Previously on Gene Roddenberry's Earth Final Conflict:
Take a look at this.
Traces of radiation identified as those derived from
Taelons interdimensional travel we're found in the uterus?
You used interdimensional surgery to remove the babies from their mothers?
And then Taelon technology to accelerate their growth.
- You are the victim here. - Victim?
We have been given the greatest gift we could have ever asked for.
Our scientists believe that the function of the CVIs may be breaking down.
The agents serving as Companion Protectors do so because they're committed to the Taelons.
That may be true, but the CVIs are insurance.
Is your CVI functioning, Agent Sandoval?
Uh... I hope it's eatable, honey.
If not I'm ordering anything you want.
- Are you okay? - He's throwing a tantrum all of a sudden.
Come over here, and sit him down.
There you go.
Why is it that a pregnant women always look so damn sexy?
Why is it you always know the exact right thing to say?
Oh, God, he's feisty!
Let me have a word with him.
Now, listen here, little guy.
You know, it's hard enough on your mother to carry you around all the time.
And also, you don't have...
Talk, Bob, what was that?
It's my head! It's the implant! My CVI.
- God! Bob! Bob! - Make it stop!
911, this is an emergency!
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.
Pretty quiet here for a Friday night. What's up?
Check it out.
Robert G. Brody, age 35.
Retired from the Companion Protectors Service a year ago.
- Full pension, full medical. - What happened to him?
Well, the official Volunteer Investigation report says brain aneurysm.
That may be, but where there is smoke...
- Obviously his head was burned. - I think his CVI shorted out on him.
Bob was a good man. I met him a few times.
He just landed this pretty cushy job.
Yeah, with New Life, a family planning group. He was head of security.
For the whole operation?
No, for their new DC setup. They call it the Shenandoah Center.
- So why did you call me, Sam? - They closed the file, Major.
They expedited Bob to crematorium before the postmortem.
Well, that's ridiculous, this needs to be investigate.
Tell me about it, but I've been with VIU long enough to smell a cover up.
- Long enough to look the other way. - But not this time.
His wife was 8 months pregnant. She went into labor trying to help him.
The baby is in neonatal ICU. She's still in a coma.
Look.
I figured since he was one of your own, you wanna check it out.
Thanks, Sam, I appreciate it. I'm on it.
And officially I'm not. Understood?
I can't afford a delay.
Don't we have lobbies on the hill? What are we paying them for?
- I take care of it, Ms. Palmer. - Yeah, you do that.
- Hi. - Hi. Can you take a timeout?
You bet. You wanted to hear about those New Life centers, right?
Right, fire away.
Well, the good news is
they made it possible for thousands of couples who were infertile to have children.
The first one opened up about 5 years ago, there's now 600 of them worldwide.
- And the bad news? - There is no bad news.
It's not a Taelon co-venture, so no patent claims,
no equity stake, no advisory role.
After the Taelons gave them a jump start, they built out.
So now it's strictly human to human
and the company is posted in Salvador and even has a stellar track record.
Bob Brody had a stellar track record too.
Took an early out when his Companion ran low on core energy.
- It's getting more and more common. - So what do we looking for here?
I don't know.
What about this Shannon Doe Center he worked for.
That's their flagship operation, the next generation.
They hired Brody right around the time they opened.
Their PR campaign touts them as offering the latest in
genetic screenings, embryonic enhancements.
Brody's wife just delivered prematurely.
Shock of his death, I guess.
Now, his records noted she had two previous miscarriages.
Were they clients at Shenandoah?
Well, let's check.
Yeah. Brody, Robert and Sue,
they had in vitro fertilization, she stayed at the center for 3 weeks.
She was expecting next month.
What could be sadder than becoming a new mom and a widow at the same time?
Not many things.
You think there's something for us here?
The Taelons created Volunteer Investigations.
Sam Nepps has an inside track.
If he thinks Brody's death is a cover-up, then so do I.
You're telling me that you've never had a CVI malfunction?
In the early stages of implantation and adaptation, yes.
There were a number of anomalies, however, we have eliminated those.
You forgot to mention the human immune system has made them ineffective.
Yes, they are past their usefulness.
But we believe the technology served its purpose,
smoothed the unification of our species.
Ex-protector Robert Brody's CVI just killed him.
- Impossible! I received no report. - And you won't.
It's been written off as a burst blood vessel.
However, the CVI charred a hole through his head.
Protector Brody was implanted with XR2010, the most recent generation.
We have received no reported problems with it.
I saw his body, Da'an, it happened.
I cannot imagine how. Each CVI is unique.
They adapt to the users inherent brain chemistry.
- No two are alike. I know, so? - It could not happen.
This damage suggest an overdrive loop.
- Feedback? - Yes.
Which can only mean an energy lock with an identical CVI.
Identical? Okay.
So what if there was a clone of Brody's implant?
Again, impossible. Every CVI is counted for, Liam.
And even if a duplicate was made,
it would conform to its host neuro-matrix, it too would become unique.
Every picture tells a story.
- And you're telling me it can't happen. - I admit it is perplexing.
However, we must take solace
that the retrieval program is moving toward conclusion on schedule.
Not soon enough.
VIU plant close guards around the clock.
Looks like they don't want anyone talking to Sue Brody.
She's a witness. If VIU wants to burry the case, that make sense.
- What? - Frank Tate.
Well, that can't be good. Where Tate goes, so does Sandoval.
Why don't you see what you can find out about Sue Brody's condition.
I'll see what Frank Tate's up to.
Everything here is cool.
I've got neonatal and neurology under level five lockdown.
Three shifts, so charge back to the VIU overtime fund.
I've got a guard at the elevators, four on the stairwell.
Hold on.
I'm gonna have to call you back.
Hi, I'm Louise Jacoby, senior birth consultant.
Welcome to Shannon Doe New Life center.
Mr. and Mrs.?
Carter. Liam Carter, my wife Renee.
- Nice to meet you. - Please, sit.
An old college buddy of mine Bob Brody said you do wonderful work here.
Oh, I hope you heard that...
Yes, yes, but only what we've read in the newspaper this morning. It's...
- It's just awful. - Tragic.
I should explain. Bob and I hadn't been in touch much since school,
but we knew he worked here. So we called when we...
When we decided to have a family. Thank God their baby's out of danger.
Oh, Sue was almost full term.
So you and Bob were at Notre Dame together?
- Penn State. - Oh, right.
Liam and I have been trying for a while,
but it just hasn't been happening, even though we're both perfectly healthy.
And God knows we've given it the old college try.
Anyway, Sue told me that after two miscarriages,
you and the staff here were a godsend.
Oh, that's very kind.
You know, there may be many contributing factors to why you're not pregnant.
Environment, stress, hormone levels.
So, let's begin, shall we?
Sandy.
Do you have a test kit?
We'll start with a simple fertility test. It only requires a small pinprick.
And while we wait for your results, I'll give you a tour
and explain our in-residence program. Sound good?
- It sounds great. Right, honey? - Great, honey.
Most of our couples, who experience difficulty conceiving,
opt for a maximized fertilization method.
- It's an in vitro technic. - You mean test tube conception?
Yes. Eggs are procured from the mother, sperm from the father.
We factor out disease, select your best physical and emotional traits,
creating what we call a genetically maximized embryo.
And is there Taelon technology involved?
We took what they gave us, thank them and said goodbye.
In 5 years we've built on it and made it not only humane, but safe.
This is our common room.
We hold a number of instructional seminars here, but
it's also a good place for a nice cup of tea and read.
Cozy.
Oh, excuse me for a moment, will you?
- Your lab results are back. - Sure.
It seems to open up.
Brody's CVI may have killed him, but it doesn't have to relate to his job.
It relates to his wife and child or Tate wouldn't be all over that hospital.
Mr. and Mrs. Carter,
I'm used to telling couples all sorts of things,
so you might wonder why I don't find this so difficult.
But from where I stand it's absolutely manageable.
Your lab results confirm it. You're infertile.
What?
What...
What does that mean? I mean, I know what that means, but...
What it means, the reason you haven't been able to conceive is organic.
But luckily you fall right on the mean success curve of our methods.
So, if you wanna have a baby, we can get you pregnant, no problem.
How long does that take to steep?
- You've been holding it for about an hour. - What do you care?
Maybe because I do.
But you can't shake it, can't you?
I had a check-up, just six weeks ago. I know I'm healthy.
It's gonna take a better conner than Louise Jacoby
to convince me I need Taelon technology to have a baby.
Which reminds me, I've something I wanna show you.
The intensive care unit at Baltimore General
uses a MedTrack system I spotted when we were over there.
Sue Brody is connected to a central processing unit.
I had a Doors technician tap into the line for me.
Well, that's great. We can monitor her vital signs from here.
Yeah.
What about that list of Shannon Doe clients Nepps gave you?
Right now the center has 71 prospective mothers as clients, but...
You see this, only 8 are in residence waiting for a maximized embryo.
Eight? Can that be right? I mean...
We saw maybe 6 in that yoga class, another 3 in the Lamaze group,
and then it had to be at least a dozen or so in the lounge and on the grounds.
I know, that's why I'm going back to take a look. Do you wanna come?
I don't think so. I think I could restrain myself with Louise.
Okay.
- You sure you're alright? - Yeah, fine. Go. Bye.
The malfunction of Brody's CVI was a fluke which could not have been foreseen.
Fortunately the baby was unharmed and can go home with its mother.
- If she survives. - If not,
we will find a suitable adoptive parent.
The elegance of this program is that from this point forward
there is no need for the parent to be aware of the child's unique qualities,
or for any supervision from us whatsoever.
- I know. - I devised the methodology, did I not?
Yes, indeed. And we anticipate a birth rate of 70 children per week
once the next generation of New Life centers are fully operational.
Which is why it is foolish to risk the outcome for this one child.
Please, eradicate it and begin again.
A needless waste of time and resources, Zo'or.
There is no chance that Brody's death can compromise the program.
As our first, as the prototype,
the baby has value as a long term study.
A cogent argument, but not persuasive enough.
- You have my orders. - I will act on them, Zo'or.
As events dictate.
According to these results you're infertile.
I'm infertile?
I know how you feel, Renee.
Or at least I can sympathize, and I'm sorry.
But look, it really isn't the end of the world.
Bad choice of metaphor, Doctor.
In this case it really isn't alien technology.
When the Taelons gave it to us, it was advanced genetic analysis.
But we've surpassed that technology on our own already.
It's perfectly tested.
I'd use it myself if I had no other option.
But you do.
So, please, don't preach to me because I just... I don't wanna hear it.
I'm talking as your physician.
Global birth rate have been on a down turn for decades, before the Taelons arrived.
It's partly a desire for smaller families,
partly pollution and crowding.
It puts you in a lot of company, good company.
- I can give you the latest stat... - Wait, wait, wait. Go back.
What kind of pollution?
Electromagnetism, hormones used in livestock.
What about Taelon technology?
No, no data on that.
Alright, what about your gut instincts, what do they tell you?
What if we don't have a way to measure it yet, but it's somehow killing us?
Portals, data streams.
I'm on that mothership twice a week.
I've communed with Da'an, carried his energy inside me.
Maybe that why I can't have children anymore?
I don't know, Renee. I don't know.
But I read a paper in the American Journal of Medicine.
There may be, and I stress may
be a trend for new infertility spikes in some major US cities.
- But we can't assumed that... - Is DC one of them?
Is it?
They took the woman down for two hour neural scan this morning.
Some progress but iffy. She's still taking the big nap.
If she comes around I want either you or me to be first person she talks to.
I need her to understand that silence is golden.
Copy that. How much silence are we talking about?
I want her to raise her own child, Tate.
The child itself should be inducement enough for her to fend off any curiosity.
When can the baby leave the neonatal ward?
Day, two.
Might have to be sooner.
Give me some privacy, please.
Louise?
Louise, where am I?
My baby! Where is my baby?
Everything's fine. You're at Baltimore General. You're in good hands.
And the best news of all, you're a mommy.
A son. He's in the nursery. He's stable.
- Now, you just get some rest, alright? - Okay.
Congratulations, Mrs. Brody, you gave birth to a healthy baby boy.
You could take him home today if you'd like.
My husband? Where is my husband?
That's something I need to talk to you about.
Unfortunately your husband suffered a brain aneurism
about the same time you went into labor.
I'm afraid he never recovered.
No! I don't believe you! That can't be true!
It wasn't a brain aneurism! It was something else, something
electrical. He said it was his CVI, his implant.
I felt it too, right here. It was like right inside, full of fire, and...
I believe you, Mrs. Brody, I do.
Now, I want you to forget about everything that happened the other night.
Everything.
Then you can leave here with your baby.
Do you understand?
You're not a doctor.
- Who are you? - I'm a friend of the family.
A very good friend.
I know where you live.
What time you stop at that little bakery on your way to work.
I even know that you won a pottery contest in the fifth grade, Mrs. Brody.
Tate.
This little tot got a set of eyes.
My God, he's so beautiful.
He's a special little boy.
I'll be watching over both of you, Mrs. Brody.
Every day, every night.
Please, don't do anything that would force me to take him away from you.
Because if I have to,
I will.
You don't answer your global?
Maybe I didn't want to.
- Can I get a beer, Mike? - Yeah.
What's the matter?
I'm gonna need some time to sort this out.
Sorry to say, but we don't have time.
Tapping into the MedTrack system paid off.
Sue Brody's vitals returned to normal this morning.
They just discharged her with her baby.
That's good, that's good. You should go talk to her.
- I'm gonna need your help. - I just told you, I'm gonna need some time.
Look, I haven't been sick a day in my life.
And all of a sudden out the blue I'm defective?
It's not irreversible.
Dr. Dupree told you there's a way to treat this.
I don't want to be treated. Don't you get it?
Okay.
Alright, now...
You once told me that
you didn't even know, if you'd ever have kids.
Because you weren't sure you want to bring them into a world like this.
I want the option.
I want the decision to be mine, I want...
I wanna be able to choose the way I want to do it.
I could never let the Taelons help me. It would be like...
letting them win.
I want them off the planet.
I want them to stop infecting our lives.
I want them dead!
Just leave me alone, will you?
Okay.
Fair enough.
Oh, I almost forgot.
Nepps got me Louise Jacoby's dossier.
Before she took over at New Life she was a bio-tech engineer.
She was involved in early CVI research as a Taelon co-venture.
Why am I not surprised?
Da'an said that the only thing that would burn a hole in Brody's brain
is feedback from another CVI tuned to the same frequency as his own.
We've been through all this.
Brody was alone with his wife when it happened, she doesn't have a CVI.
They were three of them in the house, remember? Husband, wife,
and unborn child?
Now, I heard Tate say something about the baby having had neurological kicks.
An unborn baby with a CVI?
She's a specialist in CVI technology and she runs a fertility clinic.
She's implanting fetuses with built-in CVIs? The technology doesn't even exist.
You know that for a fact?
Hi, Sue.
Yeah, I'm Liam Kincaid.
- Is this a bad time? - No, no I'm...
I'm glad you came. I'm just waiting for the visiting nurse from the hospital.
We met at Quantico when Bob was there for a seminar, right?
That's right.
- Oh, this is Renee Palmer. - Hello.
I, uh, I heard about your husband from Liam, so sorry.
- We don't wanna take up your time? - No. Really.
So many of Bob's old friends are calling and...
it's gratifying, see them all at the funeral.
Please, come on in.
It is Bob's son, Robert Jr.
- He's gorgeous. - Especially when he isn't crying.
I'm doing enough of that for both of us.
We just wanted to pay our respects, we should... we should leave.
Forgive me I didn't fix anything.
The doctor wants me to stay off of my feet.
Is there anything we can do for you?
As long as my baby is alright, I'll be fine.
Mrs. Brody, uh...
I know this isn't hard to talk about, but...
do you remember what happened to your husband the night you went into labor?
He had a seizure, I guess.
The doctors tell me I was so upset that I went into early labor.
I passed out when I woke up, I was at the hospital.
Listen, I'm still a little weak.
I hate to cut this short but...
Are you sure there isn't anything else than we can do for you?
No, not... Well, my wedding ring, I...
I promised Bob I'd never take it off, and...
with all that's happened I've looked and looked. I can't find it anywhere.
What about your things from the hospital? They should put them in a bag for you?
They're in the kitchen, I haven't had the strength to unpack.
- Would you like me to go take a look? - Would you, thanks. It's right over here.
It's gonna be okay.
Did you find it?
Yes, I did.
Thanks.
If you need to talk.
I'll be fine.
Alright, you know where to reach me.
Alright. Bye.
There was an identical CVI in the room the night Bob Brody's head caved in.
It was in the brain of his unborn child.
That's why Brody's CVI ran into a failure feedback loop.
I scanned Sue Brody's baby. It's three days old
and emitting a CVI frequency identical to his father's.
This is what she was wearing the night it happened.
It's burned from the feedback. Burned outward from her body through the cloth.
- And this evidence suggests what? - Don't play games, Da'an.
You're putting CVIs in unborn children.
You found a way to sterilize a vast number of women, including myself,
just to get us into your birth centers.
New Life is no longer ours.
We once did do the research with genes from a human cerebral cortex.
They were altered to include a CVI pulse.
You're saying you found a way to give our brains organic CVIs.
CNI would be a more apt term.
Cerebral Neural Implants.
The new DNA would be passed to the next generation and the next.
But
we abandoned the project as incompatible with our core mission on Earth.
Humans breeding humans with neural implants generation after generation?
It's requires maximizing the embryo in an incubation chamber.
It has not been done.
We didn't seen an incubation chamber at Shenandoah.
Maybe we did, but we didn't know it.
I shall make discrete inquiries to ascertain our involvement.
Forget discrete. This is an unspeakable crime.
And you better be able to undo whatever it is you have done to us.
These two aren't on Nepps' list.
Which mean they never registered.
They're human, but they have no brain activity in the frontal lobes.
- They're carrying human babies? - Yeah.
So they're what, androids?
No, androids have primitive thoughts, these are only humanoids.
Flesh and blood but operating totally on their autonomic systems.
Living incubators and not a trace of Taelon technology in sight.
What could be more natural to put an embryo in a womb?
And who'd know it's a surrogate human.
It's a DNA scan techlock.
I might be able to override it with the reading I took off that humanoid.
I'm picking up something on infrared, west corridor, basement.
I've got two bio-targets, but no access transponders. Advise.
I have unauthorized personnel here, do you copy?
Hi. We're a little lost.
- Where are we? - You're in restricted area, ma'am.
Where is your access transponder?
- He'll be out for a while. - Come on, they'll find him soon.
Any idea what that is?
Some kind of fetal scanner or...
energy immersion system.
Still not getting any thought wave readings.
Just basic respiratory and circulatory functions.
What's that?
Hope it's just air.
Purification system activated.
10% argon.
Argon, it's inert. We'll suffocated. We gotta get out of here.
Security breach. Containment measures activated.
Up there.
Come on.
20% argon.
Renee.
Renee!
It's the only way out of here.
30% argon.
Chamber access initiated.
Authorization granted.
Shutting down all purification and energy systems.
Liam look out!
I got you.
I got you. Alright. That's it.
Swing off.
Immersion terminated.
Unsealing chamber.
Security breach still in effect.
It seems there has been a series of radiation leaks.
Inadvertent leaks.
Leaks nonetheless during the purging of our main drive coolant.
Which occurs every fifth orbit.
Well call it what you want, it was aimed at the a eastern seaboard.
Aimed implies intend. There was none.
The purge of coolant simply occurred once a day over the same part of North America.
The mistake has been corrected.
The mistake has made thousands of women infertile. Thousand, correct that!
A grievous result.
No Taelon would intentionally wish this to happen.
- Do you agree? - Indeed.
But I have it on good medical authority
that the effect will naturally reverse itself in time.
Meanwhile your New Life centers will be doing a booming business, won't they?
I suppose that's not intentional either.
They are not ours. They belong to humanity.
Unlike our unfortunate species
humanity is blessed with an abundance of new life.
Then for once I guess the news isn't all bad.
Is it?
Ms. Palmer.
- Renee, a moment. - I don't care,
Da'an, I don't care what the company line is.
That radiation was blasted down from this infernal ship.
You wanted more women in those centers so you could implant them with CNIs. Period.
I believe you are right. Though I was not involved.
But I am asking you to trust me now.
It has stopped.
I don't have to trust you, Da'an.
You must accept this from me
as the only way that I...
that we can atone.
It is a rejuvenation lattice which will restore your fertility.
More Taelon voodoo.
It is the one sure way to cleanse your system. Please, take it.
Do you have enough for everyone?
Regrettably, no.
Then keep it, I'll take my chances.
And if it turns out I'm unlucky, I never have children of my own,
at least I'll know I never took a favor from a Taelon.
- Thanks again for coming. - You're welcome. Take care.
We've got to make a decision, Liam.
Is it in the best interest of the mother and child to know everything?
About the Cyber Neural Implant? Normally I'd say no, but
you'll have to weight the medical risk.
I didn't mean the CNI.
- It's the other thing. - What other thing? You've lost me.
I did a standard genome search.
That baby has two strands of inserted DNA.
A Cyber Neural Implant and what's known as the persona suite of genes.
A predisposition to things like violence,
aggressiveness, criminal tendency.
- Gene modification of behavior? - Exactly.
I match it against global DNA data for an ID.
And you find a match?
And how can that boy's DNA belong to somebody else?
It's been cloned, Liam.
And put into every baby maximized at the Shenandoah center.
It was isolated from the persona suite of a living individual,
Ronald Sandoval.
- Do they all accounted for? - Yes.
And I did find enough host mothers in developing countries for all the embryos.
Here are the names.
Excellent.
But our orders are to eradicate the entire program.
- We won't need the humanoids, correct? - Correct.
Zo'or is concerned with public reaction if we're exposed.
He wants all the embryos destroyed.
Shame really, but I suppose that's best.
What will you do with them?
Same thing I'm going to do with you, Louise.
Shut them down.
But first I'm taking the embryos with me.
Subtitled by Axarion