Ascension (Torchwood Soho audio story): Difference between revisions

|setting          = [[London]], [[Wales]] and [[Moscow]], [[1950s]]

Andy and Father Dinsdale are joined by a number of believers in the wake of the recent Ascensions and Father Dinsdale puts them to work on his [[farm]]. Not understanding why he would have them do this if the world is ending, Andy learns that Father Dinsdale has had three groups Ascend in the past but has always been left behind and that the next Ascension will be at [[midnight]] in two days' time. Norton keeps up the pretence with Lyme that he is making progress with the higher-ups and visits Armitage with Sir Reginald, [[Ruddigore (Ascension)|Ruddigore]] from the [[Ministry of Works]], [[archbishop (Ascension)|the Archbishop]] and various others to discuss Ascension as what he calls the [[Ascension Action Group]].  

Norton makes little progress, but claims otherwise when he meets with Lizbeth, who is upset by [[Maggie (Ascension)|Maggie]]'s Ascension, and when Andy calls him whilst he and Lyme are walking [[Bunbury]]. Lizbeth visits [[Bertie de Souza|General de Souza]], an old friend, and gets him to take over the Ascension Action Group to ensure that work is done. De Souza puts a stop to Norton's plan, [[Operation Angel Wings]], as he believes that a powerful weapon is responsible for the Ascensions and that it must be investigated before any action can be taken. He takes the operation under [[military]] control, frustrating Norton and leading him to form an alliance with Armitage and to fall out with Lizbeth. In Wales, the Ascension begins and Andy sees a blinding light.

Lizbeth and Lyme find Andy left behind at Father Dinsdale's farmhouse, upset that Norton had forgotten to rescue him before the Ascension. Lyme changes the locks on [[14 Endicott Terrace|his and Norton's home]] out of anger and Andy demands that Norton sends him back to his own [[time]], which Norton agrees to do if he helps him with the task de Souza has given him: to find a way to weaponise the Ascension and test it in another [[country]]. Lizbeth travels to [[Moscow]] with Father Dinsdale to work on this mission and employs the assistance of [[Aleksandr (Ascension)|Aleksandr]] of the [[KVI]], knowing that his government will eventually shut down the project she finds obscene.

Aleksandr shows Lizbeth a machine, found in a crashed [[spaceship]], which shows the spread of the [[idea]] of Ascension and indicates that something within the idea can affect the physiognomy of those that believe in it. Father Dinsdale spreads the news of Ascension and gathers followers in Moscow whilst further Ascensions occur in [[Havana]], [[China]], [[Egypt]], [[North Korea]] and [[Cuba]], delighting Armitage. When Lizbeth tells Aleksandr to expose and stop the project, he locks her up and joins Father Dinsdale's mass Ascension event of other a thousand people, which de Souza and Armitage celebrate. Afterwards, Lizbeth analyses the [[coal]]-like substance left behind and, before she is captured by the Soviets, informs Norton that it is the most powerful [[fuel]] the Earth has ever known.