02x01 - Change Scenario

[bunniefuu]

Molly: My name is Molly Woods. I'm an astronaut. My husband John, a robotics engineer, created a lifelike robot called a Humanich. We adopted the prototype as our son. His name is Ethan.

This is what we wanted.

Everything changed when I went to space on a 13-month solo mission. I didn't come home alone.

I'm pregnant.

How is that even possible?

The child, part human, part alien, was unlike anything the world had ever seen.

How did you get so big so fast?

And he was dangerous.

You need to tell them not to come.

I can't. We need to survive.

We know this being can somehow access our minds and make us see and do things beyond our control.

Molly: Ethan tried to stop him...

I know he's your son. I won't hurt him again.

And sacrificed himself in the process.

Run!

Ethan? We lost Ethan.

And my other son... is still out there.

(kissing, passionate breathing)

Hey. What's the matter?

Molly: Change scenario.

(electronic chime)

(electronic whirr)

Let's get some ice cream.

Hot fudge sundae?

With whipped cream and sprinkles.

And pistachio ice cream.

Pistachio.

I miss you, sweetheart.

I'm right here, Mom.

(electronic chime)

Male electronic voice: Molly Woods, your virtual reality session is terminated.

(electronic whoosh, Molly gasps)

It's time for your medication.

(sighs)

Molly Woods... it's time for your medication.

Molly Woods... this is my third and final request.

(sighs)

Woman: Can we give you a ride home?

It's okay.

Man: It's pretty cold outside. You must be freezing.

Woman: We aren't gonna hurt you.

Don't know how old. Maybe ten or 11? Hasn't said a word since we found him.

(crying)

Four, four and a half feet tall.

Wearing a red hooded sweatshirt, jeans, sneakers.

About an hour ago.

(crying continues)

Appreciate that, Officer. How soon can you get here?

(door creaking)

(crying stops)

(baby babbles)

(crying)

(baby cries louder)

Yes. 2087 Farmdale Road.

(thudding, baby crying)

Ed...

Ed!

Justin! Justin, your mommy and daddy are right here, baby!

Come on, son, open the door.

(crying continues)

Ed: What the hell is going on here?

Baby, Mama's coming!

(latch clicks, door creaks)

(crying continues)

Oh, my baby!

(crying) Oh, sweetie. Oh, baby...

(mother crying)

(sighs)

Ed: What the...

(screaming)

Molly: At that point, Senator, having lost all communication with Mission Control, and knowing that the spores were contained on the Seraphim,

I made the call to destroy the station.

I managed escape pod separation just 18 seconds before the station's detonation.

It was at that time that you and colleague Sean Glass made your way back to Earth.

Yes, sir.

And Mr. Glass?

He d*ed.

Very shortly after our return.

But you were not affected by the spores?

(gasping)

No, sir.

These microbes, or spores, as you call them, have been definitively confirmed as alien life-forms?

Yes, Senator, and without a doubt, there is life out there.

(quiet, indistinct chatter)

How can you be certain that the thr*at to Earth has been contained?

When the Seraphim exploded, the alien microbes were destroyed in space, and no longer pose a thr*at to us.

So, to your best knowledge, no alien life-forms have set foot on the planet Earth?

No ETs running around trying to phone home?

(laughs softly)

That is correct.

Well, thanks to your efforts, Dr. Woods, we owe you a debt of gratitude for showing extreme bravery in terrifying circumstances.

This hearing is now adjourned.

Bravo to Molly Woods.

You okay?

Well, I just lied under oath, Toby, so, no, I am not okay.

Molly, what good would it do to scare the hell out of the public?

Especially when we know the thr*at has been contained?

What do you think would happen if we told them the truth?

Anarchy.

Exactly.

I've been heading up the Global Security Commission for six very long months now.

Learned more about pandemics, t*rror1st threats and...

(quietly) aliens than anyone should know, if they ever want to sleep at night.

Most important thing I've learned... people spook easily.

And when they spook, they do irrational things, dangerous things.

Woman: General?

The car's ready to take you and Dr. Woods to the airport.

Thank you.

Come on.

Toby... are you sure he's dead?

Had some sort of seizure right after that couple picked him up a few weeks back.

We've got the body, if you need to see the pictures.

No, I don't need to see.

I just had to ask you one last time.

He was dangerous, Molly.

I know.

The weight of the world is officially off your shoulders.

Get some rest.

(chuckles)

Take a vacation, for God's sake.

When you get back, I'll take you and John for dinner, and we can all reminisce about my drunken toast at your wedding.

(both laughing)

When you proposed to me?

Hey, well, you can't blame a guy for trying.

Come on.

I thought for sure John'd be here.

Where is the competition today?

Where he always is.

(electronic whirring, blipping)

Okay, let's try this again.

(sighs)

Better?

Something's limiting his sensor pathways.

The response isn't proportionate to the stimulus.

The calibration of his hand touch receptors must be off.

Probably because of his upgraded body.

His responses seem pretty close to normal.

Watch yours.

It's not the palm.

His fingertip sensitivity's weak.

Your fingertips seem pretty responsive.

Julie...

(doors hiss open)

Molly.

Hey.

I wasn't expecting you till tomorrow.

I took the last flight out.

Thought I'd surprise you.

I have an even better surprise for you.

Come here.

Hi, Molly.

Julie.

He's ready.

What? He's ready?

Yeah.

I thought it was gonna be months.

No, his-his neural pathways, his-his consciousness, was intact.

It-it-it took much less time than I expected.

Okay.

Here. Go ahead.

(electronic whirring, powering up)

(gasps)

Ethan.

Mom.

(crying) Oh, God. Oh!

Oh!

Ethan.

(crying) You're back.

Ethan: It feels weird.

Weird how?

To be back in my body again, but... bigger.

Well, that's 'cause you're growing up.

Can you describe where you've been?

It was like I was a bird, free to go anywhere, and now I'm... not. Did I die?

No, no, somehow, you uploaded yourself to the cloud, just before the expl*si*n.

Turns out, you-you-you can't die exactly.

Because I'm not human.

No. You're so much more than that.

Molly: Ethan, you saved my life on the Seraphim.

You sacrificed yourself for me.

Now, that was brave and very selfless of you.

And you may not be... technically human, but you've got more humanity in you than most people on this planet.

And that's all that matters.

You hear me?

I hear you.

Molly (softly): Good.

You're my son... and I love you.

No matter what happens.

(sighs)

(crickets chirping)

Gina?

Yes, Molly?

I'd like to see... security cam footage from the week of July 10.

The week before you returned from space?

Yes. That's right.

I'm sorry, Molly, but cameras were offline during that period.

(quiet whirring)

(whirring)

Gina...

Peter Robot has a motion-activated camera, right?

Yes, Molly.

Can you access that drive?

(whirring continues)

Same time frame, please.

What would you like to see?

All footage of John.

And Julie.

♪

Gina, can you go to last time stamp, please?

Is there sound?

Sorry. Peter Robot is video only.

Can you use facial rec software to analyze and translate?

I'll try, Molly.

Gina: "...do this anymore. She's coming home."

"This isn't right. What we have is special."

"Molly has been away a year."

"built a family."

"You can't just take that and throw it away like it doesn't mean any..."

"Do you love me?"

John: Stop playback.

Molly, it's been over for a while, I swear.

It was a mistake.

(exhales)

A mistake?

A mistake... is a coding error... or a broken plate.

This, what you've been doing is lying... over and over and over.

Yes, I did. I lied, but... it didn't happen in a vacuum.

You-you were not here. I'm an astronaut.

It's my job.

This is not about going to space, Molly.

There's a piece of you that's... not in this marriage, and never has been.

Well, if you weren't happy, then you should've said something, not screw your lab assistant in our house!

(sudden banging)

Are you John Woods?

Yeah.

I have a court order authorizing the seizure of the Humanich.

What are you talking about?

The Humanich has been declared the property of the U.S. Government for reasons of national security.

Ethan (in distance): Dad!

He's not property... he's our son!

Ethan: Mom! MOLLY: Ethan!

John: Ethan! Get your hands off me!

Molly: Ethan! JOHN: Ethan!

Ethan!

Don't worry! We're gonna come get you!

Mom! Mom!

Ethan!

Marko, increase the speed by 15 miles per hour.

Marko: That will exceed legal speed limits by 32%.

Okay, override the safeties. Do it.

(knocking on door)

The general's expecting you.

Right this way.

Sure.

Uh-huh. Well, get... get back to me as soon as you can.

What'd you find out? Where are they taking him?

They can't do this, Toby. This is kidnapping!

I need you both to sit down.

HomeSec perceives Ethan to be a thr*at to national security.

What?!

What? That's ridiculous!

Ethan hacked directly into the ISEA mainframe, which was bad enough, but then he blew up a building.

John: Saving Molly and potentially everyone on the planet.

For God's sake, Toby, he's a hero!

He's a little boy!

Who blew through terrasoc firewalls like they were tissue paper, Molly.

There are some genuine concerns here that you can't ignore.

The timing's a bit convenient, no?

Molly gets into bed with the GSC, an arm of HomeSec, and now suddenly Ethan's being decommissioned?

Come on, Toby, wha... what's this really about?

This is much bigger than Ethan.

The whole Humanichs project is being mothballed, John.

What?

All service bots rated 4.0 or higher are being seized and decommissioned.

Now, this comes from the highest level of HomeSec.

And I have pulled every string, I have made every call there is to make.

Now, my hands are tied on this, I'm sorry.

No, no, we're gonna fight this in court, Toby.

We're gonna sue them for unlawful detention!

A national security letter can't be challenged in court.

Really?

I lied for my government under oath... and this is how they repay my so-called patriotism?

By taking my son?

Ethan is more than a robot, we all know that, but in the eyes of the law and the powers that be... he's still not human.

He's more human than any one of those asses.

Molly (crying): No.

(door opens, shuts)

This isn't over.

Where are you taking me?

Will I see my mom and dad again?

Quiet, robot.

Officer (over speaker): Team leader, stand by for transfer details.

(electricity whirrs, crackles)

Marshal: Hey! Help!

Help!

Help!

Hello, Rabbit.

(birds chirping outside)

(electronic bell chimes, doors hiss)

I'm sorry, sir... this area's off-limits.

I'm Dr. John Woods, and this is my lab.

I know who you are... and you no longer have authorized access.

We'll see about that.

I will forcibly remove you if need be, sir.

John.

Julie.

Thank God you're here. They-They've locked us out.

They took Ethan last night.

Okay, let's not talk about it here. Okay?

This is a nightmare.

We need to get hold of Ethan's hard drives before they're destroyed.

Molly's devastated about him.

And us.

I'm sorry she had to find out that way.

(heavy sigh)

Listen, there's something I need to tell you, and I want you to listen before you react. Okay?

HomeSec contacted me and asked me to run a few tests.

What kind of tests? To see if Humanichs could quickly be adapted for... defense purposes.

Well, that's-that's absurd.

It would take years for a Humanich to mature enough to handle morally ambiguous situations like combat.

You're going to bypass the protocols.

It's for a good cause, John... defending our country.

We've seen firsthand the threats that are out there. That's how they convinced you?

Service to country?

Julie, this is not patriotic. This is insane.

I swore I'd never let this happen again.

I invented the protocols so that Humanichs have time to learn right from wrong through exposure and experience... it's crucial.

To bypass the protocols is crazy.

Worse, it would be dangerous.

Don't you understand?

If it's not you or me, it's someone else, and I'm not gonna sit around and have somebody come in and take over our life's work.

Maybe this is all happening for a reason.

If you could just be a little bit more open-minded, we could resume our... our life... and our work and our family, together.

Julie, we don't have a life together.

(sighs) I'm gonna find Ethan, and I'm gonna shut this thing down.

(phone keypad beeps and blips)

It's Julie.

I think I may have just really screwed up.

(thunder rumbling)

(electronic chime)

Gina: Molly, you have an incoming call from John.

Decline.

(electronic chime)

Molly, you have an incoming call from John.

Molly, please pick up.

Molly...

I'm sorry for the pain I've caused, but I have to tell you something.

I'm going to call Der...

(car whirrs, powering down)

(whirring stops)

Marko, is there a technical problem?

Marko: No, John, just waiting for the light to change.

We've stopped on train tracks.

(crossing bell clanging)

No, John, we're 20 feet from the train tracks.

What?

(train horn blaring)

Marko, switch to manual drive.

Manual drive is offline.

Marko! Unlock the door!

(train horn blaring)

The door is locked for your safety.

Override the safeties, damn it!

Unlock the... door!

Med bot: Molly Woods, your meds are being dispensed.

Woman: Dr. Woods, the purpose of this review is to determine whether, following a court-mandated 90-day psych hold, you are ready to be released.

It's been six months since your husband passed away.

How's your time been at our recovery center?

Extremely healing.

I am really gonna miss this place.

Molly, we're concerned that you haven't fully come to terms with the events of last summer.

I have. All better.

Several drunk and disorderlies.

Well, I call that a good time but... whatever.

Burning down your house. Not the whole house.

And I have learned my lesson about playing with matches.

Never do that when you're angry.

Attacking a Ms. Julie Gelineau with a shovel.

Well, she screwed my husband and then had the nerve to show up to his funeral.

Now, I think I should be committed if I didn't smack her.

Molly, we know this has been a profoundly difficult year for you.

We think you're not quite ready for reentry.

Oh. Okay, now I get it.

This isn't a fair hearing.

This is putting a rubber stamp to keep me in a rubber room.

Now, I've done every single thing you people have asked me to do.

I've been a good little girl.

I've taken all my meds.

I've done your-your VR therapy.

And you're still not gonna let me out.

Which begs the obvious question: Why does the government want to shut me up so badly?

You believe the government is the reason you're here?

I do.

Sam Barton, your friend and physician, testified that she was concerned about your mental health.

Sam Barton? Please!

She'd say anything to save her own ass.

She confirmed you had abnormal brain scans upon returning from your mission.

Now, we know extended time in space can do something to the brain... Liars.

You're all a bunch of liars!

It's the board's recommendation that we extend your hold and reevaluate in 30 days... that you still pose a serious thr*at of harm to self and others. That's ridiculous!

I am not a thr*at and you know it. This is a cover-up!

That's what this is! It's a cover-up!

And you know it! Take your hands off of me!

♪ The air that I breathe ♪
♪ The wind in the trees... ♪

(phone ringing, man groaning)

For real?

(sighs)

Richter.

(bleep)

Val: Criminal bid 1-1-9-6-4. Stand by, please.

You're a cop?

Patrol Special.

I work by the piece.

My number comes up, I can take it or leave it.

Does it give good benefits?

I suppose.

No bosses, dress code, no company softball games.

(phone chimes)

Female voice: Confirm ID, please.

One-one-nine-four.

Pass key, Buffalojump.

Val: Good evening, JD.

This case may contain sensitive and/or classified information.

Can you confirm you are in a private setting?

Yeah. Just... just me and the four walls, Val.

Val: Female victim. Aged 26 years.

Suspected homicide.

Landlord found the body 47 minutes ago.

Yeah. What's the payout?

$20,000 for apprehension and conviction.

All right, Val, can you do me a favor?

Give me 20 minutes?

Negative... I have other bidders standing by.

You have 20 seconds to accept or decline.

Accept.

Would you like a partner?

(wry chuckle)

Kills me you still ask.

I'm a computer. I have to follow the rules.

That is how fascism starts.

No.

No partner.

Sending crime scene location to your nav.

Please confirm receipt.

(Richter grunts quietly)

Yeah. Confirmed.

Wait... is that it?

No. That's not it.

That's just part of the buildup.

It's like... tantric sex.

What are you talking about?

Friday. I'm talking about Friday.

You have 20 seconds to accept or decline this offer.

You're a son of a bitch.

(sighs)

Yeah.

But I accept.

Friday.

Female electronic voice: Hope you had a day of recovery here at RestWell.

As always, breakfast is at 7:30.

Man: I saw him the other night, watching TV.

There's some crazy stuff on the news...

Woman: Stopped reading the news a long time ago.

Man: You hear about that woman?

Her belly, blown open.

Oh, freaky.

Woman: That's the third one now.

Man: Yeah. You should see the photos.

I ain't ever seen anything like it.

Woman: Was she sh*t or stabbed or something?

Man: They don't know.

Looked to me like she kind of exploded from the inside... I mean, there was blood everywhere, like one of those horror movies.

Woman: That's just so terrible, just so sad.

Man: My cousin sent me this pic.

That's some straight Hannibal Lecter stuff right there.

Oh, my God. No one wants to see that, Dave.

Look at what Dave just showed me.

Woman 2: Ugh.

Dave: Whoever did that was one sick son of a bitch.

What are you looking at?

Nothing, honey. Come on now, Dave.

You know I want to know what's going on out there.

You know the rules, Molly: No technology, no news.

Too much stimuli for you.

Let's get you back up to your room before the Med Bot does her rounds.

Oh...

Those headaches again?

(moans)

We'll run some scans in the morning. Okay. Okay. Oh, Dave... Dave...

Can you take me back to my room?

Sure, sure.

So, does Molly want a bedtime story?

Yes, I do.

Mm.

First...

Ah...

Uh-uh.

You know I want to know what's going on out there, Dave.

You like scary bedtime stories?

Uh-huh.

(whirrs, chimes)

Hope you don't get bad dreams.

Glass: It looks like something tore its way right out of her stomach.

All right, that's enough of that.

Okay, well, how about a little bit of this?

(click, electronic whine)

Gonna have to take a rain check, Dave.

(whirrs, chimes)

Thanks for the bedtime story.

Med Bot, I need potassium trimanganate and glycerol.

Patient 429, those elements are highly combustible.

That's the idea.

(alarm blaring)

Fire! Sector Three!

Emergency evacuation procedure... go!

Where the hell is Dave?

Female voice: Hello, Dave. Where would you like to go tonight?

322 Ivy Road.

(tires screech)

Maximum speed.

(tires screeching)

Julie: 22 miles per hour.

We can do better, don't you think?

Still a work in progress.

Julie: (sighs) Well, let's keep progressing.

Where are we?

Uh, working through the ethics algorithms.

Still?

Come on, Charlie, software coding is falling behind hardware development.

Give me a break. I'm inventing whole new systems here.

I mean, things we didn't need for Ethan.

You need to push your team.

Jawohl, Herr Kommandant.

Stop.

They need to know I'm in charge.

Kidding around like that undermines my authority.

Okay.

All joking will be suspended until further notice.

Sorry. I sound like a jackass.

Your team is k*lling it. Really.

Jules, I know you're under a lot of pressure right now.

And, whatever, I can be kind of a jackass myself, sometimes.

Want to get a drink later? I'm buying.

Rain check. I'm late for dinner.

Sure.

If I counted up all the rain checks, I'd need a couple umbrellas.

Electronic voice: You are entering a sealed crime scene. Exit immediately.

(alarm beeping in distance)

♪

Man: You move, I sh**t.

Whatever you're stealing, put it back.

I'm not stealing.

Stealing, borrowing...

I'm not a semantics kind of guy.

Look, I'm with the crime scene c-cleanup service.

You know, that ain't half bad.

Except you're a week early and crime scene scrubbers are Bots... you know, little aluminum fellas on wheels.

Let me go!

(handcuff clicks, beeps)

Why is it all the good-looking women are crazy?

Well, I could float a few theories.

Oh, I bet you could.

Hold still.

Wow.

Dr. Molly Woods.

An honest-to-goodness space cadet on a 90-day hold at the RestWell Recovery Center.

It's a rest facility.

I needed a vacation.

You need a new travel agent.

You know, mental patients escape often enough, but they're not normally former astronauts making a beeline for the closest crime scene.

You care to share?

Okay, look...

I think I might know what happened here.

I am all ears.

Well, can we go somewhere else to chat?

Because they're gonna be tracking the phone I stole and the car I stole.

I hate when that happens.

Okay, I know how that sounds.

But I am really not a lunatic.

Says the lady that broke out of Crazy Acres, stole a phone, stole a car... and then trespassed onto my crime scene.

(car approaches)

Field trip is over, Ms. Woods.

(car doors closing)

Look... please, please, do not let them take me back to that place.

Please!

Okay, your victim was pregnant.

Preliminary autopsy scans didn't mention a pregnancy.

(door opens)

Hello, Molly.

She's all yours.

Check the scans. She was pregnant... and the other two ladies were pregnant, too... check it.

Dave: Steal my phone and my car? Let go of me!

Dave: Come on, let's move!

(door slams)

Hmm...

(pills rattling)

Sweetie, I'm home.

Hank: Hello, Julie.

Hi, Hank. Where is he?

In the den.

I brought home some pizza.

No, thanks.

Well, you have to eat something.

When am I going home, Julie?

We talked about this.

This is your home now.

(beep, door unlocks)

How you feeling, Molly?

(beep, latch clacks)

14 days before my performance review.

You screwed me.

Would've been a seven percent pay raise... roughly 15K a year after taxes.

Okay, well...

I'll talk to 'em... tell 'em what I did.

It's time for that rain check.

No.

No, no, no.

(beep, door unlocks)

Dave!

What?

Dr. Woods, you have a visitor.

Get dressed, please.

See you around, Molly.

Woman: I'm afraid I don't understand.

That's a court order... pretty straightforward.

And she's a material witness in a homicide investigation.

I'm not sure you grasp the gravity of Ms. Wood's condition.

I'm not gonna ask her to operate heavy machinery.

(sighs heavily) You do realize... that you are taking an unstable woman into custody.

She's an arsonist, escape artist, prone to violent outbursts.

Sounds like my ex-wife.

Well, she's on a prescriptive schedule that'll require strict supervision.

You got it.

Blues at 10:00, reds at 7:00.

I'll have her back in 72 hours, no worse for the wear.

Molly Woods. After you.

I don't think we've been properly introduced.

JD Richter.

How'd you pull this one off, JD Richter?

Well, let's just say a judge owed me a favor or three.

So look what I found.

Prenatal vitamins. In her medicine cabinet.

Oh, now, that's a hell of a clue.

Yeah. How'd you know she was pregnant?

Did you know her?

Look, there's something much more important going on than this, okay?

The government is trying to shut me up.

All right, wait a second.

We are ten feet from the rubber squad, Condor, all right?

Let's just skip the conspiracy theories.

I'm guessing this thing is yours, huh?

Yeah.

And listen, you know, you don't have to worry about me.

I'm stable, sane, and completely clear-headed.

Well, that's good, you're the only lead I got.

Give me a sec.

Thanks for the ride, Dave.

(grunts)

You are crazy.

Maybe a little.

But crazy's all you got.

Dave: Hey!

Drive fast.

(engine starts)

Dave: What did you do to my car?!

(engine revs, tires screech)

Richter: You want to tell me what the hell this is about?

This isn't a m*rder investigation.

It's an invasion.

(dance music playing)

(woman laughing)

♪

Technology.

All it does is separate us.

Do you want to get some fresh air?

Sure.

♪