Original air date: March 22, 2021
* * *
(thunder rumbles, rain pouring)
Buenos días. Good morning.
Not quite morning yet.
(sighs) Okay, that’s frustrating.
What are you looking for, Sofia?
Can’t find the seed reorder logs. I just had them yesterday.
Did you have any breakfast?
No.
Well, that’s the problem. Go make a stack of pancakes, and you come back in, you’ll find them. Go on.
Okay, I’m going. Hey, do you want anything?
Damn right.
Okay. Ooh.
(wind blowing)
(coughing)
(clears throat)
(people coughing in distance)
(coughing)
(door closes)
♫♫
(thunder rumbles)
♫♫
(thunder rumbles)
(coughing)
(choking, gasping)
(raspy gasp)
♫♫
♫♫ (theme)
(sighs loudly)
Wow. Did you lose a bet or something?
Last pair, or I would’ve gotten you some. You know how long I’ve looking for these? A pair like this?
Those?
Yeah. I mean, they may not be Ray-Bans, okay? But The King… The King didn’t need Ray-Bans. The King was as bright as the sun.
Did you get my water? So you got a slushee, Vegas glasses, and no water?
I came out to ask if you wanted a big one or a small one.
Right.
Be right back.
The report says the Debris landed at 2:43 A.M. Meteorological data says the rain started around 3 A.M., and hasn’t stopped. (mutters) It seems to be entirely contained to a half-mile radius.
I’ve never heard of anything like this.
No. Wow, they’ve classified it at level three.
(thunder rumbles)
Look. We’re here.
♫♫
FINOLA: Agent Reed, what’ve you got for us?
REED: Three deaths that we know of so far. A farmer and two others who came from inside the rain zone. Apparently, they went to try and help him, but they died the same way.
So, whatever is happening in there is poisoning people.
Right. We believe there are around 30 workers living in migrant housing on the farm. We were in contact with them for a short time, but we’ve lost all radio and cell signals from inside.
Maybe there all dead.
Do we have an M.E. here?
Right over there.
Okay, thank you.
All right.
(chuckles) Hey, John.
Hey, Bryan.
Hey.
Hey. It’s not an easy one.
What happened to them?
Preliminary cause of death appears to be asphyxiation, like they were reacting to some type of atmospheric change.
Atmospheric change?
Right.
Like somehow the atmosphere in there doesn’t have enough oxygen. They managed to stumble out, but it was too late.
What the hell happened here? The lining of their lungs appears to have suffered chemical damage, a reaction to what they were breathing.
So, the Debris is changing the atmosphere, changing its composition.
But why isn’t the atmosphere in there mixing with the atmosphere out here?
A barrier? Some sort of force field, maybe?
One that these three men were able to walk through?
(thunder rumbles)
♫♫
All right. Here goes.
FINOLA: Okay.
(instrument pulsing)
(instrument pulsing)
BRYAN: This place is all bad. The light is… it’s different here. You see the water?
FINOLA: Yeah. Hey, hang on.
FINOLA: Wow.
Let’s check the buildings.
(people speaking indistinctly)
(gasping)
BRYAN: No, no, no. (speaks Spanish)
WOMAN: Who are you?
BRYAN: We’re here to help.
FINOLA: It’s okay. It’s okay.
BRYAN: We’re here to help.
There’s something wrong with the rain.
Yeah, we are just trying to figure this out. Just trying to work out what is happening. Can anybody tell me what they saw?
We all woke up early this morning. It was hard to breathe. It got worse, and we felt like we were going to die. Like we were poisoned. But then it stopped.
And-and you’re okay now?
We feel okay.
Did you– Did you see anyone when you came in?
No. No, why?
My son. My son, Arturo. He’s missing. He was really scared when all this started, and some of us went to look for him, but I can’t find him.
How old is your son?
He’s eight.
Before the rain, did you notice anything?
MAN: A few of us woke up last night. We heard a rushing, whistling sound, and then a boom.
Did any of you see what made the sounds?
Some of the workers tried to leave, and they tried the cars, but they wouldn’t start. They-they left on foot, but they died, too.
Stay here. Everybody stay here.
Okay.
BRYAN: Okay?
All of the dead bodies are outside of the zone. They’re all fine in here. They only die when they leave.
It’s like they’ve all been changed physiologically. Like they can’t tolerate normal air anymore. Come on, let’s go back to base camp. I’ll find out where they were and send a team to recover them for analysis.
What about the missing boy?
Yeah, I’ll send a search team to recover him, too.
I’m gonna sweep the fields for Debris.
FINOLA: You go ahead.
(instrument pulsing)
♫♫
(instrument pulsing)
Hey, hey, hey! Hey, hey, hey! Está bien. It’s okay! You’re gonna be okay! Hey! Calm down.
Papi. Papi.
Está bien. You’re gonna be safe. You’re gonna be safe, okay?
Hey. It’s okay. Come on.
Arturo! Mi amor!
(speaking indistinctly)
(whispers) Thank you.
Right hand.
Oh, my gosh. That was– That was amazing. All right, let’s switch to your left hand, Dario. No, your left. Left hand. Bring it up. A little higher. There you go. There you go. Beautiful. Look at that. Yeah. Just like a big catcher’s mitt right there.
(cell phone ringing)
Come on. Let’s see what you got. All right. Left hand. Ready. Hoo! You’re killing me. Okay, Dad loses. I’ll give you five more.
(cell phone ringing)
(Maddox grunts)
Three… four… five. Okay. Hold on, buddy.
(cell phone continues ringing)
I’ll be right back.
Hello? Hello?
(line disconnects)
(door closes)
WOMAN: What are you doing?
I– Someone called. They hung up when I answered. It’s an unknown caller.
So what? Do I answer your phone? No, I don’t. I would never.
MADDOX: I’m sorry, it just seemed weird.
Not everything is a conspiracy, Craig.
Okay, buddy. (claps) Here we go. Left. Here we go. Beautiful.
Is Bryan back yet?
No, but he found the boy. He’s okay. But there’s something else. There’s a man who just pulled up. He says he lives here.
How did he get in?
He went around the roadblocks. He says he’s not leaving until he can get to the farm. He claims his family’s inside.
(sighs)
FINOLA: Sorry, you can’t be here. You’re gonna have to go back.
No, I live on that farm. I have family on that farm. Okay, what’s going on there? Why are you here?
Okay, what’s your name?
Efraim. Efraim Muñoz.
Efraim… we can’t really say what’s going on at this point, but it is not safe for you to go in there.
What are you talking about? I spoke to them yesterday. They didn’t say anything.
Were you here last night?
No, I was on the road for a couple of days. I’m the distribution manager. What happened?
Well, we are trying to figure this out, but, please.
These are my brother’s children and his wife Sofia.
I’ve met them. They’re together, and they’re safe.
Okay.
Is your brother on the farm, too?
He passed away a year ago.
Okay.
Why is that– Why is that man wearing a spacesuit?
Efraim, please calm down. We’re going to keep you onsite until we have this under control.
What?
Please.
Toxicology on the recovered corpse was severely oxygen-deficient. Plants from the affected zone from sample section C do not appear to engage in photosynthesis. However, they do seem to engage in a similar process that produces chlorine instead of oxygen. Atmospheric composition in the zone is almost 45% chlorine, along with hydrogen, argon, nitrogen, but almost zero oxygen, except in water molecules. There’s a theory that life forms that engage in chlorine-based respiration could exist on other planets.
BRYAN: Do you want in on this? You’ve been working all night.
Where did you get that?
From the fridge.
Which fridge?
BRYAN: The fridge in our trailer.
FINOLA: Then definitely not. No one’s been in that trailer for three weeks.
I’ve eaten older.
It’s creating a whole chlorine-based ecology.
Are you suggesting that the Debris is terraforming the planet here?
The Debris changed the atmosphere, but something in the atmosphere changed the workers into chlorine-breathing organisms.
Well, that would explain the episodes that they all had earlier in the morning.
If the people in that storm no longer breathe oxygen… what happens when we remove the Debris? Hey, can we take some more samples from the dead victims? I want to bring in a specialist to analyze them. Thanks.
FINOLA: What’s wrong?
The storm is growing.
How fast?
We should start thinking about evacuating the county.
These are soil on plant samples for the lab. They’re expecting them. Tell them to contact me as soon as they’ve completed a full genetic sequencing.
Yes.
Hey.
I want to take a blood sample from you. You’re the only person we have with a blood relative in there. If we could take your blood, I can compare your DNA with your nephew’s DNA and it might help us understand what’s going on.
Is it the rain? What– What is it doing to them?
Please. I just need you to trust me.
WOMAN: Make a fist for me.
All done.
FINOLA: Okay. Do you want some water?
I think I’m being punished by God.
What do you mean?
I used to… laugh at my brother ’cause he was such a family man. He married young. I never understood that. Having a family made his life… so much harder than it would have been if he didn’t have them. Feeding one mouth is hard enough. Feeding four… When he was dying, he… he asked me to take care of them. What could I say? After he passed, Arturo, the way he coped with it, he… started calling me “Papi.” I kept having to remind him, “I’m your uncle. I’m not your papi.” When I got this job, I… I was always on the road. I was making good money, but… I started to miss him. They… give me this peace. I realized that my brother was the smart one. But there were a lot of moments when I wished that I didn’t have this responsibility. The burden. And now… I don’t know what’s gonna to happen to them, if I’m ever gonna see them again. Maybe I’m being punished for the things I thought.
It sounds like what you did was right. You acted in their best interest, even if it took time for your heart to catch up. I can’t imagine a man like that deserves… punishment. I’m gonna do my best to get your family out.
BRYAN: Arturo, this isn’t gonna hurt. (grunts with effort) Trust me.
(Bryan sighs)
What is that?
This? This is… the most important part. These are very special glasses. The glasses of a king. And kings, you know, they don’t get afraid, do they? Kings rule.
Wow.
And now you rule this entire farm.
Are you ready, Arturo?
Yeah.
FINOLA: All right. Super quick.
Ah, they’re sending in the B-team, huh?
They only send in the A-team when they want the agent to survive.
Finola Jones.
It’s nice to meet you.
BRYAN: Beck is from Emergency Containment. Been briefed?
This is unique. Picking up 850 in there?
It hasn’t moved since we arrived.
We’re lucky it didn’t land in a more populated area. I’ve been given orders to turn this off right away. It just spread another 200 feet. Anything else I should know?
It’s all in the report. It’s got B wavelengths, so…
You comin’?
Yeah, I’ll be right there.
FINOLA: Populated area? (scoffs) Even if it’s not a whole city, there are still people in jeopardy in there. They’ll die if the Debris is removed. Do you even know what that’s gonna look like?
There are things that you understand about life that I don’t, and I respect that. But there are things that I know that you will not find very palatable, and one of the hard lessons I have learned is that when I’m facing a situation like this, I want to focus on the people that we’re saving, not the ones that we can’t.
FINOLA: I’ll find a way.
We don’t have time. Think about the people in the county. The state. If we don’t act, we might not be able to stop the terraforming.
(sighs)
There’s no way we’re gonna be able to win all these. And I know that every cell in your body right now is screaming for you to do what you think is right. I need you to go against that. I need you to trust me.
(sighs) Yeah. Yeah.
There’s no hemoglobin in the blood cells, but take a look at this.
Okay. What am I looking at?
WOMAN: Red blood cells containing a hemoglobin analog, one that carries chlorine instead of oxygen. Their blood and lung tissue have been invaded by an alternative cellular structure, and it appears progressive. Like the most important aspects of the transformation happened first. What we’re looking at here is like nothing on Earth. The technology to understand, let alone reverse what it’s done to them is years away, maybe decades.
(sighs)
I’m sorry.
(instruments trilling)
BECK: Are you doing all right?
BRYAN: Yeah, I’m fine.
You ever think of Julian?
How could I forget? Everything was a lot simpler back then.
Eh, the agency’s never been simple.
You know what I mean. Before the Debris. Why are you bringing up Jules?
Your partner… Finola.
Yeah?
You said she’s got a lot of heart. People used to say that about Jules. His heart got him killed.
Jules went out exactly the way that he wanted to. He was a hero.
BECK: Well, that’s easy for you to say. I’m one that had to tell his wife.
What’s your point?
Just be careful. Don’t let her take you down.
Wait. Wait. Are you, um… Oh! Are you familiar with, uh, Debris piece 489?
I think you may be reaching.
Oh, I know, but what else can we do? There’s no other way.
I know they used it extensively in testing, but never on a human.
So?
So, there’s that to contend with.
Yes, but I-I know they were thinking about it. They were thinking about using it on, um, terminal cancer patients.
Thinking about a very narrow secret study is different than acting upon one.
Well, at least these people would have a chance.
What do you need me to do?
You know what? I’ll take it from here. But, April?
Thank you.
BRYAN: Uh, 489. Which one is that?
FINOLA: It was the piece they hauled out of the Rockies a couple months back. It places organisms into suspended animation.
The one O’Neil’s team found.
Yes. The researchers working on it called the phenomenon “suspentia.” Bryan, I believe that we can use Debris 489 to place those people stuck in that storm into suspentia. And then we could place them in a facility until… uh, until we figure out a way. It could save their lives.
We don’t know that it will.
Yeah– We just used. a piece in Iowa. We’ve done this before. We know that it works on cows. Sheep.
Not the same thing, Finola.
The alternative to all those people dying right now is giving them some kind of chance.
I understand where you’re coming from, Finola–
No, no, no! I just see it differently than you do. Okay? It doesn’t matter about time, Bryan. It doesn’t matter if it takes six months, a year, three years, however long it takes. It will give people like April time. Time to find something to neutralize and reverse the mutation.
You think they’re gonna authorize this?
I’ve already had it approved by Maddox, and it’s on its way from Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Base.
Well… Well, that’s that. Where are you going?
I’m going to explain to Efrain what’s going on.
Why? Why would you do that?
(sighs) I just think… we all have the right to know the truth about what happens to the people that we love.
That’s not our job. We are supposed to be blips in these people’s lives. Not memories. We’re doing everything we can.
Uh… We’re going to have to take you into the city. We’ve done all we can for now.
What happened to my family? Are they dead?
No. No, they’re not.
Then just take me as far as you can. I see you all go in with those space suits. You can give one to me. I want to see them. I just want to see them one more time.
Someone is on their way to take you somewhere to be tested to make sure that you haven’t been exposed to the contaminant by being here. Uh, until then, we are going to have to detain you. I’m sorry.
But I know I’m okay. Just like you’re okay. I’m not stupid. You’re lying to me right now. Why are you lying to me?
Guys.
EFRAIN: Look, I just want to know if my family’s okay. I need to see them! What is wrong with you?! You promised! What’s happened to them?! What’s happening to my family?! No! Just come back! No! Please!
♫♫
You’re doing the right thing.
(phone vibrates)
Hey, I can’t talk right now. I’m in the middle of an operation
This is more important. You need to listen to me. Are you alone?
Just give me one second.
I’ve just received some information…
Okay, what?
It’s your father. We have intelligence reports that he may still be alive.
What? What are you talking about?
We have proof that a man meeting his description is being held captive by Influx.
No. Ferris… Mm-mm. I saw him dead. I sat with his body in the morgue. I saw him dead.
We’re still processing the intel, trying to understand exactly what’s happening. But there is one thing we are certain of. The Americans have known for some time. We intercepted a communication that Bryan knows, too.
(gasps)
I’m sending you a file.
Okay.
(phone chimes)
(sighs)
Uh, yeah.
These were taken about three weeks ago outside London. I know what this means to you. I know how… impactful his loss has been for you. But, Finola… you cannot betray your knowledge of this information. We need to figure out exactly what our next steps are. I’m heading into a debrief of the situation. I just… wanted you to know first. I’ll inform you of any new developments.
Yeah.
(indistinct chatter)
(thunder rumbles)
I’m going to tell you something I shouldn’t. Something you are not going to believe. But every word of it is true.
♫♫
EFRAIN: Do they know what’s going to happen to them? What are they going to feel when it happens?
FINOLA: I believe they will feel nothing. And when they one day wake up, they won’t even know what happened to them. They won’t age, they won’t experience the passage of time. It will be like hitting pause on the rest of their lives.
Why are you telling me all this?
Because I would want to know. So that I could make my own decision with this information.
(handcuffs clink)
♫♫
(Efrain coughing)
(panting)
Papi? Papi!
Arturo! (laughs)
Why did you come here?
I wanted to be here with you, make sure you’re not scared.
We’re not. The government people figured out a way to save us. There’s no reason to be scared now.
Yes, it’s true, the, uh… the agents found a way out.
Everybody, please take your places.
Okay. Vamos.
SOFIA: Okay.
Okay.
It’s gonna be okay.
Are we going to be okay, Papi?
Hey, I got you.
(instruments trilling)
(switches clicking)
(Debris powering up)
Man (over radio): Four. Three. Two. One.
♫♫
(thunder rumbles)
We’re good to go? All right, shut it down.
♫♫
♫♫
Did it work?
Readings are showing they’re all alive.
♫♫
Keep me posted.
Okay.
(sighs)
Why’d you do it?
I realized it was right.
I just want to understand it.
I’m not sure you’ll ever understand it. You have… a lot of clean up here.
I’m going to have one of the agents take me back to the plane so I can get started on those reports.
♫♫
MAN: Roger. We’re about to do the handover.
Can you repeat last value you had?
(beep)
Unable to confirm with visual observation.
(beep)
This is Orbital-6370 moving now for extraction.
(beep)
Delta plus zero zero niner three.
(beep)
