ABBY ALANNAH ALEX ANNOUNCER BEN CHARLOTTE COFFER EICHHORST EICHORST EPH FET FREEDOM_CENTER_EMPLOYEES HARVEY JASON KAREN KARL KELLY MAN MEGYN_JONES NARRATOR NEIL QUINLAN ROMAN ROSS SENTRY SETRAKIAN THE_MASTER WOMAN ZACK NARRATOR Previously on The Strain. EICHHORST Why, mein Master, have you taken his form? THE MASTER A necessary ruse. And I now possess all of Palmer's knowledge and memories. EICHHORST His new host body is pure expedience. Keep an eye on your mother, young man. ZACK Yes, sir. Dad? Mom! I hate you! EPH Hey. Don't sleep on my steps. Neither of us needs the attention. ANNOUNCER Welcome to the Freedom Center, Philadelphia. Please stay in line and have your ID badges ready. To be eligible all blood donations must be up to date. The Partnership for a better tomorrow. Welcome to the Freedom Center, Philadelphia. Please stay in line and have your ID badges ready. To be eligible, all blood donations must be up to date. The Partnership for a better tomorrow. FREEDOM CENTER EMPLOYEES No more please Next. MAN Shit! Please, wait! I didn't- ANNOUNCER The Partnership. We're here for you. MEGYN JONES No one will forget the terrors of Illumination Day. We mourned together. We made our peace. Now, nine months later we are marching forward into a new era. Thanks to the cooperation that is at the heart of The Partnership everyone's needs are being met. Jobs are plentiful. Shelter is guaranteed. And sustenance is provided. And at our Freedom Centers teams of caring and committed medical professionals are ready and eager to serve you. Just keep your blood donations up to date and comprehensive health care will be yours at absolutely no cost. Thanks to the effects of nuclear winter, which filters out harmful UV rays our strigoi counterparts no longer have to confine themselves to the darkness. This new equilibrium means that we are now able to join hands and work together to create a new and more just society for us all. WOMAN I know it's gonna be difficult to say goodbye to my family but being B-positive, I know that I'm making a vital contribution to The Partnership to ensure that everyone can live healthy, productive lives. So the sacrifice is more than worth it. MEGYN JONES We have leadership-and order, and the promise of a great future. The Partnership. Toward a better future for us all. MAN That’s all I got. EPH Hey, Karl. KARL He's in the back. NEIL Hey. EPH Right. Phillies lead Mets 75, bottom of the fifth. NEIL Your Mets are coming back. EPH Double! NEIL Oh, come on! EPH Tejada holds up at third. NEIL Phillies suck even on paper. EPH Well, it's a good thing some things stay the same after the apocalypse. NEIL So what brings you back so soon? EPH I'm outta gas. NEIL Oh, yeah? My propane guy, Nick, he's coming back later today. You should be here when he does. Fuel goes fast. EPH I guess I can push back my tee time. I'll take a job. NEIL I got a backlog here. You know you could be King Rat of all of Philly if you just wanted to work a little more. All the food and free shit you could possibly want. Nobody wants to go to a Freedom Center. EPH I'll take three or four. NEIL This one says she's got liquor to trade. EPH You know the Royal Rittenhouse apartments? That building on the Square? NEIL Yeah. Where all the strigoi live? What about it? EPH I saw a tanker truck parked out back today--under heavy strigoi guard. They hooked up to the building's plumbing and they filled it full of blood. NEIL Oh come on. I do not need to know that shit. EPH They didn't want anyone to see it. That’s why all the guards. NEIL You need to be more careful about your curiosity, my friend. EPH I still can't believe we lost. NEIL Yeah. It's strigoi 10, humans 0, bottom of the ninth. Ya know what Yogi said "It ain't over 'til it's over." EPH It's pretty much over. ZACK You missed! Hey! EICHHORST Enjoying your new toy, I see. The Master has planned an activity for you today. ZACK Doing what? EICHHORST This is a SOCOM Mark 18 rifle. Take it. It holds 30 rounds. ZACK What am I supposed to do with it? THE MASTER We are going on an outing. But first, your White. SENTRY Easy, easy. FET We come in peace. Like I said, boys, we're not here to fight. We came to trade. SENTRY He wants to trade. HARVEY You wanna trade your woman? FET Name's Vasiliy Fet. This is Charlotte. HARVEY What's that, some kind of Russian accent? FET Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. New York City boy here. HARVEY New York's gone. FET It's not. I know that's the rumor. It took a hit, but it's holding up. HARVEY Honestly, I don't give a shit. CHARLOTTE I grew up about 80 miles west of here. We're looking for locals with information. FET We're looking for a government installation. HARVEY What kind of government installation? FET Missile base. I heard there were quite a few around here and some of them are still stocked. HARVEY A guy with a Russian accent wants directions to a missile base. I gotta tell ya, I've seen a lotta shit over the last nine months but you two coming in here like that, unarmed wow, that just about takes the cake. FET Look, friend. We have a mutual enemy here, all right? Them. The munchers. We're on the same side. We should be helping each other out. In fact, fighting each other is how we got into this situation. HARVEY You have pretty eyes. FET I know what you're thinking, pal. Don't do it. HARVEY You're gonna take us back to your camp. And then we're gonna kill you and take your woman. And there's not a damn thing you can do about it. FET You got one thing right, when you were just talking there? She does have really pretty eyes. HARVEY What the hell is that thing? QUINLAN Think of me as a demon. From the Good Book. FET Maybe you want to help us out now? COFFER How'd it go? FET Not so good. We ended up doing here was killing more people. Take whatever you want. QUINLAN Losing patience, Mr. Fet? FET Well, six months in the wilds finding empty holes in the ground, finding no holes in the ground, you know, eating jackrabbit, wondering when someone's gonna shoot me for dinner? Nah, this is great. I've been having the time of my frickin' life, Born-o. QUINLAN You can leave whenever you want. FET No, I can't because I'm not a quitter. I'm a complainer but I'm not a quitter. QUINLAN Clearly an important semantic difference. FET You, you're always in the same fricking mood. Maybe that's something I should try. What do you think, Born-o? Is there still a live silo? Or have the strigoi and their asshole collaborators already found the missiles that haven't fired yet? QUINLAN If there is one, we'll find it. FET Well, nice talk. BEN Hey, Coffer, check out this beauty. Anymore ammo for this thing? CHARLOTTE Hey. FET Thanks. Days like these, I wonder if this is hell-searching endlessly for something that might not ever even be there. CHARLOTTE I don't think this is hell. I think it's hell-adjacent. FET Well, thank you for ruining my self-indulgent misery. I was going to wallow in it for a while but. ROSS Who's there? EPH It's the doctor. Neil sent me. Put the gun or away or I'm leaving right now. ROSS What about you? EPH I keep it 'til I know this place is safe. ROSS I'm Ross. This is my wife Karen. You're safe. And you are? EPH Dr. Miller. You're supposed to have some liquor for me? ROSS Yeah. Wedding present. We're not big drinkers. EPH I'm gonna have to ask you to leave. I only treat patients one-on-one. ROSS I'll be right here, hon. KAREN I'm petrified of going to a Freedom Center. I hear they just ship you off to some other facility? EPH Or worse. What are your symptoms? KAREN I ache all over. I'm fatigued. I get these bruises from doing almost nothing. And then I get muscle cramps. EPH Do you have any allergies? Are you supposed to be taking any medication? KAREN No. EPH What about your diet? KAREN Same as everyone, I guess. Except for those Partnership Freedom Bars. I can't get them down. I don't know. I-just-the taste. I don't like it. EPH Open your mouth. Mm-hm. You have scorbutus, also known as scurvy. Your dietary intake of vitamin C is too low. KAREN Vitamin C? Where am I supposed to get oranges or whatever? EPH The Partnership Freedom Bars are a poor substitute, but they have vitamin C. You need the nutrients. Here. In the meantime, multivitamins to start you off. Powdered vitamin C. Mix with water. KAREN I will. Thank you, Dr. Miller. ROSS That's it? Vitamin C? EPH Luckily for your wife, yes. ROSS That booze is hard to come by. EPH So are multivitamins. I don't make the rules. ROSS No, you just profit from them, though. EPH We're all doing what we can to get by. THE MASTER He feels it. Power over lesser creatures. Taking a life. EICHHORST He shot four bullets where one would've been enough. THE MASTER There is dark potential in this boy. KELLY That was beautiful, Zack. ZACK Mom? How- I'm confused. KELLY I'm so proud of you. My boy. You are growing up so fast. ZACK I was thinking about the times we used to come here. You and Dad would take me to the zoo? I feel bad that I killed him. KELLY Zack, no. That is your father talking. Don't let his way of thinking hold you back. ZACK I won't, I just… I'm lonely. I'm so glad you're here. KELLY I'm always here if you need me. But you're growing up now. Listen to the Master. He knows what's best for you. ZACK I will. KELLY My boy. EPH Propane guy show up? NEIL Yeah. So, what did she have? Wow. Look at that. You see what happens when you apply yourself? EPH Now, let's see if we can get Tejada home KARL Strigs! NEIL Shit! EPH Let’s go. NEIL Where are you taking us, huh? EPH Calm down, Neil. NEIL No! No, screw it, man. They're just gonna to kill us anyway. Right? Right? Why don't you just get it over with now, huh? EPH Hey, just sit down! NEIL No, man, this is- EPH Karl! Neil! JASON Please! Help me! Help me! Help! Please, if you walk away, I'll die. EPH You won't die from that- not right away. JASON Please! You have to help me get outta here. EPH Goddamn it. EPH Here. JASON Hurry. You have to get us to safety. EPH Trust me. Neither of us wants to be here right now. JASON What are you doing? EPH Trying to make a tourniquet. ALEX What are you doing to my brother? EPH I'm trying to save his life. JASON Alex, stop. Stop it. He's helping. He's helping. ALEX Idiot! Why didn't you get clear? You had to watch, huh? EPH You two set off the bomb? ALEX Who is this guy? JASON He was on the bus. ALEX On the bus? A human? EPH You two are blowing up buses and you don't even know they use them to transport human prisoners? ALEX How many? EPH Six. I'm the only one who made it out. ALEX You're welcome. For us saving you. EPH Yeah, okay. Thanks. ALEX If we waited for the perfect, polite moment to revolt, it would never happen. EPH They're going to close off this block. They can follow his blood trail here. We need to move him. ALEX I know a place. FET Charlotte? FET Charlotte! Charlotte! Professor? What are you doing here? SETRAKIAN Waiting for you, Mr. Fet. FET I know I promised we'd get you a nuke, and I'm gonna make good on that, but it's not exactly like running down to the corner store for a loaf of bread. SETRAKIAN The world is dying, Mr. Fet. The candle of humanity is being extinguished. You and Mr. Quinlan are its last hope. FET Can't you see I'm doing my best! I'm wandering around the wilderness with the Wormless Wonder searching for something that was never meant to be found! And you're wrong. Me and Quinlan, we're just foot soldiers for the cause. You--you're the one we're all counting on to turn this around. SETRAKIAN "The face of God" is the key to his demise. FET Professor, what are you doing? After all that we went through to get that book! Professor! SETRAKIAN The end is near, Mr. Fet. You would do well to hurry. FET What does that mean? CHARLOTTE Fet? FET Charlotte! CHARLOTTE Hey, Fet. Wake up. Hey. FET Oh! CHARLOTTE You okay? Hey. That was not a good dream. FET No. CHARLOTTE You want to talk about it? FET My people back in New York, they're depending on me, you know? And I feel like I'm failing them, you know? CHARLOTTE No, no. FET Well CHARLOTTE No. Our luck is gonna change. FET Oh, yeah? CHARLOTTE Hey. You'll see. FET What would I do without you? CHARLOTTE You ever hear the farmer’s daughter’s joke about the exterminator from New York City? FET No, never. CHARLOTTE He was big and handsome and had a black beard and a dangerous accent? FET Danger, huh? I like it so far. CHARLOTTE One day this naive farm girl called up and said, "I think I have a snake in my bedroom." FET "A snake." Whoa. Is it poisonous? CHARLOTTE I don't know. Are pythons poisonous? FET No. But tell me anyway. CHARLOTTE Well, he went into her bedroom and he looked under her bed and in her lingerie drawer, but he couldn't find no snake. FET And then what? She said, uh, "Here, let me help you look?" Oh, you don't like that one? Oh, it's more personal fantasy than joke, I guess. Charlotte? Charlotte! Charlotte! EICHORST It’s okay. THE MASTER How fares our young master after the kill? EICHHORST Master, the boy has no interest in our work, nor aptitude for it. He is incapable of shouldering any serious responsibility. THE MASTER Great leaders are not born but forged, Thomas. EICHHORST Leaders, Sire? THE MASTER This vessel I claimed in a moment of necessity, not choice. EICHHORST Master, you don't mean to- THE MASTER Perhaps my next choice should be custom-tailored from the finest human cloth. EICHHORST Forgive me, Master, but the boy is most unworthy. THE MASTER You question my judgement? There are many reasons for us to keep the boy. Goodweather is out there somewhere. He will not allow the Born or Setrakian to move against me so long as I have his son. EICHHORST As you know, my Lord, my legion is searching for them. As well as rounding up every nuclear weapon. THE MASTER Bring them to me on their knees. Then we will need the boy no longer. EICHHORST That is my greatest desire, Master. THE MASTER One more thing. The boy deserves a trophy for his kill. I have an idea for a reward. CHARLOTTE You're all women. FET Charlotte? Is anybody there? ROMAN Save your breath. Lady friend's gone, dude. FET Gone where? ROMAN They took her to turn her to their cause. Captured her. FET Who are you? ROMAN I'm slave labor whenever they need a hole dug or a tire patched. FET You got you got friends coming for you? ROMAN No. You? FET I hope so. ROMAN I had a lady-like you. Then after the Illumination, I went out to find her. Only to discover she was shacking up with someone else. On my way back, nursing my pain, I stopped in at a roadhouse that still served grain alcohol, and that's the last thing I remember. Woke up here with a knot on my head just like you. FET I'm sorry to hear that, friend, but I just I just need a minute to think here to get my head together, please. ROMAN Yeah, all right, man. No problem. No problem. A guy like me, a provider, with food, gas, and ammo to spare, and Nicole chooses a dude with a neck tattoo on instead? I. FET Food, gas, and ammo, you say? ROMAN Damn straight. Power and sewer. A nice soft bed. FET Roman? Hey? How How far is this little nest of yours? Where is it? ROMAN Not far. Why? FET You wouldn't be referring to a government missile silo by any chance, would you? ROMAN What gives you that idea? FET Your shirt. It says you worked at a government missile silo. ROMAN That's classified. FET So you did work at a government missile silo. Did you launch? ROMAN What? FET Did you launch? ROMAN Why do you care? FET Hey, I'm just trying to make conversation, Roman. You know? Getting to know you? ROMAN No, we didn't get the command. Standing orders said to hold in place, and we did. A couple months went by, then we started to get the pirate broadcasts about the surface world. New York and San Francisco, gone. FET That's not true, but go on. ROMAN That's it, man. If I was smart, I would've never left. FET If I get can get us outta here, you could give me directions to your missile silo, right? ROMAN Hah! So you can set up housekeeping with your lady? No thanks. FET No, I'm after a different kind of prize. ROMAN What's that? FET A thermonuclear warhead. ZACK Hey. I was just messing around. ABBY I'm here to clean. ZACK Cool. Hey! Back up! Don't worry, it's fine. Mostly harmless. ABBY Um, I'm just gonna clean up some of this stuff. ZACK I suppose I should have clean this up myself, huh? So--you'll be working here all the time now? ABBY Guess so. ZACK It's cool. EPH It's rough, but it'll do. The next 24 hours are critical. Keep the wound covered and clean. The danger is infection. If you have any connections, penicillin's always a good bet. ALEX Where are you going? EPH Away from here. Look, you have your mission; I have mine. ALEX What's yours? EPH Staying alive. Staying human. ALEX Fine, go. Only thinking about yourself. You're why the world is the way it is. EPH More than you know. You have food? ALEX Some. EPH Supplies? ALEX Maybe. EPH Twenty-four hours, I'll take care of your brother. But you give me food and gear so I can set off on my own in exchange. Deal? ROMAN Help, someone, help! Please, help! ALANNAH Roman! ROMAN He hasn't moved a muscle. I think he might still be breathing- ALANNAH See if he's alive. FET I don't want to hurt anyone. But I will if I have to. CHARLOTTE Drop your gun! FET I'd do it before my friend comes through that door. And throw me the keys! CHARLOTTE Drop it! Put it down! FET Keys! Come on! Well, your timing's impeccable. QUINLAN You were the one who got yourself captured. CHARLOTTE How did you find us? QUINLAN Once I realized you were gone, the trail was easy to follow. FET It was probably my aftershave. So, Quinlan, this is my new friend Roman. Roman, Quinlan. Roman used to work at a missile base down the street. QUINLAN Is there a weapon? FET So he says. QUINLAN Once again, Vasiliy Fet falls into a pile of manure and crawls out smelling of roses. FET Well, that's my superpower. Let's go. Let’s go get our nuke!