Return to Terra Nova
Episode 4
"Drop What You're Doing and Leave"
EXT. JUNGLE, SUNRISE
Over the canopy of trees, the sky glows red like blood. The sounds of the jungle are much louder than usual, as if all the wildlife knows something bad is coming. On the ground, a lone rover drives through the jungle, weaving around all the trees. Two soldiers sit in it. One driving while the other looks down at a plex.
DRIVER
This is big, right? Like, we actually found something?
The second soldier is keeping his eyes glued to the screen, bewildered.
SECOND SOLDIER
Yes, even after the bombshell the commander dropped on us the other day, this has gotta be big.
ANGLE DOWN
On the screen of the plex, is an image of Lucas' calculations on the rocks from season 1.
CUT
EXT. RESEARCH LABORATORY
Amanda knocks on the door to the lab, and Carmichael answers.
CARMICHAEL
(Annoyed)
What? Have you come to meddle with my research yet again?
AMANDA
You got it.
Amanda let's herself in and hands a plex with pictures of the calculations on it to Carmichael. He just kinda looks at the pictures, confused.
CARMICHAEL
What are these supposed to be?
AMANDA
I have no idea. I was hoping you'd have some answers for me.
Carmichael looks at them again, still unsure.
CARMICHAEL
Well, they're some kind of calculations, I can tell you that much. Where were these pictures taken?
AMANDA
There's a waterfall several clicks out from here. The scouts that found them said that they were scribbled all over the rocks around there. What you see in those pictures isn't even close to all of them.
CARMICHAEL
Well, these sure are complex. If I'm to decipher anything out of them, I'm going to need to head over there and check all of the drawings out. Just give me the coordinates and I'll be on my way.
AMANDA
Not so fast, you're not going alone.
CARMICHAEL
Yeah, no thanks, I don't need your help. You'll only get in my way.
AMANDA
Too bad. You're the only scientist we brought along on this mission, so your safety is a high priority.
CARMICHAEL
(Sarcastic)
Gee, I'm flattered.
AMANDA
You should be, because I can't afford to have you die on me. Your scientific knowledge helped alleviate the food crisis the other day. If anything else like that comes up, your help is going to be required.
CARMICHAEL
Listen here, girl, I know what I'm doing, unlike you. Your presence would only serve to muck up my work.
AMANDA
No Carmichael, you listen, I run a colony of more people than the amount of bugs you like to look at under a microscope, and only one of those people has the knowledge I need to solve scientific problems. Now, once we build the terminus and link up to the future, I can get more scientists here, and you'll be able to wander off into the jungle doing god knows what for all I care. Until then, however, you're under my thumb. Got it?
CARMICHAEL
(gritting his teeth)
Fine. We'll do it your way.
AMANDA
Good.
Amanda starts walking out of the room, but stops and points to the dead centipede on the table.
AMANDA
You've had that thing long enough, and it's beginning to smell even more foul than it did when I had it brought here. Get rid of it.
Amanda exits. Carmichael packs his things and begins to walk out too.
CARMICHAEL
(Muttering to himself)
Damn jarheads and their small brains.
INT. INFIRMARY
Sam enters the infirmary. It's been cleaned up quite a bit now that the power is back on, although there's still tons of junk stuffed out of the way in the background. Ramirez is working on a plex, and sees Sam enter.
RAMIREZ
Ah, Taggart, you're just in time for your checkup.
SAM
I guess. I'm feeling pretty good though, you sure you still need to run those tests?
RAMIREZ
Taggart, you've been injured more times than anyone else in this colony. I'm absolutely sure you need to take these health tests.
SAM
Well, alright.
RAMIREZ
Just have a seat on any of the tables.
Sam does as she says. Ramirez pulls out a big needle, and begins wiping away at Sam's arm with an alcohol cloth. Before she can stick it in his arm, however, Greg enters the building, with a heavily bleeding hand.
GREG
Hey doc, you got anything for this HUGE gash on my hand?
RAMIREZ
Jesus, what did you do?
GREG
I was working a saw, fixing up my home, when all of a sudden, a bug flew on my face out of nowhere. I mean like, a big one. You were at outpost 1, you understand. Anyways, it scared the hell out of me, and when I jumped, my hand bumped the sawblade, and well, yeah.
RAMIREZ
Ah hell.
SAM
Does that mean I can go?
RAMIREZ
Actually, I could use your help stitching up your friend's hand.
EXT. WATERFALL
A rover pulls up to a steady and clear stream of water. The stream ends at a hole in the rock formation, turning into a waterfall. Inside of the rover is Amanda and Carmichael. Amanda gets out, and motions for Carmichael to follow her.
AMANDA
This is as far as the rover can go. We'll have to climb down from here to get to the spot, that is, unless you'd rather jump.
CARMICHAEL
(Snarky)
Anything to get away from you.
CUT
Amanda and Carmichael scale down the wall, and jump off near the bottom. Amanda lands effortlessly, while Carmichael stumbles a bit as he reaches the bottom but manages to straighten up. The drawings on the bank of the river immediately catch Carmichael's attention, and he runs over to begin examining them all.
CARMICHAEL
Those scouts of yours weren't kidding! These drawings are all over the place!
Carmichael pulls out a futuristic camera and begins taking pictures of all the drawings.
AMANDA
So what do you make of them?
CARMICHAEL
Well… they're not your average everyday high school physics equations.
AMANDA
What are they?
CARMICHAEL
Very advanced, possibly quantum physics, but I'm not sure what order they're supposed to go in or what their purpose is.
AMANDA
Can you figure them out?
CARMICHAEL
If you give me a few months, yeah.
AMANDA
Months?!
CARMICHAEL
Yeah, unless you've got a highly advanced supercomputer that can process tons of information at once.
Both Carmichael's and Amanda's eyes widen a second later when they come to a realization.
CARMICHAEL AND AMANDA
(In unison)
The eye!
CUT
Without further ado, the two of them speed off in Amanda's rover, content to find answers, but not realizing the unnatural stillness of the jungle around them.
INT. INFIRMARY
Ramirez counts how many vials there are in a cabinet. She gets a dissatisfied look on her face, and closes the cabinet.
RAMIREZ
Well Fraser, looks like we're gonna have to do this the old fashioned way.
GREG
What do you mean?
RAMIREZ
We're low on medical sealant, and I can't waste our remaining supply on an injury as minor as this.
GREG
Minor?
RAMIREZ
I'm gonna have to stitch up your wound.
GREG
You're gonna what?
Ramirez pulls out a rag from a nearby cabinet, as well as a bottle of clear liquid. She points at another cabinet near Sam.
RAMIREZ
Taggart, look in that cabinet for a needle and thread.
Sam does as she says and begins digging through the cabinet. After a few seconds, Sam pulls out a roll of thread, and needle, but it's a hypodermic needle.
RAMIREZ
Wrong kind of needle.
Sam puts the hypodermic one back and find the regular stitching needle. Ramirez puts the liquid from the bottle onto the rag. Sam comes over to Greg with the stitching supplies and Ramirez takes them. She then reaches into another drawer on the cabinet near her, and pulls out a belt. She hands it to Sam.
RAMIREZ
Tie that tight around his arm, stop the bleeding.
Sam ties it, and Ramirez begins to sterilize Greg's wound with the rag. Greg winces in pain.
RAMIREZ
It's only going to get worse from here, Fraser.
She puts the rag down and grabs the stitching kit. As she threads the needle, Greg starts to look uneasy.
GREG
Can't you put me under for this or something?
RAMIREZ
Are you kidding me? It's just some stitching. In the past, people got stitches while awake, all the time.
Ramirez goes in with the needle.
INT. EYE CHAMBER
Amanda and Carmichael enter the room containing the eye. Amanda flips the switch to turn on the eye, and Carmichael quickly pulls the storage chip out of his camera. He puts it in the adapter on the eye seat, and the pictures appear on the eye.
CARMICHAEL
(To the eye)
Search pictures for mathematical equations.
The eye begins to scan the photos. The drawings in the pictures flash blue as the eye reads them off, and digitizes them into a readable format. Eventually, it gets done scanning all the pictures.
EYE VOICE
Scanning complete, would you like to evaluate these equations?
CARMICHAEL
Yes.
The eye begins to run through all the equations, quickly flashing through them all on the screen.
Eventually, it finishes, and prints off the answers to the equations on screen.
CARMICHAEL
Oh my god.
AMANDA
What is it, what does it mean?
CARMICHAEL
These calculations, they're for the terminus. These are the equations that the phoenix group used to make the portal go both ways.
AMANDA
Looks like Eric wasn't kidding.
CARMICHAEL
What are we supposed to do with these?
AMANDA
Get rid of them.
CARMICHAEL
What?
AMANDA
From what Taggart told me, our enemies would give anything to return to the future.
CARMICHAEL
Well, maybe we should let them. If we do, they won't be our problem anymore.
AMANDA
That's out of the question. They're too dangerous.
CARMICHAEL
And that's exactly why we should send them away.
AMANDA
And what? Just throw them into the lap of everyone at the Lazarus facility? Let them know who, where, and what is running the effort in the future to re-establish a connection with Terra Nova? Do you want me to give them my father's address too?
CARMICHAEL
Listen, we could just establish some kind of protocol with everyone on the other side at the facility, and they would be able to handle it.
AMANDA
No. Our enemies are phoenix group mercenaries, killers for hire, who, in addition to having several years of combat training, have also been hardened from years of being trapped in a jungle and time where everything wants to eat you alive. They're sure as hell not safe, and they're sure as hell not sane. If they made it to the facility on the other side, who knows what could happen.
Before Carmichael can argue back at her, Amanda's comm turns on.
SPUNKMEYER
(From comm)
Hey, Amanda? I need you up here, we've got a pressing issue that we need to find a solution for.
Amanda sighs.
AMANDA
(Into comm)
Alright, I'll head up.
Amanda glares at Carmichael one last time before leaving.
AMANDA
(Commanding)
Delete them.
EXT. COLONY
As Amanda steps outside, she finds that the wind is really strong for some reason. Her hair blows all across her face as she walks over to the staircase leading to Taylor's office.
INT. TAYLOR'S OFFICE
The doors to the office are swinging wide open from the wind, Spunkmeyer sits inside, waiting for Amanda as she enters. The wind whistles through the cracks in the room with an impressive volume. Amanda and Spunkmeyer practically have to yell to hear each other over it.
AMANDA
(Yelling)
Jesus Christ, that wind almost pushed me over!
SPUNKMEYER
(Also Yelling)
That's part of the problem, and it's only going to get worse!
Spunkmeyer pulls out a plex.
SPUNKMEYER
(Yelling)
You know how only the environment sensor nodes that were closer to the colony are working?
AMANDA
(Yelling)
Yeah?
SPUNKMEYER
(Yelling)
Well, since the ones that are further out are broken, they didn't catch what was coming.
Spunkmeyer shows Amanda a plex. On it is a large map of the area. From the coast, a large storm formation can be seen rolling in.
SPUNKMEYER
(Yelling)
It's a tropical storm, and a bad one! We gotta evacuate everyone from the colony, unless we want to lose a lot of our men!
AMANDA
(Yelling)
Alright, got it.
Amanda switches on her comm.
INT. INFIRMARY
Ramirez cuts the excess thread off of Greg's hand.
RAMIREZ
That's it, it's all done.
GREG
It still stings!
RAMIREZ
Yeah, it will for a while. Keep it clean, and you won't have to come in again to see me.
Over in the corner of the room, Sam is looking outside through a window.
SAM
Jeez, the wind outside right now is insane!
Suddenly, a branch from a tree swings off and into the window, cracking it and making Sam jump back. Sam's comm turns on, and it sound really loud and crackly at first, which makes Sam jump again, but then it adjusts so that it can be listened to.
AMANDA
(From comm)
This is a colony wide emergency! Repeat, this is a colony wide emergency! A massive storm is rolling in from the coast! To ensure everyone's safety, we're going to immediately begin evacuating to outpost 1. Everyone get in line at the front gate. Those of you who have your own rovers, you have to help transport evacuees out of here. That means you, Fraser.
Greg groans a bit in the background and gets up off of the medical bench.
GREG
Guess we should probably get going. Come on.
Greg exits the infirmary, with Sam and Ramirez following behind.
EXT. COMMAND CENTER
Amanda watches over the railing of the center as people from all over the colony begin to line up for the evacuation. Spunkmeyer comes out of Taylor's office behind her.
AMANDA
(Yelling)
How long do you think it'll take to evac everyone?
SPUNKMEYER
(Yelling)
No idea, my guess would be a few hours, assuming you were serious about loading everyone into cargo crates and towing them over to the outpost.
AMANDA
(Yelling)
Whatever it takes to get everyone out of here. I just hope it isn't too late…
She looks over the crowd, as it increases in size.
AMANDA
Wait a minute, where's Carmichael?
INT. EYE ROOM
Carmichael sits in the chair, waiting in great tension. On the screen of the eye is a progress bar, displaying "COPYING: 95% Complete."
CARMICHAEL
Come on, come on!
The bar reaches 100% and Carmichael quickly rips out his storage chip from the eye. The timing couldn't have been closer for Carmichael, as he begins to hear footsteps heading into the eye room. Amanda enters, and Carmichael covertly slips the storage chip into his pocket.
AMANDA
What are you still doing down here? We're evacuating the colony!
CARMICHAEL
I wanted to wait in safety from the wind outside. Is that too much to ask?
AMANDA
Quit being a wimp, and get out there. The first transport is almost here, and you're on the list of primary evacuation personal.
CARMICHAEL
(Sarcastic)
I'm honored.
Amanda shoves him out the door. Once he's gone, she walks over to the eye, and wipes the data from the calculations, not knowing that Carmichael backed them up.
EXT. COLONY
Greg, Sam, and Ramirez all brave through the winds, until they finally reach Greg's house. His rover is parked right outside of his house.
GREG
There it is!
Greg hops into the driver's seat, and tries to start it up, but it does nothing. A small red battery light flashes on the dashboard.
GREG
Shit. The battery is dead.
RAMIREZ
Do you have a spare?
GREG
Uh, no.
Ramirez looks highly concerned.
GREG
You know, you and Sam should just go ahead and leave with the main evac convoy, it'll be safer that way. I'm gonna keep trying to see if I can get this thing juiced up.
RAMIREZ
Fraser, due to the circumstances, I'm obligated to watch over you as you recover from your injury. So I'm supposed to stay with you, whether you decide to die from repairing this stupid rover, or if you do the rational thing and head for the main evac convoy.
GREG
First thing you should know about me, Ramirez, is that I'm definitely not a very rational person.
Sam pipes into the conversation.
SAM
I'll stay behind too, surely there's something I can do to help you fix this rover?
GREG
I'm not too sure about that…
Greg opens up the hood of the rover.
CUT
At the front gate, Carmichael walks towards the evacuation rovers. The blue semi-cylinder storage containers that were sitting in the back of the colony are now being used to load up people. Carmichael walks out towards one, but stops when he notices the amount of people being loaded into a single container. Carmichael's palms begin to get sweaty, as he stands still as a statue. A random guard helping run the evacuation speaks up.
GUARD
Go ahead, Carmichael, you're cleared to board.
Carmichael stutters a bit and mutters out a response.
CARMICHAEL
(nervous)
Well… uh… you know, I think I'd rather catch the next one, thank you very much.
GUARD
Suit yourself, buddy.
Carmichael wanders out of the crowd and away from the evacuation area.
CUT
Greg pulls the battery out of the rover, and shuts the hood.
RAMIREZ
I don't know about this, Fraser.
GREG
Don't worry, I've got an idea.
All of a sudden, a large piece of debris flies towards Ramirez. It misses but it is a really close call.
RAMIREZ
Whatever it is, hurry the hell up!
GREG
I've got to wire this battery into the colony's power grid and charge it. Not the safest solution, but it's all we got. I'm telling you though, just leave with the main convoy.
RAMIREZ
We won't be able to make it over there in these conditions. Just fix the rover so we can get out of here!
GREG
Right.
Greg takes the battery and wanders off inside his house, before coming back out with his toolbox, some assorted cables, and some rubber kitchen gloves. He goes over to a power box attached to the outside of the house, and tosses everything onto the ground. He puts on the rubber gloves, grabs a wrench, and stares hesitantly at the battery on the ground, before hitting it with his big wrench, breaking the cover off of it and exposing the innards of the battery with a big spark. Greg then smashes the power box open a bit, which sparks even more. Greg staggers back a bit, before grabbing the cables out of the damaged power box, and fusing them to the board in the battery. Power appears to be running to the battery, as the fused wire on both ends sparks every few seconds.
GREG
This isn't going to be quick, and the charge won't last as long as it would on a real battery charger, but it'll be enough for our purposes for now.
RAMIREZ
Whatever works.
EXT. FRONT GATE
Amanda and Spunkmeyer stand at the front gate, overseeing the evacuation.
SPUNKMEYER
(Yelling)
Only two more trips and we'll have everyone out of the colony.
AMANDA
(Yelling)
Good. I'll oversee the rest from here, Spunkmeyer. You go ahead and get out of here.
SPUNKMEYER
Ma'am?
AMANDA
You heard me, Spunkmeyer. Get out of here. I need someone to watch everyone over at Outpost 1. I'll catch the last ride out of here. I want to make sure I'm not missing anything.
CUT
INT. RESEARCH LABORATORY
Carmichael busts into the building, and nervously looks back outside.
CARMICHAEL
Damn it, what am I doing?
Carmichael groans in disappointment of himself, and turns around. He pulls the storage chip holding the calculations.
CARMICHAEL
At least I get to put you somewhere safe.
He pulls out an airtight, metal canister and opens it, dropping the storage chip inside and quickly closing it again, before storing it in a safe drawer. Carmichael then walks back over to the door, hesitating, before going finally going outside.
EXT. COLONY GATE
Carmichael makes his way over to the front gate, only to find that all the people and rovers are gone, having already left.
CARMICHAEL
Oh no…
Amanda calls to him from behind, making him jump.
AMANDA
(Yelling)
Carmichael!
He turns around, seeing her sitting on the steps to Taylor's building.
AMANDA
(Yelling)
What are you still doing here?! I told you to leave with the first transport a while ago!
CARMICHAEL
Well you see... uh…
AMANDA
Whatever, another transport should be on its way, although… it is a bit late…
CARMICHAEL
How late?
Amanda is about to answer, but is interrupted by a large drop of rain falling on her head, and then, another, and another.
AMANDA
Maybe, we should wait inside my office. Follow me.
Amanda gets up and heads inside Taylor's office. Carmichael follows behind.
EXT. COLONY
Greg checks the battery, and decides that it's got enough of a charge, ripping the cable out of it and putting the battery back inside the rover. The rain pounds down on him and the rover, with Ramirez and Sam seeking cover inside.
GREG
Alright, let's see if this works.
Greg jumps into the driver's seat and tries to turn it on, and to everyone's surprise, it actually does.
GREG
Yes! Let's get the hell out of here!
Greg puts the rover in drive and they all zoom off as the rain begins to fall.
INT. TAYLOR'S OFFICE
The rain pounds against the roof of the building. Luckily, Amanda had a bunch of palm leaves put over the hole in the ceiling to block the rain from getting in. Amanda peeks out of the window of the office, out at the front gate.
AMANDA
Carmichael, I think I hear a rover. That might be our way out of here.
CARMICHAEL
He sure is late.
Rather than a rover coming from outside the gates, one comes from inside: the rover driven by Greg.
AMANDA
Wait!
Amanda runs outside of the office, screaming and trying in vain to get their attention. Within seconds, the rover drives out the open gateway and fades away into the rain without even knowing Amanda was still there.
AMANDA
Well, I don't think we're getting out of here.
CARMICHAEL
So we're dead?
AMANDA
We don't have to be. Follow me, I've got an idea, the way there won't be easy though, or safe.
CUT
EXT. JUNGLE
Greg drives through the jungle, driving along a narrow path carved through the jungle by the earlier evacuation. As they drive, the rain picks up more and more, flying through the shutter windshield of the rover.
GREG
(Reassuring)
Don't worry, we'll make it. Don't worry.
SAM
Are you talking to us, or yourself?
GREG
Both.
CUT
EXT. COLONY
Amanda and Carmichael fight their way through the wind and rain, on the way to their destination.
CARMICHAEL
How much longer?
AMANDA
Not long, just keep moving!
Eventually, they reach their destination: the cargo containers in the back of the colony. Amanda runs in between the containers, and Carmichael follows her, eager to get out of the deadly winds. Amanda wastes no time, and opens up one of the containers. She motions for Carmichael to enter.
AMANDA
Alright, get in.
Carmichael stands frozen in place, and starts to sweat again.
CARMICHAEL
In there?
AMANDA
What do you think? Yes.
Carmichael begins to stammer and stutter again.
CARMICHAEL
I mean, well, surely there's uh, gotta be another place we can get out of the storm or something.
Amanda grabs him and throws him inside before he can do anything, and she enters as well, closing the container behind her. Carmichael sits there for a second, processing what just happened.
CARMICHAEL'S P.O.V.
The walls begin to distort, and close in on Carmichael.
Amanda stares at him, as he begins to break down.
CARMICHAEL
No… no…
Carmichael falls to his knees and grabs his head.
CARMICHAEL
This can't be happening! I'm going to suffocate in this god forsaken box!
Amanda bears witness to Carmichael's panic attack, realizing that he has severe claustrophobia. She runs over to him and tries to shake him back into rationality.
AMANDA
Carmichael, look at me! Carmichael!
Carmichael continues to freak out.
CUT
EXT. JUNGLE
Greg drives through the jungle with the rover while Sam and Ramirez hold on for dear life.
SAM
If you kill us with your driving, Greg, I'm not going to be happy!
GREG
Calm down, we'll make it there in one piece.
The rain batters the rover, and comes through the windshield with even greater force. Greg wipes the water off of his face, and looks at the dashboard. The battery indicator appears to be low on power.
GREG
Uh oh.
SAM
Uh oh? What do you mean "uh oh?"
GREG
I think I messed up when I wired the battery in order to siphon energy from the power grid. It appears that the battery didn't hold the charge very well. We're going to run out of power, really soon.
SAM
How far's the outpost from here?
GREG
Too far. We're not going to make it.
RAMIREZ
Well, in that case, we're going to need to drive somewhere close where we'll be safe from the storm.
GREG
I'm open to suggestions.
Ramirez squints and looks out the window. Towering above the trees in the distance is a naturally formed tower of rock.
RAMIREZ
Over there. There's a rock formation we can seek refuge around. If we're lucky, there might be some caves or something we can stay in until the storm blows over.
GREG
Sounds good to me.
Greg turns the rover, veering left from the original course, and heading off in the direction of the nearby rock formation.
EXT. OUTPOST ONE ENTRANCE
The last of the evacuated personal from the colony are entering the outpost. Spunkmeyer supervises from outside, scanning the jungle for any more incoming vehicles. He turns to another guard leading the evacuation.
SPUNKMEYER
Where's the commander? The rover we sent out to get her should have come back by now. Has she said anything over the comms?
GUARD
No way to tell. This storm's a bad one, and appears to be blocking all the comms. Wherever she is, she's on her own.
INT. CARGO CONTAINER
Carmichael is freaking out.
CARMICHAEL
We're trapped in here! The comms are out! No one can come save us! We're going to die!
Carmichael breaks out of Amanda's grasp and runs over to the door of the container, banging on it in vain.
CARMICHAEL
Let us out! Get me out of here!
Amanda goes over to him and grabs him again. She turns him around and looks him right in the eyes.
AMANDA
Carmichael! Listen to me! We're fine, we're going to be fine!
CARMICHAEL
No we're-
AMANDA
No, listen to me. Close your eyes, trust me.
Carmichael, still freaking out, manages to get a bit of self control, and closes his eyes like Amanda told him.
AMANDA
Slow down, breathe. We're only going to be in here for a little while. Breathe. Everything is going to be okay. Breathe.
Carmichael takes a few deep breaths. He seems to calm down, if only for a moment.
AMANDA
We're going to be fine. Just be patient, just be calm. Breathe. We'll be out of here in no time, and you can go back to studying your bugs and all that stuff. Right?
Carmichael nods, eyes still closed, and still a little panicked.
AMANDA
Now, open your eyes, focus on me.
Carmichael opens them back up, and his breathing starts to pick up again.
AMANDA
No, remain calm. Slow, deep breaths.
Carmichael tries to calm down.
AMANDA
Don't focus on the box, focus on me. I want you to tell me, how did you end up on this mission?
CARMICHAEL
What?
AMANDA
I want to know how you ended up here. Tell me about yourself. Did you always want to study bugs?
CARMICHAEL
Well, uh, kinda, I guess…
AMANDA
Go on…
CARMICHAEL
I- I've always been really interested in nature, and well… I always liked to read about the kind of stuff that existed before the planet got too polluted.
AMANDA
Very cool.
CARMICHAEL
Heh, yeah, I guess. Being a biologist was my dream job, but with so little wildlife around, it was never really a viable occupation. I had to take on other forms of science for my real job, but… the desire to be a biologist and to study nature was still there. I'd take small side jobs, helping people set up artificial ecosystems inside their domes, all that kinds of stuff. I would even do stuff like, heh, catch and dissect cockroaches from my apartment.
(smiles a bit)
My wife of course thought it was disgusting, and she was definitely right, but you know… I carried on anyways, since that's what interested me.
AMANDA
I didn't know you had a wife.
CARMICHAEL
I tend to keep it to myself.
AMANDA
What happened to her?
CARMICHAEL
She's, uh, not around anymore. It's my fault, it's all my fault. I had forgotten something at home when I left for work one day, and I asked her to grab it and drive it to me at work. She was so sweet, she always saved my ass with things like this. But…
Carmichaels begins to choke up, and his voice becomes unsteady.
CARMICHAEL
She got in a crash on the way there. Her rebreather broke, and she suffocated to death from the toxic air, long before an ambulance was able to show up. She's dead, all because of my own stupid mistake.
Amanda pauses for a moment, coming up with something to say to Carmichael.
AMANDA
I'm sorry to hear that, but you can't blame yourself for what happened. I've been through a similar situation, and I've blamed myself for a long time, but eventually, I was able to move past it, realizing that my fate, my destiny, didn't include that person, no matter how much I didn't like it.
CARMICHAEL
Destiny… huh.
AMANDA
Neither of us would be here, if we were perfectly content with the lives we had back in the future. Lack of ties to anyone or anything in the future, was a large part of the selection process for this mission to save humanity.
CARMICHAEL
Makes sense.
The container goes silent for a few seconds, with the only sound being the rain hitting the outside. Carmichael gets up from huddling on the ground.
CARMICHAEL
Good talk by the way, you've made me feel a little better. I still feel like I'm going to die in this box, this box storing… whatever is underneath that tarp.
Carmichael points to the tarp covered object in the middle of the container.
CARMICHAEL
What is that anyways? Have you had all these containers checked?
AMANDA
Yeah. If there was anything useful stored in here, I've already heard about it. Whatever is under that tarp is probably nothing.
CARMICHAEL
Well, can't hurt to have a look.
Carmichael pulls the tarp off. His face goes from one of curiosity, to one of confusion.
CARMICHAEL
What in the…
EXT. JUNGLE
Greg's rover finally begins to die. Greg coasts as far as he can, until it finally just gives out completely.
GREG
Well, that's it.
Everyone hops out of the rover.
GREG
Luckily, we appear to be pretty close. That rock formation can't be any more than a few minutes away.
RAMIREZ
That's good. I don't want to be out in this weather for very long.
The trio battles their way through the jungle. The trees are all thrashing at their tops from the wind, letting out deafening sounds of rustling and broken branches. In a addition to the rain, all sorts of stuff is falling from above, such as leaves, sticks, prehistoric seeds, and even a few bugs. Through every momentary gap in the canopy, the rock formation can be seen, getting closer and closer as the trio makes their way towards it. As they inch their way closer to the formation, Greg notices something off in the surrounding woods.
GREG
Hey! Over there!
Greg points off to their right, at something peculiar. Not even 30 yards away, is a very old, beat up, and overgrown rover. It's been out here for years, and the jungle hasn't been kind to it. The years of neglect and jungle weather has caused the rover to begin to sink into the ground. Vines cover it so much, that Ramirez and Sam are surprised he even noticed it.
SAM
Is that a… rover?
GREG
Yeah, let's go check it out.
RAMIREZ
I don't know, Greg, I don't think it's a good idea to be out in the open for any longer than we need to be.
GREG
It'll just be a second, okay?
Greg bounds off towards the old rover, with Sam following behind. Greg rips all the vines off, to get a look at it.
SAM
Do you think this is from the original colonists?
Greg wipes the dirt off the front of the rover, revealing a phoenix group logo.
GREG
Nope, we're in for something slightly more interesting.
RAMIREZ
Are you gonna try and fix it or something?
GREG
This thing is way beyond repair, even for me. The seal's been busted and the jungle has done what it does best, grow.
RAMIREZ
Well, let's get going then.
GREG
Just a few more minutes.
Greg and Sam tear apart the car, looking for anything of interest. Greg finds some dog tags, and reads the name.
GREG
Hey, Sam.
SAM
Yeah?
GREG
That phoenix group guy you had a run in with, what was his name?
SAM
Dennis. He told me his name was Dennis.
GREG
Take a look at this.
Greg hands the dog tags over to Sam. Sam reads the name. Engraved on the tags, is the name "Dennis Abrams." Sam stares at the tags for a second, before swiftly pocketing them, and begins searching the rover for other stuff with a much greater intensity. He checks everywhere, when a small glimmer, on the ground and underneath the pedals, catches Sam's eye. Sam picks it up and gets a look at it. It's some kind of silver capsule. Like the car, it's also been here for years. Sam notices a seam, and pulls it apart, revealing the inside to be some kind of sound recorder. Sam tries to turn it on, and remarkably, it still works. The last recorded audio file from it begins to play.
UNKNOWN PHOENIX GROUP MEMBER (AUDIO RECORD)
Andrew Duffer here with another log. Me and Dennis are stuck out here in this god-forsaken jungle. We were already a bit behind the retreat convoy, but our rover decided to break. We're still trying to see if we can fix it, but it appears to be a lost cause. If I die out here…
Andrew is cut off by some loud shuffling heard nearby in the recording. Andrew gasps a bit.
ANDREW (AUDIO RECORD)
Holy mother of god.
(Yelling)
Dennis! Get over here with the first aid kit!
The audio log ends, and Sam, Greg, and even Ramirez are left wanting to know more.
GREG
What was that all about? What did they see?
SAM
I- I don't know. Maybe if we check the rest of the recorder we can find more informa-
RAMIREZ
No, we have to get out of here! If we stay out here any longer who knows what could happen.
As if on queue, something can be heard coming from off deeper in the jungle. At first, it sounds like a stampede, but upon closer inspection, it appears to be the sound of… rushing water.
GREG
That's the sound of water… that has to mean…
Greg gets out of the rover and grabs Sam and Ramirez.
GREG
Flash flood! Let's get out of here!
The three of them pick up running as fast as they can for the rock formation. Water can be heard crashing through the foliage behind them. Through the falling junk from the trees, they can barely see anything. With the water seemingly hot on their heels, they manage to reach the formation. Luckily, the formation is fairly jagged, providing plenty of areas to grab onto for climbing. Sam is the first one up, with Greg going second. Ramirez begins to climb the formation, but she isn't fast enough. The water finally comes crashing into the base of the formation. Greg, already at safety, decides to go out on a limb. He leans over the ledge, and grabs her by the hand. A huge wave ramps up, heading straight for Ramirez.
GREG
Hold on!
The wave crashes against the rock formation. Hitting Ramirez directly as Greg grabs her. She lets out a scream of pain, before getting submerged. The force of the wave tugs on Greg's arm, super hard, ripping open the stitches on his hand and almost pulling him into the rapids as well. Sam catches him, and also begins to pull. The water subsides for a brief second, and Ramirez resurfaces, hurt but still alive. The receding wave also puts more strain on Greg. Ramirez manages to choke out a few words.
RAMIREZ
Save… yourself… let… go…
Greg doesn't listen. When the next wave comes, Greg screams in pain, and with all the strength that he and Sam can muster, they manage to pull Ramirez up to safety. The three of them collapse onto the hard rock ledge, and Ramirez coughs out all the water that she swallowed.
RAMIREZ
(between deep breaths)
Should… have… let… me… die…
GREG
(also between deep breaths)
You're… welcome…
They wait there for a few minutes, recovering from the ordeal. Greg looks at the stitched cut on his hand. The wound is now bleeding quite a bit again. It stings, causing Greg to wince in pain. He looks at Ramirez, who has it much worse. She's bruised, and bleeding from her mouth and nose.
SAM
You guys alright? That looked pretty bad.
RAMIREZ
No, I'd say that I'm far from alright. I feel like hell. I've got more broken bones now than I've ever had in my whole life. Now, I'm sitting on a rock with these injuries, getting drenched with rain.
SAM
It looks like there might be a bit of indent in the rock formation above us more. It might provide some safe cover from the storm. I don't know how you guys will be able to get up there, but I can check it out anyways if you want.
RAMIREZ
Go ahead…
Sam nods and begins to climb up the rock face. Ramirez reaches into a pouch on her belt. Water spills out as she removes a small capsule of tablets from it.
GREG
Are those bone menders?
RAMIREZ
Nope, just painkillers.
She opens the capsule and pops most of the few tablets into her mouth.
RAMIREZ
How bad is your arm?
GREG
Doesn't matter. You need those more than I do.
RAMIREZ
Nonsense, your arm took quite a beating. I've already taken the maximum dosage I can. Have some.
GREG
Well… whatever you say, Doc.
Greg reluctantly takes one of the tablets.
RAMIREZ
Thanks for risking your life to save me, by the way.
GREG
It was the least I could do.
RAMIREZ
It's just… I really hate water.
GREG
(Sarcastic)
Well, yeah, I guess it tastes pretty bad compared to a soda or something…
Ramirez laughs a bit. Greg smiles as well.
RAMIREZ
No, not like that... When I was little, a pipe burst inside my apartment. One minute I was just watching TV in my living room, the next, I was fighting to stay afloat in several feet of water.
GREG
God, that's horrible. Was the pipe old or something?
RAMIREZ
Very. I would have drowned if my father didn't swim in and get me.
GREG
If I'd been in charge of maintaining your apartment building, that would've never happened.
RAMIREZ
That's good to hear, "Fix it Fraser."
Greg laughs at the name she came up for him, and she starts to laugh too, but stops after wincing in pain a bit.
GREG
Take it easy, we'll get out of this alive, I promise.
CUT
Sam continues climbing up towards the indent. Up in the sky, even higher than the indent in the rock formation, is a couple small pterosaurs, flying close to the wall, where the wind isn't very strong. While Sam watches the flying reptiles, something begins to slip out of this pocket: the audio recorder! Sam notices a second too late, and it falls out and towards oblivion. Sam reaches in vain to grab it, almost falling off himself in the process. Luckily, the recorder gets caught on a slight outcropping from the wall. Sam breathes a sigh of relief, and makes his way back down to grab it.
CUT
GREG
You ever think about the future? What you're going to do?
RAMIREZ
I guess. I don't really know what I want to do though, you know? Like, a year ago, I never imagined I'd be at the forefront of an effort to help save the human race, yet, here I am. The future's always in motion, and for now, just being here is enough for me.
GREG
Hm, well, for me personally, if the colony ever gets off its feet, I'd like to open up a repair shop; fix everyone's stuff in the colony.
RAMIREZ
You mean like you do now?
GREG
Yeah.
(chuckles)
But it'd be nice to be able to do it in an official capacity.
Ramirez smiles and shakes her head a bit.
CUT
Sam finally reaches the outcropping, and starts to situate himself in a position where he can safely grab the recorder. Once he's in a stable position, he begins to reach for the shiny device. When he's within inches of grabbing it, a small pterosaur suddenly plops down next to it. Sam is taken aback, and almost falls again. Grabbing on the wall, Sam stares right at the pterosaur. It's very vulture like in appearance, and is definitely the ugliest reptile he's seen since so far.
SAM
Go away, you ugly little lizard. That thing is mine!
The pterosaur looks right at him, and tilts its head to the side a bit. Sam begins to reach for the recorder, but in response, the pterosaur grabs it instead and takes off flying.
SAM
No!
The reptile flaps its way up to an outcropping much higher up on the formation. Sam gives chase, climbing as fast as he can. The pterosaur obviously makes it there first, but Sam manages to get up there somewhat quickly. As he pulls his head up over the outcropping, he is met with a less than ideal sight. Perched on the outcropping, is a pterosaur that's much bigger, guarding a nest of small pterosaurs like the one that stole the recorder. In the center of the nest is the silver device. Sam eyes it quickly, but then looks back at the large pterosaur, which stares right back at him. They sit there staring at each other for what seems like hours. All of a sudden, Sam makes a move, quickly grabbing the device from the nest. The pterosaur reacts at the same time, pecking his other hand which was clinging to the ledge. Sam falls off the ledge, but his fall is luckily broken by a branch hanging out of the rock wall. Sam winces in pain, but is surprised to be alive. He looks up, seeing that the pterosaur has gotten off its perch, and is soaring straight for him. It opens its claws, and swoops down, trying to gut Sam with them. Sam hangs down from the branch just in time to dodge the sharp claws. It flies up again and begins to circle around to try again. Seeing, this, Sam pulls out his pistol, putting it on sonic mode to increase his chances of landing a hit. Sam fires off several shots. Most of them miss, even with the wide spread of the sonic pulses. The pterosaur gets closer, and with mere seconds left before getting sliced open, Sam lines up his pistol's sights, and fires one last sonic blast. Miraculously, it nails the pterosaur in its left wing. The reptile loses control of its flight, and tumbles clumsily towards Sam. It slams against Sam, breaking the branch he was hanging on to, causing both of them to go falling down the wall. They crash at the bottom ledge of the rock formation, a mere ten feet away from Greg and Ramirez. Sam in pain, groans, and crawls away from the pterosaur. It's still breathing, and Sam looks for his pistol, finding it having fallen a few feet away. He picks it up and points it right at the injured pterosaur. The pterosaur shuffles its body around, and looks Sam right in the eye. Sam looks right back, realizing that it's just an animal trying to do what it thinks is necessary for the survival of its offspring. He lowers the gun. After a minute, the pterosaur regains enough of its strength to get up and scale the rock formation back up to its nest. Sam looks as it ascends, with it half climbing, half flying up the wall. As if on queue, the clouds above begin to thin out, and a ray of sunshine begins to pierce through them. Sam looks over to Greg and Ramirez, who look back in surprise at his scraped and cut up appearance.
GREG
Have fun up there?
SAM
Nope.
Ramirez looks up at the thinning storm in the sky, and thinks to turn on her comm.
RAMIREZ
(Into comm)
Hello, is anybody there? This is chief medical officer Victoria Ramirez, does anyone copy?
After a few seconds of static, a voice comes in from the comm.
SPUNKMEYER
(From comm)
I copy, Ramirez. Where are you? You never checked in at the rendezvous point. We feared the worst had happened.
RAMIREZ
(Into comm)
It's a long story, but I'm stuck at the closest rock mountain to the colony with Fraser and Taggart. We're all injured in some way, so if you could send someone to pick us up, that'd be grand.
SPUNKMEYER
(From comm)
You got it. If the sky stays clear, we'll send someone as soon as we can.
RAMIREZ
(Into comm)
Copy that. Can't wait.
Ramirez switches off the comm.
GREG
Victoria? Your name is Victoria?
RAMIREZ
Just call me Ramirez.
GREG
Okay, Vicky.
FADE
EXT. COLONY
In the cargo container area of the colony, Spunkmeyer and a couple of soldiers open up one of the containers. Inside, is Amanda and Carmichael. Amanda leans against the inside wall of the container, looking really bored, but perks up once Spunkmeyer opens the container. Carmichael, on the other hand, is totally engrossed in studying the object contained within the container. Amanda gets up and happily leaves the container.
AMANDA
Thank god you showed up, Spunkmeyer, it was getting claustrophobic in there.
SPUNKMEYER
Just doing my duty, ma'am.
AMANDA
Speaking of claustrophobia…
(Turns towards Carmichael)
You can get out of there now, Carmichael.
CARMICHAEL
(Half paying attention to her)
Yeah, I just need a few more minutes.
AMANDA
Suit yourself. I'd personally rather not think about that thing right now.
Amanda walks off with Spunkmeyer and his group of soldiers. Carmichael pulls the tarp off the front of the object in the container.
CLOSE
The object is the mysterious ship prow from the end of season 1.
FADE
INT. BOYLAN'S BAR
Sam and Greg sit at the bar. Jake appears to have taken up the job of bartender.
GREG
Hey Jake, get us both something to drink.
JAKE
Sure thing.
He gives them pulls out two bottles and gives them to Greg and Sam.
JAKE
That'll be ten terras.
GREG
Terras?
Sam pulls out ten terras and gives them to Jake to pay for his own drink.
SAM
What did you expect? Free drinks?
Greg's face turns to one of disappointment, but someone slaps down ssome terras next to Greg. It's Ramirez, still looking a little bruised but definitely better.
RAMIREZ
(To Jake)
I'll pay for his drink. Get me one too.
JAKE
You got it.
RAMIREZ
I just wanted to thank you again, Greg.
GREG
Don't mention it, Vicky.
Ramirez laughs and playfully kicks him in the shin. Sam smiles and decides to leave them be and go home. He gets up and exits the bar.
EXT. COLONY, NIGHT
Sam walks back to his house in the dark. He reaches in his pocket, and pulls out the silver audio device. He stares at it for a second, before putting it back in his pocket. He walks past Taylor's building, and looks at the outlines of light from the inside, before continuing onwards to his house.
INT. TAYLOR'S BUILDING
Amanda sits at Taylor's desk, talking to Spunkmeyer.
AMANDA
So how much damage do we have to deal with?
SPUNKMEYER
Believe it or not, we only were hit by the outer edges of the tropical storm. The winds didn't do too much damage. The colony's state isn't too much worse than it already was when we found it. Shouldn't be too difficult to fix it up to a decent state again.
AMANDA
Still, I don't like it. We don't have time to fix it right now. We've got more pressing matters to attend to that I've been putting off for too long.
SPUNKMEYER
Yes, but when do you want to start?
AMANDA
At first light tomorrow, we need to get all the able bodied engineers we have together, along with all of our extra guards, and put together the terminus.
END OF EPISODE
