- The 2nd Mass moves into an airport hanger, but the drafty conditions cause Anne to grow concerned about the group's health.
- The 2nd Mass uses an abandoned airport as a hiding place and recover from the last battle with the alien forces. Captain Weaver expects to move to Catskills to rest in the winter, but Tom believes that the Overlords wants this movement. Ben and Jimmy use their patrol to secretly hunt down Skitters. When Pope and the Berserkers kidnap Tom to force him to leave the 2nd Mass, he is rescued by Ben and Jimmy and the rebel group is arrested and delivered to Captain Weaver that forces them to accept Tom or go to jail. Ben and Jimmy attack a group of Skitter, but Ben is controlled by the one with red eye and Jimmy is deadly wounded. Out of the blue, a small plane piloted by a woman lands on the airport and the 2nd Mass is informed that Charleston has become the gathering point of survivors.—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Jimmy and Ben head out on patrol at night and come upon a skitter. Jimmy knocks it down with a single shot. They walk over to inspect and it pops up and tries to attack Jimmy -- Ben grabs it and stabs it easily, enjoying the kill.
Tom checks on sleeping Matt back at camp, he insisted on sleeping with his shotgun, but Hal assures his dad it's not loaded.
They've been in the airport hangar for a week and Anne is worried it's a breeding ground for disease. Tom wants to convince Weaver it's time to move out. She shows him her calendar -- she marks off every day as another they're still alive.
Tom finds Weaver, their recon has spotted skitter patrols trolling for them. Weaver wants to go to the Catskills to hole up for the winter. Tom argues the aliens will think they're surrendering if they hole up. Weaver takes note, but sticks with the Catskills plan.
Tom heads outside the hanger and hears a noise and goes to investigate. He finds Pope and is soon ambushed by his Berserkers. "Let's get this alien stooge out of here before he causes any real damage," Pope says.
They take Tom into the woods where Pope gives him the option of leaving. Pope thinks people are creeped out by Tom's triumphant return from the aliens.
Pope is shoving Tom when suddenly Ben comes out of the darkness and holds a knife to Pope's throat to get his people to back down. Jimmy fires a warning shot. They free Tom and head back to camp.
Back at the hangar, Weaver interrogates Anthony to make sure he wasn't in on Pope's plan. Weaver wants to leave Pope and his people all behind but Tom argues that they need every fighter they can get. Tom concedes that they can't be sure what the aliens did to him. He suggests he join Pope's Berserkers to keep an eye on them.
They break the news to Pope, who reminds Weaver that he's not the enemy.
Out on patrol at night, Jimmy and Ben see a group of skitters, including Red Eye just sort of lurking in the woods. Jimmy stole a flaming round from the Berserkers and uses it to light two of them up. Ben rushes Red Eye but gets knocked down. Red Eye bashes Jimmy into a tree and Ben rises up to take him on. But Red Eye raises a, uh, hand and freezes Ben in his tracks. His harness ports glow blue and he's immobilized. Red Eye seems to talk to him, then he releases him and leaves.
Ben notices that Jimmy is skewered on a tree branch.
Ben brings Jimmy back to camp with the branch through his gut. Weaver and Tom demand to know what he was up to and are angry when he says he was hunting skitters.
Tom and Weaver take turns blaming themselves.
Tom and the Berserkers sweep the area to make sure there aren't any more skitters nearby. They find Jimmy's gun and compass and take cover when they hear noises. Two skitters come into the clearing and Tom overrules Pope's orders to fire. A mech joins them and picks up the carcasses and carries them off. Tom gets credit for keeping them from danger by firing. Pope is annoyed.
In the hangar, Hal is annoyed with his younger brother. Maggie tries to convince Hal to cut Ben some slack. Jimmy is still in surgery.
Tom gives Ben Jimmy's compass. Anne tells them she's done all she can for Jimmy. Ben takes off. Hal suggests his dad not try to follow.
They're interrupted by the noise of a byplane overhead. It lands and the female pilot Avery Churchill introduces herself. She's been looking for the 2nd Mass. She and four other pilots left South Carolina looking for survivors. She has orders from the new Continental Congress elected by 3,000 people in Charleston. The aliens' radar can't detect the plane because it's made out of fiberglass and cloth. She wants them to come to Charleston to join the resistance.
They've made contact with other parts of the world and her mission is to head on to Greenland and then Europe.
Weaver is suspicious and suggests she stay with them until they relocate, so she can't give away their position. Tom thinks Charleston sounds a lot better than the Catskills.
Tom finds Ben at Jimmy's bedside, blaming himself. Tom tries to reassure him.
In the hangar, Avery talks to the people selling the idea of Charleston. Weaver still isn't sold and asks Jamil to find snow tires for the mountain passes. Avery tells Tom they need people like him in Charleston.
Ben comes to get Anne, Jimmy's not breathing. She can't find a pulse and starts CPR. It has no effect. Jimmy's gone.
Weaver goes to dig a grave and Avery finds him. She tells him his people trust him and he should lead them to Charleston.
Tom and Ben prepare Jimmy to be buried. Ben is upset when he can't find Jimmy compass.
Tom finds Pope, who is kicking back drinking beer and has no plans to go to Jimmy's funeral, an "incredibly empty gesture."
Tom notices Pope has Jimmy's compass around his neck and gets angry. Pope taunts him, telling him to come get it. Tom charges him and they start brawling. Pope throws him into a car windshield but Tom gets up and takes him on again and starts wailing on him. Finally, one of Pope's guys breaks it up. Tom walks away with the compass.
They take the dispute to Weaver, who isn't inclined to do anything about it. Pope tells Tom he should have killed him when he had the chance. Pope threatens to leave and Weaver shows him the door. Pope's Berserkers don't follow, but Anthony volunteers to go with him. He feels indebted to Pope for saving his life, plus he tells Weaver someone has to make sure he doesn't double back.
Anne finds Tom tending to his wounds. He disturbed that he snapped and nearly killed Pope. They have a moment and Tom leans and kisses her. Anne's upset -- it's her son's birthday. All she wanted was for no one to die on this birthday.
At the funeral, Tom gives Ben the compass. Weaver gives a eulogy about Jimmy turning into a good soldier and dying a hero. Hal tries to comfort Ben.
Later, Weaver stands over Jimmy's grave as Avery takes off. Ben joins him, returning the compass Weaver gave Jimmy. "He was a good solder, that boy, but he had no sense of direction," Weaver says. Ben fights off tears and tells Weaver he's sorry.
Anne marks another day off on the calendar.
Weaver and Tom prepare to head out -- to Charleston. There are 176 people left out of the 300 they had when they started. Weaver wants to get back in the war.
Ben kneels in the dark at Jimmy's gravesite. He gets up to leave and nearly walks into Red Eye the skitter. He leans over Ben and Ben's harness knobs glow again. Hal's bike roars in the distance and Red Eye runs off. Ben tells Hal he's fine.
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