Relic Hunter (1999–2002): Season 2, Episode 10 - Lost Contact - full transcript
[OPENING THEME MUSIC]
Somebody noted you,
breaking off
from the platoon,
to search for treasure.
Shut up and keep working!
We gotta go back and
tell the Captain about
Paul Williby.
We tell 'em what
really happened,
you think anybody
in their right minds
will believe us?
You're thinking like daft,
they'll toss us in
the asylum.
No one can ever
know the truth.
Not the Captain, the platoon,
your missus, nobody.
You got me?
Swear it!
I swear, I swear.
I won't tell a soul.
Soon as it's buried,
we're putting that bloody thing
back in the cave where
it belongs.
[LOUD BANGING IN THE DISTANCE]
[THRILLING MUSIC]
SECURITY: Hey. Hey, hey hey.
Hey you, yeah you.
You can't park here.
[PHONE RINGING]
Ancient studies.
I'm looking for professor Fox.
Dean Warner, no I'm sorry,
she's not here.
I know, go and call her
outta class.
Call her outta class?
Sydney really hates
to be interrupted
so, I can't just...
I need to speak with her
right now.
You go and interrupt her.
Interrupt her?
Yes sir, I absolutely will.
You can always count on me sir.
Good.
And, might I say,
what a pleasure it is to...
Student services.
Agnes, hi.
It's Claudia,
from Sydney Fox's office,
Yeah, I was just wondering,
could you do me the tiniest
little favor?
Sure Claudia,
what is it this time?
What could be so important
that the Dean would
call you outta class?
I have no idea.
I just got a message to
come to the conference room,
we'll find out soon enough.
Think it has anything to do
with us being away so much?
Nigel, relax.
[HIGH PITCHED WHIRRING]
What is this?
A playback system
for satellite transmissions.
Hello Sydney.
You're the one
that called me out of class?
I knew you'd never come
to my office,
so I brought my office to you.
Where's the Dean?
The Dean's not coming Nigel.
Nigel Bailey,
my teaching assistant,
Rod Thorson.
Rod Thorson, entrepreneur?
Thorson group?
International air?
Among other things.
Your boss disappointed me Nigel.
I asked her to lead
an expedition that
I sponsored to Myanmar.
She turned me down.
Only because I despise you.
Perhaps you forget the
considerable contributions that
I make to this university?
That won't give you cart-blanch
to my services.
Regardless of your
opinions of me,
the Myanmar expedition
proceeded without you.
And, the day before yesterday,
they uncovered,
a remarkable relic.
A prehistoric bowl which could
possible be, the world's
oldest religious artifact.
I guess I made a bad choice.
No Sydney, a faithful one.
Because a few hours after
the crew reported the discovery,
we received this transmission,
by satellite.
Go ahead Kyle.
[VOICE SHIVERING] Something's
gone wrong, I don't know
what happened,
I heard screaming
outside the tent.
That's Joan White.
I was attacked, I didn't see
what happened, but, he's...
he's dead.
...all the bloody
orders of god.
I'm so scared.
[SCREAMING, CRYING] No! No!
No!
SYDNEY: Terror on Joan's face.
[CRYING, WHIMPERING]
Could it have been
a wild animal?
Maybe. Maybe rebel soldiers?
They have been fighting with
the government for sometime.
No, the fighting's way up north.
Perhaps the Malati porters
turned against them.
The Malati are peaceful people,
that would be completely outta
their nature.
Well, whatever happened,
it's a terrible tragedy.
After you turned me down,
I hired Joan White on
your recommendation.
Joan White is a highly skilled
profession, both in the lab
and in the field.
Agreed. So help me find out
what happened.
Was there anything prior
to the attack indicating
they were in danger?
Just the opposite.
Play the previous day's
transmission Kyle.
Mr. Thorson, it's day 7,
just after 5 pm,
and I think you're gonna be
very happy.
We hit the jackpot.
We found the most
incredible relic,
absolutely amazing.
We discovered in this cave
about an hour ago.
I've never seen
anything like it.
The insides are prehistoric
place of worship. We found...
Oh here comes Fig and Rudy
with the relic.
Come on, take it easy.
Help me out here.
Come one, let me hold it.
It's cool, it's a scratch,
it's a scratch.
From the look of
the cave painting,
I'd say we're talking about
the species,
Homohidel Verygensis.
And, the bowl was used
in a sacrificial ritual.
I'd like to spend a few more
days here so I can do
a thorough field analysis,
just before we head home.
To document the cave and
catalog some skeletal remains
we found...
Oh yeah! We rock!
Oh man.
[LAUGHING IN EXCITEMENT]
Mr. Thorson, if you speak
to Sydney Fox,
thank her for turning down
this expedition.
Her loss, has been our gain.
And, I just want all of you
to know, that I proposed
to Joan last night.
If she doesn't say yes...
We'll check in tomorrow, bye.
It's not good Sydney.
Fig is dead, Rudy's missing,
and who knows
what's happened to Joan?
Have you reported this
to the Myanmar Government?
No, they'll just wrap it in
miles of red tape.
It would take days
for them to act.
And, they they'd only send out
some half assed search party.
I need someone in that jungle
searching for Joan and Rudy now.
Someone who knows
what they're doing.
A relic hunter?
You can find what
you're really looking for?
You're got me wrong.
Once again.
Sydney, I need you.
Nigel, get Claudia on the phone,
have her clear our schedules,
we're going to Myanmar.
Thank you.
I'm doing this for Joan.
...historic studies.
Claudia,
It's Kyle right?
Can you enhance the image on
this video. I need a closer look
at what happened.
It's possible but, I'm gonna
have to restructure the entire
digital code,
there's some imaging software
that might help, if I can
get my hands on it.
Go with it.
I was wondering about...
Thorson, I'm gonna need a plane
from your fleet to drop Nigel
and me in the Myanmar jungle,
we'll parachute in.
Parachute?
The crew drove in by Jeep.
Hunter, back roads,
it'd take too long.
Okay, you've got the plane,
but, I want some of
my people to go along.
Whatever happened to that crew
is my responsibility.
You're worried about the crew?
Or the relic?
You sell me short here Sydney.
I'm not the one selling here.
Okay Thorson, I'll take
your personnel but, just one,
you.
Whoa, you know me Sydney,
I employ others to do
that kinds of thing.
Not this time, this time
you get your hands dirty and
you clean up your own mess.
And, on my terms,
I call the shots.
I'll go pack.
Syd, this is a no can do.
First of all, finals are
next week, secondly...
Claudia, I trust that
you will figure something out.
But...
Ms. Fox, we're in luck,
I located a program that
I think will do the trick.
It's been messengered over.
Great.
Kyle, this is my assistant
Claudia, whatever you need,
she's at your disposal.
Parachute?
Have fun in...
wherever you're going.
PILOT: We've made the drop.
We're heading home.
You okay?
Yeah, I just...
hate jumping outta planes,
it's so unnatural.
You know, he's not such
a bad chap.
Yeah right!
Well, why did you turn down
his original assignment?
Thorson doesn't care anything
about a relic's
historical value.
He's only interested in
what it can get for him.
He sells them?
Not exactly.
Okay, three years ago,
I find the Golden Ivy
I wood for him
supposedly to hand over
to the Nagos tribe
of West Africa,
although a week after I handed
it over to Thorson, the jewel
is lost in transit.
Months later, I find out,
it's in the hands of a
Prince Babatundi of Cameroon.
You mean, he reported it lost
and then sold it?
Thorson's too slick for that,
I did some research,
coincidentally just a few days
after the Golden Eye
went missing,
Thorson was granted
exclusive landing rights,
for his fledgling airline in
the Prince's territories.
I wasn't about risk my life
a second time, so he can build
an empire.
Ready?
Yeah.
Well looks like the plane
got us pretty close.
Let's go.
[ADVENTUROUS MUSIC]
[SUSPENSEFUL GONG]
Blood.
Lots of it.
Blood, but, no bodies.
Keys are in the ignition.
Look at this.
Tracks.
Looks like an animal.
I'm not taking any chances.
Joan's research.
Or what's left of it.
Bowl's gone.
I thought we were here
to find Joan and Rudy?
Yeah right.
It'll be dark soon,
we should be
setting up camp.
Nigel, why don't go through
Joan's notes, see what dates
run up.
First thing in the morning
we look for the cave where
the relic was found,
if there are any survivors,
they might be hiding there.
So Kyle, you're really
into computers?
They're my life.
Anything else in your life?
Like...
I don't know, some
special woman or, something?
I work for Rod Thorson
24/7, there's not much
time for dating.
So, no dating?
No special woman?
No time to find one.
What if that woman found you?
[PHONE RINGS]
Hello?
Claudia, it's Syd.
Syd, hey what's happening?
How's the video coming?
Progress is slow.
On all fronts.
I moved to the conference room,
I had the calls
transferred here.
Why does that not surprise me?
Just stay on top of Kyle okay?
Believe me,
I'm trying.
How are things going there?
You find anyone?
No, I'll talk to you later.
Still working on the video.
Do you know what you're doing?
I started my charter with
a 50 year old DC-3.
Couldn't afford a mechanic
so I got pretty handy
with tools.
If I get this generator working,
the bring light should keep away
any wild animals.
Or attract them.
Syd. I think I found something.
I managed to piece together
most of the topographical map
Joan was marking up.
She didn't pin point
the location of the cave,
but, she did circle
the Muvadi village.
That's the expedition's
starting off point.
Where they hired the porter.
It's about south-east...
[CRACK IN THE WOODS]
Was that a tiger?
[COCKS GUN]
No! It's not a tiger.
Stop! Wait!
Joan?
NIGEL: She hasn't touched
any of her food and water.
Pulse is 110.
It's fast,
Breathing is rapid.
Pupal constriction's slow.
Is she all right?
Well, whatever she saw,
has put her into
a state of shock.
Joan? Joan?
It's Sydney. Can you hear me?
Do you remember anything?
She looks like she hasn't
had any sleep.
Maybe if she slept.
We can't do anything
till morning anyway.
We have to look for Rudy.
No.
We have to get Joan
to safety first.
The Muvadi village.
It's not that far.
NIGEL: So where is everybody?
Hello?
SYDNEY: Packs?
The porters are definitely here.
So where are they?
Looks like the entire village
just picked up and left.
Why?
The Muvadi have lived here
for centuries.
I'm, gonna call in.
[NIGEL COUGHING]
What's the matter?
The specs in the manual
are screwed up.
Or I am.
Anything I can help with?
Bet you don't stop
to ask for directions
either.
What?
Directions. When you're lost.
I bet you never stop to ask.
It's a very male thing.
I never get lost.
You think I don't know
what I'm doing?
Apparently.
Scrambled image.
It's digital video.
Its not ordinary consumer video,
it's encrypted,
for security reasons.
And, all Thorson transmissions
are, to protect sensitive data.
Now my computer software
converts every frame
of the scrambled digital
video that I'm trying to fix
into binary form.
Streams of ones and zeros
across a 100 mega hertz bus.
Repeating the process until
the image we see clearly
is translated into binary code.
It takes the binary code,
reprocesses it
as digital information and
then re-renters it in,
a coherent image.
With you so far.
However at this moment,
the computer is translating
the video into binary code
without discriminating it
from the encryption code.
And, if I can't find a way
to make it discriminate
between the two...
the resulting image will be
like a Salvador Dali on acid.
Worse than it is now?
Way.
Whenever Sydney is working on
a tough project, she talks about
something called,
Oka-raka...
Occam's razor.
Yeah, it's the
principle of logic.
Yeah, when a problem can only
be solved using an impossibly
simple solution,
if follows that the impossibly
simple solution will solve
the problem.
I never heard it put
that was before.
Work with me Kyle.
You're saying
I should try applying,
a code filter over the signal
to mask it
rather than trying to
delete the encrypted code.
Why would I say anything else?
See how easy it is
when you ask.
The filter may just work.
[PHONE RINGS]
Conference room.
It's Mr. Thorson for you.
Hello?
Kyle, just listen.
We don't want the girl
to get wind of what
I'm about to tell you.
I don't think it was a rival
relic hunter who attacked
the expedition.
Something much stranger.
Call special projects.
I want you to talk to Mulray,
and only Mulray, understand?
Yes sir.
Ring him up today.
Tell him, I want
an extraction unit mobilized.
ASAP.
Yes sir,
I understand completely.
Right away.
Everything okay?
Yeah, I've got to
take care of something.
SYDNEY: My guess is that
the porters told the villagers
about whatever killed Vic
and they fled.
But, why leave a place
they've inhabited
for generations?
The Muvadi is a superstitious
race, yes, but, they have
their fears...
[GUNSHOT FIRED]
Found something.
Joan stay here, it'll be safer.
[ANOTHER SHOT FIRED]
[SHOT FIRED, MAN SCREAMING]
Syd, the barrel's bend.
[TENSE MUSIC]
What would have done this?
I found more tracks leading off
into the woods.
No sign of Thorson.
These tracks look like
the ones we found
by the campsite.
They're not tiger prints
or any big cat for that matter.
More like gorilla.
Yeah but, gorillas aren't
indigenous to this part of Asia.
I know.
Although,
this is my area of expertise,
but, these tracks...
are more like a human footprint.
Five toes, lack of uniformity
in the shape.
Evidence of an upright stride.
But, they're not human.
Well, if they're not tiger,
gorilla, human...
what are they?
[MELLOW TRIBAL MUSIC PLAYING]
That's it. No more tracks,
the trail ends here.
Well, maybe he climbed
into the trees.
Carrying Thorson?
Maybe chasing after whatever
it is, isn't sure a good idea.
Yeah.
Let's get back to Joan.
How long have you worked
for Rod Thorson?
Three years. Grabbed me
right outta MIT.
Must trust you a great deal.
Leaving you in charge
of all this.
He keeps his team leader mean.
Each of us handle
a variety of responsibilities.
Like that guy you called,
Mulray?
That was his name right?
What position does he play,
on the team?
Why did Thorson ask him
to go to Myanmar?
Were you ease dropping
on our conversation?
That would be rude.
Yes it would.
Re-programmings finished.
I'll call Syd, update her.
Not yet.
There won't be anything
to tell her for a while.
We digitized and restructured
all the information,
so now we wait.
Joan.
Check the huts.
Right.
Joan?
Joan?
Joan?
There's no sign of any trouble,
maybe she's headed back
to the campsite.
In her condition?
Well she knows the way,
let's just hope
that's what she did.
I don't even want to consider
the alternative.
There she is.
Joan!
Get the first aid kit.
Joan, are you okay?
What happened?
Rudy?
something happened to Rudy.
Yes and Vic.
Now Rudy's missing,
do you know where he is?
It's the bowl
we saw in the video.
Yes, that's the cave.
Good Joan, that's good.
Something happened to Rudy.
Yes, I know you were close,
we'll find him, we'll find him.
No.
I can't...
something bad, I can't...
I can't remember what.
It's okay, just go slow.
Something must have
triggered her memory.
That rock formation,
if we can locate that
on a map,
we can find the cave.
Joan, do you remember where
this photo was taken?
Near the camp.
It makes sense that they'd
set up camp near the cave.
Here's the map.
Here's the camp...
enter the coordinates
in the GPS.
and...
let's get outta here.
Doing good, you'll be fine.
It's this way. It's too dense
for the Jeep, we'll have to
go on foot.
All right, let's go.
This is the location,
it should be right around here.
This looks like a rough path.
Foil wrapper from the film roll.
There is is.
Are you okay?
Rudy?
Joan are these the paintings
you mentioned in
you're video report?
Homo heidelbergensis.
Did they precede
the Neanderthals?
Aren't they man's most
savage ancestor?
The film wrapper.
Rudy was gonna come back
and finish cataloging them.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Rudy?
Rudy?
Kinda certain of your culture
if they're dead.
These are the first intact
burrows that I discovered,
Rudy?
Anybody here?
[GONG BANGS]
Thorson and Vic Dennis.
Bodies are in place in
the same patterns
as the other skeletons.
IT's some kind of sick joke.
I've never seen animal drag
it's prey into a cave and
lay it out like this.
Sydney...
this was Rudy's.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
Nigel why don't you go ahead
in case we find the...
Right.
[JOAN CRYING]
NIGEL: Syd!
Joan, it's all right.
The bowl was at the campsite.
Someone, or, something,
put it back.
Do you remember
what happened now?
No.
It's obvious. This room was
was used for some form of
ritual sacrifice
in honor of
a deity of some kind.
It's likely that the blood
from the ritual sacrifices
was emptied into the bone bowl
and offered up to a...
god.
Sydney,
despite the tragic circumstances
Joan has discovered
something incredible.
Pre-historic species
worshiped the elements.
Fire, earth, water.
This is man's first sign
of an externalized Deity.
That was thousands
of years ago.
Vic and Thorson were killed
within the past few days.
It's crazy, but,
could someone...
still be using this place
for that purpose?
I'll check the bowl
for fresh blood.
Stop!
Don't touch it.
What is that?
You remember what happened
to the others, don't you?
Yes.
[NUMBERS TICKING]
Binary code tracked perfectly.
That's it. It's done.
Oh my god.
[SUSPENSEFUL SWELLING]
You getting an answer?
No.
What do you think that is
on the monitor?
You tell me, Mr. Thorson
said something about
a bigger problem.
So you lied to me?
No.
I just didn't tell you
more than you need to know.
Trust a man to make
that distinction.
What's that supposed to mean?
I can't get through.
Yeah, me either.
they're probably outta
signal range or, the
satellite's orbit's skewed.
How long till it gets un-skewed?
We discovered the cave a week
after settling out from
the Maladi village.
Made camp close by,
found the relic right away
and removed it for closer study.
That's when I discovered
the ancient spores
present in the bowl.
Did you do a workup on them?
No, I was going to, after
we finished doing
the field work.
That's why you mention it
when you reported it to Thorson.
Yes.
And, because it seemed
insignificant at the time,
I didn't report that Rudy had
cut his hand on the bowl after
we found it.
And, refused to let me
bandage it.
Said it'll heal faster
in the air.
The cup became infected
and his entire hand
became inflamed.
So a blood borne infection
of some kind.
The spores were obviously the
sources of some fungal or
parasitic infection.
Maybe hundreds or, thousands
of years old.
Joan can you remember
what happened, the night
you were attacked?
Come on Joan,
you've got to try.
It was Rudy.
What?
Rudy, but, not Rudy.
Joan, you're not making
any sense.
I know, it was dark,
I was in the tent by myself,
I heard Vic scream
and when I got outta the tent,
Rudy was destroying everything
and the porters had run off.
Wait a minute, you're saying
it was Rudy?
Yes, but, he was different.
I couldn't see him but,
it was like, he'd gone mad.
Mad?
Like a wild animal.
You think the infection could be
the cause of the madness?
Rudy was the only one
that touched the bowl.
I don't have the proper
equipment to isolate the source.
This really should be done
back at the CDC.
I'd like to know
what we're up against.
The bloody layer that collected
in the bowl is definitely the
growth medium for the spores.
There's fresh blood too.
Whatever parasite is in there
is still alive.
[PHONE RINGING]
Hello?
Do you have any idea how long
I've been trying to reach you?
Yeah, we've been in the cave.
Is Kyle there?
Yeah.
Fox me.
Kyle, Thorson's dead.
What?
We found Joan, she's alive
and Rudy's still missing.
We don't know
what we're dealing with,
whatever killed Vic Dennis
it still here.
And, we think it killed Thorson.
We think we know what it is.
Is your sat link hooked up?
Yeah.
Take a look at your monitor.
We resolved the image from
the last blurred transmission.
It's coming over now.
And, so you know,
help already on the way.
[WHIRRING]
Rudy.
The arched brow.
The jawline.
Those are still his eyes.
How can an infection have
done that to him?
We'll get back to you,
stay by the phone
and tell that help to hurry.
I know... I know the genesis.
For this bowl...
strand the blood enemies.
When Rudy held the bowl,
some of the spores must have
penetrated the wound
on his hand.
Infecting his blood stream.
Making him somehow revert
backwards along the
evolutionary spectrum.
Sunlight.
Sunlight?
When the bowl's brought out
into the sunlight
triggered an accelerated
chemical reaction.
That could explain
the incredibly rapid
transformation.
Rudy's devolved into
Homohidel Bergensis.
Our man's most savage ancestors.
Nigel,
I say it's time we pack up
and got outta here.
[SCREAMS]
JOAN: Sydney?
[LOUD CRASH]
You okay?
I think so.
He's taking Joan to his cave.
[HEAVY BREATHING]
Rudy?
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Oh my god!
Rudy.
[HEAVY BREATHING]
[RUDY SCREAMS]
No, it's all right.
Rudy!
He was badly hurt in the crash.
Maybe the changes to his body
were more than his system
could bare.
[STRUGGLE-FULLY BREATHING]
[SOMBER MUSIC]
[HELICOPTER APPROACHING]
Here comes the cavalry.
What are we gonna tell
Thorson's people?
The truth.
That no relic can ever be worth
the price these people paid.
Run though,
update these references,
and track the changes all the
way through this time and
proof this for me.
No problem Sic.
Sidney?
Joan, what a nice surprise.
I was hoping I'd catch you in,
I just left the Dean's office.
Really?
Signing off on some paperwork,
Rob Thorson left a major grand
to the university
and I've been asked
to administer it.
Wow, that's great.
Really great.
Are you excited?
I turned it down.
Oh
There are more important
things I need to take care of.
And, besides I was never
a desk jockey.
I love my field work.
Where are you heading?
Myanmar.
You're going back?
Crazy right.
Well...
I owe it to Rudy
to finish what we
started there.
Good luck.
Thanks.
Nigel,
you're a wizz with
bio-cultural crossover,
if you feel like another trip
into the jungle,
look me up.
Thanks, but, I think I would be
kept pretty busy here.
Count on it.
Joan.
You wouldn't happen to know
who the Dean's naming
in your place
to administrator that grand,
would you?
Why I told them that,
you'd be perfect.
Bye.
Joan! That little...
what is this?
Your first application. Mine.
To research the
Scepter of Clarevo?
The Scepter is a myth.
Even if you got the grant,
there's no evidence that
it ever existed
or if it did, if it were
in France, I mean,
it would take...
Months, even years.
In a beautiful château,
just outside Paris.
And, just because we're related,
don't think I expect
any special treatment.
You knew Joan turned it down?
Agnes in the Dean's office
is a huge mouth, half
the campus already knows.
Half the campus knows
we've got grant money
to dish out?
Nigel...
lock the door.
[THEME MUSIC PLAYING]
Somebody noted you,
breaking off
from the platoon,
to search for treasure.
Shut up and keep working!
We gotta go back and
tell the Captain about
Paul Williby.
We tell 'em what
really happened,
you think anybody
in their right minds
will believe us?
You're thinking like daft,
they'll toss us in
the asylum.
No one can ever
know the truth.
Not the Captain, the platoon,
your missus, nobody.
You got me?
Swear it!
I swear, I swear.
I won't tell a soul.
Soon as it's buried,
we're putting that bloody thing
back in the cave where
it belongs.
[LOUD BANGING IN THE DISTANCE]
[THRILLING MUSIC]
SECURITY: Hey. Hey, hey hey.
Hey you, yeah you.
You can't park here.
[PHONE RINGING]
Ancient studies.
I'm looking for professor Fox.
Dean Warner, no I'm sorry,
she's not here.
I know, go and call her
outta class.
Call her outta class?
Sydney really hates
to be interrupted
so, I can't just...
I need to speak with her
right now.
You go and interrupt her.
Interrupt her?
Yes sir, I absolutely will.
You can always count on me sir.
Good.
And, might I say,
what a pleasure it is to...
Student services.
Agnes, hi.
It's Claudia,
from Sydney Fox's office,
Yeah, I was just wondering,
could you do me the tiniest
little favor?
Sure Claudia,
what is it this time?
What could be so important
that the Dean would
call you outta class?
I have no idea.
I just got a message to
come to the conference room,
we'll find out soon enough.
Think it has anything to do
with us being away so much?
Nigel, relax.
[HIGH PITCHED WHIRRING]
What is this?
A playback system
for satellite transmissions.
Hello Sydney.
You're the one
that called me out of class?
I knew you'd never come
to my office,
so I brought my office to you.
Where's the Dean?
The Dean's not coming Nigel.
Nigel Bailey,
my teaching assistant,
Rod Thorson.
Rod Thorson, entrepreneur?
Thorson group?
International air?
Among other things.
Your boss disappointed me Nigel.
I asked her to lead
an expedition that
I sponsored to Myanmar.
She turned me down.
Only because I despise you.
Perhaps you forget the
considerable contributions that
I make to this university?
That won't give you cart-blanch
to my services.
Regardless of your
opinions of me,
the Myanmar expedition
proceeded without you.
And, the day before yesterday,
they uncovered,
a remarkable relic.
A prehistoric bowl which could
possible be, the world's
oldest religious artifact.
I guess I made a bad choice.
No Sydney, a faithful one.
Because a few hours after
the crew reported the discovery,
we received this transmission,
by satellite.
Go ahead Kyle.
[VOICE SHIVERING] Something's
gone wrong, I don't know
what happened,
I heard screaming
outside the tent.
That's Joan White.
I was attacked, I didn't see
what happened, but, he's...
he's dead.
...all the bloody
orders of god.
I'm so scared.
[SCREAMING, CRYING] No! No!
No!
SYDNEY: Terror on Joan's face.
[CRYING, WHIMPERING]
Could it have been
a wild animal?
Maybe. Maybe rebel soldiers?
They have been fighting with
the government for sometime.
No, the fighting's way up north.
Perhaps the Malati porters
turned against them.
The Malati are peaceful people,
that would be completely outta
their nature.
Well, whatever happened,
it's a terrible tragedy.
After you turned me down,
I hired Joan White on
your recommendation.
Joan White is a highly skilled
profession, both in the lab
and in the field.
Agreed. So help me find out
what happened.
Was there anything prior
to the attack indicating
they were in danger?
Just the opposite.
Play the previous day's
transmission Kyle.
Mr. Thorson, it's day 7,
just after 5 pm,
and I think you're gonna be
very happy.
We hit the jackpot.
We found the most
incredible relic,
absolutely amazing.
We discovered in this cave
about an hour ago.
I've never seen
anything like it.
The insides are prehistoric
place of worship. We found...
Oh here comes Fig and Rudy
with the relic.
Come on, take it easy.
Help me out here.
Come one, let me hold it.
It's cool, it's a scratch,
it's a scratch.
From the look of
the cave painting,
I'd say we're talking about
the species,
Homohidel Verygensis.
And, the bowl was used
in a sacrificial ritual.
I'd like to spend a few more
days here so I can do
a thorough field analysis,
just before we head home.
To document the cave and
catalog some skeletal remains
we found...
Oh yeah! We rock!
Oh man.
[LAUGHING IN EXCITEMENT]
Mr. Thorson, if you speak
to Sydney Fox,
thank her for turning down
this expedition.
Her loss, has been our gain.
And, I just want all of you
to know, that I proposed
to Joan last night.
If she doesn't say yes...
We'll check in tomorrow, bye.
It's not good Sydney.
Fig is dead, Rudy's missing,
and who knows
what's happened to Joan?
Have you reported this
to the Myanmar Government?
No, they'll just wrap it in
miles of red tape.
It would take days
for them to act.
And, they they'd only send out
some half assed search party.
I need someone in that jungle
searching for Joan and Rudy now.
Someone who knows
what they're doing.
A relic hunter?
You can find what
you're really looking for?
You're got me wrong.
Once again.
Sydney, I need you.
Nigel, get Claudia on the phone,
have her clear our schedules,
we're going to Myanmar.
Thank you.
I'm doing this for Joan.
...historic studies.
Claudia,
It's Kyle right?
Can you enhance the image on
this video. I need a closer look
at what happened.
It's possible but, I'm gonna
have to restructure the entire
digital code,
there's some imaging software
that might help, if I can
get my hands on it.
Go with it.
I was wondering about...
Thorson, I'm gonna need a plane
from your fleet to drop Nigel
and me in the Myanmar jungle,
we'll parachute in.
Parachute?
The crew drove in by Jeep.
Hunter, back roads,
it'd take too long.
Okay, you've got the plane,
but, I want some of
my people to go along.
Whatever happened to that crew
is my responsibility.
You're worried about the crew?
Or the relic?
You sell me short here Sydney.
I'm not the one selling here.
Okay Thorson, I'll take
your personnel but, just one,
you.
Whoa, you know me Sydney,
I employ others to do
that kinds of thing.
Not this time, this time
you get your hands dirty and
you clean up your own mess.
And, on my terms,
I call the shots.
I'll go pack.
Syd, this is a no can do.
First of all, finals are
next week, secondly...
Claudia, I trust that
you will figure something out.
But...
Ms. Fox, we're in luck,
I located a program that
I think will do the trick.
It's been messengered over.
Great.
Kyle, this is my assistant
Claudia, whatever you need,
she's at your disposal.
Parachute?
Have fun in...
wherever you're going.
PILOT: We've made the drop.
We're heading home.
You okay?
Yeah, I just...
hate jumping outta planes,
it's so unnatural.
You know, he's not such
a bad chap.
Yeah right!
Well, why did you turn down
his original assignment?
Thorson doesn't care anything
about a relic's
historical value.
He's only interested in
what it can get for him.
He sells them?
Not exactly.
Okay, three years ago,
I find the Golden Ivy
I wood for him
supposedly to hand over
to the Nagos tribe
of West Africa,
although a week after I handed
it over to Thorson, the jewel
is lost in transit.
Months later, I find out,
it's in the hands of a
Prince Babatundi of Cameroon.
You mean, he reported it lost
and then sold it?
Thorson's too slick for that,
I did some research,
coincidentally just a few days
after the Golden Eye
went missing,
Thorson was granted
exclusive landing rights,
for his fledgling airline in
the Prince's territories.
I wasn't about risk my life
a second time, so he can build
an empire.
Ready?
Yeah.
Well looks like the plane
got us pretty close.
Let's go.
[ADVENTUROUS MUSIC]
[SUSPENSEFUL GONG]
Blood.
Lots of it.
Blood, but, no bodies.
Keys are in the ignition.
Look at this.
Tracks.
Looks like an animal.
I'm not taking any chances.
Joan's research.
Or what's left of it.
Bowl's gone.
I thought we were here
to find Joan and Rudy?
Yeah right.
It'll be dark soon,
we should be
setting up camp.
Nigel, why don't go through
Joan's notes, see what dates
run up.
First thing in the morning
we look for the cave where
the relic was found,
if there are any survivors,
they might be hiding there.
So Kyle, you're really
into computers?
They're my life.
Anything else in your life?
Like...
I don't know, some
special woman or, something?
I work for Rod Thorson
24/7, there's not much
time for dating.
So, no dating?
No special woman?
No time to find one.
What if that woman found you?
[PHONE RINGS]
Hello?
Claudia, it's Syd.
Syd, hey what's happening?
How's the video coming?
Progress is slow.
On all fronts.
I moved to the conference room,
I had the calls
transferred here.
Why does that not surprise me?
Just stay on top of Kyle okay?
Believe me,
I'm trying.
How are things going there?
You find anyone?
No, I'll talk to you later.
Still working on the video.
Do you know what you're doing?
I started my charter with
a 50 year old DC-3.
Couldn't afford a mechanic
so I got pretty handy
with tools.
If I get this generator working,
the bring light should keep away
any wild animals.
Or attract them.
Syd. I think I found something.
I managed to piece together
most of the topographical map
Joan was marking up.
She didn't pin point
the location of the cave,
but, she did circle
the Muvadi village.
That's the expedition's
starting off point.
Where they hired the porter.
It's about south-east...
[CRACK IN THE WOODS]
Was that a tiger?
[COCKS GUN]
No! It's not a tiger.
Stop! Wait!
Joan?
NIGEL: She hasn't touched
any of her food and water.
Pulse is 110.
It's fast,
Breathing is rapid.
Pupal constriction's slow.
Is she all right?
Well, whatever she saw,
has put her into
a state of shock.
Joan? Joan?
It's Sydney. Can you hear me?
Do you remember anything?
She looks like she hasn't
had any sleep.
Maybe if she slept.
We can't do anything
till morning anyway.
We have to look for Rudy.
No.
We have to get Joan
to safety first.
The Muvadi village.
It's not that far.
NIGEL: So where is everybody?
Hello?
SYDNEY: Packs?
The porters are definitely here.
So where are they?
Looks like the entire village
just picked up and left.
Why?
The Muvadi have lived here
for centuries.
I'm, gonna call in.
[NIGEL COUGHING]
What's the matter?
The specs in the manual
are screwed up.
Or I am.
Anything I can help with?
Bet you don't stop
to ask for directions
either.
What?
Directions. When you're lost.
I bet you never stop to ask.
It's a very male thing.
I never get lost.
You think I don't know
what I'm doing?
Apparently.
Scrambled image.
It's digital video.
Its not ordinary consumer video,
it's encrypted,
for security reasons.
And, all Thorson transmissions
are, to protect sensitive data.
Now my computer software
converts every frame
of the scrambled digital
video that I'm trying to fix
into binary form.
Streams of ones and zeros
across a 100 mega hertz bus.
Repeating the process until
the image we see clearly
is translated into binary code.
It takes the binary code,
reprocesses it
as digital information and
then re-renters it in,
a coherent image.
With you so far.
However at this moment,
the computer is translating
the video into binary code
without discriminating it
from the encryption code.
And, if I can't find a way
to make it discriminate
between the two...
the resulting image will be
like a Salvador Dali on acid.
Worse than it is now?
Way.
Whenever Sydney is working on
a tough project, she talks about
something called,
Oka-raka...
Occam's razor.
Yeah, it's the
principle of logic.
Yeah, when a problem can only
be solved using an impossibly
simple solution,
if follows that the impossibly
simple solution will solve
the problem.
I never heard it put
that was before.
Work with me Kyle.
You're saying
I should try applying,
a code filter over the signal
to mask it
rather than trying to
delete the encrypted code.
Why would I say anything else?
See how easy it is
when you ask.
The filter may just work.
[PHONE RINGS]
Conference room.
It's Mr. Thorson for you.
Hello?
Kyle, just listen.
We don't want the girl
to get wind of what
I'm about to tell you.
I don't think it was a rival
relic hunter who attacked
the expedition.
Something much stranger.
Call special projects.
I want you to talk to Mulray,
and only Mulray, understand?
Yes sir.
Ring him up today.
Tell him, I want
an extraction unit mobilized.
ASAP.
Yes sir,
I understand completely.
Right away.
Everything okay?
Yeah, I've got to
take care of something.
SYDNEY: My guess is that
the porters told the villagers
about whatever killed Vic
and they fled.
But, why leave a place
they've inhabited
for generations?
The Muvadi is a superstitious
race, yes, but, they have
their fears...
[GUNSHOT FIRED]
Found something.
Joan stay here, it'll be safer.
[ANOTHER SHOT FIRED]
[SHOT FIRED, MAN SCREAMING]
Syd, the barrel's bend.
[TENSE MUSIC]
What would have done this?
I found more tracks leading off
into the woods.
No sign of Thorson.
These tracks look like
the ones we found
by the campsite.
They're not tiger prints
or any big cat for that matter.
More like gorilla.
Yeah but, gorillas aren't
indigenous to this part of Asia.
I know.
Although,
this is my area of expertise,
but, these tracks...
are more like a human footprint.
Five toes, lack of uniformity
in the shape.
Evidence of an upright stride.
But, they're not human.
Well, if they're not tiger,
gorilla, human...
what are they?
[MELLOW TRIBAL MUSIC PLAYING]
That's it. No more tracks,
the trail ends here.
Well, maybe he climbed
into the trees.
Carrying Thorson?
Maybe chasing after whatever
it is, isn't sure a good idea.
Yeah.
Let's get back to Joan.
How long have you worked
for Rod Thorson?
Three years. Grabbed me
right outta MIT.
Must trust you a great deal.
Leaving you in charge
of all this.
He keeps his team leader mean.
Each of us handle
a variety of responsibilities.
Like that guy you called,
Mulray?
That was his name right?
What position does he play,
on the team?
Why did Thorson ask him
to go to Myanmar?
Were you ease dropping
on our conversation?
That would be rude.
Yes it would.
Re-programmings finished.
I'll call Syd, update her.
Not yet.
There won't be anything
to tell her for a while.
We digitized and restructured
all the information,
so now we wait.
Joan.
Check the huts.
Right.
Joan?
Joan?
Joan?
There's no sign of any trouble,
maybe she's headed back
to the campsite.
In her condition?
Well she knows the way,
let's just hope
that's what she did.
I don't even want to consider
the alternative.
There she is.
Joan!
Get the first aid kit.
Joan, are you okay?
What happened?
Rudy?
something happened to Rudy.
Yes and Vic.
Now Rudy's missing,
do you know where he is?
It's the bowl
we saw in the video.
Yes, that's the cave.
Good Joan, that's good.
Something happened to Rudy.
Yes, I know you were close,
we'll find him, we'll find him.
No.
I can't...
something bad, I can't...
I can't remember what.
It's okay, just go slow.
Something must have
triggered her memory.
That rock formation,
if we can locate that
on a map,
we can find the cave.
Joan, do you remember where
this photo was taken?
Near the camp.
It makes sense that they'd
set up camp near the cave.
Here's the map.
Here's the camp...
enter the coordinates
in the GPS.
and...
let's get outta here.
Doing good, you'll be fine.
It's this way. It's too dense
for the Jeep, we'll have to
go on foot.
All right, let's go.
This is the location,
it should be right around here.
This looks like a rough path.
Foil wrapper from the film roll.
There is is.
Are you okay?
Rudy?
Joan are these the paintings
you mentioned in
you're video report?
Homo heidelbergensis.
Did they precede
the Neanderthals?
Aren't they man's most
savage ancestor?
The film wrapper.
Rudy was gonna come back
and finish cataloging them.
[TENSE MUSIC]
Rudy?
Rudy?
Kinda certain of your culture
if they're dead.
These are the first intact
burrows that I discovered,
Rudy?
Anybody here?
[GONG BANGS]
Thorson and Vic Dennis.
Bodies are in place in
the same patterns
as the other skeletons.
IT's some kind of sick joke.
I've never seen animal drag
it's prey into a cave and
lay it out like this.
Sydney...
this was Rudy's.
[SOMBER MUSIC]
Nigel why don't you go ahead
in case we find the...
Right.
[JOAN CRYING]
NIGEL: Syd!
Joan, it's all right.
The bowl was at the campsite.
Someone, or, something,
put it back.
Do you remember
what happened now?
No.
It's obvious. This room was
was used for some form of
ritual sacrifice
in honor of
a deity of some kind.
It's likely that the blood
from the ritual sacrifices
was emptied into the bone bowl
and offered up to a...
god.
Sydney,
despite the tragic circumstances
Joan has discovered
something incredible.
Pre-historic species
worshiped the elements.
Fire, earth, water.
This is man's first sign
of an externalized Deity.
That was thousands
of years ago.
Vic and Thorson were killed
within the past few days.
It's crazy, but,
could someone...
still be using this place
for that purpose?
I'll check the bowl
for fresh blood.
Stop!
Don't touch it.
What is that?
You remember what happened
to the others, don't you?
Yes.
[NUMBERS TICKING]
Binary code tracked perfectly.
That's it. It's done.
Oh my god.
[SUSPENSEFUL SWELLING]
You getting an answer?
No.
What do you think that is
on the monitor?
You tell me, Mr. Thorson
said something about
a bigger problem.
So you lied to me?
No.
I just didn't tell you
more than you need to know.
Trust a man to make
that distinction.
What's that supposed to mean?
I can't get through.
Yeah, me either.
they're probably outta
signal range or, the
satellite's orbit's skewed.
How long till it gets un-skewed?
We discovered the cave a week
after settling out from
the Maladi village.
Made camp close by,
found the relic right away
and removed it for closer study.
That's when I discovered
the ancient spores
present in the bowl.
Did you do a workup on them?
No, I was going to, after
we finished doing
the field work.
That's why you mention it
when you reported it to Thorson.
Yes.
And, because it seemed
insignificant at the time,
I didn't report that Rudy had
cut his hand on the bowl after
we found it.
And, refused to let me
bandage it.
Said it'll heal faster
in the air.
The cup became infected
and his entire hand
became inflamed.
So a blood borne infection
of some kind.
The spores were obviously the
sources of some fungal or
parasitic infection.
Maybe hundreds or, thousands
of years old.
Joan can you remember
what happened, the night
you were attacked?
Come on Joan,
you've got to try.
It was Rudy.
What?
Rudy, but, not Rudy.
Joan, you're not making
any sense.
I know, it was dark,
I was in the tent by myself,
I heard Vic scream
and when I got outta the tent,
Rudy was destroying everything
and the porters had run off.
Wait a minute, you're saying
it was Rudy?
Yes, but, he was different.
I couldn't see him but,
it was like, he'd gone mad.
Mad?
Like a wild animal.
You think the infection could be
the cause of the madness?
Rudy was the only one
that touched the bowl.
I don't have the proper
equipment to isolate the source.
This really should be done
back at the CDC.
I'd like to know
what we're up against.
The bloody layer that collected
in the bowl is definitely the
growth medium for the spores.
There's fresh blood too.
Whatever parasite is in there
is still alive.
[PHONE RINGING]
Hello?
Do you have any idea how long
I've been trying to reach you?
Yeah, we've been in the cave.
Is Kyle there?
Yeah.
Fox me.
Kyle, Thorson's dead.
What?
We found Joan, she's alive
and Rudy's still missing.
We don't know
what we're dealing with,
whatever killed Vic Dennis
it still here.
And, we think it killed Thorson.
We think we know what it is.
Is your sat link hooked up?
Yeah.
Take a look at your monitor.
We resolved the image from
the last blurred transmission.
It's coming over now.
And, so you know,
help already on the way.
[WHIRRING]
Rudy.
The arched brow.
The jawline.
Those are still his eyes.
How can an infection have
done that to him?
We'll get back to you,
stay by the phone
and tell that help to hurry.
I know... I know the genesis.
For this bowl...
strand the blood enemies.
When Rudy held the bowl,
some of the spores must have
penetrated the wound
on his hand.
Infecting his blood stream.
Making him somehow revert
backwards along the
evolutionary spectrum.
Sunlight.
Sunlight?
When the bowl's brought out
into the sunlight
triggered an accelerated
chemical reaction.
That could explain
the incredibly rapid
transformation.
Rudy's devolved into
Homohidel Bergensis.
Our man's most savage ancestors.
Nigel,
I say it's time we pack up
and got outta here.
[SCREAMS]
JOAN: Sydney?
[LOUD CRASH]
You okay?
I think so.
He's taking Joan to his cave.
[HEAVY BREATHING]
Rudy?
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
Oh my god!
Rudy.
[HEAVY BREATHING]
[RUDY SCREAMS]
No, it's all right.
Rudy!
He was badly hurt in the crash.
Maybe the changes to his body
were more than his system
could bare.
[STRUGGLE-FULLY BREATHING]
[SOMBER MUSIC]
[HELICOPTER APPROACHING]
Here comes the cavalry.
What are we gonna tell
Thorson's people?
The truth.
That no relic can ever be worth
the price these people paid.
Run though,
update these references,
and track the changes all the
way through this time and
proof this for me.
No problem Sic.
Sidney?
Joan, what a nice surprise.
I was hoping I'd catch you in,
I just left the Dean's office.
Really?
Signing off on some paperwork,
Rob Thorson left a major grand
to the university
and I've been asked
to administer it.
Wow, that's great.
Really great.
Are you excited?
I turned it down.
Oh
There are more important
things I need to take care of.
And, besides I was never
a desk jockey.
I love my field work.
Where are you heading?
Myanmar.
You're going back?
Crazy right.
Well...
I owe it to Rudy
to finish what we
started there.
Good luck.
Thanks.
Nigel,
you're a wizz with
bio-cultural crossover,
if you feel like another trip
into the jungle,
look me up.
Thanks, but, I think I would be
kept pretty busy here.
Count on it.
Joan.
You wouldn't happen to know
who the Dean's naming
in your place
to administrator that grand,
would you?
Why I told them that,
you'd be perfect.
Bye.
Joan! That little...
what is this?
Your first application. Mine.
To research the
Scepter of Clarevo?
The Scepter is a myth.
Even if you got the grant,
there's no evidence that
it ever existed
or if it did, if it were
in France, I mean,
it would take...
Months, even years.
In a beautiful château,
just outside Paris.
And, just because we're related,
don't think I expect
any special treatment.
You knew Joan turned it down?
Agnes in the Dean's office
is a huge mouth, half
the campus already knows.
Half the campus knows
we've got grant money
to dish out?
Nigel...
lock the door.
[THEME MUSIC PLAYING]