Narrator: Previously on

Falling Skies...

Oppression is in your nature.

And that is your justification for the murder of billions?

Tector: What the hell happened here?

So these bastards are shooting each other now?

Maggie...

Don't.

In the harnessing facility...

I saw your spikes glow.

You can rat me out if you want, but I am not signing my own death warrant.

I hope you're not afraid.

Whatever you think they've done to me, I'm still Karen.

[ Indistinct conversations ]

[ Breathes deeply, sighs ]

Hey, sleepyhead.

Hey.

Morning already?

Yep. Time to go to work.

You know Weaver and his schedules.

[ As Weaver ]

"Tom, we're gonna have meetings

"every morning at 9:00.

"Rain or shine, come hell or high water, "come Skitters or Mechs dancing in the mess hall.

"And, Tom...

I can't abide any tardiness."

[ Chuckles ]

We've been here two weeks, and already everything feels so...

Normal?

Normal like the way it was before?

That's too hard to imagine.

Although I do miss some things.

Like what?

Taking a deep breath of clean, crisp, New England air.

Hmm.

Oh, and the smell of coffee brewing.

[ Chuckles ]

And?

The sound of my boys waking up, fighting over who gets the bathroom.

Those three...

Cereal.

Rebecca constantly having to be the... referee.

Sorry.

Nothing to be sorry about.

I had a husband, too. And a son.

I miss them -ometimes very much.

[ Inhales deeply ]

But this is what we have now.

I know.

And it feels nice.

Yeah, it feels nice.

It feels really nice.

Mm.

But I'm gonna be late.

Me too.

So, can we pick this up later?

Mm. We have to.

After dinner?

Mm. Or after lunch?

Oh, that sounds even better.

It's a date.

[ Door closes ]

[ Clears throat ]

Hi. Sorry.

That's twice this week, Tom.

Yes, sir.

Well, that just underlines the main point of the discussion that we're going to have this morning.

Fact is, this whole company... become too relaxed, too complacent.

I can see it already in the neglected chores and the sloppy drilling, the tardiness.

Captain, with all due respect, 2nd Mass has been through quite a lot these last few months.

A little R&R can't be a bad thing.

I disagree, Tom. It can be the death of us.

We cannot afford to let our guard down for even one single day.

Now, this whole reason, the point we stopped here was to restock and prep for the long haul... haul to Charleston.

Captain?

Hold on. I'm fine. Gonna be all right?

Just push the...

Captain Weaver?!

[ Panting ] What's happening? What's happening?

Oh, my gosh.

Somebody go get Dr. Glass right now!

Dr. Glass!

What have they done to me?

What have those damn aliens done to me, Tom?

[ Grunting ]

Hold him! Hold him steady!

Captain?!

♪ Falling Skies 2x06 ♪
Homecoming
Original Air Date on July 15, 2012

Tom? Yeah.

I gave him a monster dose of Lorazepam -- no effect.

Ohh.

I need you... to take over.

You hear me? You're gonna be fine.

Listen!

Don't worry about me.

You just get the 2nd Mass to Charleston.

I'm counting on you.

I don't understand. How did this happen?

Anne: This.

I tried every antibiotic and every antiviral medication we have here -o effect at all. What is that?

Is that venom from the harness spike?

Probably, but every test we've given him turned out negative.

No signs of anything out of the ordinary.

That looks pretty out of the ordinary.

If there's something there, it's too small for us to see with the equipment we have here.

I've been trying to keep the spread localized to his legs.

Wait a second.

You mean this has been spreading for a while?

Yes -hy didn't you tell me?

Believe me, I wanted to, but Captain Weaver was clear -e didn't want anyone to know -specially you.

Especially me?

We could have done something sooner.

Like what? Like getting him to Charleston, where maybe they have a doctor that knows what to do about it.

What I know is this poison, or whatever it is, is spreading.

So, that's all the more reason to get him to Charleston, then.

Tom -isten. So do what you can for him.

Stabilize him, prep the med bus.

We're leaving tonight.

[ Exhales sharply ]

Just for the record, I think it's crazy you're out here on patrol already.

How many times do I have to remind you how much I hate hospitals?

You're risking pulling out your stitches, possible infection, maybe getting shot again, just to be out here with me.

You know what that means? You like me.

Typical guy -aking it all about you.

You know what I mean.

I do.

Hal, we're gonna have to talk about some things.

Oh, not this again. Yes, this again.

Look, I get what you're saying.

No, I don't think you do.

Hal, I'm... Not the right person for you.

[ Laughs ]

Don't I get to decide that?

What is it about

"I want to be with you" that you don't understand?

All of it.

Which is why I'm trying to say

nothing can happen between us.

Okay. 'Cause you don't like me. I get it.

No.

No, the truth is I asked Weaver to move me to another unit.

Oh, what? Whose? Goodman's.

Goodman?

Yeah. Goodman.

Isn't he's like 50?

Hal...

Hey, no, I'm just asking. That's -- [ Thud ]

[ Fly buzzes ]

God!

He had his harness removed.

Oh, God.

Hal...there's more.

[ Gasps ]

[ Gasping ]

Oh, my God.

They're all dead.

We got to be sure.

[ Flies buzzing ]

Ohh.

Hal! Yeah.

Karen!

[ Panting ]

Karen.

I don't understand.

[ Inhales sharply ]

Help me!

Karen.

Karen!

Karen!

Karen!

[ Indistinct conversations ]

I'm not gonna sugarcoat the situation.

Captain Weaver is in serious medical trouble.

Dr. Glass is doing everything possible, but so far nothing seems to be working.

I believe we have no choice but to get back on the road and get to Charleston.

I think that's not only Captain Weaver's best chance but ours, as well.

Like when? We should be ready to leave by tonight.

Uh, well -- well, that -hat might be a problem.

Okay.

Well, on Captain Weaver's orders, I've been draining the fuel from the vehicles that run on diesel to keep the hospital generator going.

We don't have enough fuel to get to Charleston.

We barely had enough to get here from Richmond.

Captain Weaver knew about this?

We've been trying to scout fuel depots for weeks, but haven't had any luck.

Jamil: Yeah, which is why the captain had me using the diesel for the generator.

We have a bigger problem.

I've already drained the diesel from the trucks, and, well, we only have enough fuel to keep the generators going for another 12 hours max.

And when were you gonna give Captain Weaver that news?

He -e knew...everything.

All right.

[ Grunts ]

Obviously, the first order of business, then, is to widen the search for fuel.

Dai, assign three scouting parties -ne to the east, one to the south, and one to the west.

Give them enough fuel for four hours out and four hours back.

Jamil, if we shut down all the power except to the ICU where Dr. Glass is working, how much more time will that give us on the generator?

I'm guessing roughly double.

Okay. Good. Let's do that.

Jamil: Okay.

And the rest of us, we got to get packed and we got to get loaded for Charleston.

There's no time to lose.

Dad!

Yep.

Hal and Maggie just got back from patrol.

They need you right away.

Okay. I'll be there in a bit. But, dad -hey found Karen -n the woods.

[ Indistinct shouting ]

Tom: Hey!

We found her buried in the woods -long with a group of de-harnessed kids, all dead, except her.

I don't understand. She's barely breathing.

We got to get her to Dr. Glass.

Okay. Wait, wait, wait.

Dad! Her harness is gone! Please.

Don't let her stay.

We can't trust her. She's still attached to them.

How do you know that, Ben?

I can - can hear it.

All right, Dai, you and Lyle take her to the psych ward, put her in a secure room.

Dad...

Your dad's right. It's best this way.

Until we know.

Dr. Glass is in the ICU with Captain Weaver.

Ask her to meet us in the psych ward.

[ Gasping ]

It's okay. It's okay.

Where am I? You're here with the 2nd Mass.

Look at me. It's Dr. Glass.

Remember me? Don't talk to her.

I told you we can't trust her.

Ben.

She's not one of us. It's all right, Ben.

Hello, Karen.

[ Sighs ]

Oh, you're alive.

Oh, thank God.

As you can see.

It was the most horrible thing...

I have ever experienced...

...watching them torture you... not being able to do anything.

We're glad you're back, Karen.

We do have some questions, though.

And a few concerns.

Sure.

The ones you were found with -he dead kids -ere they on the ship with you?

Maybe, but I...

I don't remember.

What do you remember?

Only that I was... on the ship... in my pod.

When I woke up, I saw Hal's face.

That's all.

Look, I understand how crazy this might sound, but...

Tom: How was your harness removed?

I'm not sure... but I can only guess that...

What?

That I had served my purpose.

Tom: All right, well, get some rest.

Try to get your strength back.

I'm sure Dr. Glass is gonna want to run some tests.

Can I get some food?

I don't think I've eaten anything in a really long time.

I promise, you'll be very well taken care of.

All I ask of you is that you don't leave this room, until we've had a chance...

To make sure that I'm not a threat.

Make sure that you're healthy.

Yeah. I understand.

And I'm really happy to be home.

All I ever wanted was to be back to the 2nd Mass... with you and Hal.

Get some rest. We'll talk more later.

Hal?

I want a guard on that door, 24/7.

Glad you're back.

Ben: Dad...

I want to stay with her.

I don't know that that's such a --

I have a better chance than anybody else of finding something that's not right.

All right. Fine.

I still want a guard on that door.

Hey, Ben.

So, what's going on?

What do you mean?

I mean all the suspicion.

All the crap about those bad feelings, whatever that is.

That's Karen.

So you say.

I never met her before today, remember?

Because we lost her while she was helping trying to rescue you.

I'm sure whoever she was before, she was a wonderful person.

But that thing in there -hat's not Karen.

So why are you any different, then, huh?

Because I'm not.

Which is exactly why I can handle her.

You won't be able to resist her manipulating you.

Would you listen to yourself, bro?

Look at her.

She was half-dead when we found her.

She's scared, and she's freaked out.

How's she gonna manipulate me?

She's already started.

If I were you, I'd keep him as far away from her as possible.

Won't end well.

God, you can be such a --

Freak?

I was gonna say "tool."

But if you like "freak," sure, we'll stick with that.

[ Sighs ]

Boy, he can be frustrating.

Yeah, but probably right.

Really? Come on, now -low down.

I'm just saying it's a little more than weird that she just happens to show up less than a klick from the hospital.

Yeah. Okay. So?

So you haven't even flinched.

The Hal Mason I know would have been all over that if it had been anyone other than your old girlfriend.

Okay.

[ Engine revs ]

[ Breathing heavily ]

[ Door opens ]

It's getting exponentially worse.

Meaning what?

He has less time than I thought, than I can even estimate.

Damn it.

Thoughts?

Well, the equipment here isn't that sophisticated, but what I think is happening is that somehow the toxin from the harness has attached itself onto the erythrocytes -he red cells -ike a parasite hitching a ride up his bloodstream.

But he got bitten weeks ago.

Wouldn't that have killed him already?

It should have, yes, but my theory -nd it's just a theory -s that this toxin or parasite or whatever it is, needed time to incubate, to mature.

Like eggs?

Or larvae or... something I don't understand.

So that's it? We're just gonna watch him die?

No, of course not.

All right. Get Weaver ready.

We're gonna get whatever gas we have, put him in the fastest vehicle we've got.

We're just gonna drive him straight to Charleston.

No! That's an order.

You don't get to give me orders. No?

I'm in charge of the 2nd Mass now.

And I've been taking care of the 2nd Mass since the beginning.

I'm the doctor here.

I know that! Not you, not anyone!

I decide the course of action for my patients -- me and me alone!

Listen. Calm down. Stop, stop, stop.

And Captain Weaver's best chance is here with me!

Rebecca, stop!

I'm sorry.

I'm surprised it hasn't happened sooner, to be honest.

Or vice versa.

I'm not your wife, Tom.

And we don't get the luxury of having a lover's spat in this stupid wasteland of a world.

All we get to do is survive.

Listen, I've had his job for less than a day, and I don't think any of us have realized how much he's held the 2nd Mass together with... spit and glue and sheer willpower.

Our best chance of survival is his survival.

Give me until midnight to come up with something.

If I can't, then we'll do it your way.

All right, fair enough.

[ Karen sighs ]

It's good to finally meet you, Ben.

Hal used to talk about you a lot.

[ Mouth full ] I had forgotten what real food tastes like.

[ Chuckles ]

Is that Pope guy still cooking, or is Uncle Scott back in the kitchen?

Pope's gone, and...

Uncle Scott was killed when Mech bullets tore him apart when he was trying to save a group of kids pinned down by a Skitter column.

I'm sorry.

I liked Uncle Scott.

Well, he's dead.

Along with a lot of other really, really good people.

People who were trying to fight your masters.

They're not my masters.

Not anymore.

You might be able to fool the others, but not me.

[ Inhales sharply ]

I can hear you.

You can hear me?

[ Scoffing ]

What are you talking about?

You're still connected to them.

You can hear it, too.

I do hear... something.

It's kind of like... a TV and a radio and static playing all at once.

Is -- is that what you're talking about?

Yeah. Something like that.

But it's just noise.

Distant noise.

I for sure don't feel connected anymore, 'cause I remember what that felt like.

You do?

Yeah.

[ Inhales sharply ]

Like a hand wrapped around my throat...

...moving me around like I was a rag doll, hardly able to breathe.

Forced to witness horrible things... powerless to speak out.

You must remember.

I remember.

And you were paired with the Skitters.

[ Inhales sharply ]

Imagine 10 times that.

Can I get some more bread?

Uh...

Yeah. Um...

Sure.

We think we've come up with something -ell, Lourdes, actually.

Uh, well, it really started with the Captain being hypothermic, which is his body temperature has been dropping.

Which didn't make any sense since the normal reaction to an infection is an elevated temperature, a fever.

But that's not what's happening here.

So we wondered if the pathogen needed a cooler host environment to survive, which is why it's moving through the capillary system nearest to the surface of the skin.

So we tried raising Captain Weaver's core temperature back up with heaters and blankets, and that slowed the pathogen down, but didn't stop it.

And that's when I remembered something from my immunology class.

A technique called extracorporeal hyperthermia.

The idea, as crazy as it sounds, is we pump out Captain Weaver's blood, warm it to over 105 degrees, then we pump it back into his body.

That change in temperature should at least disrupt the growth of the pathogen if not killing it altogether.

You're right. That sounds crazy.

The technique has been used to treat cancer and aids.

Okay, assuming for half a second that that's even possible, how do you do that without killing him?

Well, that's where Jamil comes in.

Me?

All we need is a way to pump and recirculate the captain's blood through a heating element.

That's all?

Can you do it or not?

Well, listen, I'm not saying it's not possible, but when and with what?

The when is now, and this is a hospital.

I know we can find the raw materials and machines.

[ Gasping ]

There's no other choice, is there?

Okay. Do it. Just do it.

But in the meantime, we keep prepping for Charleston.

As soon as those scouting parties get back with fuel, we're on the road.

Anything?

No fuel, boss!

But we found them on the side of the road about 10 miles west of here.

Them?

Pope.

[ Straining ]

I don't think he's breathing.

Anne: Over here. Right over here.

This is good, Lyle.

Is he...

Alive? Barely.

Anthony: Okay, I'm fine.

No, you're not. Sit down.

What happened?

Anthony: Me and Pope...

Went looking for a new set of wheels outside of Durham.

So we split up. I heard gunfire.

And by the time I got back to him, he was being chased by a mess of Skitters.

We ran like hell... but a Mech got a shot off and the blast landed near us.

Pope went down. And I just picked him up.

And I kept running until I couldn't run anymore.

He needs to rest now. Sure. It's good to have you back.

What about him?

He's dehydrated.

Got a pretty good concussion, but I don't see any critical wounds, which is a good thing.

So, he's gonna be okay?

We'll give him some fluids.

If he wakes up in the next few hours, he should be fine.

Call me when he wakes up, but I don't have to remind you --

I know. Weaver's a priority.

[ Door closes ]

My family used to spend summers on Nantucket.

I don't think I ever wore shoes.

I loved the sunlight there.

Warm. Sweet.

Do you ever dream of what it was like... before?

Hard to dream when you don't sleep.

Really?

I don't think I ever slept as good as I did last night.

Breakfast.

Oh, thank you.

I can't believe how hungry I am all the time.

Well, it's, uh, not much, I'm afraid, but... we're running low on... everything.

Time for another food scout, huh?

We're pulling out soon anyway.

To where?

I don't know. They don't tell me that.

'Cause of your spikes?

Guess I'd better get used to that, too.

Yeah, well, it's... not so much fun being called a "razorback"... or "coat hanger."

Really?

[ Chuckling ]

That's what they call us?

Not to my face, but, uh, yeah.

But it's not all bad... I'm realizing.

Yeah?

Well, it's weird, but...

I can hear almost anything.

Like what?

Like conversations about the generator not having enough fuel, or Captain Weaver being in a coma.

I mean, I assume you can, too, right?

Yeah. S-sometimes -ometimes, yeah.

When I was looking out the window earlier, I could see details I never even knew existed.

And then there's this.

[ Laughing ] You got to admit that's kind of cool, right?

[ Bed frame creaking ]

Karen, you have to put it down!

[ Bed slams ]

[ Gasps ]

What -hat's happening?

I don't know.

I can feel what you're feeling.

I can feel it, too.

What the hell?

[ Gasps ]

What'd you do to her?

Karen. Karen!

[ Groans ]

What did you do to her? Ben!

Hey. Hey.

[ Karen groans ]

Are you okay?

Yeah. Yeah, I think so.

[ Breathing heavily ]

What did he do?

I don't know.

I don't know. We were just -e were just talking, and then... and then I felt this connection from him.

[ Crying ]

I was so scared, Hal.

Hey. Hey, hey, hey, hey. It's okay. It's okay.

Well, the idea is simple enough.

We pump blood... out of Captain Weaver into this chamber, where we heat it up to 105 degrees Fahrenheit, which, in theory, should kill whatever it is that's in the Captain's bloodstream.

And then we pump it into this second chamber where we cool it back down to normal body temperature, 98.6 degrees.

And then we pump it back into his body.

How long's this gonna take?

Eight hours, more or less.

You said he could die by then.

If we can reverse the process, if we can get the pathogen to recede before it attacks the blood brain barrier, I think we have a shot at saving him.

Lourdes, Weaver's core temperature?

Still 96.

[ Sighs ] Okay. Hang in there, Captain.

Nothing more to do except wait and see.

Can I talk to you for a second?

I just, uh, wanted to say that I'm sorry.

For what?

For thinking that I... knew more than you.

For everything.

I said it wasn't a big deal, and it's not.

When things calm down, we can talk about it, but right now I should get back.

Sure.

[ Electricity crackles ]

[ People murmuring ]

No, no.

It's the generator.

Anne: Lourdes, bag him.

Tom, I'm gonna need you to turn these pumps manually, okay?

Doesn't need to be fast, just steady and consistent.

What about the water temperature?

It should maintain its heat long enough for Jamil to get the power back on.

I got the generator.

Anne: Let's get it going.

Ready.

Anne: Go!

Whoo!

We hit the jackpot, boss! Diesel?

Yes, sir. We got three barrels full.

Got two barrels of gasoline, three crates full of 30 weight oil, and a whole mess of fan belts and the like.

Good work, Tector.

There's more where this came from.

We just couldn't carry it all. Where?

Southwest, I think.

Look, I almost gave up, right?

But I had this sort of, like, intuition, and my daddy always told me, he said, "boy --"

Great.

Uh, right now, we got to get this diesel over to the generator and load it up.

Yes, sir.

I'll find Jamil.

[ Laughs ]

[ Crow cawing ]

What's up, Hal?

I've been looking all over for you.

We got to figure out some way to help her, Maggie.

Karen?

What are you talking about?

Something bad's gonna happen to her if we don't do something.

No, you got it backwards.

Something bad's gonna happen to us if we don't do something about her.

It's Ben.

Damn it!

What?

It's that stuff he was doing with the Skitters. Ah!

His spikes glowing!

And he's doing something to Karen.

What are you talking about?

I think he -e's trying to recruit her.

[ Breathing heavily ]

Something with that -hat Skitter that he brought.

I came in the room... and they were holding each other.

And their spikes were glowing.

Where's Ben now? I don't know.

You got to go find him.

Okay? If anyone's in danger, it's him.

You got to trust me on this.

Shift's over, Jon.

I'll, uh -'ll take it from here.

Yes, ma'am.

What are you doing?

We're gonna have a little girl talk, you and I.

I don't understand.

I think you do.

I think you understand really, really well, actually.

So let's stop playing games, okay?

Look -onestly, I don't --

[ scoffs ]

This isn't about Hal, is it? 'Cause -eah.

It's about Hal.

And Ben.

And Tom Mason.

In fact, it's about the entire 2nd Mass and how you're gonna crawl back to whatever dung heap you came from and leave us all alone.

[ Scoffs ]

So it's us now, Maggie?

Innocent little Maggie with a heart of gold?

You know, I feel sorry for you.

You have spent so long pushing people away, you have no idea how to get close to anyone anymore.

Now you're doing the same thing with Hal.

'Cause you don't think you deserve him.

And you know what?

You're right.

[ Chuckles ]

You know, I used to think about your time with Pope.

Despite all your stories about how they mistreated you, the truth is, I think you felt more comfortable with them than you have with anyone else in your whole pathetic life.

You don't know me.

I think I do.

And you know what?

Maybe that life with Pope and his gang?

Maybe that's the life you really deserve.

[ Guns cock ]

[ Gasps ]

[ Choking ]

Ben: Karen! What's happening?!

Karen: Ohh.

Are you all right?

Yeah, I think so.

She just burst in here...

We need to get Dr. Glass.

No.

No, Maggie said that no one could trust us.

She tried to shoot me, Ben.

We're not safe here.

Where will we ever be safe?

I know a place... that we could be safe, and accepted.

We'll have to leave here first, though.

[ Groaning ]

This way.

Where? Which direction?

There.

Ben!

You need to come with me.

Now.

No. We need to go.

For our protection and for the 2nd Mass.

I think we'll let dad weigh in on that.

Now, let's move. Both of you.

I'm sorry.

It's okay.

Will he be all right?

Yeah.

I'm sorry it came to this, Ben.

I knew I'd have to leave sooner or later.

You know, I loved your brother once.

Very much.

Yeah.

I'm sure he loved you, too.

But...

I know.

[ Breathes shakily ]

Ready?

Yeah.

So, it's working.

Anne: Seems that way.

At least he's finally breathing on his own.

His core temperature is back in the range of normal.

[ Sighs ]

That's good news.

But he's not out of the woods yet.

There's no telling what collateral damage has been done.

I just hope we killed whatever it was that caused this in the first place.

It's really up to him now.

Well, we got enough fuel to last for a few more days.

But the food stores are almost depleted.

I need to send more scouts out for food.

And that's gonna mean burning more fuel.

We're running low on ammunition.

I'm getting complaints about sanitation issues.

People are asking when we're leaving for Charleston.

They're panicked over rumors that Skitters are heading our way --

Hey...

We'll get through this together, okay?

I know.

Lourdes: Dr. Glass!

I don't believe it.

Captain. Can you hear me?

[ Straining ]

Don't try to speak. Lourdes, water.

[ Grunts ]

No, just hold on.

[ Weaver coughs ]

Anne: You're doing good.

Small sips, captain.

I know.

How...

[ Sighs ]

How...

It's complicated.

How much fuel did we burn saving my sorry ass?

[ Laughter ]

It was worth every gallon, Captain.

You gave the order?

Something like that.

You and I are gonna have words when I get out of this bed.

Well, I look forward to it.

Excuse me, Professor, sir. Yeah, what is it?

It's Pope, sir. He's awake and asking for you.

All right, I'll be right there.

Well, he says it's a matter of life and death.

There's a lot to fill you in on.

I'll be back.

Lourdes? Don't let him do too much.

You want more water?

Pope?

Pope: I'm getting out of here. We all need to get out of here now!

Anthony: You need to calm yourself down.

Tom: All right, Pope. What's your problem?

You're here. You're safe.

No. No, Professor. I am not safe.

We are anything but safe.

They're on their way. They're on their way to you.

Who?

The fish-heads.

They're looking for you.

To be more precise, they're looking for your boy -- Ben.

Ben? Why?

Skitters had me pinned down, overrun.

Next thing I know, I'm staring straight at a fish-head who wants to know exactly where you guys are.

Us?

How did it know that you were part of the 2nd Mass?

They had a harnessed girl who was there.

She's the one who did all the talking. What girl?

You know the one, the blonde.

The one your oldest boy was sweet on.

Karen?

That's her. Scary as hell.

Man, it's like she could take her hand, reach right into your brain and squeeze.

What did they want with Ben?

I heard some -ome crazy ass talk about a Skitter rebellion and your lizard boy being a part of it.

How long ago was this?

I don't know.

It was two days ago when I grabbed you.

Stay with her. Ben?

Ben?