Episode 1.10 - Edge of a Knife (Season Finale)

Blood Rock Springs Created by Mark R. Healy A Beyond the Dark Production Season 1 Episode 10 Edge of a Knife Well, I hate to rain on anyone's parade, but we've been wandering around this paddock for the last half hour now and we haven't found shit. We haven't searched everywhere yet, Wally. Just cool it. Easier said than done when the clock is ticking, Max. Anytime you want to cut loose, just feel free, Wally. And leave you three at the mercy of those freaks out there in the dust? That's not my style, mate. We can look after ourselves. You can, can you, Sierra? What, with that kitchen knife of yours? Do you know how much stopping power a kitchen knife's got against a squiddy? I'll give you a hint. It's less than one and more than minus one. Give it a rest, mate. Come on. Do you know what it is? Or do we need the mathematics genius over here to step in? Uh, leave me out of this, please. I'll tell you. It's zero. Okay? And Max, with his cricket bat here, he's not much better. The last time you tried to save the day, your bloody gun jammed, Wally. Yeah. How much stopping power does a gun have when it won't fire bullets, I wonder? Not much. But still more than a kitchen knife, I reckon. And besides, like I told you, that jam was one in a million. Oh, shit. It's another one. They're getting closer. Much closer than before. If we don't find this mine entrance soon, we're stuffed. And to be honest, I don't think we're gonna find it. Not out here. We haven't finished the sweep of the paddock yet. What about over there? Towards the eucalyptus trees? That day I saw Whittaker out here. He was heading more to the east, but I suppose it's worth a shot. Spread out as you walk. Keep an eye out for footprints. Whittaker may have left some behind last time he came through here. Don't forget, if worse comes to worse, the bunker is still an option. It's only a few minutes' walk from here. I thought we ruled that out. There's no point going there. I'm just saying, it's there if we need it. How much longer do you think we have left? before the air bubble around us collapses? There's really no way to tell. But to be on the safe side, we should assume it's not long. Listen, Wal. If the air does disappear and we end up being enveloped in that bloody dust, when you see me turning into one of those calamari heads, you 100% have my permission to blow my head clean off my shoulders. Well, that's a cheery thought. Don't worry, Sarah. If it comes to that, I'll do us both. Did you get the quote? What? In the movie, Aliens. That's what Hicks says to Ripley when she tells him she doesn't want to be turned into an... Listen, let's just make sure it doesn't come to that, alright? Everyone keep looking. Ooh, nice work, Max. That's the other part of the quote. I didn't realise you were a fan. Look, what's that over there? Oh, we might have something here. It's definitely an entrance leading down. Yeah, but to what? Now, don't get too carried away. Could be anything. Could be someone's bloody septic tank. Shine a flashlight down there, Max. Jeez, look at that. The doors that were covering this thing have been ripped off their hinges. Yeah, there was a padlock on it too, before the whole thing got busted open. It's a tunnel, all right. Looks like it leads back south. Towards the highway. And the artifact. This could be it. Whitaker probably slapped the padlock on there to keep people out. Damn. That thing's close. This may or may not be the tunnel we're looking for, but... Either way, I think we're out of time. What do you reckon? Do we go for it? Yep. I'm willing to roll the dice. Fine with me. Savage? Lead the way. I'm right behind you. Well, at least we can use the torches down here without worrying about the squiddies finding us. That's true, but we can't forget about them entirely. Something ripped those doors off their hinges and... Assuming this is Graham's tunnel, somehow I doubt it was him. Uh, Sarah, do you still have the mud map? Right here. Good. You just tell us where we need to go. Okay. Uh, it's another left up here. So, do you reckon they're down here? Possibly. We should assume that they are. Be ready for anything. Shit! What if the squiddies get to Whittaker first? Well, it probably won't be good. Maybe they'll do the job for us and take the bastard out. That won't really achieve much, Wally. It's the artifact that's the more important thing. Ideally, it would be good if we could convince Graham to help us. He's the one who has the best understanding of how it works, after all. It didn't sound like he was too interested in what we had to say the last time we spoke. If I can talk to him face to face, I'm hoping I can get through to him. What are we actually gonna do with the artifact if we get our hands on it anyway? Smash the bloody thing? That could be an ill-fated decision, I'm afraid. Hang on You not trying to suggest that we leave the damn thing running are you Whatever course of action we take we have to Look out Got him! Ha ha! Take that! Damn! Nice one, Wall. Reflexes of a cat. Too easy. Well, now we have our answer. They are down here with us. They're looking for the artifact, just like we are. Come on, let's keep going. I think we're getting close. There's another fork here, Sarah. It's right this time. Are you sure? It looks like a dead end down that way. Well, that's what the map says. Assuming we found the right tunnel to begin with. Just keep going, okay? Okay. Follow me. Wait. I'm not sure this is a dead end after all. Look. Doesn't look like dirt. It's way too shiny. It's the black wall. We found it. It's the exterior of the artifact. Looks like Whittaker managed to carve a chunk of it out. There's a door over on the side. This black substance might be the outer layer of the alien craft. I wonder what it's made of. Let's form a two-by-two split, people. Breach on my command. What are you talking about, Wall? We're not a bloody SWAT team. Well, what do you suggest, Sarah? Knocking politely and hoping Whittaker will let us in? No need to knock, Wally. Just go right in. Fuck! Whittaker! Damn it! How'd he get behind us? I don't know, but don't make any sudden moves. In case you hadn't noticed, he's got a shotgun pointed right at our heads Oh, that's good advice, Savage You took the words right out of my mouth I didn't think you were a man of violence, Graham Well, when you have secrets to protect, like I do You need to take precautions And luckily, I found someone who could give me the protection I needed Right here in town Why is he looking at you, Wally? Okay, look. I sold him the gun. But I didn't know he was a bloody mad scientist when I did it. You could have told us he was armed. I thought we'd get the jump on him. There's a bench just inside the door. Why don't you all put your weapons down there? Slowly. You... you want us to go inside? Why not? A moment like this deserves to be witnessed, doesn't it? What moment? In you go. Come on. And don't try anything stupid. There. Weapons down. You happy? How'd you end up behind us? Well, I heard you blasting away with your guns just a minute ago and realised you must have finally found me. And let's just say I've got all sorts of tunnels down here. All of those twists and turns and loops come in handy when the need arises. Hey! Back up, missy. Don't you even think about trying to slip past me. Just stay right away from that door. What is this place, Graham? It's so strange. Marvellous, isn't it? The technology of an advanced species. And you're one of the first to ever see it. One of the last, too, the way things are going. What's that thing up there? The big crystal taking up half the wall with all the electrodes and shit hanging out of it. I think you know what that is. A big-ass crystal? That's the alien computer? Well, it's not really a crystal. Well, not really a computer, either. But, in the interests of simplification, yes. Let's say it is. You said you could access the data inside. Reprogram it. How does that work? I created a basic interface using these probes here. But that isn't important right now. What is important is that you've all been honoured. You're all going to witness my moment of triumph. You see, I just finished the alterations to my code a matter of minutes ago. It's compiling right now. What alterations, Graham? I'm overwriting the core again. This time, the change will be permanent. You're going to make the dust go away? I'm going to restore the atmosphere surrounding us. Everyone is going to be breathing pure, fresh oxygen in no time. You'll see. Then, once it's stable, I'll release my findings to the world and the artefact will realise its true potential as a... Is there a problem with the laptop, Dr Whittaker? What's going on here? This can't be right. Give it a reboot. Always works for me. It didn't work, did it? The core is still overriding the code. I took steps to ensure this wouldn't happen. Well, I guess you're not as smart as you think you are, Doc. Wait, wait. Just wait. I can fix this. If I'm reading the graph on that screen correctly, it looks like we have a matter of minutes until the entire artifact has reverted to the old code. We have to stop it now before we are enveloped by that toxic dust. There's no such thing as toxic dust. You've always belittled my achievements, Alison. You've always doubted me, despite everything we've been through. You need to stop this madness, Graham. Right now. Stay back, or I'll blow your head off. Listen to her. We're all gonna die if you don't stop this shit. Stop it. Oh no. There's no stopping it. This is my life's work. I'd rather die than... Get down Look It bloody Squidgazza He back He dragging him back towards the mine entrance Quick shut the door There are more of those bastards coming! Help me! Barricade it, quickly! Slide the bench across and wedge it under the handle. Shit! That was really close. How'd you like that? Gazza really did come to the rescue, just like he said he would. Yeah, good job, Gazza! Don't celebrate yet. This isn't over, not by a long shot. Shit, I don't think that door's gonna hold long. That's one problem, yes. But if you think that's bad, look here on the laptop. What does it say? According to these readings, we're entering the endgame. The core is about to override the last remaining modules in a matter of minutes. So that new code Wittaker tried to install, it failed? Completely. In fact, his changes may have even inadvertently accelerated the reversion process. Well, in that case, you better all stand aside. Time to blow this crystal monstrosity back to wherever it came from. No, wait! Don't shoot the artifact. Hey, I'm on Wally's side for once. Let's shut this thing down however we can. Listen to me. The outer coating on this crystal is the only thing keeping us alive right now. How do you figure that? Whitaker told me a little about how the artifact worked. Or computer, if you want to call it that. There's a modular structure that amplifies the processing power. He told me he'd even managed to remove a part of the structure at one point and was able to operate it independently to the core. Removed a module? You mean he separated parts of the crystal somehow? That's my assumption. According to the readings on this laptop, the core is at the center of the crystal. That was the first part to revert to the old programming. Little by little, it's been overriding more and more modules, working its way toward the outer layer. So it stands to reason that the outer crust is now the only part that contains the oxygen-producing modules. They're the ones keeping the bubble around us. Yes. It's possible that if we extract some of those outer crystal structures, the ones that are still running Graham's altered programming, there's a chance they may keep producing oxygen, since they'll be physically separated from the core and therefore won't be overwritten. Of course, because the modules are only a fraction of the size of the whole crystal, they'll likely be far less powerful, so the air bubbles they'll produce will be much smaller, I suppose. Is this all just theoretical, or...? I can't give you an ironclad guarantee that it all works, Sarah, but I know one thing. If we destroy the outer part of the crystal, the oxygen will be sucked out of this room in an instant, replaced with the toxic atmosphere. We'll all be dead in seconds. Nah, we won't die. We'll just get turned into squiddies. Oh, yeah. Well, that's much better. So what do we do? Start tearing chunks off the crystal? We have to be very careful about how we do this. Fine slivers of crystal, that's what we need. If we break off too much, we risk taking modules that have already been overwritten. The toxic ones. So, probably not the time for a shotgun. No, Wally. I've got a .22 here. No guns! We need to be delicate. Does anyone have a chisel or a rock hammer? Who the hell carries a rock hammer around with them? Look around. Maybe Graham has something here. I don't see anything like that. Wait a second. I knew it would come in handy. The kitchen knife. Yes! You've got to be shitting me. Yes, let me do the trick. Quickly, Sarah, over here. Small, precise movements. That's what we need. Can you do that? Uh, okay. Does this look right? That's it! You've got one already! Keep going! Let me get a couple from over here. The door's starting to give! The squiddies are going to be through any second! There are dozens out there. We kill the whole lot of them, do you think, Walt? Well, not with that bloody cricket bat we won't. Here, we have the shards. Everyone take one and put it in your pocket. That's great. We've got the crystals, but I think we're about to get steamrolled here. So, there's that. Going down in a blaze of glory. Just like I always wanted. Come on, we can't have gone through all this shit just to end up being torn to shreds by Gaza and his mates. Wait a second. Whittaker ended up coming in from behind us, remember? when we reached the Black Wall. He said he's got all sorts of tunnels down here. That's not much good when there's only one way out, Max. That's the thing. What if there is another way out? Another exit to this chamber? Here, follow me. Where are we going? Let's see what's out the back. There! Check it out! Another doorway! Yeah, it's another tunnel, but... is that leading even further underground? We need to get back to the surface, Max. It's worth a shot, isn't it? Maybe we can at least buy some time this way. Uh, okay. Yeah, sure, I'm with you. Let's try it. Right, let's go. Hey! This tunnel loops back around. Yeah. Look, I think that's the fork we saw earlier up ahead. With any luck, we may be able to sneak past the mutants undetected. Okay, just keep it down until we're through, okay? I reckon we've done it! Max, you're a genius! I didn't get to shoot a single bloody thing. Don't worry, Wal. There always next time if you want to Wally Look out Nicely done Max But don celebrate yet There more coming Look out Finally! Here we go! Sarah, behind you! God, the bastard! Stabbed him right in those stupid bloody sunglasses! Looks like the first wave has passed. Let's gear up for wave two. No, screw that. Come on, let's get the fuck out of these tunnels while we still can. Oh yeah, I'm with you, Sarah. Come on, let's go. We're outside. We made it. Oh, thank God. Good job finding the way back out, Sarah. You were swinging that knife around like a pro down there too. Yeah, if you get him where it counts, right between the eyeballs, it slows him down for sure. Seems like the good old kitchen knife does have some stopping power after all. I suppose I stand corrected on that one. Well, look at that. You made Wally eat his words for once. You did okay yourself down there, Max. Pretty handy with that cricket bat, mate. What was your average back when you played? Oh, about seven, I think. Jeez, that's terrible. Mine was 98. Yeah, cricket was never really my game, to be honest. This mutant bashing thing, though. This is a whole different kind of sport. Squidball! Yeah, I like it. Maybe we should see if we can set a few high scores. Well, before you hit the arcade, you might want to take a look around, fellas. Check it out. Damn. The oxygen bubble. It's shrunk to almost nothing. It's pressing in all around us. Look above. The roof of it is barely 50 metres high and about the same distance wide. What, so the dust storm has almost fully collapsed? I think it has collapsed, Wally. The artifact has fully reverted to its original function, creating a purely toxic atmosphere. Our shards must be doing their job. They're keeping this tiny pocket of breathable air around us. So, what now? Where do we go? We have to try and warn the proper authorities about what's going on here. That means making it out of this town and finding our way back to civilization. If there's even a civilization to find. We have to head back east then, back towards the coast. It may not be easy finding our bearings without a working compass. I reckon we just follow the highway. That'll take us where we need to go. So, this is it. It's finally time to leave town. You're doing it, Sarah. It took a bloody alien apocalypse, but you're doing it. Better late than never. Hello? Hello? Is that target practice I hear? I applaud the bravado, friends, but let's be realistic. We have to assume that everything in town that's been exposed to the dust storm is now toxic. With that being the case, we have almost no food or water. We have a long way to travel and there may be a thousand mutants between us and Salvation along that highway. No one said this shit was going to be easy. Listen, guys. We have to assume that everyone in this town is gone except for us. We're the last survivors of Bloodrock Springs and we are not going to go down without a fight. I, for one, have every intention of making it out of here. Who's with me? Fuckin' oath. Yes. I'm with you, Max. All the way. Alright. Place your hand here. On top of mine. That's it Take a deep breath And feel it Now Let's show those fuckers What we're made of Blood rock Let's rock Hey there, this is Mark R. Healy, the creator of Blood Rock Springs. I hope you're enjoying the show. In case you didn't know, I'm the sole member of Beyond the Dark Productions. I write, cast, direct, sound engineer and produce all of my own shows. I also self-finance these productions and without the help of the community, it's just not possible to keep things going. If you'd like to hear more episodes, please consider taking a look at my Patreon. That's patreon.com slash beyondthedark. For a few bucks a month, you can get early release episodes ad-free along with exclusive content and as an added bonus, you'll also be helping to keep my productions going. Check it out if you get the chance. That's patreon.com slash beyondthedark. Blood Rock Springs, Season 1. Stars, Thomas Barker, Chloe Elmore, Marlon Dance Hui, Sian Luxford, Floyd Kennedy, and Gavarock. Created by Mark R. Healy. A Beyond the Dark production. The Fable and Folly Network, where fiction producers flourish.