Changes Everything (audio story)
Changes Everything was the first episode of Aliens Among Us. It was written by James Goss and directed by Scott Handcock. It featured John Barrowman as Jack Harkness and introduced Paul Clayton as Mr Colchester, Alexandria Riley as Ng and Jonny Green as Tyler Steele.
After showing Gwen Cooper begin to rebuild Torchwood post-Miracle Day in the Monthly Range, the new Torchwood team is introduced through the eyes of newcomer Tyler Steele, intended as an "anti-Gwen". The story's title reflects this idea of being a reintroduction to the series by being a reversal of Torchwood's first episode, Everything Changes.
Publisher's summary[[edit] | [edit source]]
Tyler Steele has washed up in Cardiff looking for a fresh start. A disgraced journalist, he's looking into the Red Doors movement – are they really behind the terrorist attacks on immigrants? Who is stirring up the racism and hatred in the city, and what does outsourcing contractor 3Sol have to do with it? Tyler finds out that Torchwood - a secret organisation that everyone thought long gone - is back in business. Tyler realises that this is the second chance he's been looking for, and he'll do anything to be a part of it.
Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]
Tyler enters a dark and empty supply room in the Refugee Crisis Centre, expecting to meet with someone claiming to be in charge of the Red Doors Programme ("Deep Throat"). A woman appears and tells him that the person who arranged to meet with him were planning on killing him. She hears a beep and jumps with him out of the window before a bomb explodes, telling him that she is Torchwood.
Tyler runs with the woman to her car, being chased by fire drones. They escape to Cardiff Bay and hide from the drones on the invisible lift which they then use to enter the Hub. The woman introduces Tyler to Mr Colchester, who has safely neutralised the drones and shows them news coverage of the bombing. Tyler realises that his contact tried to kill him by luring him there. The three of them try to prevent a Rift breach but an alien gets through and Mr Colchester beats it to death with a spanner. The woman says that she would like to offer Tyler a job, but he runs away. The woman and Mr Colchester discuss Tyler and what he would make of "him".
In his hotel room, Tyler types an article on what had happened the previous night and looks up Torchwood, finding that some results had been removed under EU law. He receives a notification on his phone and abandons his work, realising that the article sounds unbelievable, and decides to hook up with Jack, who is using the name "Wingman42". They have sex and Tyler wakes up to find Jack on his laptop, claiming to be using it for Twitter. They both go to the candlelight vigil being held outside of the ruins of the refugee centre.
At the vigil, the Mayor delivers a speech condemning the attack and saying that everybody is welcome in the city. Jack wonders if the purpose of the bombing was to increase people's sympathy for refugees and realises too late that there is going to be a second bombing. He protects Tyler from the blast and dies. The woman wakes the unconscious Tyler up and he admonishes her for wasting time instead of preventing these hate crimes.
A few days later, Tyler approaches Mr Colchester in a café, having followed him by hacking into the CCTV. Tyler has good reason to believe that 3Sol, who painted the red doors and provided security for the vigil, are behind the bombing. He says that most people are, deep down, conservative and accuses Mr Colchester of being racist and homophobic. Mr Colchester leaves, telling him that he if off to meet his husband, a gay Muslim.
Tyler goes to 3Sol and confronts Miss Vorsun, the operations manager whom he has identified as Deep Throat. He tells her that the panic button she has pressed has been blocked by the Wi-Fi jammer in his car and confronts her about 3Sol's actions, accusing them of bombing the refugee centre to make way for luxury flats. She pulls out a gun but Jack appears and throws coffee on her. He and Tyler run and hide in the stationery cupboard as she shoots at them and try to use Jack's vortex manipulator to teleport out, but the Wi-Fi jammer stops it from working. Jack tells Tyler of his immortality and that he is part of Torchwood.
Vorsun takes hostages and starts killing her colleagues one at a time. Tyler tells her to fire away and she does so until Jack exits the cupboard, blaming Tyler for what has happened. She shoots Jack, who kills her with his concealed gun after coming back to life. Vorsun loses her human form in death.
Jack and Tyler watch the Bay Express from a rooftop and they discuss Cardiff. Jack tells him that aliens have invaded the city and taken over. Although he thinks that Tyler would be an asset in solving this problem, Jack refuses to hire him due to his seeming disregard for human life. They kiss and Jack tells him to continue investigating and to keep in touch with him.
At Roald Dahl Plass, Tyler tries to enter the Hub through the invisible lift. The woman brings him a coffee and they sit and talk about his situation. As she walks away, Tyler asks what her name is. She tells him that her name is Gwen Cooper. He goes to Cardiff City Hall and waits in the Mayor's office for him. He tells him that he should give him a job.
Cast[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Captain Jack Harkness - John Barrowman
- Mr Colchester - Paul Clayton
- Ng - Alexandria Riley
- Tyler Steele - Jonny Green
- The Mayor - Stephen Critchlow
- Vorsun - Ruth Lloyd
Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]
- The Red Doors Programme was a council programme for which 3Sol painted refugees' housing with red doors, causing the refugees to become victims of hate.
- Ng drives a Smart car, which she paid extra to make bulletproof. She says that it is as fireproof as a choc-ice.
- Ng Googled Tyler and read about his past.
- Ng almost runs over Huw and Doris.
- Tyler hacked Katie Price's emails.
- Ng parks outside the Millennium Centre.
- Tyler keeps fit by doing hot yoga and CrossFit.
- Ng offers Tyler tea, although he wants coffee.
- Mr Colchester asked Tyler Steele if Lady Gaga was busy.
- Something in the Hub is stealing lemons.
- The Refugee Crisis Centre is bombed, killing more than thirteen people.
- Jack Harkness describes his immortality as "not Beyoncé immortal".
- The Hub steals power from a fusion restaurant across the way, called Thaixicana.
- Mr Colchester tells Ng and Tyler to put on hard hats.
- Tyler asks if the Hub is built over an old coal mine.
- Ng says that men only swear at computers with female voices. Mr Colchester responds by saying that only liars and feminists say so.
- A report declared the Rift to be no longer an issue, leading the Torchwood rebuilding fund to be cut when the stock market crashed.
- Torchwood's bank manager went missing with their money after the Hub's destruction.
- Jack brings Tyler champagne.
- Jack claims he has been on Twitter.
- When Tyler was a child, he enjoyed eating sugar cubes, especially brown ones.
- Mr Colchester sarcastically says that he would rather watch a pop-up advert for payday loans.
- The Millennium Stadium was suggested as a venue for the vigil.
- Mr Colchester's husband is a Muslim.
- Tyler traces the IP address of the messages he received.
- Vorsun is operations manager at 3Sol.
- Tyler bought a Wi-Fi jammer at Newport Road.
- Vorsun says that 3Sol is the new Celtic Tiger.
- The Bay Express runs several times an hour between Queen Street and the Cardiff Bay.
- Tyler has Facebook.
- Jack asks Tyler if he has done pornography.
- Sandra is the Mayor's personal assistant.
- Tyler mentions Brexit and EU law.
Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]
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- This story was made available as a free download for Big Finish's Weekly Freebies, also known as lockdownloads, from 17 to 23 August[1] & 13 to 20 December, 2020.[2] Its page is still online, though has no purchase widget.[3]
Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Ng mentions that the city council was planning to build a car park over the Hub. (AUDIO: More Than This)
- Mr Colchester recalls the destruction of the Hub. (TV: Children of Earth: Day One)
- The hub is built on the Cardiff rift. (TV: The Unquiet Dead, Everything Changes, etc.)
- Ng recalls Gwen Cooper's first day at Torchwood. (TV: Day One)
- Jack Harkness tells Tyler how a friend of his once said "No second chances." (TV: The Christmas Invasion)
Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]
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