Original subtitles

Previously, on Ascension...

Your father was convinced the US could launch

an interstellar spacecraft right then in the '60s.

Quite a dream Dad had.

[Christa]: Lorelei?

[Screaming]

[Denninger]: We lost someone in a tragic accident.

A murderer's on the loose.

I have no experience with anything like this.

[Ophelia]: There are no absolute secrets on board.

Someone always talks.

Which begs the question:

How did a gun get on this ship?

Lorelei's dead, and they're looking for me.

You didn't show up for work last night.

Is that why your safety officers pulled me in,

for playing hooky?

Your aptitude scores are good enough

to get you an apprenticeship anywhere.

- Why choose Water Reclamation? - It's a con.

It's supposed to make you feel

like you have control over your life.

Just because you can't change the course of the ship

doesn't mean you can't change the course of your life.

- I did. - Really?

I always thought that you were a political appointment

to keep the lower decks in line.

Where were you the night of the Launch celebration?

The hold.- Drinking?

Actually, I go down there for the intellectual conversation.

Your girlfriend was murdered, James.

What are you talking about?

It was an accident.

Were you with her that night?

No! Yes, but early.

- We got in an argument. - About what?

She didn't wanna go to the party with me.

Did she say why?

No.

That's just who Lorelei was.

She made you feel like you were living life on edge,

that things would fly apart any second.

But it was worth it.

She made you feel like you were truly alive.

On the medical report,

it says that Lorelei had sex in the hours before death.

Well, I guess I wasn't the only one

on the edge with her then.

Emily?

How are you doing?

I'm trying not to think about

all the things I wish I'd said to Lorelei,

all the moments I wish I'd made more of.

I know what you mean. I've never lost anyone before.

My grandfather, but it wasn't sudden.

Do you think it gets easier?

I don't think it ever goes away.

Can I ask you a question?

How did you know what to apprentice?

When I was a little girl,

I'd sit on my dad's knee and look out these telescopes

at supernovas, nebulas, asteroids.

It seemed like the universe was beckoning to me.

Those were my favourite memories.

So you always knew.

Your parents will support whatever you decide.

What are you working on?

Hmm!

Last night, Christa pointed out this star cluster.

She said there was life there.

Is she right?

Sometimes, Christa says things that are peculiar.

[Chuckling]

My dad charted that area years ago,

but I thought I'd go over the survey data just in case.

Do you ever think our grandparents screwed up

by volunteering?

What? No!

But none of us had a choice.

It was decided for us before we were even born.

We don't even know what's waiting for us.

Proxima has a metallicity of 150% of Earth's sun.

We should find dozens of planetary bodies

with water and breathable atmospheres.

But what if there aren't?

What if some politicians cashed in

and didn't care where they sent us?

You've been spending too much time in the lower decks

listening to conspiracy theories.

Remember learning about the Cuban missile crisis,

the Cold War, the arms race?

That's why Ascension was launched,

to ensure the survival of the human race.

President Kennedy and Dr. Enzmann were visionaries.

They recognized the necessity for this ship,

even if it had to be launched in secret.

You won't find your courage

in the bottom of a glass.

Are you calling me a coward?

[Chuckling]: I would never call

a hero of the inferno a coward.

I should hope not. We owe these quarters to my courage,

unless the idea of going back to the lower decks appeals to you.

William, I'm trying to be helpful.

Use this distraction

to ensure your place, our place, going forward.

Distraction?

A girl was murdered, Viondra!

It's an opportunity!

The council is terrified of insurrection.

Move decisively, reassert your position.

[Chuckling]: Callousness is your least attractive quality.

[Scoffing]

Yes, terrible, terrible me, who took my joke of a job

and turned it into something that will serve us both.

I doubt your girls are as pleased.

My girls have made alliances

with nearly every powerful man on this ship.

They enjoy their privileges,

and we enjoy the favours they trade

and the information they bring.

[Scoffing]

I'd keep your head in the sand if it makes you feel better.

I'll go on being the politician,

so you can pretend to be the statesman.

Christa!

I'm glad to see you're doing better.

Would it be all right to ask you some questions about Launch Day?

Lorelei was gonna teach me how to dance,

but I couldn't find her.

Do you know why she went to the beach?

Well, no, but she was afraid of someone.

I didn't forget because, well, I was never afraid of anybody.

- Was it James Toback? - Not James. He was nice to her.

Then who?

She wouldn't tell me, but she said he knew the truth.

The truth about what?

Earlier, you told Dr. Bryce something about Globus.

What does that mean?

Was it something to do with Lorelei?

Dr. Bryce had me on some kind of medicine,

and I didn't know what I was saying.

Look, you can tell me.

But I'm a weirdo already.

Do we have to talk about this?

Sometimes, I think I know things.

What kind of things?

It's hard to explain.

It's like I can still feel it...

underneath everything, behind everything,

like a skull under the skin.

[Men talking, indistinct]

Good morning, Nora! Good to see you!

What is that?

You like it?

Full life-support system, completely radiation sealed,

a couple of more tweaks,

it should be ready to road test in Proxima.

Dr. Choi, I was wondering if you've selected

all your apprentices for terraforming yet.

I have now.

Now, I read your report.

You don't think the boyfriend killed Lorelei?

No, I don't, sir.

This Toback kid's trouble.

Vanderhaus said he's been detained

for fighting and drinking in the past.

He's from the lower decks. He's had it rough.

Find proof that he didn't do it.

Otherwise, he's our man.

Bullshit!

You put me in charge of this investigation

'cause I wouldn't be bullied, not even by you.

You owe me, Aaron, all right?

If the council loses confidence,

they're gonna push me out of the captain's chair,

and you're not gonna be far behind.

I'm doing this my way, sir.

If you wanna relieve me, that's your prerogative.

You know, Aaron, if you and I weren't born on this ship,

we could've accomplished great things.

We are doing something great, sir.

The captain who launched and the captain who lands,

that's who history will remember.

The guy in the middle, who gives a shit.

Handle it your way for now, Aaron.

[Keypad beeping]

[Speaking German]

[Girl speaking German on video]

[Door buzzing]

Sorry about your shirt. Your alibi checked out.

I felt the same way when I was your age,

that I had no choice,

then I realized this is what we have to work with.

We find meaning where we can.

You done?

White shirt, track him.

He's moving down the central corridor.

[Computer beeping]

Where's he gone? I don't see him.

We lost him.

There, A-Deck.

Yeah.

He's headed to the beach.

[Birds chirping]

What are you doing down here, James?

You followed me?

You know more than you're telling me.

So, where's the Launch Day tape that Lorelei took?

I don't know what you're talking about.

You know, I saw the movies she watched: surf, sand and sun.

She loved nature. That's why she was drawn to this place.

You call this nature?

Did you actually watch those movies?

They took it all for granted: the sky, the ocean.

They could run on the beach for miles

without slamming into a bulkhead.

This beach represents everything that's fake about our lives.

For Lorelei to die here, of all places.

I don't think she died here.

There was no video of anyone but Lorelei coming down here.

There wasn't any sign of a struggle,

and nothing to explain the marks on her wrists.

There's only one way in or out.

You're wrong.

There's more than one...

right here.

[Elevator beeping]

Stop it!

I know you're there!

Stop watching us!

Leave us alone!

I'm not afraid of you!

I'm not afraid of you!

I should tell you where we're at.

Trust me, I'm up to date.

I'm getting memos every 10 minutes.

- What if Warren finds out ab-- - She won't.

There's someone interested in my father's work, a grad student.

He knows about Ascension.

How much does he know?

He speculated what the people on board would be like.

He was convinced a starship was launched.

- We need to tell the director! - No!

You're holding off telling her

about this guy and about the anomaly.

This could blow up in her face!

I made sure that Hayes' thesis

would be rejected by the review committee.

He'll crawl back under the rock that he came from.

And as for the anomaly, have you ever heard this,

I was listening to it again last night,

a radio transmission, scrambled, sent on a secure frequency

[Radio crackling]

[On recording]: This is Captain Elgin

on the 10-year anniversary of our launch.

I know you might never hear this,

but if you do, I want you to know it was worth it:

the sacrifices, the loss of home,

everything we gave up.

It was worth it for the privilege you offered us.

Thank you.

Everyone who boarded that ship was a hero.

This is my father's legacy. I won't have it tarnished.

Harris, the crew isn't safe.

These people have spent the past 51 years

dealing with the rigours of deep space.

They're used to being unsafe.

[Siren wailing in distance]

[Air hissing]

[Vanderhaus]: This place is a maze.

My father told me about it.

Looks like someone's been down here.

"NF."

What do you think it means?

No idea.

What's this?

Rilke. "Love Poems to God."

Take a guess what it says.

It's an inscription.

Wrong. The title page is torn out.

All these pages are blank.

Here!

This is where Lorelei was murdered.

Why would they bleach the pages?

Everything on board is electronic.

Writing on a stenotab is a risk.

Well, this is the water-filtration system,

the nav-computer blueprints.

A month ago, the nav computer crashed.

Just last week, the water- filtration system went off line.

- It's not a coincidence. - It was sabotage.

- Who are they? - We're not sure.

But we suspect they wanna force the ship back to Earth.

Sir, I'm the XO. Why wasn't I told of this?

We believe the saboteurs have their routes below decks.

Now I'm a security risk

because I wasn't born in the upper decks?

If the council knew how close we were to insurrection,

it'd be Rose sitting in this chair, not me.

Search the ship. Turn it upside down. I want answers.

All right, Captain!

Emily, I need to speak to you.

Aaron, what are you doing?

Look, we don't have much time.

Your husband is searching the ship.

There's some sort of insurgency brewing in the lower decks

that might've had something to do with Lorelei's murder.

- How? - I don't know yet.

But Duke found a book of Rilke love poems I gave to your sister

to pass on to you.

Does he know about us?

My inscription page was torn out,

but we have to be careful.

Destroy every note, gift I've ever given you.

Take them to the incinerator.

It won't change the fact that someone knows.

Someone has that page. Part of me is relieved.

I'm tired of passing you in the corridor

and knowing it's the only time I'll see you all day.

Maybe now someone will put us out of our misery.

I am never miserable when I'm with you.

I wanna share your life instead of begging for scraps.

If we were on Earth, I could just divorce him.

But we're not on Earth, Em.

Right now, I'm at the centre of the storm.

Something bad is coming,

and you can't be anywhere near me when it hits.

[Men shouting, indistinct]

[Man]: Give me a hand here!

[Man shouting, indistinct]

[Chickens clucking, pigs snorting]

[Cow mooing]

[Vanderhaus]: Attention!

Place all contraband on the tables in front of you

and prepare to be searched!

What's a matter, Duke?

Didn't get this month's payoff?

Step aside, Stokes!

This isn't about Lorelei.

It's about the captain denying the lower deckers a voice.

[Men exclaiming]

Stand down, and prepare to be searched.

Better get your own house in order before you come into mine.

I have it on good authority the chief safety officer's wife

is taking another man into her bed.

[Men laughing]

...which leaves only one question:

What's he got that you don't?

[Men grunting and shouting indistinctly]

[Alarm sounding]

[Male voice]: Radiation alert!

Stand down! Stand down! Emergency protocols!

We're heading into a radiation storm!

Hey! This is not over!

Radiation alert!

Let's go!

The ship's radar says we're heading to a big ion cloud

unlike anything we've seen.

We've been hit with cosmic rays before. Is this different?

That was before we reached our current speed.

The radiation caused by our speed-of-light velocity

will cause fireworks.

- How long do we have? - 30, maybe 40 minutes.

Clear the decks. Announce radiation protocol.

The starboard blast shields are not closing.

Without shields, the radiation will burn through the ship.

Pump the grey water to the forward tanks as a buffer.

Assemble a repair team. Get those shields closed!

[Alarms sounding]

We have 30 minutes to save the ship!

[Men and women exclaiming]

[Male voice]: Emergency! Radiation alert!

Storm approaching! Radiation alert!

All hands return to quarters.

[Alarms sounding]

Radiation alert!

Storm approaching! Radiation alert!

All hands return to quarters.

Nixon, I need you!

Oh, what brings our esteemed XO

down to the lower decks?

Run out of people to kiss your ass up top?

Your problems will have to wait.

I don't have a problem. You stole my job.

You trained as an electrician?

I need you onto repair.

You can't just start ordering us around. We got work to do.

Wrong! I outrank you.

That's what that means. Nixon, let's go!

Nora! Come with me to the beach. I need your help.

Secure the cart. I'll catch up.

You heard the orders. We have to go.

Now's the perfect time. No one will be watching.

- Lorelei hid something there. - Tell the safety officers.

They don't tell the truth, nor is the captain. Come on!

All hands to radiation pods!

[Denninger]: Gault, we need that shield closed right now.

Almost there, Captain.

Circuit panels are just up ahead.

OK, Captain, we're here. Nixon's checking the electrical.

[Denninger]: All right. Keep me posted on how much time.

The converter's out.

We're gonna need visual confirmation.

[Denninger]: I need an ETA, Gault.

[Gault]: Anytime now.

OK, there it is! I see it. Looks like A12.

A12. Got it!

We're wasting our time. They already searched it.

It's here!

If they found the tape, Gault wouldn't have asked about it.

What are you doing?

There's one place they didn't look, in there.

I'm coming with you.

I've never seen anything like it.

[Nixon]: No time for sightseeing.

[Beeping]

Captain, the shield doors are closed.

Good job, Gault!

[Nixon screaming, grunting]

Nixon? Nixon! Nixon, can you breathe?

Can you hear me?

Yeah, I'm good.

No tear. Pressure suit holding.

[Panting]

[Denninger]: All right, get back to quarters.

It's about to get rocky.

They're pumping the tanks! Move!

[James coughing]

[Both panting]

[Laughing]

What is it?

It's the missing video card that Lorelei took.

Come on!

Wait!

There's something you need to know.

The night Lorelei died,

I saw Stokes give her something.

What?

A gun.

[Crying]

There is nothing to be afraid of.

I won't be able to breathe.

Yes, you will. It's a mild sedative.

It's gonna put you right to sleep.

Come on! Hop on in!

[Whimpering]

The seahorse will guard you.

Where's Nora?

I thought she was with you.

Robert, they've sealed the decks!

Nora's a smart girl, all right?

There are radiation pods all over the ship.

We should go. Come!

[Door beeping]

And when you wake, it'll seem like a dream.

[Air hissing]

Radiation protocol in effect!

Where are you going?

Follow me!

All hands to radiation pods!

Hurry!

Radiation protocol in effect!

All hands to radiation pods!

What the hell is that?

Get in! It's shielded.

[Both panting]

[Rumbling]

My grandfather told me once that back on Earth

you couldn't stare at the sun without hurting your eyes.

We'll have a sun, someday, three of them.

[Panting]: If we can get through this, maybe.

This is Captain Denninger. We are entering the ion cloud.

Make sure your mask is secure. There's nothing to worry about.

It's just a little stormy weather.

[♪ Stormy Weather by Lena Horne on PA ♪]

♪ Don't know why

♪ There's no sun up in the sky ♪

♪ Stormy weather

♪ Since my man and I ain't together ♪

♪ Keeps raining all the time

♪ Life is bare

♪ Gloom and misery everywhere

♪ Stormy weather

♪ Just can't get my poor self together ♪

♪ I'm weary all the time

♪ The time

♪ Yes

♪ Yes, I'm weary all the time

♪ Since you went away

♪ The blues walked in and met me ♪

♪ If he stays away

♪ Old rocking chair will get me ♪

[Air sputtering]

[Gasping, panting]

♪ All I do is pray the Lord above ♪

♪ Will let me walk...

♪ Can't go on

♪ Everything I had is gone

[Panting]

♪ Stormy weather

♪ Since my man and I ain't together ♪

[Beeping]

All right, I want status reports from every department,

structural integrity analysis of the reactor's shielding.

Captain, a word?

After we fixed the shields,

Nixon confessed something to me about Lorelei and Stokes.

All right, ladies, how are we doing, huh?

Yeah? Good?

[Pigs grunting]

[Sheep bleating]

Huh! Nixon!

Where is it?

Where's what?

We know you gave Lorelei the gun.

Screw you! Aaah! shit!

[Stokes screaming]

[Man 1]: Clear!

[Man 2]: Nothing up here!

[Man 1]: I'll look under there!

Sir?

I found something.

[Man shouting, indistinct]

You son of a bitch.

You set me up!

Christa, could you go get your sweater for me, please?

Where were you?

Your father and I have been worried sick.

I waited out the storm in the terraforming lab.

Alone?

With James Toback.

How do you think Lorelei would feel about that?

[Sighing]

Is Nora all right?

Yeah, honey, she's fine!

Christa, have you seen my necklace?

I'm sure that I left it on the dresser.

You did. He took it while we were sleeping.

Christa, no one was in here.

Everyone was asleep.

The Globus never sleeps.

[Mouthing]

We just have a few questions.

Where'd you get the gun?

Since this is the first murder trial on Ascension,

we'll be playing it by ear.

Susan Weir might be your attorney if you ask her,

but, of course, she's never done much beyond petty theft.

Why would I give Lorelei the gun, then kill her?

This is a setup!

Why would anyone frame a man who shovels pig shit?

You're not that important.

You chose me 'cause you need a scapegoat!

What about after you're gone?

If there was another murder,

we'd look like fools.

W-w-what do you mean "after I'm gone"?

You think I can afford someone guarding you

for the rest of your life?

Come on, Stokes, you know we can't even add a baby

without someone dying.

You'd be a luxury beyond our means.

What about when Nicholson got paralyzed?

Everybody pulled together then--

Stokes, nobody's gonna spend precious resources

on the killer of a young woman.

We'd have to do what every small, isolated society does.

Exile you.

To where?

That's not exile. That's death.

You're talking about spacing me.

Look, I don't know who killed her. I just--

She asked for the gun. I gave it to her. That's all!

Who was she afraid of?

Man, you really didn't know her, did you?

The question isn't who was she afraid of...

[Scoffing]

...it's who was afraid of her?

So, the bad man has been caught,

and now the poor girl can finally be put to rest.

I think a funeral is just the thing

to bring this ship together.

It's almost as if we're all one people striving for the stars,

and not just a nest of vipers hurtling forward blindly.

Is there something you're trying to tell me?

Do you remember when we were paired?

That romantic day when they told us

we were number one on each other's genetic hit parade?

My mother was disappointed.

You didn't seem destined for great things.

Yeah, she made that quite clear at the wedding.

I'm glad you remember it.

I think of it often,

and how I told you that night that I loved you.

I scared the hell out of you, didn't I?

Poor man,

you were perfectly ready for a business-like arrangement,

and I went and spoiled it.

I haven't found Rose's informant.

It will require further digging.

We are talking about your girls, aren't we?

Do you really wanna know, William?

[Sighing]

Perhaps, you're right. There are vipers among us.

[Chuckling]

You say the sweetest things to me.

[Women and men talking, indistinct]

Aaron, we need to talk.

I'm not a liar, Aaron.

Emily, of course, you're not a liar.

I can't pretend things are one way

when there's another story deeper down.

It's hard for me too.

You only have to put on a false face for the world.

I have to do it for the man I'm married to.

Don't say goodbye.

On this ship, how can I?

We'll see each other a thousand times,

but goodbye to holding you and turning to you.

I'm going to try to turn to my husband.

Emily!

Mr. Gault?

Christa, yes?

I found this in my cabin, and I thought you might want it.

It was Lorelei's,

and she told me her boyfriend gave it to her.

Thank you, Christa.

[Door buzzing]

Lorelei Wright's passing reminds us of our place,

our limitations.

Individually,

we are but a small part of something far greater,

greater, yet essential to the survival of the whole,

essential to this mission...

essential to humanity.

We take great strength in this...

as we consign her body to the infinite.

[Door buzzing]

[Birds chirping]

Director Warren.

Harris, you know that good old-fashioned phrase:

"You screwed the pooch"?

I've always wanted to use it.

Have I done that?

I believe you covering up this anomaly, as you call it,

would definitely count.

- Only Carrillo and I knew. - Carrillo, your God and me.

Well then, I'm assuming God told you,

because Carrillo knows better.

You think I wasn't supposed to hear

that someone brought a gun on board

because the ship is 50 years out?

Come on!

Did one of our space heroes

actually commit a murder?

It would appear so.

Harris...

take care.

Your fiefdom is built

on your being able to convince me and everyone

that you have complete control.

Once that erodes, let me put it this way,

your life and the life of this project

have the same expectancy.

Director Warren, what a surprise.

Excuse me! Harris, a word?

We've got a problem.

[Elevator beeping]

[Gun cocking]

[Gasping, whimpering]

Shhh, little girl!

You and me are gonna go see the captain.

[Crying]

I've got something of yours.

It probably should be in your collection, shouldn't it?

[Chuckling]

You know, this belonged to the first captain.

You know, people had no idea

how incredibly difficult a journey like Columbus' was.

Astrolabes told latitude, but not longitude.

Reaching a new world

was like finding a needle in a haystack:

pure, blind luck.

Is that why you had me investigate Lorelei's murder?

'Cause you knew I'd never suspect you?

I set you down this course,

and now you're ready to distrust anyone.

You should've told me.

I couldn't help myself, Gault.

Lorelei was playing me for a fool,

but I didn't kill her.

[Elevator beeping]

You have to believe me.

[Nora panting, whimpering]

Oh, it looks like I'm a little late for the funeral.

Just let the girl go, Stokes.

No, I don't think so. I wanna go before the council.

It's OK. I'm gonna get you outta here.

[Laughing]: How are you gonna do that, Gault?

How are you gonna resolve this little situation?

I know what my dad would've done when he was exiled.

I know what I would do if I had the job,

but you sure as hell made sure that didn't happen!

I can't change the way things turned out, Stokes!

Listen, you're only making matters worse for yourself.

Face it, Captain. Let's be honest.

Things could get much worse.

[Crying]

You think my cell door just opened itself?

It's a lot easier to kill someone in a manhunt.

Look, I will get to the bottom of it, I promise,

but for right now, just let her go.

Someone came in the stockyards

during the radiation storm, all right,

planted this gun and--and set me up!

No--no one was there!

Nobody could survive the radiation.

Now, listen to me. Please! Let her go!

All I know is I saw a boot print

after the storm where there wasn't one before!

Nora!

[Alarm sounding, air hissing]

Stay here!

[Nora whimpering]

[Both grunting]

[Air hissing]

[Keypad beeping, buzzing]

The control panel's locked!

[Both grunting]

[Gun clicking]

[Both grunting]

[Screaming]

[Stokes screaming]

[Screaming]

[Screaming]

[Panting]

[Grunting]

[Screaming, panting]

[Gasping, screaming]

No!

[Grunting, groaning]]

You think I don't have total control?

Every detail

from the movement of the stars to the flushing of the toilets

is exactly as it would be on the real journey.

The minute they doubt the validity of their environment

is the minute the experiment fails.

It is magnificent.

It's more than that.

Ascension is a lifeboat for humanity.

Next time, on Ascension...

We've never had a murderer on Ascension before.

You could use the help.

This is the most important endeavour

in human history, Katherine.

I won't let it be ruined by your watchdog.

I'll file my report,

then I'll be out of here in a week at most.

- Don't they have any privacy? - Uh, pretty much, no!

So, how do you manage to miss a murder?

This video card Lorelei took.

That the one you've been looking for?

- Well, Stokes killed Lorelei. - I don't think Stokes did it.

[Grunting]

- Closed Captions: - Vision Globale