01x07 - A Slow Death Is Worse

[bunniefuu]

Previously
on "The Ark"...

I had to eject too much U-238

during the meltdown.

We won’t get to
Prox B for decades.

I found a planet that
is rich in uranium-238.

William Trust is stashed in
a cryopod in a hidden room.

Maybe I should just
go tell Garnet.

No, you can’t tell anyone else.

Is it true you picked Ark
5 for your own departure

because you’re afraid the earlier arks
won’t make it to their destinations?

So you were supposed
to be on Ark 5.

Someone got into the drug cabinet
and stole most of the drugs again.

You’re done with
the pills, doctor.

They
introduced additional

experimental DNA
into our systems.

I can withstand more solar
radiation than you can, for example.

The star just threw off
a massive solar flare.

We can’t pull out of
the star’s gravity

without all of the sails.

The solar radiation would fry
anyone who goes out there.

Dr. Hall’s alterations
must have worked.

Remember that sensor algorithm
that Angus and I came up with

- to detect the substance that burnt the ship?
- Yes.

It just detected loads of it on
the planet we’re headed towards.

What we need is
an advance scout,

- but we don’t have one of those either.
- The shuttle, right?

Then I’ll go, too, to assist.

- I have Klampkins disease.
- There’s no cure.

The U-238 and the Aliciaminium,
they’re on another ship.

I repeat, this is
Lieutenant Sharon Garnet of Ark 1.

Please respond.

Ark 3, if you are
in need of aid,

- please signal.
- It’s been an hour.

If they didn’t respond
to your first hail,

they’re not gonna
reply to the 15th.

But their rotation
segments are still turning.

You think they’re still in cryo?

I don’t know what to think. I
mean, why are they even here?

Better question... how.
How are they even here?

How are they ahead of us?

We launched years before Ark 3.

Oh, yeah. That
part’s impossible.

What are you seeing, Brice?

Oh, you know, just the usual.

Stars, vast emptiness of space,

a great big bloody spaceship
that shouldn’t be here.

It’s the source of
U-238 we detected.

I’m gonna get a closer look.

Yeah, well, be careful, Brice.

Never.

Are you enjoying this?

You guys seeing this?

Now we know why our
sensors picked up traces

of the element that
melted our hull.

You mean
the Aliciaminium?

So that means whatever
hit us also hit Ark 3.

We’re sure it’s the same
element that hit us?

Look at the
disintegration pattern.

It’s consistent with how
our hull was damaged.

- Nice look, Sharon.
- Yeah?

Think I might keep it
after my burns are healed.

The breach on the Ark
3 is smaller than ours.

Well, then, safeties
should have locked it down

and secured the
rest of the ship.

So why is no one responding?

The only way to get
answers is to board Ark 3.

Are you volunteering?

- He’s right.
- We don’t have a choice.

They have the U-238 we
need to reach Prox B.

I want to see their NEPS to figure
out how they got ahead of us.

Ooh, and I’d love a
crack at their database.

We could find out what
happened on Earth.

No, no, no.

You can monitor from here,

at least until we
know it’s safe.

Agreed, and you’re
staying put, too, Sharon.

You can hardly stand right now.

That goes without
saying, unfortunately.

Grab whoever you need,
but keep it small.

I’ll prep the shuttle.
We launch in 30.

Something on your mind, Spencer?

Have I mentioned how happy
I am that you were improved?

Is that your way of thanking me?

You almost died for us.

You would’ve done
the same thing.

No, I judged you
for being a clone,

but that’s what saved us twice.

And I’m sorry.

You know how you can
make it up to me?

Be careful over there.

You know, it’s really hard to
take you seriously in that.

It is weird, isn’t it?

You’re doing it again.

You’re gonna have to
be a bit more specific.

I do a lot of things.

Volunteering for a
dangerous mission.

Pretty sure it’s the same mission
you’ve just volunteered for as well.

- I’m not dying.
- We’re all dying,

just some of us are a
little quicker than others.

This is serious.

All right, so, um,
what’s the difference

if I die on Ark 1 or on Ark 3?

- What if you pass out again?
- Well, you’ll be there.

Quite clearly, can’t
leave me alone.

Excellent work, carry on.

- Cat?
- Oh, don’t mind me, Lieutenant.

Cat, we’re kind of in
the middle of something.

I know. I want to watch.

Okay, fine. I got
my best friend

a guaranteed spot on
one of the other arks.

Now I’m worried that
she got on Ark 3.

I tried to get her on this ark,

but there were only so
many strings I could pull.

That’s not fair.

People trailed for years to
be part of the Ark program.

The selection process
was cutthroat.

Who did you know that
could just get people on?

- Everyone, dear.
- I appreciate your concern,

but the bridge is
not for spectators.

You can watch from Observation.

Fine.

Hey, did you just
come from the bridge?

- Is Lieutenant Garnet there?
- Yeah, but she’s really busy.

I just wanted to
give her a gift.

Well, it’s not a gift, really.

It’s more of a thank
you for saving the ship.

It’s aloe. For her burns?

You beautiful little idiot.

You need to get over
your crush on Garnet.

Crush? No, that’s crazy. I
don’t have a crush on anyone.

- Is it that obvious?
- And that stupid.

You need someone more
your speed and age.

Wha... like who?

You really can’t think of
anyone who fits that profile?

We do this
by the numbers.

Consider this a
search and rescue.

I think we’re a little
late for the rescue part.

Blue skin, bloodshot
eyes, burst capillaries.

- She suffocated.
- Same here.

So they died from the breach.

Eva, can you
get life support up?

Life support reads
as already up.

Then how did these
people suffocate?

It was a hull breach. The
whole ship lost pressure

before the bulkheads could seal.

But they did eventually seal.

Yes, that’s when life
support came back on.

Hey, what the hell
are you doing?

We have to leave these on.

I just said life support was on.

You stay here and keep
a watch on our EVA gear.

- Who am I protecting it from?
- Hopefully nobody.

Why weren’t these
people in cryo?

You hearing all this, Sharon?

Every word.

Although I kind of
wish we weren’t.

I’ll head to the bridge,

try and access the ship’s files,

see if we can figure
out what happened here.

I’ll start identifying
the bodies.

Eva, Brice,
Sasha, you guys split up.

Go to the sleeper pod bays.

Hopefully whoever’s
still in cryo

can get us some answers.

There are two lieutenants
and a commander here,

all with the same
signs of asphyxiation.

- You’re being oddly quiet.
- These people had lives,

- families.
- You all right?

It reminds me of the mass graves
after the continental fires.

I hoped I’d never see
anything like it again.

Yeah, at least they
died a quick death, eh?

Sometimes a slow death is worse.

You know what my grandma
told me when she was dying?

A slow death just
means a longer life.

We’re at Sleeper Pod Bay 1.

Garnet, this is gonna
sound weird, but, uh,

Sleeper Pod Bay 1 isn’t here.

It’s just a giant
crew quarters instead.

Same with
Sleeper Pod Bay 2.

Arks 1 through 9
all had the same

William Trust design and layout.

So the sleeper pod bays were
removed before departure?

But why?

I’ve got more bad news. My
command codes don’t work here.

- I’m locked out of the system.
- It was worth a shot.

With no survivors and no
access to the ship’s logs,

I don’t know how we’re
gonna get any answers.

I’m in captain’s
quarters. No dead people.

Mmm.

Sash, you all right?

Yeah, I just found the
captain’s body in his closet.

- Sorry, mate, it sounded like you just said closet.
- Yeah, I did.

What the hell was
he doing there?

Um, anyone close to
the captain’s quarters?

I just got locked in.

- How?
- Beats me, but...

The air is venting!

- We’re close.
- Hang on!

Help me!

- Sash? Sash, listen to me.
- Help!

You have to calm down,
okay? Conserve your air.

- We’ve got this.
- Help me!

You have to conserve
your air. Calm down.

- We have got this, right?
- After Harris died,

I taught myself how to
bypass every lock on Ark 1.

- These locks work the same?
- We’ll find out.

Sash? Sash?

Oh, sh*t.

Come on, pal. Come on!

One, two...

Sasha! You’re
all right, buddy.

I’ve got you. I’ve got you.

Come on, relax.

Hey, hey, wait, wait.
Don’t go in there.

sh*t.

In case it closes again.

If it does, it will
cut you in half.

A very quick death.

Did you find anything?

Wait, the biohazard detector
thought he was a contaminant?

An error. So it
vented the room.

You ever seen an error
like this before?

Never.

- Transmitting.
- Received.

Match confirmed.
Ensign Maura Mishra.

She’s not supposed to
be on Ark 3 either.

That’s
12 personnel matches,

none of them were
scheduled to be on Ark 3.

At least
not when we left.

Our records wouldn’t
be updated beyond that.

Why would they change the
whole ship’s crew manifest?

Could it be that...

Felix, the computer
says this is...

Robert, my husband.

Did you know he was onboard?

No, he wasn’t
supposed to come here

until we cleared Prox
B for habitation,

and even then he could only come
once Katheryn was old enough.

Where’s our daughter?
Where’s Katheryn?

Has anyone come across
any bodies of children?

No, thank God.

Neither have I.

But there are adult
bodies everywhere.

It’s like being in a floating
coffin. Why do you ask?

I... I just found
my husband’s body.

Oh, Felix, I’m so sorry.

I’m scared my kid
is on here, too.

Has anyone checked med bay?

Me
and Eva will check it

on our way to Engineering,
all right, pal?

Copy that.

I’ll head to the
First Mate’s quarters,

see what I can find.

Everyone be on high alert.

I just found a guy who appears
to have been stabbed to death.

Ow! My arm is broken! Ow!

Too bad! You were
trying to k*ll me.

- Who are you?
- Who the hell are you?

You’re the first living person
we’ve seen since we boarded.

- Boarded?
- Yes, we’re from Ark 1.

Wait, so the guy in
Captain Bishop’s quarters?

He was one of ours.
Ah, let me guess.

That little biohazard
trick was you, too.

I thought you were part
of the other group.

Wait, there are more survivors?

Seven of them. They
were k*lling us.

They’re set up in med bay.

- Med bay?
- They’re dangerous and...

Brice, Eva, there are
hostiles in the med bay.

I repeat, there are seven
hostiles in med bay.

I don’t think they’re
hostile anymore.

We’ve got seven dead
bodies down here.

Looks like they all overdosed.

- They’re dead? All of them?
- Who is that?

Believe it or not, a survivor.

Look, keep your comms
open and stand by.

Listen, I need answers.
What the hell happened here?

- The ship was hit.
- By what?

I don’t know. It all
happened so fast.

We lost atmosphere and... And
then almost everyone died.

- But you survived? How?
- 12 of us were suited up for a maintenance run

- when the ship decompressed.
- Then what?

We kept our helmets on until
we could regain life support

- and get the breach sealed off.
- Then what?

No one could agree
on what to do.

The five of us from Engineering,

we came up with a survival plan,

but the others didn’t agree.

They k*lled three of us.

And Ross and I, we had to lock
ourselves in the mess hall...

- Wait. Wait, stop!
- And then we...

There’s someone else?

Ross, there’s another ark!

Ross? Where is he?

We never leave this room.

So you’re the survivor.

I need to know about
one of your crew.

Robert Strickland,
he was my husband.

Um, I’m sorry, I don’t know.

- What was his name again?
- Robert Strickland.

I think I
found your friend.

Ross!

There’s another ark.

We’re going to be okay.

- What happened to him?
- I don’t know. I don’t know.

They beat him, but we got away.

He was conscious
when I left him.

Internal bleeding.

- You can tell just from...
- Classic presentation.

I need to operate right
now. Can you set that arm?

Yes, of course.

You’re still going through
withdrawal. Are you up to this?

I have to be.

Defibrillator.

Clear!

Clear!

Clear!

Clear!

No, you can’t be in here.

You cannot be in here.

I’m all that’s left.

Um, you don’t need a cast
as long as you promise

to keep your arm immobilized.

Hey.

Sorry, you said...
What did you say?

You need to keep
your arm immobilized.

Okay.

- You never answered my question from before.
- Huh?

Did you know Robert Strickland?

Yeah, a little.

We sat together
at mess sometimes.

- You did?
- Yeah.

He seemed like a
really great guy.

Do you know why he
was on your ship?

Same reason as most
of us, I guess.

When Ark 3 was
redirected to Proxima B,

family members of the crew
of Ark 1 got priority status.

Ark 3 was redirected to Prox B?

Oh, yeah. He told
me about you.

Felix, right? You
work security.

- Yes, that’s me.
- Yeah, I remember now.

He really loved you.

Couldn’t wait to see you again.

And my daughter Katheryn?

Um, he never
mentioned a daughter.

- How old is she?
- She would be eight.

I’m sorry, but there
were no kids on Ark 3.

Hey, she could still
be alive on Earth.

Robert wouldn’t have left
her if she was alive.

I shouldn’t have left them.

I should have stayed on Earth.

You had no choice.

You told me you were
ordered to be on Ark 1.

- Okay.
- I should have disobeyed orders!

Felix, Felix!
Okay, okay, okay.

Okay, okay.

Okay, it’s okay.

It’s okay.

- You’ve got to know something.
- We need to know exactly

where you were heading
and what exactly hit you.

- What was it? You must know.
- Quiet!

Let her catch her breath.

- I was only an engineering trainee.
- We understand.

But anything you can
tell us will help.

How did Ark 3 get so far
into space ahead of us?

- We traveled faster than light speed.
- Not possible.

Trying to crack FTL
drove William Trust mad.

Actually, Trust solved
light speed. Theoretically.

You just need to create a
space-time bubble around a ship

and then propel it through the
ensuing quantum distortion tunnel.

- Oh, is that all?
- Trust couldn’t figure out

- how to contain a warp bubble.
- Evelyn Maddox figured it out.

The trillionaire who took
over Trust Industries?

That woman figured out
faster than light speed?

She figured out how to convert
energy into negative energy.

It was part of my training.

Negative energy. Oh,
that’s brilliant!

Negative energy would maintain
the integrity of the bubble.

- Oh, it’s so obvious.
- Oh, yeah. No, no, that is... it’s very obvious.

Just dumb it down a bit though
for Lane, ’cause he’s struggling.

It’s like if you put
a space-time bubble

into a quantum flow...
Uh, never mind.

The details don’t matter.
Just know that it’s brilliant.

The arks were all in
the process of being built,

so they kept the Trust
designs the same.

Yes, I remember reading
how Trust insisted

that all the arks be built
to withstand FTL speeds.

He was that confident
he’d crack it.

So they swapped in
faster-than-light engines.

Kind of. Her FTL tech was designed
to retrofit onto Trust’s NEPS.

So you told Strickland
that your ship

- got redirected to Proxima B.
- Yeah.

With FTL, the leaders
thought that we should go

to the most likely
candidate to support life.

So they decided that Ark 3
should join you at Proxima B.

You mean beat us there.

Our trip would only take
nine months total with FTL.

So, yeah, we would have
gotten there first.

So that’s why you
had no sleeper pods.

You didn’t need them
for such a short trip.

Hold on, you were Ark 3.

We’re Ark 1. Where’s Ark 2?

It was the first attempt at FTL.

But it didn’t work.

Ark 2 vaporized when it
tried to go to light speed.

A lot of my friends
from training died.

We’ll take a break.

Kelly.

I want you to know
you’re safe now.

Why don’t you take
a walk around?

Check out your new home.

Oh, I’m sorry, Lieutenant, but
this area’s for spectators.

You need to do your
commanding from the bridge.

- You heal fast.
- How can I get some of that clone stuff?

Trust me, you don’t want the
baggage that goes with it.

We’ve identified the bodies. I thought you’d
want to check the list for your friend.

Here’s the thing, Cat.

No one from Ark 3 was
supposed to be on that ship.

They must have changed the entire
crew manifest after we left.

She’s not here. Thank God.

What was Earth
like when you left?

Why did Ark 3 launch so early?

Is it true someone
set off a nuke?

Could our families
still be alive?

What happened to all the
plants and the animals?

Yes, and food, food. Please
tell us where the food is.

- There’s got to be some.
- We deserve to know.

Everyone,
give her some space.

Coming through.
Coming through.

Yes, but we have a lot of
questions, and we need the answers.

Quiet!

Everyone, I am sure
that you all understand

that Kelly is dealing with a loss
that no one should ever have to.

- Let’s give her some room.
- Yes, but can you tell us about the Earth, please?

No more questions.

I am sure that Kelly will be
happy to answer our questions

- when she is feeling better.
- I don’t mind.

I would prefer to debrief you...

I’ll tell them what I can.

I don’t blame them
for wondering.

I would, too.

But, um, it’s pretty bad.

- Yeah, I would like...
- We want to know what happened.

- Let her talk.
- We have a right to know.

Come on, Lieutenant. What
are you so afraid of?

I can only tell you what
it was like when we left.

I don’t know what it’s like now.

But when we left, carbonization
had gotten much worse

at a much faster rate than the
government told us it would.

New Africa, Australia,

both American continents
had fires that grew so big,

they couldn’t be controlled.

Most people couldn’t escape the
fires fast enough and they died.

Japan, New Zealand, Florida,

islands like Hawaii,

they were submerged
by the rising tides.

All except the
highest mountaintops.

What about the old
Europe continent?

It basically fell into anarchy.

World government collapsed,
so there was no one

to distribute water that
hadn’t been poisoned.

So, if the government collapsed,

are there no more arks?

The GSA was still
operating when we left.

They saw it coming, locked down,

and accelerated the program.

When we left, there were
twelve arks ready to go

and more on the way.

I don’t know if any of them
actually got out of dock.

So we may be all that’s
left of humanity.

There are months of food
and supplies over there.

We should take
whatever we can use.

Lane, you and I
can get our shuttle

and Ark 3’s shuttle
going back and forth,

cut down our transport time.

I need to see the
Maddox retrofit.

- You gonna install it here?
- Sure as hell going to try.

- You wanted to see Kelly?
- Yes.

- Feeling better?
- Dr. Brandice gave me some clean clothes

- and let me clean up a little.
- Good.

What I really wanted to do
is get at that ratty hair,

but you called before I
could get her in the shower.

Thanks, Cat.

Oh, right.

I’m not needed on the bridge.

We’re organizing
teams to go to Ark 3

to get the food, U-238,
and the Maddox retrofit.

I just wanted to know if you knew of
anything else over there we could use?

Um, there might be some
medicine in the med bay.

- My team will get it.
- Good.

Do you still want
to go to Ark 3?

Well, the fact that it’s littered with
dead bodies makes it less appealing.

- Um, but yes.
- Good.

Grab Angus and see
if you can salvage

Ark 3’s external video
of what hit them.

Um, we already tried.
The video’s corrupt.

- It’s impossible to restore.
- Clearly you haven’t met our resident geniuses.

Okay, move out.

Felix?

I’m sorry. I can’t
seem to focus.

Understandable.
Take some time.

- I can send Griff.
- No, having a task to distract me

would be helpful.

See if Ark 3’s weapons
locker is intact.

Um, a lot of stuff’s
probably stored

in different places on our ark.

I might be some help,
if you want me to go.

Are you sure you want
to go back over there?

I mean, I wouldn’t want to.

I actually think it might
give me some kind of closure.

Okay.

The armory is this way.

- There you are.
- Aren’t you supposed to be

going through crew
personal effects?

I was, and look what I found.

My sword.

I knew you’d want it.

- Robert was bringing it to me.
- I guess so.

I knew you really
treasured this old thing,

so I had to bring
it right to you.

Thank you.

I trained with this every
day most of my life.

Let’s do our job.

- Pharmaceuticals.
- What?

From Ark 3’s med bay.
Where do you want them?

Uh, on my desk is fine.

- This is damaged.
- I tried to break in.

Everyone did, but none
of us had the clearance.

Security isn’t a
division of GSA.

My code should work
across all arks.

I’m kind of glad we
didn’t get this open.

Probably would have
made things worse.

I never understood why they would
have g*ns on ships in space.

I mean, for what? To
defend against who exactly?

- Kelly?
- I’m sorry, Felix.

I lied.

I didn’t want you to hurt more,

but I think you should know.

What?

Your daughter.

Robert told me about her once.

They were at the market the day
global food rationing began.

It turned into a riot and...

and she took a stray b*llet.

I’m sorry. I should
have told you.

- I...
- It’s better to know.

Projectile weapons
have no place in space.

One b*llet through the hull
could depressurize a whole ship.

Or k*ll an innocent child.

I agree. I won’t tell anyone.

That’s the eighth hull
camera with corrupted video.

- How many more do we have to check?
- 107.

The good news is
that there is video.

When our ark got hit, the EM
pulse knocked out all our cameras.

Ark 3’s cams must have
had better shielding.

I’ll create an algorithm
to sort out files

that register as corrupted.

I wish you could create an
algorithm to sort through

a damaged video and
pull out the bad frames.

Why didn’t you say
that 20 minutes ago?

Because I just thought of it.

The hull cameras record
at 60 frames per second.

The damaged video is 30 seconds.

- So 60 times 30 is...
- 1,800 frames.

According to the sensors,

the EM pulsed every 20 seconds.

Okay, so if you create a program
to cut out every 60th frame...

We’ll be left with
a playable video.

- It’ll skip a frame here or there, but so what?
- Yeah, that’s fine.

- Okay.
- Hey, you’re quick with numbers.

Horticulture’s a
lot of chemistry.

Chemistry requires
a lot of math.

But look at you, you’re creating
a computer program on the fly.

The AI writes the program.

I just tell it what
I want it to do.

Now I’m applying it to
the video to render.

Is there anything you can’t do?

Um, well, I... I can’t
keep plants alive.

I’m a... what’s the
opposite of a green thumb?

- A numb thumb.
- Yeah. Yeah, I’m that.

Well, anyone can be a green
thumb with a little help.

That’ll be nice.

- I’m in. Oh, I mean...
- Oh, you...

if you were offering to show me.

I mean, no, I wasn’t,

but I am now.

Yeah, sure.

The hull on that
attacking ship said...

Ark 15?

That’s who attacked us?

So, that’s it?

That little thing
there, that’s...

That’s gonna help us
get faster than light?

According to Alicia and
that girl from this ship.

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

Did you not read the sign?

That’s for dummies like
you. I know what I’m doing.

It’s functional.

Eva, do you know
what this means?

It means there’s
actually a chance

that I might step
foot on Proxima B.

I mean, assuming, you know,

that you can actually figure out

how to make this
thingy work, that is.

Do you doubt me?

Never.

I told you to read
the bleedin’ sign.

- Damn it! We’re trapped.
- What’s going on over there?

We’re getting reports
of a lockdown.

I think I tripped a fail-safe.

What the hell are
we counting down to?

- Oh, boy.
- Oh, boy?

It’s Ark 3’s self-destruct.

It’s a self-de-what
now? No, no, no, no, no.

Come on, why? Why
would it do this?

You ever see anything
like this before?

- No.
- Griff, bring me Kelly.

- It wants an abort code.
- Oh, well, that’s very nice of them.

Just give us one last-minute
chance to try and save ourselves.

It waited until there
was no time to hack it.

- Here she is.
- Is this another one of your booby traps?

- This isn’t me, I swear.
- Then what is it?

- I don’t know.
- What do you mean you don’t know?

You said you worked
in Engineering.

You didn’t know there was a
self-destruct on the retrofit?

No, I swear, but it
does kind of make sense.

The Maddox retrofit is the most
valuable piece of tech in the universe.

Who’d want to steal it?

Well, isn’t that exactly
what we’re doing?

I’m accessing Captain
Lester’s files now.

Maybe there’s some kind of command
code in here that could help.

- Angus, Alicia...
- Already on it.

We’re looking through
Captain Bishop’s files.

This is my fault.

Listen to me. This is
not your fault, right?

You just did what
you came here to do.

You know, all of a sudden,

I’m not ready to go.

I have a code! I
have a code! Are you ready?

- What? How?
- Just try it!

03-11,

02-11,

12-22-06-06.

It worked.

Well done, Lane.

Lane?

Thank you, Mr. Trust.

Your backdoor code has
just saved a lot of lives.

I’ve just got two questions.

Where the hell am I?

And why?