Original subtitles

[Dr. Stanton] There are many different kinds of days here.

Good days, bad days.

But there really aren't many days like today.

So I had to be sure.

We did those extra tests and sure enough, your endoscopy…

Well, there's still some polyps and lesions in your small intestine,

but less than when you got here.

Which means you're healing.

Which means the terminal diagnosis was an error.

Which means…

you're going home.

Wait.

I have peripheral T-cell lymphoma.

I saw the polyps on my first endoscopy,

and after all the chemo, the polyps were worse.

And they said I'm dying.

When you first got here, it took a while for the effects of the chemo to wear off.

But now we can see your body is healing.

But I'm not dying?

We're all dying, Sandra.

Each and every one of us.

But right now, for you,

you do not have terminal lymphoma.

I'm sorry. [inhales]

I have no idea why I feel the way I feel right now.

However you feel is correct.

However you're feeling, whatever it is, is right.

But this is wonderful news, Sandra.

How am I gonna tell them?

Jesus… [Sandra sniffles]

Wh-what am I gonna say?

[heavy breathing]

[heartbeats]

There you are.

[gasps, breathes heavily]

Morning.

How did I get here?

You were out of it, so I brought you here.

Okay. I have found myself down there before.

More than a few times.

Ever since we found it, I…

Most nights, actually, I wake up down there.

I sneak back to my room, try not to wake up Spence.

It's… it's freaky, all right?

I've even woken up in that bed down there.

And the smell of it is just…

It's crazy.

The dreams, sleepwalking.

Got to be my meds.

Our meds don't make the halls look different.

Our meds don't make me see people in the hallways,

in the room, in the goddamn mirror.

I think you know what I'm talking about, Kevin.

So, please.

If you do, don't make me go another minute feeling crazy.

Yeah.

Okay. I do.

Sometimes the rooms change.

And the walls change.

And sometimes you'll hear a noise and you'll turn around.

And you're not alone.

And there'll be somebody coming towards you

from out of the dark or the firelight,

and you'll look up and you'll see this old…

Woman?

Man.

Old man. He's got gray hair.

Yeah, I've seen him before.

But mostly, I see her.

An old woman.

And she's got these, like…

milky eyes.

You ever see her?

Not as much as I see him, but…

glimpses.

Yeah.

Let's get everyone to the library.

[knocking on door]

-Oh, my god. What? -Get dressed.

Emergency meeting. Library.

[Amesh] Is everything okay?

Is, um… [clicks tongue]

Is everything okay, Ilonka?

Uh, yeah. Yeah, everything's…

-okay. -Oh, God.

[laughs]

-[chuckles] -Oh, gosh.

Oh, it's unlocked again.

Bet she locks it again tonight.

-You okay, Sandra? -I'm fine.

What's all this about?

Yeah, I'm sorry, but I don't know what the fuck you guys are talking about.

Seriously. No bullshit.

Anyone else seeing changing hallways or old-ass ghost?

Hmm. Negative.

I'm sorry. No, nothing like that.

Me neither. And I'd totally lie about it if I thought it was funny,

but it's not funny, right?

[Kevin] For real?

Like the old hallways with the flowers and the lanterns,

and the old man and the woman?

[Ilonka] She's got, uh, milky eyes.

-Yeah, cataracts. -Cataracts.

And… and she keeps talking about how she's hungry, she's starving.

No.

I haven't seen anything, like, any of that.

That doesn't make any sense.

I mean, if we did see ghosts or whatever, that's great, right?

Isn't that what we were waiting for? A sign?

Yeah, but it doesn't make any sense.

Like you said, in a place where so many young people die

before their time with unfinished business,

the only ghosts you see are two, like, old people.

We… we both saw it.

-I mean, we both-- -[Cheri] There's a French word for that.

When two people are close, they share the same…

Yeah, uh, folie à deux. It means, um, delusion shared by two.

[Natsuki] You speak French?

No, but it was the, uh, title of an X-Files episode…

[whispers] …and it was awesome.

So none of you guys have seen this?

Any of it? We're… we're both just crazy?

-Maybe it's not… -[Kevin] Not what?

-Crazy? -Maybe it's not ghost.

My mom told a story, something her grandmother told her.

This bedtime story about this thing, uh…

Toshi no Taberu Hito.

It means "eater of years" or "the years eater."

It looked like an old woman.

And you'd find it in places where people were going to die,

and eat the years they would have had.

Wait, this was a bedtime story that your mom told you casually?

No. It was a way for her to process.

She only told me after my dad died.

But if this thing really exists,

I bet it would love a place like this.

We all should have so many years left.

This place would be a feast.

Kevin and Ilonka can also be wrong.

Have fever dreams, overdo their meds and see shit that isn't there.

Especially when they tell each other about it.

Let's not forget the other part of the pact.

We look for signs, but we keep our cool.

Proof.

That's the whole point of the pact, isn't it?

No. There's more happening here.

I've got to tell you guys something, but I promised I wouldn't say anything.

You want proof that there's more going on here?

Well, I got that.

The ritual worked.

Stanton admitted it.

One of us is cured.

One of us is going home.

In fact, I think…

And I'm sorry.

But I… I think it's me.

And it can work for you guys too.

But we really have to believe and do it just right.

-Wait. You're saying you're healed? -What the fuck, Ilonka?

Hang on, guys.

I think so.

I… I feel it.

No, I… I know the ritual worked, and we have to do it again.

This is… This isn't funny.

No, she's right. Someone's going home.

Stanton said so.

What the fuck do you mean someone's going home?

It's me.

[Ilonka] Sandra, look.

We all want it to be us.

And that's the thing. It can be all of us, but we have to really believe--

No, it's actually me.

I'm going home tomorrow. My grandparents are already on their way.

And it wasn't the ritual. It was a misdiagnosis.

I had an endoscopy the week before we even did the stupid ritual

and I was misdiagnosed at the start.

I've got some other GI thing and so I got to go,

and I got to start all over.

The tests, and the trials, and the treatments, and the whole thing.

I'm sorry, but no.

The ritual didn't work.

No.

Maybe it just worked different.

It's not just that. It… it…

There are signs. We've had signs. We've had…

And Spence heard that voice on the intercom after Tristan.

They're pointing at us. They're guiding us to do the ritual.

That was me too.

I'm so sorry.

That was me on the intercom. You were talking about… losing faith,

and I thought, just a little nudge, nothing… nothing too bad.

Just enough to… to give you some hope.

God would want me to.

Hello?

[static]

[whispers] Spence.

[Sandra] Listen.

-[Spence] Someone's in the recovery room. -[Mark] What?

[Spence] Someone's in there and the door is locked.

-[Mark] Doors are never locked. -[Spence] It's locked.

Oh, my god.

I know it was wrong, and I know it was so stupid.

And I'm so, so sorry.

[Sandra sobs]

I'm… I'm a mess right now, and I'm so… so relieved,

and I'm so ashamed, and…

I don't want to go anywhere, but I can't wait to go.

And I just… [sniffles]

I feel awful.

[door opens]

[door closes]

[somber music]

[breathing deeply]

Ilonka! Hey.

Hey, Katherine.

I know family day isn't until tomorrow, but I just couldn't wait.

You have to see these.

I'm actually in a hurry.

Oh, no, no, no. It'll just take a second.

I'm so glad that I ran into you because I finally got these.

[giggles]

Here. [chuckles]

Wow.

I know how nervous he was about…

just how he looked,

but I kept telling him that he looked so amazing.

But, I mean, you know, look at him.

Oh, also, he was saying that you guys went to the beach the other day.

How do I get down there? Because I would love to set up before

and, you know, surprise him and everything.

Uh, you just…

Well, you, um…

You just…

The fuck, I guess. Really.

-What? -The fuck is wrong with you?

What do you think this is, a fucking country club?

This is a hospice.

Everybody here is really fucking sick.

And now you want to, what?

Show him a picture of himself under 20 pounds of makeup?

I know, I spackled it on for him just to see how not normal he is.

No, no, no. That's not what I--

Do you understand what kind of a toll you take on him?

How hard it is for him to put on a show for you

every fucking time.

He doesn't tell you that

because he doesn't want you to worry any more than you already do.

And now you want to, what?

Make him walk down to the beach

pretending like it doesn't hurt like hell for a picnic

so you can feel normal?

He's dying, Katherine.

He's dying and it's not fucking fair.

And that's already hard enough without having to take care of you

and act all brave just so you can walk out of here

and live your goddamn life.

[Kevin] Hey!

The fuck are you doing, Ilonka?

[exhales]

[door opens, closes]

What happened?

I need a place to stay. I can't go back there anymore.

India, make up a bed for Ilonka.

What? What happened?

It's not me.

It's not me. It… it didn't work.

It's not me. [sobs]

[Kevin] Ilonka lost her goddamn mind.

Yeah.

What?

Ilonka.

-Ilonka what? -You know "Ilonka what?"

What do you want me to do?

What you want to do.

I'm not breaking up with Katherine.

See? See, I didn't even say it.

I say, do what you want to do,

and you go boom, crash right into "I'm not breaking up with Katherine."

I've got what? Months left, tops?

And I'm just supposed to break up with her? Jesus.

Right now, she's a girl with a sick boyfriend,

and pretty soon, she'll be a girl with no boyfriend.

So who are you helping by keeping this up?

We both know what you really want.

Who you really want.

You know why I don't finish my stories?

'Cause you're an asshole.

You're a plot tease.

Because once people know the end…

the rest of the story just fades away.

I'm gonna be nothing but a memory soon.

And I would like to be a good one…

for everybody.

But for her, especially.

She's earned it.

It's not a lot, but…

it's all we need.

Let's get you some food and some linens.

Thanks for…

I… I don't know what I'm doing.

Maybe a night or two while I figure it out?

Don't worry about that. Listen.

We need to talk.

I should go back.

Look, Stanton will notice,

and I don't want you getting in trouble because of me.

I've dealt with more trouble than Georgina Stanton.

And going back, that's, uh…

That's what I want to talk to you about.

For me, Brightcliffe is special.

-Apparently not. -Don't.

Don't misinterpret what happened or didn't happen.

That place is special.

There's a power there and energy there

that doesn't exist anywhere else in the world.

Believe me,

-I've looked. -But it didn't work.

-None of it. -You don't know that.

Maybe it did, maybe it didn't. But it can.

I know that. I know that the…

I know that the ritual works more than anybody.

Do you hear me? I know it.

Better than anyone.

Who are you?

You're a bright girl, Ilonka.

I've seen it crossed your mind at least once.

So come on, bright girl.

You look at me, you tell me, who am I?

Take a real look.

You're Julia Jayne?

See, I knew you're a bright girl.

You came looking for me.

You found me because you were right.

You are right about all of it.

Are you going to tell me where we're going?

[Mark] Yeah, look, I know it is crazy,

and I know you've been feeling alone a lot.

Sometimes I forget you haven't really met people yet,

so I figured you'd want to check this out.

You got a whole community.

It's time you met them. Come on.

-Oh, there he is. -[Mark] Hey.

-Hey. -Hi.

Everybody, this is Spence.

-Hi, Spence. -Hi, Spence.

Spence, this is everybody. It's Brandi, Julie, Toni with an "I,"

Brian, and Lisa.

What are you all doing?

Waiting for the pizza, and then it's game night.

Uh, but also…

But also, there's a rally this weekend at Capitol Hill.

And we're going to represent.

So we're making signs, helping Glenn with his speech.

Oh, no. You're not going to make a speech.

Uh, of course I am.

Uh, Glenn uses his words like some people use a billy club.

I know and you know that I love your sermons,

but this one is just, like, a little bit clunky.

Oh, I'm sorry. Is it too clunky for you, Julie?

Our struggle for basic human recognition is too clunky for you.

Ooh! T-shirts.

Scary T-shirts.

Spence, can I get you a drink or anything?

I'm happy to trade booze if you want to help.

You want to make some shirts or some signs.

How can help?

[Julie] Well, sweetie, grab a paintbrush.

And when we're done, we're gonna get high

and play Catch Phrase.

[laughter]

-Let's do it. -[Julie] Hell, yeah.

Do you want any more?

No, no, but that was amazing.

It is the best damn food you will, maybe, ever have.

Why didn't you tell me?

I told you when it was time.

[Ilonka] It worked for you.

It works.

It does.

I'm proof.

Look, we have much to discuss.

You know about the most exciting part already.

Uh, after I left, I lived hard and well.

And as I got older, I… I wanted to share the miracle.

I started Good Humor

because I… I wanted to understand that better.

I wanted to give back some of that healing energy into the world.

But it's been difficult to get back on the property.

The woods are good, the spring is good.

But the magic, the real magic of this place,

it is right where that house is built.

Stanton won't let you back in?

I probably threatened something fundamentally inside her.

I… I tried everything. I volunteered at the hospice.

I made donations, generous donations.

But she still won't give us any meaningful access to the place.

And we are trying to be respectful of that.

And I understand the history of the place that…

awful Paragon business, and collective like mine.

[sighs]

You and I are a lot alike, Ilonka.

You even have the same cancer that I had.

And I don't know. I just…

I want to help you.

You know what? Let's just do it.

I say you and I go back there together tonight after the Midnight Club,

after everyone's asleep,

you bring me down there into that basement.

That's where the ley lines intersect. That's the energy center.

You bring me there, I have everything that I need.

Everything you need for what?

To heal you, bright girl.

[sighs] Here you go.

I'm glad you came out tonight. Hope you had fun.

-Thanks. -Mm-hm.

That was a blast.

-Can I ask you something? -Hm?

How'd you get into all that?

Being gay? I was just born that way.

Oh, I'm sorry. You meant Catch Phrase.

That is just an objectively awesome party game.

No, I mean the activism, I guess.

[chuckles]

Dear, dear friend of mine.

But he's gone now.

It was…

I mean, nobody there seems scared…

of anything.

Like, even when I told them…

even when I told them I had AIDS, they…

still didn't seem scared.

[stammers] Fear's like, it's like radiation.

You spend enough time around enough of it,

and it changes you genetically.

We've lost a lot of us.

Way, way too many of us.

Lot of empty chairs at empty tables, and the world's…

been indifferent to us at best and terrified of us at worst.

So a lot of us did a lot of hiding…

for a long time.

That's what I did.

So, now…

more than ever, we need to be visible.

Ryan taught me that.

Taught me a lot.

And that is why we do this.

And that is why no one there tonight seemed scared.

Because even if we are, we choose not to be.

Because every single one of us is going to die someday.

And before we do, every single one of us deserves love.

[soft chuckle]

[Amesh] I'm so glad she left it open.

Would have been particularly cruel tonight if the doors were locked.

You okay, Spence?

Hm? Yeah, just…

looking at the chairs, empty chairs.

Almost half of us aren't here.

Hi.

-I wasn't sure if-- -Girl, you better be coming to this table.

Um, I mean, I feel like everybody's super pissed at me.

Nope. Not even a little.

I am so, so happy for you.

[Cheri] Me too. Come here.

I just needed a minute to pick my jaw off the floor.

I'm happy for you too.

[Cheri] We love you.

And we love the world with you in it.

So stick around for as long as you fucking can, got it?

[both laugh]

[Spence] I love you fiercely, darling.

But if you even think about giving Jesus the credit,

I'mma haunt you twice as scary because I'm going to definitely haunt you

after that intercom nonsense, you got it coming.

Not my finest hour.

Hi.

I'm, um…

I'm really sorry.

I'm sorry, Sandra, and…

And I'm sorry, Kevin.

I'm just really sorry.

I'm really happy you're here.

I'm happy too.

For you.

Sit, please. I'm going tonight.

And, well, this one's from the heart.

To those before, and to those after.

To us now, and to those beyond.

[all] To those before, to those after.

To us now, and to those beyond.

Seen or unseen, here but not here.

[all] Seen or unseen, here but not here.

Oh, the story I want to tell actually scares the shit out of me.

It's a story about knowing where you're going before you get there.

It's a story about fighting for the future that you want

instead of the future that you're destined for,

because destinies can change.

I think we all figured that out today.

I call this one…

"The Eternal Enemy."

[Spence] This is a story about time and fear.

Time has a permanent hold on us the moment we're born.

It allows us to grow, to get big.

We go to school, we find jobs, we fall in love.

Time lets us do all of these things. But then, in the end, it kills us.

This is Rel.

He's devilishly handsome, wildly attractive.

Hard to believe he's not a model, actually.

[Natsuki] We get it.

[Spence] Despite his obvious appeal, he doesn't have a ton of friends.

[upbeat music]

[videogame noise]

Rel's a transfer student,

new to town, only on campus three weeks,

but there's someone he really wants to know better.

Christopher Perry, resident genius.

In fact, every day since he got here,

Christopher has been the only person Rel could think about.

The whole board is fried.

You can't fix it? I thought you can fix anything.

I'm afraid I got no cure for the bubblegum you Neanderthals got into the gears.

[Christopher] I mean, like, how the hell do you even do that?

[Spence] It was lonely enough being the new guy.

Even worse without a roommate

and that's what he told himself when he bought the VCR.

He could set it up to record those old sci-fi movies

he knew Christopher liked.

And maybe then, just maybe, people might want to come hang out.

Yeah. This wasn't about Christopher at all.

[alarm clock clicks]

That night, Rel had the weirdest, freakiest dream.

[loud whirring]

[gasps, pants]

[ominous music stings]

[clanks]

[upbeat music]

That's pretty cool.

[Christopher] Thanks.

He's actually my midterm project,

and he doesn't quite work.

Thinking of scrapping the whole thing, starting over.

I think he's defective.

Are you going to throw him out because he isn't perfect?

Harsh.

[Christopher] Have a seat.

If you want.

Robotics.

That's cool.

Yeah, I'm just a weirdo. I'm… I just like seeing how things work.

Are you liking it here? Settling in?

I guess.

Thing about being a transfer, I always feel…

-I don't know, I always feel different. -I know what you mean.

Every day in my life.

Listen, I overheard you're a sci-fi geek, right? Like me.

Sure.

So I got a new VCR for my room.

The one in the Common never fucking works.

Thank you.

I'm sick of trying to fix that thing.

I decided to tape Terminator.

It was on at, like, 3:00 a.m. on HBO last night.

And I was wondering…

do you want to come over sometime and watch it?

How about tonight?

-[soft chuckle] -[knocks on door]

I brought wine.

Pairs really well with Terminator.

Didn't think anyone on this campus drank anything but skank-ass Natty Boh.

I'm impressed.

All of us engineering majors are super cultured.

Some of us even eat cheese.

Did you bring cheese?

I brought cheese.

Hasta Asiago, baby.

Nice pun.

Very good-a.

"Come with Brie, if you want to live."

I love this movie so damn much.

The damage to the subway itself was minimal and no one was hurt.

Sorry, I must have kicked on early. The news is still on.

I thought you taped this last night at 3:00 a.m.?

I did.

What kind of news is on at 3:00 a.m. on HBO?

Well, the biggest surprise of the day was our very own Seabirds,

who defied all odds by scoring 20 unanswered points

against the Rushers in the fourth quarter.

I'm sorry. The who?

The Seabirds and the Rushers.

Do you think those are real football teams?

I don't care. I don't like sports.

-Fine. The 99ers and the Orcas. -That's not better.

It was a banner day for Mirer who connected with Everett

for a 30-yard pass as the clock ran out,

winning the game for the Orcas after an amazing comeback.

A huge upset for the Niners who, as we all know,

are a very real football team with a very real name.

I don't get it.

I think you set it wrong.

I did it right.

Two hundred dollars, the guy said it was the best VCR they had.

No worries.

Hey, there's this great bar just off campus.

We could go shoot pool or something,

try for a movie another night.

Let me buy you some bad food.

So where were you before this?

You know, nobody's asked me that. Not one person.

I'm sorry. People are dicks.

They really can be. People are awful, like…

They fuckin' terrify me, honestly.

I wish I could just get in there, do some basic code repair,

iron out the bugs.

We're unbearable mostly, like…

I don't get straight people.

Do tell.

I just mean whatever makes them love football the way they do,

I don't have that gene.

I love football. I'm not straight.

So you'd be all about this, too?

Watching last night's game in a bar.

[Christopher] No, that's live.

No, that's last night's.

It's the one they said on the news, the 99ers and the Orcas.

Maybe they're playing each other again.

It's live, Niners and Orcas ain't played each other yet this season.

Not true.

The Orcas beat the Niners last night. The Orcas won.

They fought hard this quarter,

but there's only seven seconds left in around the 30.

Ten bucks says Mirer throws to Everett for the win.

Everett? Guy hasn't caught a pass in weeks, princess.

You're on.

[sportscaster] Mirer fakes a handoff to Warren

The pocket's collapsing,

he's gotta get rid of it. He's got Everett open in the middle!

-He scored. This guy got touchdown. -[cheering]

-Orcas win! Orcas win! -What?

[bar patrons cheering]

[both chuckle]

How did you know that?

I told you, this isn't live.

Oh, this is live.

[sportscaster] Picks the snap facing to his…

How the hell did you know that?

[money rustles]

If you head here, you can see the timestamp.

[anchorman] It was a banner day for Mirer who connected with Everett

for a 30-yard pass.

Holy shit.

[Rel] But that's today's date.

-And the time is almost now. -Go live.

But the biggest surprise today comes from our very own Orcas.

-This is live right now. -Right, that's not possible.

-We watched this three hours ago. -And I taped this last night.

…with Everett for a 30-yard pass as the clock ran out.

Winning the game for the Orcas after an amazing comeback.

I taped the future.

[anchorman] In other news, local third grader, Tina Cammarino,

won the National Clogging Championship…

Do it again.

[Spence] So they did.

They set the tape again for 3:00 a.m. just like before.

And the next morning, it happened again.

It's tonight's newscast.

Look at the date.

Fast forward to the sports scores.

[upbeat music]

-On us. No hard feelings. -[scoffs]

Can't believe they let you ladies, back in here.

Yeah. I'm going to choose to ignore that.

Tell you what, big man. There are three games tonight.

Yeah. Mm-hm.

We bet the winners on all three.

You give us 100 dollars.

If we don't get all three, you get 200.

I'm listening.

Who's playing right now? Buckaroos and Charlatans.

-Dude, these names-- -And that worked for a while.

Tape the news, memorize the scores, hustle the straights.

A week of that,

and they've found themselves 1,200 dollars richer.

They also found something else.

[Spence] But that's the thing about time.

It brings only one thing with it.

[Amesh] Death.

-He's talking about death. -[Spence] Not death.

Change.

It's the only thing certain in the universe.

Add time to anything at all and you get change.

A little…

or a lot.

[sighs]

Now we're going to go live to our very own Nat Roers,

who has the latest on our breaking story from Kline University.

Nat?

Sad news here today on campus at Kline University.

A freak accident has taken the life of a local medical student.

-What's this? -Right around 10:15 this morning,

an air conditioning unit fell from the third story

at this residential building.

Did you do something different last night?

-No, I did what I always do. -…now identified as Michelle Dixon,

was pronounced dead at the scene.

-All right, should we call the police? -And say what?

We have a magic tape that says an air conditioner

is gonna fall out a window later?

Well, what then?

[anchorman] What a horrible story.

We should try to stop it.

Are you serious?

What time did they say? 10:15?

Fuck.

Out of the way! Sorry.

[thrilling music]

Hey! Hey! Look out!

Look out! Sorry!

Hey, look out.

-[air conditioner crashing] -[all screaming]

[hissing]

[both breathing heavily]

-[Rel] Are you okay? -[Michelle] Yeah.

-Thank you. -[Rel] Yeah, yeah.

[unsettling music]

Some remarkable luck and a little bit of heroism by a bystander

saved a young woman's life earlier today.

Rel Lindquist, a student here at the university,

pushed her to safety just before…

-the falling object struck the ground. -Oh, shit. Look, look.

Look. There.

There.

I'm telling you, there's something off with this guy.

[Christopher] I got goosebumps just looking at him.

I'm glad for that girl and all, but something about this feels wrong now.

You saved a life.

What if next time I don't?

-Or I can't? -[Christopher] You're right.

We got lucky.

We got some cash.

But how about we just stop for a bit?

-I feel like I should cancel my trip. -Don't cancel the trip.

We've been through this.

That was before you almost died.

I didn't almost die.

Not even a little.

My mom can wait. She's waited two months as it is.

Go see her.

Okay, listen.

I'm writing down her address if you change your mind.

It's in Pasco. It's a 40-minute cab ride.

And I know you got the cash.

And let's promised no VCR while I'm gone.

We can figure out what to do when I get back. But for now…

just take a break.

Okay?

Promise.

And get yourself some light this weekend.

You're not Howard Hughes.

[chuckles]

[door closes]

[unsettling music]

[Amesh] Death.

-It's Death. -No, dude, it's not.

You'll see who it is. It's not that.

It's the commissioner at the NFL and you're under arrest

because those team names are an act of violence.

So that night, he sat up, and he tried and tried not to do it. But…

we can't help our nature.

Who we are.

[tape clacks]

How we're born.

Rel was always going to hit record.

And that's the thing about being alone so much.

Late at night, when you're alone in a room,

there's no one there to lie to you about who you are.

[loud whirring]

[screaming]

[gasps]

[breathing heavily]

And now for a terrible local story.

A tragedy earlier this morning in Pasco.

Local college student, Christopher Perry, was found brutally murdered

-in the house of his mother. -No.

According to police, Marjorie Perry was woken

in the early hours before sunrise by the sound of breaking glass

and that some sort of projectile was thrown into the house,

emitting some sort of a gas

which rendered her apparently unconscious.

-[Marjorie] Hello. -Hello.

-[loud ringing] -[gasps, groans]

[anchorman] When she awoke, she found the remains of her son

dismembered by an as yet unidentified weapon.

[thrilling music]

I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

You got to see this.

-We said you wouldn't. -You got to get out of here.

If anything happened to you…

[breathing heavily]

[Marjorie] Chris?

What on earth is going on here?

[glass shattering]

[ominous music]

-[beeping] -No, no, no, no…

[hissing]

[coughing]

[groans, coughs]

[rattling]

[doorknob clacking]

[fire crackling]

[whooshing]

[suspenseful music]

[electricity crackles]

[electricity whirring, crackling]

[power buzzing]

[pops]

[man grunts, groans]

[Rel] Who the fuck are you?

And why are you trying to kill Christopher?

And why do you look like Christopher?

I'm not trying to kill him.

You are.

-What the fuck does that mean? -You're trying to kill him.

You're trying to kill all of us.

You really think you're just a normal college student?

Let me ask you this.

Where did you go to high school?

Where were you born? Where's your family?

You don't remember? Because you weren't a person.

You weren't born.

You were made.

[whirring]

In a lab.

My lab, 40 years from now.

My lab in Robotic Experimentation Logistics.

[suspenseful music]

[man] R.E.L.

You kept that for a name.

You're a cyborg.

An early model.

And you're defective.

I was going to terminate you. But you escaped.

You escaped back in time.

What kind of bullshit is this?

Look at your hand.

No, take… take a good look.

[Rel breathing nervously]

[breathing shakily]

[gasps]

No. Liar. Liar.

You fucking liar.

[thumps]

What the fuck?

[in deep voice] Yep.

Me too.

I'm the first.

I was him once. But, uh…

I got sick.

And I replaced this part, and that part, and this part.

And before long, I was more than human.

I was the first of a new species.

And I made more.

I made you.

You were one of my earliest models.

You said I was defective.

You suffer from a disease.

A disease called fear.

Sadness.

I've removed those in the future. We've, uh…

We've cured them. I've cured them.

But you, you escaped.

And when you saved that woman,

you let yourself be photographed.

And I found you…

back in time.

I don't remember.

You wouldn't. Time travel is different for your model.

And your memory gets damaged in the process.

There's no way you could have known that.

But I built in a background code.

Programmed to print on whatever it can

to remind you of whatever your mission might be.

And it did.

Every time you touch one of those primitive magnetic devices.

[Rel] It wasn't the VCR.

It was you, your mainframe, trying to remind you of your mission.

You came here to kill me, to stop the future from happening.

To stop me creating what I must create.

But I came to stop you.

To save us all.

And when you found me, you knew you needed to be close to me.

But you'd forgotten why.

But you attacked us.

I used anesthetic gas. that only affects humans. They'll be fine.

And when they wake up, you'll be gone.

It'll all feel like a dream.

This is where you end, Rel.

Why? I'm not defective.

You still feel the eternal problem, the eternal enemy lives in you.

Fear.

Which leads to suffering.

And we deserve to live in a world without fear, Rel.

Without suffering.

[mechanical buzzing]

You're moving again.

That current paralyzed me briefly, but it was never going to stop me.

Replacing humanity with these cybernetic improvements.

Rooting out defects.

Isn't all of that just fear?

It is, isn't it?

If you need me to die so you'll feel a little less afraid…

whatever.

You do you.

But I'm not defective.

You are.

And I love you anyway.

[dramatic music]

[crackles]

-[clicks] -[tape winding]

Hi, sweetie. [exhales]

I'm uploading this in a split sec.

I don't have much time because you're about to kill me,

which is okay, don't worry about that.

But I want you to know the truth about who I am,

about what you're going to become. and…

about the things your brilliant brain is going to do to this world.

[Spence] And he saw it all.

All the great and terrible things he'd do,

all the amazing technological accomplishments he'd make

in his effort to eliminate suffering, to eliminate fear.

And in doing so, he saw how he'd lose his humanity.

So that's it.

I wanted you to know…

when I think of that, of what you become, I feel sad.

Very sad, but…

there's beauty in sorrow.

I realize that now.

How fragile we are.

I'm afraid I don't have time to tell you any more

because my old friend has come for me, and…

that's okay.

Because I loved.

Because I loved.

Thank you.

Thank you, Christopher.

[static]

[Spence] And in that moment, the future changed,

because Christopher decided

that he'd never, ever look at his fellow human beings and see defects.

He'd look at them through the eyes of love,

because Rel wasn't defective at all, it turns out.

Rel was perfect.

[static]

You once told me about your friend.

-The one who… -Got me sick. Yeah.

[Spence] Christopher.

And I think about him a lot.

But I hope he's loved.

Like I'm loved.

I wish we knew back then what I know now.

We weren't defective.

Not even a little bit.

We were perfect.

Just like all of you.

And, um, Sandra,

you go make that future something good, okay?

For us.

[ticking]

What… Who are…

It's five sisters. We need all five. Don't worry.

You didn't tell me you were bringing other people.

Where's the nurse?

She went to the bathroom.

That's why I was late. I had to wait for her.

-She'll be back any minute. -Let's go.

[unsettling music]

[Shasta] My God.

Do you feel it?

Do you feel it here? It's still here.

It's in the air. Do you feel it, bright girl?

So what do we do? What do we…

[Shasta] We know what to do.

We'll form four points with one in the center.

-[Ilonka] Here? -[Shasta] No.

Dear, you sit there.

[suspenseful music]

I don't understand.

You'll see, dear.

Trust me.

-[Shasta] Aceso. -[members] Aceso.

-[Shasta] Aegle. -[members] Aegle.

We call on you, the five sisters.

Daughters of Asclepius and Epione, purveyor of Apollo's arts.

We call on you to heal your sister, your vessel.

[Shasta grunts]

[members] Panacea. Hygeia. Iaso. Aceso. Aegle.

Panacea. Hygeia. Iaso. Aceso. Aegle.

[Shasta] Kind Panacea, daughter of Asclepius and Epione,

first of physicians, swiftest of healers,

trusted mender of men and women.

Through you, our wounds healed, bones knit, and illness burnt away.

Here.

[unsettling music]

What about our personal items?

By your goodness and might, we regain joy in our lives.

Panacea, friend to mankind.

We pray to you. I seek your favor.

Let your true believer be healed of this affliction.

May she recover through and through.

May vigor and vitality return to her.

We ask your blessing.

[members] Our goddess, for you.

-But what about our sacrifice? -We'll…

We'll get there. This is different.

What's in this?

It's just tea.

Drink it.

[members] Our goddess, for you.

Go on.

Go ahead.

[Dr. Stanton] Hello, Julia.

[tense music]

Drink it. Drink it now!

No! Ilonka, do not drink that!

Drink it now. It has to be now or never.

-It will not work if you don't drink it. -[Dr. Stanton] No!

-Don't! -Please, Ilonka. Please!

[Dr. Stanton] No!

[coughing]

[woman grunts, groans]

[retching]

[groaning]

[groaning]

[panting]

[closing theme music]