Jeremiah (2002) s02e04 Episode Script

Deus Ex Machina

1 Previously on Jeremiah In recent days, we've made contact with at least 20 groups that we believe offer potentially important alliances for our future endeavors.
Someone at the end of the world wants to see me so we can discuss putting theo back in her rightful position.
Now that Valhalla Sector's starting to move, this may be our last chance to put up a united front before they come after us.
You were spying on us.
I was working for Jeremiah's father.
I'm taking the rover and going back to the Mountain.
This so-called partnership is over.
(Markus): We gather here today in a common cause because the desires that unite us are greater than the forces that divide us.
In the coming days, we will carve out a framework for a new country and a new future, because if we fail to do so, others will do it for us.
We, the survivors of the Big Death, have grown to adulthood in the shadow of the greatest disaster the world has ever known.
The last 16 years have been unimaginably brutal, but there comes a time when you have to stop looking backward and start looking forward.
Starting today, we begin putting the world back together again.
In this room, we will determine the shape of the world to come.
We will hammer out the rules and discuss the issues, and in a peaceful and constructive fashion craft a new world out of the ashes of the old.
What do you think? It was It was great.
Really.
You don't think it was over-written? No, no, it's well, just a little.
Don't you think you're putting a little too much pressure on yourself? This is what we've been working on ever since the Big Death.
This is a chance to put together a new alliance that can start putting the country back together again.
We have to get these regional leaders to sign onto the idea of a new constitution, a new american alliance, because if they don't go for it, all our dreams end right here.
It has to be right.
I know, and really, it's it's inspiring.
Basically, what you're saying is I'm a dead man.
Basically, yeah.
Okay.
Let them in.
Okay, I'll let them in.
Any word on how it's going so far? No, but Markus is a great talker,Llibby.
I mean, he's the best.
I'm sure he's got these people eating out of his hand by now.
- Do you think? - Are you kidding? Absolutely.
If I don't get some peace and quiet soon, someone's going to get their ass kicked.
- Maybe we should come back later.
- Later is good.
It's been 15 years since a strange disease wiped out all of the adults and left us kids to fend for ourselves.
Now I'm moving ahead, through the past.
I can't let go I'm holding hope so tight It's hard to breathe when the whole world falls I'm gonna put the stars back back up in the sky Let them all just shine down I'm gonna try I believe we'll find the world together Through your eyes That's all I can see I believe we're looking at forever In a world where we can be free I believe (Markus): I understand that until now you haven't wanted to share your resources with others, but guaranteeing safe passage between all the groups represented here is the only way we can start putting this country back together again.
Right now that's from the western edge of Arizona that's your area, Hernandez through Minnesota on the east.
And free passage means free passage, Sandor.
No way.
Look, we just barely got ourselves together, and winter's coming.
We're short on food, supplies, you name it, so anybody comes through my turf with supplies for somebody else, you have to pay a tax.
That's not workable.
And how can we pull the country together when the country doesn't even have a name yet? Shouldn't we be doing that first? Yeah, I say we call it the United States of Enrique Hernandez.
Hey, your ass is big enough to be the country, all right? So sit your country ass down.
You want a piece of this, huh, Sandor? Do I want a piece of you? Sit your ass down.
Okay.
Lunch.
Got a sec? Sure, come on in.
So, how's it going with the rest of the founding fathers? Ugly.
I just don't think they're taking this seriously.
Well, should they? Shouldn't they? Think about it.
Everybody in there got to where they are by fighting everybody else.
They have pushed and pulled and bit and scratched their way into running a town, and then a couple of towns, and then more and every step of the way, they've had somebody trying to con them or take it all away.
Now, you think guys like this are going to bend over just 'cause we ask them to? I know, it's just they want to believe.
They do.
You can see it in their eyes.
For 16 years, they've fought to build something, and they don't want it to end when they die.
They want to believe in all of this, just like I did when I got here, but in the outside world, it's hard to trust anybody.
So what did you want to see us about? I need to get back on the road.
Now, I know we've all been through a lot lately, but I need to get away from this place.
I mean, the memories you know? Yeah.
Yeah, I do.
Of course, that means finding you a new partner, with you and Jeremiah split up.
Yeah, well, I have a thought on that one.
You know the new guy, Smith? This guy that calls himself Mister Smith, thinks God talks to him? Yeah, that one.
Kurdy, aside from the fact that he's new and untested, and maybe a little bit I don't know, what's a good word? - Nuts? - Nuts, nuts.
Excellent word.
Aside from all of that, there are better people.
He saved my life.
Twice.
So give him a medal or a piece of cake.
Whenever there's something we want Markus to do, and he doesn't want to do it, we tell him there's cake involved.
Works every time.
When I was in charge of the prison break in Millhaven, you told me to pick lieutenants I trusted.
I didn't know you meant Smith.
He saved my life, Markus, twice.
Now, I think he's a little nuts, too, but you show me one person who didn't come out of the Big Death a little fucked up.
I trust this guy, and all he wants to do is help.
That you want to repay him for saving your life is admirable, but I have to keep focus on the bigger picture.
Part of that is making team assignments based on what's best for everybody, not just one person.
I bust my ass for this place, Markus.
I risk my life for this place, and you want to blow me off with "What's best for everybody shit"? How about what's best to keep me alive? I understand your passion, but the decision is mine.
I'm sorry, Kurdy.
He said yes, right? I told you he'd say yes.
God said I was going to be your partner.
He said no, okay? No.
And that god bullshit is probably the biggest reason.
I don't understand.
What I hear, it's never wrong.
Well, it is, and maybe that should be your first clue, Smith.
It ain't God, it's just you.
It's just you, and it's just me, and I got things to do, so I will see you around.
Don't be afraid of the moment This could be the chance of a lifetime - All my life - Hey.
Hi.
Sorry.
It isn't too loud, is it? No, no.
It's, um, it's great.
It's just, you know, since I got here, I've noticed there's not a whole lot of music around.
I figured there was a rule or something.
The search teams had different priorities.
They were looking for food, medicine, supplies.
Music isn't a priority? I don't know how anyone could live in a world without music.
It makes me feel alive.
Dance with me.
No.
I I don't, uh, dance.
Dance with me.
Slip away Slip away Let's not let it slip away Let's not let it slip away Let's not let it slip away Let's not let it slip away Well, that wasn't so hard, was it? Says you.
You were looking for me.
Why? I don't remember.
Are you ready for round two? Mm-hmm.
Good, because I've noticed you've been pretty quiet so far.
Mm-hmm.
Well, that's hardly the Theo we've all come to know and mostly tolerate.
Mm-hmm.
Is that all you have to say? Never talk with your mouth full.
Your mother tell you that? No, a hooker.
I could've gone all day without knowing that.
Oh.
You asked.
And don't worry, when it's time for Theo to talk, she'll talk.
- You want a bite? - No.
Markus, good.
Uh, Lee, now is not a good time.
I just thought you should know.
Everybody coming here for the meeting has been accounted for, except the Minnesota group.
They may be in trouble.
And this is based on? They were keeping in radio contact with their home base every couple of hours.
They signed off this morning and haven't been heard from since, and it's in an area north of here that's had other reports of people disappearing.
Okay, I'll look into it, but Lee, you're not head of security anymore.
Your people still think they work for you, but in the future, any time you get information like this before I get it, you'll both be out of here.
Am I clear? Kurdy, good, thanks for coming.
You know Trent, right? He's been attached to one of our long-range survey teams.
- How you doing? - Fine.
Trent's your new partner.
So what's the job? There were about six people coming here from Minnesota.
They fell off the edge of the world about a hundred miles north from here.
There's been no word, no explanation.
Even their own people don't know what happened, so they might be in serious trouble, - and I need you ito find them.
- Fine.
This is where they were last seen, so my guess is they disappeared along this stretch of road right here.
All right, I'm on it.
And I'll get back to the zoo now.
Okay, see you later.
You ready to go? I was born ready.
Trust me, Kurdy, in the years to come, you'll look back at the day, you got me as your partner as the luckiest day in your life.
Well, if this is as good as it gets, I might as well kill myself now to get it over with.
Hey, you're a lot better off than you were with your old partner.
Whoa.
Come on, Jeremiah's a flake, everybody knows it.
Let's get something straight, Trent.
Every time I was in a place where I thought I was not going to get out of there alive, there was always a little part of my brain telling me, "don't worry about it," "Jeremiah will have my back," and in every situation, he did, so you have a long way to go before you prove the same thing to me, and meanwhile, you got something to say about Jeremiah, keep it to yourself.
Look, Markus, you're living in a dream world if you think, we can just sign off on this shit.
"The rights of the individual" "to own and possess private property" "shall not be abridged by the state.
" What's wrong with that? For 16 years, the only way you could keep something was if you were strong enough to hold onto it.
It's not like you could call the police.
That's my point.
You want to enforce this stuff? You want to put some kind of lame-ass police force together, pay for it, all that shit? I say if you got a problem, you deal with it yourself, one on one.
If you're not strong enough to defend yourself, you deserve what you get.
Nobody ever gave me a hand coming up.
I had to fight for everything I got.
Now you're starting to sound like Daniel.
"Only the strong survive.
" Look, Sandor, just because I don't buy into everything Daniel says doesn't mean he's wrong about the rest.
Now, what do you guys think? - You're Sandor? - Yeah.
Jeremiah.
Heard you wanted to see me.
Yeah, I do.
Come on, let's step outside.
So, the word on the street is that you're gonna take over that place Valhalla Sector used to run, Millhaven.
- That true? - Well, maybe.
Why? - Lot of trade goes through Millhaven.
- Yeah.
A guy could do real good for himself in a setup like that, real good.
You stick with Markus, you'll do okay, but once you're there, you're there, you know what I'm saying? You could work with anybody you want, make any deal you want.
So if you ever decide you want to leave Markus and work with somebody else, you know where to find me.
You help me, I help you, everybody wins.
Everybody except Markus.
I heard you were a smart guy.
I just thought maybe we could come to some kind of mutual understanding.
We just did.
Theo? (retching) (toilet flushing) Uh, Theo Anybody ever explain the concept of privacy to you? The door was open.
An inch.
One inch, but I can see how you could look at an inch and think it was a lot more.
So what do you want? I keep hearing about this guy, Daniel.
The way everybody talks, he sounds like a pretty big guy.
I figured if anybody'd know about him, you would.
Why don't you ask Markus? He's heard of Daniel, same as me.
Markus is busy.
I just found out, so you're the one I'm asking, unless you're too busy in there, blowing chunks.
Why don't you go to whatever's left of the East Coast, and ask about Daniel, or the tall man.
He goes by that one, too.
They say he's like one of those guys from out of the old world, tall and straight, good teeth, and eyes that see straight through you till sunday, and when he speaks, you listen.
He's building something out there, something big and scary.
Scary how? Depends on who you talk to.
They say he's got these slave labor camps going, and anybody who goes into his territory without any kind of resources, they grab 'em up and put 'em to work.
Is he part of a group like this? Like this one? Oh, no.
From what I understand, Daniel would never put up with the kind of bullshit we got going on here.
Oh, no.
You don't argue with Daniel and live.
There's no states, no groups, just Daniel, and all the people that decided to follow him, put him in charge.
President, dictator, number one, call him whatever you like it's not good.
The thing is, I've heard stories like this before and it always turns out to be just bullshit.
Have you ever actually seen Daniel? Nope.
Then how do you even know he's real? When I was a young girl, I was living up by Wyoming.
We had a flood, real bad.
It washed out houses, trees, and a whole side of a hill, and where that hill used to be, we saw these footprints, real old and real big, like this big around.
Dinosaur footprints.
And they had to be there for, like well, for a very long time.
Now, you ask me, I ever see a dinosaur? No, but I can look at those footprints, and I know sure as hell something made 'em, something big.
And you ask me if I ever see Daniel? No but I have seen the trail he leaves where he walks, and the effect he has on other people, and they mark the passing of something awfully big, and awfully dangerous.
So this is the border between what's weird and what ain't.
Our people disappeared somewhere between here and the next 30-40 miles, so I figure 20 minutes to stretch our legs, take a whiz, then we move on.
I don't want to waste time.
Good, because I'm known for the whole time-wasting thing.
You know, admitting your problem is the first step toward dealing with it.
- Something bothering you? - Besides you? I keep getting this feeling like there's somebody following us.
Right, like there's somebody following us on foot.
Hey.
How's it going? I see you're packing up.
Guess since you and Kurdy aren't working together for a while, they want you somewhere else.
Yeah, moving's always a hassle.
Anyway, we haven't had much chance to talk since we got back, so I thought I'd see how you were doing.
See, the problem is, I never had a chance to explain what I was doing, and why.
Markus is a great guy, but he's strong-willed.
If I'd let him know about the brothers of the apocalypse, about Millhaven, he would've gone out there and brought Valhalla Sector down on us before we were ready for them.
He always leads with his chin, you know? Look, I gave your dad the information he needed to make sure we stayed clear of trouble, and I gave Valhalla Sector just enough information to make them think we weren't a threat to them.
I was buying time for all of us.
I thought it was the right thing to do.
I was just trying to help.
Whether he knows it or not, Markus needs me running security again.
I'm the only one he can trust.
I need your help, Jeremiah.
I need you to talk to Markus for me.
Is there anything I can do? Short of contracting a lingering disease, resulting in a painful death with lots of kicking and screaming, not a thing.
Then I guess we have something in common.
Neither of us knows where we fit in anymore.
Hey, Trent.
Was that fire going when we pulled up? 'Cause I don't remember seeing it.
How the hell should I know? Hey, Kurdy.
Check it out.
I spelled my name out.
Oh, good.
You found it.
Are you hungry? Want something to eat? What are how the hell did What? You're here.
Good observation.
You were just at the Mountain.
Good memory.
So how the hell did you get from there to here? I have ways.
Look, Smith, I don't know what the hell it is you think you're doing I'm not doing anything.
You're following me.
I'm your partner.
You are not my partner.
Do I have to draw a picture for you? No.
Want me to take your picture? What? It's a pinhole camera.
I use it to chronicle where I've been, what I've seen.
Sometimes I keep the pictures.
Sometimes I give them away.
Sometimes I just tear them up.
Why? Because they're no good? No, it's just that sometimes there are things in the pictures that shouldn't be there.
I'll show you how it works.
(engine turning over) Hey, if he's leaving without me - You know, I could - No, no.
You stay right there.
Don't move.
Hey, Trent.
What the hell are you Trent Trent, are you okay? We know who you're looking for.
Your friend here filled us in while you were asleep.
It just took a little encouragement, but we got the job done.
You looking for your people? We've got some of them right up there in those cages.
Those that're left, anyway.
Before the others died, they told us what was going on, that the government's coming back, law's coming back.
We don't want any part of that.
We used to work alone, me and the guys, then we found each other, started working together.
See, folks think that people like us don't exist anymore, that we're part of some bad memory.
That makes them stupid.
Most people are stupid.
That's why they don't deserve to live.
I love to kill people.
All of us here, we love to watch them die.
Sometimes I'll shoot somebody in the head, and watch them wriggle and squirm all over the place.
T.
K.
here, he likes to cut 'em, lots of little cuts, then bigger cuts, until their faces turn all white.
We catch 'em, bring 'em here, and cage 'em, just like you guys right now, and we do it to 'em because we can, 'cause they're stupid.
Question is, are you guys smart enough to do the right thing? I want you to go back and tell your people that the killing they're gonna see here today is just a start if you don't leave us alone, let us keep doing what we're doing, 'cause we've got a lot more people like us coming, and we got plans, big plans.
We got all kinds of weapons, and we'll come and kill you in your sleep.
We'll kill all your people when they come through here.
We want to send that message back to where you guys come from.
So we're going to let one of you guys go, just one.
You decide who goes and who stays.
Not a chance.
You let both of us go or nobody goes, or you can go straight I'll do it.
What? I'll go.
Good man.
Smart man.
But we got to give you something to take back with you, so your people know we mean what we say.
Cut off his hand.
Right hand, left hand, whatever.
I got a better idea.
Hey, check it out.
Smith? Get the hell outta here, man.
Shut up.
What do you want? Take me instead.
Let him go.
It doesn't work like that.
It's not who goes, who stays, it's one goes, and whoever's left stays, and we do what we want with 'em.
You're one stupid son of a bitch, you know? No.
Actually, I know a lot of things you don't know.
Oh, yeah? And what do you know that I don't know? You watch those two.
You are coming with me.
No, no! No! How do you know her name? Huh? How the hell do you know her name? I have a message for you.
Not just for you, about you.
All about you.
God says, "You can't hide".
"My eye sees you" "and all the darkness that's inside of you.
" "Listen.
Listen" He wants to talk to you.
Now! He knew everything.
He knew it all.
There's only one way out.
Just one way.
All right, you guys are safe now.
Come on.
Hey.
Hey, you remember what you were going to ask me? No, but I do have another question.
You got a minute? Yeah, sure, I'm just killing time before your dad gets back from Valhalla Sector and puts me to work.
Good, because that's what I want to talk to you about.
Listen, did my dad ever say anything about Lee working for him? Sometimes.
I kind of got the feeling it was a touchy issue, that there were times that devon didn't know if he could really trust Lee.
So, what, you think lee was holding stuff back from him, just like he was from us? This one time, they had a really big argument, about you, actually.
Lee was supposed to bring Markus into the whole loop about Valhalla Sector and who Devon really was around the middle of last year.
At the last minute, you know, Devon changed his mind, said he knew that if you found out he was alive, you'd head to Valhalla like a bullet, and things would end up, well Going pretty much about as wrong as they ended up going.
So you're saying that I'm the reason he lied to Markus? You're just the reason he kept lying to Markus when the time to tell the truth had come.
You did good, Kurdy.
It wasn't me, it was the guy you thought was too nuts to work with me, remember? Yeah, I remember, and it got me to thinking.
We all have to make our own choices.
I made one for you, and it nearly got you killed, so I think from now on, maybe you can choose your own partners.
If they're good enough for you, they're good enough for me.
I'm not saying we don't have our differences.
I'm not saying it's going to be easy to work those differences out.
I'm just saying that we stand a better chance of working them out together than as separate groups, eating up what's left of our resources.
I've dedicated my life to the idea of bringing the government back, maybe better than it was before, more tolerant, kinder, a government that lifts up instead of grinds down, that ennobles us and gives us the only gifts that really matter dignity, courage, hope.
We're not going to solve all our differences here today, but we've had a chance to hear from everybody.
Now comes the time to decide on the question before us.
Are you, all of you, willing, today, to unite into a new american alliance? I want us to decide, yes or no.
Markus, truth is, we haven't heard from everybody, so let me ask you a question.
Is there something you don't want us to hear? No.
Anybody who wants to speak can do so, it's just that Then check your front door, and open it.
Company's coming.
Hi.
Good to see you.
My name is Vincent, and we heard about this gathering all the way back on the East Coast.
"We" being Daniel, and those of us who believe in him.
Now, we've heard that things haven't been going too well here, that there's been some disagreements, problems.
Well, that's only natural, and bound to occur in the absence of a strong leader.
So Daniel sent me to extend you his personal invitation.
Join with us.
We've made quite a comeback.
We have much to offer.
And how have you made this comeback? I'm sorry? Through hard work and discipline.
And, from what I hear, it's slave labor.
We have created a work force from those who had no other options anyway.
We gave them purpose.
We have direction.
They need direction.
It's win-win all the way.
For Daniel, sure.
From the way I understand it, he set himself up as a benign dictator, if there is such a thing.
Daniel was given the reins of power freely, by the people.
One leader, one voice.
Daniel speaks for all of us, and things get done, but we're willing to share, to invite you to join us and create a new and better world.
Can I say something? You're Theo, aren't you? We've heard a lot about you.
Now, the problem with Markus is that he kind of put the cart before the horse, because he didn't think that he could sell us on him.
He could have used force, because this place has all the force, all the nukes, anybody could ask for, but he didn't.
He tried to sell us on his ideas, but people don't follow ideas.
They follow the man who has the ideas.
Even if that man is less than perfect? Hell, yeah.
I don't want to follow somebody perfect, 'cause I like telling people when they're wrong, and being eccentric that way is just one of the perks you get when you're pregnant.
You didn't say anything.
Wasn't anybody's business till now, and the thing is, I want my child to grow up in a better world than the one I got stuck with, and I have to ask myself, who is going to do that for me? You? I'd rather follow the man who has the power and doesn't use it, who has the ideas, who thinks that they're better than he is, than the man who likes power too much and will do anything to get it, the man who thinks that he is bigger than the ideas.
I am with Markus and his alliance.
Anybody wants out, leave now, and don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out But if you want to stay and unite behind Markus, then stand up and let's see what you've got.
We've come all this way.
Are we going to create a new world right now or not? Stand up.
Congratulations, people.
You just became the government.
You, uh you will lose in the end, you know.
See if you still feel that way the day you open your eyes and see us march on this place, huh? You wanted to see me? Yes, Lee.
We were just talking about you.
So when's the hanging? Well, you know what they say.
Give the people what they want, they show up every time.
There isn't going to be a hanging, Lee.
In fact, you may be surprised to know that Jeremiah was just talking in your favor.
Why the change of heart? That's between Markus and me.
Let's just say there's a lot of different sides to this thing.
If you can do some good and that's a big "if," as far as I'm concerned, but I'm not going to stand in the way of it If Markus knows where he can use you, I won't oppose it.
So where do I stand? My options are several-fold.
I could reinstate you as head of security, return you to the general population without rank, imprison you for an unspecified amount of time, send you out of the Mountain, never to return.
To be honest, I'm favoring the last two options, and I'm still not sure if that might not be best.
You can stay here at the Mountain on a probationary basis, but you're no longer head of security.
That role goes to Erin.
As far as I'm concerned, you're just another pair of hands to do the work ahead of us.
In time, I hope you'll earn back my trust, but we'll have to see.
That's all.
Hey, Kurdy, listen, I want you to be more careful with my vehicles, okay? - It came back all messed up.
- Not my fault.
Yeah, it's always somebody else.
We even had a cargo missing.
What? - When? - The same time you left.
I'd brought it in to do some work on it, then it was gone.
Next thing I know, it's back again today.
So that's how he did it.
Sso much for that "I have my ways" mysterioso shit.
I don't care what he says.
It's still pretty mysterioso, if you ask me.
We don't have much gas to waste, so when we bring in the cars for work, we drain all the gas out.
There was no gas in that car when it went out, no gas in it when it came back.
How it went anywhere is anybody's guess.
It's starting.
original source: peritta synced and corrected: quinnell
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