Original subtitles

[dramatic music playing] [wind howling]

[Archer] [on radio] K969 base to Excursion Team One.

Do you read?

[static]

K969 base, broadcasting on all emergency frequencies

to Excursion Team One. Do you read?

Still not getting anything?

Coming up on three hours overdue.

[Archer] How many times did I tell them,

you don't send an excursion team into an unexplored cave

for a two-day "radio-silence" drop.

What the hell's wrong with these departmental idiots?

It's not them.

It's the administration.

The university's pressuring every department to earn its keep.

And they're thinking what? They're going to cash in

on rupture zone and active fault studies?

Do you have any idea what it costs to keep this place running?

I know exactly what it costs.

It costs me three men stranded in an ice cave.

K969 base

[over radio] to Excursion Team One. Do you read?

Grimes?

K969 base broadcasting on all emergency frequencies.

Excursion Team One, do you read?

Wilkin? Can anyone read me?

Baruch, come in.

[Marcy] You know how I check my blood pressure every day?

Well, I checked it this morning and it was a little high,

and then this afternoon it was a little low.

I don't know, I think I'm gonna check it again

and I'm just gonna average them out and...

You can never be too careful, right?

This damn storm's not going to clear until tomorrow.

[door opens] Robby, we're getting something.

[radio beeping]

What have you got?

I don't know. Um... Listen.

This is K969 base. Can you repeat?

[man] [on radio] All gone...

[static] [grunts]

[Archer] This is Robby in Air One.

Do you read, Mobile One?

[Pete] Copy. We just got to the cave entrance.

Confirming your initial assessment.

No sign of the excursion team,

One set of tracks leaving the cave.

Okay, Pete, listen up.

I don't want anyone taking any risks.

You and A.J. are only to go into that cave

as far as you feel it's safe to do so. Understand?

[Pete] Copy that. We'll cover the cave, you've got the ice.

We'll try the west ridge.

Whoever it was that left that cave,

we're going to be bringing back a body.

[helicopter blades whirring]

Hey, there. What's that?

[snow squishing]

[Archer] Air One to Mobile One.

We've got a live one.

[grunting]

[groaning]

It's okay, Grimes. You're going to be okay.

Where are the others?

What happened to the others?

All...

gone.

They found Wilkin and Baruch in the deepest part of the cave.

Grimes killed them?

It looks like it.

All the way back,

he kept rambling about how his father used to beat him.

He must be in shock or something.

[sighing] Grimes just died.

What in the hell happened out there?

[scurrying]

[Control Voice] There is nothing wrong with your television.

Do not attempt to adjust the picture.

We are now controlling the transmission.

We control the horizontal and the vertical.

We can deluge you with a thousand channels

or expand one single image to crystal clarity

and beyond.

We can shape your vision

to anything our imagination can conceive.

For the next hour,

we will control all that you see and hear.

You are about to experience the awe and mystery

which reaches from the deepest inner mind

to The Outer Limits.

[Control Voice] Physical scars are evidence of a wound long since healed.

But what about the wounds we can't see?

What is left behind

when there is trauma to the soul?

And this is the illustrious recreation area,

complete with Eskimo art, outdated magazines,

and stale popcorn smell.

And that's Pete.

He's a grad student.

-Hi. -[Jack] Hey, Pete.

-Wow, you guys really know how to live. -Oh, yeah.

So have you talked to Robby yet?

No. No, I'm looking forward to it.

Haven't seen each other since we were kids.

Just too bad it has to be under these circumstances.

I was surprised to see your name

on the list of people the university was considering.

Thanks for the recommendation.

I'm just glad you could make it on such short notice.

It's been a rough couple of days.

You know, people are acting like nothing happened.

That's not uncommon, especially with post-traumatic stress.

You know, considering winter shutdown's only two days away,

I'm surprised the university bothered to send a counselor.

I guess they just want to make sure everyone's okay.

Main lab.

This is where our team spends most of their time

analyzing seismographic data, testing core samples,

and sorting through field results.

[Rachel] Oh, Lou.

-Sorry. -[Rachel] Okay...

Jack Burrell, this is Lou Wolsky, one of our research assistants.

Nice to meet you.

Do you want this box?

Uh, no, I don't.

Good, good, 'cause I got all my stuff in this box,

and if you wanted it, I would have to take everything out,

and I don't want to take everything out.

Okay... well, I don't need a box, so we're in luck.

[Lou] Good, perfect.

Nice to meet you.

-Yeah. -[chuckles]

Lou's a little weird, but he's got a good head for numbers, so...

this is Marcy...

-Hi. -Hey.

A.J.

-Hi. -Hey.

The station is set up with two snowmobiles and a jet ranger.

The snowmobiles get about a hundred miles per tank,

and the copter, about 275.

The closest town is 430.

We are all alone up here.

-Jack. -Robby.

I heard they were sending someone in to stir up trouble.

Head researcher and facility manager.

Code for "No one else would take the gig." Huh?

Exactly.

Listen, I've got to go over a couple things with Rachel.

But I'll catch up with you later, okay?

Okay.

-Thank you for the tour. -Sure.

I still can't believe you recommended him.

I still can't believe you have a problem with that.

You knew they were sending someone up. Why not him?

He's just gonna have to turn around and leave with everybody else.

Great, then no harm done.

You know, you haven't seen him in years. I thought you'd be thrilled.

We're in the middle of winter shutdown.

People are going home, not coming up.

And in case you haven't noticed,

this isn't the best time to schedule a reunion between me and Jack Burrell.

Like there ever would be.

Okay, fine.

[tapping]

Got a game in you?

Yeah, I'm not really in the mood.

Yeah, that's cool.

This has been a rough couple of days, huh?

Yeah.

[spinning]

I was talking to some of your coworkers, and, uh,

they said that you told the university

you thought the expedition was a bad idea.

Yeah. I don't really feel like getting into it.

The investigators back in Barrow are thinking isolation stress.

Grimes was up here for almost a year.

It's unlikely that the expedition had anything to do with his breakdown.

That's what I hear.

So how are you doing with it? Are you okay?

Me?

I'm fine.

Okay.

You know what I was thinking about today?

I was thinking about that Thanksgiving that you, uh...

You spent at our house

when that kid Tommy was visiting from out of town

and he kept asking where the dog was,

and the dog had died, like, two months before.

So to stop him from bugging us,

you walked him over to the oven,

flipped on the light, pointed at the turkey,

and said, "That's the dog."

[chuckling] That's right.

He cried every time someone said, "Pass the white meat."

[both chuckling]

And Mattie kept calling the drumstick a dog leg.

I miss Matt.

I feel bad, you know.

You and I kind of drifted apart after the accident,

and I was just curious how you were doing with that.

I'm fine, okay?

I'm fine.

Hey, are you still mad at me?

Yeah.

So's the engagement's off?

Maybe.

Did you talk to Jack?

-Yeah. -About Matt?

No, not really.

You know, you never really told me about that.

I only get bits and pieces.

There's nothing to tell, Rach. You've heard it.

No, I haven't.

Matt and Jack and I were playing hockey on the river near our house, and...

someone shot the puck away from where we were playing,

so Matt and I raced over

to see who could get there first.

A second later, we fell through the ice.

The next thing I knew, Jack was leaning in.

I grabbed onto one hand. Matt grabbed the other.

Matt told Jack to let go of him.

So Jack let go of Matt and, um...

pulled me out.

Matt got sucked under the ice and died.

I'm sorry.

It was a long time ago.

-You okay? -Yeah.

-Sure? -Yeah.

[scurrying]

[sighing]

[faint squeaking]

Robby, you'd better come quick. Lou's acting really weird.

Lou's always acting really weird, Marcy.

Not like this.

So what do you say, Lou? Want to come out?

Remember our deal?

You promised that if no one laughed at you, that you'd come out.

No one's laughing at you, Lou.

We're all friends here.

Everyone's always laughing at me.

Stop making fun of me. It's not funny.

I don't even know you.

Who are you?

[Archer] Lou.

What's going on, Lou?

Who's laughing at you?

Everyone. All the other kids.

They poke fun at me.

They think I don't hear them, but I do.

I want to make it stop.

I want to make it stop.

Okay.

Lou, you know, this is all about Grimes and the others.

Everybody reacts to stress differently.

We all feel a little bit scared here right now.

I'm going to make it stop.

Lou, look at me. Lou, look at me.

Put the flare gun down.

Listen to me.

You and me, we'll go to sick bay,

and Mauser'll give you something to calm you down.

I'm not sick.

Okay, okay. Okay...you're not sick.

Okay.

The kids are laughing at me.

[sobbing]

[Archer] No, no, they're not.

Lou, I sent all the kids away.

[Rachel] How is he?

They had to restrain him. Mauser gave him a sedative.

What the hell were you trying to do?

I was trying to calm him down.

Calm him down?

You opened your mouth and he put a flare gun to his head. You're very good.

He just suffered a serious psychological break.

If I had been called in sooner, it might not have happened.

Oh, right, I forgot. You're the one who saves people.

[Lou] My stomach hurts.

My stomach hurts.

[children's voices taunting]

Stop it.

[voices continue]

I'm going to make it stop.

I'm going to make it stop.

I'm going to make it stop.

[snaps] [grunting]

[struggling voices] [grunting]

[screaming]

Get off!

What's happening? What happened?

[Archer] He swallowed a bottle of pills.

We have to induce vomiting.

Get me a tongue depressor.

Leave me alone.

No more...

Tongue depressor.

Open your mouth.

-Open your mouth, Lou. -No.

[choking]

[retching]

[scurrying]

Oh, my God.

[Archer] Are you out of your mind?

You're gonna cancel the flight because of this?

We could be stuck up here all winter.

There aren't enough supplies.

[man] [on radio] We'll make an air drop if we have to.

What about Lou? The guy's in critical condition.

I'm sorry. It's university policy.

We can't run the risk of transporting an unknown parasite to a populated area.

We'll get this figured out.

Until then, I would ask all of you

to assist Dr. Mauser any way you can.

He's taking the lead on this, and he'll keep you informed.

Son of a bitch.

[keyboard clacking]

Hi.

[shudders]

You sure that thing's dead?

Mmm-hmm. How's Lou doing?

Lou is not good.

How the hell did they get inside of him?

I don't know.

But Lou snapped, just like Grimes did,

and it makes sense that they were inside Grimes, too,

and Grimes was in that cave.

So you think that's how they got into the station?

Brought them back with Grimes?

Well, makes sense.

Yeah, but you know what bothers me

is that Lou didn't snap like Grimes.

Grimes killed two other men, and Lou wanted to kill himself.

That's true.

And what was the whole thing about being made fun of?

I don't think he made that up.

He was probably made fun of his whole life.

I don't know, Rach.

I'm gonna go see if there are any more of these things crawling around.

You going to get some sleep?

Yeah, in a while.

I just want to finish recording this data for Mauser.

Okay.

Good night.

[panting and sobbing]

[thud]

Marcy?

You okay?

Hey.

It's all right. I'm not going to hurt you.

What's wrong?

Marcy?

[coughing] What if they're inside me?

I won't be able to stand it.

What am I going to do if they're inside me?

It's all right, Marcy. Just listen to me.

This is your fear talking.

Don't let it get hold of you.

Just try and let it go.

We can just sit here and talk for a little while if you want.

[gasps] [coughing]

[screaming]

[exhales]

[sighing]

[screaming]

[screaming continues]

[screaming]

Marcy, what's wrong? What's wrong?

I can-- they're inside me. I can feel them crawling around.

I can taste them.

-Okay, okay, okay. -Marcy...

We'll get you some help.

I'm going to get rid of them.

Marcy, listen to me. Everything's-- Marcy!

I'm going to get rid of them.

I'm not gonna let you tie me down like you did Lou.

[Archer] Marcy, put the knife down.

-Marcy. -Marcy, put the knife down.

No! Marcy!

[crying] Oh, my God.

Get Mauser now!

[Marcy crying]

No, no!

It looks as if these things are actually born pregnant.

They don't appear to lay eggs,

but they do appear to give birth to fully formed offspring.

Then again, what do I know?

A.J.'s in sick bay.

What?

Doubled over with stomach pain.

Pete doesn't look much better.

Well, we know what comes next.

For their own safety, it would probably be a good idea if we--

Restrained them. I know.

She wasn't infested.

How could she not have been infested?

There was no evidence of the white liquid we saw with Lou

and not one mite.

Are you sure?

She talked herself into the idea

that these things were invading her body.

It was fear talking.

She worked herself up into an inconsolable state.

You know, I have to ask myself something, Jack.

Why is it that you're here again?

What?

Seriously, if you're not trying to be my best buddy,

you're over there playing biology specialist.

Well I currently am trying to help Dr. Mauser to get us the hell out of here.

What did you say to Marcy, Jack?

[Jack] Nothing.

[Archer] Well, then what didn't you say?

You're supposed to be a trained professional.

Right? I mean, you're supposed to help people.

She was scared, and I was trying to help her.

Robby--

Well you didn't do a very good job, Jack, because she died.

What good are you if you're just gonna let people die?

Robby...

You tell me, Rob. What good did you do for Grimes?

Son of a bitch.

-Robby. -What?

Lou just died.

He's a forensic psychologist.

You didn't come up here to counsel anybody.

You came up here to pin the Grimes incident on me.

What?

You came all the way up here just to stab me in the back?

You think I don't know what they're up to?

I've worked for these clowns before.

If the university gets hit with a lawsuit,

they'll want to be sure that they took appropriate action

to remove the person that they intend to blame.

You.

I didn't come here to hurt you.

I came here to protect you, idiot.

I don't need protecting, and I don't need saving.

You know,

all this fuss about being infested

has really been blown way out of proportion.

[struggling]

They get less and less painful with time.

Oh, God.

Oh, I know...

Bugs crawling around inside you.

How awful.

It's actually quite wonderful.

My mind is completely clear.

For the first time in my life,

I feel unburdened.

Where are you going?

To the source.

To the cave?

It must be teeming with them.

See, absorption through the stomach is inefficient.

I'm going to grind up the little buggers,

skim off the juice,

and run it directly into my veins.

[Archer] It's for your own good.

You can't do this.

Don't you understand what kind of discovery this is?

I've been studying them.

I started a database. It's my database.

I'm gonna be famous.

They're going to write books about me.

I will not go unnoticed anymore.

Everyone will thank me.

You should be thanking me.

I've already started with you.

Don't you feel it?

What are you talking about?

I put one in your food a while ago, Robby boy.

What?

I don't have any symptoms.

No, but you will.

You will.

How are they doing?

[sighing]

Getting worse.

[clearing throat]

What?

Rach, I don't have any symptoms.

The guy's out of his mind.

Maybe not. Look at this.

Everything you wanted to know about a polar mite and were afraid to ask.

They must be vulnerable to something.

Why are some people affected faster than others?

Different people have different reactions to the same drug.

Probably no different with the mites.

Hmm... [coughing]

Are you okay?

[leather straining] [snaps]

[Archer] [coughing]

That's all I can get without throwing up a lung.

That son of a bitch really did infest you.

But I should be teeming with them by now.

How do you know you're not

and these didn't just die of natural attrition?

What if it's not that?

What if they can't live inside me?

Why would you be immune? No one else is.

I don't know...

But they didn't come out of Lou dead.

[sighing] I want to know why.

[thudding] [groaning]

[Archer] Any luck yet?

Well, they can live in ice, they can live in stomach acid. They're indestructible.

I mean, there's this theory he had

why they affect some people faster than they do others.

Read it.

"As the mites nest,

they give off a secretion that causes psychological imbalance.

The more anemic the host, the more the nest will thrive,

and the more the nest thrives, the faster the psychosis develops,

explaining the variance in infestation rates."

Wait a second.

Does he say anything else about anemia?

[sighing]

Uh...

"The less the number of erythrocytes,

the more likely a nest will develop--"

Erythrocytes...

Red blood cells.

What about them?

Rachel, I'm the opposite of anemic.

When I was a kid, I was diagnosed with a disease called polycythemia.

It's an overabundance of red blood cells.

That's why they can't nest in me.

That's what kills them.

Yeah, but we don't know that for sure.

What do you call the dead bugs in the sink?

Rachel, if we don't do something, they're going to die.

[Rachel] Even if that was the answer,

how do we raise their red blood cell counts?

By transfusion.

I'm type-O. Universal donor.

[door opening]

How are you feeling?

Like an idiot.

One of the snowmobiles is gone.

The tracks head off toward the cave.

The only transfusion equipment we have is in the medkit,

and he took the medkit.

And what about the supplies in sick bay?

What supplies? They were never replenished.

We can catch up with him If we take the chopper.

Are you coming?

Yeah. Just give me a sec.

[Archer] His tracks go all the way to the cave.

[Jack] Where'd that come from?

What's your problem?

That's my problem.

Leave it in the chopper. We don't need it.

Said the man who got whacked on the head in the middle of the night.

What are you going to do? Shoot him?

You know what, Jack?

We really don't have time for this conversation right now.

You, me and Rachel...

We're the only ones left standing.

I'm not taking any chances.

You know, Robby,

I was unconscious on the floor there For a couple of hours.

The last 20 minutes, my stomach's doing backflips.

You know, you fire that thing off in here,

and we're gonna be up to our necks in ice.

Okay?

Let's go.

Sure we haven't been here before?

It feels like we're going in circles.

I don't think so.

Jack.

God, look at this.

[grunting]

[grunts]

Mauser!

[grunts]

Oh, God.

I think his neck's broken.

[rustling]

What is that?

[rustling growing louder]

[insects scurrying]

Jack, open this and take one out.

Toss it when I tell you.

What is it?

[Archer] Avalanche mortar.

I'm plugging the hole.

Now.

[snow rumbling]

[rumbling]

Rach...

We're the only ones left.

[sobbing]

They're inside me. I can feel them.

Oh, my God.

Did you find Mauser?

He's dead.

But we got the medkit.

I printed up the information.

You'll have to transfuse two and a half units.

You'd only have been able to save one of us.

Not that it matters now.

Actually, it does matter.

Looks like the shoe's on the other foot, huh?

Yeah.

Turnabout's fair play, huh, Jack?

You get to be the hero,

just for a change.

It's about time.

Hero? What's that supposed to mean?

You know what it means.

Chip on your shoulder,

pissed at the world because your brother died.

You do blame me, don't you?

Oh, man.

Come on,

Tell me what you think of your old friend Jack.

Do you want to know what I really think, Jack?

I hate you. I've hated you since we were kids. Okay?

Robby, he's infested.

He doesn't mean what he's saying.

No, no, I want to hear this.

I've waited a long time to hear this.

So just go right on ahead, Robby,

and then it's my turn.

Your turn? Your turn? You don't get a turn.

You get to shut up and listen.

You want to know what I remember?

What I had nightmares about?

You hanging on to me and Matt.

You had both of us in your hands.

And you could've hung on.

You weren't the one freezing to death,

but you panicked, and you let go of Matt.

I begged you not to, but you let him go,

and he got sucked under the ice and he died.

Period.

Town hero.

Town frigging hero.

After all, you saved me, right?

Do you remember? Do you remember?

The picture in the newspaper?

You were a goddamn celebrity.

The city council gave you an award.

[glass breaking]

I was supposed to be grateful to you.

I was supposed to be indebted to you.

Oh, God.

You were no hero, Jack.

But you want to know

what's really been eating away at me all these years?

I hated you because I was supposed to love you.

On the surface I had to pretend that you were some fucking idol of mine.

I was expected to show my appreciation at every turn.

All I ever wanted was to never see your face again.

God, I hated you.

But I buried it. I buried it.

And it was there to stay until you showed up.

And I hate that I hate you.

We were best friends.

I had nightmares too, Robby.

I had two lives in my hands that day,

and I did not panic.

You forgot to mention to Rachel

that the current was pulling us all in,

and I had to make a decision

about who lived and who died.

That's a hell of a decision for a 10-year-old to make.

For anyone to make.

I opened my left hand...

And Matt died,

and they called me a hero.

It's more than just Matt who lost his life on that day.

All three of us did.

We lost the life we used to have.

Did you ever, just once,

think about what it was like for me?

I didn't think so.

-Can I join you? -Of course.

Look...

You know that there's only enough for one,

and that a decision has to be made.

It's your blood.

You're right, Robby.

I'm not a hero. See, I admit that.

I want to live.

Whatever decision you make,

I just want you to know

that I'm glad we got to say what we got to say.

[emotional music playing]

[exhaling]

[dog barking in the distance] [children chattering]

[Control Voice] The suffering we conceal and the sorrow we hide

may only be fully understood

by those who share a common pain.

[theme music playing]