Alien Nation s01e08 Episode Script
Night of the Screams
NARRATOR: That was the scene in California 's Mojave Desert, five years ago.
Our historic first view of the Newcomers' ship.
Theirs was a slave ship carrying a quarter-million beings bred to adapt and labor in any environment.
But they've washed ashore on Earth with no way to get back to where they came from.
And in the last five years, the Newcomers have become the latest addition to the population of Los Angeles.
l wanna be perfectly honest for just one minute.
Now this is the truth.
Comes from the bottom of my hearts.
lf l could drive any car off this lot right now it'd be this little baby right here.
l thought all these Cocas were junk.
Come on, you believe everything you read? Just take a look at the design.
We're talking state-of-the-art methanol-burning 350-horsepower engine.
Factory sound.
Air.
Anti-lock brakes.
Why, the Coca was, and in my opinion, still is the car of the future.
So why'd they stop making them in '92? Why'd they stopped making the Tucker, the Edsel, the DeLorean? Nobody was buying them.
But were they junk? No, sir.
Look, people l wanna make this happen.
What can l say? ls the trunk clean? Lady, you can eat off the rocker panels.
Three mutilated bodies in three days has got the Chief snapping his suspenders a little bit more than usual.
-Who's in charge of this task force? -Not you! -Some guy out of Rampart.
-l believe it's Sergeant Steve Macy.
-lt was in the morning watch report.
-Yeah, well.
Anyway, this Macy thinks he needs a Newcomer on his team and he's volunteered you out of my command.
Perhaps they felt l'd be useful, since the victims are Newcomers.
Sure, it makes sense.
But you'd think the guy'd show a little professional courtesy and ask me if it was a good idea.
He just doesn't appreciate your mind like we do.
That's enough out of you, Sikes.
You're only on board because your partner is from outer space.
No disrespect intended.
Matthew, l believe we have a lot of reading to catch up on.
Piece of cake.
Three dead Newcomers.
Hands hacked off above the wrist.
Bodies all over town.
We follow up on the one in the dumpster in Slagtown.
No disrespect intended.
EMlLY: l really don't think you have to wash it.
But we always wash vegetables before we serve them, Em.
We're not gonna eat it.
-Then why are we carving it? -Jill said to carve a face in it.
lt's a Halloween tradition.
Oh, like bopping for apples.
Bobbing.
Yeah, l guess.
Well, now what? -We gut it.
-No! Yeah! We cut it open and rip its insides out.
Oh, and you gotta carve a real scary face in it -to ward off the demons.
-Demons.
-What is this disgusting tradition? -lt's Halloween, Mom.
The pagan festival celebrating Samhain, the Celtic ruler of death.
On the day of the celebration, the people would light hearth fires often sacrificing small animals, or other humans to welcome the return of the dead, according to the encyclopedia.
And they call themselves civilized.
[Phone ringing.]
l'll get it.
-Hello.
-Hi! -Hi, Jill.
-Did you ask her? -l'm working on it.
-You have to come to my Halloween party.
-l want to.
-Be sure to wear something really neat.
lt's a formal party? Yeah.
l'll be dressing like a pig.
lf we're gonna mutilate this vegetable we'd better do it before your father gets back.
-l'll call you back as soon as l can.
Bye.
-Okay.
Now, on all the victims, sorry, like this John Doe Newcomer the hands were severed with a single chop.
Maybe an axe maybe a meat cleaver.
Was it an upward or a downward motion? -Do we care? -No, actually, that's a good question.
l assume you're wondering if the victims were in a defensive stance in which case the cut would come from the side or the bottom up or at rest, in which case we'd look for a downward motion.
-Yes, that is what l was asking.
-Defensive.
The victims were all alive during the attack, and probably bled to death.
-Toxicological tests will tell us more.
-And no weapon was found? No weapons, no motives, no nothing.
Any other questions? Yeah.
What happened to the chopped-off hands? DOCTOR: Good question.
Read the report, Sikes.
The hands of all the victims are still missing.
-Oh, really? -Page three.
Those hands could tell us a lot.
l hope you guys don't mind, but l missed lunch.
There were signs of struggle in several of the victims.
Fingernail scrapings and bio scans we'll throw every trick we've got at those appendages, if you find them.
Glad to give you a hand.
All right.
Everything is to be coordinated through my office at Rampart.
Sikes, Francisco, welcome aboard.
You'll get used to my databases.
They're pretty normal format.
Here's the latest update, including a full psychological profile Coroner's report, and visualization work.
-We song-and-dancing the press? -Like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.
-They were good with the press? -l'll rent you the video.
[TV blaring.]
Guess what? l was invited to a Halloween party tomorrow night.
You shouldn't go.
Why not? lt's going to be fun.
No one should leave the house until it passes.
What passes? What are you being so weird about? ln time, you'll learn about Tagdot Cur Hiya.
Who? He rises among his people on the third rotation of the equinox when the paraxial sun is in line.
Neat.
Then what does he do? He fills the night with screams.
MOODRl: There are many stories about Tagdot but only one theme prevails.
: evilness consumed by madness.
His darkness lives in the hearts and minds of all Tenctonese.
He was a conqueror with fire in his hands and steel in his heart.
He expected adulation, and when our great fathers gave him none the night broke with their cries as his armies spread through the cities destroying all life in their path.
And they were merciless.
Hands were severed, and their victims painfully bled to death.
Body upon body lined the streets.
And he walked among the bodies thousands upon thousands of bodies and he cried.
He cried, not for what he had done but because there were no more to destroy.
Now is the time for Tagdot to return and again walk among his people.
-No! -What do you mean, ''no''? lt's a legend.
lt's truth.
Sure, it is.
lt was a very nice story.
You wanna know what he did with the hands? No.
l think you should keep all this to yourself.
Let's not freak out Mom and Dad when l've got a party to go to.
You enter everything we got from the dumpster in the data file.
l'll get coffee.
l would like honey and sugar and if there are any of those bug pellets left, l'll have three.
Just let them float on the top.
You have to let them soften.
Don't stir.
l'll enter the data, you get the coffee.
-There you are.
-Yeah, here we are.
-And here you go.
-What's this? New addition to the club.
You want the honors? -His both hands are missing.
-l can see that.
Tape off the area.
l'll call the meat wagon and S.
l.
D.
Here we go.
Okay.
BURNS: You haven't got lD, no witnesses, no idea why the guy went down there? No tire tracks, no footprints, no weapon, no hands-- -No reporters.
Go away, Burns.
-Come on, this is front page, Sikes.
-Only in your paper.
-So how'd the guy get down there? There's only one set of tracks going in.
The victim's.
Nothing coming out-- -Who told you that? -l got a nose for news.
Sounds to me like you got a butcher boy who knows how to cover his tracks.
-Go away, Burns.
l got work to do.
-Or it could be a Halloween spook.
-You believe in spooks, Sikes? -Only one.
My ex-wife.
-Here, can l quote you on that? -Go away.
CORONER: Here we go.
-What do we have? -You tell me, man.
CORONER: Let's get this out of here.
Anybody got anything? -Okay, anybody seen my partner? -He went that way.
-May be something over here.
-Put some sand in.
-You want me to go with you? -He's my partner.
l'll dig him up.
-Give me your flashlight.
-Not issued down here.
-Terrific.
-Hey, Sarge! Don't get lost.
George? Hey, George.
Come out, wherever you are.
Okay, George, cut the comedy.
We got work to do.
George? Damn! Damn it, George! This isn't a rose garden in here.
[Mice squeaking.]
Matthew.
l think l found something.
George, you almost found a bullet right between your spots.
GEORGE: Preliminary report indicates that the perp was driving a late-model pickup.
-Wheelbase suggests a Yankee.
-Yeah, the Japanese thing.
Nice truck.
Soil retention tests show that it was red.
Okay.
lnfrared picked up the victim's blood in the soil probably dripped off the weapon.
You got anything else? Let's see.
Perp was wearing a 10-and-a-half shoe weighs close to 200 pounds and has an inward toe.
-Like a Newcomer inward toe? -That would be the obvious deduction.
You mean, one of you guys is killing you guys? -Why does that sound so surprising? -l don't know.
l thought we humans cornered the market on psychotic behavior.
lsn't it encouraging how well we are assimilating into your society? GEORGE: Hello.
Anybody home? We're in the kitchen.
Sorry l'm late.
We got caught up in a storm tunnel in Little Tencton.
ls there a reason Emily has her head in a bucket of water? lt's a new game she heard about today from Jill.
Bopping for apples.
-Bobbing.
-ls she having fun? Well, she's been at it for hours.
-When does she come up for air? -When she's captured an apple.
ls there a reason she's doing this? She wants to go to a Halloween party, George.
You know, that pagan festival they celebrate? ls that a problem? They go out after dark, collecting candies.
-Hi.
-Hello.
Honey, we are not in Little Tencton anymore.
l am sure she will be properly supervised and safe.
-l know.
lt's just.
-What? lt's just that it's that time of the year.
What about the time of the year? Well, Moodri's been reminding us of Tagdot.
You know, The Night of the Screams? lt's that time of the year.
Tagdot.
That old myth.
Susan, that is just make-believe.
That is a story.
Like Craznie and Gleebhi.
You don't believe in Gleebhi? -Can l go? -We're discussing it! But what are we discussing? What did Moodri say? l merely reminded this family of Tagdot's reign of terror.
Moodri.
l don't think you need to terrorize this family with ghost stories about a madman who cuts up his own people.
Are they just stories, George? Can you hear me? Cathy! Cathy.
Okay, l'm busting down the door if you don't answer me.
And l have a gun if there's some psycho in there with you.
l'm okay.
You always scream when you're okay? lt was just a bad dream.
There's not some guy behind this door making you say that? l'd invite you in, but l'm a little tired.
No, it's okay.
l heard you freaking out and l thought.
l don't know.
lt's a crazy neighborhood.
l feel better knowing that you're nearby.
Sure.
Well, if you have another bad one, l'm just down the hall.
Thank you.
Tagdot is what you humans call a boogerman.
l don't know what a boogerman is, George.
You mean boogyman? Oh, yes, that's it.
Well, that's just hunky-dory, George.
All right, here we go.
All Takia Yankees in LA with the '92 wheelbase run 9,345.
Let's try red.
l re-read the myth last night.
lt's deeply rooted in fact.
Listen to this.
[Reading in his native language.]
''Severed hands were the symbol of Tagdot.
''Throughout the ages, on the third equinox.
'' That's now.
''He rose, taking sometimes a few, sometimes thousands.
'' Pretty spooky stuff, Sikes.
That book, it got pictures and everything? There is an ancient drawing of Tagdot.
Sikes, l got an idea.
Why don't you get your partner here to check the mug shots to see if he can get a match? Grow wings and fly away.
All right.
Red.
Yankee.
1992.
2,394 in LA.
Okay, 200-pound owners.
''The presentation of severed hands in metal basins ''became a tradition by Tagdot followers at ceremonial gatherings.
'' George, count your spots.
Didn't say nothing.
l'm suggesting that if it's important to find the hands that we focus on a metal basin.
No, George.
We're gonna cross-reference the databanks and find out how many 200-pound Newcomers drive Yankees.
lf you think it's a good idea l could enter this information into the case jacket for Macy.
You don't wanna talk about this anymore.
The press is here.
lt's just that l think it could be important.
Look, George.
Enough of this make-believe land.
You're a cop, not a comic book.
This is real.
There are seven Newcomers we're gonna talk to.
Shake them down, get some alibis.
That's what cops do.
You wanna go ahead and look for ghosts in your own time, be my guest.
l got other things to do.
What's going on? l was merely offering an alternative approach to an investigation.
l'm with you, bro.
l think you should get that report on Grazer's desk just as soon as you can.
You mind if l take a look at that? My brother got this real scary record of, like, people screaming and doors creaking open.
You really like Halloween, don't you? Yeah.
lt's freaky.
l think l'll do very well in the bobbing for apples competition.
You'll be great.
What about a costume? -l think l have got a good idea.
-Great.
Surprise me.
-Gotta be scary, though.
-But aren't you going as a pig? Yeah, a pig from hell.
lt's sick.
Big huge ugly teeth.
This nose that's all screwed up.
lt's gross.
-l'll think of something very scary.
-The grosser, the better.
Emily, did you hear me? Yes.
l'll really gross them out.
What's going on? MATT: Testing, testing.
GEORGE: Your translator is broken again.
Barely made it through the last interview.
What say after the next one we break for lunch? Sounds like a good idea.
l know a nice little restaurant -right around the corner.
-George, l don't eat down here.
-Too rich for the blood? -Too alive for the fork.
Mr.
Paul Revere.
This guy couldn't lift the ax to cut somebody's hands off.
l was just eating my lunch.
May l offer you something? No, don't.
Mr.
Revere, we understand you drive a '92 Yankee.
ls that information correct? -Yes.
-We'd like to take a look at it if we could.
-Run a couple of tests.
-l don't understand.
Come on, George.
My translator's spread all over the hallway.
Mr.
Revere, where were you on the nights of the 27th, 28th, and 29th? Here.
l don't go out much.
-You have somebody to corroborate that? -l live alone.
l don't have many friends.
l have Clot Sto Leakian's disease.
lt is a bone disorder brought on by the lack of proper diet on our slave ship.
Mr.
Revere, what do you do? Research for the Central Library.
-1-William-152, come in.
-52.
Go.
Detective Macy wants you Code 3 at the morgue.
-We got another body? -He didn't say.
Okay, we're on our way.
Clear.
-Should we check his car first? -Macy said Code 3.
We'll be back.
l'm not going anywhere.
They found them down at the old waste disposal dump.
That addendum you put into the databank really paid off, Francisco.
Couple of giant metal vats, basins.
And neatly displayed right in the middle were these.
-Hi.
-Cathy.
What do you know about a guy named Tagdot? You okay? Maybe you better come in.
-lf you're in the middle of something-- -No, please.
Come in.
There are many legends, stories about Tagdot.
Our myths were deeply woven into our culture.
Same here, l guess.
On the slave ship, the Kleezantsun, Overseers they used the stories against us.
CATHY: We lived in our bed racks.
Thousands of corridors of bed racks stacked a hundred stories high, all fanning out like spokes on a wheel from a central hub.
The Overseers were charged with maintaining order.
They pumped gas to keep us submissive.
But submission was not easy for some.
Since we landed, l've heard that there was a group that acclimated themselves to the gas and tried to organize a revolt on the ship.
Hell, yes, you had to have them outnumbered, what, a thousand to one? Ten times that.
CATHY: That's why they had to strike at our weakest line of defense our minds.
Already vulnerable from the gas, they twisted our history.
Myths became real.
Overseers became demons more dangerous and powerful than all of us together.
Fear became more painful than death.
All we had to do to escape the torture was lay back and breathe the gas.
And that's what l did.
l'm sorry.
l always thought that l was a rational person.
You are.
So why do these dreams still scare the hell out of me? Why now? The Overseers, why the tattoos? l was told that it neutralized the gas.
On the ship, it was a symbol they wore righteously.
Now it's their scar of damnation.
He left an hour ago? Oh, no, l wouldn't worry.
He's probably around here somewhere.
Okay, thanks, Susan.
What? Oh, Happy Halloween to you, too.
-You see George? -Yeah, about an hour ago.
Said he was running down to the Coroner's office to pick up a report.
Here's the report.
Where'd his little legs take him? Hey, you know what l bet? Maybe last night he read Snow White and decided to pick up seven little midgets for questioning.
Sikes, what the hell are you doing? What's it look like l'm doing? Nothing.
Did you see the results of the toxological reports on those hands? l'm reading them.
Bernine's a hell of a fast-acting tranquilizer.
-Nice little wrinkle to work on.
-Yeah.
So get on it.
-l'm thinking now, okay? -Yes, sometimes that happens.
-Where's your partner? -What do you think he's thinking about? Excuse me.
l've got some interviews.
l was expecting you.
And why is that? You didn't look like a man who was affected by myths.
My fears are more rooted in reality.
Tagdot is real to many.
So are Overseers.
You found the tattooed hands and the myth guided you to the metal basin.
And reality led me to you.
You drugged your victims first? Just a dart.
Just enough to immobilize them.
l preferred to see them bleed to death.
l'm arresting you for the murders of four unidentified Newcomers.
Overseers.
And l have the names of all the Kleezantsun l exterminated.
They were very carefully researched.
-You have the right to remain silent.
-No one has the right to remain silent! No one has the right to forget about the atrocities.
And no one has the right to take the law into his own hands.
Are you our future, George? Tempered by laws we didn't write.
Forgetful about the hell they created.
-l haven't forgotten.
-You have! You don't remember your parents that were torn from you.
Did you lose one, George? ls there a child they want you to forget? l haven't forgotten! lf you do this, there's no one to take my place.
There's no one to see justice done.
And the butchers' only retribution will be to walk freely among us.
The humans can never share the horror the Overseers created for us.
How can they possibly write laws to exterminate them? These things must be done among ourselves.
l went back to Slagtown alone and finished the interviews.
l'm sorry.
l had some business to take care of.
l don't give a rat's ass if you had a hot hum all set up with the old lady.
You don't just take off when we've got things to do.
-l'm sorry.
-Those hands had tattoos.
-That's got to mean something.
-Yes, perhaps.
Damn it, George, l could use a little more from you.
l'm only on this task force 'cause you're from outer space.
Yes, l remember.
l know who l am.
l know what l am and where l came from.
Now perhaps we can move past that and focus on the case we are assigned to.
l'm not taking you away from it.
Do you have any leads you want me to follow up on? Yeah, l got a few.
Fine.
Go ahead.
Adam Clayton Powell, 1356 Fourth Street.
Drives a '92 Yankee.
-Said he was.
-Moocteebuti.
Yeah, some kind of prayer thing.
Moocteebuti is a spiritual centering for those who have -recently been blessed with child.
-Yes, the guy was beefing me all the way.
Was there a newborn in the apartment? l don't know.
There was something screaming.
He's not a suspect.
What else do you have? l was there.
l was looking at his spots, you weren't.
-l say we lean on him.
-Do you have anything else? Hey, l don't know what kind of bug crawled up your ass but l think you ought to go somewhere and pull it out.
Hey, George, what is it? What is what? You look a little beat.
Maybe you should knock off for the day.
You look a little beat.
Maybe you should knock off for the day.
l will, thank you.
Hey, George.
Happy Halloween.
SUSAN: Oh, George, there you are.
GEORGE: What's the matter? l called you at the office.
You weren't there.
What is it? Emily, are you all right? l just wanted to scare people.
This is the costume she decided to wear to the Halloween party.
You're hurting her! How did this happen? Who let her do this? l did it.
l just wanted to be scary.
She doesn't understand.
She only knows the fear you have for them.
George! She doesn't remember what they were, what they did.
Oh, Emily.
Oh, l'm sorry.
l'm so sorry.
l would like to be alone, Moodri.
l need to think.
You need to talk.
Let the thinking out.
The weight on your shoulders might grow a little lighter-- l didn't know there was so much hatred in me for the Kleezantsun.
-Their evil gave birth to legends.
-Their evil is real.
And should never be forgotten.
George, they will all disappear in time.
That's not what matters.
The Tagdot and his armies are gone and will never return.
But the evil vile spirit the Tagdot had within him, is within all of us even you and me.
What we must do is fight it.
With stories? Myths? Our myths, our legends, are rooted in truth, young man.
They have survived to remind us of who we are, where we have to go and the standards we should live by.
Okay, keep it going.
Johnson, you stay on the staircase.
We ready? Yes.
Let's move.
Okay.
We missed him.
He is out there.
lt's his last night.
His Night of the Screams.
He's catalogued dozens of Overseers.
So what does that mean? We'll be picking up a gross of hands tomorrow morning? He knows his time is running out.
He doesn't need to mislead us with the Tagdot legend anymore.
His mission will be one of quick execution.
Sounds like a fun night.
He is a driven man.
An avenger.
You got anything, any kind of a hit list or something that might tell us where he's starting? This could be helpful.
Addresses of about 15 Newcomers.
Apparently that's how he spends most of his days.
Researching, digging, confirming.
And then this little crippled guy goes out and hacks them up? Don't underestimate the strength of my people especially one with conviction.
This document is a record of his actions.
lf the Overseers aren't where they are supposed to be he moves on quickly to his next rendezvous.
Like a cheap nickel-and-dimer.
One liquor store looks too hard, he moves to the easier hit.
All right.
Let's bring him to our liquor store.
Miller, get on the horn.
l want you to round up every one of these guys on this list.
Every one except these two.
Edward G.
Robinson of Fifth and Grand and John Paul Sartre here in Little Tencton.
Okay, we'll take Sartre.
You wanna stick with Robinson? All right.
You're using them as bait? You got a problem with that? lf it helps us catch a killer, no.
Matthew.
l should have arrested Mr.
Revere.
l intend to include my error in a report to Captain Grazer.
Save the paperwork, George.
So far, no harm, no foul.
Yes, but l'm sorry.
And l owe you an apology.
You're not a machine, George.
You got a gut.
Sometimes it kicks you into feeling things you're not sure about.
These Overseers, they have a nice life on your spaceship? They were rewarded well for delivering slaves around the Nouvaxi Boen Range.
Yeah, well, this Sartre isn't exactly living in a palace on this planet.
Number three.
Should be down here.
Do you think we're too late? Let's go.
Jean Paul Sartre.
ls he here? You want to protect him? That's the plan, lady.
ls he here? Why do you want to protect him? l am a police officer.
You were cargo.
And your husband is Kleezantsun.
l'm well aware of that.
Look, lady, tell us were he is, or lD him later at the morgue.
He doesn't need your help.
Fine.
Let's get out of here.
Matt.
Our job requires us to protect your husband.
l know what he is.
l despise what he did to us on the ship, and forgiveness is impossible.
But, if you do not cooperate with us l will arrest you for obstructing justice.
l will throw you in a hole downtown and prosecute you as far as the law will allow me.
Now, where is your husband? l got $10 that says we find this guy face-down in a muskrat pie.
-1-William-152, come in.
-52.
Go.
Detective Macy reports Edward Robinson uncooperative -and placed in protective custody.
-How long ago? -He pulled into the station at 10.
:32.
-Twenty minutes.
-52.
Roger.
-Matt.
A red Yankee.
Hasn't been here very long.
1-William-152 requesting backup at the Palace Theater at Grant and Thomas.
[Gun shot.]
-That wasn't from there.
-Balcony.
-He's going to kill him ! -Where are they? Up there.
He's got a gun.
Get those people out of here.
Turn on the lights.
And turn off that damn movie! [Gun shot.]
Freeze! Police! He's crazy.
He's trying to kill me.
We gotta get out of here.
Shut up! Stop right there! Put the gun down, Paul.
You know l can't do that.
lf you don't put the gun down, l will have to fire.
He's Kleezantsun! Put the gun down! Are you going to arrest me? On four counts of murder.
-Who'll complete my work? -What you're doing, it's wrong.
Exterminating the exterminators? lt has to be done.
Not if it means becoming like them.
lt's over! Put it down.
My work cannot be accomplished if l am behind bars.
And if l can't do my work what good am l? No! Funny little man, wasn't he? Yeah, well, l'll be downstairs, Code 4-ing that backup.
lt's all right, Matt.
Think they're complicated, but they're so simplistic.
He was about to blow your face off.
You don't know those people.
They were bred to lick our boots.
l'm sorry you have to work with one.
l guess l don't know them.
But l know me.
Sorry you had to settle for second best.
-Hi.
-Hi.
-How did it go? -Great.
The human children were very impressed with Em's ability to bob for apples.
So she made some friends? Yes.
And she ate three pounds of candy, and she scared herself silly and she went to bed with a stomachache.
This Halloween is fun? She said it was the best party she'd ever been to.
What about you? You look very tired.
Yeah, it has been difficult, but it is over.
l'm glad.
Not too sure l understand this Halloween ritual.
[Knocking on door.]
The humans don't understand many things about us, yes but, in time, they will.
Trick or treat!
Our historic first view of the Newcomers' ship.
Theirs was a slave ship carrying a quarter-million beings bred to adapt and labor in any environment.
But they've washed ashore on Earth with no way to get back to where they came from.
And in the last five years, the Newcomers have become the latest addition to the population of Los Angeles.
l wanna be perfectly honest for just one minute.
Now this is the truth.
Comes from the bottom of my hearts.
lf l could drive any car off this lot right now it'd be this little baby right here.
l thought all these Cocas were junk.
Come on, you believe everything you read? Just take a look at the design.
We're talking state-of-the-art methanol-burning 350-horsepower engine.
Factory sound.
Air.
Anti-lock brakes.
Why, the Coca was, and in my opinion, still is the car of the future.
So why'd they stop making them in '92? Why'd they stopped making the Tucker, the Edsel, the DeLorean? Nobody was buying them.
But were they junk? No, sir.
Look, people l wanna make this happen.
What can l say? ls the trunk clean? Lady, you can eat off the rocker panels.
Three mutilated bodies in three days has got the Chief snapping his suspenders a little bit more than usual.
-Who's in charge of this task force? -Not you! -Some guy out of Rampart.
-l believe it's Sergeant Steve Macy.
-lt was in the morning watch report.
-Yeah, well.
Anyway, this Macy thinks he needs a Newcomer on his team and he's volunteered you out of my command.
Perhaps they felt l'd be useful, since the victims are Newcomers.
Sure, it makes sense.
But you'd think the guy'd show a little professional courtesy and ask me if it was a good idea.
He just doesn't appreciate your mind like we do.
That's enough out of you, Sikes.
You're only on board because your partner is from outer space.
No disrespect intended.
Matthew, l believe we have a lot of reading to catch up on.
Piece of cake.
Three dead Newcomers.
Hands hacked off above the wrist.
Bodies all over town.
We follow up on the one in the dumpster in Slagtown.
No disrespect intended.
EMlLY: l really don't think you have to wash it.
But we always wash vegetables before we serve them, Em.
We're not gonna eat it.
-Then why are we carving it? -Jill said to carve a face in it.
lt's a Halloween tradition.
Oh, like bopping for apples.
Bobbing.
Yeah, l guess.
Well, now what? -We gut it.
-No! Yeah! We cut it open and rip its insides out.
Oh, and you gotta carve a real scary face in it -to ward off the demons.
-Demons.
-What is this disgusting tradition? -lt's Halloween, Mom.
The pagan festival celebrating Samhain, the Celtic ruler of death.
On the day of the celebration, the people would light hearth fires often sacrificing small animals, or other humans to welcome the return of the dead, according to the encyclopedia.
And they call themselves civilized.
[Phone ringing.]
l'll get it.
-Hello.
-Hi! -Hi, Jill.
-Did you ask her? -l'm working on it.
-You have to come to my Halloween party.
-l want to.
-Be sure to wear something really neat.
lt's a formal party? Yeah.
l'll be dressing like a pig.
lf we're gonna mutilate this vegetable we'd better do it before your father gets back.
-l'll call you back as soon as l can.
Bye.
-Okay.
Now, on all the victims, sorry, like this John Doe Newcomer the hands were severed with a single chop.
Maybe an axe maybe a meat cleaver.
Was it an upward or a downward motion? -Do we care? -No, actually, that's a good question.
l assume you're wondering if the victims were in a defensive stance in which case the cut would come from the side or the bottom up or at rest, in which case we'd look for a downward motion.
-Yes, that is what l was asking.
-Defensive.
The victims were all alive during the attack, and probably bled to death.
-Toxicological tests will tell us more.
-And no weapon was found? No weapons, no motives, no nothing.
Any other questions? Yeah.
What happened to the chopped-off hands? DOCTOR: Good question.
Read the report, Sikes.
The hands of all the victims are still missing.
-Oh, really? -Page three.
Those hands could tell us a lot.
l hope you guys don't mind, but l missed lunch.
There were signs of struggle in several of the victims.
Fingernail scrapings and bio scans we'll throw every trick we've got at those appendages, if you find them.
Glad to give you a hand.
All right.
Everything is to be coordinated through my office at Rampart.
Sikes, Francisco, welcome aboard.
You'll get used to my databases.
They're pretty normal format.
Here's the latest update, including a full psychological profile Coroner's report, and visualization work.
-We song-and-dancing the press? -Like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.
-They were good with the press? -l'll rent you the video.
[TV blaring.]
Guess what? l was invited to a Halloween party tomorrow night.
You shouldn't go.
Why not? lt's going to be fun.
No one should leave the house until it passes.
What passes? What are you being so weird about? ln time, you'll learn about Tagdot Cur Hiya.
Who? He rises among his people on the third rotation of the equinox when the paraxial sun is in line.
Neat.
Then what does he do? He fills the night with screams.
MOODRl: There are many stories about Tagdot but only one theme prevails.
: evilness consumed by madness.
His darkness lives in the hearts and minds of all Tenctonese.
He was a conqueror with fire in his hands and steel in his heart.
He expected adulation, and when our great fathers gave him none the night broke with their cries as his armies spread through the cities destroying all life in their path.
And they were merciless.
Hands were severed, and their victims painfully bled to death.
Body upon body lined the streets.
And he walked among the bodies thousands upon thousands of bodies and he cried.
He cried, not for what he had done but because there were no more to destroy.
Now is the time for Tagdot to return and again walk among his people.
-No! -What do you mean, ''no''? lt's a legend.
lt's truth.
Sure, it is.
lt was a very nice story.
You wanna know what he did with the hands? No.
l think you should keep all this to yourself.
Let's not freak out Mom and Dad when l've got a party to go to.
You enter everything we got from the dumpster in the data file.
l'll get coffee.
l would like honey and sugar and if there are any of those bug pellets left, l'll have three.
Just let them float on the top.
You have to let them soften.
Don't stir.
l'll enter the data, you get the coffee.
-There you are.
-Yeah, here we are.
-And here you go.
-What's this? New addition to the club.
You want the honors? -His both hands are missing.
-l can see that.
Tape off the area.
l'll call the meat wagon and S.
l.
D.
Here we go.
Okay.
BURNS: You haven't got lD, no witnesses, no idea why the guy went down there? No tire tracks, no footprints, no weapon, no hands-- -No reporters.
Go away, Burns.
-Come on, this is front page, Sikes.
-Only in your paper.
-So how'd the guy get down there? There's only one set of tracks going in.
The victim's.
Nothing coming out-- -Who told you that? -l got a nose for news.
Sounds to me like you got a butcher boy who knows how to cover his tracks.
-Go away, Burns.
l got work to do.
-Or it could be a Halloween spook.
-You believe in spooks, Sikes? -Only one.
My ex-wife.
-Here, can l quote you on that? -Go away.
CORONER: Here we go.
-What do we have? -You tell me, man.
CORONER: Let's get this out of here.
Anybody got anything? -Okay, anybody seen my partner? -He went that way.
-May be something over here.
-Put some sand in.
-You want me to go with you? -He's my partner.
l'll dig him up.
-Give me your flashlight.
-Not issued down here.
-Terrific.
-Hey, Sarge! Don't get lost.
George? Hey, George.
Come out, wherever you are.
Okay, George, cut the comedy.
We got work to do.
George? Damn! Damn it, George! This isn't a rose garden in here.
[Mice squeaking.]
Matthew.
l think l found something.
George, you almost found a bullet right between your spots.
GEORGE: Preliminary report indicates that the perp was driving a late-model pickup.
-Wheelbase suggests a Yankee.
-Yeah, the Japanese thing.
Nice truck.
Soil retention tests show that it was red.
Okay.
lnfrared picked up the victim's blood in the soil probably dripped off the weapon.
You got anything else? Let's see.
Perp was wearing a 10-and-a-half shoe weighs close to 200 pounds and has an inward toe.
-Like a Newcomer inward toe? -That would be the obvious deduction.
You mean, one of you guys is killing you guys? -Why does that sound so surprising? -l don't know.
l thought we humans cornered the market on psychotic behavior.
lsn't it encouraging how well we are assimilating into your society? GEORGE: Hello.
Anybody home? We're in the kitchen.
Sorry l'm late.
We got caught up in a storm tunnel in Little Tencton.
ls there a reason Emily has her head in a bucket of water? lt's a new game she heard about today from Jill.
Bopping for apples.
-Bobbing.
-ls she having fun? Well, she's been at it for hours.
-When does she come up for air? -When she's captured an apple.
ls there a reason she's doing this? She wants to go to a Halloween party, George.
You know, that pagan festival they celebrate? ls that a problem? They go out after dark, collecting candies.
-Hi.
-Hello.
Honey, we are not in Little Tencton anymore.
l am sure she will be properly supervised and safe.
-l know.
lt's just.
-What? lt's just that it's that time of the year.
What about the time of the year? Well, Moodri's been reminding us of Tagdot.
You know, The Night of the Screams? lt's that time of the year.
Tagdot.
That old myth.
Susan, that is just make-believe.
That is a story.
Like Craznie and Gleebhi.
You don't believe in Gleebhi? -Can l go? -We're discussing it! But what are we discussing? What did Moodri say? l merely reminded this family of Tagdot's reign of terror.
Moodri.
l don't think you need to terrorize this family with ghost stories about a madman who cuts up his own people.
Are they just stories, George? Can you hear me? Cathy! Cathy.
Okay, l'm busting down the door if you don't answer me.
And l have a gun if there's some psycho in there with you.
l'm okay.
You always scream when you're okay? lt was just a bad dream.
There's not some guy behind this door making you say that? l'd invite you in, but l'm a little tired.
No, it's okay.
l heard you freaking out and l thought.
l don't know.
lt's a crazy neighborhood.
l feel better knowing that you're nearby.
Sure.
Well, if you have another bad one, l'm just down the hall.
Thank you.
Tagdot is what you humans call a boogerman.
l don't know what a boogerman is, George.
You mean boogyman? Oh, yes, that's it.
Well, that's just hunky-dory, George.
All right, here we go.
All Takia Yankees in LA with the '92 wheelbase run 9,345.
Let's try red.
l re-read the myth last night.
lt's deeply rooted in fact.
Listen to this.
[Reading in his native language.]
''Severed hands were the symbol of Tagdot.
''Throughout the ages, on the third equinox.
'' That's now.
''He rose, taking sometimes a few, sometimes thousands.
'' Pretty spooky stuff, Sikes.
That book, it got pictures and everything? There is an ancient drawing of Tagdot.
Sikes, l got an idea.
Why don't you get your partner here to check the mug shots to see if he can get a match? Grow wings and fly away.
All right.
Red.
Yankee.
1992.
2,394 in LA.
Okay, 200-pound owners.
''The presentation of severed hands in metal basins ''became a tradition by Tagdot followers at ceremonial gatherings.
'' George, count your spots.
Didn't say nothing.
l'm suggesting that if it's important to find the hands that we focus on a metal basin.
No, George.
We're gonna cross-reference the databanks and find out how many 200-pound Newcomers drive Yankees.
lf you think it's a good idea l could enter this information into the case jacket for Macy.
You don't wanna talk about this anymore.
The press is here.
lt's just that l think it could be important.
Look, George.
Enough of this make-believe land.
You're a cop, not a comic book.
This is real.
There are seven Newcomers we're gonna talk to.
Shake them down, get some alibis.
That's what cops do.
You wanna go ahead and look for ghosts in your own time, be my guest.
l got other things to do.
What's going on? l was merely offering an alternative approach to an investigation.
l'm with you, bro.
l think you should get that report on Grazer's desk just as soon as you can.
You mind if l take a look at that? My brother got this real scary record of, like, people screaming and doors creaking open.
You really like Halloween, don't you? Yeah.
lt's freaky.
l think l'll do very well in the bobbing for apples competition.
You'll be great.
What about a costume? -l think l have got a good idea.
-Great.
Surprise me.
-Gotta be scary, though.
-But aren't you going as a pig? Yeah, a pig from hell.
lt's sick.
Big huge ugly teeth.
This nose that's all screwed up.
lt's gross.
-l'll think of something very scary.
-The grosser, the better.
Emily, did you hear me? Yes.
l'll really gross them out.
What's going on? MATT: Testing, testing.
GEORGE: Your translator is broken again.
Barely made it through the last interview.
What say after the next one we break for lunch? Sounds like a good idea.
l know a nice little restaurant -right around the corner.
-George, l don't eat down here.
-Too rich for the blood? -Too alive for the fork.
Mr.
Paul Revere.
This guy couldn't lift the ax to cut somebody's hands off.
l was just eating my lunch.
May l offer you something? No, don't.
Mr.
Revere, we understand you drive a '92 Yankee.
ls that information correct? -Yes.
-We'd like to take a look at it if we could.
-Run a couple of tests.
-l don't understand.
Come on, George.
My translator's spread all over the hallway.
Mr.
Revere, where were you on the nights of the 27th, 28th, and 29th? Here.
l don't go out much.
-You have somebody to corroborate that? -l live alone.
l don't have many friends.
l have Clot Sto Leakian's disease.
lt is a bone disorder brought on by the lack of proper diet on our slave ship.
Mr.
Revere, what do you do? Research for the Central Library.
-1-William-152, come in.
-52.
Go.
Detective Macy wants you Code 3 at the morgue.
-We got another body? -He didn't say.
Okay, we're on our way.
Clear.
-Should we check his car first? -Macy said Code 3.
We'll be back.
l'm not going anywhere.
They found them down at the old waste disposal dump.
That addendum you put into the databank really paid off, Francisco.
Couple of giant metal vats, basins.
And neatly displayed right in the middle were these.
-Hi.
-Cathy.
What do you know about a guy named Tagdot? You okay? Maybe you better come in.
-lf you're in the middle of something-- -No, please.
Come in.
There are many legends, stories about Tagdot.
Our myths were deeply woven into our culture.
Same here, l guess.
On the slave ship, the Kleezantsun, Overseers they used the stories against us.
CATHY: We lived in our bed racks.
Thousands of corridors of bed racks stacked a hundred stories high, all fanning out like spokes on a wheel from a central hub.
The Overseers were charged with maintaining order.
They pumped gas to keep us submissive.
But submission was not easy for some.
Since we landed, l've heard that there was a group that acclimated themselves to the gas and tried to organize a revolt on the ship.
Hell, yes, you had to have them outnumbered, what, a thousand to one? Ten times that.
CATHY: That's why they had to strike at our weakest line of defense our minds.
Already vulnerable from the gas, they twisted our history.
Myths became real.
Overseers became demons more dangerous and powerful than all of us together.
Fear became more painful than death.
All we had to do to escape the torture was lay back and breathe the gas.
And that's what l did.
l'm sorry.
l always thought that l was a rational person.
You are.
So why do these dreams still scare the hell out of me? Why now? The Overseers, why the tattoos? l was told that it neutralized the gas.
On the ship, it was a symbol they wore righteously.
Now it's their scar of damnation.
He left an hour ago? Oh, no, l wouldn't worry.
He's probably around here somewhere.
Okay, thanks, Susan.
What? Oh, Happy Halloween to you, too.
-You see George? -Yeah, about an hour ago.
Said he was running down to the Coroner's office to pick up a report.
Here's the report.
Where'd his little legs take him? Hey, you know what l bet? Maybe last night he read Snow White and decided to pick up seven little midgets for questioning.
Sikes, what the hell are you doing? What's it look like l'm doing? Nothing.
Did you see the results of the toxological reports on those hands? l'm reading them.
Bernine's a hell of a fast-acting tranquilizer.
-Nice little wrinkle to work on.
-Yeah.
So get on it.
-l'm thinking now, okay? -Yes, sometimes that happens.
-Where's your partner? -What do you think he's thinking about? Excuse me.
l've got some interviews.
l was expecting you.
And why is that? You didn't look like a man who was affected by myths.
My fears are more rooted in reality.
Tagdot is real to many.
So are Overseers.
You found the tattooed hands and the myth guided you to the metal basin.
And reality led me to you.
You drugged your victims first? Just a dart.
Just enough to immobilize them.
l preferred to see them bleed to death.
l'm arresting you for the murders of four unidentified Newcomers.
Overseers.
And l have the names of all the Kleezantsun l exterminated.
They were very carefully researched.
-You have the right to remain silent.
-No one has the right to remain silent! No one has the right to forget about the atrocities.
And no one has the right to take the law into his own hands.
Are you our future, George? Tempered by laws we didn't write.
Forgetful about the hell they created.
-l haven't forgotten.
-You have! You don't remember your parents that were torn from you.
Did you lose one, George? ls there a child they want you to forget? l haven't forgotten! lf you do this, there's no one to take my place.
There's no one to see justice done.
And the butchers' only retribution will be to walk freely among us.
The humans can never share the horror the Overseers created for us.
How can they possibly write laws to exterminate them? These things must be done among ourselves.
l went back to Slagtown alone and finished the interviews.
l'm sorry.
l had some business to take care of.
l don't give a rat's ass if you had a hot hum all set up with the old lady.
You don't just take off when we've got things to do.
-l'm sorry.
-Those hands had tattoos.
-That's got to mean something.
-Yes, perhaps.
Damn it, George, l could use a little more from you.
l'm only on this task force 'cause you're from outer space.
Yes, l remember.
l know who l am.
l know what l am and where l came from.
Now perhaps we can move past that and focus on the case we are assigned to.
l'm not taking you away from it.
Do you have any leads you want me to follow up on? Yeah, l got a few.
Fine.
Go ahead.
Adam Clayton Powell, 1356 Fourth Street.
Drives a '92 Yankee.
-Said he was.
-Moocteebuti.
Yeah, some kind of prayer thing.
Moocteebuti is a spiritual centering for those who have -recently been blessed with child.
-Yes, the guy was beefing me all the way.
Was there a newborn in the apartment? l don't know.
There was something screaming.
He's not a suspect.
What else do you have? l was there.
l was looking at his spots, you weren't.
-l say we lean on him.
-Do you have anything else? Hey, l don't know what kind of bug crawled up your ass but l think you ought to go somewhere and pull it out.
Hey, George, what is it? What is what? You look a little beat.
Maybe you should knock off for the day.
You look a little beat.
Maybe you should knock off for the day.
l will, thank you.
Hey, George.
Happy Halloween.
SUSAN: Oh, George, there you are.
GEORGE: What's the matter? l called you at the office.
You weren't there.
What is it? Emily, are you all right? l just wanted to scare people.
This is the costume she decided to wear to the Halloween party.
You're hurting her! How did this happen? Who let her do this? l did it.
l just wanted to be scary.
She doesn't understand.
She only knows the fear you have for them.
George! She doesn't remember what they were, what they did.
Oh, Emily.
Oh, l'm sorry.
l'm so sorry.
l would like to be alone, Moodri.
l need to think.
You need to talk.
Let the thinking out.
The weight on your shoulders might grow a little lighter-- l didn't know there was so much hatred in me for the Kleezantsun.
-Their evil gave birth to legends.
-Their evil is real.
And should never be forgotten.
George, they will all disappear in time.
That's not what matters.
The Tagdot and his armies are gone and will never return.
But the evil vile spirit the Tagdot had within him, is within all of us even you and me.
What we must do is fight it.
With stories? Myths? Our myths, our legends, are rooted in truth, young man.
They have survived to remind us of who we are, where we have to go and the standards we should live by.
Okay, keep it going.
Johnson, you stay on the staircase.
We ready? Yes.
Let's move.
Okay.
We missed him.
He is out there.
lt's his last night.
His Night of the Screams.
He's catalogued dozens of Overseers.
So what does that mean? We'll be picking up a gross of hands tomorrow morning? He knows his time is running out.
He doesn't need to mislead us with the Tagdot legend anymore.
His mission will be one of quick execution.
Sounds like a fun night.
He is a driven man.
An avenger.
You got anything, any kind of a hit list or something that might tell us where he's starting? This could be helpful.
Addresses of about 15 Newcomers.
Apparently that's how he spends most of his days.
Researching, digging, confirming.
And then this little crippled guy goes out and hacks them up? Don't underestimate the strength of my people especially one with conviction.
This document is a record of his actions.
lf the Overseers aren't where they are supposed to be he moves on quickly to his next rendezvous.
Like a cheap nickel-and-dimer.
One liquor store looks too hard, he moves to the easier hit.
All right.
Let's bring him to our liquor store.
Miller, get on the horn.
l want you to round up every one of these guys on this list.
Every one except these two.
Edward G.
Robinson of Fifth and Grand and John Paul Sartre here in Little Tencton.
Okay, we'll take Sartre.
You wanna stick with Robinson? All right.
You're using them as bait? You got a problem with that? lf it helps us catch a killer, no.
Matthew.
l should have arrested Mr.
Revere.
l intend to include my error in a report to Captain Grazer.
Save the paperwork, George.
So far, no harm, no foul.
Yes, but l'm sorry.
And l owe you an apology.
You're not a machine, George.
You got a gut.
Sometimes it kicks you into feeling things you're not sure about.
These Overseers, they have a nice life on your spaceship? They were rewarded well for delivering slaves around the Nouvaxi Boen Range.
Yeah, well, this Sartre isn't exactly living in a palace on this planet.
Number three.
Should be down here.
Do you think we're too late? Let's go.
Jean Paul Sartre.
ls he here? You want to protect him? That's the plan, lady.
ls he here? Why do you want to protect him? l am a police officer.
You were cargo.
And your husband is Kleezantsun.
l'm well aware of that.
Look, lady, tell us were he is, or lD him later at the morgue.
He doesn't need your help.
Fine.
Let's get out of here.
Matt.
Our job requires us to protect your husband.
l know what he is.
l despise what he did to us on the ship, and forgiveness is impossible.
But, if you do not cooperate with us l will arrest you for obstructing justice.
l will throw you in a hole downtown and prosecute you as far as the law will allow me.
Now, where is your husband? l got $10 that says we find this guy face-down in a muskrat pie.
-1-William-152, come in.
-52.
Go.
Detective Macy reports Edward Robinson uncooperative -and placed in protective custody.
-How long ago? -He pulled into the station at 10.
:32.
-Twenty minutes.
-52.
Roger.
-Matt.
A red Yankee.
Hasn't been here very long.
1-William-152 requesting backup at the Palace Theater at Grant and Thomas.
[Gun shot.]
-That wasn't from there.
-Balcony.
-He's going to kill him ! -Where are they? Up there.
He's got a gun.
Get those people out of here.
Turn on the lights.
And turn off that damn movie! [Gun shot.]
Freeze! Police! He's crazy.
He's trying to kill me.
We gotta get out of here.
Shut up! Stop right there! Put the gun down, Paul.
You know l can't do that.
lf you don't put the gun down, l will have to fire.
He's Kleezantsun! Put the gun down! Are you going to arrest me? On four counts of murder.
-Who'll complete my work? -What you're doing, it's wrong.
Exterminating the exterminators? lt has to be done.
Not if it means becoming like them.
lt's over! Put it down.
My work cannot be accomplished if l am behind bars.
And if l can't do my work what good am l? No! Funny little man, wasn't he? Yeah, well, l'll be downstairs, Code 4-ing that backup.
lt's all right, Matt.
Think they're complicated, but they're so simplistic.
He was about to blow your face off.
You don't know those people.
They were bred to lick our boots.
l'm sorry you have to work with one.
l guess l don't know them.
But l know me.
Sorry you had to settle for second best.
-Hi.
-Hi.
-How did it go? -Great.
The human children were very impressed with Em's ability to bob for apples.
So she made some friends? Yes.
And she ate three pounds of candy, and she scared herself silly and she went to bed with a stomachache.
This Halloween is fun? She said it was the best party she'd ever been to.
What about you? You look very tired.
Yeah, it has been difficult, but it is over.
l'm glad.
Not too sure l understand this Halloween ritual.
[Knocking on door.]
The humans don't understand many things about us, yes but, in time, they will.
Trick or treat!