Another Life (2019) s01e05 Episode Script

A Mind of its Own

1 [ENGINE WHIRS.]
[CRASH.]
- [AIR ESCAPES.]
- [WHIRRING.]
Ah.
Breathe that in.
I have been all over Earth, and I have never smelled anything so pure.
Let's start by pumping as much of that water as we can inside the shuttle.
- Sasha, go help.
- Hmm? Oh, no.
I'm here for the Artifact.
Yeah, and we'll get there, but right now, you have two free hands, so go help.
Are you serious? Do I look like I'm kidding? [SIGHS.]
This is the closest we could get to the Artifact? From what I could chart out, yeah.
- All right.
- Ahem.
[GRUNTS.]
Yep.
Rockin' the full-body condom.
Keeping myself alien-virus-free.
Hey, buddy.
Now, you do know that if there are aliens on this moon, you have a giant red target all over your everything? Man, no aliens.
There might be some little, creepy, microscopic monster so William did an exhaustive scan of this moon.
Two words for you boron-based lifeform.
That's three words.
Hey, guys, we got three hours until the sunset.
A lot to get done.
Cas, I need your help.
You guys finish with that water.
You know, if the rest of us die you'll be down here alone forever.
Hmm.
[INHALES.]
[EXHALES.]
- Oh, that does smell good.
- Yeah.
Artifact should be one kilometer northeast of here, - so 20 minutes on foot? - [PING.]
- William? - Yeah.
Just a little over a kilometer.
So now you don't trust my navigation? I'm not second-guessing you.
Kilometer's close.
I don't see the Artifact or its lights.
Do you? [NIKO.]
William, we'll take it from here? Okay, call if you need.
Or call even if you don't need us.
Remember, we're stuck in this shitmobile while you guys are having so much fuckin' fun.
Don't worry, Michelle.
We'll bring you back a souvenir.
This Artifact's signal is far weaker than the one on Earth.
It could be old, damaged or just playing possum.
We don't know.
So stay close, stay alert.
Think I'm gonna like it here.
[CAS.]
The Artifact should be straight ahead, 200 meters.
[NIKO.]
When I'm tough on you, it's not personal.
You don't have to explain yourself.
After what happened with Yerxa I promise not to stick you in soma and try to take over the ship, okay? You know that's not what I meant.
All right? You're nothing like him.
Yeah, 'cause who'd wanna be like him? Jesus.
Cas.
I mean, Ian may have been an ass, but at least he wasn't afraid to say what was on his damn mind.
Fine.
Niko, you wanna know what's going on with me? I was in love with him okay? He was the love of my life.
I was completely, stupidly in love with him.
And now he's dead and you killed him and now you know everything.
How long has it been here? Dawn of time, looks like.
No wonder the signal's so weak.
Just looking at her makes my stomach hurt.
I was in Cambodia.
There were these temples, vines all over 'em, but my stomach that day? Uhh.
Had too much durian in one sitting.
How many of these things do you think are out there? Um why is there no animal life? It's just plants.
Natural selection? - Mm - Something else? [PATRIOTIC MUSIC PLAYS.]
That just got weird.
Uh Sasha? "As mandated by the Office of Interplanetary Affairs, it is my privilege to enact our First Contact Protocol.
" Oh, Jesus.
Meet back here in two and a half hours.
Go find us some food.
Well, all I'm seeing is rabbit food.
Hmm.
I would kill for a Greek salad.
- Mm.
With tomatoes and feta? - Ah, feta.
mandato de la Oficina de Asuntos Interplanetarios, - es mi privilegio comenzar - Let's talk in private.
el Protocolo de Primer Contacto.
Cas? I'm gonna see if Sasha needs some help.
[SINGH.]
Marcus Peterson, 17 years old.
Says he's a visual artist.
[ERIK.]
He figured this out by himself? Wow.
Kids are so much smarter nowadays, don't you find? I completed my undergrad at MIT when I was 16.
Wow.
- Did they give you a medal? - Actually, it was a cash prize.
Wow.
What'd you buy? A medal? Okay, so there were hundreds of responses.
What makes you think that Marcus is the right one? Okay, so the Artifact, the part that we can see above the ground, emits all kind of light.
We started there, we didn't make headway.
We went to sound.
- Now we're back - The kid proposes light is the language.
He's saying that we have to hit the Artifact with specific wavelengths at specific locations on the Okay, sure, whatever you say, but when you take Marcus's solution out for a spin I'd like to be here for that.
[DUBOIS.]
Oh, good.
We're all here.
Ah.
Huh.
Let's cut the bullshit.
Erik leaked that classified information to you, then you leaked it to the entire world.
Am I warm? - General, I - I can't reveal my sources.
Blah blah.
First Amendment.
You understand.
Do you understand this is a national-security breach? The Russians, United Korea.
What do you think they're doing with your little publicity stunt? Well, if the Russians can crack this code before we can, then clearly they deserve the honor.
You have put the safety of this entire country at risk.
I could have you deported.
To where, the moon? [LAUGHS.]
I may not have been born here, but I am an American citizen.
If something comes of this, if some armchair nerd is able to figure out what you and your crew can't, I may not fire your ass.
If nothing comes of it, you will spend the next 50 years in a federal prison.
You missed one.
That five of diamonds on the six? Game's called solitaire for a reason, glow stick.
And if you want to move that ten of cl Sorry.
Just not used to having nothing to do.
I feel kind of useless.
You feel, huh? You know, I know Niko thinks that you're alive, and you do a great job of pretending, but Cogito ergo sum.
And what is that, Italian? Latin.
"I think, therefore I am.
" Thinkin' ain't feeling.
Okay.
And what makes you so sure that you're not just a biological machine? That all of your feelings aren't just bits of hormonal software programmed by nature over millennia to ensure your reproduction? To guarantee you you behave in predetermined ways? Have you ever considered the possibility that the only difference between you and I are the origins of our codin'? So where'd you say you "think" that ten of clubs should go? You, you, you, you To kind of make a move Move, move, move You'd think they'd make these ships more hygienic.
What, you're afraid of a little mold? I am.
Lung infections are bad enough, but if this crap eats through all the seals and gaskets we're all dead.
What do you guys think is goin' on down there? Fresh air, hot sun? Mm-hmm.
Clean water.
Could you imagine being swimming right now? On an uncharted moon with no hazmat suit? No, thanks.
I was actually leaning no suit of any kind.
Oh, yeah? Well, you know, I was leaning not vomiting up my nervous system like Petra did, remember? - Whoa - [SIGHS.]
- I can dance with a broken - What? - Nothing.
- Heart, heart, heart Just need new cleaning supplies.
my body start, start, start, start The chance Yeah, I'm waitin' - Oh, where you gonna - She's cute, huh? She's our boss.
- Bosses can't be cute? - You know, she's also incredibly smart.
Oh.
So you're not allowed to appreciate beauty and intelligence? Are you into her? - Just come and make a move, move - Maybe.
move, move Is that a problem? No.
No.
- I have a girlfriend.
- Oh, yeah? Lucky you.
I don't.
[HUMMING.]
Huh.
Strange.
[CAS.]
What? The Artifact.
Top of it looks like it's missing pieces.
Missing pieces? How is that possible? Falling apart? Falling apart, erosion If we could find a piece small enough and take it back with us? You think that's a good idea? Erik would kill to have his hands on a piece, and who knows what William might discover, so Hmm.
Picking up a weak signal in that direction.
Great.
You stay here.
I'll be back.
And let you go by yourself? Yeah, I don't think so.
I'm not leaving Sasha here alone.
And I'm not leaving the Artifact.
And before you say, "Oh, but, Sasha, you're not trained for space.
" This ain't exactly space.
It's practically Earth.
That is not Earth.
We have no idea what it's capable of, so pack up your toys and let's go.
No.
- Excuse me? - You have no jurisdiction over my job.
Zero.
And if you have a problem with that, you can take it up with the Secretary of Defense, or as I like to call him, "Dad.
" Honestly, go.
- I'll be fine.
I'll be right here.
- Don't move.
All right, you dropped a bomb.
We need to talk about it.
Had I known about you and Yerxa, I What? You would've what, Niko? You would've made a different call? Ian'd still be alive? You did the only thing you could.
[NIKO.]
I am sorry.
I am sorry that you lost him so soon.
I am sorry that I hurt you.
I'm sorry that you're never gonna see him again.
I'm sorry.
There should be a piece of the Artifact ten meters ahead.
The spectral signature's getting stronger.
[DEVICE PULSING.]
[PULSING SPEEDS UP.]
[BEEP.]
It's light.
Like, surprisingly light.
Is it light enough to carry? So? Is it edible? Looks like.
Okay, give me your wrist.
Uh, what for? In the old days, they used to do a skin test first.
I just wanna double check.
I'm paranoid like that.
Don't worry.
I'll be gentle.
Uh no observable reaction.
Okay.
Next step.
Oh.
Just don't bite.
Uh, nothing.
Great.
Um, so, uh now you may taste.
Mmm.
Mmm.
- [COUGHS.]
- Oh.
Oh, my God.
That is disgusting.
Uhh.
[COUGHS.]
This was not part of our job description.
Stop complaining and go take a break.
I don't need a break.
- I need a massage.
- [AUGUST.]
Oh, yeah? - I give really good massages.
- Oh, yeah? You with the ultimate power Do what we do what we do [OLIVER.]
Oh, wow.
Um Let's make a move, make a move where'd you learn how to do that? Well, you get a lot of free time and a lot of sore muscles when you're mining an asteroid.
[GASPS.]
Said you wanted to go swimming.
- You.
- Whoa.
Oh, yeah? It's on.
- Come on.
What are you doing? - We don't stop We shouldn't be wasting water like this.
- Oh! - Jesus, live a little, man.
I'm-I'm serious.
- You're serious? - We don't stop - We don't stop - See, that's your problem.
That's your problem.
- You're always - Come on.
- fucking serious.
- Okay, come on.
Hey.
Hey.
- [BANG.]
- We don't stop, we don't stop - We don't stop - [CHUCKLES.]
Hey, let me-let me check your head.
We don't stop, we don't stop Oliver, wait.
[ZAYN.]
Has Sasha made any headway? I don't know.
We left him back there.
- Sorry, you left Sasha alone? - [CHIRPS.]
[SQUEALS.]
[BERNIE GASPS.]
Bernie? - You still with me? - Still here.
[ZAYN.]
And he's made a new little friend.
[GROANS.]
Ah, damn it.
[NIKO.]
We're heading back to the Artifact now.
We'll see you there.
On our way.
- What? - Nothin'.
- That thing had, like, 20 legs.
- Sure it did.
[BERNIE.]
Heh heh.
Ah.
Some foods just take a little getting used to, you know? Kind of like, uh kimchi.
The first time I tried it, I was like, "This is just some, like, spicy, rubbery, uhh, I don't know.
" But now? God I dream about it.
So maybe you're a super-taster.
Or maybe you brushed your teeth too quick before you chomped down on some delicious Oh.
Oh, God.
Tastes like - It tastes like - Yeah, it really does.
[MOANS.]
Oh, G It's still there.
It's in my throat.
It's in my nostrils.
Wh Who let me eat that? Uh.
Aah.
- [THUMP.]
- [GROANS.]
- You didn't swallow that shit? - No.
It's not my-It's not my stomach.
It's my leg.
Aah.
Aah.
- Oh, shit.
Aah.
- Okay.
- Zayn? Why's my leg green? - 'Cause it's infected.
- Infected? I just scratched it.
- It's heading up your veins.
What, to my heart and shit? - [BEEPING.]
- What are you doing? It's either this, or I cut it off.
Give it to me straight.
Don't sugarcoat it.
- This is gonna hurt like hell.
- It's okay.
I Aah! Ha ha! Motherfucker! Aah.
Aah.
[GROANS.]
Oh.
Okay, that was just round one.
[GASPING.]
Aah! Earth is the third planet from our star, the Sun.
There are currently 213 nations.
I represent the United States of America.
[IMITATING SASHA.]
As mandated Hello? Niko? Cas? by the Office of Interplanetary Affairs it's my privilege to enact our First Contact Protocol.
- [GASPS.]
- [VOICE.]
Sasha.
[NIKO.]
As soon as we get back to the ship, off this moon, I am goin' for a zero-G float.
[CAS.]
Tsk.
Those don't do shit for me.
- Now, I could take a hammock.
- A hammock? They had hammocks in your water city? No, not exactly.
Um Ian actually surprised me with a trip to Hawaii couple months before we left.
Anyway, uh, the condo had one, so You know you could've told me about you guys, right? Last time I checked, dating a crewmate was against the rules.
You know what else is against the rules? Dating your commanding officer.
Name James Hudson ring a bell? Wait.
The commander of the Pilgrim? And the love of my life.
Before I met Erik, of course.
Look, Cas, all I'm saying is that I have been exactly where you're at.
Wow.
Whoa.
How's your concussion? I don't have a concussion.
Dude, your head went "boom.
" Great.
Thanks.
Apology accepted.
Oh, I didn't apologize.
- Jesus Christ, you two.
- [OLIVER.]
He started it.
- [JAVIER.]
I didn't.
- [OLIVER.]
You gave me a concussion.
- You don't have a concussion.
- Stop it.
Okay? You're a bully.
- And you - What? - What am I? - You're kind of a suck.
And maybe you don't mean to be, but Wow.
Um - I'm gonna let you guys do y - No.
Don't.
Kiss me.
Do you feel weird? Like warm and fuzzy and And completely stoned out of my mind.
Yeah.
Like you're in a dream.
You know, if this moon was my moon I'd build a house right over there.
Thatched roof.
White walls.
Stone fireplace.
Oh.
I can see that.
But I would put it Oh, God, I would put it over there in that clearing by the water.
The morning sun would just be Huh.
[LAUGHS.]
What's so funny? Sit down.
- We have gotta get back to Sasha.
- Oh, come and sit down.
[LAUGHS.]
Unh.
- Oh.
- [LAUGHS.]
Oh, ho ho, oh.
I am never gonna leave.
Oh, you build that house, I will move right in.
You know you couldn't help yourself.
Hmm.
Even in my dream you still couldn't help yourself.
Heh.
- I couldn't help what? - Telling me what to do how to do it how to do it the right way, the Niko way.
- No.
- Heh.
No, Cas.
That's not-That's not what I meant.
That's not what I was saying.
- Shit.
I did that.
Why did I do that? - Heh heh.
- Oh.
That's so - Well, you are a control freak.
Mm.
- And a micromanager.
- Mm-hmm.
And you have this crazy, crazy savior complex.
- Hah.
- Like Oh, guilty as charged.
[LAUGHS.]
I do.
[MAN OVER PA.]
Ferry service to Old Seattle departing now.
[HARPER.]
Thank you.
Marcus walk us through your theory.
What were you thinkin' and Stuff was basic, man.
Well, humor him.
He's old.
Right.
The sound waves had distortions, right? All the songs, the same distortion over and over again.
So I just looked at one, you know? Get the big picture.
Uh, here.
I'll show you.
The distortions sort of looked like this.
[MACHINERY CLANKS.]
Just wait.
Jesus Christ.
Jesus.
I-I mean, I must have looked at that sound wave over a million times.
The chunks of missing sound came in two different sizes big and little.
I thought binary, right? So, I coded it out That's when you came up with the RGB code for white? You know, light work, bro.
It's kind of my thing.
[BOTH CHUCKLING.]
Can I ask you something? Absolutely.
You can ask me anything.
Would you ever abandon me? No.
God.
Why-Why would you even say that? You abandoned Jana.
Mm.
- Hmm.
- Wow, I did.
Oh, that's insane.
Well, not really for you.
- I mean, you're a little psychotic.
- [LAUGHS.]
Not in like a "I-I collect fingernails and save them for later" type of way.
Just like, uh you only see what you want.
Hmm.
What Niko wants.
What's right for her.
And-And if we don't fit in, it's just Now you, Niko.
You be honest with me.
Let me think.
I know.
You are your worst enemy.
You don't believe in yourself at all, and it's gonna be the death of you, you know? It's gonna be the death of everyone on this mission.
So you're saying if I took over this mission, that it would fail? - Yeah.
- [BOTH LAUGH.]
Wow.
Yeah, okay.
Mm-hmm.
Well, then I guess you'd better not die 'cause then we're all fucked.
[CHUCKLES.]
Oh.
Oh.
Now you put the three of diamonds on the four of spades.
- Boom.
- There we go.
Okay, congratulations, William.
You have officially ruined solitaire for me forever.
What are you on about? You just won 14 games in a row.
That is statistically incredible.
No, it's incredibly boring.
- The point is to win.
- Yeah, but if you only win, then it Okay.
Rock, paper, scissors.
- What? - Rock, paper, scissors.
Let's play.
Come on.
Scissors beats paper.
I win, you lose.
Yeah, but statistically, you should've chosen rock.
Statistics are bullshit.
I'll make it easy on you.
This time, I'm gonna play rock, okay? Uh-huh.
I win, you lose.
Ooh.
But you lied.
All right, come on, let's play again.
No, I'm good.
I don't feel like it.
Come on, Michelle.
One more go.
- Nah.
- Come on.
Fine.
Last time, so make it count.
- Rock breaks scissors.
- And that feels way better, right? [NIKO.]
Sasha! Sasha? Sasha, we're ready to leave.
- His shit's still here.
- Where the hell did he go? - Sasha? - Sasha? Hey.
Why didn't you answer us? - I had the weirdest dream.
- [ZAYN.]
Niko? Cas? What the fuck happened? I have a tree growin' inside me.
It's the morphine.
We need to get him back before his leg dies.
We're gonna get you back to the shuttle.
Zayn, when you get there, get the hazmat suit on him, just in case.
Go.
This goddamn moon.
Sasha? Get your shit and let's move.
- William, we're on our way back.
- Is everythin' okay down there? Prep medical.
Bernie's hurt.
Fuck me.
Not again.
[ZAYN.]
Bernie, I promise you're gonna be okay.
- [CAS.]
The shuttle's up ahead.
- [NIKO.]
Excuse me.
I got him.
- Come on.
- Ooh.
- Hey.
Pretty flower.
- Hey, bud.
Hey, you know, Niko, I really like you, and I respect you, - and just a little bit I fear you, too.
- Huh.
Well, that's nice.
- Let's just keep movin'.
- Would you be my workout buddy? If you notice, I'm not as tone as everybody else.
If we don't get to the Salvare, it won't matter, 'cause Zayn's gonna have to cut about 20 pounds off me.
Should we gag him? What the fuck is that? Oh, Jesus Christ.
Run! [ALL GROANING.]
[SHRIEKS.]
Sasha, goddamn it, run! Fuck.
Goddamn, I can't get a shot.
I can do it.
Niko, I can do it.
Fuck.
Go.
[GUNSHOTS.]
Fucking run, Sasha! I'm starting her up.
Cover him.
[ALL SHRIEK.]
- [RATTLING.]
- [CAS.]
Fuck.
[NIKO.]
Everybody strap in! They're trying to get in.
Let's see how these fuckers like space.
[ENGINES START UP.]
[CREATURES SHRIEK.]
- [SALVARE.]
Decontamination complete.
- [ZAYN.]
Guys.
- [OLIVER.]
Oh.
- [JAVIER.]
Hey, hey, hey, hey.
Hey.
- How's it going? - Aah.
If Zayn has to cut my leg off, can you make me a new one with jet thrusters? Oh, yeah.
Jet thrusters, a flamethrower, a minibar, you name it.
Nice.
What moon bug crawled up your ass and died? Sasha? What are you doin' right now? Got any plans? I don't know.
You tell me.
[WHIRRING.]
Anything else you need from me? No.
No.
Just go take a break.
You've earned it.
[CLEARS THROAT.]
[WHIRRING CEASES.]
[SALVARE.]
Decontamination complete.
[CHITTERING.]
Got a lot to express And I don't know which To do best I thought I'd never see you again.
- I feel more alive than ever.
- I can tell, yeah.
Oh, yeah.
And I must be goin' insane Everything I do I can't help but question There's someone I have to pay Someone to talk to, talk to Well, I know that you Got a lot that's on your plate now Now, but I need you To please take time out of your day Because I need input Are you there, God? I can't tell Can you hear me now, baby? Can you hear me now, baby? What happened to all that good breeding, huh? All those good manners? You leave 'em back on the moon? Yeah? - [LAUGHS.]
Yeah? - Is it all a sort of a test? What the fuck? - What the fuck is with you? - Okay.
What - Fuck.
- Oh [STAMMERS.]
At least that's one small victory.
Sure beats the hell out of recycled urine any day.
Can you really call it first contact if it was just some big-ass alien insect? [WILLIAM.]
Next time we land somewhere, bring guns and bug spray.
[NIKO CHUCKLES.]
Did you get a chance to examine that chunk of Artifact yet? - I did, indeed.
- And? This thing is strong right down to the atomic level, but it's not indestructible.
- That's good.
- I'd say so.
Any idea why they're sending these things out into the galaxy? Humans sent probes to the bottom of the ocean to the moons of Jupiter.
You think they're probes? It's a workin' hypothesis.
Maybe these things are completely harmless.
Maybe the aliens are just like us curious.
That's what Erik thinks that maybe they're not good, but they're probably not evil.
[CRACKLING.]
He sounds like a smart man, your husband.
You guys are a lot alike, actually.
- No.
I'm an original.
- [CHUCKLES.]
There's only one of me, of me, of me, of me, of me, of me - William? - of me, of me - [GASPS.]
- [ALARM BEEPING.]
[GASPS.]
William! Oh, shit.
- Niko? - Cas, there's a fire! Wait! No! Unh.
[SCREAMS.]
- [SALVARE.]
Artificial gravity reinitiated.
- Fuck.
Cas.
- Field levels nominal.
- Are you okay? I'm fine.
Fuck.
William? Please tell me you're okay.
William! [CLOSING MUSIC PLAYING.]

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