An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
The driver’s door opened and a woman stepped out. Petite and graceful as a ballerina. She wore a smart blue coat, a pantsuit and heels, and her dark hair was in a French bun.
Lucy Jaggat.
She had the nerve to smile at them. It was an anxious smile. Strands of hair were escaping from its elegant style, unwashed and limp. She was paler than Nina remembered; her lips and nails were bitten ragged. Her suit was badly creased, like she’d been sleeping in it.
“What the hell?” Nina demanded.
Lucy didn’t seem to hear her. She only had eyes for Mitchell.
“Thank goodness,” she said, wringing her hands. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”
No sooner were the words out of her mouth than Mitchell lunged. With vampiric speed, he pushed past Nina and had Lucy pinned to her car’s door by her throat in the blink of an eye.
*
In the aftermath of the CenSSA disaster, Nina tries to keep everything together. All her plans are derailed by Lucy’s sudden arrival at their safe house.
From the (defunct) blog of the Centre for the Study of Supernatural Activity(CenSSA)
This drifter was seen causing havoc in Manchester City Centre last month, bothering shoppers with rantings about the dangers of their own “inner darkness.” I’ve heard rumours of a fellow matching this description before, although the scars were new to me and only confirmed my suspicions that there was a Type 3 link in this case. I made some thorough investigations but it seems he’s gone to ground. Not been spotted in at least three weeks now. Classification: Missing.
From the (defunct) blog of the Centre for the Study of Supernatural Activity (CenSSA)
It may be a lead. A car matching this description has been linked with a number of suspected vampire attacks in the Bristol area over the years. Now, it’s a pretty unusual model... A Volvo B18, circa 1961. If the person driving it really is a Type 1 they must be pretty bold with it. Or broke and can’t afford to replace it. Or I guess it could be a false alarm? Either way, eyes peeled.
The archived CenSSA Blog (a BBC tie-in to Being Human Series 2) appears almost empty of content now. I was afraid it would fade out, so a while ago I screencapped the posts. I’ll post them periodically, tagged #censsa.
If you’re interested in the content of the video once hosted on the blog, see this post.
The CenSSA Tapes are a series of videos featuring Lloyd Pinkie of CenSSA (The Centre for the Study of Supernatural Activity) posted between December 2009 and March 2010. The CenSSA blog is still accessible via the BBC archives, however the video entries have long been “set to private.” If you have the Being Human Series 2 Blu Ray or DVD, The CenSSA Tapes can be accessed by allowing the Disc 1 main menu screen to run for a few minutes — a CenSSA menu will eventually pop up.
If you do not have access to the S2 Blu Ray or DVD, a transcription of the tapes is below. (Originally transcribed for psmith73, who also created the graphic).
THE CenSSA TAPES
001: “WELCOME TO CenSSA”
Hello. My name is Lloyd. And I would like to talk to you about supernaturals. Now, don’t worry, I’m not mad, but I am enthusiastic about the subject. Which is why I’ve started CenSSA, The Centre for the Study of Supernatural Activity. You’ve become a part of something very very special. Never before has anyone tried to build up a supernatural picture of Great Britain. Soon, maybe we can track every Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3 in this great country of ours. But for now, let’s keep it our little secret. Albeit, the greatest secret you’ve ever been a part of.
[end tape]
002: “THE EVIDENCE BEGINS”
Just you, me, and EVIDENCE! Let’s see what I have here…. This CCTV footage is thought to show a Type 1 moving through a corridor, but the origins of the footage are unknown. The anonymous sender gave us a name to research… uh, John Marshall? Morris? M-Mitchell — I dunno, someone. Anyway. For now I’m knackered. So, uh, yeah! See you soon, CenSSA!
[end tape]
003: “The Face of the Highgate Vampire”
You are not going to believe this. I’ve got a lead on probably the most famous vampire that ever lived. The Highgate Vampire.
In December 1969, a man was walking through Highgate Cemetery in North London, when he spotted a mysterious grey figure. He spoke about it in a letter to his local newspaper, and more people came forward claiming to have experienced similar sightings. Strange things started to happen. Bodies of foxes would turn up, their throats ravaged, their corpses drained of blood. If you don’t believe me, check it out online. It happened, alright? It’s real.
I pieced together all the witness statements from the time, and I feel that I have a face to match the mysterious figure.
[Sketch of a man who resembles Seth]
Someone, somewhere must recognize this man. Who knows what he could have been up to in the intervening years.
Good night.
[end tape]
004: “THE TALE OF THE MISSING GIRLS”
Friendship is a curious thing. I mean, I’ve got friends. You’ve got friends. Probably. But, you’ve heard the term ‘friends for life.’ How about the term… ‘best friends for the afterlife’?
Two best friends, medical students Caroline Martin and Jessica Dunbarton were inseparable. Every week they’d meet here [photo of a park] at their local park, hang out, walk their dogs, talk about boys, all that crap. One week Jessica doesn’t turn up and is never seen again. Caroline is inconsolable. But still she continues to show up at the same spot every week, week in, week out. And here is where things get interesting. Three weeks later, Caroline is at the usual spot, when — look at this footage. She’s talking to someone. Someone the camera can’t see. Then nothing. The CCTV cuts out and she’s never seen again. Caroline is presumed murdered or possibly driven to suicide from grief. And again, the body was never found.
But this was not the last time the girls were seen. There was one more sighting. But now they were spotted with a third girl in Bristol, on the other side of the country.
[Composite rendering that resembles Lauren]
I smelt a lead, so I kept digging. Who is the third girl? Where does she fit in? And then I found this in the paper the same week that Jessica went missing:
[Newspaper clipping — “NURSE FOUND DEAD IN FLAT — Cause of death unknown — Friends describe ‘Florence Nightengale’ with a heart of gold” — Photo is of Lauren]
[Photo of Lauren is put next to the rendering]
Uncanny likeness, don’t you think? She’s Lauren Drake.
So I kept digging. One thing led to another — friendships, phone numbers, bank statements, previous addresses, and then — BAM!
They studied together. They — they lived together. They were at university together, they shared a house — they did everything together.
I think Lauren came back for her old friends. First of all she converted Jessica, who then converted Caroline. Classic Type 1 attack.
Friends for life. Or friends for the afterlife….
[end tape]
005: “DISCOVERING WINDSOR TERRACE”
My friends, I started CenSSA several weeks ago in order to track the supernatural hot spots in Britain. Well. I think I have just found the epicenter.
Lauren Drake worked with a whole host of staff, including these two friends, George Sands and John Mitchell:
[Photo of George; “Awaiting photographic evidence” for Mitchell]
They’re porters. They live together in a three bedroom house on Windsor Terrace. Nothing unusual, you might think. That is, until you stumble across this:
{Newspaper clipping: “TRAGIC FALL KILLS BRIDE TO BE”]
Since her premature death in Windsor Terrace, this Type 2 has driven out and terrorized every single person who has lived there.
Apart from John Mitchell and George Sands.
And I wanna know why.
Could this be the reason? An insurance claim from the day after the full moon. Hm? Big surprise? The claim lists the destruction of a whole host of items from several rooms of the house.
[Closeup of itemized list:
1967 glass lamp with red velvet shade - Quantity: 1
Canvas prints (cinema poster designs, various) - Quantity: 4
Tape/CD/LP player with speakers - Quantity: 1
Sideboard with wood effect plastic finish - Quantity: 1]
So, these two aren’t fazed by a Type 1 in the workplace. These two happily trash the house on a full moon. Oh, and they’re also quite happy to live with a Type 2. Which leads me to believe that John Mitchell and George Sands are werewolves.
[Tape edit - Time jump]
(Out of breath, standing with a camera in hand) I went to the house to look and I can’t believe it! I was wrong. I was wrong! All of this time I was wrong! Look — look at this picture, huh, who do you see? huh? George Sands, werewolf. Anyone else in the picture? No, you’re wrong! Over there — John Mitchell. Vampire! So what we’ve got is a Type 1, a type 2, and a type 3 living together, cohabitating, sharing the same space — this is more than we could have EVER expected! I’ve got — I’ve got to get back. I’ve got to get there before anyone else does.
Ah, the experiment! The experiment is tomorrow night. OK. OK, listen, you meet me back here tomorrow, and I’ll reveal everything. You be here!
[end tape]
006: “SURVEILLANCE”
(Lloyd is sitting in a car with a large camera at night. Video is in night vision)
Hello CenSSA. You all know why I’m here. Well, anyone who is following my blog knows EXACTLY why I’m here. I’m researching Supernaturals. Ghosts. Vampires. And werewolves. All these years, I’ve been tracking them. Finding out about them. Discovering more about them. And right now I’m outside the heart of their community.
[Lloyd looks through camera lens — King’s Head pub]
Inside that pub is a Type 1, John Mitchell, a vampire, and a Type 3, George Sands, werewolf. They share a house just down the road with a Type 2, a ghost, Annie Sawyer, a girl killed in the house they now rent. Apparently, it was murder. I can’t reveal my sources, but… killed by the fiance. No charges were ever brought. Apparently the bastard got away scot-free. Huh. Anyway, I need to get access to that house, cause I think it holds a lot of answers. Thing is, I’ve got to be very careful. Ghosts and werewolves traditionally operate alone, but vampires… well, vampires are part of a known community. You can never be too careful, they’ve got eyes and ears everywhere.
Oh, god, what’s happened? Ah, just a barman… taking the rubbish out.
So far we have been operating under their radar. I mean, I reckon they’d’ve known by now if we’d been onto them, don’t you think? I mean.. they are subtle. But oblivious.
[The back of a man is reflected in the rearview mirror. Lloyd doesn’t notice him]
Because they haven’t met me yet. And Lloyd is here and Lloyd is watching and they’re about to get the shock of their —
[Lloyd screams]
[Tape cuts off]
007: “I SHOULD EXPLAIN”
You saw… didn’t you? I know you did.
OK, maybe I wasn’t entirely honest with you. I’m not just some random bloke. I’m a scientist. I’m a real scientist, I’m a good scientist, not like some… mad scientist.
You’re concerned about them, and you have every right to be concerned, because there are some bad people out there. But not here.
What happened down there was a complete mistake. You’ve got to believe me. It was the first time we’ve even tried that. Honestly.
I know this looks bad. I know it. I know that right now you don’t understand what I’m trying to achieve, and maybe I can’t tell you right now, but I will, CenSSA. I’m the good guy here.
Sure, Kemp, he can be a little bit maverick at times, slightly enthusiastic, but, come on, who isn’t? I mean, OK. Maybe we should have called Professor Jaggat. But we didn’t. And what’s done is done.
I can’t stop now, CenSSA. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t. I’m up to my neck in this thing. I’m gonna turn this around from the inside, that’s what I am, I’m an insider. I’m the only one who can help them.
Stick with me, CenSSA. Don’t abandon me. I need you.
[end tape]
008: “NINA PICKERING”
[Quote] “I’m pretty sure werewolf didn’t come up when I spoke to my careers teacher, but life is full of disappointments.”
We have two Type 2s in a relationship. What’s next? Were-cubs?
That’s not a bad idea, actually…
[Writing in a notebook] Were cubs… could.. they… exist?
In the meantime, I think Mr. Kemp has gone to find young Ms. Pickering. I mean, you know, we wouldn’t want her wandering the streets on her own. I mean, anything could happen to her besides. We want to help her.
See you next week, CenSSA.
[end tape]
009 “SETTING THE BAIT”
As long as you have the right bait, you can catch anything.
Nina Pickering, female Type 3, recent conversion. The question is, what’s her bait? Whatever it is, we’ve tapped into it. Cause she’s here. Actually, she right down the corridor. And all those people who say that we’re KOOKS or that we’re CRAZY… well, they can think again. She walked in here of her own free will. And we can help her, CenSSA. We can cure her.
Fact: John Mitchell, the Type 1 from Windsor Terrace, thought to have something to do with the disappearance of a previous Type 1 leader.
[Sketch of Mitchell next to a composite rendering of Herrick]
Something’s happening here. Him. The re-opened funeral parlor. Should we be trying to reel him in? What’s his bait?
Don’t worry, CenSSA. I’ve got my eye on him.
[end tape]
010: “THE TESTING MUST GO ON”
[Lloyd is agitated]
Don’t start! Alright? Just DON’T START! It wasn’t me — it wasn’t my fault, it was NOT ME! I said to Kemp, I said just wait, just - just wait for Jaggat, but he wouldn’t listen. What am I supposed to do? It’s not me who pays for all of this, you know. This stuff, it doesn’t just fall out of the sky. It doesn’t just fall out! [trashes desk] It’s not my fault!
[Edit]
Do you really think we can evolve without a cost? Do you really think that advancement is just gonna happen? Don’t be ridiculous. Everything — EVERYTHING has a price.
Have you any idea how much he’s invested in me? What he’s done for me, the opportunities he’s bestowed upon me? And do you really think that I’m gonna give it all up just because we’ve killed a couple of werewolves? Grow up. That’s not how the world works.
And now there are these monsters at the funeral parlor. And this John Mitchell, the Type 1, their leader. Be great if we could capture him, too, test on him, then we could make some real scientific advancements.
[edit]
[On phone] Of course, sir, yes. I’ll make the correct arrangements. [Hangs up]
[edit]
We’re stepping it up a gear on Windsor Terrace. The Type 3, Pickering’s boyfriend George Sands…
[edit]
[Looking at surveillance papers] It seems that Sands has been installing a cage and soundproofing the house. Now, either things are getting a tad kinky in there, or someone’s planning a transformation and doesn’t want to leave the comfort of his own home. We need to get eyes and ears on that place 24/7.
Progress has a price.
011: “JAGGAT & KEMP”
Hello CenSSA. I’ve told you so much and so little at the same time. I’m sure that you have questions about my colleagues, so in exchange for some secrecy on your part, I wanted to divulge some of my secrets. After all, we have a circle of trust, don’t we?
Patrick Kemp, born in Northern Ireland to a Protestant family, his father a strict vicar, the fearsome kind. Fire, brimstone, and fury. The kind a young boy fears and admires in equal measure. He moved to England. And something happened. Something shocking. I’ve heard tales, but I can’t go into much detail right now. You’ll find out, though, soon. I promise.
Mr. Kemp took up an interest in the supernatural, became a Catholic priest specializing in, um [whispers] exorcisms. Now, I’ve met some pretty hard-core religious types in my time, believe you me, but Kemp, he’s in a different league altogether.
Then he met Lucy Jaggat. Super intelligent…. Very promising young scientist. But a car accident changed all that. Coming out of the coma, she said she had a religious experience. And suddenly, all that knowledge, all that science, it all suddenly became, overnight, the work of God. Everything. She even started writing papers that there was a human gene that was responsible for evil. But when the papers were published, she became a laughingstock. To everyone, except Mr. Kemp. And lo and behold, a union was born.
I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, where do I come into all of this? I mean, what have I got in common with these… kooks? But ask yourself this: What if they’re right? I mean, y’know, not about the religious nonsense god stuff. But what if there is a gene that’s responsible for evil? And what if through all the work we’re doing, we can find a cure? Can you imagine what that would do to my profile? And yours. We’ll be hailed as heroes.
[end tape]
012: “THE BOMB”
[Sitting on the floor, panting]
I know you think — I know what you’re thinking. Listen. Just —- just
LISTEN TO ME!
The- This is it. This is progress. This is the raw result of our edeavors….. I can see clearly now, I can see everything so clearly. Sacrifices. Sacrifices have to be made. We have to get on with the job in hand to progress and evolve.
Do you really think that I wanted to do that tonight? Maybe I did. Maybe it was the right thing to do. Progress far outweighs the damage. It’s like dropping a bomb at the end of the war. We have a fantastic world ahead of us now. I mean, look at me. I’m no James Bond. But I stood there in the eye of the storm. And there was this little voice in the back of my head saying DO IT DO IT DO IT DO IT PRESS THE BUTTON
Boy, I really did it.
I really did it.
Back to work now, CenSSA. More evidence to be gathered, more tests to be done. The monsters are dead. And progress has been made.
Oh.
[Leans in] And don’t cry for them. Because they would have done exactly the same thing to you.
[end tape]
013: “THE BOMB”
The bait clearly worked. What can I say? When it’s brains v brawn, brains wins every time. It’s evolution. I didn’t think I had it in me last week — you know, the explosion. I never thought I was that kind of guy. But my trigger finger didn’t let me down that day! [blows on thumb]
One more thing. I um… I get these reports printed out from time to time. News stories and social analysis and the like.
Several reports of an attack on a train carriage.
Carnage.
It could almost be the work of… of Type 1s. Um… but… but I mean, surely nothing survived, I mean, it’s impossible. That blast… it was — it was immense, that place, it was… it was destroyed.
no…
No, no no no no. This isn’t possible. It’s impossible… if there’s one of them still alive, that means they’re going to come for Kemp, and if they come for Kemp, they’re gonna… if they come for Kemp they’re gonna come for me and if they come for me they’re gonna come for my trigger finger.
Excuse me…
[Edit]
[On the phone]: Daniel — Lloyd in the control booth. I need to speed up the experiments, the exorcism…. look, the Type 3s, everything, we need to speed everything up! Find Kemp, then! Call me back!
We need to get everything going… we need to speed everything up. It’s really time….
[end tape]
014 “THE FINAL BROADCAST”
…. CenSSA followers. If you’re watching this pre-recorded message, it means I’m dead. Probably. What started out as scientific exploration has rapidly deteriorated into something far more visceral and basic.
We thought that we could study it. Dominate it. And ultimately capture it. But the supernatural had other ideas. More importantly, it has instinct — or, as Kemp would say, The Devil.
Another great … … another scientist once said that every action has an opposite and equal reaction. And if that’s true, I’m powerless to stop the consequences that are coming my way.
… I lied about Galvin. He wasn’t the first. He was the fourth, and I killed him. And now they’re coming for me.
Believe me, I thought I was doing it for the greater good. I really believed that.
Look back over my evidence. Sift through these videos one by one, because everything is here.
Keep fighting. Keep searching. Keep your intentions pure. And if I can offer you one piece of advice, it’s this: Be braver than me.
An excerpt from the CenSSA Tapes, originally posted on the official Blog of CenSSA, The Centre for the Study of Supernatural Activity. The videos no longer play on the blog, but you can access them on the Being Human Series 2 Blu-Ray or DVD by allowing the main menu to play until the CenSSA screen comes up.
These are the words of Lloyd Pinkie of CenSSA.
011:
Hello CenSSA. I’ve told you so much and so little at the same time. I’m sure that you have questions about my colleagues, so in exchange for some secrecy on your part, I wanted to divulge some of my secrets. After all, we have a circle of trust, don’t we?
Patrick Kemp, born in Northern Ireland to a Protestant family, his father a strict vicar, the fearsome kind. Fire, brimstone, and fury. The kind a young boy fears and admires in equal measure. He moved to England. And something happened. Something shocking. I’ve heard tales, but I can’t go into much detail right now. You’ll find out, though, soon. I promise.
Mr. Kemp took up an interest in the supernatural, became a Catholic priest specializing in, um [whispers] exorcisms. Now, I’ve met some pretty hard-core religious types in my time, believe you me, but Kemp, he’s in a different league altogether.
Then he met Lucy Jaggat. Super intelligent…. Very promising young scientist. But a car accident changed all that. Coming out of the coma, she said she had a religious experience. And suddenly, all that knowledge, all that science, it all suddenly became, overnight, the work of God. Everything. She even started writing papers that there was a human gene that was responsible for evil. But when the papers were published, she became a laughingstock. To everyone, except Mr. Kemp. And lo and behold, a union was born.
I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, where do I come into all of this? I mean, what have I got in common with these… kooks? But ask yourself this: What if they’re right? I mean, y’know, not about the religious nonsense god stuff. But what if there is a gene that’s responsible for evil? And what if through all the work we’re doing, we can find a cure? Can you imagine what that would do to my profile? And yours. We’ll be hailed as heroes.
