The Outer Limits (1995) s07e02 Episode Script

Patient Zero

Hi.
Just take a seat and i'll be with you in a moment.
Thanks.
Mr.
Beckett.
Yes.
Hi.
I'm dr.
Mandel.
Come on in.
This is your first visit with us today.
What brings you to us? I said what seems to be bothering you? Mr.
Beckett, i can't help you if you won't tell me what's bothering you, unless, of course, you have laryn what are you doing? Now let go.
Mr.
Beckett, let go, please.
Let mr.
Beckett! Nurse.
Dr.
Mandel, what's wrong? Code blue.
Cardiac arrest.
Oh, my god! Yes, we have a code blue, cardiac arrest at the tenth avenue health center.
i hate this part.
Time portal is disengaged.
Faber: Hello, beck.
Wish i could say welcome back.
At least you got a vacation from this place.
Nothing changed? Nothing at all? No.
Still a dead world out there.
It didn't work.
You must have had the wrong man.
It was him.
He introduced himself.
And you administered the poison.
I saw him die.
Apparently, you had the wrong man.
Are you suggesting i'm inclined to believe that colonel beckett did his part, as did we.
We must have missed something somewhere.
Dr.
Mandel contributed one of 3 dna fragments that made up the gehenna strain.
Taking him out of the equation should have stopped the plague before it happened.
Unless he had already passed it to patient zero by the time you sent me there.
We could send you back again, earlier this time.
And if it doesn't work? The earth is dying, and we're siphoning off valuable resources that could be used to keep the rest of us alive.
But for how long a few months a few weeks? How many jumps do we have left? 2.
3, if we stretched it.
But it's getting harder and harder to recharge the energy cells.
They're nearly depleted.
It's a chance we'll have to take.
We don't have a choice.
You want to stop the epidemic, find me patient zero.
mgm home entertainment There is nothing wrong with your television.
Do not attempt to adjust the picture.
We are now controlling the transmission.
We control the horizontal and the vertical.
We can deluge you with a thousand channels or expand one single image to crystal clarity and beyond.
We can shape your vision to anything our imagination can conceive.
For the next hour, we will control all that you see and hear.
You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the deepest inner mind to Can the fate of mankind hinge on a single act, or are we helpless to change our destiny? Room isolated and sterile.
Gives you that warm, fuzzy feeling, doesn't she? I wish i could tell you dinner was a nice juicy steak and baked potato, but same old, same old.
They'll find patient zero.
They'll keep searching through their nsa, cdc hospital files until they dig back the original carrier.
Must've been great being outside again, walking around among all those people.
I try not to think about it.
You know what i can't stop thinking about? Don't laugh.
The cake at your wedding.
That was the best damn cake i ever tasted.
What i wouldn't give for a piece of that cake about now.
Yah! Unh! That was back when katie and i were still together.
I always liked katie.
Yeah.
She always liked you, too.
If i hadn't known how nuts you were about sarah, i might have been jealous.
Hey, beck don't dwell on the past.
I wasn't going to talk about that.
Just wanted to make sure you're still ok with it.
The doctor, i mean.
No, i'm not.
But he still had to die, didn't he? Yes.
Yes, he did.
Here's your ring.
Thanks for holding it for me.
Sure.
This is the head of the dragon, colonel.
Cut it off, and the plague will never happen.
You found patient zero.
It's a woman.
Yes.
A woman.
That won't be a problem for you, will it, colonel? We're sending you back a week earlier than last time, a week before you terminated the doctor.
Terminate them both the woman and the doctor.
Just to be on the safe side.
You leave in 20 minutes, colonel.
I can make the jump.
Still dying to go back, aren't you? That isn't the reason.
Is it a problem? No, it's not.
This stuff helped spread the plague like wildfire.
Money's always been a problem.
The further back we send you in time, the easier it is to disrupt the time stream through indiscreet action.
I'll be careful.
You must not deviate from your mission in any way.
We're ready, colonel.
Are you? T minus 2 minutes to quantum jump event.
You know, if this works, you're actually gonna have to start living your life again.
Yeah, well, you know if this works, my wife and daughter are still gonna be alive when i get back.
I won't have any problem living life after that.
Take care of it.
Safe journey.
Be back before you know it.
Are you ok? I'm so sorry.
It was an accident.
That's all right.
Here, let me help you.
I'm fine, really.
I'm sorry.
What happened, amy? That guy just dumped his coffee all over me.
I was gonna go to the movies, but now i guess i have to go home and change.
Sure you don't want us to put the hurt on him? It's ok.
Thanks, though.
Hey, the ball! Hey, mister.
Thanks, man.
Come on, hurry up! Come on! Let's get outta here.
Aah! Unh! Oh, my god.
Oh, my god, are you ok? Are you ok? Oh, what should i do? I should go get help.
I'm gonna go get help, ok? No, don't go.
No, i'm just gonna go call the paramedics.
Don't call.
No paramedics.
But you have to go to a hospital.
No! No hospital.
Ok.
No paramedics and no hospital.
What do you want me to do then? Help me up.
No, i can't help you up because you shouldn't move.
Help me up.
Ok.
Ok.
I'm sorry.
Oh, gosh.
What's wrong? Did you lose something? ah you really need help.
I'm better.
It's better.
What's your name? Amy.
Amy.
i need to find a place to lie down.
Like where? ok, ok, um my apartment is just down this alley and then up about half a block.
Do you think you can make it that far? Yeah.
Yeah? I can make it.
Ok.
We'll do that, then.
Ok? Thank you.
But then we're gonna call an ambulance, ok? Thank you.
Ok.
that's good.
chair.
What? Chair.
I thought you wanted to lie down.
Naw, a chair's fine.
you don't have to call an ambulance.
I'm better.
You have a first-aid kit or something? Uh no, not really.
Iodine rubbing alcohol, anything? Yeah.
I do have rubbing alcohol.
Yep.
Here.
I got it.
Well, let me help you take your shirt off.
There we go.
Those are quite the scars.
Wow.
What happened to you? I was in the military.
My step-father's in the military.
Yep.
Let's see ah! Special forces.
What's the other one? It's nothing.
Ok.
Let's get you cleaned up.
It doesn't look so bad.
I'll get a clean t-shirt or something to dress it with.
You live alone? No.
I have a boyfriend.
He's at work.
He should be home any minute.
Does that hurt a lot? If you want to yell or make faces or anything, feel free.
This is the fun part.
That's good.
That's good, honey.
Very good.
Again.
Do you play? What? I said, do you play? No.
I bought that piano for billy.
Your boyfriend.
No, billy's my husband.
Wasmy husband.
I'm gonna go get you that t-shirt.
She's worse.
Here we go.
Come on.
Come on, dear.
You'll be ok.
You'll be ok.
Come on.
Hey! No! No! Mommy! Let me go! Let her go! Leave me alone! Let her go! Please don't! Don't! No! Mommy! No! Mommy! No! No! No! No, no! No! No!! What is it? It's nothing.
Sure you don't want to see a doctor? I don't like doctors much.
It's ok.
I don't think i'm gonna need this.
Ok.
Um better let me take a look at the cut on your head then.
That's all right.
I got it.
Thanks.
Are you a tough guy? Not so tough.
What's your name? Beckett.
Well, beckett, i'm amy.
Just in case you forgot.
I brought you this.
You can rest here for a while if you want.
What about your boyfriend? I lied.
I don't have a boyfriend.
I just said that because you know.
It's all right.
I understand.
Are you hungry at all? I'm kind of hungry.
This is a lot of chinese food.
The delivery guy must've thought we were having a party.
There you go.
What? It's been a long time since i've had chinese food.
Hmm.
Well, this place is very good.
Thanks for buying it.
I told you it was good.
You from around here? Is everything a deep, dark secret with you, or do you just not like talking to me? Chicago.
Chicago's nice.
I've been to chicago.
My husband billy gave a recital there once.
Of course, he didn't get paid for it, but it was good exposure.
I've got a picture of him.
It's, uh this is him.
Pretty good-looking guy.
He was a concert pianist.
Yeah.
He died 4 months ago.
Car accident.
A drunk driver.
What about you? Are you married? I was married once.
What happened? She died.
How'd she die? She got sick.
There wasn't any cure.
I'm sorry, beckett.
You get so caught up in your own feelings, you forget that other people go through these things.
Yeah.
That's nice.
I thought you said you couldn't play.
It's been a long time.
I bought this piano for billy as a wedding gift.
He had this old upright piano that never stayed in tune, and it drove me bananas.
So i borrowed some money from my mom and put a down payment on this.
I'm still paying for it.
If i ever go homeless, you won't see me walking down the street pushing a cart.
No.
I will be pushing that piano.
What's that called? Just, um, a little improv.
It's sad.
What happened to the drunk driver? Oh.
He's fine.
I never ended up killing him like i was planning to.
I went a little crazy for a while there.
I even looked into buying a gun.
What stopped you? It wouldn't bring billy back.
Actually feel kind of bad.
The the last time i saw the guy, he was pretty shaken up and crying and apologizing.
And i just said to him, "how dare you cry in front of me after what you did.
" Afraid i wasn't very forgiving.
That's understandable.
Is it? I think we should aim to be forgiving.
I really don't think anything good comes out of hating.
Guess it's worse for you, though.
You don't have anyone to hate or forgive.
Unless, uh, i mean, i don't know.
Was there something somebody could've done to save her? No.
What's that? It's nothing.
You have to go? No.
Actually, uh, i'd like to stay the night.
If you don't mind.
i could, uh, sleep on the couch.
You don't have anywhere else to go? Uh, it's just weird.
It's i guess, um i guess if you were gonna hurt me, you would've done it by now.
Ok.
But only, really, only because you paid for the chinese food.
Please! No! Amy: Good morning.
You been up long? I hope you made coffee.
If i don't have coffee in the morning, uh you didn't make coffee.
You rat.
Going somewhere? Yeah.
I have a doctor's appointment.
I already missed 2.
If i miss this one, they're never gonna want to talk to me again.
Why do you have to go see the doctor? That's really none of your business.
You don't tell me anything about yourself.
No, i'm serious.
Why do you have to go see the doctor? because i'm pregnant.
It happened, i think, 2 nights before billy died.
Ok.
Do you mind if i go with you to the doctors? I'm not the one that stepped in front of a car.
And that didn't come out nearly as sweet and funny as it was supposed to.
I just meant that you don't have to i don't need your protection.
I can make it.
Of course.
Humor me.
Time portal disengaged.
What do you think happened? Where's colonel beckett? If we'd kept the portal open longer we kept the chrono-port open as long as we could.
We couldn't risk burning the energy cells.
So we stranded him there in the past.
Look, he obviously failed at his assignment.
If beckett failed, something happened we didn't plan on.
The mission must've gone wrong somehow.
Well, that doesn't help us, does it? Send me back.
Squander the power we have left? Go on, colonel.
If beckett's been hurt or killed, i'll finish the mission.
All right.
But, colonel, if you fail i won't fail.
Can i ask you a question? You're not gonna answer me, are you? Oh, well.
Why do you care, beckett? You're hanging out.
You're walking me to my doctor's appointment.
You i don't have anything.
If you want money, i don't have it.
I don't have any connections or prospects.
I'm a complete nobody.
I don't think you're nobody.
I drove all my friends away after billy died.
Did you do that after, uh this is me.
I'm sorry.
I don't know your wife's name.
Sarah.
Sarah.
Did you do that after sarah died? No.
No, i didn't.
You're going here to the free clinic? Yeah.
Did you think i had some fancy doctor? What's your doctor's name? Dr.
Mandel.
Is that a problem? I can't let you go in there.
Why not? What are you talking about? Beckett? Never mind.
Never mind.
You go right on in.
You don't wanna be late.
Ok.
Dr.
Mandel? Yeah.
You work in the clinic? Yeah.
Not today you don't.
Hey, what the hell are you doing? Hey, let go of me.
Listen, take my wallet.
Just don't hey, you want to live? Shut up.
Somebody help! I said shut up! Now, listen to me.
You're a doctor, right? You want to save people? Save a great many people? Call in sick.
If i see you anywhere near that clinic today, i'm gonna kill you.
You understand that? No, i don't understand.
I don't want to have to kill you twice.
I'll go.
Right now.
Now get out of here.
Go! Go on! Get out of here! You missed your jump window.
What the hell's going on? Why is the girl still alive? Why didn't you kill the doctor? The doctor doesn't have to die unless he comes in contact with the girl.
I just made sure that won't happen.
What about her? I'm not gonna kill her either.
What? She's a complete innocent.
She doesn't deserve to die.
Now she doesn't have to.
Beck, she's patient zero.
What's going on with you? If you can't finish the mission, i will.
No, no, don't.
Look, i know how to stop the plague without killing her.
What are you talking about? You give me till the end of the day.
I can assure that the 3 fragments of the gehenna strain never come together.
Why should i? Because i'm asking you as a friend and because you trust me.
I have to get back.
The portal's gonna open in less than an hour.
In 4 hours, i'll get them to reopen it one more time at the alleyway.
You better have this resolved by then.
I will.
Thanks.
Hi.
I'm sorry.
The doctor is late.
Would you just have a seat.
We have to go.
Why? I'll tell you later.
I have an appointment.
I'll make you a new appointment, get you a new doctor, but right now we have to go.
I don't want a new appointment.
These are the test results.
Beckett.
Beckett, can we stop, please? Beckett, i'm serious.
No! Look, let's go.
No.
Not here! No! Beckett.
Yes, here! I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on.
You're scaring me.
All right.
Ok.
A plague breaks out in this city drug-resistant, mutating, impossible to control.
Many people are infected long before the true nature of the disease is understood.
A state of emergency is declared.
One of the many symptoms of the plague is internal hemorrhaging.
Universal donors are worth their weight in gold.
O-neg.
My tattoo.
O-negative.
Hospitals are forced to lock their doors to maintain a quarantine.
The epidemic spreads across this country faster than anyone could ever imagine.
Scientists and doctors in kansas city are able to slow it down, but they can't stop it.
There's talk of a vaccine.
The vaccine fails.
The plague mutates, spreads again.
This time even faster.
Society breaks down into anarchy and chaos.
Within 2 months, the death toll is well over 500 million worldwide and counting.
Isolated pockets of civilization remain.
People have managed to seal themselves off from the rest of the world scientists, politicians, military men and women while the rest of the people on the outside continue to die without hope, without mercy.
I don't understand.
It's the future, amy, where i come from.
That's impossible.
In 14 years, we discover where and how the plague began.
We narrow it down to one person: Patient zero.
I was sent back in time to this time to eliminate patient zero so the plague would never happen.
I still don't understand what this has to do with me.
So? My picture's in your little doodad thing.
So so what? You're patient zero, amy.
I'm the person that starts the plague that kills millions of people? Yes.
Oh, no.
No, no! Amy, don't! Don't! I'm not gonna hurt you! Stop! Stop it! Stop! Please don't kill me! No, no, no! Stop it! I'm not gonna hurt you! Listen to me! Please don't kill me! Stop it and listen to me! You have to come in physical contact with certain people before the plague can manifest itself in your body.
Ok? Dr.
Mandel was one of those people.
That's why i had to get you out of there.
Ok? As long as you never come in contact with him, the plague will never happen.
Ok? Ok? Shh! Stop it.
It's gonna be ok.
Come here.
Shh! It won't happen.
It's all right.
You were gonna kill me, right? Yes.
Yes, i was.
Why didn't you? Why didn't you kill the drunk driver that killed your husband? Maybe because you thought his life was worth saving.
What if you were wrong about stopping the plague? When we left the clinic this morning, we altered history.
You didn't pick up the strand from the doctor.
Well is anyone ever gonna know about this? No.
How weird is this? You hoping for a medal or something? Maybe a little pat on the back from the president.
Something.
How long until you have to go back? 2 hours.
Good.
That's plenty of time.
For what? To celebrate.
Heat up the chinese food, get a little bottle of champagne.
You saved the world.
We have to celebrate.
How many times do you get to celebrate that? You're gonna be here when i get back, right? Yeah, i'll be here.
Ok, ok.
You forget your keys? Faber.
We have to go now.
What happened? Changes occurred, didn't they? Come on, beck.
We're out of time.
Ok, so what happened? Something did change, but not what we planned.
Something else happened? Something different than the plague? The plague still happened.
That's not possible.
I stopped it.
You didn't stop it, beck.
3 pieces of dna had to come together.
An exchange of bodily fluids was necessary for the dna virus to migrate to the host.
Look, i know all that, but the girl never came in contact with the doctor.
No, she didn't.
The girl didn't, beck but you did.
The doctor was the first strand.
Go on! Get out of here! Somehow, somewhere, you came into contact with the second strand.
The last strand was amy.
You're the only one who came into contact with all 3 strands.
So i'm the new patient zero.
And you're here to kill me.
I don't have a choice.
In 12 hours, you're gonna become contagious.
When? Now or when we go back? We can't risk you infecting anyone in the future.
You know you'll be going back to a world where the plague never happened.
No one will know how close we came to being wiped out, how you sacrificed your life for all of us.
Tell my wife and daughter that i love them.
The answers to mankind's future problems can be found within, so long as there are those among us willing to make the sacrifice.

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