Eureka s04e16 Episode Script

Of Mites And Men

Previously on Eureka.
Yeah, your criminal record disqualifies you from being in the Astraeus project.
Yeah, I know.
Allison has found something in my heart.
I'm cut from mission selection.
Still like to take it to dinner.
Something more off-the-clock might be nice.
So you guys really went out? The BBI interface with Allison becomes less stable the longer I use it.
I'd really prefer not to get stuck inside her head.
Beverly? Beverly doesn't live here anymore.
Hey, was I dreaming or did I hear yelling last night? Oh, uh, a bunch of commandos abducted Jo.
Coffee? Sure.
- Ooh, you made me breakfast.
- My finest effort.
Hmm.
S.
A.
R.
A.
H.
Ahem.
Well, S.
A.
R.
A.
H.
and I had a-- S.
A.
R.
A.
H.
did most-- I put the Greens down.
It's the presentation that sells it.
- I'd like to think so.
- So what you doing today? Uh, meeting with senator Wen at GD.
But I think I will be back in time for lunch, so I'm thinking Another picnic by the lake.
Uh, actually, I am planning on going back to work today.
Two weeks of doting is about all that I can handle.
Well, two weeks since you were brain-jacked.
And I don't dote.
Oh, you dote.
I mean, I love that you dote.
But just not so much.
Besides, the kids are coming back from my mom's tomorrow.
Thursday.
- No, today is wed-- - Thursday.
See? Brain-jacked.
I'm fine, really.
Tick tock, people.
Tick tock.
No pressure.
Oh, God.
And time's up, Astraeus candidates.
Pencils down.
Easy on the stairs.
- Jack.
- I'm doting, right.
Sheriff.
- Dr.
Blake.
- Hi.
It's good to see you up and about.
Enjoying your time off? Uh, yes, I was.
But I'm ready to get back to work.
Oh, no need to rush.
Enjoy your "you" time.
Well, thank you.
I appreciate your understanding.
But GD still needs-- Sorry, sometimes I forget to turn off the politician speak.
It wasn't understanding.
I'm not reinstating you just yet.
Oh.
Listen, the trauma you experienced would shake anyone's confidence.
Well, my confidence isn't shaken, senator.
Mine is.
I just want to be sure that you're ready.
No need to rush.
Feel free to use the facilities, Allison.
Maybe take a day at the spa.
Sheriff, you're with me.
I guess I'm with her.
Uh, I'll find you later.
Ms.
Lupo.
Your test results are ready.
Wow, that was fast.
Titan waits for no one.
Oh.
Okay.
Quick, quick, like a bandage.
It'll hurt less.
I passed.
I passed! I passed, I passed, I passed, I passed, I passed! I passed, I passed, I passed, I passed, I passed! I knew you would.
I didn't.
I was half-asleep when they brought me in here.
Yeah, well, any tool can ace orbital dynamics with eight hours sleep and three cups of coffee.
That's why they yank you in the middle of the night.
They want to see what you're really made of.
So you should probably resume your little happy dance.
Besides, I was kind of enjoying it.
You know, I kind of wish that you were going.
- Oh, I'm going to titan.
- Hmm? They just don't know it yet.
Oh Level Q? Where the hell's that? - Morning, everyone.
- Morning.
Should I sit? Just stand there and look pretty.
You've all been doing Yeoman's work on your Astraeus assignments, but I'm afraid you're behind schedule.
Actually I should have construction of the ship's hull completed right on track.
Not according to the new schedule.
Oh.
I'm afraid you're going to have to accelerate things a bit, Dr.
Sanagustin.
Okay, I can push our guys to finish ASAP.
Oh, excellent.
- Where's Dr.
Fung? - Oh, uh-- Aah! Uh, sorry.
Sorry, everybody.
My bad.
I'm guessing that's him.
Yeah.
He's been having some issues with his interstellar communications system.
Well, uh, on that note, I'll let you get back to work.
Yeah, I should do the same.
Oh, you are working.
For me.
Things will be heating up around here with the tighter deadlines.
I'd appreciate your help with extra security.
Well, I'd love to, but, uh, I'm the town sheriff.
So I have sheriffy things to do.
That's politician speak for "you have to.
" Paper work's already done.
Oh, and, um, I'd appreciate it if you'd wear a suit.
Finally.
What took you so long? This level is amazing.
I didn't even know GD went this deep.
So, um, what's up? Um, you tell us? We got texts from you to come down here.
No, you sent me a text to come down here.
Someone, anyone! Let us out! Yeah, there's no reception here, guys.
Congratulations, Astraeus candidates, on making it to the next round.
Psychological stress testing.
Oh, I've read about this.
They put us in isolation for days on end.
Give us challenging tasks that test our mettle at every turn.
Where the strong survive, and the weak get discarded like yesterday's trash.
Silence! Please place all of your belonging's into the chute.
Pdas, jewelry, clothing.
Clothing? Mm-hmm.
Every last stitch.
Tick-tock, people.
Drop 'em.
Get naked? Here? In front ofEveryone? Test uniforms will be provided.
One of the things we're going to have to deal with on the mission is lack of privacy.
This is our first test.
I for one believe that the human body is a beautiful thing.
And I am happy to share it.
Oh, no! No sharing, no! Fargo, eyes on the prize.
We're going to space.
Okay.
Why don't we all just face our lockers and agree to no peeking.
Hey.
Zane.
Don't let me stop you.
Hm.
Ladies.
Excuse me? Can I help you? I'm Allison Blake, this is my desk.
Oh, hmm.
Um, of course, Dr.
Blake.
I'm Mark Timmons.
I read your book on space medicine.
- Great, great stuff.
- Thank you.
I take it senator Wen brought you in.
When she calls, I heed.
This place is so much cooler than the Mayo clinic.
You know, if I'd known you were coming I'd have cleaned up a bit.
Well, that's fine.
If you could just fill me in on everything that I missed.
Sorry.
Um, senator Wen's orders.
Uh, I was told about your incident.
And, uh, I'm afraid you're no-fly.
Now, uh, I'm about to start a private consultation, so How you feeling? Well, like everyone thinks that I'm crazy.
Uh, tell me that you were not wearing that before.
No, senator Wen asked me to fill in for jo while she's doing some stress test.
I'm not a tie-guy.
This is-- Yeah, well, maybe you should tighten it.
A lot.
I'm sensing hostility.
Apparently, everyone thinks that my brain is broken.
Well, not everyone.
Well, what do you think? I think broken is a strong word.
Uh, I'm sorry, my bad again.
- I have to talk to him.
- You know what? I can't even believe that you're taking Wen's side.
I'm not taking any sides.
You were fuzzy about what day it was.
Because of the monotony of one day blending into the next.
Oh, so spending quality time with me is monotonous.
You know what I really think? I think that it's okay to be a little off your game.
I think it's okay to ease back into things.
And I think it's okay to let me take care of you.
- Aah! - Whoa! Jack! You said something about taking care of me? Zane? What are you doing here? Testing my mettle.
You're not even qualified for the mission.
Yeah, unless I ram my worth down their throats.
Zane's presence taints the test.
Open up the door, Larry.
Do over.
Testing protocol is very clear.
Once the doors are sealed, no one comes or goes.
So I suggest you adapt and overcome.
Slim pickings in here.
Yeah, and now they're getting slimmer with you here.
The resources are meant for four people.
We should treat him as a stowaway.
Restrain him, and put him on rations.
Oh, you're welcome to try.
All right, first test candidates.
You must each fold 100 cranes and string them on a wire.
Oh, seriously.
No, no, no, no, this is an actual astronaut test.
This is arts and crafts.
It's empirical origami.
A chronological record of our ability to perform the kind of intricate repetitive tasks that will be necessary on the mission.
How do we handle the monotony? Are the last ten cranes as good as our first? Arts and crafts.
No doubt the lack of ab crunches and dead lifts lifts disappoints you, number one.
Don't call me that.
But this is about strength of mind.
As holly so acutely observed.
Did I mention you're being timed? Well, it can't just be gone.
There's debris at the bottom of the shaft, just no sign of the main compartment.
Shut down all elevators until further notice.
There is nothing wrong with me! Okay, so maybe it was just an accident.
I mean the interstellar something-or-other guy, he shattered glass in Wen's office this morning, so Well, I guess that's possible.
You should look into it, since clearly I'm incapable.
Your atrial septal defect is in a particularly bad spot, Henry.
Most doctors agree it's untreatable.
Fortunately for you, I'm not most doctors.
I have developed a new surgical procedure that I believe could repair your heart with very little recovery time.
Now, what do you say we patch you up and send you into space? Uh, I say, when can we get started? What's your success rate? Oh, on people? Uh, sample size is too small to be significant.
Um, it healed a lot of pigs, though.
Truckloads of them.
Henry? We need to talk.
Yeah, but-- mmm.
Uh, yeah.
I guess we need to talk.
Yeah.
Uh, yes, I could have disintegrated the elevator using the right or wrong frequency.
But I didn't.
Really? 'Cause we heard a pretty nasty sounding sonic boom right before the elevator went bye-bye.
You do realize, I'm actualizing a real-time interplanetary communications network.
Well, that's a lot of big words, uh, Dr.
Fung.
But you're playing loose and easy with safety.
So-- Nothing I've done could disintegrate a tungsten elevator.
I swear to you.
And frankly, I have to-- You know, I'll be needing a new lab, ASAP.
That's not my department.
UhHey, guys? Another lab and a chunk of the cafeteria just collapsed.
Andy, any ideas? Yup.
The floor's support beams.
They don't seem to be there.
Right.
Uh, disintegrated by a giant sound wave.
Gosh, no.
That would leave a totally different forensic signifier.
Thank you, totally different forensic signifier.
So, gone as in.
.
Taken, then? Hmm.
Unlikely.
Reinforced GD tungsten is awfully tough to cut through.
Though there are tiny serrations along the remaining debris.
Okay.
Well, the missing elevator was made of tungsten.
Ooh! A pattern.
Yeah, if it was taken.
Uh, what would someone do with it? All kinds of useful things.
They could make support beams, the Astraeus spacecraft.
An elevator.
Let's talk about the second one.
Boring! Let's heat you up just a bit.
Oh, God.
I love my job.
Okay, okay.
I'll grant that Dr.
Timmons comes off a touch overconfident.
A touch? Well, he is one of the top cardiac surgeons in the world.
And if your heart was in danger, I'd be all for it.
But your heart works perfectly fine here on earth.
Grace, this was your idea.
It's experimental heart surgery, Henry.
It is too risky.
It's my risk.
Oh, is it now? Huh.
Bathroom's free.
But it doesn't work.
So, fix it.
Number four, asterisk.
Hell no.
I got cranes to fold.
How chivalrous of you.
I bet it's part of the test.
They mess with the facilities to see how we react.
Luckily, I can hold it a long time.
My doctor says I have the bladder of a water buffalo.
Holly, have you ever heard the expression, too much information? With holly, there's no such thing.
Aw! Thanks, Isaac.
Man, it's like a sauna in here.
There's gotta be a Ah, here we go.
Aww! Seriously? My bad.
Please, why would I steal tungsten? Well, senator Wen told you to finish the spacecraft ASAP.
Maybe you needed more raw materials to meet the new deadline? It's already been met.
What? The ship.
The hull's done.
See for yourself.
Oh.
Whoa.
Very impressive.
Just wait until you see the micro-polymer paint job.
You said you're going to have to push your guys hard to finish it, maybe I should talk to them.
Oh, well, you might find that conversation a bit one-sided.
The ship was built by a team of construction mites.
Hmm.
Mites, as in bugs? Bug-like robots that are programmed to consume tungsten and fuse the raw material layer by layer using laser centering.
Andy, you said that there were, um, tiny serrations in the lab floor? I see where you're going with that, boss.
I would have to measure the bite radius of the mite to be sure.
But it sounds plausible.
I don't think so.
Yes, I crank them to 11 to speed things up, but that wouldn't make them go around eating elevators.
They had more than ample raw material to complete the ship's hull.
Where are the mites now? Well, when they complete the task, they go into storage automatically.
Huh.
They should be there.
And you're going-- you're going to Fill in the blank, you're going to Look, I designed the spacecraft.
I didn't program the mites.
Why don't you talk to the man who did? A bright kid, Zane Donovan.
Fantastic.
Can you stop doing that? Helps me concentrate.
Well, if you didn't bring enough for everyone For you, miss 92, anything.
How did you know my score? On the written test? Lucky guess.
You hacked my test and cheated for me, didn't you? I'm sure I have no clue what you mean.
Well, I guess not all of us are playing on a level field.
Interesting.
Could this get any more frustrating? Car wash working at the car wash Enjoy the tunes, number two.
I gotta go number one.
So do I.
Sing with a feelin', y'all car wash! Senator Wen? Thank you.
With all due respect, I believe I should be reinstated.
Allison.
Your last mri still showed slight variation from your pre-incident state.
Yes, but still within the parameters of normal brain activity.
Why the rush? Because I'm fine.
I've had multiple brain scans.
My motor skills are perfectly fine.
You didn't answer my question.
Why the rush? Then I don't understand.
I think I do.
To have your mind taken over.
The violation, the loss of control.
If it were me, I'd want my normal life back as soon as possible.
I'd need it back.
Yes, exactly.
So what I need to ask you is, are you absolutely sure that you're 100% back to normal? Or do you just need to be? Boss, you seem particularly stressed today.
Would you like to talk about it? No, not-- all right, um, I'm stressed because Allison's mad at me.
I'm stressed because I'm wearing a tie that's strangling me.
And I'm stressed because we can't find the one guy at GD who can tell us about a bunch of insect bugs that are running around-- Look out.
Oh! Who put a metal door in the hallway? Actually, it's a hatch for the Astraeus.
And I'm guessing they did.
Andy, they're not building a hatch.
They're eating GD and building a whole ship.
Senator Wen? We have a bug problem.
I just heard about the missing mites from Dr.
Sanagustin.
Not just missing.
Eating.
Eating and building ship walls.
Now we've evacuated the areas with the most damage.
But it's only a matter of time before whole sections collapse.
Recommendations.
I think we should kill the mites.
Actually, the construction mites are pretty darn scrappy.
They're designed to perform repairs in the extreme conditions on titan.
They're impervious to heat, cold, gases, electromagnetic pulses.
Indestructible bugs.
Fantastic.
Dr.
Deacon is working on shutting them off.
But, uh, it could be hours without Mr.
Donovan.
That I can help you with.
At the car wash working at the car wash, yeah Getting tired, Parrish? Your last cranes look more like ducks.
Your transparent mind games aren't going to work on me, asterisk.
Could I have some of your paper? - I used all my extras on-- - I'm sorry, no.
Blame asterisk.
If we had restrained the stowaway like I suggested, there would be plenty of extras for everyone.
You can have some of my paper, holly.
I'm never gonna get through all of this.
Power outage.
Why not have that happen? They're testing our ability to adapt and maintain focus.
Don't you all have owl-like night vision? Oh, it's just me.
Bummer.
They're testing our group dynamics.
On titan, a power outage could cause life-support failure.
First and foremost, we need to look after each other.
Let's get this panel off and look for the electrical short.
You're not the dictator of GD anymore, number two.
No one's going to follow you down here.
I will.
Me too.
What? I'm not gonna let this yahoo pass me up.
Whoa, whoa, talking about the car wash, yeah Dude, I just got that out of my head.
Yeah, yeah talkin' about the car wash Hmm? Very funny, people.
Hey, Larry.
Can you patch me through to Zane in-- that's not supposed to be there.
I was just gone for a-- wait.
I'm being tested, aren't I? They are testing the tester.
That is so meta.
Shh.
I know that sound.
Is there any chance the control panel's made of tungsten? Just the crucial bits.
Is there any way to talk to the people in the iso chamber? No, the panel that you don't see there pretty much controls everything.
Communications, electricity, ventilation.
Okay, okay, is there a way to get them out manually? Sure.
But you have to go down to the iso chamber on level q.
I've never even heard of level q.
It's not a very popular level.
Fair enough.
Yeah, it can be a pretty confusing place if you don't have a map in your head.
Which I do.
Lead the way.
It looks like a fried coupling.
I can bypass it if one of you can--hmm.
Wow, you guys are quite simpatico.
I have that withMyself.
Never scored high in "works well with others.
" Well, we're others.
And we're working.
If I still have any influence, I'm recommending you both for the mission.
With flying colors.
Thanks, but as soon as we get out of here I'm going straight to Wen.
And if she doesn't let me take the written test again, I'm withdrawing.
Jo Lupo, quitter.
Didn't see that coming.
No, I just wouldn't take a spot I didn't earn away from someone who did.
Get back to your cranes.
Jo and I will get the power back on.
Look, jo, you passed that test on your own.
You deserve to be here.
All right, now you're just messing with me.
No, earlier I was messing with you.
I've been messing with everyone.
Great, right when I was starting to trust you.
That was supposed to work.
I can't even do this right.
That should have worked.
The power should have come back on.
How could you know that? Because Wen put me in here to crank up everyone's stress level.
I'm part of the test.
I knew it.
The framework of the isolation chamber is the second highest concentration of tungsten in GD.
If the mites were to consume it, the test candidates would be crushed.
What was the first highest concentration? That would be the support bearings for all of GD.
Located underneath the isolation chamber.
Ah.
If the mites were to consume that-- Yeah, we all get crushed.
I got it.
Yup.
Level Q.
Whew.
Don't suppose you're strong enough to break this.
Sorry, boss.
Actually, I could use a little help right now myself.
Ho! Okay, senator Wen promised to put my case up for review.
Well, congratulations.
You did a bang-up job betraying your friends.
You know what? I hope you have so much fun on titan.
I didn't betray anyone.
I was helping you all prove yourselves.
Blah, blah, blah.
So clearly rehearsed.
Confessing that he's a mole is just the next step in messing with our heads.
Except they can't hear any of this.
Okay? The power was supposed to go out.
But jo's repair should have restored it.
Guys, we really are cut off from GD.
It's all part of the test.
You did great, buddy.
You'll be fine.
Thanks.
Henry, those things were like ants at an Andy picnic.
Yeah, well, something hit this mite, that's for sure.
I mean, it's no wonder that they never got the order to shut down.
The signal transducers were reduced to dust.
Uh, a dusted signal transducer means-- Well, if there's no way to override the initial mandate, then the mites continue consuming and building indefinitely.
I think I know what happened.
And I know where to find our exterminator.
Okay.
All shored up, for now.
You people have the attention span of toddlers.
You're gonna panic at every little distraction that happens on titan? This mission requires unshakeable fortitude and focus to-- Get it off, get it off, get it off! Holy cow, it's still going.
What is that? That would be a construction mite.
Uh-oh, guys.
If my mites have eaten their way clear down here, they would have done some serious damage to GD on the way down.
Then Carter will figure out a way to help us.
I highly doubt Carter's top priority is restoring our power.
And these chairs won't hold much longer.
So we have to get ourselves out.
Where's the manual override in this tin can? On the wall.
Outside that electronically sealed door.
So Dr.
Fung already damaged their receivers with his sound waves.
Yeah, but could a bigger blast zap the little creatures out of commission? Well, once I isolate and match their resonant frequencies, but-- How long before the iso chamber collapses? At their accelerated rate of consumption, and the amount of tungsten they've already consumed, I'd say in about 30 minutes.
Okay, I can make it happen in five, but-- - Go.
- No, stop.
Look, a pulse on that wavelength intense enough to reach the mites from a distance would scramble essential systems all over GD.
That's the "but" I was starting to mention.
Look, the mites have all gathered on the isolation chamber.
A localized pulse could obliterate them all if we could get it down there.
But there's no guarantee that we can reach the iso chamber in time.
The mites have turned the entire sub level into a maze of ship walls.
Yes, and the level was hard enough to navigate on a good day.
But I can guide someone using the thermal imaging.
I'll be the bug bomber.
No, Allison.
You just said it was hard enough on a good day.
You're feeling that good? Yes, and no one knows GD better than me.
- Allison.
- Jack, come on.
You gotta trust me.
I can get you there.
I know.
How's it coming? Why did I have to make these things damn near indestructible, huh? Because you don't do things half-assed.
Even when you're being a complete ass.
So why'd you tell me the truth? It was either come clean about being a mole, or die in here.
Besides, I can't break out on my own.
You confessed about my test score before anything went wrong.
Well, I guess I'm not always a complete ass.
We Have power.
Okay, now remember.
This is a one time use bug bomb with limited range.
To annihilate all the mites you're gonna have to get right up close to the isolation chamber before you push the button.
The sonic blast should take care of business.
Should I cover my ears? Well, it couldn't hurt.
Just pass me the laser cutty thing.
Okay.
Allison? You got your ears on? 'Cause we got a road block.
Just follow my lead.
Okay.
Here we go.
It's, like, eight inches.
We'll never make it.
Oh, me, me.
I can manage eight inches, no problem.
It's gonna be a bit tight.
Oh, I have extremely limber joints.
Okay.
The manual override is on the other side of the door.
Got it.
MmmmGah! Uh-oh.
You're stuck.
Is it too late to coat me in something slippery? Not even remotely.
Oh.
Can you at least reach the override? Oh.
Oh, oh, oh! No dice.
Oh, ow, ow.
Bones, those are my bones.
Ouch.
Yes! Guess who's going to titan, baby! Ha, ha! Jack, the fourth door is the real one.
Copy that.
Jack, you can get over.
There's a good two feet at the top.
Then make a sharp right on the other side.
Got it.
He has to hurry.
The chamber ceiling won't last much longer.
Oh, come on.
Almost there, left turn just ahead and then you're home free.
- Holly.
- Sheriff Carter? I'm coming! I've got a bug bomb! Jack, are you okay? Are you okay? I am in deep ship.
Okay, we need a plan.
We can do this.
Holly, stay put.
I'm gonna need you in a sec.
I'm not going anywhere.
Zane, start chewing.
We're gonna need it sticky.
Jo, fasten these wires together at the ends.
While I score us a magnet.
Bam! Parrish? Time to cowboy up.
I see them.
Carter, are we close? Little more to the right.
Got 'em! Not a lot of time, Jack.
Let's move.
Right.
Half an inch to your left, Jack.
Almost Almost.
You're close.
You got it.
Got it! Now let's blast these things and go home.
Reeling it in, guys! Easy.
Ready? Bombs away.
- Aah! - Aah! Aah! All clear, everybody! Yeah! You can come on down here and cut us out.
Okay, you got it.
Just give us an hour.
Thanks.
Oh, I really have to pee now.
Here's to the interim director.
And to being trusted again.
Yeah, about that.
Um Um, I may have been a little overprotective.
But, it was nice.
And then there was a particularly traumatic fifth grade dodge ball incident, so teams have never been my thing.
But after seeing you in the iso chamber, your commitment to the work and the group.
Well, I do like to lead by example.
Oh, and you did, you did.
Uh, it was very manly.
What I'm trying to say is that, uh You make me want to be a team player.
Manly, huh? Yeah.
And you don't scream like a girl.
I know, right? He totally did that.
- Grace, about the surgery.
- You know what gets me, Henry? Is you still think like a bachelor.
I mean, I am the last person to stand between you and your dreams.
I'm just asking that we weigh the risks together.
You're right, it's not just my risk, it's ours.
And as much as I want to go to space, I'm not willing to risk my life with you to do it.
You know, I'm not going to go either.
No, no, mm-mm.
You have to go.
Now if I can't be with you on titan, I'll be right here in mission control watching you every second, until I can bring you back home safely.
So go.
On one condition.
Marry me, Henry Deacon.
Absolutely.
Mwah! Um, we have an announcement to make.
We are getting married! Ahem.
Aren't you already married? They're renewing their vows! Champagne! Thank you.
Hey, how's it going, asterisk? Well, senator Wen just left.
And she's recommending a full pardon for me.
So I'll be eligible for Astraeus.
Is that so? The thing is, I don't know if I really want to go.
What? SpaceDone it.
You have got to be kidding me.
I threatened those guys with triple tire drills if they didn't recommend you to Wen, and-- you jackass.
Seriously, jo, you don't even realize what you've done for me.
With a pardon, I can go anywhere.
From now on, if I stay in Eureka, it won't be because I have to be here.
It'll be because I want to be.

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