Nowhere else works like the cities...
..Beszel...
..and Ul Qoma.
Since I was a kid, I have unseen Ul Qoma, as my parents
and teachers trained me,
but there are places where the cities meet,
where it's hard to observe the borders.
Mahalia Geary. 24, North American.
A few days ago, she disappeared in Ul Qoma,
but she turns up in Beszel.
And this time she's dead in the back of a stolen Besz vehicle.
She was always saying that people were on her back.
Dissidents, Reds, TCs. True Citizens?
They're an extreme right-wing nationalist group here in Beszel.
Connected to Major Syedr's NatBloc party.
They never found her, did they?
Your wife...
..last seen on GunterStrasz.
Take one single illicit step across the border,
and Breach will come for you.
I should know.
I'm a cop.
This programme contains strong language and some violent scenes.
This area is in the control of Breach.
All visitors must proceed directly to the terminal.
Please remain inside... I take full responsibility for this, sir.
Yes, you do. What the hell was he doing at GunterStrasz?
He went to where they found his daughter.
Walked out of a desench straight into Ul Qoma.
What have you done to my husband?!
Where was he going, Mrs Geary?
He was going to speak to speak to someone who knew Mahalia.
Where, in Ul Qoma? I don't know. It... it could have been Ul Qoma.
Well, did he give a name? Yolanda Stark? David Bowden?
I don't know! All I know is he was gonna do something!
Oh, my God, what have you done?!
Please, Mrs Geary... John, what've they...?!
You can't do this to people. He's a human being.
Listen, you have to tell me everything you know.
Mahalia was afraid, Inspector.
Who was she afraid of, Mrs Geary?
Who was she afraid of?! Stand back, sir.
Was it the True Citizens?
I think the True Citizens
put the frighteners on that van driver, chief.
Yeah? Well, maybe it's time to join up.
We are true TC!
TC! We are strong TC! TC!
We are one TC! TC!
I...
..admire...
..Ul Qoma.
Oh, no! No, I do.
Oh, sorry.
I admire their patriotism.
I admire their unshakeable strength.
I admire their willingness to do what is necessary.
A single party safeguarding a single state!
Mix me a klassniko?
No imports. I'll just have vodka and ice.
Beszel has become a dumping ground.
We need immediate repatriation of all immigrants.
Yes!
- Besz jobs for Besz workers! - Yes!
This is OUR city...
..and we want it back!
TC!
Very inspiring speech, Major Syedr.
I am not permitted to discuss Oversight Committee business.
No, I just wanted to thank you for your support...
I have people are waiting. I'm busy.
You know, because the owner of that van,
we think he was forced to leave his travel documents inside
and we think he was forced by the TCs.
Better speak to the True Citizens about that.
Yeah, well, there's lots of them here tonight, isn't there?
Why tell me? Because whoever stole that van must have had
a little helper at Copula Hall.
Are you accusing me of something, Inspector Borlu?
Absolutely not. Keep your nose out of politics.
Just do your job.
Oh, I intend to. Don't worry.
Don't worry about that. I will.
I'll have another vodka, thanks.
No, you won't.
Listen, I came here for a quiet drink.
Don't make me have to do my job.
Fuck off.
Your boss plays golf with the Major.
HE GRUNTS TC!
Since Kat went missing,
I appreciated a beating every now and then.
It sharpened me up...
Wanker!
..but this time, I didn't want to bleed out in a Beszel gutter.
Mahalia had changed all that.
I had things to do.
You're not going to press charges or anything stupid like that, are you?
I mean, technically, it was trespass.
Oh, oh, I'd hate to be a problem or anything.
Good. What's his handicap?
What are you talking about? Syedr, your golfing buddy.
Don't be facile.
Do you think I could run this department
if we made an enemy of Syedr?
Our next mayor?
The Ul Qoma authorities are taking over the case.
How did that happen?
They were in touch.
The girl was killed in Ul Qoma. Ul Qoma crime.
You can't wait to get rid of her, can you?!
It's an Ul Qoma case, Borlu. It's done.
I'm going to have to go to Ul Qoma. What?
I can't investigate it in Beszel.
You can't stop yourself, can you?
What colour is it?
What, what are you doing? You can't say it, can you?
I don't know what you're trying to do. What colour is it?
Say it!
It depends on how I look at it, doesn't it, sir?
Go to Ul Qoma.
Sir? What, you going to disagree with me?
Again?
You can do a two-day accelerated immersion course...
..provided their authorities agree.
You'll be there in a strictly advisory capacity. Thank you, sir.
This isn't Katrynia.
That case went to Breach.
It's over.
It's closed.
Mahalia Geary's isn't, though, is it?
Get out of my sight.
See how you like the Ul Qoman Militsya.
Trust in Breach.
Why did she keep this photograph?
Was she out there somewhere now...
..living a new life?
Yeah? - I cannot fucking believe this.
Are you dropping me off the investigation!? Come up.
What the fuck happened to your face?
Extreme sports.
Playing rough with those TC boys? Look...
..I need to find that girl who called me.
You know, talk to anyone Mahalia knew or worked with.
Find out who Geary was meeting.
I'm going to Ul Qoma.
Ul Qoma? Fuck that.
How many fucking hours of tape do you think I looked through?
How many cameras?
It took me all fucking night to go through all that shit.
Who else is prepared to do that?
Is your new bitch going to?
Christ, there is a new fucking bitch!
There is no new F-ing bitch, OK?
I'm a guest. I need to work with one of them.
It's that simple. It's shit.
Yes, it's shit.
Hey.
Come here.
Now we need to focus on this.
I thought I'm off the case.
No, not while I'm on it.
I need you to help me.
You stay on Syedr.
Besz favour?
Besz favour.
Consider it done, chief.
The immersion course re-orientates you in preparation for Ul Qoma.
I've been there once before.
It's a humourless slog with no surprises.
But not that first time.
Breach! Breach! Breach! Not yet, not yet.
- And go, go, go. - Breach! Breach! Breach!
Do they still play that game?
The old games are very instructive.
Breach! Breach! Breach! Good. Thank you. Well done.
Your orientation is a complete Ul Qoman immersion course,
designed to initiate a Besz citizen into actually being in Ul Qoma.
Each day, we'll take a different cross-hatched area of the city,
and train you to see the buildings and people that have been right
by your side you all this time, and unsee everything you know.
Let's start with the heavily cross-hatched area of VulkovStrasz.
The Ul Qoman parts of this street are known as Ul Maidin Avenue.
You are now leaving Beszel and entering Ul Qoma.
Sorry, should we be seeing this?
Absolutely. You're in Ul Qoma.
This woman here - fur hat, pearl earrings,
Beszel or Ul Qoma?
Ul Qoma.
No. Look at the buildings.
Note the disrepair. She's in Beszel on a visitors pass,
crossing VulkovStrasz now.
Not in Ul Qoma.
Colour will help you orient yourselves.
If you're seeing something red,
more likely than not, you're in Ul Qoma.
Yellow is frowned upon.
Katrynia, this gentleman next to the hotel?
A Besz businessman, from his look.
Very good.
Tyador, this vehicle?
Erm, that's an Audi A8 Quattro saloon.
Besz or Ul Qoma, Mr Borlu?
Well, automatic gearbox, sun roof, cruise control.
If it's in Beszel, I'm arresting the owner,
because it's smuggled and it's illegal.
Thank you. Ul Qoma.
You should be careful. She could be undercover.
No, she's just a primary school teacher who got lucky.
"I won't be in Ul Qoma to hold your hand."
She's just trying to scare us.
What are you, Policzai?
Extreme Crime Squad.
OK.
An Ul Qoma drug dealer, shoots one of his rivals, you know,
one of the bullets misses, goes into Beszel.
I have to take the ballistic report to the Ul Qoma Militsya.
Look, I know a nice place for lunch if you, erm...
You do, do you?
Yeah.
Yeah, I do.
Trust in Breach...
I like klassnikos.
Oh, that's good.
Yeah, we'll have two of them. Nothing to eat?
Well, no. Why spoil a good drink, eh?
Thank you.
So, Ul Qoma - what is it, a hen party?
That's how I come across?
You come across as out of my league.
Sweet.
I'm into philosophical anthropology.
Well, there you go.
They've got an incredibly rich heritage over there. Yeah.
Yeah, I've heard that. Lots of old stuff.
Well, they've opened up a new dig in Bol Ye'an West Ul Qoma.
They're finding amazing things.
Plus David Bowden's giving a lecture.
I know that name.
Not unless you read seditious literature, you don't.
Do you?
When I was an undergrad, I...
..I read Bowden's Between The City And The City.
I put a Wealth Of Nations cover on it.
So what is he, some sort of Unificationist?
You heard of Orciny?
A city...
..free of Ul Qoma and Beszel laws.
A third city hidden between the cities. It's in the...
..Dissensi, maybe.
You know, places...
Back then I wasn't listening to the words.
I was listening to her voice.
I remember how the more dangerous the idea,
the more she came alive.
How did the orientation course go?
Yeah, fine. Really well.
That's what I thought.
Why are you smiling? I'm not.
You are. You're laughing at me.
I'm not fucking laughing at you, chief!
Fuck you, chief!
Your mum takes Ul Qoman cock up the arse. What?
It's a joke.
Chief...
OK.
I miss Besz dumplings.
Sorry?
Means, "I'm in trouble." Oh, you're kidding me.
I am not kidding. I am feeling stupid.
Say it.
"I miss Besz dumplings," means, "I'm in trouble." Good.
Any more?
That's all we need.
Send me a postcard.
Be safe. You too, chief.
I see you got your transport licence.
The favour's much appreciated, sir.
Well, it was nothing to do with me.
Come back soon, sir.
Yeah.
You are now in Beszel.
Be safe.
Welcome to Beszel.
Have your books and papers ready...
Hold.
Papers, please.
"Inspector Tyador Borlu."
Priority queue, sir.
Be safe, sir.
Ensure that you have all of your personal belongings
with you before you arrive at pass control.
Orientation paper. Yeah.
Any attempts to skip the line will be punished.
Pass.
Pass, please.
Inspector Borlu, Beszel Extreme Crime Squad?
Senior Detective Qussima Dhatt?
Welcome to Ul Qoma.
Your Ul Qoman mobile,
courtesy of the Militsya. Number on the back.
Buckle up.
AC OK for you?
Your accent's good for a Beszie.
Just enough to get you into trouble.
No smoking. Sorry.
There's vapes in the compartment if you want.
No, thanks.
Here, have a chew instead.
Sharpen you up.
No.
First time in Ul Qoma?
First time in a long time, yeah.
Big changes. You'll see.
We come out on the famous Ul Maidin Avenue -
leads straight into the heart of Old Ul Qoma.
Here we go.
No open-door policy here, then.
No way.
No disenfranchised extremists for us.
No Unifs, no socialist parties, no fascist parties,
no religious parties.
It's not the same here, Borlu.
We've got things contained.
The UN gives us shit about our camps but, the way I look at it,
migrants can always go to Beszel if they don't like it here.
You're a bunch of mongrels and Ebrus anyhow.
No offence.
There's a couple of things I need.
There's a van licence plate I need tracking,
and I want to talk to her supervisor, David Bowden.
I want to pay a visit to that dig at Bol Ye'an.
You only have a short stay permit, Borlu.
We're in contact with Bol Ye'an. We'll let you know...
Tyador, just to get things out of the way - this is my investigation.
You don't have police powers. I'm the officer here, cool?
What? The other hand.
Well, I'm here to be any help I can.
And I appreciate that.
Hand over that thing, too.
We already talked to most of Mahalia's teachers, her classmates.
No-one knows anything.
They just thought she'd gone off for a couple of days.
We checked her computer.
Lots of "Hi, Mum, love you" e-mails.
Nothing much in her cache.
I guess you don't know about the other one.
The other one? Yolanda Stark.
Mahalia's friend?
Her best friend, apparently.
You know her from somewhere?
No-one's seen Yolanda for a while.
No-one can reach her.
She might be sick.
She might have turned her phone off.
But you and I know it might be more serious than that.
Let's go.
That van you wanted tracked?
Your man used to come here.
We've got footage of him.
Clock the Besz number plates?
Beszel scavengers on day passes like your van driver.
If they need a charity store, go to a rich district.
That junk fetches good prices back in Beszel.
Don't condemn people for the way they have to make their living.
Hey, don't think I wouldn't do the same if I had to.
20 years ago, my mother held down two jobs,
and dragged us kids up, too. Times change.
So she's dumped here.
Your Besz friends load her into the stolen van, drive over the border,
she's Beszel's problem.
And now she's mine.
You can leave the hotel if you have to,
but you're strictly tourist when you're on your own.
It might be better if you didn't.
You could breach without meaning to, and then what?
We'll make a fresh start in the morning.
Have a good evening.
No smoking on The Asyan's premises.
Hello? It's me, chief.
Corwi.
Miss me already?
What's it like?
They have more TV channels than we have.
What's your contact like, your Ul Qoman me?
Actually, I think...
..I'm her you.
It's a bit weird, to be honest.
I don't remember it being like this last time.
Maybe anarchists dropped acid in the water supply.
Oh, no, there's no subversives here.
They had a big clear-out about five years ago.
Yeah, right.
The university got rinsed clean of radicals.
You speak Mahalia's bestie, Ms Stark?
Yolanda's gone AWOL...
..and nobody's panicking.
Shit.
Well, chief, be...
Hello? Chief?
Oh!
Hello?
Fuck.
Hello?
Jesus.
Stolen glimpses of Ul Qoma always fill me with anxiety...
..but that other place, Orciny,
the most dangerous idea of all...
..it terrified me.
But not Katrynia,
not Mahalia.
What is it?
The Ark of Ul Qoma.
Nobody knows what it is, why it was made.
Bowden says it may not even be Ul Qoman.
Yeah, well, I'd keep your voice down if I were you.
They're very sensitive about their heritage over here.
And that's David Bowden.
He is a bit heavy on security, isn't he?
He makes a lot of people angry.
There was even a bomb threat.
Be safe.
Until recently, the only written records that
we'd found from the Precursor Age were a few poem fragments.
Now, you all know this.
It's become an emblem for Ul Qoma's National Museum.
You'll see it on mugs and ties and aprons.
The Ark of Ul Qoma.
The truth is, the provenance of this ark remains a mystery.
The sublime craftsmanship,
the mathematical perfection of its lines, the mysterious alloy
that it's made from, these things speak to us of a distant Golden Age.
And this symbol is so ancient that it bears the shadow
of the first writings from a time before mankind's split
with the natural world.
All over the ancient world, similar signs represent
a kind of overture,
an invitation.
Is this glyph an invitation to a hidden continent?
Imagine.
A golden city,
without restriction,
without borders,
that lives in true harmony.
I believe the continued existence of Dissensi,
those unclaimed places that exist between the city and the city,
is evidence of a true, living city of Orciny.
A place that exists here...
..now.
Now, this invitation, it's a rare thing, there's very few people that
can see it for what it is,
and it will not be refused.
Orciny is insistent.
Orciny will not go away.
Orciny...
..is waiting...
..for us.
Is there any news about Miss Yolanda?
Why, is she a friend of yours?
I'm just security,
but she's very nice.
Everybody likes Yolanda.
I'm sure she'll turn up.
Professor...
Inspector Borlu. Nice to meet you in person, Professor.
We spoke on the phone. Oh, yeah, that's right.
Sorry, it was a terrible line.
Erm... Yeah, come with me.
I need to go look at today's finds.
We've been finding strange artefacts - ceramics,
precious metals,
alloys we don't even recognise.
Can you show me these things?
Oh, yes, of course, but I need to get clearance.
There are protocols, you know.
So Mahalia was into the history of Ul Qoma, right?
Yes, she was. She was a Bowdenite.
She was what?
David Bowden.
The writer?
He's an agitator.
These days, the authorities tolerate Dr Bowden.
The truth is, he's something of a draw for the foreign students,
hence his attachment.
So David Bowden was Mahalia Geary's supervisor?
Well, Mahalia wanted him to be, but he refused.
Who was her supervisor, then?
I was.
You didn't notice anything odd or unusual about her?
With Mahalia, nothing was usual.
Anyone you can think of who might know something? A boyfriend maybe?
No. What about that security guard? He seemed interested.
Aikham? I don't think so.
I mean, the girls encourage him, but, you know...
..she's way out of his league.
Are we done here?
Erm,
what's...
..through there?
That's a newly discovered section.
Very unsafe at the moment, so there's no access.
Hey...
I hope you find Yolanda.
Is she a friend of yours? A bit.
What about Mahalia, did you know her? Mr Borlu...
Hey... Light me?
It's a hanging offence in Ul Qoma, isn't it?
I might have to turn you in. But you won't.
I can always tell a fellow fiend.
Mr Borlu, want to keep up with the class?
And everything we find is brought in here.
Are you sure this is everything?
Some of the more unusual finds are analysed in here.
No, you can't go in there.
You need protective clothing to enter.
I need to speak to Bowden.
Well, he's almost never here.
We need his contact details, his home address.
I can't hand over personal information like that.
Well, you get authorisation. I beg your pardon?
I'm not interested in archaeology or your rules.
This a murder investigation and I need to talk to David Bowden...
..now.
Nice teeth.
Bowden was this guru back in the day.
Into Orciny and all that.
Orciny, you're kidding me?
No, for real.
He spouts all this shit about it existing in the Dissensi.
You know, they warned me about you, Borlu.
How come you know about all this bollocks?
You a card carrying member of the Tufty Club or something?
What's she saying?
Old number. Doesn't exist.
You reckon he's in?
No.
Let's go. Hey, hey, hey, Speedy.
We don't do that here.
I'll get a warrant issued first thing.
A warrant?!
It's called the law.
Our quaint ways. Humour us.
What's the beef, Tufty? He wasn't even her supervisor.
That's Bowden.
That's taken in that flat, I reckon.
You seen her anywhere?
Who is she?
So...?
What?
Nothing. It was just a thought.
Well, thanks for sharing, as they say.
Thanks. No problem.
What did he call me?
"Byetud" means crow or scavenger.
Just like my friends at the rubbish tip, then, eh?
It can be used fondly, too.
I know the Ul Qoman word for "wanker" by the way.
That photo you showed me, what's that?
I said it's nothing.
Maybe we should revert to the official protocol.
What do you think?
You stay in your three-star hotel and wank yourself stupid
on Ethernet porn until it's time for you to go home.
Who's Corwi anyhow? Oh, you tapped my phone?
Now, there's a surprise.
Either you trust me or you don't trust me, but you have to share.
A girl called me...
..from here, from Ul Qoma.
OK.
That call was a crime.
Do you understand what I'm saying?
She saw, she looked across the border, right?
She didn't tell me her name, but she said
she was a friend of Mahalia's, you know, her best friend.
Yolanda Stark. That's what I think, yeah.
Means she's alive.
Means she was alive when she made the call.
She said that Mahalia died because she found out the truth.
The truth about what?
Two girls,
into, like, erm...
..alternative weird shit, underground shit.
Both into Orciny?
Into Bowden is my guess.
Bowden, he's at the centre of this.
..to tell you something so huge in my life.
What?
I just need to ask you...
This job - never a happy ending, is it?
I'm on wife number three.
You?
Do I look married?
You look hungry.
I can't believe you're bringing me to a restaurant,
and you're talking to me, and you're telling me...
I just need to ask you...
Kat... I need to go.
Was that Katrynia? I hope she had her visitors' badge and everything.
She should not be going outside wearing yellow or without a guide.
She could breach or anything.
I'll go after her. OK.
Jesus Christ, look where you're going, will you?
Extreme Crime Squad. OK, my fault.
Kat!
Kat, come on. Come on.
Come on, Kat. Come on! Come on!
Kat, come on!
Come on, that's it.
We've been here before, haven't we?
Smoking is not encouraged in Ul Qoma.
Well, it warms my Besz heart that you care.
Mr Borlu?
There is a young lady to see you in the bar, sir.
Hi. You running up a tab?
They're free, aren't they?
Nothing's free. Do you want another one?
Maybe I've had enough. Well, can you stand?
I haven't tried.
Hey, do you know how to make a klassniko? What? Klassniko?
Klassniko? Yeah.
Uh-huh.
And one of them.
OK.
You heard of Orciny, yeah?
The secret city.
Mahalia believes it exists now...
..present time. That...
That it runs things.
Well, she was a fan, wasn't she?
A real little Bowdenite.
She loved him.
He was a bit old for her, wasn't he?
Dad but not dad.
You know that thing.
She was really bad when they split.
Bad enough to do something stupid? No, not her.
She was too proud.
You know, they let her work in the closed-off section.
They only let the ones they really like in,
the foreigners.
They told me it was unsafe to work there.
They bring stuff out of there all the time.
What type of stuff?
Amazing things.
Things that don't fit early Ul Qoma or Beszel.
You've seen this place?
Once...
..or twice.
I've got my little inside man.
Do you think you can get me in there?
Security changes over at midnight.
Text me when you're leaving.
You do know how to text, don't you?
Hello? You missing Besz dumplings, chief?
No, the food here is quite good.
You?
I'm going to find a new place.
Anywhere I know?
Your old soldier friend's fond of it.
They're very big on national cuisine.
OK, last time I was there,
some of those traditional dishes didn't agree with me.
You know what I'm saying?
I'll choose carefully. Right.
OK, I've got to go.
Mistress yanking your leash, chief?
Yeah, something like that.
You be safe.
How you enjoying your visit to Ul Qoma?
Best city in the world.
I am here four years.
One year in camp, three years study for Ul Qoma citizenship.
You never wanted to go to Beszel?
What's in Beszel? Ul Qoma's the best place.
TC! TC! TC!
You've got your usual table, Major. Ah.
Fried anchovies and a shot of Besz Gootrot?
You know me too well, my dear.
We don't get a lot of American gentlemen in, sir.
I'm surprised.
You're all so... welcoming.
The Major's waiting for you.
Mr Gorse.
Do you mind?
Could we get a bottle of sparkling?
Of course.
Maybe I can interest you gents in
a selection of traditional Besz appetizers while you're perusing?
We're all right.
Mr Gorse?
Haven't you got the wrong room? No.
Have you?
This is a well known TC hangout, you know.
TC? It's fascists to you.
Hmm. How come they let you in?
I'm the token bitch.
The others are really nice.
Are you press? Why?
You and the Major a closet item?
No, we aren't anything at all. It's a diplomatic meeting. Ooh.
Are you secret Policzai or something?
No secrets.
What you see is what you get.
Well, what I see is someone overstepping the mark.
I'm just taking an interest.
Major Syedr, leader of NatBloc...
..maybe our next mayor.
For the record,
I meet all kinds of politicians in all kinds of countries.
I help inefficient governments, like yours,
make the right choices,
do the right thing...
..usually against their worse instincts.
Now wash your hands.
Oh!
What does it say? Can you read it?
I'm not great at it, but...
.."Something that was not a dream was appearing.
"Orciny."
Mahalia said you could go there.
They invite you,
and you wait.
They find you.
Oh, my God.
OK, I'll handle this. It's all right.
OK, I know we're not supposed to be here.
I'm, erm...
I'm a police... kriserai.
I'm a police officer. Kriserai.
Kriserai! Shut up.
An unaccountable city, beyond Breach.
There's a limit on how much I can protect you!
Well, my wife's got nothing to do
with this investigation. Are you sure about that?
There's a price for speaking the truth.
They're scared. So am I.
There are other reasons for people to disappear.