Novice Hame is advertising the New New York Hospital, explaining to viewers how they never lose a patient. A female scream of help is heard and the camera cuts out.

A meteor crashes to Earth. Three hundred years later, a bearded crofter walks through a grassland. He hears something growling behind him and panicking, starts to run. He turns and screams as a werewolf attacks him.

Mickey is at a computer, looking at a website of UFO sightings, but is blocked by a notice referring to Torchwood. He picks up his phone and calls Rose while sorting through newspaper clippings. He tells her that he needs the Doctor and her to investigate lights in the sky and strange goings on at a school.

Two pilots are at the controls of an unidentified spaceship. Suddenly, an ion storm hits the ship, causing chaos as lights start flashing and things start exploding, with the two pilots desperately trying to regain control. One of them shouts, "Mayday!" as the scene blacks out. Later, the same cockpit is now bathed in a red light and both of the pilots are on the floor, one presumably dead. An eerie tick-tock noise is heard. A shadow falls over the surviving pilot, who is at first relieved to see help. Her relief soon turns to terror, as she suddenly becomes scared of whatever is looming over her, and she screams. A clock face cracks - part of a clock situated on top of a fireplace.

A mission briefing from Gemini calls all Preacher agents into action. It describes Cybus Industries, John Lumic, the head of Cybus Industries, and his latest "upgrade" - the Cybermen. It also tells how thousands of people have gone missing. The briefing ends, and the laptop it was playing on is closed by Ricky Smith (Mickey's counterpart on the parallel Earth), who drives away in a van just as an advertisement for Cybus Industries is heard on the radio, announcing: "Coming soon, the ultimate upgrade."

A video from John Lumic orders the "upgrade" of humans to Cybermen to commence around the world. This is followed by an animated diagram of a "Skin to Metal Upgrade" and a Cyberman being instructed by Lumic to "delete" all incompatible humans.

Grandma Connolly has her new television installed. Later, she sits in front of it and strange, red lightning reaches out from the television towards her. As she looks at the screen, the lightning retracts into the set and dances on the screen. Grandma presumes that the set is broken, so she hits it. The lightning shoots towards her face and she shouts for help. The television shows a trailer for the upcoming coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

A woman in a suit tells Captain Walker of a black hole called K37 Gem 5, orbited by a planet. She asks him to bring back the power source that keeps the planet in orbit and become the "man who saved the Empire." When asked how she found out about it, she produces a small book containing alien writing and what appears to be a map; it was found by the "Galis Expedition". Walker passes the notebook to someone standing behind him. It appears the location Walker needs to go to is on the other side of the galaxy. The woman tells him that all they have to go on is the map and "local myths", but assures him that it's superstition, and Walker will have a "top class" ship and crew. Finally she wishes Walker luck, and he leaves, passing the person he handed the notebook to, an Ood, who simply says "And the Beast will rise from the pit."

An Ood delivers a metal case to a man named Curt, telling him that the contents are Captain Walker's belongings. The man tells the Ood to leave and then opens the case. As he does so, the lights go out and the ship's computer states, "He shall awake." The man takes out the notebook. As he thumbs through the pages, the book emits a red light, and the monitors in the room begin to flicker and display the message "THE BEAST IS AWAKE. HE SHALL RISE FROM THE PIT." A lever depresses on its own, and the notebook bursts into flames in the man's hands. He runs to the door but the doors will not open. The computer tells him that the door is sealed, followed by a repeated chant of "He is coming. He is coming." Later, a woman named Chenna enters the room, claiming to smell burning. She finds the man cowering in a chair, muttering, with the mysterious writing from the notebook having somehow transferred to his face.

A mysterious figure is using a laptop to access a website titled L.I.N.D.A . It shows a hand-drawn sketch of the Doctor and the text "Who Is the Doctor?" followed by "Have You Seen Him?". The user clicks on the "Join L.I.N.D.A." button, causing the picture to change to a sketch of several people in a room, with the caption: "WE HAVE!" Text appears that reads "Last Updated - WHOOPS. Ages ago, sorry - ELTON". The user clicks again on "Join L.I.N.D.A.", which makes the screen display the following text: "But L.I.N.D.A. is a secret organisation. So we can't tell you where - If you need us...You'll find us." The user points a strange silver object at the laptop, which changes the display to read "PRIMITIVE COMPUTER PAGE". The screen displays a map and text saying "TRACK SOURCE".

This Tardisode is in the form of a fictional Crimewatch UK (1984)-style programme called "Crime Crackers". The presenter is on a London street. He tells the viewers that a young boy called Dale Hicks and a young girl called Jane McKillen have gone missing. The police have no idea where they are. The presenter asks the viewers to phone in and give information. He reveals the road to be "Dame Kelly Holmes Close" and the local authority to be "East London Council". The scene changes to a cupboard in a dark room, which suddenly bangs open to reveal a pair of red glowing eyes. A voice rasps "I'm coming..."

A reporter tells his editor about the story so big it will be the story of the century - the story of Torchwood. His editor asks him to get the story for her. The reporter is shown passing secret envelopes, looking through files and photos, several of which feature the Doctor. The reporter is sure that Torchwood goes back as far as "Queen Victoria, right up to the explosion on Christmas Day and is connected with the Ghosts that have been appearing lately". He returns to his editor with his findings, only to be told that there have been "complications", and is dragged off by several mysterious men. Meanwhile another man talks to the Editor, and says that Torchwood thanks her for her co-operation, before leaving her with a replacement front page story about GCSE results. The reporter is last seen in a straitjacket, protesting as he is hauled away: "I'm not mad. Torchwood exists. I know the truth about the Ghosts!"

An emergency news broadcast is shown. A female news reporter informs the viewer that the country is in a State of Emergency. The Cyberman invasion is shown, with cars exploding, people running and screaming and other scenes of destruction and terror. We return to the newsroom, and the reporter behind the desk informs us that they have lost communication, and if anyone is still watching to run as fast as they can. The graphic behind her changes to the footage from earlier, and the transmission is met with interference. The studio begins exploding around her. The reporter addresses her own parents to flee from the Cybermen. Finally, she cowers under her desk as Daleks enter the room, proclaiming "We are the Masters of Earth." "Daleks conquer and destroy!" and "Exterminate!"