Earth: Final Conflict (1997–2002): Season 3, Episode 13 - Subterfuge - full transcript

Sandoval has a mole attempting to gain information about Liam - particularly concerning his commitment to the Taelons. When a Taelon and protector are killed in a portal that malfunctions, Liam is suspicious that it was intentional.

Previously on Gene Roddenberry's
Earth Final Conflict:

The Resistance will be
crushed once and for all.

- I'm already collecting names.
- Good.

And if some of them lead back
to Da'an, so much the better.

T'than, are you here in your
official capacity as War Minister?

No, I have come to remove
Zo'or as Leader of the Synod.

Zo'or turned responsibility for
terrestrial security over to me.

Zo'or's sphere of influence
is unravelling, Agent Sandoval.

It is wise to know when
to move out of harm's way,

and with whom you may find shelter.

Sha'bra!
I will not support you.



To the contrary, Zo'or, I
vigorously oppose your plan

to give President Thompson
a seat on the Synod.

That is a gross
mischaracterization, Ram.

As Latin American Companion, you
lack a grasp of my global agenda.

I merely suggest the American
Leader be an advisor to the Synod,

certainly not a member.

Summon my Protector,
Colonel Tonio Arias.

- Colonel Arias, a word?
- Of course.

- Has your Skrill been functioning normally?
- Perfectly, why?

Agent Kaszkovny in Moscow told me
his Skrill has been unresponsive.

This raises serious questions
about the symbiotic relationship

between Protectors and their Skrills.

Certainly.

Yours appears to be fine, let me
know if this Skrill causes problems.



Very well.

Your truculence forces me to conclude
that you have become T'than's pawn.

You're influenced by his ambition.

I am no one's pawn, my only
influence is from the Commonality.

I, however, share T'than's
opinion that your progress

with humanity is stalled.

A situation that must be rectified.

We have a process error.

They're caught in the ID pathway.

I'm losing them.

They are gone.

Subtitled by
Axarion

They have come to Earth
with the promise of peace.

An alien race called the Taelons.

But, there are those who
resist these Alien Companions.

For the Taelons' true mission,

the secrets they hide

will forever alter our world.

The fate of humanity now relies

on those who dare challenge the future

of Earth.

Photography, I understand.

But there seems to be
dissonance between the concepts

of accurate representation
and subjective interpretation.

Art is the world, or in this case the
Taelon, as interpreted by the artist.

Hopefully that interpretation gives
the viewer some kind of insight.

This is truly a human idea.

But as it is a gift form President
Thompson, I will gladly submit.

- Miss Hanna Klein, I am honored.
- Thank you.

Pretend I'm not here, I wouldn't
want to interrupt you or anything.

Oh, the Major has cleared my calendar.

So, I'm completely at your disposal.

Hi, I'm Liam Kincaid, I
really admire your work.

I'm still not used to
all of the attention.

I had to ask a cab driver tell me find
the Guggenheim for my show last week.

I was there.

- Checking me out?
- No, no.

To the contrary, he was seeing
how I might relate to the process.

To my knowledge,

this is the first time a Taelon
has been captured by your art form.

- Fractal sculpture, to be precise.
- Please, elaborate.

It's simple, really. I'm going
to do a pointless map of the body,

create a sculpture of
you on your home world,

which will relate and
respond to the viewer in,

I hope, a thoroughly Da'an-esque way.

Da'an-esque...

Intriguing.

Shall I sit?

Are you alright?

A slight disturbance
in the Commonality.

- Do you want some time alone?
- Yes, that would be useful.

- Please, excuse me, Ms. Klein.
- Of course.

He's very fortunate to have you.

What makes you say that?

Just a sense.

Call it artistic insight.

I need to rely on my
intuition, don't you?

- Da'an trusts you as an ally.
- It's my job.

No, no.

I saw how you immediately understood
the situation and what he needed.

To do that with an
alien is impressive.

We spend a lot of time together.

Excuse me.

Get up here right away,
Major, a Companion is dead.

- Who?
- Ram, the Latin American Companion.

When?

We got confirmation
about 30 seconds ago.

That's all we've got, the usual bio-sensory
and energy-monitored telemetric.

I am sending the disk to the
lab in Quantico for analysis.

I've never seen a portal accident
like that, they just disintegrated.

How well did you know Antonio Arias?

Casually, we've attended a
few security seminars together.

He seemed like a solid guy, dedicated.

He was with Ram for three
years, I just pulled his e-jacket.

Only one negative
report in all that time.

Which was?

Ram put a note in the file last
month that Arias was insolent.

We need a crash course of his
life, I want every angle covered.

I spoke with the Portal Authority.

Until they confirm the
exact cause of the accident,

they're not ready to
accept responsibility.

Somebody better accept
responsibility, a Taelon is dead!

What could be so important, Zo'or,
that you interrupt my meditation?

Ram is dead. A mishap in ID space.

Dead?

Impossible.

It was barely a disturbance
in the Commonality.

A weak response to the
loss of a weak Taelon.

I realized, of course,
he was your ally.

Ram's loss shifts the balance of
power in the Synod in your favor.

I trust that had nothing to
do with his sudden demise?

You overestimate my abilities.

I have yet to control time and space.

There's nothing here.

No evidence of Tonio
Arias here whatsoever.

Nobody's this neat.

We're calling in a possible homicide.

- Based on what?
- Look at this.

The Quantico lab step-framed the
disk and computer enhanced the video.

That's Arias.

It appears he was holding something
that generated a vortex in the ID field

that caused a catastrophic disruption.

Until the lab finishes its work,

put Antonio Arias' name on
your short list of suspects.

The US Portal Authority
released a preliminary report

blaming the tragedy on the fluke
failure of a switching module.

They continue to insist that portal travel
is the safest transportation on Earth.

Occasional grisly death.

It may not have been
an accident, Renee.

Sandoval thinks Tonio caused the explosion
using some kind of a disruptor weapon.

They're thinking
murder? Murder suicide?

Except that Tonio was an implant.

A properly functioning
CVI would've prohibited him

from murdering Ram
no matter how he felt.

Well, our intelligence has speculated
that the CVIs could be failing.

Arias' meltdown could be the result.

Are you alright?

Genuinely concerned.

Thank you.

Pretend I'm not here, I wouldn't want
to interrupt your day or anything.

We run a little thick, are we?

Da'an trusts you as an ally.

It's my job.

- It's my job.
- No, no.

It's more than just a job, Liam.

Pupil contraction abnormal.

Blood pressure up on your retina.

Vocal cord constriction.

More than just a job, by a long shot.

All Taelons joined me in mourning
the pass of your beloved Companion.

- What have you got on Arias?
- No much, his place was pristine.

His bank accounts were
closed, the fridge was empty,

no files on his hard drive,
like he was never coming back.

Could a detail man have come
in and mopped up the scene?

Possibly, but that
implies wider conspiracy.

I haven't seen a trace of one.

There wouldn?t be.

Ram was a loud component
of the Commonality,

and we fell his loss
as acutely as you.

You're not moving fast
enough with Kincaid.

Damn it.

- Not a knock?
- Your next contact is tomorrow?

Yeah. We're getting together so he
can give me discs of the home world.

I have 6 contingencies
built into my schedule.

As long as you can keep
the real Hanna Klein on ice.

I can hold her for another 48 hours.

Kincaid...

has Resistance sympathies,
I'm certain of it.

And he's in intimate
contact with Taelons daily.

Time is of the essence.

Do whatever you need to do.

Sex is not the answer with
this guy, if it was, I'd use it.

I'm not certain you're right,
and I can't for you to be wrong.

Getting inside a man's
head is my forte, Sandoval.

Sometimes I need to
get between his sheets,

sometimes I need to be his friend,

and sometimes I need
to steal his heart.

But no matter what, I do
it, so don't second-guess me.

By the time I'm done
with Liam Kincaid,

he will have told me
every secret he ever knew.

"And with the shutdown of
the commercial portal network,

the US Portal Authority
estimates losses to be

within the 10 million dollar range with
no end in sight". It's music to my ears.

I take it you're not holding
Portal Authority stock.

No, it's not that, it's just
the more money they lose,

the more valuable my services become.

What are you talking about?

It's my new consulting gig
with the Portal Authority.

You?

Excuse me, but who do you run
to whenever you need the best?

So, they want you to tell them
how the portals could be sabotaged

so they can build in safeguards
and get the portals back online?

Exactly.

Perfect, we need the same information
to figure out what killed Ram.

Well, there's one difference,
one big difference actually,

the Portal Authority is paying me.

Well, this disc contains
all data from the accident

downloaded directly from the
mother ship's portal recorders.

I assume this could
help you find the answers

the Portal Authority is looking for.

What if you found out Zo'or?

Well, my theory is that
the accident was caused

by a gravitational disruption that
pulled Ram and Tonio out of stasis,

and exposed them directly
to inter-dimensional space.

And when that happens...

The scrambled molecules of
whoever's in the ID slip-stream

splatter across the universe.

Nice image.

What could cause that
kind of disruption?

I don't know, I just
thought it this morning.

Progress report, Major.

I'm back in DC, I just
finished my interviews

with Tonio Arias' old
squadron. It was a dead end.

Then the answer must
lie in San Salvador.

Get back down there, I'll
meet you in half an hour.

Nice to see you.

Is this still a good
time to talk about Da'an?

Unfortunately no, I've just been
called back to Central America.

Oh, Hanna Klein, I'd like you to
meet a couple of friends of mine.

Augur, the proprietor of this establishment,
Renee Palmer of Doors International.

Hanna is creating the
fractal sculpture of Da'an.

Hello.

Can we meet when you
return to Washington?

I look forward to
it. Excuse me, please.

Actually, you know, I've met
Da'an a couple of times myself.

Arias paid off all his credit cards.

Even wrote letters to
some estranged friends,

apologizing for whatever
problems they'd had.

Tying up all the loose ends.

It still looks like he killed himself.
You found nothing to contradict

the classic behavior
for suicide preparation.

Except for one thing, a note or
something to explain why he did it.

What are you doing, Major?

We've run down every
lead and come up empty.

If there's anything to explain Tonio's
behavior it's probably right here.

His architectural plans to this house.

I'm trying to determine if...

What is it?

That wall is 18 inches too close.

These are Resistance communicatees.

Oh, he wasn't just
reading this garbage.

This is an anti-Taelon
article that he wrote.

And a schematic of the mother ship portal
with plans to disrupt the ID slip-stream.

- A smoking gun.
- Apparently.

But no explanation about
how he disrupted the portal.

Where are your people in
figuring out how Arias did it?

Some theories, nothing
hard and fast yet.

Probably a diary.

Encrypted, naturally.

Rodriguez, tag this and get it
to FBI cypher unit immediately.

I'll take a crack at it as well.

You're duplicating the efforts
of a unit that is eminently

more qualified to break this
encryption then you are, Major.

- It's a waste of time.
- It's my time.

- You know her?
- Hanna Klein.

She's creating the
fractal sculpture of Da'an.

Were you able to dig up
anything relevant on Hanna Klein?

Well, it wasn't her bio,
but take a look at this.

Remember the portal disasters?

Although several hundred casualties
have resulted because of the blackouts,

We're told that most people are heeding
the warnings to stay inside their homes.

Hanna's father was an ID technician
on the front lines during the crisis.

He was one of the first people to die.

She has a strong motive
to hate Taelons, Liam.

Her relationship with
Arias can be a coincidence.

They had to be working together or...

- She was using him.
- Where's Sandoval on all this?

He assigned me to get close to Hanna.

Find out about her relationship with
Arias without confronting her directly.

He'd like to bust her whole
organization, not just her.

Hanna could be one of us.

She could lead Sandoval
right to the Resistance.

I never show anyone works in progress.

Never?

It's rough.

No.

It's actually quite remarkable.

Thanks.

- Would you like some wine?
- That would be great.

So, how did you get to
be a Companion Protector?

I've been a soldier all my life,
banged around a bit after the SI War,

till the Taelons arrived, then
I knew I'd found my calling.

And that was it? I mean...

You never had any doubts?

Well, no real doubts.

And any lingering questions were
answered as soon as I became a Protector

and got to know the Taelons.

So, are you the only
artist in your family?

Is everything alright?

Yeah.

Yeah, thanks.

It was my dad.

He was the artist.

He's dead now.

- Oh, Hanna, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to...
- No, no, it's alright.

He was an ID technician,

who was killed during the energy
mite infestation of the portals.

Most people would've hated
the Taelons after that.

I did, at first.

But with a little bit of time
to put into perspective...

I think I've got a
better handle on it now.

It had to be tough.

My father was very proud of
the work he did on the portals.

In my heart of hearts I don't believe

he'd have blamed the
Taelons for what happened.

I have to honor that.

I understand.

Shall we talk about Da'an?

Sure.

Sweetheart, are you finished yet?

Yes. The specs for the
ID portals are completed.

The optimal location for the
portals is there and there.

- Excellent.
- But I am constrained to point out...

that I cannot guarantee
your safety with the portals

that close in proximity to each other.

I understand.

Start working on recreating the
exact conditions that existed

when the accident occurred
in the mother ship portal.

Augur, if I obey this command,
I'll be putting you in grave danger.

This causes a dilemma for me.

You're a hologram, you
don't have dilemmas.

Good point.

I will reject your
proposal to the Synod

that the Taelons be
brought together on Earth.

Surely you cannot be
suggesting that we allow

the drain on the
Commonality to continue.

That is exactly what I am suggesting.

What I am learning from
these inferior beings

is that their individuality
strengthens them.

Your comment is invalid on its face.

How can we learn anything
from inferior beings?

Did you not know about the humans' ability
to break the programming of the CVIs

by calling upon extreme emotions
directed against the Taelons?

Where do you think
that power comes from?

Even wild animals have the ability to
break the yokes of their oppressors.

That does not warrant emulating them.

Humans are beholden
only unto themselves.

They act of individual free will,
not the compulsion of a commonality.

The strength of the Taelons
lies in the common purpose.

That is a core of the Commonality.
What you are suggesting is blasphemy.

No.

The Commonality is our weakness.

We are running from the Jaridians because
they are not bound by a commonality.

They are individuals like the humans.

- I told you I wanna file my report now.
- Which will say what?

That Kincaid has shown absolutely
no leadings towards the Resistance.

All indications are
he is, as he seems,

a loyal and effective
Companion Protector.

That finding is premature.

I went to great lengths to
detain the real Hanna Klein.

You are on this case until I
say you're not, understand?

Perfectly.

My report won't change.

You're not being aggressive enough
in forming your relationship.

Kincaid will only show his Resistance
leadings if he trusts you completely!

You don't get it, Sandoval!

Liam is not the kind of man who
is going to respond to a woman

pursuing him aggressively.

You have another 12 hours until
they release the Klein woman.

Use every second of
it. Give me your arm.

What for?

It's a GPS locator.

I wanna know exactly where
you are at every moment.

You have a problem with that?

This is my operation. If
it's blown, I'm on the line.

You're on the line?

You FBI types...

You think you live on
the edge? Give me a break!

I've been Sector Delta for 8 years.

You go home to dinner, TV.

I don't have a home.

- Alright. Hanna...
- Who's Hanna?

I don't have an identity.

I'm just a covert asset
you requisition like a...

a box of paper clips.

If this thing gets blown, all you
have to do is requisition another.

No one knows me.

Not even you, Sandoval.

Because...

that is who I am.

No one.

I don't exist.

There's no record of me anywhere.

And that is the price
I am willing to pay

to serve my country.

How about you,

FBI?

Ramp up to 20% of capacity
on the ID simulator.

May I once again draw your
attention to the danger?

- No, you may not.
- Fine, have it your way.

Don't push your luck.

Okay, let's recreate the accident.
You have the data, right?

Please, let me try it first, without
full inter-dimensional immersion.

Alright, alright.

Get Liam!

- What's going on?
- I can't disengage the ID field.

- You've got to get him out of there now!
- My God.

You alright?

Oh, I'm demanding a bonus
from the Portal Authority.

I'll take that as a yes.

I understand your gift,

why you are able to capture your
subjects so completely in your art.

Tell me.

You are a good listener.

I get a lot of practice.

It's critical in my line of work.

Where's Major today?

He is continuing his investigation into the
tragic death of Latin American Companion.

It must be difficult to
become a Companion Protector.

I know it's a highly coveted position.

Indeed. And we have been fortunate.

Members of your species, who have come
forward, are of the highest caliber.

I imagine they pass some serious
tests before you accept them.

There are basic physical and
psychological criteria that must be met,

before an applicant
can even be considered.

Then each Taelon must personally
approve his own Protector.

What convinced you that Major
Kincaid was the right man?

I relied on a very human construct.

Intuition.

Considering the stakes, that
sounds pretty unscientific.

Liam is unique.

I've never had one moment
of a doubt about it.

I am traveling to the Washington
embassy. Prepare a shuttle.

You are seeking an alliance
with Da'an to oppose me.

Obviously, Zo'or.

If I am to alter your misguided
course for our species,

I need Da'an as an ally.

The Synod endorsed my leadership
of Taelons over Da'an unanimously.

Align yourself with
whomever you please.

It will have no effect
on me or the Taelons.

- Your operative is in place?
- Absolutely.

Agent Sandoval, escort the War
Minister to the Washington embassy.

He is most certainly entitled
to that degree of respect.

Certainly, Zo'or.

Well, at least I proved my theory.

You can disrupt the flow of ID space.

Oh, the Portal Authority's gonna
pay through the nose for that tidbit.

Lucky you even have a nose left.

So, you're saying that the ion beam
form my pistol weakened the ID field,

- And your system reversed the effect?
- Yep..

Sandoval's leapt through a
wall encoding Tonio's diary.

What a shock! I did.

Although I must admit even the FBI
should've been able to decipher this.

"As ever, palace intrigue occupies
Ram's every waking thought".

"Can't wait to get back, pick
up where I left off with Hanna".

- "Her last kiss held a world of promise".
- Antonio, world of promise...

"October 8, 9 am. HK, Hanna Klein"...

I saw her that morning.

Hanna was with him the day
he died, this confirms it.

We have to assume she was
part of the plan to kill Ram.

Da'an!

Hello. Sorry I missed you. Leave
a message, or, if it's urgent,

I can be reached at the
Taelon embassy in Washington.

I'll join you in a moment,
I need to attend to...

Do not bother. Your presence
is totally unnecessary.

- Where is Da'an?
- He was called to the mother ship.

Security breach! All
personnel to their stations!

Get the War Minister out of here, use
the portal. I'll secure the embassy.

Quickly, Minister, this way.

T'than, don't go with her!

Hanna!

Major, no!

We have a problem. Major
Kincaid is with them.

Portal are malfunctioning again.

What's going on?

Oh, drop the act, I
know about you and Tonio.

- Who is Tonio?
- The Latin American Protector.

You remember, the guy you seduced.

I never met any Latin
American Protector.

How do we get out of here?

- What is it?
- Sandoval put a locator in my arm.

What are you doing?

Overloading it.

I lost them.

He's alive.

- No, I'm not gonna make it.
- Hold on to me.

I'm sorry.

Liam, I...

Why?

It gratifies me

that you were not a victim
of the assassin Hanna Klein.

We are alone, Da'an. You
may shed the pretense.

Zo'or is the assassin among us.

And when the time is right, I
will make him pay dearly for it.

As I feared.

The Commonality is so weakened
one Taelon may kill another.

What does this portend for
the future of our species?

There's no need to speculate.

By his example, Zo'or has shown us what we
will become if we eschew the Commonality.

You can no longer evade the
issue of allegiance, Da'an.

She never had a chance.

That chip Sandoval put in her
arm was designed to kill her

after it disrupted the portal.

Guatemalan Federal Police
turned the real Hanna Klein

over to the American
Embassy yesterday.

With their apologies. Some
mix up on a drug charge.

That's a hell of a scheme. T'than was
always the target, Hanna just a setup.

And if it had worked as planned, no one
could've laid it at Sandoval's door.

- Motive?
- My bet is political assassination.

T'than is openly challenging Zo'or.

Are you sure Sandoval didn't
leave a loose thread somewhere?

It was all smoke. Good analyst.

Sandoval told me Tonio was insolent
to Ram. My word against his.

Who closed his account
and walled up Tonio's stuff?

- Who did any of it?
- Sandoval.

Good's good.

Whoever you were, Hanna,
you were damn good.

Subtitled by
Axarion