The Hot Zone (2019) s01e02 Episode Script
Cell H
1 Previously on The Hot Zone TUCKER: A package came in for pathology.
Want you to take a look at it.
NANCY: Welcome to the hot zone.
Every known Filovirus on Earth is in this freezer.
My gut is that Marburg is a match.
- It's negative.
- That's good? If it's not Marburg, none of the other options are good.
- Smell it.
- What? The easiest way to determine if it's Pseudomonas.
NANCY: Carter, I need you.
I've only seen one thing that could cause this reaction.
Ebola Zaire, one of the deadliest viruses on Earth.
Similar symptoms as Marburg.
But instead of killing 30% of its victims, it kills 90%.
- Hole! Hole! Hole! - NANCY: Oh, God.
NANCY: We may have a Filovirus on our hands, and there's a chance that it's Ebola.
You're suspended from Level 4 as of now.
Your whole colony is in danger.
- What the hell am I dealing with here? - I can't tell you that until I get my hands on some fresh tissue.
We can't have contaminated blood dripping on the highway.
You need to stay close and watch for drips.
Dark sunrise [CHUCKLES.]
[SIGHS.]
If the institute thought we needed protection, wouldn't they have briefed us? We're 7,000 miles from the institute.
Anyway, it's not for us.
It's for trade.
Who knows what we'll need.
So you just buy a gun off the soldiers of a warlord? This is the general's plane, those are his guards.
If it wasn't for the general, we'd still be stuck in Brazzaville.
RHODES: Well, let's hope this "Dr.
Ewonda" can give us a better report in person.
His write-up on the disease isn't exactly scientific.
Because he just heard some tall tales from the jungle.
Well, why would he bother sending us that? A red flag can be the only way to get people to show up to remote areas, like this Yambuku Hospital, and bring supplies.
This sounds a bit more serious than just some plea for syringes, you know.
"A plague spreading through the jungle.
Everything that made these people human has been lost.
" [CHUCKLES.]
Zombies.
[SIGHS.]
- [ZIPPER CLOSES.]
- Well, if I had to guess, I'd say it's probably some new strain of the flu.
Look, no one would be happier than me to just run into some boring old flu.
Well, maybe my mom.
But according to this report by Ewonda, this thing moves fast and takes a lot of casualties with it.
Don't worry about it.
We'll get in there, get the IDC, a fresh sample of this thing, and get the hell out.
[ENGINE STARTS.]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER.]
[COWS LOWING.]
[ROOSTER CROWING.]
[GOAT BLEATING.]
[DOG BARKING.]
[BOTH SPEAKING LINGALA.]
Time to earn your keep.
Tell him we're looking for Dr.
Ewonda at the hospital.
[SPEAKING LINGALA.]
[SPEAKING LINGALA.]
Okay, well, I think I know where the hospital is.
Ask him if people are getting sick around here.
[RHODES SPEAKING LINGALA.]
[SPEAKING LINGALA.]
CARTER: What did he say? Look I learned Lingala in a night school, - I'm not sure - What the hell did he say? He said the forest is bleeding.
REBECCA: Hey, where are you going? [QUIETLY.]
: Uh, just work.
It's 5:00 in the morning.
J-Just go back to sleep.
It's fine.
[DOOR OPENS.]
- [SIGHS.]
- [DOOR CLOSES.]
[HORN HONKING.]
[TIRES SCREECH.]
MAN: Hey, come on! Look.
Pop the hood.
- What? - Just do it.
Why? What are you doing? You've got engine trouble.
Be right back.
NARRATOR: When the Ebola virus enters the body, it targets the liver, immune system and endothelial cells.
It infiltrates a living cell by fusing with its outer membrane, like a Trojan Horse.
Once it's penetrated the cell's protective barrier, the virus hijacks the cell's machinery to fulfill its own selfish needs.
The first symptoms of infection include headache, fever and nausea.
Secondary symptoms can include [HORNS HONKING.]
We need to bleach everything.
- Everything.
- Okay.
I got to re-bag the monkeys.
- [POLICE SIREN CHIRPING.]
- [HORNS CONTINUE HONKING.]
Oh, uh, Officer, I think I got it taken care of.
Just gonna see if it starts up.
[BEEPING.]
PETER: What the hell you doing? Colonel would have your ass if he caught you.
Didn't he restrict your access? Wait a sec, is that? Well, so much for protocol.
I need to get in there.
Don't you have a rule that you never go in there alone? There's a first time for everything.
Can you just let me in? Look, I'll take the hit.
Just I'll tell them I swiped your I.
D.
You don't have to step foot in there.
Come on, Peter, just give it to me.
I'm sorry, I can't let you do something this stupid.
Not without me.
You were right.
There weren't any contaminants.
You didn't screw up the cultures.
[BEEPS, LOCK CLICKS.]
Come on.
[WHIRRING.]
[PANTING QUIETLY.]
[GASPS.]
[SHUDDERING.]
Ebola Zaire.
How many monkeys are infected? Six, that we know of.
And they're all dead? Check me.
Uh Clear.
Nothing.
You need to alert Tucker.
[DISCONNECTS SUIT.]
This is Jaax.
I need someone at the pass-through now.
PETER: Give me the colonel.
Highest priority.
- Then call him at home! - [PHONE HANGS UP.]
NANCY [OVER SPEAKER.]
: Orman, copy that.
Fax it to Carter immediately.
And include the image of the exploded cells.
[JAZZ MUSIC PLAYING ON RADIO.]
NANCY: With all due respect, there's no way you're equipped to stop a virus that's never been inside U.
S.
borders.
We've been in this business for decades.
We know what we're doing.
Really? Were all the infected primates euthanized? Workers in racal suits? You need to let me get in there today, make sure that it's contained and that it doesn't spread to the other primates.
You're not going anywhere near that facility.
You stole four monkey cadavers in the middle of the night.
- They were given to me.
- Not with my consent.
Oh, you've got to be kidding me.
Look, I oversee that facility, but I'm just a middle rung on a very tall ladder here.
This is a private company with safety regulations.
Nobody walks right in without approval for a site visit.
Mr.
Humbolt, does anyone here on this ladder know the first thing about Ebola? It is a virus found in monkeys in Africa.
People shouldn't eat monkey meat.
I don't think you understand what we're really dealing with here.
Meat is just one means of transmission.
Ebola spreads easily through caretakers, anyone handling blood, feces, vomit, any bodily fluids.
How many workers in your facility right now fit that description? This thing has had a ten-percent survival rate.
[SIGHS.]
This just isn't my call.
Lives are on the line here.
Your workers, they go home, spread it to their families, kiss their kids good night.
Suddenly, there's headaches, hemorrhaging, cardiac arrest.
Most people crash and bleed out within eight days.
There's no cure, no vaccine.
TUCKER: Look we know all about a chain of command.
Now, you may not have the authority, but you sure as hell have the ability to let us in that building.
There's still one monkey left from Cell H.
I just got a call from the colony manager.
It's not eating.
[DOOR OPENS.]
- [DOOR BANGS SHUT.]
- [MONKEY SCREECHES.]
- [ANSWERING MACHINE BEEPS.]
- Hey, Ben, it's Peter.
I guess your pager's out of range.
Um, uh, we got a little bit of a problem.
Um, just call me back at the lab when you have a chance.
Thanks.
[BUZZING.]
WOMAN [OVER INTERCOM.]
: Do you have an appointment? Um, nope.
[BUZZING, LOCK CLUNKS.]
[QUIET CHATTER.]
MAN: You just take a number.
They'll use the matching one to call you in.
Oh, thanks.
You don't want to give your name, just in case you test positive.
They're starting to register anyone with it, you know? [SIGHS.]
I can't stand this part.
Sorry.
What? Just, all the places your mind goes, you know, imagining the worst.
The waiting.
[SIGHS.]
Well, unless you have concerns about your fiancé's fidelity, you're not in a high-risk group.
Uh, just checking.
Everything here is completely anonymous, right? Yep.
Doctor confidentiality doesn't mean anything anymore.
This is the only place you can come where your job, the government can't track down your status.
Perfect.
Uh, I work somewhere where I think I might have come into contact with something.
I just need to test my blood, or I need someone to show me how to draw it.
[CHUCKLES.]
So you don't want to take a test? Uh, uh, no, not for HIV.
Um, I'm a scientist, so Yeah, I can do the testing.
You want to take your blood home with you? [SIGHS.]
Uh, I I-I don't think you've come to the right place.
Okay, okay, okay, look, I know that this seems a little uh, weird, but I can't have it taken anywhere official.
So it's, like, what am I supposed to I mean I know you guys use gloves, you know, you take precautions, so I just thought, maybe I don't know, you could show me how to draw my own blood? What is it that you think that you were exposed to? Um nothing you test for here.
Well, the health department usually lets us know if there's been some kind of outbreak Let's just say the health department's kind of out of the loop on this one.
Look, can you show me how to take my own blood or not? Like I said, I'm a scientist, so it's, like, I-I'm pretty sure I could figure out how to Um - I - You know what, don't sweat it.
Um, I'll figure something else out.
Wait, wait.
You tell anyone, I'll deny it.
Thank you.
Whatever it is you're testing, you should know, the first thing we tell people is to make a list of partners or anyone that you may have inadvertently exposed.
They need to know so that they don't expose other people.
Okay.
- Hon.
Ben, there's no time.
- Oh, there's time.
[GIGGLING.]
- BEN: All right.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- Nothing fancy.
Keep to the essentials.
- [GRUNTS.]
- Trust me.
- [LAUGHING.]
[BOTH MOANING.]
Abort! Okay, get behind me, get behind me.
[SHOUTS.]
Bears! [GROWLS.]
[LAUGHING.]
- [GROWLS.]
- [SCREAMING.]
Come here, come here.
[GROWLING, LAUGHING.]
- Ebola? - How'd you hear? On this base? Are you kidding? So what's the op? Euthanize the last infected monkey, sterilize the room, make sure no virus is still in there.
- T-Today? - This afternoon.
Let me go instead.
Jerry I give animals hundreds of shots every week, Nancy.
It's just one monkey.
One monkey with Ebola.
Which is why it has to be me.
They're only letting two of us in there.
I wish you could come in there with me.
You and I would make a good team.
We cannot both be on the front lines at the same time.
- We've agreed to this.
- Yes, for the kids.
If they have any questions, don't dodge it, okay? They're old enough.
I really, I really hate this.
You know, we both know the person you need.
I've faxed.
I've called.
He won't pick up the phone.
Well, I can't really blame him.
Guy's been ostracized by everyone in the field.
I mean, maybe it's for the best.
If he showed up on this base, who knows what would happen, right? It would just be good to have someone who's dealt with this thing outside of a lab.
It's okay to be nervous.
I'll be okay.
I will.
Fort Detrick, please.
- [WOMEN SINGING IN LINGALA.]
- [WOMAN SOBBING.]
YOUNG CARTER: Getting ready for a funeral procession.
The women prep the bodies.
- [LAUGHTER, CHATTER.]
- [QUIETLY.]
: Here.
Here you go.
One for you.
Excuse me, Sister? Oui? Uh, we're looking for Dr.
Ewonda.
He's not here.
Uh, when do you expect him back? Uh, we're from International Disease Control.
- Wade Carter.
- Trevor Rhodes.
We brought some extra supplies, thought you could use them.
Desperately.
Thank you.
Um, we need to speak to the doctor.
He sent a report.
He said there was a lot of people sick around here.
Not here.
Uh, deeper in.
Have you treated any of them? Oh, no.
When he came back, he just described what he had seen unthinkable things.
YOUNG CARTER: Did he bring any samples? That's what we really need.
I'm sorry.
He only came back for what few supplies we could sacrifice and then he went back to the village alone.
We haven't heard from him in weeks.
This village he went back to, could you point it out on a map? Uh, the villages aren't very well marked.
Here.
We are here.
You can get to the village by heading upriver to Yakoma, north of here, by Abumonbazi.
- Okay.
Thank you, Sister.
- Mm.
Thank you.
Which river is it? The Ebola River.
Have you seen Peter? He left a message.
He wanted to talk to me.
No, ma'am, but front gate called.
Wade Carter's here to see you.
You were right.
Every semester, you would start class with one phrase, "The Monster will return.
" Here it is, on our doorstep.
- I'm glad you came.
- [CHUCKLES.]
Just wish it was for a different reason.
Why didn't you give me a heads-up? I wasn't sure till I drove onto the base if I was really gonna go through with this.
So, Ebola Zaire, 20 miles from the Capitol.
- You ran it twice? - Just as you taught me.
And those studies you did, have you shown anyone? No.
Not not everything.
I mean, they were so many years ago, and Gene and I never had a chance to replicate them.
What's the contagion radius? Right now, it's confined to one room.
Cell H at the Reston facility.
I just need to get in there, euthanize the infected monkey and sterilize so the virus doesn't spread.
Any human infections? As far as we know, no one's shown any symptoms.
All workers quarantined? We don't have the authority.
[SIGHS.]
Nothing ever changes, does it? So we have potential exposure risks walking around D.
C.
? That's what I've been trying to tell them.
Okay, we need to find a way to shut that down, and get these workers contained.
When are we heading out? Now.
I just need to talk to Tucker first.
You haven't told anyone you've contacted me? They need you, they just don't know it yet.
Story of my life.
[SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY.]
NANCY: He's hoping he doesn't have to talk to you.
That makes two of us.
- So we're a go? - Just for today.
We get our monkey, wipe the place clean, then you're back in the penalty box.
Hell of a thank you.
Steaks are on me tonight.
[WATER RUNNING.]
- Hey, Ben.
- Hey.
Did you get my messages? I paged you.
No, I decided to take a half day.
You know, the kids, they wanted to stay all night, but I forgot my solution.
Damn things are more trouble than they're worth.
Yeah, I haven't made the switch yet.
They say it's harder with astigmatism.
Uh, look.
I wanted to talk to you about the tests we ran last week.
Uh, what's up? Hey, did the, uh, did the Hazleton guy freak when he heard it was simian fever? Actually it might it might be more than SHF.
You told me to smell it.
PETER: Look, I've done it a thousand times.
It's the most common way to determine if it's been - contaminated with Pseudomonas.
- Or Ebola? There's never been a case of Ebola here, ever.
- Oh, my God.
This can't be happening.
- Look, Ben? Look, come here, come here.
All right.
Okay.
I freaked out at first, too, okay? Then I thought about it for a second.
The virus isn't airborne, right? There's like a 99.
99999% chance that we didn't inhale any droplets.
I just wanted you to hear it from me But you can't tell me that we're 100% in the clear, can you? [EXHALES.]
: Well No, but we're gonna be fine.
What about Liz? M-My kids? Okay, let's say that, by some astronomical odds, we are infected, the only way to pass it to someone else - is through bodily fluids.
- Oh, you mean like kissing your wife or having sex with her in a tent all weekend long? Transmitting it that quickly after exposure - is next to impossible.
- My kids are at school.
Ben.
Ben, we don't have it.
Okay? We don't have it.
We just need to run daily tests on our blood to prove that we don't have it.
It's a 21-day window.
Okay.
Okay.
So, what? We just check in with the infirmary every day? Uh, no.
We can to do it ourselves.
We'll just, we'll do it right here in the back room.
You haven't told anyone? Yeah, I mean, I was going to, but then it's like, why get everyone all worked up when there's virtually zero chance that we have it? Plus, I'm not gonna let them throw us in the slammer for no reason.
They'll lock us up just as a precaution.
We have to tell them.
I don't think you get it, man.
Nobody survives 21 days in a small, eight by eight cell.
Not without seriously losing it.
We don't have a choice, Peter.
Listen to me.
Listen to me.
They will treat us like lepers.
Way, way worse than anything you've seen with AIDS.
Depression gets so bad in there, they sedate you so you don't smash up the equipment or try to escape.
It's part of the job.
We can handle it.
Uh, what about your kids? Could your kids handle it? Being locked away in solitary like that? They're gonna get us list everyone that we came into contact with.
Look, we're gonna be fine.
You're gonna be fine.
You are fine.
We just have to keep it between us.
Okay? [CHUCKLES.]
Geez.
- Hey.
- Hi.
I got them.
Dad, is, uh, everything okay? - Yeah.
- What I got a note in the middle of trig.
Can you say "mortified"? You know, I don't remember ever complaining about getting pulled out of school in the middle of the day.
But why isn't Mom picking us up? Mom got pulled onto a project.
That means Dad's in charge of dinner.
So, guess what I'm thinking? - Pizza? - I call deep-dish.
Not feeling well, Bruce? Just a headache.
Well, head home early if you need to.
Ah, I'd hate to use a sick day on a little fever.
Promised my kids a fishing trip to the Rockies this summer.
- [CHUCKLES.]
- HUMBOLT: Frank.
Can I get the keys to Cell H? Uh, if this is about last night L-Later.
Any change with our monkey? Still not eating.
USAMRIID confirm that it's SHF? Or something else? It's nothing out of the ordinary.
Corporate just wanted me to cross the T's and dot the I's, so I'm gonna inspect the cell myself.
So none of the guys need to do their rounds in that area tonight.
Okay.
[DOOR CLOSES.]
HUMBOLT: Okay.
We're going in that way.
You can access Cell H through the first room.
Employees don't have access to that entrance.
Most of their work is on the other side.
No one knows we're here? [EXHALES.]
This has to be kept quiet.
[GIRL SCREAMS.]
[LAUGHTER.]
HUMBOLT: How long you gonna be in H? Couple of hours.
We'll need to seal off the room from the rest of the facility.
Is that necessary? I've got half a dozen people in there.
I can't have them asking questions.
All right.
We'll be going in the back way.
There's a boiler room that you can use.
We can suit up in there.
- Wait? Space suits? - Racals.
Bright orange, with the full hoods? - No.
- Suits aren't negotiable.
Tyveks and surgical masks.
Fine.
But respirators.
- I don't have respirators.
- I do.
[DOOR OPENS.]
These monkeys have good aim when they spit, and they aim for the eyes.
Wiping spit off goggles means extra movement.
Extra risk.
Best to avert your eyes as much as you can.
- Act respectfully.
- Got it.
Don't open the cage unless you're confident that I can contain the son of a bitch.
The virus makes them lethargic.
Till you jab them with a needle.
Then they'll grab you by the head, wrap their tail around your neck and attack your face.
I've missed you.
[CHUCKLES.]
NANCY: I don't like the feel of this place.
The whole building, it's rotten.
Because something lives here that isn't monkeys or people.
[DOOR CREAKS.]
[MONKEY WHIMPERING.]
It's not moving.
CARTER: This monkey's definitely sick.
Once you open the door, I'll pin it down, you inject it.
- Ready? - Ready.
NANCY: Teeth aren't filed.
[MONKEY SHRIEKING.]
[GRUNTS.]
CARTER: Come on.
I'm losing him.
[SHRIEKING.]
[MONKEY QUIETING.]
- Hey, honey.
- Hi, hon.
How was your day? Eh, it was good.
It was good.
Hey.
Whoa.
Uh, hey, the lab was a mess, okay? So I'm gonna take a shower, all right? [DOOR OPENS.]
You didn't tuck the kids in.
Yeah, um, there's a flu going around work, and I just, I don't want to get them sick.
Like you could expose them to anything those ragamuffins in their class couldn't? I'll take my chances.
Seriously? That chair's been broken for two years.
Uh, something, um, potentially very bad happened at work today and, I think it's best if I just keep a little distance from you and the kids right now.
Ben, what is going on? We-we have, um, a hot agent, a virus called Ebola.
The thing from Africa? It's here, in a research monkey.
But that's what all those labs are for, right? You're supposed to be safe in there, all suited up and everything.
That's what you told me.
I got exposed to it.
What do you mean, exposed? It's-it's very low-risk.
If it was serious, you'd be quarantined, right? We didn't tell anyone.
What are you saying? Oh, my God.
You brought it back here to our home? There's basically no chance that I have it, okay? But we need to keep this between us.
No, Ben, you-you have to go back.
You need to tell somebody.
First time's always rough.
Did you see its eyes? Before today, you just saw this thing in cells.
Now you've seen it in a live being, and what it can do to them.
It's a living monster.
Go home.
I'll see you tomorrow.
[CAR DOOR OPENS, SHUTS.]
[ENGINE STARTS.]
[DOOR SHUTS.]
Jamie? Jason? They're not here, I-I took 'em to their cousins' for the night.
Well, that's a mutual call.
Well, you made your call, I made mine.
With everything going on, I get it.
- Don't you think you're - No, I'm not overreacting.
What was in your trunk, Nance? I uh [SIGHS.]
I sterilized three times over.
You really think I would park in the garage if I wasn't sure? - You didn't even tell me.
- I was going to.
It wasn't on purpose.
It's just, everything's been happening You know, I get that what you have to do is important.
You have to protect everybody.
But all I can do is protect the kids.
I'm gonna catch the end of the game.
There's some, uh, pizza in the fridge.
[SIGHS.]
[EXHALES.]
[MONKEYS CHATTERING.]
Who in the hell are you? [KNOCKING ON DOOR.]
Hey.
I found a sick monkey in another cell.
What? We didn't catch it in time.
Who knows how far it's spread? This is not good.
How'd it get there? It's not about how.
Who.
[SOLDIER SHOUTING.]
Crap.
[SOLDIER SHOUTING IN LINGALA.]
[ORDERING IN LINGALA.]
Uh, he wants to know who we are.
Give him your wallet.
- [SHOUTS.]
- Okay, okay.
Okay.
Up.
[SIGHS.]
Maybe the gun wasn't a great idea.
[SOLDIER ORDERING IN LINGALA.]
I think he's asking who sent us.
Tell him we're doctors.
Tell him we need to go to the village.
[SPEAKING HALTING LINGALA.]
Huh? [REPEATING PHRASE.]
[SPEAKING LINGALA.]
Tell him to move the damn rock and take us there.
[SPEAKING LINGALA.]
He says we can't take the car, we have to walk.
[CARTER GROANS.]
[SOLDIER ORDERING IN LINGALA.]
[SPEAKING LINGALA.]
You think those soldiers did this? This wasn't an act of war.
These people burned themselves and their village to contain this thing.
I think I found the doctor.
- What's he doing? - CARTER: Wait, please! Please, don't do that! Hold on.
We need we need samples.
Please [COUGHING.]
Take it easy.
We don't want these guy thinking one of us has it.
Don't put your hand near your eyes, your nose or your mouth.
What do we do now? If this thing is bad enough to burn down a village then it's still out there somewhere.
And we're gonna find it.
Want you to take a look at it.
NANCY: Welcome to the hot zone.
Every known Filovirus on Earth is in this freezer.
My gut is that Marburg is a match.
- It's negative.
- That's good? If it's not Marburg, none of the other options are good.
- Smell it.
- What? The easiest way to determine if it's Pseudomonas.
NANCY: Carter, I need you.
I've only seen one thing that could cause this reaction.
Ebola Zaire, one of the deadliest viruses on Earth.
Similar symptoms as Marburg.
But instead of killing 30% of its victims, it kills 90%.
- Hole! Hole! Hole! - NANCY: Oh, God.
NANCY: We may have a Filovirus on our hands, and there's a chance that it's Ebola.
You're suspended from Level 4 as of now.
Your whole colony is in danger.
- What the hell am I dealing with here? - I can't tell you that until I get my hands on some fresh tissue.
We can't have contaminated blood dripping on the highway.
You need to stay close and watch for drips.
Dark sunrise [CHUCKLES.]
[SIGHS.]
If the institute thought we needed protection, wouldn't they have briefed us? We're 7,000 miles from the institute.
Anyway, it's not for us.
It's for trade.
Who knows what we'll need.
So you just buy a gun off the soldiers of a warlord? This is the general's plane, those are his guards.
If it wasn't for the general, we'd still be stuck in Brazzaville.
RHODES: Well, let's hope this "Dr.
Ewonda" can give us a better report in person.
His write-up on the disease isn't exactly scientific.
Because he just heard some tall tales from the jungle.
Well, why would he bother sending us that? A red flag can be the only way to get people to show up to remote areas, like this Yambuku Hospital, and bring supplies.
This sounds a bit more serious than just some plea for syringes, you know.
"A plague spreading through the jungle.
Everything that made these people human has been lost.
" [CHUCKLES.]
Zombies.
[SIGHS.]
- [ZIPPER CLOSES.]
- Well, if I had to guess, I'd say it's probably some new strain of the flu.
Look, no one would be happier than me to just run into some boring old flu.
Well, maybe my mom.
But according to this report by Ewonda, this thing moves fast and takes a lot of casualties with it.
Don't worry about it.
We'll get in there, get the IDC, a fresh sample of this thing, and get the hell out.
[ENGINE STARTS.]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER.]
[COWS LOWING.]
[ROOSTER CROWING.]
[GOAT BLEATING.]
[DOG BARKING.]
[BOTH SPEAKING LINGALA.]
Time to earn your keep.
Tell him we're looking for Dr.
Ewonda at the hospital.
[SPEAKING LINGALA.]
[SPEAKING LINGALA.]
Okay, well, I think I know where the hospital is.
Ask him if people are getting sick around here.
[RHODES SPEAKING LINGALA.]
[SPEAKING LINGALA.]
CARTER: What did he say? Look I learned Lingala in a night school, - I'm not sure - What the hell did he say? He said the forest is bleeding.
REBECCA: Hey, where are you going? [QUIETLY.]
: Uh, just work.
It's 5:00 in the morning.
J-Just go back to sleep.
It's fine.
[DOOR OPENS.]
- [SIGHS.]
- [DOOR CLOSES.]
[HORN HONKING.]
[TIRES SCREECH.]
MAN: Hey, come on! Look.
Pop the hood.
- What? - Just do it.
Why? What are you doing? You've got engine trouble.
Be right back.
NARRATOR: When the Ebola virus enters the body, it targets the liver, immune system and endothelial cells.
It infiltrates a living cell by fusing with its outer membrane, like a Trojan Horse.
Once it's penetrated the cell's protective barrier, the virus hijacks the cell's machinery to fulfill its own selfish needs.
The first symptoms of infection include headache, fever and nausea.
Secondary symptoms can include [HORNS HONKING.]
We need to bleach everything.
- Everything.
- Okay.
I got to re-bag the monkeys.
- [POLICE SIREN CHIRPING.]
- [HORNS CONTINUE HONKING.]
Oh, uh, Officer, I think I got it taken care of.
Just gonna see if it starts up.
[BEEPING.]
PETER: What the hell you doing? Colonel would have your ass if he caught you.
Didn't he restrict your access? Wait a sec, is that? Well, so much for protocol.
I need to get in there.
Don't you have a rule that you never go in there alone? There's a first time for everything.
Can you just let me in? Look, I'll take the hit.
Just I'll tell them I swiped your I.
D.
You don't have to step foot in there.
Come on, Peter, just give it to me.
I'm sorry, I can't let you do something this stupid.
Not without me.
You were right.
There weren't any contaminants.
You didn't screw up the cultures.
[BEEPS, LOCK CLICKS.]
Come on.
[WHIRRING.]
[PANTING QUIETLY.]
[GASPS.]
[SHUDDERING.]
Ebola Zaire.
How many monkeys are infected? Six, that we know of.
And they're all dead? Check me.
Uh Clear.
Nothing.
You need to alert Tucker.
[DISCONNECTS SUIT.]
This is Jaax.
I need someone at the pass-through now.
PETER: Give me the colonel.
Highest priority.
- Then call him at home! - [PHONE HANGS UP.]
NANCY [OVER SPEAKER.]
: Orman, copy that.
Fax it to Carter immediately.
And include the image of the exploded cells.
[JAZZ MUSIC PLAYING ON RADIO.]
NANCY: With all due respect, there's no way you're equipped to stop a virus that's never been inside U.
S.
borders.
We've been in this business for decades.
We know what we're doing.
Really? Were all the infected primates euthanized? Workers in racal suits? You need to let me get in there today, make sure that it's contained and that it doesn't spread to the other primates.
You're not going anywhere near that facility.
You stole four monkey cadavers in the middle of the night.
- They were given to me.
- Not with my consent.
Oh, you've got to be kidding me.
Look, I oversee that facility, but I'm just a middle rung on a very tall ladder here.
This is a private company with safety regulations.
Nobody walks right in without approval for a site visit.
Mr.
Humbolt, does anyone here on this ladder know the first thing about Ebola? It is a virus found in monkeys in Africa.
People shouldn't eat monkey meat.
I don't think you understand what we're really dealing with here.
Meat is just one means of transmission.
Ebola spreads easily through caretakers, anyone handling blood, feces, vomit, any bodily fluids.
How many workers in your facility right now fit that description? This thing has had a ten-percent survival rate.
[SIGHS.]
This just isn't my call.
Lives are on the line here.
Your workers, they go home, spread it to their families, kiss their kids good night.
Suddenly, there's headaches, hemorrhaging, cardiac arrest.
Most people crash and bleed out within eight days.
There's no cure, no vaccine.
TUCKER: Look we know all about a chain of command.
Now, you may not have the authority, but you sure as hell have the ability to let us in that building.
There's still one monkey left from Cell H.
I just got a call from the colony manager.
It's not eating.
[DOOR OPENS.]
- [DOOR BANGS SHUT.]
- [MONKEY SCREECHES.]
- [ANSWERING MACHINE BEEPS.]
- Hey, Ben, it's Peter.
I guess your pager's out of range.
Um, uh, we got a little bit of a problem.
Um, just call me back at the lab when you have a chance.
Thanks.
[BUZZING.]
WOMAN [OVER INTERCOM.]
: Do you have an appointment? Um, nope.
[BUZZING, LOCK CLUNKS.]
[QUIET CHATTER.]
MAN: You just take a number.
They'll use the matching one to call you in.
Oh, thanks.
You don't want to give your name, just in case you test positive.
They're starting to register anyone with it, you know? [SIGHS.]
I can't stand this part.
Sorry.
What? Just, all the places your mind goes, you know, imagining the worst.
The waiting.
[SIGHS.]
Well, unless you have concerns about your fiancé's fidelity, you're not in a high-risk group.
Uh, just checking.
Everything here is completely anonymous, right? Yep.
Doctor confidentiality doesn't mean anything anymore.
This is the only place you can come where your job, the government can't track down your status.
Perfect.
Uh, I work somewhere where I think I might have come into contact with something.
I just need to test my blood, or I need someone to show me how to draw it.
[CHUCKLES.]
So you don't want to take a test? Uh, uh, no, not for HIV.
Um, I'm a scientist, so Yeah, I can do the testing.
You want to take your blood home with you? [SIGHS.]
Uh, I I-I don't think you've come to the right place.
Okay, okay, okay, look, I know that this seems a little uh, weird, but I can't have it taken anywhere official.
So it's, like, what am I supposed to I mean I know you guys use gloves, you know, you take precautions, so I just thought, maybe I don't know, you could show me how to draw my own blood? What is it that you think that you were exposed to? Um nothing you test for here.
Well, the health department usually lets us know if there's been some kind of outbreak Let's just say the health department's kind of out of the loop on this one.
Look, can you show me how to take my own blood or not? Like I said, I'm a scientist, so it's, like, I-I'm pretty sure I could figure out how to Um - I - You know what, don't sweat it.
Um, I'll figure something else out.
Wait, wait.
You tell anyone, I'll deny it.
Thank you.
Whatever it is you're testing, you should know, the first thing we tell people is to make a list of partners or anyone that you may have inadvertently exposed.
They need to know so that they don't expose other people.
Okay.
- Hon.
Ben, there's no time.
- Oh, there's time.
[GIGGLING.]
- BEN: All right.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- Nothing fancy.
Keep to the essentials.
- [GRUNTS.]
- Trust me.
- [LAUGHING.]
[BOTH MOANING.]
Abort! Okay, get behind me, get behind me.
[SHOUTS.]
Bears! [GROWLS.]
[LAUGHING.]
- [GROWLS.]
- [SCREAMING.]
Come here, come here.
[GROWLING, LAUGHING.]
- Ebola? - How'd you hear? On this base? Are you kidding? So what's the op? Euthanize the last infected monkey, sterilize the room, make sure no virus is still in there.
- T-Today? - This afternoon.
Let me go instead.
Jerry I give animals hundreds of shots every week, Nancy.
It's just one monkey.
One monkey with Ebola.
Which is why it has to be me.
They're only letting two of us in there.
I wish you could come in there with me.
You and I would make a good team.
We cannot both be on the front lines at the same time.
- We've agreed to this.
- Yes, for the kids.
If they have any questions, don't dodge it, okay? They're old enough.
I really, I really hate this.
You know, we both know the person you need.
I've faxed.
I've called.
He won't pick up the phone.
Well, I can't really blame him.
Guy's been ostracized by everyone in the field.
I mean, maybe it's for the best.
If he showed up on this base, who knows what would happen, right? It would just be good to have someone who's dealt with this thing outside of a lab.
It's okay to be nervous.
I'll be okay.
I will.
Fort Detrick, please.
- [WOMEN SINGING IN LINGALA.]
- [WOMAN SOBBING.]
YOUNG CARTER: Getting ready for a funeral procession.
The women prep the bodies.
- [LAUGHTER, CHATTER.]
- [QUIETLY.]
: Here.
Here you go.
One for you.
Excuse me, Sister? Oui? Uh, we're looking for Dr.
Ewonda.
He's not here.
Uh, when do you expect him back? Uh, we're from International Disease Control.
- Wade Carter.
- Trevor Rhodes.
We brought some extra supplies, thought you could use them.
Desperately.
Thank you.
Um, we need to speak to the doctor.
He sent a report.
He said there was a lot of people sick around here.
Not here.
Uh, deeper in.
Have you treated any of them? Oh, no.
When he came back, he just described what he had seen unthinkable things.
YOUNG CARTER: Did he bring any samples? That's what we really need.
I'm sorry.
He only came back for what few supplies we could sacrifice and then he went back to the village alone.
We haven't heard from him in weeks.
This village he went back to, could you point it out on a map? Uh, the villages aren't very well marked.
Here.
We are here.
You can get to the village by heading upriver to Yakoma, north of here, by Abumonbazi.
- Okay.
Thank you, Sister.
- Mm.
Thank you.
Which river is it? The Ebola River.
Have you seen Peter? He left a message.
He wanted to talk to me.
No, ma'am, but front gate called.
Wade Carter's here to see you.
You were right.
Every semester, you would start class with one phrase, "The Monster will return.
" Here it is, on our doorstep.
- I'm glad you came.
- [CHUCKLES.]
Just wish it was for a different reason.
Why didn't you give me a heads-up? I wasn't sure till I drove onto the base if I was really gonna go through with this.
So, Ebola Zaire, 20 miles from the Capitol.
- You ran it twice? - Just as you taught me.
And those studies you did, have you shown anyone? No.
Not not everything.
I mean, they were so many years ago, and Gene and I never had a chance to replicate them.
What's the contagion radius? Right now, it's confined to one room.
Cell H at the Reston facility.
I just need to get in there, euthanize the infected monkey and sterilize so the virus doesn't spread.
Any human infections? As far as we know, no one's shown any symptoms.
All workers quarantined? We don't have the authority.
[SIGHS.]
Nothing ever changes, does it? So we have potential exposure risks walking around D.
C.
? That's what I've been trying to tell them.
Okay, we need to find a way to shut that down, and get these workers contained.
When are we heading out? Now.
I just need to talk to Tucker first.
You haven't told anyone you've contacted me? They need you, they just don't know it yet.
Story of my life.
[SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY.]
NANCY: He's hoping he doesn't have to talk to you.
That makes two of us.
- So we're a go? - Just for today.
We get our monkey, wipe the place clean, then you're back in the penalty box.
Hell of a thank you.
Steaks are on me tonight.
[WATER RUNNING.]
- Hey, Ben.
- Hey.
Did you get my messages? I paged you.
No, I decided to take a half day.
You know, the kids, they wanted to stay all night, but I forgot my solution.
Damn things are more trouble than they're worth.
Yeah, I haven't made the switch yet.
They say it's harder with astigmatism.
Uh, look.
I wanted to talk to you about the tests we ran last week.
Uh, what's up? Hey, did the, uh, did the Hazleton guy freak when he heard it was simian fever? Actually it might it might be more than SHF.
You told me to smell it.
PETER: Look, I've done it a thousand times.
It's the most common way to determine if it's been - contaminated with Pseudomonas.
- Or Ebola? There's never been a case of Ebola here, ever.
- Oh, my God.
This can't be happening.
- Look, Ben? Look, come here, come here.
All right.
Okay.
I freaked out at first, too, okay? Then I thought about it for a second.
The virus isn't airborne, right? There's like a 99.
99999% chance that we didn't inhale any droplets.
I just wanted you to hear it from me But you can't tell me that we're 100% in the clear, can you? [EXHALES.]
: Well No, but we're gonna be fine.
What about Liz? M-My kids? Okay, let's say that, by some astronomical odds, we are infected, the only way to pass it to someone else - is through bodily fluids.
- Oh, you mean like kissing your wife or having sex with her in a tent all weekend long? Transmitting it that quickly after exposure - is next to impossible.
- My kids are at school.
Ben.
Ben, we don't have it.
Okay? We don't have it.
We just need to run daily tests on our blood to prove that we don't have it.
It's a 21-day window.
Okay.
Okay.
So, what? We just check in with the infirmary every day? Uh, no.
We can to do it ourselves.
We'll just, we'll do it right here in the back room.
You haven't told anyone? Yeah, I mean, I was going to, but then it's like, why get everyone all worked up when there's virtually zero chance that we have it? Plus, I'm not gonna let them throw us in the slammer for no reason.
They'll lock us up just as a precaution.
We have to tell them.
I don't think you get it, man.
Nobody survives 21 days in a small, eight by eight cell.
Not without seriously losing it.
We don't have a choice, Peter.
Listen to me.
Listen to me.
They will treat us like lepers.
Way, way worse than anything you've seen with AIDS.
Depression gets so bad in there, they sedate you so you don't smash up the equipment or try to escape.
It's part of the job.
We can handle it.
Uh, what about your kids? Could your kids handle it? Being locked away in solitary like that? They're gonna get us list everyone that we came into contact with.
Look, we're gonna be fine.
You're gonna be fine.
You are fine.
We just have to keep it between us.
Okay? [CHUCKLES.]
Geez.
- Hey.
- Hi.
I got them.
Dad, is, uh, everything okay? - Yeah.
- What I got a note in the middle of trig.
Can you say "mortified"? You know, I don't remember ever complaining about getting pulled out of school in the middle of the day.
But why isn't Mom picking us up? Mom got pulled onto a project.
That means Dad's in charge of dinner.
So, guess what I'm thinking? - Pizza? - I call deep-dish.
Not feeling well, Bruce? Just a headache.
Well, head home early if you need to.
Ah, I'd hate to use a sick day on a little fever.
Promised my kids a fishing trip to the Rockies this summer.
- [CHUCKLES.]
- HUMBOLT: Frank.
Can I get the keys to Cell H? Uh, if this is about last night L-Later.
Any change with our monkey? Still not eating.
USAMRIID confirm that it's SHF? Or something else? It's nothing out of the ordinary.
Corporate just wanted me to cross the T's and dot the I's, so I'm gonna inspect the cell myself.
So none of the guys need to do their rounds in that area tonight.
Okay.
[DOOR CLOSES.]
HUMBOLT: Okay.
We're going in that way.
You can access Cell H through the first room.
Employees don't have access to that entrance.
Most of their work is on the other side.
No one knows we're here? [EXHALES.]
This has to be kept quiet.
[GIRL SCREAMS.]
[LAUGHTER.]
HUMBOLT: How long you gonna be in H? Couple of hours.
We'll need to seal off the room from the rest of the facility.
Is that necessary? I've got half a dozen people in there.
I can't have them asking questions.
All right.
We'll be going in the back way.
There's a boiler room that you can use.
We can suit up in there.
- Wait? Space suits? - Racals.
Bright orange, with the full hoods? - No.
- Suits aren't negotiable.
Tyveks and surgical masks.
Fine.
But respirators.
- I don't have respirators.
- I do.
[DOOR OPENS.]
These monkeys have good aim when they spit, and they aim for the eyes.
Wiping spit off goggles means extra movement.
Extra risk.
Best to avert your eyes as much as you can.
- Act respectfully.
- Got it.
Don't open the cage unless you're confident that I can contain the son of a bitch.
The virus makes them lethargic.
Till you jab them with a needle.
Then they'll grab you by the head, wrap their tail around your neck and attack your face.
I've missed you.
[CHUCKLES.]
NANCY: I don't like the feel of this place.
The whole building, it's rotten.
Because something lives here that isn't monkeys or people.
[DOOR CREAKS.]
[MONKEY WHIMPERING.]
It's not moving.
CARTER: This monkey's definitely sick.
Once you open the door, I'll pin it down, you inject it.
- Ready? - Ready.
NANCY: Teeth aren't filed.
[MONKEY SHRIEKING.]
[GRUNTS.]
CARTER: Come on.
I'm losing him.
[SHRIEKING.]
[MONKEY QUIETING.]
- Hey, honey.
- Hi, hon.
How was your day? Eh, it was good.
It was good.
Hey.
Whoa.
Uh, hey, the lab was a mess, okay? So I'm gonna take a shower, all right? [DOOR OPENS.]
You didn't tuck the kids in.
Yeah, um, there's a flu going around work, and I just, I don't want to get them sick.
Like you could expose them to anything those ragamuffins in their class couldn't? I'll take my chances.
Seriously? That chair's been broken for two years.
Uh, something, um, potentially very bad happened at work today and, I think it's best if I just keep a little distance from you and the kids right now.
Ben, what is going on? We-we have, um, a hot agent, a virus called Ebola.
The thing from Africa? It's here, in a research monkey.
But that's what all those labs are for, right? You're supposed to be safe in there, all suited up and everything.
That's what you told me.
I got exposed to it.
What do you mean, exposed? It's-it's very low-risk.
If it was serious, you'd be quarantined, right? We didn't tell anyone.
What are you saying? Oh, my God.
You brought it back here to our home? There's basically no chance that I have it, okay? But we need to keep this between us.
No, Ben, you-you have to go back.
You need to tell somebody.
First time's always rough.
Did you see its eyes? Before today, you just saw this thing in cells.
Now you've seen it in a live being, and what it can do to them.
It's a living monster.
Go home.
I'll see you tomorrow.
[CAR DOOR OPENS, SHUTS.]
[ENGINE STARTS.]
[DOOR SHUTS.]
Jamie? Jason? They're not here, I-I took 'em to their cousins' for the night.
Well, that's a mutual call.
Well, you made your call, I made mine.
With everything going on, I get it.
- Don't you think you're - No, I'm not overreacting.
What was in your trunk, Nance? I uh [SIGHS.]
I sterilized three times over.
You really think I would park in the garage if I wasn't sure? - You didn't even tell me.
- I was going to.
It wasn't on purpose.
It's just, everything's been happening You know, I get that what you have to do is important.
You have to protect everybody.
But all I can do is protect the kids.
I'm gonna catch the end of the game.
There's some, uh, pizza in the fridge.
[SIGHS.]
[EXHALES.]
[MONKEYS CHATTERING.]
Who in the hell are you? [KNOCKING ON DOOR.]
Hey.
I found a sick monkey in another cell.
What? We didn't catch it in time.
Who knows how far it's spread? This is not good.
How'd it get there? It's not about how.
Who.
[SOLDIER SHOUTING.]
Crap.
[SOLDIER SHOUTING IN LINGALA.]
[ORDERING IN LINGALA.]
Uh, he wants to know who we are.
Give him your wallet.
- [SHOUTS.]
- Okay, okay.
Okay.
Up.
[SIGHS.]
Maybe the gun wasn't a great idea.
[SOLDIER ORDERING IN LINGALA.]
I think he's asking who sent us.
Tell him we're doctors.
Tell him we need to go to the village.
[SPEAKING HALTING LINGALA.]
Huh? [REPEATING PHRASE.]
[SPEAKING LINGALA.]
Tell him to move the damn rock and take us there.
[SPEAKING LINGALA.]
He says we can't take the car, we have to walk.
[CARTER GROANS.]
[SOLDIER ORDERING IN LINGALA.]
[SPEAKING LINGALA.]
You think those soldiers did this? This wasn't an act of war.
These people burned themselves and their village to contain this thing.
I think I found the doctor.
- What's he doing? - CARTER: Wait, please! Please, don't do that! Hold on.
We need we need samples.
Please [COUGHING.]
Take it easy.
We don't want these guy thinking one of us has it.
Don't put your hand near your eyes, your nose or your mouth.
What do we do now? If this thing is bad enough to burn down a village then it's still out there somewhere.
And we're gonna find it.