Despite the Fear (episode)


*The following article is written from an Out of Universe perspective.*

Despite the Fear was the second episode of Series 4 of Panopticon. It was written by Jane Espenson and directed by Billy Gierhart.

Synopsis

Cordale has escaped, and free of her cell, she can now become anything and anyone. The citadel has been put into quarantine and a witch hunt commences. Everyone has been accused, and it’s only a matter of time before someone innocent gets hurt. Gregori may be forced to revive something best left dead, to get Cordale back.

Plot

Gregori angrily storms down a corridor of the citadel, a guard either side of him, as the red alert alarm sounds, and he sweeps his cape as he goes forward. Gregori reaches the press room, whereby he makes a statement. He speaks with anger as he says that the Vex enemy agent, “Cordale”, has escaped her imprisonment, and then reveals to everyone that Vex have the power to turn into anyone or anything and they could be anywhere. Before any questions can be asked, Gregori storms out of the room, and tells the guards that he wants them to locate an old friend of his…

The Rogue slams his fists on his desk in anger, alone in his office. He then puts on his collar and storms out of his office, into the Panopticon, whereby the Panopticon representatives are sitting down. The Rogue addresses them telling them that he is using the powers intrusted within him by the Panopticon, as Gallifrey’s First Minister, to put the Citadel into lockdown and invoke a quarantine, until the enemy agent has been once again captured. The Rogue maintains that he is doing this with regret, but it is necessary given what has happened, but he empathises that the Lord President should never have allowed it to happen. There is a sudden rush of murmurs as the Rogue hastily leaves the Panopticon, before the representatives all erupt, talking over each other and looking uneasy.

Presta stands in the village, looking on at the Citadel in the distance, as a red forcefield is put around it, and suddenly all the spaceships and shuttles heading towards it are halted and told to go around. She says that something really bad must be going on, if Gregori is closing the Citadel.

The alarm sounds on the Vex ship, as Francis and Ohila’s shuttle crashes into the landing bay, with an almighty bang. Will and Kendara, run off, out of Pryex’s sight in the chaos, finding themselves amongst the rest of, what seemed like an eerily quiet ship, for the first time. Francis and Ohila exit the shuttle, evading the Vex guards, who form into a corporeal form to confront the intruders. Ohila tells Francis that Will and Kendara are nearby.

Harris calls a troop of guards to his quarters in the citadel, claiming that his neighbour, Civlo, a young Gallifreyan, is Cordale in disguise. They arrest Civlo and take him away. Harris tells them that the Vex scum will be wiped away from Gallifrey.

Gregori and the Rogue meet in the Panopticon as they discuss the search, but both say that they have negative results. However, the guards enter with Civlo in their arms, saying that they’ve found Cordale. Gregori stares into the eyes of Civlo and smiles, telling him that she can come out now, the games up – and the two of them can have an interrogation session, back in her cell. Civlo says he has no idea what the President is talking about and claims he is innocent. Just then, a woosh a wind passes buy, before Cordale appears in front of them. One of the guards fires his staser at her, but it bounces away back onto him, killing him. Civlo says that he is innocent, and there’s been a mistake – Cordale maintains that she cannot let anything happen to any innocents, she just wants to be let go as she turns back into her incorporeal form again and vanishes.

Fassile enters Gregori’s office, telling him that he’s just dealt with the 20th case of a neighbour being accused of being Cordale. He tells Gregori that the population are really very frightened. Gregori just simply replies with one word: ‘good’. Fassile asks what he wants him to do, to which Gregori thinks for a moment and says that he needs to work with the Rogue to coordinate the quarantine efforts. Gregori says he’ll take charge of finding Cordale – personally. Fassile says that the Rogue can be a very difficult man, but Gregori just chuckles as the comment puts a spring in his step.

The Rogue stands before a disgruntled crowd, angry about the fact that the citadel is in such a danger. The Rogue tells people that as long as they stay in their own homes, they will be safe, as an enemy agent has nothing to gain by attacking them as civilians. He stresses that as long as they are walking up and about the citadel, she could interpret them as a threat – so the Rogue kindly advises them to leave immediately to safety. Most of the crowd disperses but Harris stays, still angry. He asks the Rogue how this could have been allowed to happen, and why Cordale wasn’t executed. The Rogue simply says, ‘No comment’ and Harris has no authority anymore, and he should be mindful to remember that.

Will and Kendara run hand-in-hand through the corridors of the ship, but they are soon stopped as Pryex forms in front of them. She asks where they think they are going, but Kendara just tells her that she made a very big mistake releasing her mother’s body. Pryex just laughs and tells the two of them that it was a risk worth taking.

Fassile tells the Rogue that something needs to be done about the situation. He says that the public are on the verge of revolution – either that, he says, or they will just murder each other thinking someone they just don’t like is a Vex. The Rogue agrees and says ideally what they need is a Vex detector. Fassile chuckles and says that would be nice, but impossible to develop in such a short space of time. The Rogue asks Fassile if he can deal with the public on his own, as he needs to attend to something.

Alone, in the citadel, in an empty storeroom – Cordale reforms herself, as she falls to the ground and just silently weeps, as tears stream down her face. She looks around the room, trying to compose herself, but she just can’t stop.

Ohila and Francis crawl through a ventilation shaft. Francis says that the geography of the ship makes no sense, as the rooms and corridors seem to be continually moving. Ohila says that for all they know the ship is a Vex itself too – they know so little about them that they have no idea what their powers are capable of. Francis shudders as he continues to crawl, feeling disgusting that his hands and knees could be moving over a living being.

Gregori meets in an alleyway, towards the bowels of the citadel, with a shady looking man, in a long coat and a fedora hat, lurking in the shadows. Gregori asks for the man’s help and says that he’ll give him the full support of a new ‘revived’ Order of Rassilon. The man, Andark, steps out of the shadows and smiles, saying that he’s ‘in’.

The Rogue enters his secret lab, whereby he finds Caldera standing behind a desk, fiddling about with a piece of junk. Caldera simply asks if the Rogue has come there for a Vex detector, and the Rogue asks how he knew. Caldera laughs, saying the Rogue only pays his any visits in person when he wants something really badly, and considering the current situation, it doesn’t take a genius (which he stresses, he is) to work it out. The Rogue asks if he’s got one then, and Caldera says, ‘not yet’, but he will have something soon and that he’s seeing positive results.

Gregori sits behind his desk, contemplating. He stares forwards – a menacing scowl. He looks down at a monitor and sees the citadel looking deserted, nearly everyone’s followed the advice and retreated into their homes. Gregori smiles as he knows they are getting close to finding her. Andark enters Gregori’s office, and says that it has been done, to which Gregori tells him that they should be getting on with their first directive then – find the enemy agent. Andark nods.

Gordra meets with Fassile in the Panopticon. He says that the guard have been stationed in every sector of the citadel and it won’t be long before they pick up on any disturbances she may cause. Fassile tells him that Cordale needs to be brought to proper justice, and that he has concerns about her interrogation, as no official interrogators have been involved in the process. Gordra stays silent, not saying anything, but his look paints a picture in itself.

Pryex tells Will and Kendara that Leela’s body held within it an encoded message for their main operative on Gallifrey, and it’s only a matter of time before contact is re-established. Kendara becomes upset as she cries out that Pryex used her, but Pryex laughs and just tells her that she shouldn’t have been so trusting to her mother’s own murderer. Will sternly puts his fists up towards Pryex, but she disappears into her incorporeal form after saying that ‘they’ll never get out’.

The Rogue takes a screaming young man into his lab and tells Caldera to use him as a test subject. Caldera asks the Rogue whether that’s really ethical but the Rogue claims that their neighbour reported him, and he needs testing. Caldera, not wanting to argue, agrees, as he gets to work.

Gordra reports to Fassile, telling him that someone has been killed. Fassile is horrified and asks why and how to which Gordra tells him that ‘they thought it was Cordale’ and it was only after they killed them that they realised they weren’t. Fassile is a bit shaken up by the news but thanks Gordra for telling him, suggesting that they compensate the family. Gordra also tells Fassile that three other people have gone missing, and he believes that upon investigation the same thing may have happened. However, at that moment, Fassile gets a call from Gregori to come to the situation room at once. Fassile tells Gordra to come along.

Francis and Ohila reach the end of the ventilation shaft on the Vex ship, where they find themselves in some kind of data hub. Ohila says she senses them nearby, but Francis chuckles and says that they don’t need to ‘sense’, not when they can see their precise location – before Ohila looks up and sees the two of them on a screen ahead of them. Ohila says: “West corridor 41?” and Francis tells her that they should go.

Fassile and Gordra enter the situation room, to find Gregori and Andark around the main control table. Gregori asks what Gordra is doing here, and Fassile says as the Lord Castellan, he felt he needed a place at the table. Gregori reluctantly grunts and says that they’ve got a positive ID and the enemy agent’s whereabouts. Andark explains that an alien energy signature has been detected by the docking ring, and it looks like she is trying to make a run for it. At that moment, Fassile interrupts asking just who Andark is and why he is there. Gregori tells him it’s none of his business, but Gordra, recognising Andark, tells Fassile just to let it go, and that he doesn’t want to mess with the Order of Rassilon. Fassile asks what the Order of Rassilon is and Andark explains, saying that they are the best hope of saving Gallifrey, and adding that Fassile really shouldn’t cross them. Gregori then orders that the docking ring is sealed off and that the four of them make up a party down there.

A test subject leaves the Rogue’s lab, terrified, but relieved. Caldera asks the Rogue if they can stop now, but the Rogue says that they will test everyone who is reported if they have to – he will not have Gallifrey compromised. Caldera tries to suggest that working on a system to scan for Vex DNA signatures will be far more effective than doing a 25-minute exam on every person they are suspicious of. The Rogue says that he agrees but until they can scan for Vex agents then they should continue doing this. Caldera disagrees as he says that this is wasting his valuable time. The Rogue tells him that he doesn’t want excuses, he just wants results.

Gregori, Andark, Fassile and Gordra arrive in the docking ring, armed with stasers – drawn. A giant forcefield can be see outside, pulsating, closing off the citadel in its quarantine. Gregori calls out for Cordale, telling her to reveal herself, or they’ll just destroy all living matter in the vicinity if they have to. Fassile turns to Andark if that’s possible before he smirks and replies that ‘it can be arranged’. Just then – a shuttle moves, and then throttles forwards towards the forcefield. Gordra fires his staser at the shuttle’s engines, shooting it down. The group then run over to it, firing stasers at the door and entering. Inside, they see Cordale by the controls – whimpering.

Will and Kendara notice that the alarm turns off as they walk through the corridor. Then they notice that as they walk, they seem to be looping around. And then it hits – Pryex has put some sort of spatial loop on the corridor and trapped them there. However, as soon as the two begin to give up, the corridor is blown open, and the alarm comes through again from the other side, as in a puff of smoke, Francis and Ohila stand there – ready to rescue them.

Gregori walks over to Cordale, and puts his arms around her, telling her it’s alright. Cordale angry snaps back telling him to take his hands off her. Gregori tells Andark to arrest her, but Cordale returns to her incorporeal form. Fassile angry says that they’ve ‘lost her’ but Andark says that the docking ring is quarantined, there is no way for her to leave the vicinity and that she’s trapped.

Caldera alerts the Rogue that he has a working beta version of a Vex scanner ready, and it’s picking up 5 signatures from across the Citadel. The Rogue says that can’t be right, as there’s only one, but Caldera says that four of them must be false positives, but he’s sure that one is Cordale. The Rogue says he hopes they are false positives as otherwise Gallifrey is severely compromised.

Gregori monologues to the room, telling Cordale that she’ll be given a fair trial for her crimes, and he tells her that her interrogation period is over and everything for her will get far better. Andark interjects saying that the Order of Rassilon will take over her care (to which Gordra rolls his eyes at) to make sure that she is treated as a proper prisoner of war. Knowing she has no way out, Cordale reforms, standing before the group. However, at that moment the door to the docking ring opens, as the Rogue enters telling the group that he’s got a ‘sorta’ working Vex detector – but Cordale using this moment to escape through the door, transforming into her incorporeal form. Andark, however, activates a forcefield in the corridor, containing Cordale. Gregori looks to the Rogue and says that he doesn’t give a ‘damn’ about his Vex detector, and that he nearly cost them everything. The Rogue scowls at Gregori, but also feels awfully embarrassed at himself.

The Rogue sits in his office, silently. He looks out of the window for a moment, as the forcefield around the citadel is taken away. The Rogue, however, is startled when he gets a faint transmission through. He tries to lock onto the signal as Francis’ voice comes through, telling him that they have found him. The Rogue tells Francis he’s done a good job and to get back to Gallifrey immediately. Francis, however, tells the Rogue to make sure Leela’s body stays on Karn, and not to let it anywhere near the agent. The Rogue asks why, but the transmission breaks up. Gordra enters the Rogue’s office and tells him that he has a lot of concerns over Gregori’s most recent course of action. The Rogue asks what it is, and Gordra tells him that Gregori has resurrected the Order of Rassilon, placing Andark of all people as director. The Rogue jumps out of his seat, asking Gordra when he was supposed to be informed, but Gordra says he thought the Rogue already knew. The Rogue simply replies that Gregori has gone to far…

Gregori and Andark lock Cordale back in her usual cell. Cordale screams out saying that they promised it would be different, but Gregori just tells her to ‘shut up’. Outside, Andark asks Gregori if he wants her moved to Shada, as a lifetimes imprisonment on the most secure prison planet in the known universe would be most suited to her, but Gregori refuses it and says that he needs her there for the moment. Andark nods and leaves Gregori to it, as Gregori walks into the cell. Cordale is bunched up in the corner of the room, trying to shield herself from Gregori, as from outside Cordale’s cries of ‘no, not again’ are heard.

Will, Kendara, Francis and Ohila make it back through to the landing bay, on the Vex mothership, where they are confronted by a troop of Vex guards with Pryex at the front. Pryex chuckles as she says that Gallifrey will soon be in ruins… and so will they!