Previously on Gene Roddenberry's Earth Final Conflict:
Renee Palmer knows more about Taelon business than I do.
This is unacceptable.
24 western leaders took a secret vote and said yay to humanity
last week in Brussels. We're gonna take the planet back.
What if the Taelons can bottle our feelings,
put in our heads what we've always believed came from our hearts?
Synthetic love?
It is essential that I know the power of the human survival instinct.
Kill or be killed, I felt it.
You are an abomination to the Communality.
Before you pass judgement
I challenge you to feel this power that I have felt.
He's ready.
Renee, it's Richard. I'm in Bosnia.
Please, you've got to get me out of here.
Subtitled by Axarion
They have come to Earth with the promise of peace.
An alien race called the Taelons.
But, there are those who resist these Alien Companions.
For the Taelons' true mission,
the secrets they hide
will forever alter our world.
The fate of humanity now relies
on those who dare challenge the future
of Earth.
Renee, it's Richard. I'm in Bosnia.
Please, you've got to get me out of here.
His global lost video, but I pulled down a GPS fix.
Two miles south of Banja Luka in the disputed zone.
I don't need GPS, just find me the worst hell hole of the planet,
that's where he'll be. The idiot.
Okay, calm down, I know it's rough.
He's my kid brother, Liam. This is as calm as I'm gonna be.
Bosnia, God.
This area is run by a warlord name Leko Keglivic.
He was in a Bosnian prison for genocide, now he's loose.
I'm going after him.
It should be easy enough. I'll drop a shuttle behind their lines.
There's no one in charge.
No peacekeepers, nothing, I can't ask you to do this with me.
You don't have to.
We'll go there together and we'll bring him back.
The importation of human emotions is a foolish endeavor.
- Even dangerous. - Foolish?
You treat the creatures as equals.
Have you never wished to feel as they do?
No.
But I have witnessed the damage done by your incessant attempts.
Why pursue this, Zo'or?
Because emotion may be their most valuable quality.
Tangled somewhere down in their limbic system,
is one set of emotions they call joie de vivre.
A passion for life.
From this they derive a fierce survival instinct.
I know of it.
Then you also know that it sometimes allows them to survive certain death.
Yes.
A quality of their species to be most admired.
Especially by another species that is dying with such unemotional certainty.
One of us must try an import this passion for life.
It could be our salvation.
I will not be your experiment, Zo'or.
Regardless, the question is moot.
Renee Palmer
has withdrawn the patented devices to make it possible.
I love doing business in this place.
And this will definitely run up the whole expense account.
Until the Essence project is completed
the mother ship is too close quarters for us to work.
Keglivic wants his next payment.
Perfect emeralds
created by Taelon pressure fusion technique which they don't seem to think much of.
That's tasty. Has Palmer been in a touch?
His sister walked out of a meeting with Da'an today.
I think she got the message.
Take Keglivic's fee. Tell him to keep it simple.
We're after the Doors patents and he's the opening act.
Tell him to have a good war, and we'll see him at his victory parade.
I love the parade.
We've got to be right on Richard's global frequency, if it's still his.
Mask is on.
Inducing the distortion field will give us some ground cover.
That way.
Renee! Renee, I'm here!
I'm here.
Richard.
- Richard. - I knew you'd come.
I'm sorry to ask you to do this.
No time for that now. You'll be safe soon. We're gonna get you out of here.
I hear them, let's go.
- Is anything broken? Can you stand? - I don't know, I'm pretty weak.
Polyprenol. You'll feel better soon. Come on, let's get you up.
Let's move, Renee, right now!
Go. I'll cover you, go, go!
Well done, Leko, well done.
Even, I believed it.
It's Tate. Phase two complete.
I'm going to Belgrade for some goulash. Want me to bring you some?
Delightful weather in the Midwest, showers in the southern states,
but the draught conditions which are plaguing Florida,
look like they'll be around at least another few weeks.
It's okay.
Dr. Swanson would like to try a sleep study.
One without sedatives.
I don't think he'll have much to study, I don't really sleep without the pills.
I know.
I know, but he thinks that may be part of the problem.
Without REM sleep you don't dream.
And it's better if your subconscious can work this out somehow.
I know, easy for me to say.
Look, you're gonna be alright.
I can't eat...
I can't sleep...
And I can't leave this room.
I think I'm as bad off as it gets.
Would it help if you told me about any of it.
You mean, uh... the talking cure?
But that make my therapist really happy.
Well, it started simply enough.
It was, uh...
a nice spring day, we were...
heading to refugee camp with a lot of food and help.
I was in the lead truck.
If only I'd be more awake, I could've heard the choppers. I could've...
I could've seen them, I could've gotten us off the road.
- I could've done something. - No! No, you can't blame yourself.
You were surrounded, unarmed.
I do blame myself.
My team trusted me.
They get in and out of there, there's no one else to blame.
You just need perspective.
Time to forget.
You're right, you're right, I just need to...
Richard.
It's okay, it's okay. Look at me! Look at me.
They're screaming, they're screaming, I hear them screaming. Oh God!
I'm gonna get the doctor. Okay?
They still scream, I hear them screaming.
I know, I'll get the doctor, okay? It's okay.
- I'll be right back. - Okay. Okay.
How are you doing?
Randy, what? It's a coincidence or you're here to see me?
No, no, I heard... Sorry about your brother, about Richard.
I hope you know that I consider you a friend, despite our differences.
- Yeah, thanks. - And I hope you understand when I say...
I believe I can give your brother a fighting chance that medicine can never give him.
I can't believe this, you go right for the jugular, don't you?
- Still trying to get my patents! - No, no, no, just listen...
All modern psychology can do is treat your brother with massive suppressants.
Yes, okay, better than we had ten years ago,
but they're slow and there's no guaranty they'll work.
Now, you saw my reports. You know I've been able to achieve
positive results on cases that everyone else considered beyond hope.
It uses Taelon technology.
Only a small amount, it mostly relies on Doors bio-analyzers.
It goes against everything I believe, Randy.
You said it yourself. In time we can weed out the Taelon tech,
but until then we need that to jump start the system.
Now I can help your brother, but not without your help.
- Tell me again exactly how it works. - Okay.
Richard is in a state of total pathological terror.
My process system will allow me to literally remove his fear.
Now, you know yourself what, 20-25% of PTS cases never fully recover.
I can bring that figure down to zero.
- Let me get back to you, okay? - Yeah, of course.
Obviously, you have to do what you feel is right.
I know your politics, hell, I even agree with most of them, but
right now we're not talking politics, this is family.
I require your participation in Zo'or's Essence project.
I cannot do that. I am opposed to its very concept.
Ah, yes, but who knows,
the project may even give you the satisfaction you find in your drug.
I can get the Kriss.
As much as you need.
You have to decide what you want most.
Integrity...
or peace.
I came across a human phrase the other day.
Choose your poison.
The choice you speak of is really no choice at all.
We are an ironic people.
Liam has good news. Tell him.
Renee said that you were worried about your refugee task force team,
so I did some research.
Your whole team, every last member is safe.
They're being held
in a prisoner exchange camp in Montenegro, here.
That's not possible.
That's a lie. I saw them, I saw them shot at the prison.
- It isn't a prison. - What?
The building is an old abandoned soap factory.
No evidence Keglivic was even running a prison there.
I saw my team from my cell window. They got placed up against the wall.
And they were executed, one by one.
- So I'm sorry... - No!
I'm sorry, but I saw them die, and it is my fault. And nothing you can say,
no lies you tell me will change that.
In a few days...
They'll be exchanged for Bosnian prisoners.
They'll be free. You can talk to them yourself.
- Don't! Don't! Don't! Don't! - You'll can see that they're alive.
Don't give me this false hope, because
you gonna find out you're wrong. I've seen them die a thousand times.
I'll never be free of that.
There is a way that I can help you.
I'm making arrangements on something right now. Trust me,
this will all be over.
I promise.
Promise.
Okay, we're ready.
Hey, Richard, how are you feeling?
I'm okay, I think that my sister is a wreck.
You saw those tapes on our earlier test before we shut down?
- Yeah. - I saw them with him,
and I have to say there're pretty impressive.
Including the follow-ups.
Of course, that was only elective personality modification,
more love less hate, more ambition less envy.
The results here should be more spectacular.
How's your neural amplification?
It's a bit overwhelming. I think I can hear my hair growing.
Give me an overage.
It's a necessary preparation,
the procedure requires the replacement of the neural transmitters
and a side effect is to expand the perceptions.
It's transient, it passes as soon as you're under the scope.
- Ready? - I guess so.
It's gonna be a piece of cake, I'll see you on the other side.
You bet.
30%.
40.
This is a hell of a ride.
What's going on?
It's normal for the neural amplification to crest.
I'm gonna wait outside.
Subject is stable, we're ready to begin the emotional drain.
Proceed. Inform me as soon as I can make delivery.
Richard is doing very well.
He needs no more sedatives or chemical cocktails to balance his emotions.
He's stable, balanced. You'll be pleased with his progress.
- Randy, I can't thank you enough. - Just go see him.
Enjoy having him back. That's thanks enough.
You're eating, that's great.
Randy told me you made a real turnaround.
Yes, I have.
Good. Good. That's good.
What about the anxiety in dreams?
Gone.
That's... that's wonderful, what a relief!
You're blocking the screen.
Sorry.
Liam has something to tell you. Liam, you wanna get in here?
They tell me you doing great.
Yes, I'm fine, why do I have to keep repeating myself?
Well...
I confirmed that your team will be released from the Red Cross camp in two weeks.
We're gonna bring them here. How does that sound?
My team is dead, the rest is history. I don't want to talk about it.
What do you want to talk about?
During my treatment I heard that voice again.
From Keglivic's prison.
When they thought that I passed out.
It was the only voice in English.
Must've been a memory.
No, no, I heard it faintly on the speaker.
You've gonna find out who that is?
We can look into the data logs.
Do it.
Sure.
Sure, if it make you feel better, I'll get you a copy.
I want a full analysis of Randy's earlier tests.
See if this fits the pattern.
Get me the records, I can run a pattern vector on Augur's computers.
He's ice-cold, Randy, it's like he's full of tranquilizers or something.
It's a transitional phase. He's compensating for having less fear.
- He's off balance, you can imagine. - No, no, I can't imagine.
Emotionally my brother and I are polar opposites.
He could never keep his feeling under wraps. He is an emotional person.
I'd expect him to at least show some kind of relief.
It'll come.
That's why we wanna move the procedure along in series of multiple treatments,
so we can get past this stage quickly.
No, no, we should take this slowly. It's untested.
It's very tested. Review the reports if you want.
Nothing happened with your brother's procedure that didn't happen
with the first one hundred people before you shut me down.
And Richard has already consented to more treatments.
Wait! He's in no condition to make that kind of decision.
- Look, I'm his sister, I think we should... - And because you are his sister,
you're a very important part of his life.
You cannot make Richard's decision for him.
Only he knows what's the best for his own piece of mind,
and we all have to respect that.
I have reconsidered my decision concerning the Essence project.
Yes? Why?
My knowledge of human foibles
will assist in the importation of emotion from human to Taelon.
I see. Then your decision is well-timed.
Mr. Elston.
Pure human essence.
Richard Palmer's electro-chemical basis for fear and love
crystallized in a form that Taelons can ingest.
Why fear and love?
I believe the objective of this experiment is the human passion for life.
A complex emotion Da'an. A blend. One we must achieve in stages.
And one, I can assure you, Mr. Palmer possesses in rare quantity.
He's been tested rigorously.
The perfect subject, in fact.
His test also helped obtain the patents his sister was withholding.
I salute your cunning.
We shall continue siphoning off Mr. Palmer's essence
until we can provide you with every emotion he has.
That one must be sacrificed for the sake of many is a noble end.
We must look to the past for our future.
After all,
it has only been a few millennia since we had these emotions of our own.
No! No! Take it away!
Proceed, inform me as soon as I can make delivery.
That's him.
And you know who it is. I can see it on your face.
Are you sure you heard that voice with Leko Keglivic?
I mean, you only heard it once.
You don't forget, not when they do what they did to me.
Who is it?
That's the man in charge of the Companion Protector Service.
And a senior the FBI official, my boss,
Special Agent Ronald Sandoval.
Proceed, inform me as soon as I can make delivery.
You wish to see me, Da'an?
Yes.
When we last met you harbored deep reservations about Mr. Elston's process,
but you employed it to cure your brother.
I was concerned.
Thank you. My brother is improved.
I was concerned about you.
I know you to be a person of passionate convictions. Are you not conflicted?
I am, but because I love my brother I put those con...
Is there a problem?
I have an irrational worry, we are being observed.
There seems to be no basis.
Do you know this feeling?
- In humans we call it paranoia. - Paranoia?
A fear based emotion, the opposite of love.
Love for your brother, which is not romantic love. Is it not chaotic?
Very. Da'an, why are we talking about this?
I esteem your opinion, beyond most.
Because of this love you have for your brother,
you have acted against your beliefs.
This is similar to what I feel about my family and friends who...
who may not survive their energy stasis.
I hadn't heard about that.
Taelon lives are... are so...
valuable...
so fragile.
We are near the end.
I have four children aboard the mother ship
barely living in embryonic tubes.
I fear I shall never see them again.
I shouldn't be telling you this, but I feel I can trust you.
It's very flattering.
To lose your family is... unimaginable.
Thank you for listening, Renee.
I feel much better.
Come in.
You've send for me, Richard?
Yes, it's true.
Could we have some light?
What did you do to yourself?
Let me see your arm.
The Bosnians kept me awake for ten days.
After two it takes an amazing amount of effort.
Freezing water, scolding water,
a good beating.
If I fell asleep, I was in for it.
This is how I stayed awake.
This is how I survived.
You see, the pain
was the only thing that was mine. Do you know why?
We need to bandage that arm.
Do you know why?
Why?
So that I could have my revenge.
We will talk about this in the morning.
I'll send a nurse for your arm.
I wouldn't touch the door handle if I were you.
It's hooked up to the high-voltage drives in the TV.
That's 30,000 volts direct current.
Bad news.
There's someone I want you to call.
And I want you invite him over, tonight.
Tell me the last time you heard a Taelon talk about being afraid.
Well, never. Fear is an emotion. It's not Taelon.
Or maybe it is now. And love.
Da'an was just telling me how much he loves his children.
He was holding my hand. It was bizarre.
That doesn't sound right.
Oh, I ran a pattern vectors on Elston's early tests. It looks solid.
- No, something's wrong somewhere. - Well, I didn't say it wasn't.
He run a test in VA hospitals. I cracked into their patient database.
Six of the people he ran tests on don't show up in the data he sent to you.
Four of them are dead, two were sent to psychiatric wards.
After emotion modification?
What's wrong with them? The ones who survived.
Clinically it's called flattened affect.
Usually, it's a symptom of schizophrenia.
Turn to lack of emotions, no feelings for anyone.
- Like Richard. - Yeah.
You know, the worst part is Sandoval is in it up to his neck.
Richard.
I shouldn't have told him.
Booby trap.
We gotta find him.
- Was Richard ever violent before? - Never, it wasn't in him.
Or, at least, it was in balance with his other emotions.
Elston's process has drawn all that out of whack.
It's Taelon technology.
Whenever we ever used it without paying the price for something they want?
Liam.
- He's alive. His pulse is thready. - We could wake him up.
Richard's out of control, we can't afford to wait.
Wake up!
Where is he? Where's Richard?
Did he do this to you?
He wanted me to call him. Your brother wanted Sandoval.
He wanted what? He wanted to take him? Where?
Here.
I can imagine.
I wonder just how much neural amplification one man can tolerate.
They never left the building.
It's the ward down below.
I don't know why you're doing this.
Sure you do.
You were there when Keglivic's men worked on me.
I heard you.
You said "He's ready". Ready for what?
To be released.
I was there to arrange for your release, but you ran.
I couldn't help you.
Let's see what happens when I crank this thing up all the way.
Wait, wait, wait! Look at you! Look what you're doing!
No, you look at me, Sandoval.
You're only looking in a mirror you created yourself.
Richard. Don't.
But he's not dead yet.
You can't kill him like this, it's wrong. Don't do it.
You're acting like there's something wrong with me.
But there isn't.
- I'm free. - It's not true.
There's no freedom here.
They removed your emotions, it's made you irrational.
You mean I'm crazy?
I doubt it.
This is the man responsible for my torment.
I am simply settling the score.
I have just as much reason to hate him as you do, believe me.
But I can't let you kill him.
If he was there in Bosnia, then this is all a setup. If it was his voice
you heard talking to Elston, then they've been using both of us.
- So then help me. Help me do it. - I can't kill him like this.
Someday he may give me a chance to do it, but not like this.
Move away from the table.
I actually think you might shoot me.
Probably shouldn't shoot your own brother.
I imagine that would make you feel terrible.
Yes. Yes, it would.
Don't you feel anything?
Not really. Not anymore.
All I feel is hate for this man.
So walk away, walk away, we can fix this.
We can get you back to the way you were.
I doubt it.
It's really not such a bad way to be, Renee?
It's very clear.
Very clear.
And now I'm gonna kill Sandoval for what he did to me.
And if I have to kill you first, I will, Renee. Honestly.
Richard, wait. Try and remember.
Back when we were kids.
You stole Richard's emotions. Now he's nothing but a shell.
Consumed with hatred, ungoverned by any other feeling.
You.
I wish you've taken an overdose of remorse.
You should be begging for forgiveness.
I feel confusion, fear of punishment,
and sadness at your anger, and contempt, and regret.
What a waste. What a failure.
Taelons can no more be sane with selected emotions
than humans can without them.
Da'an, give Richard back his emotions. They have no use to you.
How could you be sure your brother will be able to recover?
I have to hope that he can, that's all.
Tell me about hope.
You wanted the will to live? Hope is what that's all about.
It's a belief, it pulls us through.
- And love? - Love is...
selfless, unequivocal,
and necessary, because we need it to survive.
Even when hope fades,
love makes us reach out to someone and take that one last risk.
It's the greatest emotion that we have.
I know.
Da'an, if you feel anything at all, if you feel anything for me.
please, use that emotion to make Richard whole.
There is a way to recover what has been taken.
The team's pretty happy about coming home.
I bet.
You've got quite a story for them.
Yeah. Actually, no, I think I might wait a while to tell them.
I got a couple more sessions, than Elston says it'll be back to normal, so...
Yeah.
I just wish we didn't have to trust him with this.
Believe me as soon as he's done I'm pulling back the patents.
He won't need them in jail.
And Sandoval?
He's a special case.
File him under "the devil you know".
He's got no idea how we got in that boiler room.
And his aid wouldn�t admit to giving out his private tracker.
No, we need Sandoval to think he's still in business.
For now!
He should be dead.
I mean, if you'd sold out on me,
if you hadn't risked your own life, I would've killed him.
I wasn't thinking rationally. It was you. I didn't have a choice.
So, I got a little emotional, okay.
So, you got a little emotional. My big sister, that's so not like you.
At moments. Just don't get too used to it, buddy.
Okay, buddy.
Subtitled by Axarion