[waves crashing] [shutter firing] Oh, sorry. Friendship Bell is where? [Woman] Yes, it's just across the street, just up that hill. Have a nice day. [shutter firing] [switch clicking] [shutter firing] [shutter firing] [heart beating] [heartbeat builds, liquid rippling] [distorted State Anthem of the USSR] [Carlos] How'd it go? I got spotted. You know, I actually had to pull the Mr. Yunioshi bullshit just to stay covered. And did it work? Yeah. [laughs] I'll have to try that next time I'm about to get made. Yeah, somehow, I don't think that accent coming from you is gonna work very well. Oh, we'll see. [winces in pain] You should really get that back checked out. Oh, please. I'll trust the Stasi before I trust a chiropractor. Suit yourself. [voice on television] Y'all might be tempted to assume that you can spot a Petrozav based on the usual cues when dealing with a typical foreign agent. But you'd be wrong, and at that point, quite probably dead. Because Petrozavs aren't your typical foreign agents. So assume nothing. And take my word for it, please, there ain't a single man in the bureau who's gonna know better than this little roll of film right here. Emsleyan Research's new RADIOCHROME brand film must be exposed as close to the subject as possible. Place yourself within at least 10 feet for an accurate reading, taking care to avoid detection before and after exposure. [Carlos] No… Is that Rick Tamson? How the hell did they get that old fossil in front of a camera? Don't tell me this is the first time you've seen this. Eh, I skimmed the instruction manual. Look, my pop owned a film lab. Kodachrome. Radiochrome. It's all the same shit. I'll be sure to give Tamson your glowing review when we meet him tonight. Ooh, you're gonna tell on me just like that? Oh, yeah. Okay. You're breaking my heart, hermano. You ready? Let's do it. [Ray] Nuts. Told you. You gotta get closer. It spotted me, Carlos. If I got any closer, I wouldn't be here. All right, let's move. Not much time until she leaves again. [Tamson on TV] This is a postmortem illustration of the first Petrozav captured stateside. Note the cephalopodal organs that only become visible to the naked eye when exposed to RADIOCHROME. Some of you wise guys might look at this and see a walking plate of calamari. What I see is a highly trained specimen that was responsible for the deaths of at least five people. [Tamson on TV] It ain't calamari. How the hell do they do it? Do what? It's one thing to look like someone. But you've gotta behave like them, too. I met a guy once from East Berlin. Ex-cop. He had a good mind on him, too, before the KGB scrambled it. Mm. Anyway, if you believe Inspector Defector, what Zavs actually do is scan your brainwaves, read your memories before they take you over like some deranged photocopier. What we're dealing with, Ray, they're more like viruses than people. Or animals. Don't overthink it. [Tamson on TV] The following is a 1981 debriefing session after the capture of Petrozav Z-43 in San Francisco. Mind if I call you Peter? Don't think I can pronounce your real name, anyway, there aren't enough sounds in our alphabet. Now, if you tell me what the Soviets call you, then we might be getting somewhere. They have my family, okay? You don't understand, they have my entire family. Please. Peter… Petrozavs don't have families. [sobbing] They have swarms. But I like that. That's a nice touch. Someone in Moscow's got a flair for the dramatic. [shouting] They didn't tell me anything, I've told you everything that I know! Please! No, not the needle! [screaming in pain] [flashbulb firing] [straining] [flashbulb firing] [flashbulb firing] [gasping] [Ray] No virus acts that human. What are you saying? That Zavs are just like us? Acting and feeling are two different things. I'm saying you can't act out that kind of terror without knowing how it feels like in the first place. That's got to count for something. Come on, Ray. I thought you had a B.S. in psychology, not a B.A. in bleeding heart philosophy. The hell's got you so eaten up about this, anyway? [dark ambient music] You know, my mom used to tell me this story about Chang'e. She was this Chinese goddess who lived up in the moon with her rabbit and all that. My mom used to show me how you could cover up Chang'e's entire world just by holding a coin up to the moon at the right angle. I used to imagine Chang'e was doing the same thing. Holding a coin up to earth and wondering about us. That Petrozav, Z-43… You were the one that brought it in, weren't you? All right, I'll do the shooting. You stay here and make the prints for Tamson. No, no, I should back you up from across the street. Oh, I keep my backup closer than that, amigo. [tapping gun] Carlos, wait. Just remember why we're here. A Petrozav… It's no moon goddess, Ray. [heart beating quickly] [heart beating, liquid squelching] [Tamson on TV] How does Petrozav mimicry work? It's theorized that the Petrozav's skin, which must be kept moist at all times, contains chromatophores that change color and reflect ambient light. [distant squelching] [faint pulsing] [Tamson on TV] Much like a cuttlefish or an octopus, but I guarantee you it's on a much broader scale, and a— [pulsing intensifies] [footsteps approaching] [high-pitched ringing, dragging sounds] [Tamson on TV] Lab tests indicate that recloaking takes between 20 to 40 minutes to achieve, but the actual window may be shorter. [knocking on door] Got the shot. Need to take a leak. How'd it go? Start developing and let's find out. [Tamson on TV] Just remember, everyone. Information on Mertensian extraterrestrials is fluid and subject to correction. Our understanding of their physiology and independent motives, if any, can change day by day. And maybe you're tired of hearing me say it a hundred times already. Well, you're gonna hear it a hundred times more. Assume nothing. ["Hail to the Chief" playing] [projector advancing] [projector advancing] Holy shit. Carlos! Carlos, we got the shot! [cat scratching and meowing outside] [eerie humming] [oscillating noise building] [rapid clicking] [rhythmic droning, heart beating] [distorted shrieking] ["My Country 'Tis of Thee"] [heart beating rapidly] [bells jingling] [children screaming] [undulating noises, squelching] [Birdwatcher in Russian and English] Smoking's bad for you. You should quit. You're so funny. You think you know so much about my kind. [heartbeat slowing] Don't worry. I'll show you. [high-pitched ringing] [Tamson sighs] Looks like another wild moose chase. [Ray] Or we just missed the shot. There could be something there, if you ask me. That very well could be the case, but… Now I've got the director and Washington on my ass to wrap this thing up in a cellophane bow. Plus, we got other prospects to look at. Not to mention the goddamn mess at Quantico. I'm sending you there next. In three days, we pull the plug on Miss Prada here. How's Carlos? I thought he'd be here too. He had to lie down for a bit. His back was killing him. You know. Sure. [squelching] [ambient music builds]