Episode Three
Sean’s search for her father brings trouble to her family.
Sean and Paka hitch-hike to Sean’s marae, looking for Albie. It’s a relief to be away from the city, away from A.I. security cameras and Visitors. At the marae, Sean’s relatives are pleased to see Sean. It’s been so long! Sean introduces Paka as a simple-minded friend that she’s caring for, even though Paka’s language, dexterity and insights are growing rapidly. She doesn’t tell them that he’s a Visitor.
Sean’s relatives say that they haven’t seen Albie. He was always terrible at coming home. They convince Sean to wait until he gets here. Initially it’s wonderful to be home, as Sean reunites with long-lost family. The marae is preparing for a hui the next day, and in no time, Sean and Paka are doing chores to help. Sean feels good to be connected with her family again. Sean’s Aunty Liz shows Paka photos of Sean as a baby, Albie as a younger man.
At the Visitor’s embassy, Cilandre apologises to the “strong young man” whom she had tortured. His language skills have improved from when we first met him. Bizarrely, his broken fingers have almost healed. Visitors are able to will their body toward health as an act of concentration. Cilandre wins back the young man’s trust. He shares the memories from the Oneness about how Adam died – How Sean “evicted” Adam from his body. Cilandre realises that Sean is the person Albie had been protecting. With an ability like that, she is the person who can create another bridge to the Oneness! Cilandre asks the young man what name he would like. He replied he would like to be called Adam. And with that, the original Adam is, in a way, reincarnated. (From now on the young man will be referred to as Adam2).
It turns out the that hui at the marae is an anti-Visitor meeting. The most radical among them are getting ready for violence, and agree to create a ”resistance“ network. Sean is concerned – they’re mostly conspiracy theorists who could end up in a lot of trouble … but that doesn’t mean they’re wrong.
But then Sean’s favourite cousin comes home. His name is Tūkaha, he’s the golden boy of the marae. A strong man, a brilliant public speaker… and a cop. He’s handsome in his uniform. Sean and Tūkaha get nostalgic, and Sean tells him she’s searching for Albie. Tūkaha tries to convince Sean about the good side of the Visitors. They help people. They use their mind-connection abilities to help people communicate with one-another. He shows Sean news stories of some of the work they’ve been doing as diplomats and negotiators. They’re making our world better.
That night, when Paka is out looking at the moon, he sees Albie stealing supplies from the marae. Albie asks Paka not to tell anyone he saw him, especially Sean. Paka agrees.
Tūkaha gets word that Sean is wanted in connection with a murder. He decides to choose his job over his loyalty to her. When he tries to summon the Visitors, his radicalised cousins accuse him of being a collaborator, and stop him. They imprison him, and in their fervour, things turn dark. It looks like they might actually hurt Tūkaha, until Sean frees him. He escapes, grateful to Sean, but he returns with Visitors and more cops to arrest Sean. Among the Visitors is Adam2. Adam2 has a darkness about him.
The “Resistance” fights the cops. In the fracas, Adam2 gives chase to Sean, who escapes, but she runs into Cilandre and Tūhaka. Cilandre tries to control Sean’s mind. Tūhaka watches on, feeling guilty, but instead of helping, he leaves, feeling ashamed.
As Sean “mind-melds” with Cilandre, we see the world from Cilandre’s point of view. It’s a surreal experience. Dark, with sticky web-like fungus everywhere. Sean sees herself through Cilandre’s eyes, literally. She enters Cilandre’s memories, mixed with her own memories. Things that don’t make sense. Sean sees memories of Cilandre at the Visitor’s embassy. But she also sees herself as a baby. Of Albie as a younger man, with Sean’s mother… and now she can see her mother’s face. It’s Cilandre! Cilandre is Sean’s mother? What the hell? Sean is appalled. In her memory, Cilandre/mother reaches out to a Sean. In the present, Cilandre reaches to Sean… Sean’s will is about to break, when someone hits Cilandre out cold… it’s Noah and Teremoana! They’ve tracked Sean down, and they’re sticking with her.
Amid the fighting, Adam and Paka meet. They are adversaries – equal and opposite. They fight, part physical, part between their minds, but the battle is ended prematurely when Paka sees that Sean is escaping. He runs from the battle, leaving Adam frustrated.
Later, Cilandre recovers from her bash over the head. The marae community, pākehā as well as Māori, are being arrested by the police. It’s a scene reminiscent of Māori protests in New Zealand’s history, except now there are Visitors in control. Cilandre asks where Sean is, but Tūkaha lies, saying that Sean has escaped and is heading in the direction of the city.
From their hiding place in the marae, Sean and her friends watch the Visitors and the police head back to the city. Noah, who has a crush on Sean, has a twinge of jealousy when he sees Tūkaha, but Sean dismisses Noah. Teremoana makes fun of him, but it’s in jest.
Away from danger, Sean returns to the photo album she saw when she first arrived. Among the photos of her and Albie, she finds a photo of her mother. It’s Cilandre, looking exactly the same age as she does now. It confirms what she saw in her vision. What does this mean? Only her father can tell her.
Sean and Paka, Noah and Teremoana head into the mountains behind the marae on their journey to find Albie.