01x03 - Episode Three

[bunniefuu]

Previously on Dark Matter...

We all woke up just like you, no idea who we are or how we got here.

We named ourselves by the order we woke up in.

I'm One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Which makes you, Six.

m*rder, as*ault, arson, theft, piracy.

Turns out The Raza aren't a race of aliens.

The Raza is the name of this ship.

We're not here to help these people, we're here to k*ll them.

We had a deal.

I got a better offer.

Android: Good morning everyone.

Here is your report from the bridge.

I hope you're all enjoying a hearty breakfast.

The ship's engines are operating within acceptable parameters.

At current rate of travel we should be arriving at the space station in approximately twenty-six hours and seven seconds.

Exactly one hour earlier than the last time she updated us, one hour ago.

Thank you robot.

So, here's what happens when we hit the space station.

Hawk the ship, split the profits, have a fond farewell toast and pay each other adieu.

No?

You want to split up?

Yeah, we're six strangers and a robot.

We don't owe each other anything.

But we're a team.

No offense, but this "team" has a lot of dead weight on it.

Offense taken.

Once we get to the station we're going to refuel, resupply and repair.

I'd be happy to give anyone who wants to leave their share of whatever we have left, but we're not selling the ship.

Ain't up to her.

I don't want to sell this ship.

Me neither.

Me neither.

Okay, yeah.

Alright.

You know, if we just stick together...

Alright.

That's fine.

It's what I wanted anyway.

A little peace and quiet.

You wanna play a game or something?

Nah, I'm just gonna take a nap.

No thanks, kiddo.

I found this antique book in one of the holding rooms.

It says it's a classic, so I'm sure I've read it before... but it's all new to me now.

I can give it to you when I'm done if you wa...

Or not.

Hey!

(door shutting)

(door opening)

(bang)

(startled gasp)

(electronic buzzing)

Male, appears to be in his mid-teens.

Didn't need to break out the fancy scanners to tell us that.

How long has he been dead?

A while.

Shouldn't he have started to decompose by now?

Under normal circumstances yes, but the temperature in that section of the ship was significantly lowered.

As a result, the body was quite well preserved.

What were you doing up there in those vents anyway?

Exploring.

You shouldn't be up there at all.

It's dangerous.

Not anymore dangerous than the rest of this ship.

Any idea what happened to him?

He was sh*t.

A single b*llet to the kidney.

He bled to death.

Who was he, why the hell did he bleed out on our ship?

That the scanner can't tell us.

Is there any record of another crew member in the ship's computer?

None that I found.

You mean one of us k*lled him and stuffed him in that utility room?

There's no point in speculating.

Without our memories, we'll probably never know.

Check the body for valuables.

We'll jettison it the next time we drop out of FTL.

That's it?

What?

Did you want to organize a funeral?

Prepare parting remarks?

I think it'd be a bad idea to dock at the space station with a dead body on board.

One of us k*lled him, that doesn't bother you?

Almost everything about this bothers me, but pointing fingers isn't going to get us anywhere.

Let's just... lets just forget about this and put it behind us, alright?

Come on.

♪

I need you to do something for me.

Of course, Two.

And I'm going need you to keep quiet about it.

Hey, you busy?

Listen, I need you to help swing the vote.

Get the others to sell the ship so we can all cash out.

What makes you think I'd want to do that?

Well because selling this ship allows us the freedom to chart our own course...

Woah!

Call our own sh*ts.

Come on man, you gonna let these losers decide for us.

Let's cut 'em loose, man It's too soon.

What are you talking about?

We don't know enough about who we are, who they are.

The person I was chose to be on this ship.

He must have had a reason.

You don't know that you even chose to be on this ship?

The clearest path hasn't presented itself yet.

And until it does, I stay.

Alright, have a good time playing with your stick.

But if the day should come where I'm no longer pleased with this arrangement...

Yeah.

Even then I wouldn't sell the ship, I'd take it for myself.

I feel bad for him.

The time for feeling bad for him is long past.

He's gone.

I know, it's just, the thought of dying in some dark room, bleeding and alone.

He was around my age.

I probably knew him.

Maybe.

And maybe not.

When I was in the vent, I could've just passed right by, but something told me to stop and look in that room.

It was like I'd been there before, like I knew there was something to find.

(sighs in frustration)

I knew he was there, which means I knew him.

He probably meant something to me once.

And now, he's just some dead stranger.

It's not right.

I just wish I could remember.

Well, the more I think about it, the more I believe we're better off not remembering any of it.

Really?

Yeah.

Fresh starts for all of us, right?

What if...

Yeah?

What if some of our memories were... what if they weren't all gone?

Don't!

Please!

She has all our memories in her head?!

And you knew it?!

I knew that's what she thought.

And you told her to keep quiet about it?

Why?

I wanted to make sure.

Yeah?

How'd you plan on doing that?

She's been having dreams.

Dreams she thinks might be memories, except they're not just hers.

What?

I think all of our memories may have somehow been transferred into her subconscious.

How's that even possible?

How's any of this possible?

One: There's something else.

One of the dreams she experienced was of one of us sabotaging the stasis pods.

Son of a bitch.

Hang on.

Just because she dreamed it, doesn't make it real.

I had the Android search through all terminal activity prior to our last deep sleep.

And?!

I recovered portions of a self-deleted subroutine that was initiated prior to all of you entering stasis.

Although it's specific intent is unclear, it would appear your memories were targeted.

Oh, come on guys.

How hard can this be?

The kid remembers doing it. She did it!

If it was her, why would she tell us about it?

Think about it.

One: Alright, alright, come on.

Why didn't you tell us about this sooner?

I wanted to see if her dream about tampering with the ship's systems checked out.

It did, which means this goes far beyond that one memory.

She could have all of our memories tucked away in her head.

When you dream, you have no idea whose memories you're experiencing?

No.

In the dreams, everything is happening to me but, sometimes, I can tell I'm not me.

It's really confusing and, a lot of times, kinda hazy.

I have trouble remembering it when I wake up.

So someone in this room wiped our memories and probably k*lled that kid.

(power system failing)

(buzzing)

What was that?

We just dropped out of FTL.

Why?

There's something wrong with the ship.

(alarm sounding)

We've lost power to several systems, including external sensors and the FTL drive.

What happened?

The operation efficiency of one of the outer relays dropped below minimum safe.

The ship detached the coupling and shut down all related systems to avoid a catastrophic failure.

Translation please?

We nearly blew a fuse.

Except in this case, "blowing a fuse" would equate to an expl*si*n powerful enough to vaporize the entire ship.

Well, that's great.

Dead bodies, hacked stasis pods, now this.

It's a whole lotta things going wrong on this ship.

Almost like someone's been tampering with it, isn't that right tech monkey?

Back off.

Why are you protecting her?

You don't know her.

I know I like her a lot more than I like you.

Could this be sabotage?

The coupling is located on the outer hull.

If someone wanted to tamper with it, they would have had to perform an EVA.

You mean go outside the ship?

It seems unlikely.

One: No, it's impossible.

We were in FTL until five minutes ago.

Exactly.

On the other hand, tampering with the diagnostic system to make the ship think that the coupling would fail would be comparatively simple.

If someone wanted to disable the ship without doing any real damage, this would be an excellent way to do it.

Well, we can't stay out here forever.

How do we get the FTL back online?

First, I'll have to determine what, if anything, is wrong with the system.

That could take some time.

We'll let you get to it then.

Do you have another question?

Yeah.

When people lie, they exhibit tells, right?

Physical signs that they're being untruthful.

When humans are being deceptive, they show a spike in respiration, blood pressure and changes in skin conductivity.

Now those signs, we wouldn't necessarily be able to notice them, but you could, right?

If I was in close enough proximity, yes.

In theory, I could determine if a person was lying.

Where are we going?

You'll see.

You said you wanted to show me something.

I do.

Just trust me on this one.

You are going to be amazed.

That's it?

Yeah.

You expect me to be amazed by a very large door?

Not the door, what's behind the door.

What's behind the door?

I don't know.

Yet.

But it's got to be pretty awesome, I mean why else keep it behind this kind of lockdown?

No one else knows about this?

Nope, only you, because you're the only guy I trust.

Oh hey, I've been thinking.

The way you handle you're weapons it's damn impressive.

It's mighty damn impressive for someone who's lost their memories.

Don't get me wrong.

I'm not accusing you of anything.

Just wondering how you do it is all.

I mean you can't even remember your own name, yet you recall all these fancy moves?

Hmm?

Instinct.

Okay, instinct.

So what are your instincts telling you about whether or not you can open this door?

♪

Remember, we're partners in this, yeah.

I've got your back; you've got mine.

So, you think you can open this door?

No.

Well, sh*t.

Hey.

What?

We need to talk.

About what?

The kid.

You mean Five.

She doesn't belong here.

A while ago, you were arguing otherwise.

That was before she found that body.

We're bad company.

I know, but she woke up in that stasis pod like everybody else, and that tells me she did something right, or wrong, to be here.

Is that what you believe?

Or is it what you've convinced yourself, so you can keep her around long enough to tap those memories in her head?

Hey.

We're convening in the mess hall.

What for?

Answers.

I'll begin by asking some simple questions to establish a vitals baseline.

Sure thing.

What is your name?

Jace Corso.

Well at least that's what the records tell me.

Here they call me One.

Well, Griffin Jones was my name; I'm now Six.

Two.

My name is Two.

What day is today?

I have no idea.

I don't know; don't really care.

It's chocolate protein pudding day!

Where are you?

Sitting here talking to you.

In the mess hall.

Android: Where is that?

This ship, the Raza.

Do you have any memory of your life before exiting the stasis pod five days ago?

No.

None.

No.

No.

No.

Do you have any memories of tampering with the stasis pods?

No.

No.

No.

None.

Well I had a dream about it, but besides that no.

Do you mean any of the passengers on this ship any harm?

No.

No.

No.

No.

Not yet.

Have you sabotaged this ship in anyway?

No.

Have any of the answers you've given here today been lies?

No.

She's telling the truth.

You all are.

We're not done.

(g*n cocking)

Not interested.

Thanks, though.

We all did it.

Good for you.

Why you have something to hide?

Nope, I've told you everything I know.

Good, then this should be easy.

I don't trust that robot.

We're not asking.

This is gonna influence the test!

Just try to relax.

Seriously?

With Twitchy Fingers over here?

If you sh**t him you may skew the results.

What is your name?

Don't make this any harder than it needs to be.

I don't like to be touched.

Just answer the questions it'll be over before you know it.

What is your name?

From the moment I stepped out of that pod, it's been Three.

What day is today?

The day after yesterday and a little before tomorrow.

This is ridiculous.

Do you have any memory of tampering with the stasis pods?

Of course not.

There's a problem.

I knew it!

I'm detecting something unsettling.

I'm not lying!

Not with you.

With the ship.

The hull is being bombarded with an unusually high concentration of gamma radiation.

You still think the ship hasn't been sabotaged?

What does this mean?

At this current level of exposure, full penetration will occur within three hours.

At which point, everyone onboard will be subjected to a lethal dose of radiation.

I thought the shields were supposed to protect the hull from radiation.

That's exactly what they've been doing.

But this level of exposure has taxed them beyond design specifications.

I've had to reroute power from some of the ship's other systems to reinforce them.

What caused this?

There are any number of celestial phenomena that can generate this level of gamma radiation, even at interstellar distances.

But in this case I believe we're dealing with the remains of a type 1-A supernova.

Android: It's unfortunate that we happened to emerge from FTL within lethal range.

Yeah right, so this is all just bad luck?

I'm supposed to believe this?

You think whoever sabotaged the ship timed this malfunction deliberately to put us in this location?

Damn straight, I do.

Even though he, or she, would suffer from the effects like everyone else?

Unless, he or she is an it.

What kind of "effects" are we talking about here?

Nausea, vomiting, disorientation...

Okay.

Infection, peeling skin.

Okay.

Hemorrhaging, damage to the...

Yeah, okay, okay, I get it!

Okay, just wait a minute here.

If this is a supernova or whatever, that means it's been happening since we got here, right?

So, how come Miss Know-it-all is only telling us about it right now?

I believe I may have already mentioned that the external sensors were down.

I only detected the radiation once it made significant penetration into the hull.

You've got an answer for everything, don't you?

Yes, I am an excellent information source, thank you.

That wasn't a compliment.

Alright, enough.

So we know the situation, what can we do?

You have two options.

One, you can override the safety protocol, and initiate an immediate jump to FTL.

We can do that?

But, I wouldn't advise it.

Why not?

The system was shut down for a reason.

If we engage the coupling without addressing the malfunction, the computer is predicting a seventy-three percent chance of developing a fatal instability in the plasma matrix.

Translation?

The ship blows up.

Seventy-three percent?

I'm not loving those odds.

Of course, if you really believe this was sabotage, it's most likely the diagnostic program that was tampered with, in which case there's really nothing wrong with the coupling at all.

Would anyone like to take that chance?

You said there was a second option.

The computer has identified what it believes to be the faulty part.

It's a relatively small electrical component.

All we have to do is replace it.

You want one of us to go out there?

In the deadly radiation storm?

Why are we even listening to this bag of bolts?

She's obviously got a wire loose.

I'll go.

On the other hand, sometimes she does make a lot of sense.

Good luck.

You're not impervious to gamma radiation.

The suits are shielded against full spectrum EM.

As long as I'm not outside for too long, I'll be fine.

You okay?

Yeah.

I just I want to be here in case she needs something.

(power generator going down)

It'll be okay.

She'll get us all fixed up.

I know.

My guess is she's making it seem a little worse than it is, that way were all impressed when she takes care of it.

I don't think Androids work that way.

I know they're not supposed to, but lets face it, ours is a little different.

(laughs)

I know.

That's why I like her.

She's just like the rest of us.

(chuckles)

Let's test your comm.

Are you reading me?

Loud and clear.

Suit is pressurized.

O2 is flowing.

Good luck.

I don't need it.

Well, good luck anyway.

No, the oxygen.

I don't need it.

We're draining power from the other systems to boost the shield.

I'd better hurry.

Venting airlock.

You should know, I've used my neural link to upload an override program.

It can be accessed from the navigation console on the bridge.

That won't be necessary.

Simply initiate the override, then after a few moments, once complete, it will automatically execute the jump to FTL.

We won't need it.

I sincerely hope you're right.

But if anything goes wrong out there, it will be your only chance.

You just get back in one piece, we can't do this without you.

Well, you can.

Opening outer door.

Android: The outer couplings are housed in a series of trenches about fifty meters from this position.

It should only take me a few minutes to get there.

Something's wrong.

(zapping)

Two: What the hell was that?!

Close the door and come back inside.

It's an electro-static discharge.

A side effect of the radioactive bombardment.

When the accumulation of negative ions is too much for the hull to absorb, they're sporadically released.

One: Will your suit insulate you if you get hit?

I highly doubt it.

But there's no cause for alarm.

It seems to have stopped.

For now.

How long until the next one?

I don't know.

I'll just have to get my work done as quickly as possible.

Initiating magnetic boots.

Hey.

She's outside.

So far, so good.

Any sign of an electromagnetic discharge out there?

Android: Negative.

(heavy footsteps)

Descending into the access channel.

The control systems for the coupling should be located near the bottom of the ramp.

(power failing)

We just dropped into emergency lighting.

(heavy breathing)

Accessing control panel.

(air hissing)

I can see the coupling.

Android: I've identified the faulty electrical component.

Removing it now.

(machine ringing)

Alright, here it goes.

It worked.

The coupling has automatically re-engaged.

Yes!!

We should be able to jump now without any problems.

Closing the access panel.

(air hissing)

(machine whurring)

Android, you need to get back in here!

You need to get back into the airlock, now.

Too late.

(zapping)

(static)

She's been hit!

One: Android, come in, please respond.

Android, are you there?

Android, answer me!

(exploding)

Alright, what do you want to do?

We've got to go out there and get her.

Whoa, woah, woah, we're on the clock here, remember?

She said we had three hours.

She said we may have three hours.

And that was over two hours ago.

She fixed the problem, lets just jump, now!

What'll happens if we jump while she's out there?

She'd be ripped off the hull in a matter of nanoseconds.

She saved our lives.

Yes, she did.

So let's not ruin it by getting ourselves k*lled.

There's still time.

Let's go get her.

I'm on my way.

Seriously?

Yes!

(sigh)

This is a mistake, and you know it.

Do I?

Risking our asses for a piece of hardware?

A valuable piece of hardware.

Sure.

But not irreplaceable unlike our lives.

Looks like we got components for two more full suits.

The rest are just spare parts.

I'll go.

So will I.

How much time till the next EM pulse, like the one that hit the Android?

There were about forty-five minutes between the last two.

But that doesn't mean that another one won't happen sooner.

I guess we won't hang around to admire the view then.

(rumbling)

What the hell?

The FTL drive is powering up.

Son of a bitch.

Three, what the hell are you doing?

Three: Saving your life.

You can thank me later.

(door closing)

Why didn't we jump?

It's not the normal FTL start-up, it's the Android's work-around.

Once it's complete, we'll jump.

It'll just take a few minutes.

Four: Alright.

We're locked out.

Let me try.

Open this door.

I'm not going to ask twice.

Then I'll only answer once, no.

This isn't your call.

This was the plan we all agreed to.

It's why the Android wrote the work-around.

If something went wrong, we were gonna jump.

Something went wrong.

We can save her.

You sound very emotional.

Why don't you just calm down and we'll talk about it once we get to the space station.

I think I've got it!

Ready?

Yeah.

(crackling)

Or now.

We could talk about this now.

You're outgunned.

How do you figure?

I got her and tiny, he's got you.

Don't worry about Three, aim at Four.

What?

Why?

His g*ns aren't loaded.

Like hell they're not.

I was nervous about the way you were looking at me ever since I told you about my dreams.

So I snuck into your room and took your b*ll*ts.

Nice try.

But I keep my door locked and no one's tampered with my keypad.

I went through the vent.

You're bluffing.

(b*ll*ts clinking)

No.

Get behind the console.

Move it!

You brat, that was an invasion of privacy.

I'll stay here and keep an eye on these two.

You go get your suits on.

And you better do it fast.

Hands up.

Do it!

Is this really necessary?

Switching off her mag boots.

Alright, let's go.

(heavy footsteps)

Two: Alright, we're approaching the airlock.

Might want to hurry!

Yeah.

(zapping)

(screaming)

We're in, hit it!

(Raza whurring)

(panting)

What's wrong?

He's not breathing.

I'll bring the Android back online.

She'll know what to do!

He doesn't have a pulse.

His heart stopped!

Agh!

(heavy breathing)

She's not waking up.

Why isn't she waking up?

Agh!

You can't give up.

Two: It's too late.

Please stand back.

(panting)

(zapping)

(gasps for breath)

Are you okay?

Arghh!

Ah!

How did you do that?

I released the electro-static charge my nanites had absorbed and stored.

It was... very satisfying.

You risked your lives to save mine.

I don't understand.

You would've done the same for us.

In fact, I did.

(laughing)

Well, thank you.

You're welcome.

Have you sabotaged this ship in any way?

No.

Do you mean any of the passengers on this ship any harm?

No.

Have any of the answers you've given here today been lies?

No.

He's telling the truth.

Of course I am.

Stupid.

But if everyone's telling the truth...

Whoever did this wiped their own memories as well.

Why would anyone do that?

It may have been an accident.

The code was crude, perhaps rushed.

A communal mindwipe may not have been the intention.

So, what does this mean?

It means that finding out whoever did this is gonna be next to impossible.

So, we move on?

We move on.

(Raza whooshing)

(grunting)

(grunting)

Pretty crazy day.

Can't remember one that wasn't.

So, what're we going to do about our two mutineers?

Well, truth is they didn't mean us any harm.

We felt it was worth the risk to save the Android; they didn't.

What about the sabotage?

The Android analyzed the part she replaced.

Turns out it really was defective.

There was no sabotage.

Anchor me.

I've been thinking.

Why would whoever did this target our memories?

What was their endgame?

Well, Five seemed to think it was because

we were "dangerous".

Yeah but, dangerous how?

As far as I can tell dangerous in every sense of the word.

No, I know, I just...

We've all got bounties on our heads.

If you wanted to capture us, to subdue us, what would be the best way to do it?

There's got to be easier ways than erasing our memories.

What if what he actually wanted to do was only target a part of them.

"He"?

Look, we may have lost our memories, but I think it's pretty safe to say that we didn't lose our personalities.

And there's only one person on this ship who's made no bones about looking out for number one.

So, looking out for you?

You know what I mean.

He wants to sell the ship.

He could care less about the "team".

I understand the need to want to make sense of all this, but you have to make peace with the fact that we'll probably never know.

And throwing around accusations isn't going to help.

Your mind would be better put to other pursuits.

Sorry.

I should...

Six wanted me to...

Goodnight.

Good evening, everyone.

This is your report from the bridge.

Ship's engines are operating within acceptable parameters.

At current rate of travel, we should be arriving in approximately eleven hours and twenty-three minutes.

I've programmed an eight a.m. wake-up call for the crew to ensure you'll all be ready by the time we dock at the station.

Tomorrow's breakfast will be comprised of hydrated protein packets, bacon and egg flavor, as well as orange juice.

Hey, knock it off!

Goodnight.

Goodnight!

I'm looking for a ship called The Raza.

I hear it may've come through here a while back.

Lots of ships come through here.

This one's special.

I've been trying to catch up to it for some time now.

I've got some unfinished business with someone on board.

You're free to ask around.

If you make it worth my while, I can ask around for you.

What's your name?

Corso.

The name's Jace Corso.