Instinct/Transcript

This is a transcript of the episode Instinct.

Transcript

EXT. JUNGLE - NIGHT Vehicle drives through the jungle.

GILLERS
You eat at mess last night?

OKUDA
Man, oh man. Chef put out a slab of meat, I swear.

GILLERS
It was bright orange.

OKUDA
Watch out!

GILLERS
Hang on.

OKUDA
Terra Nova, this is Lieutenant Okuda. We're at Marker 24 Alpha. Gillers was here. Got us a pretty nasty flat tire.

TERRA NOVA COMMAND
Copy that. Compliments to chauffer Gillers. - Terra Nova command out.

GILLERS
I don't even know what I hit.

OKUDA
Just fix the tire, Gill.

We've got a long drive, and Outpost Three's expecting these supplies in the morning.

?
Sir, what was that?!

OKUDA
What was what?

?
Sir, in the trees.

EXT. JUNGLE - DAY

WASHINGTON
When night falls and you have no weapons, fire is the only thing these creatures understand. Your survival depends on this. Good. If you were lost in the jungle, and you have to find your way out, which way is north?

REYNOLDS
Lieutenant Washington asked a question. Yeah.

MADDY
That way.

WASHINGTON
And you know this how?

MADDY
The moss on those trees.

WASHINGTON
Gold star, Shannon.

WASHINGTON
These here are beetle grubs. They are edible and they are nutritious.

ZOE
Ew.

WASHINGTON
Ew? You find yourself low on provisions and starving, you won't be saying "ew." You'll be saying Mm-mm.

EXT. COLONY GATE - DAY

WASHINGTON
All right, people, we resume survival training tomorrow at 0800. Do not be late. Dismissed.

WASHINGTON (to Josh)
Shannon, remember the construction crews on the north side? They've got some latrines that need de-mucking.

JOSH
Yes, ma'am, I know.

WASHINGTON
Then hustle.

MADDY
Yeah, maybe next time you'll think twice before you steal a rover and almost get yourself killed.

EXT. SHANNON HOUSE - DAY

ZOE
Mommy, can I have this one?

ELISABETH
Yeah, sure, honey. I don't see why not.

JIM
Okay, let's find a nice pot for that.

ZOE
Look, Daddy, it has a mouth. Yeah.

JIM
Whoa. Maybe we shouldn't do that again.

ZOE
Can I take it to my room?

JIM
Yeah, just don't let it bite your nose off.

ZOE
I won't.

ELISABETH
It's funny-- I know it's yellow, but it is an unusual hue.

MADDY
That's because it's a natural pigment, and the plant it's made from doesn't exist in 2149. Kind of like crimson before the Spanish brought it back in the 1500s. No one in Europe had ever seen it before.

It is amazing how you keep all that stuff in your head.

Well, have you seen it? It's huge.

Get off.

You know, Mom and Dad don't like talking about it, but they were worried it might not make it through the portal.

Don't touch me. You reek. No, Josh. Go take a shower.

BEDROOM - EVENING No.

ZOE
But I want to sleep in your bed.

ELISABETH
I know you do, sweetheart, but here's the thing, Daddy's home now. That's where he and I are supposed to sleep. Come on. You've got your own bed now.

MADDY
Hey, Zoe, I'll be right here beside you, and we can keep this light on if you want.

Yeah? - Come on, you're a big girl now. Come on. Night-night. Good night. What was that? Well, I mean, who knows around here? - Jim. - What? Please All right, all right. Okay. Okay. I'll be right back. I'll be here. Hey, scat! Get out of here! Go on. Scat! Okay. I think I scared him off. She needed a cuddle. Sorry.

COMMAND BASE - MORNING

JIM
Good morning, Commander Taylor. You wanted to see me?

COMMANDER TAYLOR
We lost contact with a supply run out by Outpost Three.

WASHINGTON
They last checked in at Marker 26 ALPHA, North RIM.

JIM
Sixers?

COMMANDER TAYLOR
Could be. We've had skirmishes with them out that way before. They're getting bolder.

WASHINGTON
Man, I'd like to get a line on where they're hiding out - and hit them for a change.

- In time, Wash. I want to move out ASAP. Shannon, grab us a medic just in case. Let's mount up. Could you start an I. V. for me here please? Nurse, can you have a look at my colleague here's arm? I think it might be infected. Malcolm? Elisabeth? Malcolm This is I just got here on the Tenth Pilgrimage. Eighth, I came on the Eighth. I'm, uh I'm chief science officer here. - Ah. - My God, what are the chances? - I know, right? - Talk about a small world. Well, yeah, that, and well, I can't believe it's really you. Oh, you look well. You look great. Listen, I just got in from a few days in the field. What do you say we get together later and catch up? - Elisabeth. - Jim, hi. Hi. Sorry to interrupt. Who can I see about getting a medic for a ride-along? Oh, well, I can help you with that. But listen, you're never going to believe this. This is Malcolm Wallace. - We were at university together. - You're joking. Wow, that's incredible. Malcolm, this is Jim my husband. Yeah, right. I heard somewhere you were, uh, married. Uh, need that medic. Yeah, I'll sort that for you. Just give me a sec. So good to see you. Bye. Well, um, it's a pleasure. One thing I know for sure about Sixers-- they tried to put a bullet in your head the other day. It's not the first time, it won't be the last. Which is why I'd appreciate it if you'd hang back a step. Shucks, you might make me blush. Any idea why they want you dead? Well, I try not to take things too personal, Shannon. The way I figure it, everybody's got their reasons. And seeing as how you are so interested in the Sixers, you might do me a favor. What's that? Mira's got somebody inside Terra Nova. I need to know who. Somebody's been feeding her intel. You sound pretty sure about that. Oh, yeah, tracking our patrols, know when we run our supplies. Somebody's tipping her off. I can't figure out who it is, though. But I'm just a soldier. You're a lawman. I figure you might have a nose for this kind of thing. - Commander Taylor. - Yeah? Cover this bank. I've got another one over here. What the hell did this to them? I don't know. But it wasn't Sixers. How can you be hungry after cleaning out toilets all morning? Cast-iron stomach, I guess. Oh, xiph-kebabs. What-kebabs? Xiphactinus-- it's a fish. It's pretty ugly, but it's so good. Two, please. Coming right up. You play pretty good. You know, it's yours for just 65 terras. Um, sorry. I don't have any money. I just got here. Well, in that case, I'll make it 60. And I'll throw in this pick, which I painstakingly carved from a Carno's tooth. And no, it's not the Carno that did me this little favor. Is 60 terras a lot? Uh, yeah, kind of. It's really amazing, but I need to earn some cash first. Tell ya, don't think too long. Things move fast around here. All right, thanks. Okay. It's really cool. I'm gonna need a few hours to do a complete post-mortem, but at first glance, I can tell you this. These men were attacked from above. I mean, all their wounds are to the face and to the neck. I'm thinking tree-darters. Those snakes will drop on you by the dozen. I've never seen them do anything like this. Not to three armed men. Yeah, they must have stumbled onto a nest or something, got taken by surprise. Do tree-darters have, uh, claws? Sorry? Do they have? Reptilia chordata, there's-- no, no claws. I'm just wondering what this is about, is all. Looks like a claw or a talon or something. Huh. Let me see. So it does. Malcolm, I need to know what did this, today. Elisabeth, we're gonna need to run a bite mark analysis. Okay, looks like I'm gonna be here for a while tonight. Do you think you can wrangle the kids? Oh, yeah. Sure. There's leftovers in the steri-bin. Make sure Zoe takes her bath. - Got it. - Josh does his homework. Will do. And, um, don't let Maddy forget to put her retainer in. She wears a retainer? Dinner, homework, retainer, bath. Daddy, can I feed my plant a bug now? Not now, sweetie. Dinner, homework Ow! Dad? I said not now! I'm-I'm sorry, Maddy. Could I ask you something? Yeah, yeah, go on. How do you know if a boy likes you? You can't. He doesn't. What boy? You're only 15. You know what, never mind. Uh, do you want me to start on dinner? Yeah? - Yes. - Okay. Welcome back to the family, Dad. Yeah. Hey. Hey. Hey. How'd everything go this evening? Smooth sailing all the way. Yeah? Zoe have a bath? You mean a bath with soap and water and all that? Jim. So what's this? Some kind of wine? It's 85 million B. C. Very good year. Mm. So, did anything new turn up from the autopsy? The wounds don't match any known species on the database. Neither does the claw. It looks like we're dealing with a predator no one's ever seen before in this region. That's a scary thought. Did you tell Taylor? Yeah, yeah, Malcolm filled him in. I still can't get over that. I mean, what are the chances of running into him? - Yeah. - Mm. Well, you both did go to that fancy college, and they do recruit from the best here. Still, the odds. Did you, um Did you and he, uh, ever Date? Are you asking me if we ever dated? Maybe, for half a minute. - I knew it. - Jim! I could just tell. Stop! It was ages ago. Yeah, for half a minute. Oh, what, are you jealous? No. So did you break it off or did he? I thought you said you weren't jealous. I'm just curious. Well, what difference does it make who broke it off? It was you, wasn't it? Oh, don't even try those little cop tricks on me. Huh? So it was him. Can I go, please, Officer? I have to put our daughter in the bath and then to bed. You may go. Just don't leave town. Unbelievable. I-I don't Man, that thing's loud. You got to be kidding me. Get! Go on! Go! Scat! Hey! Get out! Hey. Get in the house. Get in the house! I think we just found out what killed those men. Well, it certainly looks like the same bite mark. These birds were about yay high... They're not birds, Mr. Shannon. Reptiles. Whatever. They were jet black with white markings. Beaks about this long. Mean little bastards. Doesn't sound like any species of Pterosaur I've ever come across. Yeah, well three of my men came across them. I had to bury them this morning. So my question to you is: just how am I supposed to handle these things? There's a general rule: smaller animals don't attack larger ones unless provoked. With all due respect to the men who died, the likelihood is they somehow disturbed these Pterosaurs and brought this tragedy on themselves. What about the ones who attacked Shannon and his son? Happened right here in Terra Nova. Well, they were probably scavenging for food and got confused by the lights. What we need to do is a get a science team on this right away so that we can observe these animals and draw up an interaction protocol so people know how to behave around them. No protocols today, Malcolm. Until I know what these things are and why they're attacking my people, nobody leaves the compound, all work details in as soon as possible, as of right now. You got it. Sir, we have research teams in the field That's enough! We'll research another day. No discussion here. Good man. Pain in my ass sometimes. Always trying to push his own way, you know? Yeah. Can I ask you something? What's the recruitment process in Terra Nova? All personnel requests come to me through the department heads. Most of the time, they're looking for a resume, but once in a while, they'll make a specific recommendation, somebody that they know and value in 2149. Why? You looking to recruit a deputy or something? No. I was just curious about my wife. She was at the top of a very short list. Matter of fact, list was submitted to me by the aforementioned Malcolm Wallace. Well, I guess I should thank him. Wow. Exquisite, isn't it? Just discovered it last week. An ancestor of Phalaenopsis aphrodite, I suspect. Well, its medicinal applications look very promising. I'm telling you, Elisabeth, that jungle out there is a treasure trove. For all we know, there could be a cure for cancer just waiting to be found. There's still hope for humanity yet. Remember when you said that to me? No. It was the night before you left to start medical school. Remember I was saying something about how I didn't understand how people could want to have children, that it was irresponsible to bring them into a dying world. And you said you'd never give up believing that things might one day get better. We'd come too far for them to just end. "There's still hope for humanity yet. " Well, always the "optimist," I guess. Yes. It's funny, years later, when they first discovered the time fracture and decided to colonize this place, I remember watching the news and thinking maybe Elisabeth was right after all. Maybe there is still hope. So, from then on, I made it my mission to get myself here. And here you are. And here you are. Well I know you were brought here as a doctor, but I also know how passionate you are about research. And you're gonna get the chance to do a whole lot of both. You're back for another peek at that magnificent guitar. I'm told you might be willing to trade. Well, that depends. What do you got? All right, this is the latest from Oblivion, Rainbow Ash and Future Shock. - Who? - They're bands. You know, music? Hey, I'm Second Pilgrimage. It's all just noise to me. What else you got? Okay, how about this? This was actually worn by Jackie Hayes. He was shortstop for Chicago the year they won the World Series. Well, you know, I'm a Boston man myself, but I do know a guy in munitions who might be interested. What about that necklace? That looks real nice. What is that, silver or platinum? Uh, yeah, it's platinum, but it's not for sale. I'm talking trade here. Look, it was a present from someone, and it's not going to happen, all right? Do you want the cap or not? Uh don't think so. It was from her, wasn't it? What? Your necklace. It was from the girl you left behind? Her name was Kara. You really miss her, don't you? What was she like? I don't know. Just, uh, really smart. She was really funny. But she had a tough side, too. Mmm. She was kind of like you. Anyway, we were in this band together. It was no big deal. We were all right, I guess. We had a sloppy bass player, but Shame to break up the band. Yeah. Wow. Those birds are exactly like the ones that attacked me and my dad last night. Oh, my God. Let's go. Come on. Skye! They were just like the ones from last night, Dad, but there were hundreds of them, and they just kept on swooping down at us. Even after the guards turned the sonics on them. I-I don't know what finally drove them off. They just kind of flew off all at once. We got 36 wounded, three seriously, but I'm told they'll survive, and no fatalities. Oh, we got lucky this time. Tell the tower to keep their eye on the sky. Tell them to goose the frequency on the sonics as well. Go have your mom take a look at those wounds. Go ahead. She's right there. Where are those interaction protocols when you need them, huh? I think I may have an idea what's going on here. It's no accident that we haven't seen this species in the region before, because they're not from this region. - They're migrating. - Great. Let's hope they keep on migrating and get the hell out of here. You're not following. Migrations, particularly if they're not annual migrations-- and we know this one isn't 'cause we haven't seen them before-- tend to be population-wide, sometimes even species-wide. Meaning what? Meaning that what we've seen today is just the first wave. There are a lot more coming. Go to Aerial-Cam Three, North Perimeter. We have research balloons taking atmospheric readings. Now punch us in. I can't see a damn thing. Canopy's too thick. Go thermal. There. Under the canopy. Probably resting in the branches. There's millions of them. At least. Either that or something's wrong with the infrared. It could just be ghosting. Well, let's see. Fire a sonic blast into the trees. Well, that's not good. Okay, let's say you're right and they're migrating. Why? Well, species migrate for a variety of reasons. Change in climate, influx of predators, to mate. What is it? Few years back, we were digging for the geothermal well. - You remember that. - Yeah. We went about ten feet down. We found fragments-- thousands and thousands of them. Thousands of what? Eggshells. But we didn't think much of it at the time. I mean, it was deep enough that we figured whatever had laid them had long since moved on. Actually, one of the reasons we built here is because they made the soil so fertile. All right, so if what you're saying is these things were born here, that means they're coming back to spawn. That's why they're attacking. We built Terra Nova on their breeding ground. Wash, as soon as the marketplace is clear, I want everyone indoors. No panic. Make sure every building is secure-- the houses, the school, even the damn bar. Anything? DNA was a match. We typed the specimen I recovered against the shell fragments we dug up. Same species. Well, there must be something we can do to keep these things away. Well, maybe there is, but to really understand their physiology and find a way to repel them, we'd need a live specimen. Two, preferably-- male and female if possible. So if we come up with a couple of specimens, you can figure out a way we can fight these things? Yeah, but the faster, the better. At their current rate of migration, the pterosaurs will be here by nightfall tomorrow. You want to do some hunting tonight? Point the way. Okay, you're going to need a clean shot, so your best bet is to target one away from the others. Aim for the underbelly. Yep, you told me that already. The males will more likely be decorative and colorful. - Bolder markings. - Right. You, uh you weren't expecting to see me here, were you? The fe the females have-have-have have shorter You thought I was still in jail. And just aim for the underbelly Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about, Malcolm. I saw your face when you realized who I was. What are you implying? You recruited her. You recruited my wife, and when you saw her, you pretended to be all surprised. That's ridiculous. Yeah, you thought you'd get her here, act like it was all a big coincidence, and then and have another shot with her. Listen, I recruited her because she was the best person for the job. Hope I'm wrong about you, Malcolm. I really do. Ready to roll, Shannon. Should be exciting. You sure you don't want to come along? Yeah, I didn't think so. We brought back two specimens and took them to the research lab. And the colony? Well, water systems are sealed and netted, same with the energy grids. We've got an armed man on every civilian domicile. So far, so good. So what do you think-- how long can we last? If we're lucky, maybe the night. Please tell me that our test subjects turned something up. Pheromones. I was hoping for something a little more lethal, Doctor. We don't have a way to repel these creatures, but we might have a way to attract them. And that would be a good thing why? Well, this is what regulates their spawning instincts. If we synthesize a concentrated, more powerful version of their pheromones, we might be able to lure them to another location. Establish a new breeding ground away from Terra Nova. Well, how long will that take? A couple of hours to get the solution right, and then we'll need to find a way of dispersing the pheromones. Leave that to me. Shannon, you prep a transport. Wash, I want confirmation that this place is locked down. I mean sealed tight. Let's get to work. You stay inside and listen to Private Jenkins, okay? I'll be fine. There's a soldier in every house. I know, but I want you here. Uh, to help out with my sisters. Under no circumstances open a door or a window. Don't worry about us. Okay. Be all right. Let's go. What happened to Jenkins? Little mix-up in the duty roster. You mind if I double-check the windows? Be my guest. That's how you know a boy likes you. Maddy, close the door. Incoming! Okay? Invictolide levels are dropping again. Damn, these pheromone molecules are unstable. Let's try an alpha-helical membrane, see if we can combine then. Sterile fertilizer drum. I can jerry-rig it. This thing'll hold 50 liters, is that going to be enough? It's gonna have to be. At this rate, we won't have time to synthesize much more pheromone than that. Hopefully, it'll be enough to lure these creatures away. Transport's charged and standing by. How's it coming here? Not quick enough. Have you checked on the kids? Radioed Reynolds a few minutes ago. Everyone's safe. You know, uh, I don't mean to rush you, but those critters are doing some major damage out there. We understand the pressures at hand. Just, please, stay back and let us do our jobs. Things will get done a lot more quickly. Are we going to be okay? Of course we are, Z. Hey, you know what? Bet you 60 terras we don't make it. What? Of course we're going to make it. That's a lame-ass bet. If you win, you can't collect. No, but if you do, at least you could buy that guitar. Hey. You hear that? Yeah. Androsterone levels are stable. Copulin attractants? Looking good. Our little molecules are finally bonding. Yes, they are, aren't they? Ah! That's it. We've got it! You sure about that? Yeah, I mean, we wouldn't want to rush you. Yes, send them to the chem-assembler. I want Mummy and Daddy. I know you do, I know, but you're not the only one that's scared, and we gotta be brave, okay? Maddy, behind you! Hey! Get into Maddy's room right now! Where's Zoe? Zoe, stay down till I came you. Josh! Zoe, get back! Reynolds, this is Jim Shannon. We're getting ready to head out. Is everything all right? Get out of there, you little bastards! Reynolds? - Come in! - Daddy. Is everything okay? Zoe. Come on. Oh, come on! Josh! It's all right. Dad, this is Josh. Can you hear me? Yeah, Josh, I'm here. What's going on? - Is everything okay? - Jim, we're out of here. Yeah, everything's fine, we're okay. Yeah, we're heading out. Hey, Josh Take good care of your sisters, okay? You got it. All right. Switch it on. We're good to go! All right, all right. Come on, you miserable sons of bitches. Come on! Come on! Follow me! Malcolm. What? Listen. - It worked. - Yeah. I guess I owe you 60 terras. Yeah. Right. No, seriously. I want you to have it. You can pay me back later. Thanks. I better go check on my housemates. Yeah. Yeah. Well, see you. Here they come! Raise the gates! Hey, Wash. - Commander. - You all right? - Never better. - What happened out there? Things got a little exciting after Triple Junction. We got to the valley, we well, we jettisoned the drum, and we high-tailed it home. That's about it, isn't it? Watched the swarm come in from the ridge. Near as we could tell, they took to the place like it was home. - There. - I'm all thanks. All right. Everything all right around here? Just some jangled nerves. Now, if you think that they're noisy when they're coming at you, you wouldn't believe the racket they make when they start Oh So it's all good now, but sooner or later, there's going to be hatchlings by the millions. What happens then? Well, from what we can tell from their biology, they'll migrate to the coastline, and that's where they'll grow to full maturity. And then, nine years from now, Malcolmus pterosauria will migrate to its new spawning ground. What? Every new species needs a name, and I did help discover them. I mean... Well, it's been a hell of night, huh? I think I'm going to turn in. Well, sweet dreams. Malcolmus.

ELISABETH
Do you remember when they were really small, and we could just scoop them up and carry them off to bed?

JIM
Yeah. Well, I guess we're all pretty tired.

ELISABETH
I'm not that tired.

JIM
Well, I guess we should start fixing this place up. I mean, there's a lot of damage.

ELISABETH
Jim.

JIM
Could wait.