Andromeda (2000–2005): Season 4, Episode 15 - Fear Burns Down to Ashes - full transcript

Dylan.

We have been
like beasts of burden,

the two of us,
yoked together to a cause,

but now...

now the end is near.

That sounds
like good news, Rev.

Now more than ever.

No distance
could ever change that.

No fall from grace.

Well, I'm just
south of heaven.

The Commonwealth shoved me
outside the gate. That's all.



I too have been shown
another way,

a way full of changes,

both physical and spiritual.

It has become as...

as confused as it is lonely.

Rev, you're on Juko.
I can't imagine a worse place.

Out of the darkness
comes the light.

I now know the weapon
that can stop the darkness.

It will be here soon.

I need your vow

that you will come alone.

This must be between us.

I'll, uh... I'll take that
under advisement.

You and I



must carry this gift,
this darkness,

on our shoulders...

Or embrace its weight
under a fall,

if that is what
the Divine intends.

You're not making sense, Rev.

Alone? On Juko?

That's where
he's found paradise?

On the planet
of the killer junkies?

They're sentient beings,
Harper,

suffering from
chemical dependencies.

Ahem. Thank you, Trance.

And let's not forget
the killer pimps.

And let's not forget
Rev Bem.

He's the one
who's in trouble here.

Yeah, if you call
being insane trouble.

Harper, sarcasm.
I thought you liked Rev.

I do, but he's got
to be crazy going to Juko.

The planet Juko.

37 percent murder rate,
highest in the known worlds.

Case in point.

So many dead
that the corpses
are routinely used

as a source of fuel.

But I'm sure one hero
with a force lance

can defy the percentages.

Et tu , Rommie?

Or he'll nicely heat

a two-bedroom flash-house.

Okay, okay, thank you both

for your optimistic
and unwavering support.

Ahem.

Rhade, would you like
to add something?

You're going to a Magog?

This one's got religion.

Eat, lay eggs, eat some more.
That's Magog religion. Ugly.

Many claim
that evil is ugly,

but it's more often
disguised in beauty.

That is why
we are tempted by it.

The greatest evil
can be a lie

spoken from
a sincere face,

whereas the greatest good
can be masked by fear and hate.

Ugly is ugly,
and beauty is beauty.

It's that simple.

We'll go in stages.

I'll take The Maru.

Make sure you give me
enough lead time.

Gotcha.

Okay, I think
that's enough lead time.

Rommie?

Drop pods are small
enough to hide within

the infrared footprints
of supply ships

descending to Juko.

Magog swarm ship.

Someone's got
a sick sense of humor.

It's not meant
to be funny, Dylan.

Rev?

What the hell is that?

Rev, what's going on?

What's the matter,
old friend?

Afraid of the dark?

You were right

to fear the dark,
my friend.

The universe
is a dangerous place,

but in our future,

my crew and I fight
to make it safe.

I am Dylan Hunt,

Captain of
the Andromeda Ascendant,

and these are our adventures.

Damn it.

I can't get a reading
from his comm.

Nice job, Rhade.

Try his force lance.

You can do that?

Academy boys.

Let's go left.

Let's go right.

Nobody listens
to the Nietzschean.

Andromeda,
we're blind down here.

See if you can pick up a signal
from Dylan's force lance.

I've detected
the residue

of multiple sustained
electrical discharges.

Where?

Seven meters
ahead of you.

Stay in my wake.

What's this?

Huh.

Beta-Amyloid stinger.

Junkies use them
to shoot

and extract Beta-A
from the spine.

Someone's got a sick sense
of humor, though.

The outer casings of these

look like little Magog
swarm ships.

How's the rush?

Injection's sweeter
than a three-day flash binge.

Full injection, though, will
knock you out cold for hours.

Andromeda,
no sign of Dylan or Rev...

found Dylan's
force lance, though.

It's fried.

Huh. Collectors.

The long arm of Pish.

Uh...

The Midian Breach?

It's a prison ship.

Heading into a black hole.
Excellent.

Midian Breach,

this is Captain Dylan Hunt
of the Andromeda Ascendant.

Counter your drift
into the black hole.

Or don't.

Ship-wide.

All decks, report.

All decks, report.

Is there anyone on this ship?

Last egg in the crate.

The story of my life.

Beta-A's are like
nano-recorders.

They soak up the content
and circumstances

of emotions that spike from
the brain's limbic system.

Life stories captured.

Every moment
of fear and joy,

and every intense emotion
in between.

So the collectors now
probably have

all this information
about Dylan.

Commonwealth records indicate

that Beta-A was originally used
as a psychotropic drug.

In theory, a magic bullet.

The silver charge

flows from the spine
to the brain.

Inject Beta-As
from a healthy subject

into an emotionally
disturbed patient...

the donor's strength

will overwhelm
the patient's weaknesses.

The collectors most likely
did this to Rev,

thus explaining
not only his location,

but his behavior.

The cathartic high
is addictive,

and addicts will shoot
until their brains fry.

I've found more
information about Beta-A.

Correlating.

And this is?

Dr. Sakkai Saguro,
pioneer of Beta research.

What little history
I can find on her

indicates she worked alone,
kept her patients in seclusion,

and disappeared shortly after
the first few of them died.

That's not why she ran.

Covert agenda?

Collusion with the collectors.

Rommie?

Yes?

They can use Dylan's Beta-A
against him somehow.

They don't want
to kill him.

They want to break him.

Break him with what
he fears most.

You want to watch

all of Dylan's
emotional conflicts

play out
like one long nightmare.

Fine.

I can somehow rig
a protein analyzer

to render images,

but there will be billions
of them,

and it's not going to work

without a sample
of his Beta-A protein.

Can we synthesize
the protein

using Dylan's DNA?

Well...

Argosy archives contain
Dr. Saguro's research
into Beta-Amyloid synthesis.

We could follow her model
for the process.

I don't know
what kind of result

a synthetic sample's
going to yield.

Dr. Sakkai Saguro?

The pin-up girl of pain?

I knew she was trouble
the second I saw her on screen.

You have images of her
in your database?

Mm-hmm.

You two, out.

Harper, priorities.
Dylan is missing.

I know, I know. Worst fear.
I'm all over it.

Good.

The core is still active.

Dylan...

Dylan?

Dylan?

Rev.

Leaving you to die slowly...

Trademark of the collectors.

They are
hand-in-glove with the Magog,

but they are not
leaving you here to die.

Trust me.

Trusting you
is what got me here.

Our captors

extracted Beta charges
from your spine.

Collectors or Magog,
I've covered every deck.

There's no sign of them
or anyone.

They are gone.

They left me here for you.

Well, if so,

then thank the Divine
for small favors.

Not here...
here, the Divine is dead.

All is dark.

But the black hole...

the black hole,
that is a beautiful thing.

Beauty is in the eye
of the beholder, Rev,

and this all looks
butt-ugly to me.

Come on.

Come on.
Give me something, damn it!

We're running out of time.

You have
all the time

in the universe.

The dying spirit always has
the understanding of time.

Rev... That weapon
you mentioned,

the one that could stop
the darkness,

any chance of it helping us
get out of here?

Of course.

If I had it under my control
and knew how to use it.

Since our last meeting,

you've adopted fatalism
and dark comedy.

I do not joke.

Rev, I know you didn't
put both of our lives at risk
for nothing.

To the contrary,
Dylan.

This is all for nothing.

You must feel it,

this power that dwarfs
that black pit outside.

You must know by now
that you are

what the darkness,

what The Abyss
fears,

but killing you
would make you a God

to those who believe

in the forces of union
and creation.

Your gospel would spread
like a Vedran wildfire.

So trapping me here

somehow crushes
all opposition to The Abyss.

Well, let's see, now.

That's fatalism,
dark comedy, and optimism.

Who are we to know
the devil's design?

Yeah. Well, here's my design.

I'm alive, that core's alive,

and we will find a way
to get out of here.

We're looking for
a high guard Captain

who was abducted.

Might be in the company
of a Magog monk.

His name's Dylan Hunt.

We think the collectors

might've used stun prods
to take him down.

Would've put up
a fight.

Would've been noisy.

Like these zombies
would even notice.

My dress has come loose.
Would you button me up?

Happy to.

I can show you the way.

If you want
to find your Captain,

you need to search
the underground
for the woman

who runs the Beta trade...
Saguro.

They're questioning.
My guess is they have your name.

Bring them in
on their backs.

You'll need help
finding an entrance.

Hey!

Why did you attack us?

Nietzschean Beta
is potent.

Given the chance,
we would drain you dry.

You're a user.

You must know Saguro.

We need to find her.

Help us find the entrance
to the underground,

and you'll get your fix.

I'm a street buyer.

Saguro's at the top
of the chain.

I wouldn't know
where to start.

Try again.

Try really, really hard.

There are rumors

of an access point
somewhere.

Good.

Help us find Saguro,

and I'll get you a pop
of pure Nietzschean.

As if anyone
could ever handle that.

Okay.

Follow me.

"Pop of pure Nietzschean."
I like that.

Just shows you how desperate
these people are.

Hang on, Rev.

Maintenance corridor

is just
around the corner.

I'm... I'm sorry, Dylan.

I must rest.

In here.

You all right?

You must feel
the fear by now.

What are you talking about?

Do you not have thoughts
of the end?

What would
you miss most

if life was to end?

That's negative thinking.
It's useless.

You wait here.
I'll be back in no time.

This all
looks the same.

The only entrance
I've seen is a rat hole.

She's playing us.

I never said
I had a map.

Well, you're definitely
taking us in circles.

What are you doing?

We want to get underground,
right?

Back up.

Right.

That was interesting.
A circle.

Yeah, well, just think
of it as a shortcut.

Of course.

Hmph.

Feeling better.
What have you found?

Collectors forgot to lock up.

Oh...

door to
the hangar deck is open.

Here's the plan.

The Midian is still making
breathable air.

Inject enough of it
in a super-cold state

into the heat of the core,

and that pressure change
will cause an ignition

strong enough
to start the engines.

You got your inspiration
from an open door?

Mm. I'm pumping air

through pipes
in the hangar.

The deep cold of space
will do the cooling.

Rev, take cover!

Rev!

Rev!

Rev!

Are you all right?

It would appear
my ultimate fate
has not yet been decided.

The ship, Dylan?

One engine destroyed.

Gas escaping
cracks in the hull

has accelerated our drift
into the event horizon.

And you, Dylan?

How do you feel now?

Are your thoughts collected?

Do you see now
what you could lose?

Tell me.

Tell them.

An endless tunnel.

Seems kind of pointless.

And yet
the shortest distance

between two points.

What is it?

They're on their way
back to you,

still on their feet.

Very well.

You promised me...

I don't have any weapons.

Don't sell yourself
short.

You can put your guns away.
We share the same cause.

We're here for Dylan Hunt.

Your cause, to help Captain Hunt
save the Commonwealth.

I lead a cell of collectors
who believe he will succeed,

that he very well should.
Really?

Then why didn't you stop them
from taking him?

Stop them?
I gave them the idea.

It was my plan.

Right.

Great.
Well, then we're all cool.

Pish believes the answer
to the Dylan question

is no longer to kill him,

but to turn him
to the other side.

Since persuasion
would never work,

they opted to break his will.

Oh, of course...

the Nietzschean
would understand.

I made sure Beta-A
was the chosen method

for finding the weakness
in his armor.

You injected Dylan

with Beta-A?

You're making it really hard
not to shoot you.

No. I did better than that.

What Captain Hunt faces,
he has to face alone.

If he succeeds,

he will find the strength
to win the war that's coming.

If he fails...

we all go to hell
in a bone basket.

And this makes sense to you?

Mm-hmm.

No.

You're coming with us.

Ladies, take notes,

because the Harper has
outdone himself yet again.

What you are about to see
on the screen

is the protein reader.

Now, a protein reader

interprets
emotional content

biochemically encrypted
on protein Beta-A's.

Normally we'd have to sit
through a never-ending stream
of terrors, tics, and foibles

to get the good stuff,
which you will see activate
on this screen.

You mean a person's
most gut-wrenching fear?

Exactly.

I took Dylan's DNA into VR,

built a synthetic version
of his Beta-A,
rigged this puppy

to jump straight
to the scenario that triggered
the most intense response,

and boom!
Brilliant
hypothetical results.

Allow me
to demonstrate

a non-hypothetical result.

Ooh.

Harper?

Sorry.

Little serotonin surge.

It's kind of nice.

It's working.

Come on, not even one hypo
in the med deck?

What? That's funny?

Not funny.

Pathetic.

Pitiful.

Dylan...

good cannot exist
without evil,

light without dark.

They define one another.

They are both inside us

and around us...

but balance is your cause...

Your mistake.

The Abyss
is not so interested

in your emotional
weakness

as it is
in your darkness.

It is through this darkness
that it can enter

and grow.

I don't fear the
black hole, Rev.

It's losing everyone
that I care about.

Then that is your darkness...

but no matter.

We are going to die

in this
insufferable hole,

and you... You cling.

You cling to hope

like a lamb
being dragged to slaughter.

Hoping maybe

the butcher
might drop the rope.

No matter how grim
the circumstances,

Rev Bem would never say that.

I just did!

Now...

embrace your darkness.

Kill me!

I have failed...

as always.

Help me.

I'm afraid.

I cannot stand the fear.

I have lost the light.

You haven't lost the light.

It was temporarily eclipsed.

But now it's back.

It's good to see you, Rev.

Dylan.

I really didn't
want to fight you.

The collectors,

they waited for me
to surface.

They knew you would
come to me.

Then they injected me
with the entity.

I could... I could not
fight the darkness.

You can't
blame yourself, Rev.

But, Dylan,
don't you see?

I became worse
than Magog.

I did
the darkness's bidding.

I helped them to lure you here
because I thought I should.

Which leads us to that weapon
that can stop the darkness.

Dylan, I must confess.

You are the weapon.
I...

you knew.

I knew.

If you can
survive this day,

history will take
a new course.

Survival's looking
pretty slim, Rev.

We're only a few minutes
from the event horizon.

Now who's a pessimist?

As collectors,
we analyze knowledge.

Patterns emerge.

Patterns
that shaped history

shape our future.

My group has seen

that Dylan
will win this war,

as long as
he's prepared.

She's telling
the truth.

Yes.

However,
good intentions aside,

truth also proves

you helped the collectors
plan Dylan's abduction.

Where have they taken him?

Isn't that why
you built the reader?

Genius.

Who designed
these modifications?

He did.
He did.

This is your work?

Hmm. We should
make babies together.

You two, out.

No.
Whatever.

Why does it always take
a fantastically beautiful

but evil genius

to recognize
the genius in me?

Harper...

Sorry.

How do we find
Captain Hunt?

Reader's useless.

Until...

we get a real sample
of Dylan's Beta-A.

So far we've been stuck using
a synthesized...

a show of goodwill.

Allow me.

Oh, you're
allowed.

Stop... Stop...

the socket's ticklish.

Of course!

We are so freaking stupid.
Why didn't we think of this?

Dispatching slipfighters

to search
all nearby black holes

for any ship

drifting toward
the event horizon.

The last of
the slipfighters
is back in the hangar.

What's the word?

Midian Breach.
It's a prison cruiser.

Drifting toward black hole
one-one-six-seven Tachen.

Feeding coordinates
into navigation...

and going to slipstream.

Dylan,
there is something.

I saw a slipfighter
in the hangar there

when the collectors
brought us here.

Okay, now, that's the Rev
I know and love.

The Abyss
will give you a choice...

the Magog or frozen eternity.

It will not let you survive
to continue your quest.

I don't care what choices
The Abyss gives me.

I'm here to kick its butt.

I have located
The Midian Breach.

Surprise, surprise.
Look where it's heading.

That's just
a little too familiar.

Let's hope
we've got enough time.

Dylan is
on that ship.

Awaiting
your orders, Beka.

Uh, well...

they're out of range
of our bucky-cables,

and we can't get any closer.

Of course. It's a test.

Maybe it would
be best

if we let the future
play itself out.

Which means?

Get him out of there!

Hang on.

All right, Rev.
Let's go.

No!

I said let's go.

No, leave me.
I am not worthy.

My journey
should end here.

I don't have time for this.

Please. No.
I have lost the way.

No, we're just
getting started.

Dylan, the doors.

Open sesame.

Now, there, Rev.
That's the way.

Uh-huh.
Uh-huh.
You like it?

Uh-huh.
Uh-huh.

Well, then you're going
to love this. Hang on!

Well, there's
your light, Rev.

I see. I see.

I'm picking up a slipfighter
in that debris.

Hello, boss.

Rhade, you're on The Maru
with me.

Come on, come on.

Trance,
prep the med deck.

We've got them.

I'll be ready.

Whoo.

All in a day's work.
Piece of cake.

Chocolate cake...
With the Harper on top.

Mm. I like cake.

Me too.

The final battle
with the entity

will come.

And I'll be ready for it.

The Beta in my spine

caused me to betray you,

but I also betrayed myself.

This was my darkness.

It is as important to the way
as the light.

Rev, you have to embrace
the darkness.

That's how I fight.

You have learned this?

Victory comes from
accepting the unacceptable,

The darkness
in all of us.

I can only control

what's in me,

and use it when necessary.

This I learned from you.

Then I have taught you well.

I thank you, friend,
for showing me the way.

We won this battle together.

You get some rest.

It's good
to see you, friend.

Do not fear
the dark and the light.

It's about balance.

They cannot exist
without each other.

Trance...

I have a confession to make.

I've always known
who you are,

but I did not
understand.

I could not grasp it.
I was blind.

No.

I hid my light
until it was time.

I too had much to learn.

A confession? From you?

An affirmation.

My journey
has been as long as yours.

I had to learn
to hold the light

lest its brilliance
destroy me.

Trance, I long to stay here...
Here, amongst my friends.

And so you should.

I'm sure Dylan feels
the same way.

I long to sleep...

To sleep the sleep of peace.

Dream well,
old friend.

Rev is sleeping.

Comfortable and secure.

That's good.

He wants to stay with us.

We're the closest thing
to family he's got.

Dylan?

This time, were you afraid
that you would lose?

I fear losing you.

And the rest of the crew.

A moment of vulnerability
from our Captain.

Let's keep that
our little secret.