Screamers: The Hunting

Okay. It looks clear.

Are you sure that's the place?

Yeah, the old communication bunker is on that far ridge.

- The transmitter's there? - Well, yeah, it should be.

It'll only take us a couple of minutes to get there.

And it's secure once we're inside.

- No, no. I don't like it. - You're too paranoid.

Let's go.

Screamers!

Get to higher ground. I'll cover you!

Jessie!

- Keep going! - Okay!

Transmitter enabled.

Distress signal launched.

Mommy, Mommy, what's wrong?

Reanimation is now complete. Please proceed to the med lab.

You know, I'm not feeling so hot.

I think this might be your last chance.

You must stay very calm while I check your signs.

Think of your wife.

Olof, you look really pale. Are you okay?

Yeah. I'm great. I'm great. I love space travel.

As did my Viking ancestors. They did it all the time.

- Vikings hibernated for two months. - No, we traveled for two months.

And then without sleep, we would fight a campaign

and move on to pillage other lands.

We were ruthless. We were relentless. Like myself.

We lived better. We died better. Did you know that...

- That Viking chieftains... ...Viking chieftains...

...were burned in their boats? Yes, we know, Olof.

Well, it's a tradition.

And if we don't have tradition, then we're nothing but savages.

You know, I could be a savage.

I can give you something for that.

- How did you sleep, Lieutenant? - Cryo sleeps always give me bad dreams.

That's too bad. I sleep like a baby.

Take a little nap for two months. Ready to start the mission.

Excuse me, Commander. I have to get back to the med lab.

Bronte, there you are. Just in time for your examination.

Romulo, how's the weapon system coming?

- It's looking good, Lieutenant. - Great.

- Hey, morning, Sarge. - Danielli.

Initiating data module.

Eighty-five years ago, berynium was discovered on Sirius 6B.

It was thought that this was the answer to Earth's energy shortage,

and a thriving industry quickly developed.

But in time, the mining company and their worker-scientists became bitter enemies,

and there was a violent civil war.

The scientists finally got the upper hand

when they developed the screamer, a robotic killing machine,

to search out and terminate all human life, all except those who wore a TAB,

an armband device which neutralizes the sensors of the screamers.

But in time, the screamers became so numerous

that all human life was extinguished on Sirius 6B.

It is believed that all screamers then became inert.

The sole known survivor from Sirius 6B was Colonel Joseph Hendrickson,

who committed suicide by blowing up his ship

on re-entry to Earth's atmosphere.

This was 13 years ago,

and since then, there's been no communication

between Sirius 6B and Earth.

But then, two months ago, an emergency SOS

was received from the planet.

Your objective is to locate and rescue any human survivors.

Data module complete.

All right, as you know, Alliance Central has sent us as a rescue team

to try to locate whoever sent that SOS and bring them back home to Earth.

Unfortunately, the timeline of our mission has been shortened considerably.

Danielli.

In six days, the planet Sirius 6B will be hit with the mother of all solar meteor strikes,

a class 10 Magellanic storm.

Within 24 hours of the strike, all life forms will be killed.

And within 48 hours,

Sirius 6B will be nothing but a galactic slag heap.

- So if we don't leave in a week... - Then we're never leaving.

Why wasn't this mentioned in any of the briefings?

- The data wasn't available two months ago. - Come on. You must have had an idea.

I knew there might be a narrow window of opportunity.

Narrow window? Sounds like a suicide mission.

Not if we act quickly.

The data indicates the transmission did originate in this sector.

Why can't we land directly on the signal site?

Now, I wish we could, but there's so much atmospheric interference here,

we can't pinpoint it.

One of these days, you're gonna have to be honest with me, Bronte.

Excuse me?

About why this mission is so important to you.

- It's just another job. - Really?

You have turned down the opportunity to be commander of your own ship

to volunteer for this assignment. Why?

I have my reasons.

Besides, I still have a lot to learn from you, Commander.

You might be a very good soldier, Lieutenant,

but you're a terrible liar.

Beginning air quality analysis.

Radiation levels on the surface are within human survivability.

Until recently, this planet was a war zone.

We don't know who or what is gunning for us,

but the best defense is a good offense.

Well said, Lieutenant. Romulo.

One crucial piece of survival gear, this is your TAB.

It'll broadcast a signal to the screamers telling them that you're dead.

If your TAB turns red and the screamer isn't disabled,

you need to modulate the signal.

It'll save your ass, people.

Screamers? I thought they were all decommissioned.

That was the assumption, but we don't know for sure.

Now, screamers have been programmed to kill any living thing,

- and they will do just that unless... - They think you're dead.

No, the screamers are manufactured with a built-in 24-month power supply.

Once that's done, they're scrap metal. I don't see how it's possible.

Speculation is that the later models may have evolved.

Evolved? How does a machine evolve?

Hope that you never have to find out.

You want to stay alive? Wear your TABs.

Check and activate TABs.

Everybody good?

Let us coordinate timers.

We have six days. That is a hard window.

If anybody gets separated from the others, get your ass back here

before the sixth day because this ship leaves with you

or without you.

On my mark, let's get in coordination.

Three, two, one. Mark.

Welcome to Sirius 6B.

It's freezing out here.

I don't know, Viking boy. Looks like

you got the better end of the deal.

I know. Soderquist always stays with his ship.

Hell, it's tradition.

Just make sure you run a diagnostic of the main thrusters.

We might have to get out of here in a hurry.

Hey. I'll see you in six days, okay? Just be safe.

Six days or not, don't leave without us.

Bye.

We don't have a clue, do we?

- About what? - Any of this.

Where the transmission was sent from, where they are.

Well, whoever sent it, they're probably looking for us, too.

Hey!

- What the hell are you doing? - I saw something.

I don't see anything.

Keep it in your pants, cowboy. It's a rescue mission.

Come on. Keep heading down the hill. Try not to kill one of us.

Got a reading from over there. It's an underground structure of some kind.

I'm gonna take a look.

Here, give me the scope.

It looks like some sort of bunker. I'm gonna go down and check it out.

We're going down the hill to check out a bunker.

What's that sound?

- My hand! It burns! - Against the wall!

- What happened? - It burns!

- What is it? - It's RA6. Radioactive acid.

One of the by-products of mining here and the reason the war started.

Acid? I have a neutralizing base.

Lieutenant, we got a vent up here!

- Okay. - It could lead to the bunker.

Keep moving. Keep moving.

Sergeant, we're coming to you.

Open it.

This is promising. It looks like it's part of a whole complex.

I'm getting a reading from over here.

This way.

This is where they made them.

- Made what? - The screamers. This is the factory.

Actually, this is where they made themselves.

Made themselves?

Screamer production was fully automated ever since it began.

No humans have been down here since production started.

Morphology is really striking. Anybody know who designed these?

The early varieties are credited to an engineer named Orsow or Barlow,

I can't remember.

The later models were supposed to have been designed by other screamers.

These were made by other machines?

It's not possible. These must be the original designer's work.

Unlikely. We think he was killed by a prototype during the early tests.

They were supposed to be great scavengers.

Didn't just slice and dice, but came back to pick up all the pieces.

- That's sick. Why would anyone do that? - Not anyone, Schwartzy.

We're talking machines.

And the reason is simple. There was a shortage of raw materials.

Pun intended.

Bones for parts? But these are just machines.

Right, Bronte?

So, what, did their batteries just die out?

They have this failsafe design that limits their running time.

Guys, let's go.

Quit playing around with that thing. We have to make it back to the Medusa.

What is this?

Commander? You might want to take a look at this.

Can you believe this?

This place is massive.

There's so many of them.

I had no idea.

We're not gonna have enough time to get back to the Medusa before nightfall.

- Okay, we bunk here tonight. - Great. Home sweet home.

Some of the glove melted in there.

God, what a mess.

You know, if the screamers really butchered their creators on Sirius 6B,

just imagine what they'd do back on Earth.