01x08 - The Cheese Stands Alone

[bunniefuu]

Abraham: For centuries, mankind has been the dominant species. We've domesticated animals, locked them up, k*lled them for sport. But a series of recent events seem to suggest all across the globe, animals have decided: "no more." And so we were hired, a team of people from different backgrounds, with different specialties: an expert in animal behavior, a journalist, safari guide, foreign intelligence agent, and a veterinary pathologist. Our task: to find out what is happening with the animals, why it's happening, and how to stop it.

Jackson: Previously on Zoo...

The global pandemic your father believes was about to emerge... it appears it has arrived.

Mitch: We're all here because you believe that these scientific theories of a notorious crackpot are now coming to pass.

Mitch Morgan, as advertised.

This is Agent Ben Shafer of the FBI.

Uh, Jackson... hey, now's not really a good time.

Jamie, you listen to me. Ben Shafer k*lled the optometrist.

He's a corrupt FBI agent.

(Grunting)

(g*nshots)

Butler: The Mother Cell is in every single product

Reiden makes.

It's everywhere, it's all over the world, and it can't be stopped.

The Mother Cell can cure the animals.

Chloe: Dr. Morgan believes so, yes.

You're talking about your daughter.

Her name is Clementine, she's ten years old, she was diagnosed three years ago.

Why aren't you with her?

Baby mama married a... decent guy, and I just decided to let them have their family until she got sick, and I started b*ating down the doors of every research hospital in the country.

Then her mom put a stop to that.

He says that he has the Mother Cell, and he's willing to give it back, but he needs something in return.

I have to tell my daughter why she's dying.

Your drug will cure her.

I'll expect a call from you within 48 hours, telling me where and when I can get my medicine.

Delavane: I'm sending you back to the States.

To Pender Island, Massachusetts, to be precise.

Why? What's going on?

Two weeks ago, a cargo ship left Oslo, Norway, bound for Portland, Maine.

The crew complained about an unusually high rat population.

And while there are always rats on a ship,

48 hours into the journey, the crew reported the ship had become literally infested.

That there were hundreds of rats on board.

Eventually, the ship ended up adrift, not far from the small resort community of Pender...

Fisherman (whispering): Rats.

Delavane: ...where a fisherman claims to have seen thousands of rats leaving the ship and swimming for shore.

When local authorities boarded the vessel, they found the crew dead, their bodies in a horrible condition, suggesting they had been att*cked by the rats.

(Indistinct radio transmission)

Among the cargo was grain from a farm that uses

Reiden pesticides.

So what do you want us to do?

Go to Pender Island.

Conduct an initial thr*at assessment to determine if a containment protocol is necessary.

Hopefully, it will not be.

But most importantly, capture one male and one female rat and bring them back for analysis.

I'm staying here in Paris for another week.

Keep me posted.

And good luck.

Thank you.

Jamie: I'm just saying, all four of us don't need to go. I could come with you.

I could stay in a motel, and go through the Reiden documents from Paris, and you can go and talk all things Mother Cell with your friend at Harvard.

I think you should stay with the others.

(Scoffs)

A day on the island is a good way to stay under the radar.

And if anyone is looking into Ben Shafer's death, the more people you have watching your back, the better.

You know, you keep saying things like that, people are gonna start to think you care.

(Phone blips)

It's me.

I'm in town, and I have the Mother Cell for you, but I'm not gonna be able to deliver it until later on today, so, call me.

We'll arrange a meet.

Zoo S01E08
"The Cheese Stands Alone"

How did a few rats become thousands on the course of a trip across the Atlantic?

Well, if Mitch is right, and the Mother Cell is an accelerant, it may be, by being exposed to it in a contained environment, it accelerated the reproductive nature of the rats.

Or we could be seeing it in rats first, because they have a short gestation period.

What if this is just the beginning?

We could face a massive population expl*si*n in the entire animal kingdom.

A swarms of rats is one thing, but a swarm of lions, tigers, alligators...

Jamie: How would we even begin to fight back against something like that?

Jackson: Okay, first things first.

We have to warn the people on Pender island.

Jamie: I'm pretty sure they'd be aware.

Aside from a fisherman, no one has reported any rats at all.

None? That doesn't make any sense.

What does make sense since this whole thing began?

We need to capture a male and a female.

It's the only way to see how the Mother Cell affects the reproductive behavior.

So, we're going on a rat hunt.

What's the matter, Rafiki?

The men that d*ed on that cargo ship were eaten by rats.

Okay...

It's been proven that rats that taste human blood begin to crave it.

Well... that's just awesome.

There's something on your mind, and it's not just the rats.

We vacationed there... when I was a kid.

Pender Island?

Before my dad got bad.

He'd rent a shack on the beach every summer, on the side of the island that hadn't been built up yet.

Have a big clambake, invite all the neighbors.

So, you see, you still have some good memories about your father.

Sure.

But the last really good ones took place on that island... which appears to have been overrun with bloodthirsty rats.

Clem's just getting it together.

How you been?

Fine.

Oh, there he is.

Mm.

There he is. Oh.

Hey, you remember me, hmm?

I'm the guy who brought you here, a long time ago.

(Dog panting)

Has he been acting okay?

He got hit by a car.

Yeah, I know.

Clem told me.

So he's been acting like a dog who got hit by a car.

What I meant was, is... has he been acting aggressively, in any way?

Not at all.

Why?

(Footsteps approaching)

Hello.

Hey, Clem.

Audra: Look, babe.

Henry remembers Mitch. Isn't that amazing?

It is... because I don't.

It's okay. I remember you.

So what are you guys gonna do?

You haven't plan anything?

You haven't seen her in eight years, and still, you haven't planned anything?

I just thought we'd... you know, improvise.

Why don't you take him to your park, Clem?

Okay.

I'll pack up some sandwiches.

You can picnic.

I'll get Henry's leash.

Oh...

Henry's gonna come...?

(Henry panting)

(Henry pants, grunts)

(Mitch speaks gently, quietly)

There she is.

Hey, Sheriff!

Becky?

Jackson?

(Laughing)

(Laughs) Yeah.

Wow! I haven't seen you since...

Forever. (Laughs)

(Laughing): Yeah.

This is my friend, uh, Chloe.

Nice to meet you.

Hello, friend Chloe.

I was his first love.

Oh.

But don't be jealous.

We were 12.

Ah.

Oh, no, no, no.

Yeah, it's Chloe's...

We work... we work together.

Yeah.

Oh, I'm sorry.

You look... well, you look like two people who should be together. (Laughs)

Again, I'm sorry.

(All laughing anxiously)

Chloe: So, your office said we'd find you here.

We want to talk about the rats that came off the ship the other night.

What about them?

Billy T., the fisherman... he has a gift for exaggeration and a fondness for whiskey.

If he claimed he saw a hundred rats, you can be pretty sure he saw more like 12.

There's nothing to be concerned about.

Actually, uh, there is.

You saw the bodies on the ship, right?

Well, you seriously think rats k*lled the crew?

Rats don't eat live people. In fact, they're more afraid of us than we are of them.

The coroner hasn't finished his exams yet, but unofficially, he believes it was a carbon monoxide leak that k*lled those men.

And then the hungry rats came in and feasted on the corpses.

It's tragic, sure, but not sinister.

Yeah.

(Chloe sighs)

I've sent Mitch five text messages asking if he's arrived at Harvard yet.

No reply. Have you heard from him?

No.

But I haven't reached out to him yet.

I have patience.

I don't. What's taking them so long?

Should we go over there?

No.

We wait here, as discussed.

At this present time, you and any representative of the law is a bad idea.

I'm not a fugitive, Abe.

Not yet.

And it would be nice to keep it that way.

I think that you should consider evacuating the island.

Just to be safe.

Mm-hmm.

(Scoffing laugh): Are you kidding?

What is this all about, Jackson?

We've been studying animal behavior all over the world, and there is a real danger here.

You know how much this community depends on the tourists.

Evacuating in the middle of peak season would cause a heck of a lot more damage than any rats ever could.

Look, if thousands of rats had really shown up, someone would have seen them.

So far, all I've heard about are a few being spotted over by the Wilson.

Remember the Wilson Hotel?

Yeah, of course.

It's been closed for a while now.

It's undergoing some renovations.

All right. That's fine.

Thank you very much, Becky.

Well, it was really good to see you, Jackson.

Yeah.

And if you stay on island, we should get together.

Just no more rat talk, you hear?

The Wilson Hotel.

That's where we have to go. It's huge.

If it's deserted, it would make the perfect breeding ground for them, once the ship was no longer viable.

Man: Come on, Fitzy, what's your problem?

What do you got against reality TV shows?

I'm just saying, they got shows on fishermen and repo men, even those duck guys with the beards.

Why not one on pest control?

(Laughs)

I mean, I've been called many things in my day, but boring ain't one of 'em.

Imagine yours truly whipping out Old Reliable to scorch a colony of wasps.

That's some must-see TV right there, I'm telling ya!

(Rat squeaking)

Hey, I got to jump.

I got me a live one.

Hey, there, little buddy.

Just stay right there.

Where you going?

Where you going, buddy?

Where's my little buddy?

Hey, little fella.

(Rats squeaking)

All right.

There you are.

(Rats squeaking)

(Exterminator screaming)

Abraham: Come on, you son of a...

Jackson: You used to be good at this.

Abraham (chuckles): Got it.

(Rats squeaking)

Jackson: 37 seconds. You're slowing down.

Abraham: It's the salt air.

Makes the lock stick.

Well, okay then.

Guess they're not finished with the wiring.

I'll have a look for a circuit panel.

See if I can get some light.

Chloe: Hey, the exterminator left some traps.

Look.

Abraham: It hasn't been touched.

Hey, neither has this one.

Those traps are no good to us because they are store-bought junk intended to k*ll the rats.

Unlike like what we've brought, which should merely trap them, hopefully becoming a honeymoon suite for a male and female for Mitch to observe.

The fact that it's come to this, searching for k*ller rats in an abandoned hotel.

I should have gone to college.

I thought you did go to college.

Should have gone to a better college.

Well, happy hunting.

Chloe and I will check the traps on the upper floors.

You guys look down here.

(Indistinct chatter)

Nice park you got here.

What makes it yours?

Well, Mom never really lets me out of the house by myself anymore.

But when she does, I'm allowed to come here.

With Henry.

Oh...

I, um... brought you a present.

Cool. (Chuckles)

A piece of paper.

Open it.

You do know I'm still at the age where I would play with a doll, right?

A doll would've been fine.

Duly noted.

Just open it.

A parking ticket.

You got me a parking ticket.

A really old parking ticket.

It's ten years old, to be exact.

I got that outside of Brigham and Women's Hospital on the day you were born.

Okay...

When your mother's water broke, the neighbor had to take her to the hospital, because, uh, I was at a duck sanctuary in Westport.

And there was traffic, and I was late.

So I had to park illegally, and I got that ticket.

But I made it there on time.

And you saved it.

Mm-hmm.

To, you know, commemorate me making it to the delivery room to see you arrive.

Anyway, now it's yours.

It's like a family heirloom.

(Chuckles)

Yeah. Something like that.

With a ketchup stain. (Chuckles)

Oh, that's, um... coffee, I think.

Oh.

(Chuckles)

Man: Last year, I just decided what the heck, signed up for the dating service.

(Chuckles)

And here we are.

Yeah.

(Chuckles)

You know, there is a trick, apparently very popular among... the ladies on a first date.

20 minutes into the date, they have a friend call on the cell phone, and, uh, if the date isn't going well, they fake an emergency and bolt.

That's terrible.

I know about this because it's happened to me three times now.

A little bit of a coincidence, don't you think?

So, what do you do?

I manage a chain of hair salons.

In Queens.

Oh.

That explains why the... dating service thought we'd be a good match.

You manage hair salons, and I have this luxurious mane.

(Laughs)

(Phone ringing)

Do you want to get that?

Might be an emergency.

Nope.

I'm sure that it's not an emergency.

(Rats squeaking)

Some of these wires are chewed clean through.

(Grunts)

I could maybe fix it if I could see it, Jamie.

Sorry.

I still haven't heard from Mitch.

It's k*lling me, to be this close to taking down Reiden.

So what if we did?

What if Reiden was found guilty of everything you ever suspected them of doing?

What then?

What do you mean?

When I was a little boy, my cousin, Simon, and I were obsessed with finding a particularly endangered member of the antelope family, the "Hirola".

We traveled all around the countryside just to catch a glimpse of one.

Then, finally, in Somalia, we found a small herd of Hirola.

Yes, it was as beautiful as we had hoped, and many photos were taken.

But when we traveled home, we realized there was an emptiness.

We had expended so much energy on a single-minded pursuit, and it was over.

What now?

I appreciate what you're saying.

But I assure you, there will be no emptiness when we bring down Reiden.

(Chuckles)

There will be only joy.

Looks like Abraham found the circuit panel.

(Rats scurrying, squeaking)

It sounds like there's hundreds of them.

(Scurrying continues, louder)

Maybe thousands.

Thousands.

(Clacking)

What is that?

It's called bruxing.

Bruxing?

It's the sound they make when they grind their incisors.

You're saying that...

Yes, that they're sharpening their teeth.

(Bruxing continues, rats squeaking)

Abraham: Looks like we have a winner.

Ah...

Careful. Don't let it bite you.

(Harsh squeaking)

Come on...

Come on to your old friend Abraham.

(Rat hissing)

Hey!

(Gasps)

It's worse than we thought.

You got one.

Yes.

A male.

(Rat hissing, squeaking)

Okay, now we just need a female.

At the risk of sounding overly girly, this is all really, really... really disgusting.

(Phone line ringing)

Sheriff Bowman.

(Staticky): Becky, it's Jackson.

I can barely hear you, Jackson. What's that noise?

The Wilson is literally crawling with rats.

We can hear them in the walls.

You said you're at the Wilson?

Yes. There are thousands of rats inside.

You have to at least evacuate all the nearby homes.

I need to stop at the station first, then I'm on my way.

Stay right where you are.

No, no, don't, don't come here.

Please, you have to keep people away from here.

Becky!

Damn it, she hung up.

Come on, the sooner we find a female rat, the sooner we get out of here.

Let's eat.

Oh.

Okay.

I remember your mother's cooking is not so good.

Have these been approved by the FDA?

'Fraid not.

What is it?

That's either very old cheese or very new meat.

(Chuckles)

Do you have a wife?

Or a girlfriend?

No.

And you've never met Justin, right?

No. Just on the phone.

You like him?

I do.

A lot. (Chuckles)

He's awesome.

But I don't call him "Dad" or anything, in case you were wondering.

Okay.

So, um, how you feeling?

Not bad.

For a dead girl.

You know, you really shouldn't call yourself that.

Why not? It's what the other kids call me.

Woman: Really?

You're checking your phone?

Are you hoping one of your pals will call you with an exit strategy?

(Chuckles) No.

Uh, I just...

I'm worried about a colleague of mine who vanished.

Oh. I'm sorry.

No, it's all right. I'm sure he's fine.

He's something of a protégé of mine... younger guy.

"Number 12."

We call him that because he's, uh... he's handsome like a quarterback.

(Laughs)

(Horse nickers, snorts)

You never told me what you do for a job.

That's probably because it's very hard to explain.

I settle differences within my business...

Like a mediator.

Yeah, something like that, I guess.

(Chuckles)

(Chuckles)

But, uh, Number 12 is special. He's a good kid. Uh...

I guess since my son took off for California, I...

Well... (Chuckles)

I'm sure he's fine.

Yeah, well, me, too.

Man: Hello, there.

Care for a ride?

Oh, I don't know, I...

(Neighs)

You?

Why not?

(Chuckles)

Let's do it.

I've never done this.

Driver: Here you go. Watch your step.

Woman: Thank you.

(Neighing)

It's all right.

My patch job must not have held.

Perhaps it worked better than I thought.

(Elevator approaching)

(Elevator bell dings)

Hey, guys. The elevator's here.

Must be Becky.

(Squeaking)

Jackson: Through here!

Abraham: Move, move, move!

Jamie: Come on, come on, come on!

(Stammers): Where's Chloe?

Oh, my God.

(Chuckling)

Hey, you don't mind me asking, how long you two been together?

Uh... not long.

(Chuckles)

(Chuckles)

Nothing?

No.

Sorry.

It's okay to be worried about your friend.

(Sputters, neighs)

Whoa, Gypsy!

Everything all right?

Whoa.

No, he just got spooked. I'm not sure why.

(Gypsy snorting, neighing)

Whoa! Slow down! Come on, boy!

Woman: What's wrong?

Come on, boy. Gypsy, whoa!

Is there something you can do?!

I'm trying! Gypsy, slow down!

(Woman screaming)

Come on, slow down!

Gypsy, stop! The horse is out of control!

Aah!

(Woman screaming)

No, no, no!

I've got you.

Let's go!

(Woman screams)

(Shouting, screaming)

(Door creaks open)

(Groggy): That was a good day.

You should come around more often, Professor.

Yeah, I think so, too.

(Indistinct police radio chatter)

(Rats squeaking)

Jackson?

Hello?

(Door opens)

We're clear.

(Harsh squeaking)

Jackson: She's not answering her phone.

She'll be okay.

Chloe's a bad-ass, right?

(Muffled squeaking)

Hold on... do you hear that?

Yeah, it's coming from your game bag.

Impossible.

Dude!

Thought you said that was a male rat.

It is male, trust me.

Jamie: Well, how could a male rat give birth?

Abraham: I don't know.

Ugh.

Some... some species reproduce asexually.

Insects, fish, reptiles... but not rats.

No mammals, for that matter.

They're all male.

Are you sure?

You want to count rodent penises, be my guest.

I'll take your word for it.

But how can that be?

I don't know. I-I don't know, but it is.

Well, is this so unusual?

It is statistically unheard of for a standardized litter to be comprised of entirely one sex.

I-I suppose it's not impossible, but it-it's...

H-Highly unlikely.

Okay, animals reproduce to ensure the survival of their species, right? But what if that's changing?

Think about the mutations we've seen in the other animals.

The lions communicating over great distances.

The bears and their endoskeleton The bats, the rats... the whole thing.

What if these mutations are not about the... survival of one species, but the destruction of another?

Meaning... us?

We gotta find Chloe.

Hello?

Jackson?

(Squeaking)

♪

(Rats' teeth clacking)

(Sighs with relief)

Chloe.

So much for the coroner's theory that rats don't eat people.

Chloe: Yes, and we need to find something better than rat traps.

Yeah.

You take care of these people, okay?

I need you to keep an eye on him.

If he starts displaying any atypical aggression, just... put him in his crate. Call me.

What are you talking about?

It's a thing that I'm working on.

Certain animals are acting strange.

If you notice anything, please, just call me, all right? Justin, too.

And why would I do that?

Because I'm an animal expert.

No, I mean, why would I call you?

About anything?

I'm just curious.

All right, Audra, look...

Is this your midlife crisis, Mitch?

Where you start feeling guilty about all the crappy things you've done, like walk out on your wife and your baby girl?

Is that what this is?

No, it isn't.

Buy a sports car.

Go to a nightclub full of cheerleaders.

Have a regular person's midlife crisis.

But do not, for one second, think that I need you here.

Okay.

But answer me one thing: Why now?

Why, after all this time, did you call and say you wanted to see her? Why now?

Okay, let's assume, for a minute, that the cargo ship loaded with Reiden products accelerated the reproduction of the few rats on board.

Yes.

Okay, then once the ship got close and was no longer safe, they had to find another viable option.

Abraham: This abandoned hotel.

(Baby rats squeaking)

Hey, guys... It's...

They don't sound right.

They're suffering.

I think they're dehydrated.

It's no wonder.

Male rats can't nurse.

Well, like, up until ten minutes ago, they couldn't give birth, either.

Yeah, well, something's nursing the pups.

I mean, given how quickly the rats are multiplying, they have to be feeding.

There's got to be females around somewhere.

And they must be big.

Big? Why big?

To feed all these pups.

Wait, are you...

Are you guys saying that there are some kind rat queens?

If there are, we have to find them.

Okay, that would be crucial to understanding this particular mutation.

How about you guys go and find your rat queen and I go and find Chloe?

Jamie, do you really want to be in this place alone?

How about we stick together and find them both, huh?

Woman: That horse... w-what was wrong with it?

I don't know.

I'm a little more concerned about you.

See you at the hospital, okay?

Okay.

(Phone rings)

Hey.

Hey, boss. It's me, Murph.

Yeah, I... I'm in a bit of a situation here.

Can I call you back?

It's about your friend, Number 12.

What about him?

He's dead.

What are you talking about?

He was sh*t.

His body just found in a hotel stairwell.

In Alabama.

Any leads?

Security cam footage from the hotel lobby.

Sending it to you now.

(Ambulance engine starts)

(Siren wails)

Who are those people with him?

And what was Ben Shafer doing in Alabama?

I don't know, but I'm sure as hell gonna find out.

Jamie: Where are we going?

Jackson: Rats build nests to raise their young, so you'd think with this many rats we'd see a bunch of nests.

But we haven't seen any.

Exactly.

So maybe if we're looking for one big queen rat, we should be looking for one big nest.

Something tells me you already know where such an area might be.

I think I do.

Well, being the wise ones we are, we'll do our best to avoid such an area.

We shall not.

(Sighs)

Abraham: Perhaps you are wrong.

(Squeaking, squealing)

Jackson: I'm afraid not.

(Squeaking, squealing continue)

(Jamie gasps)

Abraham: Dear Lord!

Jamie: Oh, my God.

I think we're all agreed that these creatures need to be destroyed.

Any suggestions on how to do that?

I don't know, but...

I think we have a bigger problem.

What do we do?

Chloe: Guys!

Chloe, stay out of here!

Queens! Get the queens!

Get out of here!

Go, go, go, go!

(Siren wails, indistinct police radio chatter)

Fire got them all.

Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

Any pups that survive, they won't last long.

Uh, not without the females.

I called an off-island exterminator, just to be safe.

That's a good idea.

There's something more to it, isn't there?

Whatever it is you're looking into?

There might be.

Well, good luck.

And be safe.

And don't wait another ten years to come back here.

This island is still great.

When it's rat-free.

Hey, Becky, wait a second.

I need to apologize.

For what?

For... disappearing, back then.

And never explaining why.

You didn't have to explain.

I knew.

Everybody knew what... (Clears throat) was going on with your father.

Right.

Of course.

Besides... we were 12.

(Both laugh)

Chloe: You had good taste when you were 12.

I'll breathe a lot easier when we're off this island.

Burke: This would be much more civilized if you'd just give me your name.

My assistant told me, "That man is here.

The surly one."

That's what he called you.

Can we just get this over with?

There should be more than enough here to help your daughter.

It's a six-week course of treatment.

The protocol is simple: Two pills, three times a day.

The Mother Cell.

♪