01x07 - The Midnight Ride

[bunniefuu]

He described the appearance of the man that I saw in perfect detail.

He described a man with no head.

You think we're both crazy? Possibly.

What about Brooks? What about him? I told you to stay away from him.

I tried, but you didn't listen.

That is not what happened.

Morales, right? Yes, sir.

You used to date Lieutenant Mills? Abbie.

I think I found something.

The square and compass.

You're a Mason? These these men are my brothers.

My life is tied to the Horseman's, and his to mine.

If I die he dies.

I know a man who can help.

Someone who can separate you from the Horseman.

I feel him no more.

The Regulars are coming.

Tell the others.

The Regulars are on the way.

The Regulars are here.

Tell the others.

The Regulars are coming.

Paul! They're here! My God.

Where did you procure such massive quantities of reserves? Is there a nearby citadel? A supermarket called Buy Plus.

Buy in bulk, spend less.

I will take you there someday.

Do you know what we could have done with these supplies during the w*r? We'd have taken Lexington in a day.

Right now we have to make sure that if the Horseman att*cks Sleepy Hollow, you could hunker down here.

Now that your blood tie with him his severed, you're vulnerable.

"Pine Springs.

" Is that a variation of water? A brand.

Cheapest one.

You paid? For water? Why not drink from one of the thousands of taps around town? Or the lake? Well, tap water's got chemicals in it.

And the lake, you don't even want to know.

The extent of which your generation has defiled this earth is truly mind-boggling.

The Horseman will ride after dark.

After we finish the kits, why don't you meet with the Masons while I grab Corbin's shotgun from the precinct.

Rutledge says they've discovered information of how best to exploit the Horseman's weaknesses.

Are you certain you can forgo such a conversation? They won't let me.

The "no girls allowed" rule really gets under my skin.

Mills! Where were you today? I'm on the late shift.

I'm kind of in the middle of something right now.

What? Prepping.

Prepping what? For my sister, Jenny-- she's getting out of the institution tomorrow, moving in with me.

Wow, that's a big change.

Abs.

Hey, two minutes.

Come on, I just wanted to talk to you without having the Brit hovering over my shoulder.

Look, Abbie, I know things have been weird between us since we broke up.

I really do not have time for this.

But I see you every day.

I don't know if it's Corbin or Jenny or all of it, but I care about you, Abbie.

Abbie Luke.

I am here.

Before we dated, we used to be friends, remember? Can we at least get back to that? How about coffee? Tomorrow afternoon.

Oh, slow down.

I didn't think we were gonna be moving this fast.

Temper expectations, please.

Morales.

Who is that? Brooks.

I-I thought you were dead.

Ah.

Rumors of my demise have been pretty much true.

What are you? I saw you with Abbie Mills.

Stay away from her.

What? Stay away from Abbie Mills.

I'm the only one that can protect her.

You're protecting her? From what? The end.

I can protect her from the end.

Everyone will die except for the chosen few.

There's a w*r going on, Morales, a w*r you won't see or hear until it's upon you, and by then it will be too late.

There are others like me in Sleepy Hollow, watching watching waiting waiting.

The time's coming soon for you to pick a side.

I trust you'll make the right decision.

Dear Miss Mills, I trust this voice mail missive, finds you well if it finds you at all.

I'm still trying to fumble the notion that my words are somehow recorded on your "Smartphone.

" After consideration, I agree it is wholly unjust that you are prohibited from attending the Masons assembly.

I will rectify this the moment I arrive.

Please join us as we strategize our plan of att*ck against the Horseman's imminent arrival.

I am, most respectfully, Ichabod Crane.

Hello? Shh.

I'll cover you.

Come on.

Right there.

Okay, that's enough for now.

This goes without saying, but in your description of events, let's make sure the perp isn't headless.

Crane, you said you knew these men.

Who are they? A local chapter of the Freemasons.

A centuries-old organization of craftsmen with knowledge I know who the Freemasons are.

Why did they get their heads chopped off? For 500 years the Masons have been involved in a secret w*r between good and evil.

They're brave soldiers.

These were good men.

Where are all the heads? He took them, sir.

I am running out of rope with which to hang myself.

For now, our working theory is cult ritual su1c1de, understand? I'm helping you.

I'm trying to give you what you need to take this bastard down, but this just keeps getting bigger and bigger, and I still do not have proof that the Horseman really exists.

Four beheaded Masons isn't proof? Of four Masons without a head, yes, Of a headless horseman, no.

I have to notify the families.

We'll talk about this back at the precinct.

Crane? Find anything? Not yet.

The Masons said they had information on the Horseman, so it must be here somewhere.

Crane, I'm sorry.

It's w*r.

It's not the first time I've lost friends in battle and it certainly won't be the last.

It must be here.

Horseman of Death You okay? In 1781, when the Horseman slashed open my chest, I knew I was a dead man.

But before I collapsed, I had one last thought if I die, he's coming with me.

That dying wish became prophecy when our bloodlines merged on the b*ttlefield, entwining our mortality and our fate.

Until the Sin Eater severed your blood tie.

What if the Horseman came here tonight looking for you? Then I pray next time he finds me.

He may k*ll my Mason brothers.

He may even k*ll me.

But I will not go alone.

I will not leave this earth with him still on it.

He beheaded my mentor.

I want him k*lled just as badly as you do.

I know why the Horseman came here tonight.

He was looking for his skull.

Why would he think it was here? The Masons are the traditional guardians of secrets and artifacts for the side of good.

The Horseman would've assumed that his skull was in their possession.

When the Horseman came last time, Katrina warned us that if he got his skull, the other three Horsemen of the Apocalypse would rise.

The Horseman is here to hasten the end of days, just as he tried before.

We must retrieve his head before he does.

And this time we destroy it.

You're asking my permission to destroy evidence? Agent Collins from the FBI.

Call back.

I have a few more.

Marlene Ramsay? The victim's wife.

I'll call her as soon as I'm done.

And your daughter wanted to remind you it's Cynthia's birthday tomorrow.

She kept the damn dog.

Do I really need to call her on her birthday? Mother of your child.

Like I could forget.

I just told you I needed more proof and you respond by asking me to destroy evidence? Sir, I'll take care of it.

It'll never come back to you.

I don't have it.

I sent the skull out to another lab.

Marlene Ramsay, have you informed her of her husband's passing? Yes.

During the w*r, I personally informed the family when a soldier in my regiment was k*lled.

There is no worse feeling than telling someone their loved one's gone.

Especially when it's under your watch.

The Horseman will k*ll every night until he gets what he came for.

And you'll have to make that call over and over again.

You've come this far, sir.

You need to trust us.

The D.

A.

's on line one.

I'll call her from the car.

Stick around.

I won't be gone long.

Paul? Hey.

Thanks for coming in so late.

No problem.

Unfortunately, we still can't figure out what kind of processes were done to the skull.

We put it through the woodwork.

Biopsy came back unreadable, so we ran cytology: nothing.

PCR? Still nothing.

I'm running carbon dating, but that takes a few more weeks.

There's so much more to test.

No definable cell structure, no DNA markers-- it's been scrubbed of any sign of life.

And yet, there it is.

Do you have a box? I know we got the right size box in here somewhere.

If you don't have a box, I'll take a bag.

Oh, my God.

I got you, you headless son of a bitch.

I wanted to call my guys in Manhattan and hunt him down.

But local PD says all the surveillance cameras at the lab cut out.

There's no evidence of the Horseman.

It's like at the precinct with Brooks.

They can't be seen until they want to be seen.

It's all true? Everything you told me from day one? This is insane.

He m*rder*d Paul in front of me.

I need to fill out a report.

I need to call the governor.

What are you going to tell him? What do you think I'm gonna tell him? A headless horseman is mowing people down to bring about the end of days? For further questions, please call Ichabod Crane, the man who beheaded him in 1781.

It was a mere inquiry.

You wanted proof.

Honestly I wanted it to be a lie.

Well, we got him.

Now let's destroy it.

How rare to stare into the face of Death.

It's something I never intend to do again.

There's a junkyard in Tarrytown with an industrial car compactor.

I've seen it turn an SUV into an ice cube.

If it can't crush the skull, nothing can.

The myriad of destructive devices you have in this century is remarkable.

It's late.

They weren't there earlier.

Is that common? Four lanterns lit in a carport? Don't know.

Probably not.

Why? In my day, Paul Revere developed a system: one lantern, the enemy comes by land.

Two, they come by sea.

Paul Revere, midnight ride.

"One if by land, two if by sea.

" You've heard of it? Word may have gotten around.

What does four lanterns mean? Why would the Horseman do this? The Masons believe their minds are akin to a temple.

A sacred, holy place.

We're tampering with his head and he's responding in kind.

He lined the heads with silver.

Is it along the top of the skull? Does that mean something to you? Paul Revere utilized the same technique the night the Crown arrived in the colonies.

In 1775 Paul Revere lined the lanterns with silver to enhance their illumination.

I was guarding the safe house where Sam Adams and John Hancock were evading arrest.

When I alerted Adams that the Crown was coming by sea, I observed him hand Paul Revere a document, a continuous manuscript kept by the Masons containing enemy secrets that could be used to defeat the Crown.

There was a symbol on the manuscript, a demonic heptagram.

I've seen it in Corbin's files.

It's a star within a star.

The Devil's trap-- I've seen it, too.

But it's a symbol used to entrap and defeat demons.

Why would that be on a manuscript containing enemy secrets? Maybe they weren't secrets of the Crown.

They were secrets for conquering evil.

My God.

The Horseman of Death was there that night.

Where? Paul Revere told us of an enemy assailant who chased him on his ride into Lexington.

He believed it was a cold-blooded mercenary for the Crown, but But it was Death himself.

He was after the manuscript.

It must contain a secret about him, uh, his weakness or flaw.

Do you think that it was updated after you cut off his head? I do.

I'd wager that's the information the Masons wanted to share with us.

We got to find that manuscript.

Tarrytown Museum of Colonial History.

This venue holds the manuscript? Amongst other historical artifacts.

This might be your happy place.

Paul Revere was a Renaissance man-- a silversmith, an early industrialist, and even a highly acclaimed dentist.

All right, kids, follow me.

It's apocryphal, what this man is telling these children.

Let it go.

Uh Were you charged a fee for that water? My God, it should be an inalienable right.

Where do the courts fall on this? - Gather round.

UhWait.

And make sure everybody can see.

Now, while Revere was, well, revered for his many talents, he is most famous for what historical event? The midnight ride.

That's right.

In fact, many refer to it as Paul Revere's midnight ride since he was the first patriot to yell "The British are coming!" as he rode into Concord.

Uh, pardon the interruption, but Paul Revere never arrived in Concord.

That was Samuel Prescott's route, and the warning all the riders gave, as discreetly as possible, was "The Regulars are coming," not "The British are coming.

" See, we, too, were British at the time so that would have been most unhelpful.

Did you just say "we"? Excuse us.

My cousin Steve forgot to take his medication this morning.

Didn't you, Steve? I'm the only one amongst you who doesn't require medication.

A highly acclaimed dentist.

The man was a silversmith.

That's the last person you want poking around in your mouth.

So I spoke to one of the curators.

I have good news and bad news.

What do you want first? Is this a riddle? Never mind.

Bad news: the manuscript's on loan to the National Army Museum in London.

London.

Mm-hmm.

That's a three-month voyage by sea.

That's where the good news comes in.

They've uploaded the manuscript online.

That is excellent news.

You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you? No, I do not.

Oh, uh I really hope you're right about this manuscript.

Horseman rides again.

Uh, Lieutenant, I've done something catastrophic.

You printed this five times.

Correct.

Why? In case the picture vanishes from the screen like it did a moment ago.

The manuscript-- written in some kind of code.

Adams would have used a Vigenère cipher.

I vaguely remember that from Criminology 101.

It's similar to a Caesar shift cipher, but instead of shifting the alphabet based on a letter, it's based on a word.

A Vigenère cipher is several Caesar ciphers in a sequence with different shift values.

Therefore, without the code word, the text is impossible to decrypt.

Oh, so you're looking for a password? This is definitely your area of expertise.

Flummoxed by a foreign concept that resembles close to nothing of what you know? Can't imagine how that feels.

I'm trying to cr*ck a very complicated code.

Is that noise going to cease? I must have quietude to concentrate.

Calm down.

I'm gonna make a quick call, uh, give you some privacy.

If you're going to annul an engagement with a man who works across the street, don't you think you should do it in person? How do you know I'm meeting with Luke later? You're much easier to read than a Vigenère cipher.

There are others like me.

Except for the chosen few.

There's a w*r going on, Morales.

Watching.

I saw you with Abbie Mills.

Waiting.

Stay away from her.

I trust you'll make the right decision.

Stay away from Abbie Mills.

I'm the only one that can protect her.

Hey, this is Luke.

Leave me a message.

Hey, Luke, it's Abbie.

I know we were supposed to have coffee today, but something just came up and I'm not gonna be able to make it, so give me a call when you get this and we'll figure out another time.

Okay.

Okay, talk soon.

Andy? You're supposed to be dead.

I am dead.

Is that not apparent? Brooks what happened? Abbie, I'm, I'm stuck.

I want this to end, but he won't let me.

You sold your soul? I know you don't believe me, but I'm trying to protect you.

Well, how did we get here? Well, that is wildly inappropriate.

Hey, sexy.

Want to chat? Well, I'm flattered, madam, but I'm afraid I am espoused to another.

Ooh.

Still here.

Cicero is the password.

Oh, Revere, you rum beggar.

You hid the password on the back of his teeth.

The Horseman won't stop coming after you until he gets his head.

Well, that's not gonna happen.

Horseman's indestructible, Abbie, he is Death.

We're getting that idea, thank you.

That's what I'm here to tell you.

You can't k*ll Death, but you can trap him.

That's the only way you can defeat him.

How? I don't know.

I just know it's a secret he doesn't want let out.

Brilliant.

Why should I believe anything that you say? Because I care about you, Abbie.

Is that the sheriff's turncoat? Andy Boks.

My name is Andy Brooks.

We saw you die in that cell.

Yeah.

It's not my best day.

Are you still in communication with the Horseman? I am but that's not why I'm here.

I want to help Abbie.

Here's how you can help.

Deliver this message to the Horseman: if he wants his head back, he can meet me at the cemetery when night falls.

Okay, I'll tell him.

If you return here, there will be consequences.

Do you understand? Don't thr*aten me.

You all right? He said the Horseman can't be k*lled.

Only trapped.

He's right.

And I think I know how.

I cracked the code.

You've got crazy good handwriting.

This? Chicken scratch.

There is a lot of useful information in this manuscript.

I'm not surprised the Horseman wanted it destroyed.

1782, the Masons updated this manuscript with a way to defeat the Horseman of Death.

Then Paul Revere engraved the key to decoding the manuscript, the word "Cicero," in the back of the Horseman's teeth.

What did he say about the Horseman, post-beheading? "Death cannot be slain, "but it can be captured and caged against its fiery will.

"As sunlight is his only weakness, "a witch must be summoned "to cast a spell, transforming the moon into the sun, whilst Death is exposed.

" Great.

We need a witch.

Too bad we can't summon your wife.

Yes, the thought had crossed my mind, thank you, though not as a means to defeat our present enemy.

Sorry.

Understood.

Perhaps there are still witches in Sleepy Hollow? Lieutenant? When Adams wrote in this manuscript, witches were the only means of creating sunlight at night.

But today, we have UV light, ultraviolet light, also known as artificial sunlight.

It's the modern version of what Adams was talking about.

We can simulate the sun.

Well, as long as it doesn't include the Internet, then, I'm amenable.

Aah! Stop! No excuses.

You guys have had straws for a millennium.

Mm.

This water was free at the market.

So was the arsenic that comes with it.

So, we have to lure him into the tunnels.

Any ideas? A few.

Though they require supplies which could take some time to prepare.

I'm not sure they'll be completed by sundown.

What if we got help? Assuming this works, which is generous, say we trap him.

Where are we gonna keep him? I'm not dropping him in the drunk t*nk.

The Masons have a cell protected by a supernatural barrier, designed by Thomas Jefferson.

Jefferson.

Huh.

What was he like? Oh, a true Renaissance man.

Artisan, scholar.

How do you figure a guy who wrote, "All men are created equal" justified owning slaves? That's actually a good question.

I can say with some certainty that he recognized the severe immorality of it.

He supported abolition in Virginia.

Perhaps his firsthand experience added to his eloquence in drafting a document used to justify it.

Or maybe Sally Hemings inspired him.

Who is Miss Hemings? Hogwash! Thomas was a loyal husband.

Your press knows no bounds! They still favor salacious speculation to fact.

I once said to Thomas, "A man who reads nothing at all "is better educated than a man who reads nothing but newspapers.

" We had a good laugh about that one.

I hate to burst your bubble, but we have something called DNA evidence, which scientifically proves that your pal Thomas Jefferson fathered six kids by one of his slaves-- Sally Hemings.

And not to kick you while you're down, but Jefferson took credit for your line about the press.

Well we never really know people, do we? Should be ten minutes or so till sundown.

The seventh time you've checked.

I suspect you're also awaiting news from Luke.

Oh, it's probably for the best.

Not like we could've had a real real friendship or anything.

And why is that? It's always gonna be this.

Canceling last minute, lying about it, keeping secrets.

The most important parts of my life, the parts that I want to share-- they're off limits.

So what's the point? Why are you smiling? Katrina once expressed a similar view.

She believed a liaison with me would compromise our roles in the w*r.

I suppose she wasn't wrong.

If you hadn't been in love, she would've let you die with the Horseman.

Most likely.

She wouldn't be in Purgatory.

Also true.

And you wouldn't be here.

Stuck in the modern era, where everyone I care about has been dead for 200 years.

That must be hard.

It's an adjustment.

If it makes you feel any better, I feel pretty alone sometimes, too.

Perhaps this is the sacrifice that witnesses must carry.

All we really get is one another.

Sun's almost down.

The Horseman's going to ride.

It's time.

I received your message.

My reply.

Oh, that was terrifying.

Hey.

Do you want to talk about it? Feeling mocked yet? Snuff the light! Crane, I'm hurt.

I think I broke my ankle.

Crane, help me.

Keep quiet.

I'm coming for you.

Crane?! Crane, he's here! Now!