Everyone Says Hello
Encyclopedia
Everyone Says Hello is a BBC Audiobooks
original audiobook written by Dan Abnett
and based on the British
science fiction television
, Doctor Who
spin-off
series Torchwood
. It was released on 4 February 2008.
Like all Torchwood spin-off media, its canonicity in relation to the television series remains unclear.
is summoned to work by Jack. On his way to work, he is greeted by both the milkman
and the postman
- each introduce themselves by saying "hello
" and by telling Owen all about their life: their name, their relations, likes/dislikes etc. He brushes them off, despite them still trying to talk to him, calling "hello" as he leaves. As Gwen Cooper
arrives in Mermaid Quay
, she is greeted by a tourist in much the same way.
When they all arrive, Jack Harkness
tells them of a problem; a powerful energy field that came through the Rift
. When questioned by Owen and Gwen as to whether it is related to the peculiar behaviour they had seen that morning, Jack is doubtful and claims that what they witnessed was just common courtesy
. The energy source is transmitting on the PK
scale allowing Gwen to correctly guess the next card in a pile, 5 times out of 5, when tested by Owen.
The entire city is grinding to a halt as people are more interested in saying "hello" than doing their jobs, resulting in absolute mayhem. Vic Royce, a large, short-tempered ex-convict
, has an out-of character, polite conversation with a middle-aged woman before driving off with a smile on his face.
Vic Royce and a trucker named Alan Kennedy enter a garage in a disused lot. Inside is a pulsing light and two other people. They all introduce themselves to the light, and the light greets them in return.
Phone usage in Cardiff is up by nearly 100% with people calling each other simply to say "hello" leading Jack to retract his previous diagnosis about the overly friendly people encountered by Owen and Gwen. Jack theorizes that the PK field may be being created by a reconnaissance
probe
, sent to gather information for an inquisitive species. Jack's plan involves Owen, Gwen and himself using scanners to track down the energy source on foot and shut it down whilst Ianto Jones
and Toshiko Sato
stay at the Hub. The entire team are provided with metal cuffs that block the PK energy from infiltrating their minds.
There are now six people in the abandoned garage surrounding the light. The light explains that their minds are particularly receptive to the energy field and that they are designated as "Heralds." It will be they who will act as conduits of knowledge between mankind and the light - providing information and giving messages to mankind when the time was right. The light reveals to the Heralds that the rest of its plan cannot unfold until the intruders it detects have been dealt with.
Tosh and Ianto are probing the area they suspect the source to be, but when they get close, their computer systems go into meltdown and all crash. The Heralds, relieved that the initial breach has been halted, take up mêlée weapon
s and prepare for further attacks.
Areas of the city are burning, unchecked, due to irons and hobs left unattended and people who are yet to be indoctrinated are attacking the people who surround them out of fear. A nearby gas leak ignites, causing an explosion which knocks out Jack's wrist device, leaving him susceptible to indoctrination. Despite the system crash, Tosh has managed to narrow down the location of the energy source. She relays this information to the rest of the team.
BBC Audiobooks
BBC Audiobooks is a publisher of audiobooks and also a range of spoken word and large-print titles.BBC Audiobooks has published unabridged audio novels, and also the BBC Radio Collection which incorporates dramatisations and non-fiction output derived from BBC Radio programming.In 2010, BBC...
original audiobook written by Dan Abnett
Dan Abnett
Dan Abnett is a British comic book writer and novelist. He is a frequent collaborator with fellow writer Andy Lanning, and is known for his work on books for both Marvel Comics, and their UK imprint, Marvel UK, since the 1990s, including 2000 AD...
and based on the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
science fiction television
Science fiction on television
Science fiction first appeared on a television program during the Golden Age of Science Fiction. Special effects and other production techniques allow creators to present a living visual image of an imaginary world not limited by the constraints of reality; this makes television an excellent medium...
, Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
series Torchwood
Torchwood
Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...
. It was released on 4 February 2008.
Like all Torchwood spin-off media, its canonicity in relation to the television series remains unclear.
Plot summary
Early in the morning, Owen HarperOwen Harper
Owen Harper is a fictional character played by Burn Gorman, and a regular in the BBC television series Torchwood, a spin-off from the long-running series Doctor Who. The character last appeared onscreen in the Series 2 finale, "Exit Wounds"....
is summoned to work by Jack. On his way to work, he is greeted by both the milkman
Milkman
A milkman is a person, traditionally male, who delivers milk in milk bottles or cartons. Milk deliveries frequently occur in the morning and it is not uncommon for milkmen to deliver products other than milk such as eggs, cream, cheese, butter, yogurt or soft drinks...
and the postman
Mail carrier
A mail carrier, mailman, postal carrier, postman, postwoman , postman/postwoman , letter carrier or postie is an employee of the post office or postal service, who delivers mail and parcel post to residences and businesses...
- each introduce themselves by saying "hello
Hello
Hello is a salutation or greeting in the English language. It is attested in writing as early as the 1830s.-First use:Hello, with that spelling, was used in publications as early as 1833. These include an 1833 American book called The Sketches and Eccentricities of Col...
" and by telling Owen all about their life: their name, their relations, likes/dislikes etc. He brushes them off, despite them still trying to talk to him, calling "hello" as he leaves. As Gwen Cooper
Gwen Cooper
Gwen Cooper is a fictional character in the BBC television programme Torchwood, a spin-off to the long-running show Doctor Who, portrayed by Welsh actress Eve Myles. The series' lead female character, Gwen has featured in every episode of the sci-fi programme to date as well as two crossover...
arrives in Mermaid Quay
Mermaid Quay
Mermaid Quay is a waterfront shopping and leisure district in Cardiff Bay, Cardiff, Wales. The 14,000 sq m development was opened in 1999, and includes restaurants, bars, cafes and shops.- Eating & Drinking at Mermaid Quay :...
, she is greeted by a tourist in much the same way.
When they all arrive, Jack Harkness
Jack Harkness
Captain Jack Harkness is a fictional character played by John Barrowman in Doctor Who and its spin-off series, Torchwood. He first appeared in the 2005 Doctor Who episode "The Empty Child" and reappeared in the remaining episodes of the 2005 series as a companion of the ninth incarnation of the...
tells them of a problem; a powerful energy field that came through the Rift
Cardiff Rift
The Cardiff Rift is a fictional wormhole in the science fiction television series Doctor Who and Torchwood, one end of which is located in Cardiff Bay, Wales. The other end is apparently floating freely through spacetime, and matter and radiation can pass through the Rift, allowing extraterrestrial...
. When questioned by Owen and Gwen as to whether it is related to the peculiar behaviour they had seen that morning, Jack is doubtful and claims that what they witnessed was just common courtesy
Etiquette
Etiquette is a code of behavior that delineates expectations for social behavior according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social class, or group...
. The energy source is transmitting on the PK
Psychokinesis
The term psychokinesis , also referred to as telekinesis with respect to strictly describing movement of matter, sometimes abbreviated PK and TK respectively, is a term...
scale allowing Gwen to correctly guess the next card in a pile, 5 times out of 5, when tested by Owen.
The entire city is grinding to a halt as people are more interested in saying "hello" than doing their jobs, resulting in absolute mayhem. Vic Royce, a large, short-tempered ex-convict
Convict
A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison", sometimes referred to in slang as simply a "con". Convicts are often called prisoners or inmates. Persons convicted and sentenced to non-custodial sentences often are not termed...
, has an out-of character, polite conversation with a middle-aged woman before driving off with a smile on his face.
Vic Royce and a trucker named Alan Kennedy enter a garage in a disused lot. Inside is a pulsing light and two other people. They all introduce themselves to the light, and the light greets them in return.
Phone usage in Cardiff is up by nearly 100% with people calling each other simply to say "hello" leading Jack to retract his previous diagnosis about the overly friendly people encountered by Owen and Gwen. Jack theorizes that the PK field may be being created by a reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
probe
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
, sent to gather information for an inquisitive species. Jack's plan involves Owen, Gwen and himself using scanners to track down the energy source on foot and shut it down whilst Ianto Jones
Ianto Jones
Ianto Jones is a fictional character in the BBC television series Torchwood, played by Welsh actor Gareth David-Lloyd. A series regular, Ianto appears in every episode of the programme's first three series, as well as two crossover episodes of Torchwoods parent show, Doctor Who...
and Toshiko Sato
Toshiko Sato
is a fictional character from the television series Doctor Who and its spin-off Torchwood, played by Naoko Mori. After a one-off appearance in the Doctor Who episode "Aliens of London" , Toshiko is re-introduced as a series regular in the Torchwood 2006 premiere episode "Everything Changes"...
stay at the Hub. The entire team are provided with metal cuffs that block the PK energy from infiltrating their minds.
There are now six people in the abandoned garage surrounding the light. The light explains that their minds are particularly receptive to the energy field and that they are designated as "Heralds." It will be they who will act as conduits of knowledge between mankind and the light - providing information and giving messages to mankind when the time was right. The light reveals to the Heralds that the rest of its plan cannot unfold until the intruders it detects have been dealt with.
Tosh and Ianto are probing the area they suspect the source to be, but when they get close, their computer systems go into meltdown and all crash. The Heralds, relieved that the initial breach has been halted, take up mêlée weapon
Mêlée weapon
A melee weapon is any weapon that does not involve a projectile — that is, both the user and target of the weapon are in contact with it simultaneously in normal use...
s and prepare for further attacks.
Areas of the city are burning, unchecked, due to irons and hobs left unattended and people who are yet to be indoctrinated are attacking the people who surround them out of fear. A nearby gas leak ignites, causing an explosion which knocks out Jack's wrist device, leaving him susceptible to indoctrination. Despite the system crash, Tosh has managed to narrow down the location of the energy source. She relays this information to the rest of the team.
Continuity
- Sarcastically, Jack reminds the team that they work for Torchwood, telling them it is "separate from the government, outside the police, beyond the United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
." This reflects the opening monologue from each episode of the main series, which is, in turn, dialogue lifted from the episode "Everything ChangesEverything Changes (Torchwood)"Everything Changes" is the first episode of the British science fiction television programme Torchwood, which was first broadcast on 22 October 2006.-Synopsis:Police constable Gwen Cooper comes across the mysterious organisation known as Torchwood...
."
Outside references
- Owen thinks to himself that "to say he wasn't a morning person was like saying Dr. CrippenHawley Harvey CrippenHawley Harvey Crippen , usually known as Dr. Crippen, was an American homeopathic physician hanged in Pentonville Prison, London, on November 23, 1910, for the murder of his wife, Cora Henrietta Crippen...
wasn't a model husband." - Bob GeldofBob GeldofRobert Frederick Zenon "Bob" Geldof, KBE is an Irish singer, songwriter, author, occasional actor and political activist. He rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats in the late 1970s and early 1980s alongside the punk rock movement. The band had hits with his...
, Martin ScorseseMartin ScorseseMartin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
, CountdownCountdown (game show)Countdown is a British game show involving word and number puzzles. It is produced by ITV Studios and broadcast on Channel 4. It is presented by Jeff Stelling, assisted by Rachel Riley, with regular lexicographer Susie Dent. It was the first programme to be aired on Channel 4, and over sixty-five...
, Dick FrancisDick FrancisRichard Stanley "Dick" Francis CBE was an English jockey and crime writer, many of whose novels centre around horse racing.- Personal life :...
, the Playboy ChannelPlayboy TVPlayboy TV is a premium monthly subscription television channel. Since its launch in 1982 in partnership with Cablevision which eventually sold their share back to Playboy, Playboy TV has become a leading entertainment channel for adult entertainment...
, Diarmuid GavinDiarmuid GavinDiarmuid Gavin is an Irish garden designer and television personality. He is married to Justine Keane, daughter of The Hon. Ronan Keane, the former Chief Justice of Ireland, and Terry Keane, and they have a daughter named Eppie born December 2004.-Early life:When he was six, his younger brother...
, the Cutty SarkCutty SarkThe Cutty Sark is a clipper ship. Built in 1869, she served as a merchant vessel , and then as a training ship until being put on public display in 1954...
are all mentioned by the greeters. - Surrounded by the zombieZombieZombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
-like hordes, a shopping mallShopping mallA shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
security guardSecurity guardA security guard is a person who is paid to protect property, assets, or people. Security guards are usually privately and formally employed personnel...
is reminded of a zombie film he once saw, referencing Dawn of the Dead. - A discarded mobile phone's ringtone plays the "Colonel Bogey MarchColonel Bogey MarchThe "Colonel Bogey March" is a popular march that was written in 1914 by Lieutenant F. J. Ricketts , a British army bandmaster who later became director of music for the Royal Marines at Plymouth...
."
Publication
- Everyone Says Hello shares similar themes to Dan Abnett's original Torchwood novel, "Border PrincesBorder PrincesBorder Princes is a BBC Books original novel written by Dan Abnett and based on the British science fiction television, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood. It features all the regular cast of the show.-Plot summary:October, 8:00 pm...
," namely intelligence gathering and youth violence.