NARRATOR: That was the scene in California 's Mojave Desert, five years ago.
Our historic first view of the Newcomers' ship.
Theirs was a slave ship, carrying a quarter-million beings...
bred to adapt and labor in any environment.
But they've washed ashore on Earth...
with no way to get back to where they came from.
And in the last five years, the Newcomers have become the latest addition...
to the population of Los Angeles.
You're up, Comet.
Roll them, Comet.
Too bad, Comet.
Not even the holidays change my luck.
Where are you going, Comet?
Look, l was going to pay you, honest.
Will this one do?
May the Earth stay firmly under your feet.
Right, Albert.
What's on the menu?
Susan is serving a delicious grasshopper mole.
Care for a worm or a tarantula, Matt?
Thanks, Buck, l'll stick to the cocktail weenies.
They'll be here, George.
You're going to rub those Terras to dust, relax.
l am relaxed.
lt's a wonderful party, why don't you come and enjoy it?
-l will, in a moment. -George, it's the Day of Descent.
All our friends are here, l'm happy, Emily is excited...
and even Buck, the alien without a cause, is smiling.
George, why is it that every year on our happiest holiday...
you're always such a grump?
l'm sorry, l will try to have fun.
George, Susan, great Descent party, l guess.
So, you've been bugging me for weeks to show me this...
new tri-deck VCR of yours, where is it?
Oh, yes, Matt....
Excuse me. Matt, l'll show it to you later.
Vohno, my friend. How good it is to see you.
For you.
lt's so expensive.
No. Besides, what's money between old friends?
Business must be doing better.
-Yeah, l've been pretty lucky lately. -We hear you may have good news?
We hope so. We're so sorry you couldn't come to the coupling.
But our Binnaum, Albert, is here, you must meet him.
Matthew, l want you to meet two of our dear friends from the ship...
-Tom and Alva. -Don't tell me, Edison.
-You've heard of my lighting store? -Wild guess.
Oh, yes.
Attention. Please gather around everyone, we have an announcement.
As is Descent holiday tradition, to celebrate the day our ship landed...
Newcomers choose an earthling to do special things for us...
as a gesture of goodwill for liberating us.
And this year, the Francisco family would be honored if...
Matthew Sikes would serve as our Descent holiday Dork.
Dork?
Dork is Tenctonese for ''revered one.''
Smile, it's an honor.
All right, what the hell, l guess l'm your Dork.
Come, l must show you my new tri-deck VCR.
And there were alarms of warning throughout the ship...
and much talk of our forced landing.
A new beginning was at hand...
and as the great craft descended to its place of rest...
new vistas opened up our eyes, filled with wonder...
and we pledged to embrace all Earth beings as our friends forever.
And this is what l've learned since we were released from quarantine.
-Best Descent Party ever, George. -Yes, l suppose.
What is it, Stangya?
What are you two doing here in the dark?
Just recharging for more fun.
-George, what is it? -lt's nothing, Susan.
[Tenctonese chanting]
[Speaking Tenctonese]
[Koulak laughing]
Ruhtra.
lts okay, Neemu, it was only a dream.
Morning, Bryon.
What is the problem with getting some fresh doughnuts around here?
l cannot work with a belly full of stale doughnuts. l'm sorry.
What the hell are you doing?
You've been complaining about having a clean desk.
So l've alphabetized all the files, organized everything in your in and out baskets...
disinfected your desk and your phone's mouthpiece.
You really shouldn't talk with your mouth full.
l hope everything is to your satisfaction.
lt's great. Why?
You are the Dork.
lt's customary to do a nice thing each day of the Descent season...
for the one being honored.
-Anything? -Anything.
-Even getting fresh doughnuts? -lf that is what you desire.
Maybe being a Dork won't be so bad.
Albert, where have you been?
You were supposed to clean my office an hour ago.
l'll get right to it, sir.
Excuse me.
[Cooing]
-What you got under the coat? -Nothing.
Yeah, well your nothing just cooed. What is it?
Get that filthy thing out of here right now.
-lt's just a bird. -lt's not a bird, Einstein, it's a pigeon.
They're disgusting creatures, flying bags of germs. Now get rid of it.
-That is unfortunate. -What's the big deal? lt's just a pigeon.
l believe it is Albert's Dork.
You two, in my office, now.
No, George.
You said l was a Dork. How can a pigeon be a Dork?
Only humans would be so arrogant as to assume such superiority.
ln our eyes, we are grateful to all of Earth's creatures.
Pigeons?
-We've got another missing Newcomer. -That makes two in the last week.
l know. When the Newcomer Advocacy League finds out, l'll be on the hotplate.
lt looks bad, it being your Decent day and all.
-Descent. Day of Descent. -Whatever. Just clear it up.
The latest subject is a guy named Joe Comet.
l was just notified, his wife's in the booking area.
Get out there.
Joe's a good man.
But he gambles.
He's lost our rent money more than once.
l'm not supposed to know, but you hear things from the other wives.
Anyway, when he loses...
he borrows money from the local money broker.
You mean a loan shark?
He's been coming around looking for him.
Do you know this man's name?
Flack. Deon Flack. Two-bit money collector for the mob.
The scumbag and l go way back.
l must have busted him 30 times and 30 times he's gotten off.
Let me do the talking. We have a rapport.
What the hell's going on here?
Hey, Deon, how you doing? Freeze, Deon!
Geez, Sikes, l should have known.
The threads are nice, but the face is just as ugly.
lt's really good to see you too, Sikes. Mind if l have my arm back now?
We're looking for a Newcomer named Joe Comet.
lf you see him, send him my way. The sponge-head owes me eight bills.
No offense.
You wouldn't make someone disappear for eight bills, now would you?
You know what your problem is, Sikes? You, unlike me, are not a people person.
Why would l want somebody who owes me money to disappear?
lt's simple arithmetic.
Here, paid, gone, bye. Boom-boom. You know what l mean?
Now, if you gentlemen don't have any further questions or a warrant...
l shall be on my way.
Happy Holidays.
MAN: Bring him out. WOMAN: Let's go.
[Tenctonese chanting]
-Come on. -l didn't do anything!
No!
l don't want to die!
-No! -Come on.
-Oh, yeah. -No!
MAN: l've got $10 on this one.
SCARHAND: Let the game begin.
For me?
l believe you will find that it is still warm.
Now this is a doughnut.
This all part of that Dork stuff?
Why the long face, George?
Joe Comet's case is no longer a missing person.
Now it's homicide.
Hey, Roscoe, how you doing? You look awful. How's life treating you?
Like he caught me in bed with his wife.
Look at this, huh? Back in the '80s, the good old days...
we'd have 20-30 stiffs a day.
Now they just stack them up like cords of wood.
Doctor, where is the body?
Your sleeping beauty's under there...
but it's going to take a lot more than a kiss to wake this guy up.
What's the cause of death?
l haven't had time to filet him yet, but...
you can roll a bowling ball through the hole in this guy's chest.
A 12-gauge message from the mob for all the boys that owe money, huh?
No shotgun, not that pretty.
You know how a Newcomer is like a seltzer tablet in the ocean?
-Yeah. -Well...
somebody bored a hole in this guy's chest...
with a high-powered stream of salt water.
l mean it's like having acid sprayed right through your body.
From the look on his face...
l'd say that he was awake during the whole thing.
lt must have been one hell of a sight.
Ruhtra !
Earth to George. Come in, George?
You all right, man?
Yes, Matthew, l am fine.
l need....
l'll right be back, something l have to take care of.
That's funny...
you're usually the one to turn a little green around the gills down here, Sikes.
-Tom. -George, hi. What--
l must speak with you. ls this a bad time?
No. Come inside.
George, what is wrong?
Do you have something to drink?
-Aren't you on duty? -l just need it.
l always keep a little something.
You know, for the rough days.
Do you remember the way the bodies looked?
-Why? -After they played?
Do you remember?
What are you doing this for?
George, please! Get out of the past.
Wasn't the hole burned all the way through?
l really have to go now, Stangya.
Wasn't the wound burned all the way through?
Yes!
lt was burned all the way through. Why do we have to relive it?
Because l think l have just seen such a body.
No.
l think the game is being played here on Earth.
Einstein, what are you doing in my office?
lt was an accident, l'm sorry, sir. l don't know how he got out, but--
Got out? What is this?
Looks like a feathered fertilizer to me.
l told you to get rid of that thing.
l tried, sir, but if l don't care for him, they will put him to sleep.
These things happen, Einstein. Lose the bird.
Come on, Bryon.
Wait. Bryon?
You named this thing Bryon? Trying to be a wise guy?
l wish l was wise, sir. l'm just trying to be honorable.
Respect for Earth's creatures...
plays an important part in our Day of Descent ritual.
ln choosing a name for my Earth Dork...
l sought one that was worthy of such respect.
Come on, Albert, l'll help you lose the bird.
All right, hold it.
Okay, look...
you keep that thing in the cage, out of this office...
and when that wing is back in service, he goes, you got it?
Yes, sir. Thank you, l promise.
Come on, Bryon.
From lsiah, three seconds left, two seconds, shoots...
it'll count if it goes. lt goes!
Where you been?
Getting near crunch time, l won't have anybody to pass to.
Something l had to check out.
l've been doing some checking myself, and guess what?
All the missing Newcomers had had...
recent money troubles with that sleaze-bucket Flack.
-This time l'm going to nail him. -l don't think he's behind this.
Come on.
-l don't think any human is behind this. -Why?
lt's a coincidence that four Newcomers that happen to be having trouble...
paying back the mob just happen to be disappearing?
l just think it could be something different.
George, Flack's a lock.
Why must you always have the head of a pig?
l'm not the one being pigheaded here.
Why can't you look beyond your personal vendetta and consider the possibility...
that they might be disappearing for much bigger reasons?
-George, you been drinking? -Maybe l have.
What the hell is wrong with you?
Ever since this Day of Descent thing rolled around you've been a pain in the ass.
Now if you've got some info on this case, spill it...
but don't go ripping my head off, 'cause l'm doing my job.
Look, on the ship, the overseers used to play this game.
lt was very much like the one you called Russian roulette.
Comet's wounds....
They closely resembled those of the slaves who lost this game.
And you think this whacked-out game is going on now?
l'm not certain.
-So you got no proof? -lt's just a strange feeling.
Great, another one of your feelings.
George, we're cops, we deal in facts, not feelings.
And the fact is, Flack has plenty of motive.
You're just letting your milk-fed imagination get the better of you.
Why don't you knock off?
Maybe you're right, maybe it's just the season.
Look, George, a lot of humans can't stand their holidays either.
l mean, have you ever seen the stats around Christmas time on suicide?
Just something about all that happiness makes people go crazy.
Go home. Sleep it off.
Good night, Matthew.
[Tenctonese chanting]
lt's showtime, pal. You're gonna love this game.
MAN: Bring out the champ!
No. Please!
SCARHAND: Push it. l said push it, now!
Push it and you may live. lf you don't, you will die.
Now push it!
Push it! l said, push it!
[Scarhand speaking Tenctonese]
SCARHAND: Tom Edison wins again!
Hi, Little Bryon. Hi. This is Big Bryon. Here you go.
Sort of become one of the family, hey, Captain?
Just make sure he doesn't make a mess.
-So, George. -Yes.
-Where's my doughnut? -l'm sorry, Matthew. l forgot.
Forgot?
l couldn't get any sleep last night, l'm sorry.
My fault. l thought you took this Dork stuff seriously.
l forgot.
Laurel, Hardy, my office.
Where are we on the Flack surveillance?
He's under a microscope. One slip-up, we'll squash him.
Tighten the noose.
The midnight boys found another Newcomer body.
Here. They're worth a thousand words.
The NAL is chewing me red. l want action.
Here. We found this on the victim's body.
Note the residue in the tread.
Have SlD run a bio scan, see where it came from.
As you can see, it's an all-too-familiar story.
Roscoe's confirmed the cause of death. lt's just like Comet's...
salt-water burns through the chest.
[Tenctonese chanting]
Ruhtra !
Francisco?
lt's the holidays. We'll get right on it.
George, wait. Dork to George. Come in, George.
What's going on?
Hey SlD's up here. You're going the wrong way.
No, l'm not.
l thought we were partners.
l get it, another disappearing act like the one you just pulled in Grazer's office.
One body as a warning maybe, but not two.
ls this more of that game crap? ls that what it's about?
What it's about, is telling a Tenctonese family that their father...
will not be home for the holidays. Any more questions?
-All right, l'll grab my coat. -No.
lt is a Tenctonese matter.
Besides, you obviously have your own agenda.
Come on, Flack, give me something to nail you with.
-About this morning. -Forget it.
Did you see the family?
Look, George, l don't want to ruin your holidays any more, but....
George?
Hey, you all right, man?
[George retching]
Oh, man.
You okay?
l have to get Tom back.
He's one of them.
Don't you see?
They did it to him on the ship, and they're doing it to him again now.
George, Flack is a human, he wasn't on the ship.
He's just bringing the players.
To the game?
l thought he had beaten it, but he's out of control.
lt's an obsession. You play the game, you face death over and over again and....
You become addicted, it controls you, you have no choice.
-George, you played the game? -Yes.
[Sobbing] Yes, l played.
They made me play.
l sat powerless and l watched the others die.
And then...
there was just one barrel left and it was pointed at me...
and they were cheering.
They were cheering for me to die.
And then the alarms sounded and panic set in.
There was no time to finish.
The Day of Descent had begun.
All the others had died.
Oh, man.
lt was my turn.
lt's not fair, it should have been me.
Why am l alive and Ruhtra is dead?
Why?
And now it's happening again.
l am not going to let them win this time.
l have to get Tom back.
There is a nightclub he's been frequenting. Alva found some credit card receipts.
He's been acting very strange. She thinks Tom is having an affair.
Can you believe it? They've got a bus around back.
They bring them in here like it's a New Year's Eve bash.
l don't think they're going to like the party favors.
When Tom gets here, we move.
George, l don't think it's time for last rites.
Unless you know something l don't.
No, Matthew, these are not rosary beads.
These Terras...
are a symbolic reminder of our liberation from enslavement...
and the freedom we now enjoy on our new planet.
Each bead represents some aspect of Earth.
This one is for air, and this one is for water.
And these are the solid ground we tread upon.
Many of the Newcomers carry these around holiday times.
Emily made these for me.
Susan and the children love the Descent holiday so...
it's a very special time for them.
You've never told Susan about you and the game, have you?
And how does one do that, Matthew?
Hello.
One-William-52 requesting backup at 1 1976 Brickland.
Possible 187 in progress.
George.
Police. lt's all over. On the floor!
On the floor. You're all under arrest!
What the hell is this?
What it is, Sikes, is a legal enterprise.
And you two guys are in a lot of trouble.
Excuse me.
Come on, man, just a little oil wrestling.
Sikes, what's going on?
l'm not sure.
For money?
You play for money?
Tom, the game is taking your soul.
He is mine again. Vohno works for me now.
Thank you for coming, gentlemen. Please sit down.
As you know, l've asked you here...
in the hopes of avoiding your proposed lawsuit.
My client takes these charges quite seriously.
Forced entry, false arrest, trespassing...
illegal search without a warrant, use of firearms without provocation.
Yeah, it's a hell of a laundry list.
But from where l stand, you're the ones who smell dirty.
Sikes, we've got nothing on him.
Maybe not here, but where l come from he is guilty of all.
Francisco, shut up.
Captain...
my client is an honest citizen who simply deserves justice.
He's just pushing buttons, George. You're stronger, tune him out.
Captain, our intention was right, the location was wrong.
The nightclub is a rendezvous.
He busses spectators to the game...
where people are murdered for their viewing pleasure.
-Captain, this is slander. -He is a murderer.
That is outrageous.
Francisco, desist.
George.
l will see you dead, Koulak.
As of this moment you are both off this case.
Now, get him out of here, Sikes. Now!
l will not sit by and let that butcher keep on killing.
George, have a slug of milk.
Thank you.
Koulak, was right, you know.
On the ship, he kept me locked in a cage, he tormented me whenever he pleased...
and now that l'm in a position to do something about it, l'm equally powerless.
l couldn't stop him then, but l--
We're off the case, George. You're going to have to be patient.
Koulak will slip up, it's just a matter of time.
And how many others will die while we wait?
How many other innocent victims?
l will not let him kill like he killed Ruhtra.
Damn it, George, get a grip!
What's past is past, the dead are dead.
You've got to stop blaming yourself because you survived...
-because you got lucky. -Lucky?
-Ruhtra died. -You couldn't save Ruhtra, George.
He was a guy who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
He was just another Newcomer whose time had come.
Ruhtra wasn't just another Newcomer.
He was my brother.
l didn't know he was family.
l'm sorry.
Come on, let's go.
No.
lt may backfire.
-lt's not your fight, Matthew. -We're partners, George. Partners.
You'll never know how much that means to me.
[Doorbell ringing]
-Matt, l've been trying to call the precinct. -Where's George?
l don't know. He ran out of here about 20 minutes ago.
Damn. Where did he go?
He wouldn't tell me. He ran in here, he tore open this police file...
that was delivered earlier and then he left.
What is it?
A bio-scan report SlD ran on some evidence found on a victim's shoe.
-Does it tell you where he went? -l think so.
Not a bad take, looks like you got a hot player.
Edison's good, but this game feeds on losers.
Get me three more. The next game's in two nights.
l'll never let you down, 'cause you pay up.
Still trying to beat the law of averages, Stangya?
Like your friend, the odds of losing will catch up to you.
l meant what l said, Koulak.
l will see you dead.
Have you forgotten your position as an officer of the law?
-Stangya, l'm defenseless. -l know.
Enough, Stangya.
l control you now like l controlled you...
when l brought your brother to play the game.
That wasn't control, that was you hiding behind the power of the Kleezantsun.
But the cage bars that separated us then...
and the Earth laws that separate us now no longer exist.
You, me...
and your law of averages.
Who's next to sit at the table?
You will be a brave player.
But you will make for better sport!
Stangya, l am going home.
What is it you want?
l want to see what you're made of.
Stangya, you're crazy.
Crazy enough to give you your wish.
Here's your chance to watch me die.
But it is also my chance to watch you.
l will not play the game, Stangya.
l'm going to give you something that you never gave Ruhtra:
The chance to survive.
lf you win, you walk.
But if you do not play, l will kill you where you sit.
Push it.
Can you see the faces of those you have murdered?
Can you hear their screams?
Push it.
Did your victims' eyes scream for mercy?
Oh, Stangya, no.
Do you feel their children's pain?
Can you hear their voices calling you now?
Push the button...
like Ruhtra did, and Tom, and Joe Comet...
and all the others.
Push it!
Come on, butcher, live the moment.
-Push it. -No, Stangya, no.
-Push it. -No.
Help!
Go on.
-Then l will push it for you. -No.
George, don't!
Stangya !
l want you to see their faces every day you rot in jail.
You're lucky you played the game with George.
As is tradition on the final day of the Descent holidays...
let us all join hands and express our thanks to the Earth.
Emily?
l am beholden to the Earth for our home.
l'm beholden to the Earth for freedom.
l am beholden to the Earth for new friends.
l'm not real good at this....
Welcome to Earth.
You sure make things interesting.
[All laughing]
l am beholden to the Earth for my family.
And for my husband who can now celebrate the Day of Descent in peace.
l am beholden to Earth for our new life.
Long may we celebrate Day of Descent.
GEORGE: Long may we celebrate the day of liberation.
GEORGE: Liberation. ALL: Liberation.
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