As Mitch drives to the hospital in Harare and Abraham tends to the injured Jackson, birds slam into the roof of the truck and then keep on flying. The leopard cub growls and Abraham tries to get Jackson to focus by naming the animal. Trucks and people on foot pass them going the opposite direction,.
In DC, Delavane tells Chloe that Reiden will monitor cell conversations and she can't call her team. He says that he understands, but says that if it goes well then they'll have the U.S. government behind them. Chloe figures that Delavane can do it, but he says that she's confronted the outbreaks directly and she's the only one who can convince the government.
The team arrives at the hospital and finds people inside running in panic. There are alligators in the plaza and lions on the rooftop. The doors are locked and Dr. Chenai Okoro finally lets them in. He warns that they're abandoning the hospital, and shoots at a leopard in the adjoining hallway. He tells them that he'll do the surgery and then leave the hospital in an hour with the last ambulance.
As they take Jackson to surgery, Chenai explains that the animals attacked the young and elderly first, as if they were thinning the herd. Before they wheel Jackson in, Abraham tells his friend to be strong. Chenai gives Abraham his rifle and goes inside.
Mitch and Jamie go to the hematology lab to extract the stem cells from the cub. Abraham joins them and takes the lead, gun ready. There are corpses scattered about and a single set of paw prints. The leopard growls from ahead where the lab is, and the trio carefully proceeds.
More lobbies come up the stairs from the lobby.
In DC, Chloe and Delavane listen to a speaker at a scientific convention insisting that the animal behavior is caused by a virus. Delavane assures Chloe that she's picked up enough in the last few weeks to convince the scientists. The chairman calls up Delavane, who nods to Chloe. She goes up to the podium.
The trio reaches the lab and Mitch goes to work. He warns that they're going to need an animal to test it on, and Abraham says that they'll need a domesticated animal. He tells the others not to open the door until he returns, and assures Jamie that he'll be okay.
Chloe introduces herself and explains what her team has discovered. One of the scientists asks her a technical question, and she admits that she doesn't know what he means. Chloe points out that the animals are healthy which wouldn't happen if a virus was involved, and warns that the balance of nature will soon be disrupted. Many of the scientists walk out, but one woman, Amelia Sage, looks intrigued.
Mitch extracts some of the Mother Cell and Jamie says that it has to work or her mother will have died for nothing. Mitch jokingly asks how it feels to be human, and Jamie gets the tooth from the cub.
Chenai finds Abraham and tells him that he'll be asleep for another hour or two and then will need antibiotics. He advises Abraham to stay away from the animals and leaves.
In the postop ward, a nurse is prepping the two remaining patients, a woman and a boy, for transport. After she leaves, a leopard enters the room. Meanwhile, Chloe comes in and tells Jackson that she was worried, and she got there as soon as they could. He says that he as thinking about her before his surgery, and Chloe starts to kiss him... and then screams. Jackson wakes up from his dream and looks over at the other patient, who is screaming at the sight of the leopard standing over the dead nurse.
Abraham drives through town and prays to God as he looks for a domesticated animal. He spots a dog, Bacco, and goes over, and it snarls at him. The owner is ready to shoot it, and Abraham says that he can save the dog. The man agrees and Abraham manages to snag it with an IV stand.
Jackson pulls his IV out and whispers at the other patients to stay quiet. He picks up the boy and sits him with the woman, and then moves a card to bock off the leopard. Jackson then wheels the bed into a supply room, barring the door behind them as the leopard charges. The boy finally indicates that his brother is still in the room.
Mitch confirms that they have viable stem cells, and Jamie points out that the cub is growling. As he works, Mitch talks about how he never did like the pain he saw in his parents. He admits that it used to bother him when Jamie talked about her mother, but he's gotten used to it. Mitch then thanks Jamie for dragging him into the situation, and for giving him the courage to save his daughter, and for reminding him that it's okay to feel. He admits that she saved him, just as the cure finishes processing. Jamie opens the door to find Jackson... and finds a leopard outside. It enters the lab and Mitch sets off the fire alarm, spraying the room with halon gas. Mitch and Jamie run out and slams the door shut, leaving the Mother Cell behind. Abraham arrives and Mitch suggests that the birds that attacked the truck were also trying to get the cub. Mitch has the vial containing the cure and warns that they only have one shot. They go to the patient room where Abraham locked up Bacco.
In the room, Mitch prepares the injection and then jabs the dog in the flank with the syringe. Chloe calls Jamie and they start to compare notes, but Delavane takes the phone away from her. She insists that it's clean, and figures that she's failed to convince anyone. Several men in suits approach them and order Chloe and Delavane to come with them.
Jackson braces himself and then goes after the brother. There's no sign of the leopard, and Jackson makes his way to the door. The boy is on the last bed, and Jackson moves him toward the supply room. The leopard returns and Jackson charges straight at it. It backs off long enough for Jackson to get into the supply room and close the door.
Bacco continues barking, and Mitch figures that they've failed. Abraham tells him to focus on why it didn't work, and Mitch works through the possibilities. He suggests that the injection never made it out of the dog's flank, and they should introduce it orally. They have only a small dose remaining, and they go to administer it before the cub's pack arrives.
Abraham and Jamie hold the dog while Mitch manages to squire the cure into Bacco's mouth. He calms down after a minute and lets Mitch pet him. They head out to find Jackson and take the cure back to the U.S.
The men take Chloe and Delavane to a high-security conference room. Amelia is waiting for them and says that she believes them... and so do the people who matter.
Abraham goes to the postop room and Jackson comes out of the supply room. Jackson admits that Abraham was right about what he said to him, and he's made some dangerous choices. Abraham confirms that the cure worked.
Mitch and Jamie head out but the leopard cut them off. Jamie takes Mitch's hand and they wait... just as soldiers burst in and tranq the leopards.
Amelia says that they've known about the problem for two weeks, and they've noticed the same things that Chloe reported. She assures Chloe that her team are about to become heroes, and they're not alone.
Sergeant Lovell explains that they had orders to get the team out. Mitch and Jamie meet Abraham and Alexander, and Lovell assures them that the kids are on the way to New York. He agrees to spare two men to take Bacco back home, and the team heads for the airport to catch a flight to DC.
En route on the plane, Abraham and Jackson make plans to get hamburgers when they land. Jamie confirms that the cub has dozed off and has the men watch her while she goes back to where Mitch is drinking. He offers her a drink and she figures that they did pretty good... and then kisses him. After a moment, Mitch kisses her back.
The plane suddenly shakes, and the captain announces that the airspace has been closed due to unusual migratory behavior. The hatch suddenly smashes open and the plane depressurizes.
Written by Gadfly on Sep 14, 2015