of the Department of Energy and Environment.
- Osgood says that Josh is not the Incredible Hulk.
- Osgood has a sonic lockpick.
- Jay went on an awful date with Tess in his third year at college. She became a lab assistant at King Henry's.
- Osgood is just getting the hang of a holographic thought projector.
- Jenkins and Walker are UNIT soldiers.
- Lyme Industries hire security guards from Cerberus Global Solutions.
- Osgood lives in a flat.
- Osgood has a plasma grenade.
- Lyme drinks Earl Grey.
Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]
to be added
Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Kate mentions her eldest. (HOMEVID: Downtime)
- Colonel Shindi is "on the mend". (AUDIO: Armageddon)
- While showing a projection of her thoughts to Jay Roy, Osgood daydreams about a police blue box and a man in a bow tie visiting her at the Tower of London. She would later meet the Eleventh Doctor at the National Gallery. (TV: The Day of the Doctor)
- Osgood mentions the Vault. (AUDIO: Tales from the Vault)
- Osgood's message tone is the Cloister Bell. (TV: Logopolis)
External links[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Official Shutdown page at bigfinish.com
