Well, well, well. Here we have it, gang.
Here we have it.
The theories are no longer theoretical.
Welcome to the waters of Pandora.
Woo-wee!
It's time to take some samples.
- I'll do some more exploring. - Thank you.
- Let's do it. - I am so excited
Who would have thought, huh?
- Let's go. - Yes, sound's good.
Let's do it.
- This thing's cold. - I know.
- Yes. - Clarity is good.
Moderate levels of visible organic material.
Hmm.
Guys, this is odd.
What's odd, Kyle?
Hey.
I don't understand all this...
Kyle.
Sophie. Where's Kyle?
He was standing right next to me a second ago.
Kyle? Sophie, get out of the water.
Sophie, get out of the water now.
Sophie! Sophie!
Mayday! Mayday!
This is Captain Black aboard the Cassini 3.
My team needs help!
My team's been...
Mayday!
Oh, uh, good.
Drs. Jennifer, Cliff Ryan.
Thanks for joining us on such short notice.
This is Colonel William Bradley.
- Thank you, Miss Harris. - Colonel.
Less than five hours ago we received communication
from the Cassini 3 explorer.
It was a mayday distress call.
And then we lost all contact with them.
We need to send a rescue team immediately
and find out what's going on.
Colonel Bradley will oversee
the rescue unit from here at Space Force command.
Mr. And Mrs. Ryan, you will do the same and advise us on
any emergency medical treatment needed.
Our team will be escorted by Commander Hank Lewis
who will be piloting his Luna-One spacecraft
which will tow our new medical rescue craft.
Hank Lewis? I've read about him at the Academy.
Didn't he make his name shooting down Chinese spy satellites?
Commander Lewis has been granted liberty
that most of our pilots have not per Special Forces.
When you meet with him
I suggest you take everything with a grain of salt.
As he is uniquely skilled and our most seasoned pilot.
And his ship is one of the few left
that can actually dock, transport a second craft and
withstand the ordeal of the journey.
Journey to where?
Pandora.
- The moon circling Saturn? - Correct.
We just sent a team to investigate and collect samples.
Like we said, Commander Lewis will be
our rescue escort and deploy the medical craft doctors.
- But that trip will take months. - No, not anymore.
Last year, Space Force opened the wormhole
and that trip is practically instantaneous now.
Major Lewis wasn't pleased.
He had patented a sodium ion engine that he planned
to run trials on to the outer solar system.
That engine is now obsolete given the wormhole.
Now, although our experiment was not perfected
the event horizon is only cyclical.
Meaning it's only accessible periodically.
So it's open part of the time.
10 hours open, six months closed.
Excuse me.
Who did you send out there?
Dr. Gregory Black is leading the team.
- Greg? - That's right.
Yes. I believe you and Dr. Black have a history.
I hope that won't be a problem.
No.
No, we, um...
We went through Space Forces medical division together.
Pilot and rescue. We were friends.
Friends that had some pretty serious disagreements.
That rift nearly ended your careers.
Is that the guy?
Your live-in business partner?
Before us? Yes.
How do you know about me and Greg?
I read your dossier.
You are head of our Disease Control division.
You're more of an absolutist, Jennifer.
Greg, on the other hand was more willing to
let one life go to save many.
You're the best in the world.
That, plus your intimate knowledge
of Greg's work makes you essential for this mission.
You think that Greg and his team
may be sick or infected?
We don't know.
Like I said, we lost contact with him about five hours ago
which is why we called you in immediately.
Space force wanted to make sure we covered
all of our bases ASAP.
Now, so you know Greg's primary mission was
to investigate a water supply.
Uh, wha...
Sorry, excuse me, Admiral, but
I understand that I'm to advise here on earth,
but with Greg and his team investigating a water source
that could mean fast-acting toxins,
deadly bacterium, all unknown.
If they're endangered, then assessments need
to happen real time.
Are you suggesting that we travel
to a moon outside of Saturn?
I'm saying I should go.
If you go, then I have to go, too.
I don't think going there is a good idea.
All right, denied, doctors.
We'd rather have special ops in the field
to deal with any potentially life threatening situations,
not science officers.
But I know Greg.
I mean, like you said, I know his research, how he thinks.
She has a good point.
These doctor's skills might be better utilized in the field.
Cliff, you're an expert on Saturn's moons, correct?
Neptune, but yes.
Dr. Black's research and mine overlap.
It's pretty impossible to make
life and death medical assessments
over an hour lag time for millions of miles away. Correct?
My team could be ready in three hours.
All right. I guess we're going.
I guess that does fit in with our timeline,
doesn't it, Colonel?
Let me remind everyone here.
We have a lot invested in this,
including human lives.
Suit up at the flight deck.
Commander Lewis is prepping for launch.
And let's make sure that ship is stocked with ammunition,
just in case.
Sorry, in case of what?
In case of an engagement with any sort of enemy.
Better to be safe than sorry, doctor.
Right this way.
Arcturus medical ship is docked below.
Luna-One taking off.
Good evening, Captain Lewis.
We are en route to the Pandora wormhole.
The crew is readying the ship for the wormhole entrance.
All engineering and strategic considerations
will be shared between yours and my purview.
Commander Lewis, we're almost ready.
Bradley, it's been a while. They paying you extra?
Day's work.
Yeah. No one can outmaneuver us or outstrategize us.
Wormhole or not, right, Frank?
All engineering and strategic considerations
will be shared between yours and my purview.
Heard what the A.I. said? Standard protocol.
Any alien life, including microscopic,
is quarantined off of my ship for evaluation.
- Copy? - We copy you, Commander.
We are now approaching the nebulas.
Prepare for a bumpy ride.
Strap in.
Commander, we must ignite the engines
to surpass these nebulas. Ignition.
Attention. We are closing. In on the wormhole.
And then we will reach Pandora.
That's where the real fun begins.
Fun starts sooner than that.
You ever travel through a wormhole?
We're the fastest rollercoaster in the world times 100
But in reverse.
Like kids in a candy store on Halloween.
Sir, with the latest high octane
assault rifle on the market.
Colonel, your team is aware this is a rescue mission.
They're military trained. Prepare for any case situation.
- What does that exactly mean? - It means they follow orders.
My orders.
Administrator Harris put me in charge of medically treating
Dr. Black's team and giving him a thorough examination.
That's right. After we find them.
Provided they're all still alive.
Until then, I give the orders.
Look, the safety of you, your husband and my unit,
that's my responsibility, understood?
Entering wormhole. Repeat. Entering wormhole.
Sounds like this roller coaster is about to jump the track.
Ah, you only live once!
That's open for debate.
Only trained for moon exploration.
I never simulated wormhole travel.
Just think of me. Think happy thoughts.
That I can do.
You two. Take these.
Put them in. Bite down so you don't bite your tongues
off during the turbulence.
Entering the wormhole now.
Commander, that electricity fried
the leveling sensor on the stern.
Tactical positioning compromised.
There's a fuel compression alarm.
Leave the opinions to me and the AI, professor.
The stress on the hull is bending
the port side interior lines
of your new to sodium ion thruster.
We need to relieve the stress from the inside.
The alarm is coming from the compression of
the untested thruster.
How did it burst?
We either stressed to the hull 86,000 PSI.
Strap back in!
Port side lead.
That's not going to work.
No!
You need to secure the line on the inside.
We can use the near-surface repelling line
to support the pipe.
- Come on. - Come on.
We're securing the line from the inside.
Use that. Grab that to secure the line.
If that line bursts,
this entire ship will go off like a daisy cutter.
Get your hand out of that.
Line secured. Pressure in the ship decreasing.
All good.
Stress on the hull decreasing.
We stabilized, Jennifer?
33 degrees post-side lead,
- Decrease to 15. - Decreasing.
All right, everyone. Strap back in.
In Pandora's orbit, we want to be more careful.
So, is your husband a Space Force pilot?
He is. We went through the academy together.
I can use him up here instead of at his university.
He knows.
Get's underestimated all the time.
Unlike you, huh?
Space Force disease Specialist, best in the world?
That title has an expiration date.
Every morning.
Yeah.
Frank, give me a damage report.
The ship took some damage in the wormhole.
Primarily the upper deck.
Power is down 50%.
No way we are getting through that again
without maintenance and structural repairs.
Is it me or is your AI getting more conversational?
Well, it's programmed to learn human personality traits.
It's starting to pick up some of mine.
Minimum threshold to withstand quantum events
and not have the ship break up is what?
60% thrust?
88%.
What about those nitro reserves?
If we absolutely had to,
could we use the sodium ion thruster as a backup?
Yes, but that thruster exceeding
its 10,000 degree Fahrenheit minimum
is almost guaranteed.
Past 10,000 degrees, the ship will overheat and combust.
Better to repair the current thrusters to 88% capacity.
Thanks, Frank.
You got it. I will continue diagnostic, internal repairs.
Energy efficiency measures.
So, 88% minimum power to get us back?
88%.
We have now entered Pandora's orbit.
Man, that moon is no joke.
A lot more jagged than I thought it would be.
What kind of navy is Pandora, anyways?
The Greek mythology kind.
That moon was discovered in 1980, by the Voyager-1 probe.
In 85, they renamed it Pandora after the Box of Mysteries.
Yeah, I don't really know if I want to see what's inside.
Pandora was a beautiful woman sent by the gods.
With a box she was told to never open.
However, curiosity got the best of her,
and supposedly, she released all the evils into the world.
Of course, these stories always blame a woman.
Adam and Eve, Samson and Delilah.
Well, some interpretations say Pandora opened it on purpose.
Others believe she tried to stop it, keeping hope inside.
Meaning what?
That no matter how bad things get,
we still always have hope.
Great. Thanks for that, Robert Frost.
All right, let's get to the medical ship
and load our supplies.
Our goal here is to save lives, Colonel.
Disengaging Arcturus medical shuttle for Pandora Landing.
Where are we, Frank?
They're going to take 17.2 days to repair, Commander.
We can use the sodium ion thrusters.
Again, they're untested,
so that will be considered a last resort.
Bring up the last known coordinates of Cassini 3.
This will help keep you more alert.
Let's take her down at a one click distance.
I wouldn't want to risk anything less than a half a mile.
From Cassini's LZ.
I strongly suggest we don't land near any craters.
Easier said than done, professor.
Pandora's practically all craters.
Yes, and many are shallow,
a result of debris over time, as we all know.
But don't let that porous surface fool you.
My studies suggest that it might be just that:
a surface that may crack to reveal
a large body of water beneath it.
Especially in those two largest craters.
That has never been substantiated.
Because the photos of Pandora have been too distant
to clarify the contents of the deepest and darkest craters.
Which is why Cassini 3 went there in the first place.
Against the better judgment of many.
I don't mean to butt heads, but
fear of the unknown is childish, Colonel.
Scientists have always concluded that it's impossible
for life to be supported on Saturn as we know it.
But the moons are a different matter
If Pandora has internal oceans like
the ones on Encladius and Titan...
Calm down, professor.
First things first.
Let's concentrate on landing this thing, huh?
What do you say?
- Preparing for final descent. - Prepare final descent.
Thrusters up to 44%.
The Arcturus medical transport has landed on Pandora.
Look at all the plant life. This is crazy.
Careful with the ground, guys.
The terrain is slippery and unstable.
Typical of outer planets, right professor?
It's not the ground that we have to worry about.
It's what's trapped inside of it.
Speaking of which.
Got eyes on the Cassini.
My God. The atmospheric corrosion is disintegrating it.
Hear that? Come on. Let's make a b-line for the Cassini.
No, wait. Listen.
The ruts created by the crash aren't consistent
with the Cassini's location.
It's almost like it was placed there.
- Are you saying this is a trap? - No.
The Chinese and the Russian forces
wouldn't have any interest in Pandora.
There's no mining opportunities here.
Look, even if there are foreign Space Force troops
or even alien life forms,
they are done.
Randolph is a tactical expert.
Ali is the best field communications operative I know.
And Wanda is trained in every killing technique imagined.
Jen?
All right, you're right.
Let's get to the craft and check on the crew.
- Come on. - Let's go.
Come on, come on.
We got ya. Let's go. Let's go.
That's a real treat.
Get to experience a Pandora light shift.
The sun reflecting off Saturn makes it happen in a flash.
Look, there's the Cassini.
Yes, they travel through the Alexian wormhole same as us.
It looks like that ship's been underwater for years.
But water from where?
This might answer your question.
Damn.
Water.
Crazy.
Do you think they could be out there?
There's no sign of them.
There's something moving in the water.
What is that?
Fall back, Richard. Fall back.
Richard, fall back!
The ship! That's the Cassini 3!
Why is it taking off?
Cassini 3 is coming towards our ship, Commander.
Cassini, you are to to remain on Pandora
until Dr. Ryan has completed her evaluation.
- Do you copy? - We've got thermal readings.
We do not detect any human heat signatures aboard that ship.
It's flying by itself.
Cassini 3, Cassini 3,
this is the Luna-One. Keep your distance.
If you come any closer, you will be considered hostile.
Firing, one through four.
- Hit it? - I don't think so.
I think we might have injured it or something.
Circle up.
If this thing attacks again,
we lay down fire and set up a perimeter
for the med team to evac back to the ship.
- Copy me? - Yes, sir.
- Absolutely, sir. - Copy that.
Roger.
Cliff, Jennifer, what's your 20?
We're inside a shallow crater about 50 yards west of you.
You're here for real time assessments,
and we need one now.
What are we fighting here?
Stand by, Colonel. You're going to find out.
We're going to continue to cover you in case
this thing comes back at us.
But I need you out of there yesterday.
On the same page. Colonel.
Jen, where are you going?
I see bodies.
Are they dead?
They must have been attacked like we were.
This one's oxygen level is low, but it isn't empty.
So he didn't suffocate to death.
Neither did this one.
So what...
They're alive. We have to get them back
to the med center immediately.
Step away, Dr. Ryan.
This is the research team,
it's the people we came to save.
Not if they've been compromised.
What does that mean?
If they are sick, let me help them.
That's why I'm here.
If they've been out here for all this time,
how are they still alive?
Perhaps I can answer your questions.
Get back!
Ten paces.
I mean no harm. This is my team.
My name's Captain Greg Black,
and I'm the leader of this expedition, okay?
Sophie, you with me?
Greg.
It's Jen.
Jennifer Ryan. We came to rescue you.
You came all this way to find us?
Of course.
Thank God you found us.
Okay, we're all running out of air. We gotta go.
We have to get them back to the ship immediately.
All right, the situation has changed.
This is now a hostile environment.
I thought I was giving the orders when it came
to the rescue mission, Colonel.
Get them back to the ship for treatment,
but hold your position.
My team and I are going to first secure the perimeter,
and then we'll follow you.
- Come on, let's go. - Jennifer.
You got him?
Good.
- Thank you. - Good luck.
I'm running a fine point signal to break through the wormhole.
Lewis, that was a $5 billion spacecraft.
I'm assuming you had good reason for your actions.
It was hostile and probably
under the control of an unknown enemy lifeform.
- How many human casualties? - Undetermined.
No heat signals detected aboard the craft,
so either ship was flying itself...
Stop.
Where are Dr. Ryan and Colonel Bradley's team Currently?
On Pandora.
You listen to me very carefully, Commander.
Know when, I repeat, no one gets back
on your ship until I approve them.
Is that understood?
Very loud and crystal clear.
Commander, if your ship becomes compromised,
the DoD will have no choice but to consider you a hostile.
I know the DoD's orders.
They'll shoot me down with a heat-seeking tactical nuke,
but we'll be traveling with momentum of a wormhole.
We'll drag the fallout straight to Earth.
Yeah, the DoD is well aware of that danger.
Which is why they will shoot a nuke into that wormhole
the second they think you've been compromised.
You won't even make it halfway through, Commander.
And there will be nothing I can do about it.
You've been warned. Get him out of here.
It's not much further.
Space Force must be concerned we might be contaminated, huh?
We all want to know what happened to your team, Greg.
So cold.
We'll be inside soon.
The good news is that freezing out here
closes your pores and decreases your heart rate,
which also slows your breathing.
Otherwise, your oxygen probably would have already been gone.
Were you attacked?
Don't remember.
Me neither.
One moment we were in the crater.
And the next...
Thank God you came in the nick of time, Jen.
We have no time to lose. Let's go, let's go.
Come on. Come on.
Colonel, we are bringing the Cassini crew
to the medical shuttle.
Copy that, Jennifer, stay safe.
Perimeter secure, Colonel.
I guess we're drove them back.
What are you doing, Randy?
I killed it. I know I did.
There's nothing here but this sludge.
But where are the bodies? There should be some remains.
That's enough. Stand down.
Ryan's found Black and his research team and are
taking them back to the medical ship for observation.
Once they've been evaluated,
we're going to launch off this rock
and finish this job from space.
I'm all for that.
These things don't take fire like humans.
I mean, these weapons,
these armor piercing hollow points, cyclonic rotations.
These things take down a tank.
But these things just keep on coming like it's nothing.
Creatures, whatever they are.
I've got something.
Ah!
Oh, God!
No, no! It's got my leg!
We got you.
Where'd he go?
Where is he?
It dragged him under the water.
- We need to go in after him. - No.
Fire all around and drive them back.
Sir, we can't see it!
Do it now!
It's the water.
What's in the water?
It isthe water!
No. Markus! Markus!
Markus?
- Oh, God. - What's that?
Back, back, back.
Get over here.
Sir, if we don't have weapons to take this out, we're done.
We can't shoot at water.
Go ghost mode. Low and slow.
Wanda, you're right.
A spearheaded attack means a death sentence for us.
Sir, if they come after us again, we'll have no choice.
We'll have to open up fire and draw them back to us.
And then we empty our reserve into them
and do a Hail Mary detonation.
Blaze of glory. Right, colonel?
We get back to the LZ.
Quietly. That's the order.
Move out.
All right, we made it. We made it.
Can you get him on the table? Thank you.
You got it? Go.
All right, all right, all right.
Keep it stable.
Here, buddy.
With me, buddy?
It's the O2 regulator.
The seals on the O2 filters are damaged.
What? That is impossible. That is a nano-iron polymer.
There's triple filtration in that line.
Wait a second.
Something's eating through the metal seal of my regulator.
My O2 line is showing a high reading of ferrous oxide.
Wait, so it's rust?
We've got organisms trying to break through
the oxygen lines! It's going through the suits.
Greg, no. You can't expose yourself to the outside air.
Greg, stop.
You could infect yourself. You'll infect all of us.
It's too late, Jen.
If it's getting into the suit through O2 line,
we can't keep the helmets on.
Look, I know you know everything, and that's great,
but I know a few things two, okay?
Including the fact that we either
keep these helmets on and get infected instantly,
or we take them off and we avoid infection here aboard the ship.
Okay, I'm sorry.
If I'm going to die, I'm not going to die with some
organism crawling into my nose inside my helmet.
Oh, God.
Cliff. Cliff, we cannot risk getting infected.
Jennifer, we're guaranteed to die right now.
It's eaten through at least one layer on our O2 lines.
We gotta take off our helmets and burn the regulators
in our suit.
We don't have a choice.
Damn it.
All right, everyone, remove any contaminants
and get them into the incinerator ASAP.
We immediately begin a preventative battery
from our medkits. Give me a hand.
Jen, please tell me you have backup spacesuits
aboard this ship.
No, no. All the other suits are up on Luna-One.
Wait. This med pack hasn't been open.
You were compromised in the field
and no one received medical attention?
Sorry. Truthfully, I thought it was too late for everybody.
It's all a blur. It all happened so fast.
I'm going to prepare the preventative battery for Kyle.
Cliff, double check Greg's medkit,
make sure it's intact, we need it.
Nothing was used, there's no contamination.
Unopened 500 milliliter bag, IV, bandages,
sutures, penicillin.
Unopened? Why didn't he try using any of this stuff?
I don't trust him.
Greg.
He's not breathing.
Get a blanket for him. He's freezing.
What's going on? What is this?
Clear, clear, clear.
Is he okay? Is he okay?
If it's airborne, it's already in the air.
You don't think that already occurred to me?
I'm giving him a thousand milliliter drip of saline.
You all right? Sophie, how are you feeling?
Afraid out of my mind.
I'm normal. I feel normal.
Our mission is severely compromised now.
We will need a total medsat eval, decontamination,
and an endless list of DoD failsafes.
They could keep us in orbit for weeks when we get back.
Stable for now.
How are you two feeling?
She's good. I think I'm good.
So I've heard.
So you've heard?
You seem to know me, but I don't think I know you.
We do.
Cliff Ryan.
When I left Space Force, you took my position.
We videochatted once.
Oh, good. I'm happy she tells you all the good stories then.
Thanks, Jen.
It's nice to meet you in person, despite the odd circumstances.
Yeah, Jen's told me a lot about you.
Sounds like a lot of fun.
Your hands are ice cold.
Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I hadn't noticed.
Oh, my God. Are your fingers numb?
Yeah, a bit, now that you mention it.
You both need to be checked for hypothermia.
Do you have any idea how long you were out there?
No. It's all a blur. It happened so fast.
What happened?
I'm a little vague with this... It.
Confusion could be a sign of hypothermia,
along shivering and memory loss.
All right, we need to get you both warmed up, okay?
Not too rapidly.
Warming up too quick can cause heart arrhythmia.
The water. It was the water.
We were investigating the waters in the craters,
collecting samples, and then...
That's when Kyle and Sophie got pulled under.
That's the last thing I remember.
You were attacked?
You managed to make it back to the ship
and send the distress call.
Yeah, I managed. I sent the call
and that's when everything goes blank.
Wait, they got you, too?
No, the ship lost power.
All communications went down.
This whole planet...
The sooner we get off this godforsaken Pandora, the better.
Colonel Bradley.
Colonel Bradley, this is Dr. Ryan.
Can you read me?
We've gotten Dr. Black and his team to the ship.
Are you on your way? Over.
Maybe he's out of range?
This lab is very well insulated.
It's possible a radio signal can't get through.
I'll have to try and reach him from the flight deck.
If they're still reachable.
You know what? That is not helpful right now.
We have no idea what's going on out there.
If anyone should know, it should be you.
I've suspected about a decade now that there might be water
on this planet, which could mean some form of life.
But I never expected this.
Did you?
No, of course not. Not to this degree.
These creatures, they.. They don't live as individuals.
They join together as a more powerful unit,
like a hive, so to speak.
So it's not the air, they survive on the water?
Like parasitic protozoa, Toxoplasma gondii,
Entamoeba histolytica, Cyclospora cayetanensis...
They're all different kinds of parasites
that can cause disease or infections.
Great, so now we have another thing to worry about.
Okay, you know, look, how about
Cliff makes everyone some soup, maybe tea.
You could both use hot liquids.
I will go to the flight deck, contact Commander Lewis
and see if he can get in touch with Colonel Bradley.
Thanks, Jen.
Oh, man.
Hang in there, Kyle.
Got this, buddy.
Let's go. Low and slow.
Colonel, I've got a destabilization alarm.
The surface is moving beneath us.
Just keep moving.
What is on this moon, Colonel?
It killed Marcus, and I'm not going out like that.
You think the government knew what was out here?
Keep moving. And no, there's no way they knew
the extent of this threat.
Let's just get back to the ship,
reconnect with Luna-One and evac to orbit.
No, this way! No, no, no, let's go!
Luna-One, this is Arcturus.
Greetings. What's your status report, Dr. Ryan?
We've located Dr. Black and his team
and have gotten them back on the ship.
They're in the medical ward now, receiving treatment.
What is their condition?
Slight to severe cases of hypothermia, low pulse rates.
In need of more medical attention
than I can provide here.
They encountered an unknown entity on Pandora
that appears hostile in nature.
We were separated from Colonel Bradley and his team.
Bradley and what's left of his unit are on the way back to you,
but have encountered more...
Commander, please repeat that.
Creatures. Water creatures?
They just took out one of Bradley's team members.
Uh...
Commander, we are experiencing unusual
seismic activity on the surface.
Request permission to reunite with the Luna-One immediately.
That is a negative, Dr. Ryan.
Space Force has requested DoD level rundowns
and health diagnostics on all crew members.
That info was to be vetted by CDC, CIA, Hazmat, NASA,
among others.
I understand their concern, Commander,
but we can at least remain quarantined
while docked to your ship.
We need a remote eval on your data from agencies on Earth.
Commander, our ship is contained.
I'm sorry, Jennifer.
Docking to my ship's denied.
Commander Lewis, our ship is functional.
No damage to the hull.
Frank, If NASA is running a fine point signal to
communicate with us, then what are our telemetrics doing?
They are also finepoint. It's a light-based signal.
Light speed. Shared DoD database real time.
So they'll know if we let the medship dock.
The signal is subject to wormhole fluctuations,
but there is a 76% chance yes.
- Thank you. - Did Space Force say why?
Safety precaution. Standard protocol.
For planet Earth.
How are you two doing?
Any shallow breathing? Slurred speech?
Little rattled from the seismic jolts.
Other than that, just general exhaustion.
Any word on when we can get out of here?
Colonel Bradley's on his way.
Maybe I should go back out there and look for them.
They may need my help.
No. No way, Jen.
Pandora is way more dangerous than I ever expected.
Plus you need to conduct examinations
on those two ASAP.
The last thing we need back on Earth is another pandemic.
Agreed.
Cliff ought to be the one to go look for them.
He knows the terrain.
You're trying to get rid of me, Greg?
Relax, buddy.
I'm just trying to see where we stand
and expedite our departure from this very unstable moon.
We can't stay here forever.
It's not safe.
You'll be safe in here.
Thanks, but, are you sure about that?
He's... He's getting a little too hot.
Maybe I should turn the heat down on the table?
You turned on the heat on the table.
You are never to apply direct heat
in cases of severe hypothermia,
it can damage the skin and cause a regular heartbeat
so severe they can stop his heart.
Whoa!
It's okay.
Ah!
It was just an electric blanket, right?
That shouldn't have happened.
So that's your official medical evaluation?
Look, what happened to Kyle was not caused by that blanket.
Something completely flushed out of his system.
I have never seen anything like it.
Do you have any idea what you were exposed to out there?
You think I could be infected with what Kyle has?
I need to conduct more tests now.
Take blood samples from both of you, run a complete diagnostic.
No way. You're not touching me.
You two both need to be quarantined immediately.
I wasn't out there. Jen, that water never touched me.
How do we know that?
You're the one who should be quarantined
after what just happened.
Cliff didn't kill anyone.
Maybe it had something to do with
the change in oxygen levels.
Or maybe you guys just have no idea what you're doing.
Okay, Sophie, calm down.
Jen and I, we've known each other for a very long time.
I trust her judgment, okay?
No, if we need medical attention,
I want the kind that we can get back on Earth.
I'm not going to get experimented on like
some kind of guinea pig.
You are a risk to everyone on this ship.
So then you two get quarantined,
and me and Gregory can drive the ship back to Earth.
You've been exposed, right?
Greg, I'm sorry.
We cannot take any chances with you two.
Sophie!
What are you doing?
I'm not going to end up like Kyle.
What are you doing?
Sophie, what are you doing?
Open up, Dr. Ryan.
No. Nobody gets inside.
We can't leave them out there. They could die.
- They can die in here. - She has a point.
Hey, if you think we were exposed to something,
what about them?
Huh? Huh? What about them?
- Cliff! - Hey.
You don 't know what you' ve done.
Colonel, no! Why isn't he quarantined?
Colonel, stay back.
- Drop the weapon. - She's been infected?
We don't know.
Drop the weapon. I'm not asking twice.
Sophie, look at me. Trust me.
Getting everyone killed here isn't going to do any
good for anyone, okay?
Trust me. You know what to do.
Look at me.
I don't feel so good.
All right. That's all I need to hear.
Everyone in here needs to isolate immediately. Now.
Oh my God!
Ah!
Shoot her!
Sophie!
Is she dead?
No. We set our weapons to incapacitate her.
She's just unconscious.
She'll have a hell of a bruise when she wakes up.
Colonel Bradley, are you okay?
Don't get too close to him.
In here, in here!
It's okay! That's an isolation chamber designed to protect
anyone if an accident were to contaminate the room.
It's completely sealed.
Nothing can get through.
You got a contamination cell somewhere?
Down the port-side hallway.
Go ahead. We'll put them in there.
No, you don't want to lock me up.
Look at me, Jen.
I'm begging you. You know me.
I'm the one who sent the distress call.
I'm trying to help you.
You can't trust him.
Your call, Doc.
What?
She's in charge now?
On this medical ship? Yeah.
She's the only expert we got.
Okay.
Put her in the holding room. Second door on the left.
And secure Dr. Black to the examination table here.
Use the locking wrist restraints from our travel gurney.
Really? It's not necessary,
But I get it.
How are we going to test all of them and ourselves?
Takes over an hour and a half
to get verification back from Earth.
Whatever's out there is going to kill us by then.
Look, we either ram the Luna-One, board it,
then go back to Earth and potentially infect
the entire population, or we test fast.
This is my call.
Lewis is going to need an update and...
from more than just one of us.
Now that we're on Space Force hazmat protocol.
I'll go with you.
Hey, Jen, don't you think it'd be a good idea
to at least give me the capability of stopping Bradley
from pulling anything?
No way., Greg. I'm sorry.
Let's go.
Officer Perkins, when you've secured her,
I want one of you to guard Dr. Black in the lab.
So you don't trust Gregory?
We don't know if he's infected like the others.
We can't put him in the same room.
There also aren't any other secure
quarantine areas on board.
Let's go.
Commander, come in. Commander.
Been waiting to hear from you guys.
Did Colonel Bradley and his team make it back safely?
We need to leave now.
Bradley and some of the others are infected.
I don't know how to treat them from here.
Elaborate on the word infected.
Okay, um...
There seems to be a parasitic element to the water on Pandora,
where it has the ability to cloak itself
in the water and infiltrate living systems.
When she says living systems, she means people.
It takes control from the inside.
It's taken control of Bradley and Dr. Black's team.
You should have seen what it did to one of the researchers
when it decided to vacate his body.
We'd never seen anything like it before.
Is there a cure?
A cure?
I didn't know an organism like this existed an hour ago.
That...
The closest thing I could think of that exists
on Earth is the Naegleria fowleri amoeba.
When one is infected, it can cause
a condition known as P.A.M.
P.A.M.?
Stands for primary amoeba meningoencephalitis. Okay?
It occurs when an amoeba makes
its way up the nasal pathogen into the brain
and spinal cord, destroying brain tissue.
- Does P.A.M. have a cure? - No.
It is a 98.5% fatality rate.
I have a feeling that what we were dealing with
could be very much like PAM, but worse.
Space Force will not risk this orgasm making it to earth,
being loose in our oceans and the water we drink.
Again, I know the protocol, Commander.
And technically, right now,
there's nothing keeping you here
before the wormhole closes. For six months.
I could abort this entire mission...
and head back to Earth.
But I've not
until we've exhausted all lifesaving options. Over.
Okay. Thank you, Commander.
- How much time do I have? - Two hours.
The wormhole closes in two hours.
That doesn't give us any time for control testing
or genetics screening.
No. No time for research.
Seek and destroy, not contain and study.
We identify this parasite, we kill it.
We have two hours left.
- What do you want? - Who are you?
What have we got here?
I don't believe it.
I don't believe it! Frank!
Frank, I need all the power and our gunners at the ready.
Commander, we need to launch and get into orbit now.
Negative, Doctor, the air space around you
is full of these tentacles.
Is there any place safe we can stage the ship?
The ground's too unstable. These quakes...
As long as your ship
and its passengers have been compromised,
you're not getting off Pandora.
I have to get that back through that wormhole
if you can't contain the situation, Dr. Ryan.
We will find a solution.
Commander, you need to remain in orbit.
Right now, you are a national security threat.
If I had to, I could exit the wormhole right now.
He could leave us for dead.
Commander, can you read
a permeable membrane exoplasmic analysis
with RNA strayations on a microscope?
- What are you talking about? - Right.
So if you don't even know what no trace of alien life
looks like, how can I possibly convince you
to let us dock to your ship?
I would have to take your...
Good.
We will eradicate the organism. Do not evac.
Randolph, keep your distance from us, from everyone else.
- Are we prepping a launch? - No.
The organism searched the surface and
splashing around our airspace to keep us grounded.
The water wants us trapped.
It also wants in.
We need to barricade ourselves against it.
But how do we stop water?
Jen, how do we secure the ship if everyone's affected?
Oil.
Are you even listening to me?
Oil is naturally repelled by water and vice versa.
- They are immiscible. - Everybody knows that.
But how does that stop a gigantic conscious parasite?
It's not like pouring oil into a glass.
No, but I am talking baseline biological characteristics.
Elasticity, viscosity.
Water is a polar molecule.
It has positively charged N and a negatively charged N.
Oil is nonpolar.
It's trying to crack the hole.
I know we can stop it!
A nonpolar charge.
It creates an ionized membrane
that not only water can't penetrate,
but any membrane organism inside of it.
So where do we find this oil?
It might seize up the launch,
but there's a main oil line in the engine.
Randolph, get to the engine room.
Release the oil outtake valve.
We need to find a way to spray oil across
as much of the hull as possible.
That way the water can't get into the ship.
I can pour it into barrels and dump it,
but I can't do that without a second hand.
That also means there's going to be two of us outside.
I'll do it.
Okay. Go.
Let us know when you're done covering the ship.
You got a plan?
More like a temporary Band-Aid.
Hopefully to stop the water.
Whoever you are, you better stand down.
One thing I do remember from my time at the Space Force program
was a study of behavioral biology.
Certain organisms can and cannot react.
You seized Bradley's brain
and exhibits some of his characteristics,
but even then, you'll have a tendency to overreact.
- What's that? - It's a medical atomizer.
It's basically a fancy perfume model,
but for a variety of substances.
Anything jumping off of me?
Any subdermal disturbances?
No.
Sorry. Do you mind elaborating on that, please?
What is it?
Sebum abstract.
Lubricates the hair.
And it also protects the skin. And it's water resistant.
It's a little bit like the channel grease
marathon swimmers use.
It stops water absorption into the pores.
Why do you have it?
It's basically a moisturizing cream.
Most women use it.
Your turn.
Head down. I don't want you puking in my face.
Thank you.
Anything?
Nothing.
I've seen some stuff, and I've seen even worse stuff.
But this?
See-through liquid aliens that don't die when you shoot them?
No.
We just need to get done and get back inside.
You've seen what those things can do.
Coating this ship is only a defensive action.
Sure, we're fine for now.
But those things, they can get huge, small.
We need a legit offense,
or we ain't making it out of here.
You got something in mind? I'd like to hear it.
So when we were getting the barrels,
I saw some coolant containers by the engine.
Do you know anything about liquid nitrogen?
- Super pressurized, super cold. - That's right.
Freezes on contact.
Might turn these water aliens to ice.
Let's get back inside.
Incoming.
It's working!
The tentacles are unable to attach.
It worked. Dr. Ryan, the oil barrier stopped the water.
No damage reported.
How'd you know that'd work?
Basic properties of water.
I think this is an enemy best being with science,
and not just brute force.
Hey, I don't mean to be a pain, but still...
We are not out of the woods yet.
I'm sorry.
So the spray wasn't enough?
Not even close.
If we're going to rescue everyone,
we need to eradicate this.
Jen, do we have time for that?
We have to incinerate Kyle's body,
disinfect the ship,
and then Lewis might let us dock on Luna-One
if we're not infected.
Seek and destroy, remember?
Now we destroy.
Now...
I still can't figure out what caused the organisms
to vacate Kyle
or what made Sophie sick enough to have them leave her
and latch onto Bradley.
Maybe the heat drives them away,
him with a heated blanket,
and she was under the vent before she started
spewing all over the colonel.
Yes, yes, heat can absolutely evaporate water
but that is an external solution.
We need an internal one.
Prolonged exposure to our oxygen levels.
The atmosphere here on Pandora is
far different from that on Earth.
Hey, I'm willing to put an oxygen mask on
to prove I'm not infected.
No.
Why not? It couldn't hurt.
Okay.
E-coli, norobirus, crypto.
All sicknesses that can be contracted in standing water.
Pandora is almost nothing but standing water.
So... How does one avoid catching one of those
diseases in a swimming pool?
Chlorine.
What did he come in contact with?
Sodium chloride.
They intravenous solutions that I gave Kyle
were a mixture of warm saltwater. Saline.
Harmless to humans, maybe not to these parasites.
You know how some freshwater fish
can't survive in salt water?
The level of sodium chloride is too high.
It kills them.
How do we test it?
We give Colonel Bradley a small dose of intravenous fluids.
Let's see what happens.
Maybe if we change the PH level in our bodies,
they can't survive it.
They can't survive it.
Jen, you all right? Yeah, I'm... I'm fine.
I just, uh... Just a bit exhausted.
What did you do to her?
What did I do to her? That's a very good question.
Nothing bad.
But I'm glad you asked.
What patience it took...
Sitting here in the backseat while this
so-called captain operated this vessel.
Bet he couldn't do that.
Unfortunately for Kyle,
he received a mere saline.
I didn't have time to swap out his IV, unfortunately for him.
But if you
paid attention to detail,
you would have noticed.
I filled Jen's IV...
With us.
You're one of them.
I'm one of them. Thank goodness.
She's one of us. We are all...
One.
You humans are pure ignorance.
All you ever do is fight with one another.
You will never be as strong or as united as us.
All we need is a new home.
Earth...
Will do nicely.
Stay there, professor!
Try it!
Unless you want liquid nitrogen shoved in your face.
Get in there now.
How's that for stopping water in its tracks?
Is Dr. Ryan okay?
I don't know.
I don't care. I don't trust anyone.
Cliff, you're losing it.
Easy, Cliff. Easy.
Let's not forget that I don't know if you're okay, all right?
I don't have time for this, Wanda.
Take the restraints and tie yourself to the gurney.
What's going on?
Why am I tied down?
Clifford is trying to contain the situation here.
Isn't that right, Cliff?
All right, I'll put the knife down.
But let's not forget that I haven't seen you
heat yourself up or drink saltwater.
If you come back looking possessed,
I will snap your spine in half.
I'll be back shortly with the results.
Sophie's up too, and her blood work should be finished.
Give it up, Smith.
Let us out and all your pain goes away.
Request denied, Colonel.
And with all due respect, I eat pain just for the taste.
How are we doing in there?
If you're trying to give me a heat stroke, it's working.
Want some bottled water?
- Yes, please. - Back away from the door.
What's in the water?
Just some simple water with a little sodium.
Salt tablets, to be exact.
Great, looks like I pissed it off again.
Now it's time to check the control group.
That's you. We gotta go. Come on. Let's go.
Hurry.
Arcturus crew, wormhole closes in 15 minutes.
Tell me you've cured this.
I hear you, Commander. Don't leave.
We've got this.
You see that? Your vitals on the left.
Normal heart rate, normal body temperature.
Jennifer is on the right.
65 degrees and her heart rate is less than 30 beats per minute.
Your blood work is clear of any infection.
No unusual pathogens.
And your white blood cell count seems to be normal.
- So I'm not infected? - Yes.
With these results and the IV fluids, I can confirm.
And what would have happened if I was still infected?
Your bloodstream would have been full of those
membrane structures that control the water.
Giving you the sodium fluids
would have killed you like it killed Kyle.
Your turn, Jen. This is crazy.
I'm not infected.
I love you, Jen.
With all my heart.
- I don't have a choice. - Okay, Cliff. I'll do it.
But kiss me first. Just in case it's our last.
It's wrapped itself around the ship.
The hull is starting to buckle.
Look there!
Keep working!
She's about to throw it all up.
Do it, now!
You got two choices.
Exit those men willingly and I let you and your buddies
in this bag off this ship unharmed.
Or... I burn it.
And I inject those two with sodium fluids,
killing all of you.
Live or die. Decide now.
T-minus five minutes and counting
until we head back into the wormhole.
All systems nominal. Power at 80%.
Commander Lewis, this is Colonel Bradley.
The Ryans were able to cleanse the ship and cure the infected,
including myself.
- How? - Salt?
These parasites can only live in freshwater.
We have test and control group. We have comparative blood work.
Cliff is uploading the vitals report to you now.
We are getting out of here.
Engage all swivels and allow them to dock.
Tell everyone to brace themselves,
this is not going to be a smooth ride.
Take a seat and hold on.
Arcturus medical shuttle reengaging with Luna-One.
The entire moon is breaking apart.
The entire organism broke free from the moon.
It's coming for us!
No, no, no.
If it takes over this ship,
it's gonna pilot us through the wormhole
back to earth!
Brace yourselves!
Commander, go! Get us out of here.
One minute to the wormhole!
Maximum thrusters!
It's no good. The organism is almost on us.
Activate the sodium ion thrusters!
Sodium ion thrusters...
Turn off the engine!
Jen, are you insane?
Look at me, are you still infected?
If it's a sodium ion engine that requires a saline reactant!
Saline kills the organism!
Turn off all engines!
Dump all the fuels then reignite.
Luna-One, dumping fuel reserve.
Unidentified amoeboid-like entity is solidifying.
We dumped the fuel and froze the organism.
Ignition. Ignition.
Ignition.
How much power now? How much power now?
88%. We are ready for the wormhole.
Go!
Brace yourselves. We are now entering wormhole.
Luna-One now exiting wormhole.
Looks like we made it, doctor.
Worse for the wear, but we made it.
Commander, an unidentified organism has
infiltrated the ship's mainframe
and all control systems.
Commander Lewis, they've identified a mass
traveling with your ship.
The DoD has already launched a nuke into the wormhole.
I am sorry Commander, but you're not going to
make it through.
Just launched a nuke at us!
They just launched a nuke into the wormhole!
- Why would they do that? - The creature is on board.
Can't let it get to earth.
We're gonna die?
- Who's steering the ship? - It's probably the water.
It isn't going to end like this.
Frank, is there any way to take back control of
the guidance system to outmaneuver the nuclear missile?
The missile is heat-seeking.
Our thermal footprint is...
Does it have control over the ignition?
Kill everything on the exterior. Max out the engines.
What? Maxing out the engines is gonna exceed
over 10,000 degrees.
No, no no. We're already at 9000.
Ships like this explode at 10,000.
Greg, the temp regulator.
Operate it manually.
You spent years studying this ship.
Only you can do it.
Jen, it's going to kill him!
If he dives the temp, it's going to shed ionized air...
If I die, I die. It's alright, Cliff.
Desperate times, desperate measures.
Somebody's gotta take the risk.
I got this. I got this.
Frank, max the engines. Burn the alien off the exterior.
Firing jet flame torches.
The ship's breaking!
Can't add any more. Stress to the ship, Jennifer.
Frank.
The majority of the creature has been evaporated,
- but some of it remains. - Where's the nuke?
T-minus four minutes, 16 seconds.
Jen, The rest of the creature is still on board the ship.
We're gonna get whatever
is wrapped around the guidance system.
Grab that flamethrower. Let's get to the engine room.
Greg?
That already occurred to me.
Jen, Cliff was right.
The engine doesn't wind down after its max.
It's holding at 9900 degrees.
Gonna have to strong-arm it.
You stay back there too long, the radiation will kill you.
Guidance system runs along the column of wires
connected to a series of servo motors
that engage the main runners.
There's an alarm trigger
along server 16 Charlie through 19 Echo.
It knows we're coming!
It can hear us!
No!
Hold on... He's gone.
No!
He's gone, Dr. Ryan.
Light it up.
Anything that isn't locked down!
Randolph on my six.
The steering column is free.
I'm bypassing bank 16 through 19 firewall.
The stabilizer's locked, but it won't hold.
Where is it?
It's in the manual override,
it's trying to take control again.
Jen, the engine said 9999.
I'm trying to hold it together.
I'm doing everything I can.
Radiation burned his hands!
We did it, we're at 8900.
It was successful.
What is it?
It's travelling through the air vents.
Up to the cockpit.
Frank, shut all interior campers.
Lock it inside.
I only have enough reserves to prep
evasive maneuvers for the nuke.
So he needs help.
I did everything I can.
We're successfully winding down.
- Get them to the cockpit. - Roger that.
Watch out!
Seal the vents!
How far off is the nuke?
1 minute, 32 seconds. Banking. 33%.
Wanda, get out of here!
No, no more. Give me that.
Frank, max out the engines now.
Commander? 49 seconds to impact.
Sorry, I underestimated you, Cliff,
but this guy here underestimated me.
Hank, what are you doing?
That's right. Jen, Cliff, Jen.
Shoot the nitrous reserve!
Evac to Arcturus and detach!
Frank, bank us to the wall.
We did it. It's entirely frozen!
Evac to Arcturus!
Nuclear impact in seven, six...
Go for launch!
The ship's gonna tear apart!
Retrograde thrust!
- Down to 60%! - Take it down 20.
A little more...
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, guys.
Thank God you're with us.
We got you.
Any sign of the parasite?
No organic matter is detected on the ship's hull.
Where are we now?
You're over the Middle East.
Setting autopilot now.
The coordinates are 31.559 to zero degrees north,
35.473, two degrees east.
Hey, where's that?
That better be somewhere safe.
I think I know where you're headed.
We've landed.
Safe and sound.
Oh, okay.
We're in water. We're in water.
What if any of it survived reentry. Huh?
Between Jordan and Israel.
We're in the Dead Sea, to be exact.
One of the saltiest lakes in the world.
Eight times saltier than average seawater.
So if any of those parasites did make it through,
they are done now.
Well then, thank you.
Thank you.
- Thank you. - We made it.
Sophie.
Amen.
Hey, keep your mouths closed.
Kiss like that... Where are your masks?