The Expanse (2015–…): Season 2, Episode 13 - Caliban's War - full transcript
In the final episode of this season, the crew of the Rocinante comes face to face with an evolving intelligence infused with the alien protomatter.
HOLDEN: Got it!
No... That is not your kid!
Not anymore!
When you gonna
open this door?
AMOS: We can't
open that door again.
Those people will kill you.
Let gm!
(AMOS GROANS)
ALEX: The Somnambulist is
pushing off, they're underway!
We're not going anywhere
till that thing is dead.
The second the Somnambulist
sticks its head out of the
station it's gonna get lit up!
MAN: (OVER RADIO) Return to
port or you will be fired upon.
This is your final warning.
ALEX: This ain't
gonna end anything.
Naomi was right.
And you know it.
(LAUGHS)
Looks like we're clear.
When you exonerate
my family, unconditionally,
unfreeze my assets,
we'll talk about how
I can help keep
Earth and Mars from blowing up
this whole goddamn system.
SADAVIR: Martian Defense
Minister Korshunov
suffered a fatal heart attack
earlier this evening.
One of us has to lose.
Simultaneously,
the MCRN Karakum,
dispatched by Korshunov
to take delivery of your
protomolecule technology
was destroyed.
And I gave the order.
You will clean up this mess,
and you will get the fuck
back to work.
(THEME MUSIC PLAYING)
Well, it looks like
you guys have some shit
you need to figure out.
Just make a hole,
we'll get on the elevator
and go back to our ship.
I can't do that.
Then we've got a problem.
(GRUNTS)
(GUNNY GRUNTS)
Get down!
(PANTING)
You're shot.
What?
Well, that's disappointing.
(DOOR BUZZES)
Oh, I'll take you
to the med bay.
I can get there on my own.
Doc'll take care of me.
You saved us.
I don't deserve
credit for that.
If Alex hadn't talked me
off the ledge,
we would've been too late.
Did you kill that thing
from the lab?
No. And it doesn't matter.
I almost traded
your lives to do it.
This does not sound like
the man I walked away from
on Ganymede.
And I understand why you did.
It won't happen again.
Jim...
It's nice to have you back.
That doesn't sting at all.
Are you sure
that's the antiseptic?
No. I told you,
my degree is in botany.
But you're a doctor.
How's it look?
If you were a fern,
I'd say you have a fatal lack
of chlorophyll.
I'm sorry
about your little girl.
We still don't know
what happened to her.
Not for sure.
You're right.
That thing that broke out
of the lab...
Do you think
that used to be a kid?
I think so.
ALEX: Hey, all.
I took it upon myself
to radio ahead
to the aid convoy that the
Somnambulist is heading for,
and it looks like
they're gonna be doing
a little, uh,
braking maneuver
so that the two of them
will link up a bit sooner.
So, the Somnambulist is gonna
get there with air to spare.
You're one hell of a pilot.
Well. Thank you.
They're engaging
over Ganymede again.
How's the Roci?
I'm not gonna lie.
The lower decks took a lot of
shrapnel from that torpedo,
and there's multiple
punctures astern.
But she's a tough girl.
A little TLC
and she'll be right as rain.
You up for
a little patch work?
Sure.
All right. Let's do it.
Oh, it's been vented.
All right,
let's take a look-see.
Damn, the pressure door
is completely inoperative.
That is a hell of a lot
of shrapnel damage.
(GASPS)
What the fuck is that?
Shit.
Holden!
It's in the cargo bay!
That's the thing
we were chasing.
Son of a bitch,
it must've hitched a ride
when we had it cornered
in the ag dome.
How the hell
did it ever hang on?
NAOMI: Doesn't matter.
This time
we don't have a choice.
We have to kill it.
We don't have to go
into this blind.
The data core's
starting to decrypt.
Let's just take some time
and try to figure out
what we're actually
dealing with here.
It's not
doing anything dangerous.
And we're not going
to give it a chance to.
That thing is a living weapon,
it's a killing machine.
It's not a machine.
It's not human.
It clearly was once.
Not anymore.
I'm gonna go down there. I'm gonna
talk to it. No. You're not.
We're going to shoot it,
and we're gonna
keep on shooting it.
And if that doesn't kill it,
we're gonna force it out
the way it came in.
All we have to do is make sure
it gets onto the hull
so Alex can roll the ship
and dump it
into the drive plume.
Holden!
Prax, we gotta burn that thing
down to its fucking atoms.
Is there a plan B?
Yeah.
Make sure plan A works.
(HOLDEN BREATHING HEAVILY)
(EXHALES)
HOLDEN: (OVER RADIO)
Upper deck looks clear.
AMOS: Where the heH
is that thing? I don't see it.
HOLDEN". Me neither. Naomi?
NAOMI: We just lost sight
of it behind the container
near a bulkhead
on the lower deck, aft.
There's no good camera
on that position.
(METAL CLANGING)
Keep moving to your left.
It has to be down there.
We would have seen it
if it moved.
HOLDEN: Oh, Shit!
AMOS: What?
HOLDEN: Amos, right flank.
I'll go left.
Set up a cross fire and force
it out the hole in the door.
AMOS". Roger that.
What the hell
is that thing doing?
HOLDEN: I don't know.
It looks like
it's scratching itself.
It has some kind of tech
implanted in its chest.
AMOS: Oh, shit!
HOLDEN: God!
What the fuck was that?
HOLDEN: Fire!
(ROARS)
(AMOS YELLS)
(HOLDEN SCREAMING)
Holden! Amos!
What the hell is going on?
(SCREAMING)
Cap's in trouble.
That thing pinned him to
a wall with a cargo container.
I can't disengage
the mag lock.
Amos, open that panel.
We have to override the lock.
AMOS". I'm on it.
HOLDEN; Amos!
Fall back!
Amos, you're losing air.
You need to get
out of here now.
Get out of here!
You're no good to anyone dead.
(HOLDEN PANTING)
It's backing off.
Maybe it no longer
considers you a threat.
It's not some dumb animal.
The device it tore out
of its chest
was a fail-safe regulator,
some kind of command
and control module.
Control module, my ass.
That was an incendiary device,
you understand?
A bomb probably designed
to destroy that thing
in case it got out of control,
all right?
And I wish we had known
about that thing inside it
before it ripped it
out of its chest!
It was smart enough
to get rid of it.
Clearly, it's intelligent. Oh,
is that why you didn't...
We can speculate
about its intelligence
after we get it
out of this ship.
We were hurting
that thing for sure.
HOLDEN". Hey, guys!
Are you seeing this?
NAOMI: It's digging
into the bulkhead. Why?
Shit. The protomolecule
feeds on radiation.
That thing's trying
to get to the reactor.
If it punctures the chamber...
We're more or less fucked.
Our escort ship
isn't responding.
Errinwright must've
covered that, too.
He delivered you to the enemy
like a Christmas present.
That motherfucker! I trained him.
You warned me.
Language, please.
Privacy view.
Show me all utility
access points.
CHRISJEN: Your wound.
It doesn't look good.
COTYAR: Thanks for the pep talk.
It's better than it could be.
Keep the comm array dark,
no messages out.
I want guards on every deck.
I found a way out.
There's a maintenance crawl
on the other side
of that wall.
It should lead us
to the elevator shaft.
That is not going to work.
Right. You'd never
make that climb.
Jesus Christ! Not because I'm old.
He's been shot.
Plus, she's really old.
(DOOR OPENING)
(GRUNTS IN PAIN)
We've got
a defensible position here.
I'll hold it
as long as I can.
Go to the air lock.
I'm not leaving you two.
Your power armor
is in the skiff.
Why would you bring it?
Get it
and come save our asses.
Okay.
I'll cover you.
(GROANS)
On three.
One, two, three, go!
(GUNFIRE)
(GRUNTS)
(GUNFIRE CONTINUES)
(GROANS)
You there?
I want to negotiate!
You do?
(THUMPING IN DISTANCE)
How 'bout we strap in tight
and I put the Roci
into a hard spin?
I bet you I can bounce that
thing out one of the holes.
Out of the question.
A maneuver like that
would snap him in two.
That thing is strong as hell.
I doubt it's just gonna trip
out and fall into space.
We better do something quick,
'cause Captain's
leg is crushed.
Well, I don't need
to run a marathon.
No, but you
crush enough muscle
and it starts leaking
potassium into your blood.
Your suit can only filter out
so much of that,
then your heart stops.
You know a lot
about how people die.
Yeah, I guess I do.
(SIGHS) Fantastic.
Whatever that thing is now,
it used to be human.
It's a living organism,
which means it has to have
some constraints.
What if we electrify the deck,
try to stun it?
Okay, look. This thing rips
through steel like tin foil.
It doesn't need air.
It shrugs through bullets.
You think a little electrical
shock is going to stop it?
Holden's standing
on that same deck.
I'm trying to come up
with an alternative.
That's the problem!
AMOS: Listen. Listen!
When I was apprenticing,
I did a tour
on a prospector ship
outside of Pallas Station.
We had a ton
of shitty equipment.
One time, we were on a run
and this guy's O2 regulator
valve got stuck open.
The pressure in his suit
went way up
and he started losing air
out of his relief valve.
He got scared that he was
going to run out of air
before we made it
back to the ship,
so we welded the valve shut.
But that would
eventually take...
Yes, it burst his suit
like a balloon,
and it popped him out
like a missile.
Well, that's a happy story.
But what's your point?
Okay, the Roci's
built for what?
Twenty, 30 people?
Yeah.
Well, since it's just us,
we have air to spare.
So we seal off engineering,
the reactor deck,
and the machine shop,
we over-pressurize them all,
we pop the hatch
to the cargo bay,
it'll blow that big door right
off, along with that thing.
Holden's pinned down.
That kind of pressure change
will rip him apart.
Maybe not.
You gotta do it.
NAOMI: No!
I'm going to find another way.
HOLDEN". Well, keep on looking
while you prepare to blow that
goddamn thing off my ship.
That's an order!
ITURBI: There. There it is.
Right in the middle
of the crater.
The radiation signature
of those pulses
is the same as what
was recorded on Eros.
The ridge structures
have grown an average
of nine millimeters
since our first scans.
The atmospheric acid levels
above the impact site
are rising while
the temperature is falling.
There's no doubt about it,
that crater is active.
And we're fresh out of probes.
This is where you say
we have to descend,
so we can get close
for our sensors
to get meaningful readings.
And then you point out
that we'd be at the edge
of what our ship is rated for,
and that our Martian shadow's
probably going to shoot at us.
Rig for atmospheric flight.
Take us down.
Aye, aye, sir.
(OVER PA) All hands,
make ready for descent.
I reinforced all the seals
to the machine shop.
Soon as we're done here,
we're onto the next deck.
Okay.
Amos. About what I did to you
on Ganymede. I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
You're sorry?
Yeah. lam.
You said that you needed
to do something
and I didn't listen.
I made you put me down.
That couldn't have been
easy for you.
Amos.
It's just that I've been...
I've been trying to make
choices on my own lately,
and I can't seem
to make the right ones.
No one's always right.
I'm sorry I hurt you.
When you said
Holden could survive this,
you were lying.
Yeah.
Do not blow the hatch
until I tell you to.
ALEX: Guys,
pick up the pace.
At this rate, that thing's
gonna get to the reactor
before we can seal
everything off.
AMOS". In that case...
Hey, Doc, grab a torch and
come down here and help me.
I don't know how to use one.
AMOS: Well, get your ass down
here and I'll show you how.
I'm on my way.
That ain't gonna cut it.
We gotta slow this thing down.
Guys, I'm gonna shut down
the drive.
Maybe that's gonna
buy us some time.
Stand by for zero G.
(ALEX CHUCKLES)
It's working.
It stopped digging.
(PANTING)
(GRUNTS)
Oh, shit.
It's heading back for Holden.
HOLDEN: If I can get my gun...
We hurt it the first time.
I can hurt it again.
It'll buy us some more time.
Oh, shit!
Hell, no.
Enough of that.
Sorry, Hoss. Powering up!
(GROANS)
(PANTING)
(HOLDEN PANTING)
We're reasonable people
in here.
We know this wasn't your plan.
And you're in
as much trouble as us.
You're in as much trouble
as we are.
Not sure I see it
that way, friend.
This doesn't have to go hard.
There's more than one way
we can do this.
You're losing a lot of blood.
I'll try to bleed slower.
Ask him what
the alternatives are.
I would love to hear
what alternatives you've got.
No one has to get hurt.
What we need to do now
is settle down
until I can talk to Mr. Mao.
So you're not going
to kill anyone?
I don't have to.
(SCOFFS)
Bullshit.
They can't let me
walk out of this.
I know.
We are only alive
until Mao is sure we aren't
useful to his grand scheme.
GUARD 1: Do we even
know how many?
GUARD 2: Anyone we don't know,
shoot on sight.
GUARD 12 Got it.
Cross Wind's over 300 KPH,
watch the shear!
Adjusting trim.
Is this your first time
diving through
hot clouds of sulfuric acid?
Well, there was
that one time at college.
(STEADY BEEPING)
The Martian ship...
It's on an intercept course!
Have they target-locked us?
Can't tell, sir.
There's too much interference.
What the hell was that?
The Martian ship, sir.
God damn it! They're going
to beat us to it.
(GUARD GRUNTS)
(GUN BEEPS)
Shit.
Oops.
Ar h!
(GRUNTS) g
Oops.
(GUN BEEPS)
(THUMPING IN DISTANCE)
(PANTING)
Jim, are there any
mining charges on this ship?
HOLDEN: Hmm, I don't think so.
(DEVICE BEEPING)
What would we do with them?
Blow the damn cargo doors open
so that Alex can spin
that thing out of the ship.
If you're trying
to protect me,
I don't think an explosion
that size
is going to do what you want.
There has to be something.
I just can't see it yet.
Just stop for a second.
Not yet.
I need to talk to you-
Please- We'll talk after.
No! Now!
It's okay.
Look“.
I've been on the other side
of this conversation.
And if the next few minutes is
all we get, we should take it.
Just“
if this is my time,
don't be an idiot like I was.
Don't go looking for revenge.
If I die here, let me go.
What?
Take the ship and the guys
and find someplace safe
to ride all this out.
(HOLDEN GROANING)
Are you saying you regret it?
Everything we've done
since the Canterbury?
No.
Yes. But...
Only because I don't get to
spend more time with you.
Revenge is the last thing
I'm thinking about now.
We're not right.
We are.
We're not.
So unless you can see
how to get you out safe,
and get that thing off our
ship, don't talk to me.
Not until I fix this.
Hurry up, GUYS-
If you won't take my word
on your safety,
what will you take?
Are you thinking about it?
Tell him
I'd need comm access.
Argh!
Sorry, you cannot
go into shock.
Tell him
I'd need comm access.
She needs comm access.
MALIK: I can't do that.
But, look...
I understand
why you don't trust me.
Let me trust you.
Leave the Undersecretary,
and you can go.
Say that again.
We have Mao's
little racing ship
in our other shuttle dock.
Hand over Avasarala
for us to keep safe.
You and the Martian
can take it and go.
Tell him you need assurance
of my safety.
I take the Martian
and you let us walk out.
MALIK: Look,
we both know how this goes.
Important, powerful people
start fighting each other,
it's people like us that die.
I've got nothing against you.
You've got nothing against me.
I need to keep control of
the Undersecretary. Not you.
We exchange hostages.
One of yours for Avasarala.
So I know you won't shoot
us down after we launch.
MALIK: This is a pleasure
yacht, not a gunship.
But I'll escort you
to the hangar myself.
Good enough?
Give me the gun.
Stop! Stop!
Don't come any closer!
If I take my thumb
off this button,
it'll put the air lock
in full lockdown.
You'll never
get out of here.
If you kill me,
you're trapped.
Hey, how's it...
What the hell? You're supposed
to be down there helping Amos.
We're doing this wrong.
Hear me out.
It's a nutrient gradient.
It's a nutri... What?
Jesus!
Look
Naomi said that
the creature gets energy
from radiation, right?
Yeah, sure.
It sucks radiation
the way a tick sucks blood.
First time we found
the protomolecule,
it was wrapped around
a reactor core, so what?
It's following
a nutrient gradient.
Like leaves growing toward
light or roots toward water.
Prax, we are running
out of time here.
How does all this
plant shit help us?
We can change the gradient.
If we give it a better food
source that's easier to reach,
we won't have
to force it out.
We lure it out.
This ship has torpedoes
armed with nuclear warheads,
doesn't it?
Yeah?
Yeah.
I'm warning you.
Do not come any closer.
I swear I'll lock it down
for good.
What makes you think I need
to get in the drop ship?
There's nothing else
down here.
Unless I've dramatically
misjudged this situation.
You're right.
Oh, thank God.
But you haven't
locked me out yet.
Yeah.
Because as soon as you do...
There's nothing to keep you
from beating me to death.
You're right about that, too.
So, where do we go from here?
Ask yourself.
ls he worth it?
Who?
The man you serve here.
Does he deserve
your sacrlfice?
I'm an electrician.
You're about to lay down your
life for an unworthy master.
That's not an honorable death,
no matter what they tell you.
So, if l let you in,
you'll let me go?
You have my word.
(BEEPS)
Um, do you think that you
could throw me
in one of those cargo lockers?
Maybe rough me up a little?
Just so they don't think,
you know.
You just happened to have a
nuclear warhead lying around?
We took it out of a torpedo
a while back.
A good Belter
never throws anything away.
So we'll carry it out
onto the hull
until we get close
to the cargo bay.
And then
I'll pull the shielding,
and you'll throw it out
away from the ship.
And hopefully,
if you're right,
that creature
will go after it.
I thought patching up
a bullet wound
was gonna be the
strangest thing I did today.
(DOOR BUZZES)
I keep thinking I'll tell Mei
about this when I get home.
Normally, my stories
are about soybeans.
She pretends to care.
Pretended.
HOLDEN: Amos? You there?
I'm right here, Cap.
If this plan doesn't work...
I'll blow the hatch.
There's no way this ends with
that thing inside this ship.
Thank you.
In case I have to kill you,
I just wanted to say thanks.
You made some pretty
stupid choices
since you've been in charge,
but you were always trying
to do the right thing, so...
Hmm.
Yeah. (CHUCKLES)
That came out bad.
I mean, you were always
trying to be a good man.
Not everybody does.
Thank you.
It was nice
not having to worry
about being
on the right team.
You bet.
NAOMI: Alex,
we're ready to go out.
Roger that.
Standing by to shut down
the drive on your mark.
I'm going to need
an answer, friend.
I'm thinking.
If you're going to do it,
take over.
What?
If you're going
to sell me out,
I understand.
It's the rational choice.
But you have
to stop Errinwright
before he can use
the protomolecule
to wage the war
he's always wanted.
You owe me that.
I don't owe you anything.
My son...
Yes, your son.
I failed at my job,
and Charanpal died.
I owe him. Not you.
I'm paying him back
by keeping his mother safe.
What the hell are you doing?
If I have any value
as a prisoner,
I may use it
to save your life.
Gambling they haven't decided
to take you out?
That's a bad bet.
I won't let you make it.
I don't answer to you.
This is Chrisjen Avasarala.
Hold your fire.
I'm coming out.
Find the girl.
(DEVICE CHIMES)
JULES-PIERRE: (OVER PHONE)
Clean up the mess.
Yes, sir, I understand.
I'll take care of it.
It's nothing personal.
I guess Mao made up his mind.
I'm so sorry.
NAOMI: Keep your eyes down.
PRAX: This isn't my first time
in a space suit.
NAOMI:
It's your first time in space,
with no ground,
no sky, and no horizon.
Eyes down.
All right.
Let's extract the core.
Warhead is open.
Guys... It's working!
NAOMI: Copy that. Prax, when
I disengage the interlock,
the chamber
will try to foul shut,
so I have to hold it
open manually.
Keep it steady.
PRAX: Got it.
NAOMI: When I give the word,
you pull the core.
Now. Pull it now!
AMOS: It's out the door.
It's headed your way!
Okay, here it comes!
Get ready!
NAOMI: We see it!
Steady, Prax.
Just let it get
a little closer.
Prax.
Wait. Wait.
Now!
Prax! What are
you waiting for?
Throw it!
Throw it!
Come on, Doc! Do it!
Prax, it's not Mei.
Move!
(EXHALES)
Alex, we're in. Do it!
Firing up the barbecue!
(ENGINE POWERING UP)
WOMAN: (OVER PA)
Prepping all units.
We just picked up
a massive EM uptick.
I think the crater is moving.
Sir, the Martian ship is gone!
What do you mean, "gone"?
It just vanished
off our scopes.
What just happened?
I think we've stopped.
That's impossible.
You're sure it's gone?
Damn straight.
We stripped it right down
to its nuclei.
(GROANS)
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Sorry, Hoss.
That's gotta hurt.
(SIGHS) Good job, man.
You guys really saved my ass.
Actually, it was his idea.
This is one steely-eyed man
of science, our plant guy.
Thank you.
I'm glad you're okay.
Boys. Can we have
the room for a minute?
Sure.
Yeah.
Glad I didn't have
to kill you, brother.
(CHUCKLES) Me, too.
Oh!
God.
(SIGHS) I spend
a lot more time
in this room than I'd like.
(CHUCKLES) Yeah.
Um...
I have something
I need to say to you.
And I'm not sure
how I'm going to do it.
How bad could it be?
We said no more secrets,
but I've still got one.
Well, whatever it is,
we'll be all right.
The protomolecule
has changed everything,
except everything it didn't.
I don't ever remember a time
when Earth, Mars and the Belt
weren't fighting.
The sides change sometimes.
What we think
we're fighting for.
Who we tell ourselves
are the good people.
But it just seems we can't
ever stop fighting war
after war after war.
It's part of being human.
An ugly part, but I don't
think it will ever change.
Technology certainly
hasn't changed it.
Guns. Rail guns.
Nuclear bombs.
No weapon ever brings peace.
No one knows what
the protomolecule wants
or what it's doing,
but they are using it anyway.
It's already scattered too far
to ever be sure
it'll all be gone.
It's part of the equation now,
and it will be from now on.
We can't change that.
We can't wish it away.
Earth has it.
Mars has it.
And the Belt needs it, too.
I didn't destroy our sample.
L never sent our torpedo
into the sun.
I couldn't do it.
There was a moment
on the Somnambulist
when I thought
I wasn't going to make it.
I was sure we were
all going to die there.
And that our sample
would be lost.
And I couldn't
let that happen.
Naomi.
What did you do?
I gave the protomolecule
to Fred Johnson.
Sweet dreams.
(DR. STRICKLAND
WHISTLING TUNE)
No... That is not your kid!
Not anymore!
When you gonna
open this door?
AMOS: We can't
open that door again.
Those people will kill you.
Let gm!
(AMOS GROANS)
ALEX: The Somnambulist is
pushing off, they're underway!
We're not going anywhere
till that thing is dead.
The second the Somnambulist
sticks its head out of the
station it's gonna get lit up!
MAN: (OVER RADIO) Return to
port or you will be fired upon.
This is your final warning.
ALEX: This ain't
gonna end anything.
Naomi was right.
And you know it.
(LAUGHS)
Looks like we're clear.
When you exonerate
my family, unconditionally,
unfreeze my assets,
we'll talk about how
I can help keep
Earth and Mars from blowing up
this whole goddamn system.
SADAVIR: Martian Defense
Minister Korshunov
suffered a fatal heart attack
earlier this evening.
One of us has to lose.
Simultaneously,
the MCRN Karakum,
dispatched by Korshunov
to take delivery of your
protomolecule technology
was destroyed.
And I gave the order.
You will clean up this mess,
and you will get the fuck
back to work.
(THEME MUSIC PLAYING)
Well, it looks like
you guys have some shit
you need to figure out.
Just make a hole,
we'll get on the elevator
and go back to our ship.
I can't do that.
Then we've got a problem.
(GRUNTS)
(GUNNY GRUNTS)
Get down!
(PANTING)
You're shot.
What?
Well, that's disappointing.
(DOOR BUZZES)
Oh, I'll take you
to the med bay.
I can get there on my own.
Doc'll take care of me.
You saved us.
I don't deserve
credit for that.
If Alex hadn't talked me
off the ledge,
we would've been too late.
Did you kill that thing
from the lab?
No. And it doesn't matter.
I almost traded
your lives to do it.
This does not sound like
the man I walked away from
on Ganymede.
And I understand why you did.
It won't happen again.
Jim...
It's nice to have you back.
That doesn't sting at all.
Are you sure
that's the antiseptic?
No. I told you,
my degree is in botany.
But you're a doctor.
How's it look?
If you were a fern,
I'd say you have a fatal lack
of chlorophyll.
I'm sorry
about your little girl.
We still don't know
what happened to her.
Not for sure.
You're right.
That thing that broke out
of the lab...
Do you think
that used to be a kid?
I think so.
ALEX: Hey, all.
I took it upon myself
to radio ahead
to the aid convoy that the
Somnambulist is heading for,
and it looks like
they're gonna be doing
a little, uh,
braking maneuver
so that the two of them
will link up a bit sooner.
So, the Somnambulist is gonna
get there with air to spare.
You're one hell of a pilot.
Well. Thank you.
They're engaging
over Ganymede again.
How's the Roci?
I'm not gonna lie.
The lower decks took a lot of
shrapnel from that torpedo,
and there's multiple
punctures astern.
But she's a tough girl.
A little TLC
and she'll be right as rain.
You up for
a little patch work?
Sure.
All right. Let's do it.
Oh, it's been vented.
All right,
let's take a look-see.
Damn, the pressure door
is completely inoperative.
That is a hell of a lot
of shrapnel damage.
(GASPS)
What the fuck is that?
Shit.
Holden!
It's in the cargo bay!
That's the thing
we were chasing.
Son of a bitch,
it must've hitched a ride
when we had it cornered
in the ag dome.
How the hell
did it ever hang on?
NAOMI: Doesn't matter.
This time
we don't have a choice.
We have to kill it.
We don't have to go
into this blind.
The data core's
starting to decrypt.
Let's just take some time
and try to figure out
what we're actually
dealing with here.
It's not
doing anything dangerous.
And we're not going
to give it a chance to.
That thing is a living weapon,
it's a killing machine.
It's not a machine.
It's not human.
It clearly was once.
Not anymore.
I'm gonna go down there. I'm gonna
talk to it. No. You're not.
We're going to shoot it,
and we're gonna
keep on shooting it.
And if that doesn't kill it,
we're gonna force it out
the way it came in.
All we have to do is make sure
it gets onto the hull
so Alex can roll the ship
and dump it
into the drive plume.
Holden!
Prax, we gotta burn that thing
down to its fucking atoms.
Is there a plan B?
Yeah.
Make sure plan A works.
(HOLDEN BREATHING HEAVILY)
(EXHALES)
HOLDEN: (OVER RADIO)
Upper deck looks clear.
AMOS: Where the heH
is that thing? I don't see it.
HOLDEN". Me neither. Naomi?
NAOMI: We just lost sight
of it behind the container
near a bulkhead
on the lower deck, aft.
There's no good camera
on that position.
(METAL CLANGING)
Keep moving to your left.
It has to be down there.
We would have seen it
if it moved.
HOLDEN: Oh, Shit!
AMOS: What?
HOLDEN: Amos, right flank.
I'll go left.
Set up a cross fire and force
it out the hole in the door.
AMOS". Roger that.
What the hell
is that thing doing?
HOLDEN: I don't know.
It looks like
it's scratching itself.
It has some kind of tech
implanted in its chest.
AMOS: Oh, shit!
HOLDEN: God!
What the fuck was that?
HOLDEN: Fire!
(ROARS)
(AMOS YELLS)
(HOLDEN SCREAMING)
Holden! Amos!
What the hell is going on?
(SCREAMING)
Cap's in trouble.
That thing pinned him to
a wall with a cargo container.
I can't disengage
the mag lock.
Amos, open that panel.
We have to override the lock.
AMOS". I'm on it.
HOLDEN; Amos!
Fall back!
Amos, you're losing air.
You need to get
out of here now.
Get out of here!
You're no good to anyone dead.
(HOLDEN PANTING)
It's backing off.
Maybe it no longer
considers you a threat.
It's not some dumb animal.
The device it tore out
of its chest
was a fail-safe regulator,
some kind of command
and control module.
Control module, my ass.
That was an incendiary device,
you understand?
A bomb probably designed
to destroy that thing
in case it got out of control,
all right?
And I wish we had known
about that thing inside it
before it ripped it
out of its chest!
It was smart enough
to get rid of it.
Clearly, it's intelligent. Oh,
is that why you didn't...
We can speculate
about its intelligence
after we get it
out of this ship.
We were hurting
that thing for sure.
HOLDEN". Hey, guys!
Are you seeing this?
NAOMI: It's digging
into the bulkhead. Why?
Shit. The protomolecule
feeds on radiation.
That thing's trying
to get to the reactor.
If it punctures the chamber...
We're more or less fucked.
Our escort ship
isn't responding.
Errinwright must've
covered that, too.
He delivered you to the enemy
like a Christmas present.
That motherfucker! I trained him.
You warned me.
Language, please.
Privacy view.
Show me all utility
access points.
CHRISJEN: Your wound.
It doesn't look good.
COTYAR: Thanks for the pep talk.
It's better than it could be.
Keep the comm array dark,
no messages out.
I want guards on every deck.
I found a way out.
There's a maintenance crawl
on the other side
of that wall.
It should lead us
to the elevator shaft.
That is not going to work.
Right. You'd never
make that climb.
Jesus Christ! Not because I'm old.
He's been shot.
Plus, she's really old.
(DOOR OPENING)
(GRUNTS IN PAIN)
We've got
a defensible position here.
I'll hold it
as long as I can.
Go to the air lock.
I'm not leaving you two.
Your power armor
is in the skiff.
Why would you bring it?
Get it
and come save our asses.
Okay.
I'll cover you.
(GROANS)
On three.
One, two, three, go!
(GUNFIRE)
(GRUNTS)
(GUNFIRE CONTINUES)
(GROANS)
You there?
I want to negotiate!
You do?
(THUMPING IN DISTANCE)
How 'bout we strap in tight
and I put the Roci
into a hard spin?
I bet you I can bounce that
thing out one of the holes.
Out of the question.
A maneuver like that
would snap him in two.
That thing is strong as hell.
I doubt it's just gonna trip
out and fall into space.
We better do something quick,
'cause Captain's
leg is crushed.
Well, I don't need
to run a marathon.
No, but you
crush enough muscle
and it starts leaking
potassium into your blood.
Your suit can only filter out
so much of that,
then your heart stops.
You know a lot
about how people die.
Yeah, I guess I do.
(SIGHS) Fantastic.
Whatever that thing is now,
it used to be human.
It's a living organism,
which means it has to have
some constraints.
What if we electrify the deck,
try to stun it?
Okay, look. This thing rips
through steel like tin foil.
It doesn't need air.
It shrugs through bullets.
You think a little electrical
shock is going to stop it?
Holden's standing
on that same deck.
I'm trying to come up
with an alternative.
That's the problem!
AMOS: Listen. Listen!
When I was apprenticing,
I did a tour
on a prospector ship
outside of Pallas Station.
We had a ton
of shitty equipment.
One time, we were on a run
and this guy's O2 regulator
valve got stuck open.
The pressure in his suit
went way up
and he started losing air
out of his relief valve.
He got scared that he was
going to run out of air
before we made it
back to the ship,
so we welded the valve shut.
But that would
eventually take...
Yes, it burst his suit
like a balloon,
and it popped him out
like a missile.
Well, that's a happy story.
But what's your point?
Okay, the Roci's
built for what?
Twenty, 30 people?
Yeah.
Well, since it's just us,
we have air to spare.
So we seal off engineering,
the reactor deck,
and the machine shop,
we over-pressurize them all,
we pop the hatch
to the cargo bay,
it'll blow that big door right
off, along with that thing.
Holden's pinned down.
That kind of pressure change
will rip him apart.
Maybe not.
You gotta do it.
NAOMI: No!
I'm going to find another way.
HOLDEN". Well, keep on looking
while you prepare to blow that
goddamn thing off my ship.
That's an order!
ITURBI: There. There it is.
Right in the middle
of the crater.
The radiation signature
of those pulses
is the same as what
was recorded on Eros.
The ridge structures
have grown an average
of nine millimeters
since our first scans.
The atmospheric acid levels
above the impact site
are rising while
the temperature is falling.
There's no doubt about it,
that crater is active.
And we're fresh out of probes.
This is where you say
we have to descend,
so we can get close
for our sensors
to get meaningful readings.
And then you point out
that we'd be at the edge
of what our ship is rated for,
and that our Martian shadow's
probably going to shoot at us.
Rig for atmospheric flight.
Take us down.
Aye, aye, sir.
(OVER PA) All hands,
make ready for descent.
I reinforced all the seals
to the machine shop.
Soon as we're done here,
we're onto the next deck.
Okay.
Amos. About what I did to you
on Ganymede. I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
You're sorry?
Yeah. lam.
You said that you needed
to do something
and I didn't listen.
I made you put me down.
That couldn't have been
easy for you.
Amos.
It's just that I've been...
I've been trying to make
choices on my own lately,
and I can't seem
to make the right ones.
No one's always right.
I'm sorry I hurt you.
When you said
Holden could survive this,
you were lying.
Yeah.
Do not blow the hatch
until I tell you to.
ALEX: Guys,
pick up the pace.
At this rate, that thing's
gonna get to the reactor
before we can seal
everything off.
AMOS". In that case...
Hey, Doc, grab a torch and
come down here and help me.
I don't know how to use one.
AMOS: Well, get your ass down
here and I'll show you how.
I'm on my way.
That ain't gonna cut it.
We gotta slow this thing down.
Guys, I'm gonna shut down
the drive.
Maybe that's gonna
buy us some time.
Stand by for zero G.
(ALEX CHUCKLES)
It's working.
It stopped digging.
(PANTING)
(GRUNTS)
Oh, shit.
It's heading back for Holden.
HOLDEN: If I can get my gun...
We hurt it the first time.
I can hurt it again.
It'll buy us some more time.
Oh, shit!
Hell, no.
Enough of that.
Sorry, Hoss. Powering up!
(GROANS)
(PANTING)
(HOLDEN PANTING)
We're reasonable people
in here.
We know this wasn't your plan.
And you're in
as much trouble as us.
You're in as much trouble
as we are.
Not sure I see it
that way, friend.
This doesn't have to go hard.
There's more than one way
we can do this.
You're losing a lot of blood.
I'll try to bleed slower.
Ask him what
the alternatives are.
I would love to hear
what alternatives you've got.
No one has to get hurt.
What we need to do now
is settle down
until I can talk to Mr. Mao.
So you're not going
to kill anyone?
I don't have to.
(SCOFFS)
Bullshit.
They can't let me
walk out of this.
I know.
We are only alive
until Mao is sure we aren't
useful to his grand scheme.
GUARD 1: Do we even
know how many?
GUARD 2: Anyone we don't know,
shoot on sight.
GUARD 12 Got it.
Cross Wind's over 300 KPH,
watch the shear!
Adjusting trim.
Is this your first time
diving through
hot clouds of sulfuric acid?
Well, there was
that one time at college.
(STEADY BEEPING)
The Martian ship...
It's on an intercept course!
Have they target-locked us?
Can't tell, sir.
There's too much interference.
What the hell was that?
The Martian ship, sir.
God damn it! They're going
to beat us to it.
(GUARD GRUNTS)
(GUN BEEPS)
Shit.
Oops.
Ar h!
(GRUNTS) g
Oops.
(GUN BEEPS)
(THUMPING IN DISTANCE)
(PANTING)
Jim, are there any
mining charges on this ship?
HOLDEN: Hmm, I don't think so.
(DEVICE BEEPING)
What would we do with them?
Blow the damn cargo doors open
so that Alex can spin
that thing out of the ship.
If you're trying
to protect me,
I don't think an explosion
that size
is going to do what you want.
There has to be something.
I just can't see it yet.
Just stop for a second.
Not yet.
I need to talk to you-
Please- We'll talk after.
No! Now!
It's okay.
Look“.
I've been on the other side
of this conversation.
And if the next few minutes is
all we get, we should take it.
Just“
if this is my time,
don't be an idiot like I was.
Don't go looking for revenge.
If I die here, let me go.
What?
Take the ship and the guys
and find someplace safe
to ride all this out.
(HOLDEN GROANING)
Are you saying you regret it?
Everything we've done
since the Canterbury?
No.
Yes. But...
Only because I don't get to
spend more time with you.
Revenge is the last thing
I'm thinking about now.
We're not right.
We are.
We're not.
So unless you can see
how to get you out safe,
and get that thing off our
ship, don't talk to me.
Not until I fix this.
Hurry up, GUYS-
If you won't take my word
on your safety,
what will you take?
Are you thinking about it?
Tell him
I'd need comm access.
Argh!
Sorry, you cannot
go into shock.
Tell him
I'd need comm access.
She needs comm access.
MALIK: I can't do that.
But, look...
I understand
why you don't trust me.
Let me trust you.
Leave the Undersecretary,
and you can go.
Say that again.
We have Mao's
little racing ship
in our other shuttle dock.
Hand over Avasarala
for us to keep safe.
You and the Martian
can take it and go.
Tell him you need assurance
of my safety.
I take the Martian
and you let us walk out.
MALIK: Look,
we both know how this goes.
Important, powerful people
start fighting each other,
it's people like us that die.
I've got nothing against you.
You've got nothing against me.
I need to keep control of
the Undersecretary. Not you.
We exchange hostages.
One of yours for Avasarala.
So I know you won't shoot
us down after we launch.
MALIK: This is a pleasure
yacht, not a gunship.
But I'll escort you
to the hangar myself.
Good enough?
Give me the gun.
Stop! Stop!
Don't come any closer!
If I take my thumb
off this button,
it'll put the air lock
in full lockdown.
You'll never
get out of here.
If you kill me,
you're trapped.
Hey, how's it...
What the hell? You're supposed
to be down there helping Amos.
We're doing this wrong.
Hear me out.
It's a nutrient gradient.
It's a nutri... What?
Jesus!
Look
Naomi said that
the creature gets energy
from radiation, right?
Yeah, sure.
It sucks radiation
the way a tick sucks blood.
First time we found
the protomolecule,
it was wrapped around
a reactor core, so what?
It's following
a nutrient gradient.
Like leaves growing toward
light or roots toward water.
Prax, we are running
out of time here.
How does all this
plant shit help us?
We can change the gradient.
If we give it a better food
source that's easier to reach,
we won't have
to force it out.
We lure it out.
This ship has torpedoes
armed with nuclear warheads,
doesn't it?
Yeah?
Yeah.
I'm warning you.
Do not come any closer.
I swear I'll lock it down
for good.
What makes you think I need
to get in the drop ship?
There's nothing else
down here.
Unless I've dramatically
misjudged this situation.
You're right.
Oh, thank God.
But you haven't
locked me out yet.
Yeah.
Because as soon as you do...
There's nothing to keep you
from beating me to death.
You're right about that, too.
So, where do we go from here?
Ask yourself.
ls he worth it?
Who?
The man you serve here.
Does he deserve
your sacrlfice?
I'm an electrician.
You're about to lay down your
life for an unworthy master.
That's not an honorable death,
no matter what they tell you.
So, if l let you in,
you'll let me go?
You have my word.
(BEEPS)
Um, do you think that you
could throw me
in one of those cargo lockers?
Maybe rough me up a little?
Just so they don't think,
you know.
You just happened to have a
nuclear warhead lying around?
We took it out of a torpedo
a while back.
A good Belter
never throws anything away.
So we'll carry it out
onto the hull
until we get close
to the cargo bay.
And then
I'll pull the shielding,
and you'll throw it out
away from the ship.
And hopefully,
if you're right,
that creature
will go after it.
I thought patching up
a bullet wound
was gonna be the
strangest thing I did today.
(DOOR BUZZES)
I keep thinking I'll tell Mei
about this when I get home.
Normally, my stories
are about soybeans.
She pretends to care.
Pretended.
HOLDEN: Amos? You there?
I'm right here, Cap.
If this plan doesn't work...
I'll blow the hatch.
There's no way this ends with
that thing inside this ship.
Thank you.
In case I have to kill you,
I just wanted to say thanks.
You made some pretty
stupid choices
since you've been in charge,
but you were always trying
to do the right thing, so...
Hmm.
Yeah. (CHUCKLES)
That came out bad.
I mean, you were always
trying to be a good man.
Not everybody does.
Thank you.
It was nice
not having to worry
about being
on the right team.
You bet.
NAOMI: Alex,
we're ready to go out.
Roger that.
Standing by to shut down
the drive on your mark.
I'm going to need
an answer, friend.
I'm thinking.
If you're going to do it,
take over.
What?
If you're going
to sell me out,
I understand.
It's the rational choice.
But you have
to stop Errinwright
before he can use
the protomolecule
to wage the war
he's always wanted.
You owe me that.
I don't owe you anything.
My son...
Yes, your son.
I failed at my job,
and Charanpal died.
I owe him. Not you.
I'm paying him back
by keeping his mother safe.
What the hell are you doing?
If I have any value
as a prisoner,
I may use it
to save your life.
Gambling they haven't decided
to take you out?
That's a bad bet.
I won't let you make it.
I don't answer to you.
This is Chrisjen Avasarala.
Hold your fire.
I'm coming out.
Find the girl.
(DEVICE CHIMES)
JULES-PIERRE: (OVER PHONE)
Clean up the mess.
Yes, sir, I understand.
I'll take care of it.
It's nothing personal.
I guess Mao made up his mind.
I'm so sorry.
NAOMI: Keep your eyes down.
PRAX: This isn't my first time
in a space suit.
NAOMI:
It's your first time in space,
with no ground,
no sky, and no horizon.
Eyes down.
All right.
Let's extract the core.
Warhead is open.
Guys... It's working!
NAOMI: Copy that. Prax, when
I disengage the interlock,
the chamber
will try to foul shut,
so I have to hold it
open manually.
Keep it steady.
PRAX: Got it.
NAOMI: When I give the word,
you pull the core.
Now. Pull it now!
AMOS: It's out the door.
It's headed your way!
Okay, here it comes!
Get ready!
NAOMI: We see it!
Steady, Prax.
Just let it get
a little closer.
Prax.
Wait. Wait.
Now!
Prax! What are
you waiting for?
Throw it!
Throw it!
Come on, Doc! Do it!
Prax, it's not Mei.
Move!
(EXHALES)
Alex, we're in. Do it!
Firing up the barbecue!
(ENGINE POWERING UP)
WOMAN: (OVER PA)
Prepping all units.
We just picked up
a massive EM uptick.
I think the crater is moving.
Sir, the Martian ship is gone!
What do you mean, "gone"?
It just vanished
off our scopes.
What just happened?
I think we've stopped.
That's impossible.
You're sure it's gone?
Damn straight.
We stripped it right down
to its nuclei.
(GROANS)
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Sorry, Hoss.
That's gotta hurt.
(SIGHS) Good job, man.
You guys really saved my ass.
Actually, it was his idea.
This is one steely-eyed man
of science, our plant guy.
Thank you.
I'm glad you're okay.
Boys. Can we have
the room for a minute?
Sure.
Yeah.
Glad I didn't have
to kill you, brother.
(CHUCKLES) Me, too.
Oh!
God.
(SIGHS) I spend
a lot more time
in this room than I'd like.
(CHUCKLES) Yeah.
Um...
I have something
I need to say to you.
And I'm not sure
how I'm going to do it.
How bad could it be?
We said no more secrets,
but I've still got one.
Well, whatever it is,
we'll be all right.
The protomolecule
has changed everything,
except everything it didn't.
I don't ever remember a time
when Earth, Mars and the Belt
weren't fighting.
The sides change sometimes.
What we think
we're fighting for.
Who we tell ourselves
are the good people.
But it just seems we can't
ever stop fighting war
after war after war.
It's part of being human.
An ugly part, but I don't
think it will ever change.
Technology certainly
hasn't changed it.
Guns. Rail guns.
Nuclear bombs.
No weapon ever brings peace.
No one knows what
the protomolecule wants
or what it's doing,
but they are using it anyway.
It's already scattered too far
to ever be sure
it'll all be gone.
It's part of the equation now,
and it will be from now on.
We can't change that.
We can't wish it away.
Earth has it.
Mars has it.
And the Belt needs it, too.
I didn't destroy our sample.
L never sent our torpedo
into the sun.
I couldn't do it.
There was a moment
on the Somnambulist
when I thought
I wasn't going to make it.
I was sure we were
all going to die there.
And that our sample
would be lost.
And I couldn't
let that happen.
Naomi.
What did you do?
I gave the protomolecule
to Fred Johnson.
Sweet dreams.
(DR. STRICKLAND
WHISTLING TUNE)