01x01 - Element 1

[bunniefuu]

What will I do without you?

Hm?

Hi there.

I won't hurt you.

You've got some

explaining to do, little friend.

What the hell?

You mind not domesticating

my dinner there?

Your dinner

is Raphus cucullatus,

which hasn't been seen alive

for three hundred years.

This creature is a miracle!

And you think it's dinner?

You're new here. Come on.

I'm not going anywhere with you.

Look, I don't know

what kind of sick game

you're playing at here, but

You don't know

how you got here, right?

You woke up in the water,

washed up on the beach.

Right. It was the same for me.

Let's say I believe you,

and I'm not saying I do.

Then just where exactly are we?

Hell if I know.

Better question is "when."

"When"?

Hey! What do you mean, "when"?

Look, kid, you won't be alive

for the next thirty minutes

if you don't do

exactly as I say.

The name's Bob. And this place

is a lot more dangerous

than you know.

Uh

Come on,

we don't have all day, kid.

So, why aren't you

wearing any clothes?

I spent my life

wearing a uniform,

following other people's orders.

Now, I've got a fresh start,

so here, I choose to live

just as nature intended.

Come back here!

I bet you taste like chicken.

I'm sick of eating berries.

There was a 90-foot cliff

and the roar of the naval g*ns

firing on the Krauts.

You could feel the explosions

in your chest.

Just as we were

about to make landfall,

there was a bright light,

and a loud sound.

And then I woke up here.

And you were there, at Normandy?

But that's impossible.

That happened in 1944.

For me

that was two weeks ago.

Crazy as it may be.

But you can't deny

that we're both here, now.

What about you?

I'm

I'm from the 21st century.

So, you must know

how the w*r ends.

You're Australian, right?

One of the good guys. Do we

Yeah. Yeah. We win.

We win. Hmm.

We should get moving.

I

I can't believe it!

- Believe it.

- Wow.

Our next applicant

overcame great adversity

to become one

of the most exciting voices

in her field.

And she has a reputation

for being as nervous

as a long-tailed cat in a room

full of rocking chairs.

Raised by

a determined single mother

who worked on-staff here

at the University of Sydney

she has submitted

ground-breaking papers

in the fields of paleontology,

archaeology, and geochemistry.

Hmm.

May we present the recipient

of last year's grant

Dr. Helena Walker!

According to selection theory,

a creature's heritable traits,

including its mental aspects,

are an adaptation to the demands

of its ecological situation.

But what if natural selection

was not the only mechanism

of evolution?

The epigenome,

the protective package of

proteins cocooned by DNA ab

absorbs this influence

and, in turn,

determines which genes

are expressed.

At our dig

in the Liaoning Province

At our dig

in the Liaoning Province,

we discovered a group

of velociraptors

with abnormal scleral rings,

the bones that form

the structure around the eye.

It is accepted that all raptors

were best suited to see at night

and had poor daytime vision.

But we found

significant variability

based on environmental factors.

What a creature eats,

its behaviors,

both intrinsic and extrinsic.

The data gathered

from dinosaur fossils

reveals that these traits

are inherited

in a lasting manner.

You're suggesting

that natural selection

isn't the mechanism

for evolution?

Not the sole mechanism.

Science is about the pursuit

of the truth

in all its complexity.

Isn't it the truth

that she has an arrest record?

Why should she

receive the grant,

of all the applicants?

You're here

I'm here.

Ladies and gentlemen,

professors and donors.

Through the use

of a learning neural network,

we can study

the epigenetic material

of prehistoric megafauna,

and one day, we may even

be able to reconstruct

these creatures'

lived experiences

from their physical remains.

This will lead us away

from "just-so" explanations

of prehistoric life,

yielding testable, verifiable,

and scientific data about

how these creatures evolved

and about the very mechanisms

of evolution itself.

Well?

- We're going back to China.

- Yes! Oh, I knew it!

I knew those puckered,

dusty, dried-up old fossils

Victoria! Keep your voice down.

couldn't stop my Helena!

I'm proud of you.

I couldn't have done it

without you.

And you'll never have to.

Oh, Helena!

We're going on an adventure!

What about a Stegosaurus?

Have you seen one of those?

Spiked tail?

Too busy trying not to die.

- They all look the same to me.

- Well, they're not.

A Parasaurolophus!

We should put it out

of its misery.

Stop.

It'd be a kindness.

You don't even know

how bad it's hurt!

Hmm. We have to keep moving.

Nothing's stopping you.

What? You think

I can't take care of myself?

I know you can't.

Help me with this.

Come on.

Unbelievable.

Careful. It's lodged in,

but it hasn't hit

any major arteries.

Keep it that way.

Slowly.

It's okay,

you're going to be all right.

Scary.

Yeah. Yeah, that's what

we'll call you.

"Scary the Parasaur."

So,

you're not entirely heartless.

Thank you.

How do you know so much?

It was is my job.

I'm a professor of paleontology

at the University of Sydney.

I study the fossils

of creatures like that one.

You're a professor?

I don't see

why that should be so shocking.

Well, uh, you're a

a w

Help!

Oi! Over here, lass!

Stay absolutely still.

They can't see as well

in the day. Theoretically.

Hmm.

No.

Hmm.

I'm here. You're here.

I'm sorry.

Tell me you'll change your mind.

What will I do without you?

You'll

you'll be okay.

They need me, Helena.

Especially this time.

Jim, Suhani, Nancy, and George,

none of them

speak the language like I do.

The conflict over there

is getting worse by the day,

and the refugees

have almost no support.

Except for us.

I can help those people.

I can make a difference.

I know it's for a good cause

and I know it's what you do,

and you're awesome at it.

But this God, Victoria,

it's it's so dangerous.

It's three months away

in the mountains,

and then I'm home.

But does it always

have to be you

who saves the world, Victoria?

I'm so,

so sorry I'll miss China.

But hey, think of all

that you'll get done

while I'm gone.

Full night's sleep

without me snoring,

full days to work on finishing

your beautiful storybook

side-project.

And this time, without me

blundering in,

carrying bags

of roadside oranges

and tickets to concerts

for bands you hate.

The bed's always too big

when you're gone.

Well, just imagine how I farted

after chili night

and you'll be grateful I'm away.

Victoria!

That that was a 6.7

on the Richter scale.

You take me back there

right now,

and I'll be the one

to rock your world.

Oh, puns!

Puns, she gives me

Do you know what this means?

Divorce!

You must rest, child.

Who

Who are you?

I am Sir Edmund Rockwell,

Honored Member

of the Royal Academy

of Sciences,

of Her Majesty's Empire,

the Year of Our Lord, 1890.

- Where am I?

- Hmm.

What a pity that one

of the first questions

you ask me,

I, alas, cannot answer.

No one knows where

or, indeed, what this place is.

Some think it to be

the afterlife,

and others purgatory.

But I call it

the Ark.

And and what is this place?

This, child, is the camp

of General Gaius

Marcellus Nerva.

Come.

This place,

this beautiful island,

holds many secrets,

and I will know them all.

I must know them all.

But of one thing I am certain.

We are in a crucible

from which only the strongest

and most fit shall emerge.

Huh. The creatures interest you?

They they do.

And you understand their nature?

Um. Of course you do,

as a daughter of Eve.

The serpent's ways

come second nature.

They should not be

treated like this.

No one here

should be treated like this.

We have brought

these beasts to heel,

as is our right and duty

as superior beings.

A predator kept in a state

of constant hunger?

You don't know how

what you're doing

will change them.

You speak as a woman

who has been educated

- in the sciences.

- I am.

Then surely you can see

what we have at work here

are the scientific principles

of natural selection,

in their purest form.

Survival of the fittest.

What you're doing here,

it's not science.

It's it's brutality.

This is wrong.

All of this.

Tell me then,

from what enlightened era

do you join us?

Your face so clean,

and your eyes so bright

and full of life.

None of that impertinence now.

You're going to be a good girl

and help me understand

these beasts.

Stop her!

Please!

Hmm.

My lord.

This is the one

I told you about.

Place her

with the rest of the captives,

for now.

And Rockwell,

you really must learn

how to take a hit

like a centurion!

Hmm.

It's all right. We'll be fine.

Jamie.

Helena.

When are you from, Jamie?

Anno Domini 1746.

Dunna be afraid, Helena.

We saw darker days than this,

fighting

for Bonnie Prince Charlie

against the execrable English!

I had just run my blade

through a cowardly knave,

and then quick

as a banty rooster,

I awoke here. What about you?

Your insolence

deserves correction.

Yes.

Yes, I can see this.

I wonder how best to discourage

such undesirable behavior?

A visceral reminder should do.

You.

You are correct, my dear.

Starving the beasts

does alter their behavior.

No!

But all behavior

can be modified.

Provided the right tools

are used.

No! Please!

No!

Helena, please help me!

He didn't do anything wrong!

- It it was me!

- I'm sorry! I'm sorry!

Not yet.

But you will be.

No! No, don't do this!

Hail Mary, full of grace,

the Lord is with thee.

Only those who know

their place

will survive.

God, pray for us

No, no, no, please.

Please, please!

You have this girl

to thank for the demonstration.

Disobedience will be purged.

I hope you learned

a lesson today, Helena.

It's my fault.

It's all my fault.

Hmm.

No!

I'm afraid

I have to tell you that

she's gone missing

in the civil w*r.

We believed she was k*lled.

We're hearing

over the cams that a broadcast

is claiming her m*rder.

Helena?

I could hear your empty stomach

from over there.

I'm sorry,

I I don't understand.

Thank you.

Scary?

How did you get free?

Go on. Someone might find you.

Bring the defiant one.

The general wishes

to interrogate her.

If you will have a second death,

make it a good death.

There is nothing else to fear.

Hmm.

Bonds for such a little puella?

Rockwell must have found you

dangerous indeed.

Although I imagine

he had it coming.

So, what is your name, girl?

Helena, Dominus. Helena Walker.

Helena. Hmm. An ill-omened name.

So, do you come

to destroy this place

as Helen brought destruction

to Troy?

That is not my intention,

Dominus.

I I woke here.

Woke here after what?

There is only one way

that we all come to be

in this land

of the would-be dead,

Helena of the Walkers.

So, what was it,

some clan raid your village?

A plague strike you down?

What were you, girl?

A teacher, Dominus. An explorer.

An explorer, huh?

How many tribes did you conquer?

Or were you just some

merchant trader's daughter?

In my era, exploration

did not mean conquest.

I studied the histories,

Dominus.

Not just the Etruscans

and Phoenicians,

but what existed before them,

when there were only beasts,

and gods.

I traveled the world

to learn more

about the very beasts

that populate this place.

The creature you ride,

in my time,

is called

the "Tyrant king of lizards."

With careful breeding,

you could create one

almost half again as tall.

I have seen the bones myself.

You know the beasts, then.

Can you Is it possible?

Their natures are difficult.

You wish to have

greater command over them.

Hmm.

Well, they are stubborn beasts,

no doubt,

but I've brought them

to heel well enough.

Rockwell is effective

at what he calls "conditioning."

Whatever Rockwell has told you,

he is wrong.

You must carefully

control their environment.

This will produce the adaptation

to subservience that you desire.

To have a natural philosopher

who could master

these serpents

You could be of use to me yet

Helena.

From when did you come here?

Almost two thousand years

after your time, Dominus.

By then, the Roman Empire

had long since fallen.

Hmm. So, Rockwell informed me.

Although that was no surprise,

considering the rot

infesting its leadership.

Perhaps my ways appear

uncivilized to your eyes.

I I have seen

much in my travels, Dominus,

but I have never seen

anything like this place.

But know this,

whatever I must do, I will do.

The world that I know

is not your world,

and it does not share

your moralities.

What was your realm, Helena?

I'm from a place called

"Terra Australis,"

- in your language.

- Australis? Hmm.

And what do you call it

in your own language?

Home.

Aye, I know of home.

Those things we left behind.

So, if you are indeed

a philosopher,

then show me

how I am to use this.

The legends of this world

depict three such Artifacts.

One I have here.

Two remain scattered

across this land

in the hands of my enemies.

This inscription shows

that once I possess all three,

I will gain a power greater

than anything ever known,

and be able to leave

this cursèd afterlife.

I will return

to the Rome of my time,

at the head of an army,

the likes of which no empire

has ever seen.

Caesar himself

will bow before me,

and I will sweep aside

the corrupt elite,

making way for a new order

in which any man of strength

can be

You were speaking

of the legends, Dominus?

You little viper!

You think to poison my wine?

No, I didn't poison the wine,

General.

After I spared you?

After I deigned

to elevate your station?

You would have

tasted the difference.

No, I just ran a tiny

Achatina limusegnis snail

along the rim of your cup.

Clearly they're relatives

of the cone snail,

a creature from my time.

Its excretions are toxic.

Not enough to k*ll you.

But enough for a few hours

of paralysis.

Mm.

Wicked to the bone.

Guards!

Get up.

- Get up!

- I can't.

Filthy, degenerate, girl!

Scary!

We have to free the prisoners!

Come on, come on, come on!

That works.

Come on, hurry!

There isn't much time.

With gratitude, brave warrior!

All right, you too!

Hmm.

Clever.

But not clever enough.

You!

Go!

No.

She's getting away. That witch!

I warned you, Nerva,

she's like nothing

we've ever seen before.

A traveler with such knowledge!

She stole the Artifact.

She stole my way home.

I will capture her.

And once I've conquered Rome,

I'll take her world as well.

I will take everything from her.

In just an hour,

Australians will be

some of the first

to ring in the New Year.

What's your own

New Year's Resolution?

I'm here.

You're here.

You're still here.

What will I do without you?

I'm going to survive.