- Previously on Motherland: - Welcome to Fort Salem.
I am General Sarah Alder. All of you have answered the call,
just like your mothers and their mothers before them.
We live in a time of ancient hatred and emerging threats.
The Spree are ruthless and savage.
We will need all of you to meet what's coming.
I am Drill Sergeant Anacostia Quartermaine.
My job is to keep you alive through basic.
Starting this year, you will rise or fall as units.
How anyone in your unit performs is how everyone in your unit performs.
I know this is a lot for you, but it is just the beginning.
- Guys, let's all take a breath. - You look troubled, child.
- I want to be reassigned. - I heard your request was denied.
I'm the one who should walk.
The Spree has no great leader. They will appear normal
- in every way, and maybe even are. - I'm Scylla.
How can we fight them if we can't even tell who's one of them?
I have to go back to Circe. I have inspection.
This is an inspection.
Stop, Scylla
No, this is important.
I need to secure this area.
Okay, I gotta go.
- How's high and mighty? - Abigail? The same.
A lot less mighty than she thinks she is.
Yeah. That's just the world she comes from. It's her family.
Where do you come from, since we're on the subject?
All over.
Could you be more vague?
- We moved around constantly. - You a base brat?
My parents didn't serve.
How'd that work out for them?
- It's complicated. - I do complicated.
Bells are ringing.
Don't you have to go?
- I'll see you tonight? - I'll try.
I'm not sure when we're done, so...
Henbane, aconite, yarrow.
So you're saying if I chew on those at midnight on a full moon,
that I'll start floating around the sky like one of you.
- Not exactly, Madame President. - Kelly.
Not exactly, Kelly.
This is what we make our salva out of.
We use it in combat, as you may recall.
The recipe is quite ancient.
If we could all float away from the Spree...
General Alder,
I'm speaking here as a friend,
you need to give me something on those butchers,
because sooner than later, there'll be no place safe
to be a person in America, much less the world, for that matter.
We work ceaselessly to deliver the Spree to justice.
But what are we doing in a concrete way
to find these people, to stop these people?
We've developed a way to track the Spree's use of forbidden workings.
- How? - This kind of work leaves a signature.
One that we now recognize.
Just an hour ago, one of their bombs went off on a bus in Kiev.
They're branching away from balloons.
- They used a bottle this time. - A plastic bottle?
Anything that holds a volume of air.
The sound they trap inside needs it. Small as a pill bottle.
I need to know about these things.
- There's a lot you don't know. - Is that so?
Attacks like this are military matters, by rule of law.
And you too are bound by rule of law
to the will of the American people,
who have elected me to represent their interests
and protect them. Don't you forget it,
or you may find yourself reminded.
I'm not surprised.
I missed inspection.
We know. We were there.
Anacostia gave me guard duty tonight.
Should have thought about that before you
were late for third bell.
That kind of nonsense is not how we're going to get ahead!
What are you doing here?
You weren't supposed to... You did not.
Tell me you did not come when you didn't have to.
Why would you subject yourself to this willingly?
- Having a bad time? - I miss home.
You hated it there. You told me every day.
I know, but I was foolish then.
It was so peaceful and relaxed, and I had privacy...
Glory, may I remind you, the world really needs us right now.
It's becoming a scary place. Maybe we can make it a little less scary.
- My Seed Sounds are a mess. - They'll get better.
- I don't want to die a terrible death. - I know.
There's no going back. We're here.
We ran out, so we're raiding your mess.
- Ran out of...? - Coffee.
- I'm sorry. - Nothing to be sorry about.
You remind me of my daughter.
Ladies. Top five highest ranking units
will attend the pageant in Salem Town,
after which they will enjoy a few hours of unsupervised time off base.
Best of luck, ladies.
Let's walk.
- How did it go with Wade? - Same.
Threats wrapped in condescension.
If I don't deliver a victory in the Ukraine,
she intends to bring out conventional forces to fight the Spree.
- She said that? - In as many words.
She wants to be re-elected. That's her real drive.
Eliminating the Spree is incidental.
How are things in Kiev?
We're waiting for the strike team to land.
Well, hello there.
Hi. Don't you all look happy and healthy.
A blessing on you children so you can stay safe and strong.
My word is done...
as the rising moon and the setting sun.
Go play.
Does me good to see the fosterlings.
I remember when you were one of them.
- How's your Bellweather Unit? - Better.
You should have seen Petra's daughter whinny and pout when I kicked her out of my office.
She got the message.
Keep me posted on them.
Everyone is still talking about what they did in vocal.
I have officially taken an interest.
Understood.
Libba Swythe.
Daughter of misfortune.
I thought I smelled sulfur and defeat.
Abigail Bedwetter.
I mean, what happened to her?
All that careful breeding and a face like a spider abortion.
You're a contagion, Libba.
You're a dumb noodling nay-nayhorse from a dumb noodling nobody family.
You're the kind of stupid that spreads.
You are malice, Abigail.
I heard about your little meeting with Alder.
Maggots will reject your fetid corpse!
Don't let her take your joy. That's what she eats.
Gather.
Pick it up.
Run at me and stab me in the eye.
- What? - Now.
Again.
Is anyone up for this?
Windshear, ladies.
The first official piece of military canon
you get in basic training.
Windshear is a site-specific, rapid-conjuration, impact-absorbing shield,
created by layering two complicated Seed Sounds subvocally.
No big deal, right?
We will begin with Seed 41, the seed of haste and accumulation.
Upper register, just north of audible range.
- So, Libba... - You guys seem tight.
It's a family thing. Our mothers hated each other in War College.
- Libba did add to it, though. - What did she do?
It was my debut,
unarguably the most important day of my life before getting called.
She danced with my Cavalier before I got a chance to.
- What language are you speaking? - What's a Cavalier?
Kind of like your date for the night, but way more astrological and foretold.
Anyway, she danced with him in front of me,
in front of the very best of Annapolis witchery.
It was a declaration of war.
War, though, isn't that a little disproportionate?
You don't get it.
It wasn't about the guy.
That was my night.
She took it from me.
Hey.
Lieutenant Helen Graves.
Sorry to scare you.
- You must be Private Collar. - Hi.
I brought coffee.
- No thanks. - Suit yourself.
- It's not my fault you're here. - I never said it was.
This is gonna be fun.
- What year are you? - Sophomore, War College.
- What specialization? - Necro.
- What's that like? - Necro's like any other.
Blasters blast, they clear ground with dangerous weather,
Fixers fix people, keep 'em alive, Knowers see around corners,
they know what to do, when to do it.
Necros, well, we just happen to channel the power of death itself.
Well, what does that mean?
Death has its own magnetism and resonance,
highly directable in combat situations,
great for gathering intel.
The dead make excellent eyes and ears.
Why are you so curious about Necros?
- No reason. - Yeah.
Two can play at that game, tight lips.
All right, so maybe I have a special Necro in my life.
This evening just got interesting. Who is she?
She's a second year. Scylla Ramshorn.
Bright girl. Best in her year.
Yeah. Bit cagey, though.
The thing you've got to understand is that Necros
are a weird lot on the best day.
- And why is that? - Because of what we can do.
Because we are the Army's bastard stepdaughters.
Because we're so damn spooky.
On top of that, Scylla's got her own stuff.
Mind you, this is just gossip, but I heard the Army killed her folks.
- Why? - Draft dodgers.
Again, don't quote me, but that'll mess you up.
You look pretty wiped.
Yeah, I barely slept last night either.
I wonder what you were up to.
Tell you what. Who's your drill sergeant?
- Quartermaine, right? - The one and only.
Go sleep.
I'll tell Anacostia you were the picture of military virtue.
You know what? I'm good.
My orders were to walk the perimeter until dawn
and that's what I'm gonna do.
Save that fight for the Spree, Private.
Give your special Necro a minute to open up. I bet she's worth it.
I will. Thanks.
Weakness and fatigue have no place in a witch's army.
I was out kind of late, I'm not sure if you remember or anything.
Irrelevant. Bellweather,
show Private Collar what endurance looks like.
Atonals, Seed 26, please. The seed of discord.
I'll tell you when to stop.
Fuel your bodies, ladies.
Training resumes in two hours.
You okay?
We're moving on to Windstrike.
Do you think Anacostia would let us do any kind of extra things?
- What extra things? - I just mean like extra extra things
to bump up our ranks to go to Salem.
- Like clean latrines. - Enjoy that.
- Why do you want to go so bad? - I want to go to the Pageant.
I want to be off base. All we do is train and sleep.
This should be your blood.
Let me fix it.
I don't want your country shit on me.
All good. Just trying to help.
- Let her help. We're a unit. - Shut up, Tally.
Okay.
- I'm just gonna... - Yeah.
To her that knocketh,
it shall be opened.
Power and glory, for ever and ever...
I don't know why I even try. Honestly, you...
- Where are you going? - Who wants to know?
We have training.
What the hell are you doing here?
Making sure you're not late for training.
No, Abigail, it's not your job to ride me.
You know the drill. We're in this together.
Yeah, is that what you said when you tried to ditch us?
So high and mighty.
It's so beautiful, Mom.
I'm glad you like it, my love.
I was so surprised.
I was kinda surprised when I was making it for you.
It's amazing here, Mom.
I mean, just the sense of history and culture.
- My unit, they're incredible. - That's nice.
- Glory's here. - Good.
- How's she doing? - She's scared.
She should be scared.
And so should you.
I'm really trying to have a nice conversation, Mom.
It's a death sentence, Tally.
I've seen it with my own eyes.
That place is not you.
When are you coming home?
I am home.
My throat is still killing me.
Maybe you should have let me finish fixing you.
How was I supposed to know what you were doing to me?
- Now both our throats hurt. - Bitch.
- Bitch, bitch. - Easy, guys.
How about we keep it about the work, Abigail?
Precision is key, always.
Remember you are calling on no less than the force of a hurricane.
When my cousin did basic, they didn't learn Windstrike until after Beltane.
There's been a lot of chatter about how fast training is coming at you, ladies.
But are you really surprised, given the state of the world?
The Spree debuted a whole new kind of bomb in Kiev.
We don't have nine months to get you ready.
What are you so weepy about?
My mom gave me this.
It's a combat charm.
It's a really big deal for her.
She hates anything even remotely military,
so I called her to thank her and we started out so well,
devolved into the same old stuff.
She kept saying, "That place isn't you, Tally.
It's a death sentence, Tally."
And then I started to wonder, is she right?
I mean, I couldn't stab Anacostia today. So what does that say?
Tally, I really need you focused right now.
I am focused. This just happens to be my life right now.
Training is your life right now. It's not about your mom anyway.
- So easy for you to say. - What does that mean?
I just mean she's so supportive.
My mom is a constant source of pressure. Make no mistake.
How about we cool it on the mom talk.
Sorry.
In fact, why don't both of you just stop talking!
Use what you've got, ladies.
Best Windstrike of the day.
Sixteen hundred pounds per square foot.
Nice work.
You're headed to the Pageant.
Aside from the Bellweather Unit, the following units will also be attending:
Amigaunt, Habergon, Moffett, Barbette.
Congratulations. Bus leaves in two hours.
Abigail, Raelle, this is Glory Moffett.
- Hey. - Onward to glory, Glory.
You will conduct yourselves with dignity and honor tonight.
Absolutely no work will be performed off base, none, under any circumstances.
Understood?
Go.
Hi. It's okay. You can say hi.
- What's your name? - Megan.
Megan, nice to meet you.
I'm Tally Craven.
You wan... you want to see this? Yeah?
It's very special.
You wanna wear it?
There you go. Looks good on you.
- Megan, hi! - Hi.
Thank you, soldier.
Thank you. Thank you.
- Bye. - Bye.
Come on, Tal.
Drag her up! Drag her up!
Sarah Alder.
Blighting the wounds of your sisters
who have show you only kindness
since the black day of your arrival on these shores.
Consorting with savages in the dark wood.
Suckling toads at your breast, which we have all seen you do
with our very own eyes.
What do you have to say, Sarah Alder?
We can't hear you, girl.
Let the wretch have her say!
Now, girl, what do you have to say?
So how does it feel to be followed?
It's not so fun?
So how is it possible that Abigail Bellweather
of the Bellweather Unit just ditched the Pageant?
- Why are you following me? - To irritate you.
- Yeah. - Listen, I'll tell you what.
Why don't you back slowly away from my shit,
and I will back slowly away from your shit.
Deal. How about some pizza?
You know, I'm still a little amazed you ditched the Pageant.
I've seen that thing like a thousand times.
Look at them.
What are they looking forward to?
Buying houses. Getting married.
- Not dying. - Taxes, bad jobs, infirmity.
A jagged dip in sex hormones. No glory.
This is the moment of their bloom, the poor things.
Yeah, well, it looks like freedom to me.
They can have it.
And there it is. We have them.
At a bottling plant near the airport.
Podilskiy Sklozavod on Polova Street.
- My daughter's right outside. - Link up, General Clary.
Move up!
Clear on the left, clear.
Just entering the room.
Fall back! Fall back!
No!
My baby...
Be it enacted by this general assembly
that any child born of a witch shall be held a witch,
according to the condition of the mother,
and shall deliver herself bodily to Fort Salem
for training in the military arts.
Bravo!
This is what my mother doesn't understand.
I mean, there is so much sacrifice and beauty in what Alder did.
Can you believe that she witnessed her own sister's murder,
- like right in front of her... - Out of my way! Move!
That was weird.
Hey, guys.
Is there anything weird going on?
Abigail's being nice to me.
Hey.
I didn't think you were coming.
And miss a chance to see you? No way.
Let's go.
Tally, Abigail, Glory, this is Scylla.
- Hi. - Great to meet you, ladies.
So this is Necro.
And this is High Atlantic.
Okay. Yeah. Let's go.
Just can't wait till we meet again.
Well, that was interesting.
Why didn't you come last night?
I had guard duty because you made me late for third bell.
I met someone you know, though. Helen Graves?
- What did she say about me? - She said you take a while to open up.
And she told me why you guys are so weird.
- Who? - Necros.
You think I'm weird?
Like sexy weird.
I like it.
Where are you taking me?
I'm looking for something dead.
You should have
your pick of that in here.
I mean something recently dead. Something fresh.
Why?
I want to show you something beautiful.
It's a deathcap.
In the kingdom of plants, mushrooms occupy the underworld.
Nothing ever really dies.
Life becomes death, which becomes life again,
over and over.
My mom is really dead.
Sorry, I know it's a sensitive subject.
I just mean to say that death is more complicated than people think.
It's not so cut and dry.
And I'm sorry about the other day.
I don't talk about myself very easily.
Take as much time as you need.
I've been burned before.
You're so beautiful.
- What kind of name is Scylla? - Greek, I think.
- She's really pretty. - In a macabre sort of way.
Guys.
The Spree are here!
There was a balloon!
Everyone stay inside. We'll be safer in here.
- You're our protection? - The Spree operates through sound.
Please stay inside.
What do you know? How old are you, like 12?
- Everybody remain calm. - No!
- Sir, we're trying to help you. - Bullshit!
It's witches that are committing these attacks.
It's your kind of people.
Step back from me right now.
Get out of my way, I'm not staying here.
Do not touch me.
You're no different from the Spree.
And this is how you...
We all lost daughters today.
Yes, but I did, particularly.
Wouldn't you say, Sarah?
I merely meant that we all feel the loss.
And what are we going to do about this terrible feeling?
We will find them and hobble them
and mute them and bring them to justice.
How? Our methods aren't working too well.
I understand your grief,
but we are doing everything we can.
Perhaps it's time for more extreme methods.
You should have seen Tally.
She was very, "Step away from me, sir."
"Now, sir!"
- It was incredible. - Wait, she Windstruck him?
Across a fricking pizza restaurant.
- Did Anacostia find out? - Nope.
Thanks to a special somebody who covered for me when she walked in.
I heard someone threw wind at a civilian.
- What is that? Thank you. - I got your back.
I mean, can you believe that some dumb teenager released a balloon?
So dumb.
Awfully nice to meet your girlfriend, Raelle.
Stop.
- Tally. - Oh, my goddess!
We're officially saying girlfriend!
I really like her.
Me too, Tal.
You guys, I just have to say this.
I love you.
No, I'm serious. These are terrible times.
The people we were sworn to protect don't trust us.
Just saying, a soldier couldn't ask for better sisters.
I am deeply honored
to serve with each of you.
Easy, girl.
Maybe this is the littlest bit premature.
I mean it.
I made the right choice. I did.
You're my witches.
You're my witches!
- Okay, Tally. - Come on!
She's mine.
Positive.
What do I do next?
When will we be extracted?
Make sure it's soon. I'm getting impatient.