- From leagues away they shall arrive
And rain blind terror upon all men
An empty vessel for the soul,
Their wretched beauty sleeps no more.Quatrain 6, Century 1
Cade travels to Maryland to contact Crazy Eddie, editor of a conspiracy blog called The Paranoid Times. While investigating the murder of Eddie's friend, they find an alien facility that grows human bodies for aliens to inhabit while on Earth.
Tropes:
- Actor Allusion: Eddie advises Cade to "stop watching The X-Files and get yourself a life," two years after Cade actor Sebastian Spence guested in an episode.
- The Cuckoolander Was Right: Eddie might just be the most unlikely recipient of this trope ever, as Cade's tale of alien experiments is apparently too rich for his blood. He accuses Cade of giving conspiracy theorists like him a bad name and derisively tells him to "stop watching The X-Files and get yourself a life." He holds onto the idea that the government is to blame for everything for some time, but finally realises Cade is right and they team up to prevent the second wave.
- Distracted by the Sexy: The human "husks" the aliens inhabit are designed to be attractive in order to invoke this trope.
- Establishing Character Moment: Cade meets Crazy Eddie by tracking down his trailer. It seems deserted at first, until Eddie jumps out at Cade, holds him up at swordpoint and demands to know who he is and what he's doing there. But it's the following exchange that really cements Eddie as a paranoid conspiracy nut.Cade: Nice sabre.Eddie: Sword that killed Lincoln.Cade: Lincoln was shot.Eddie: That's what they tell you.
- Fire-Forged Friends: Eddie is suspicious and dismissive of Cade at first, but after they investigate his friend's murder, uncover an alien facility and Cade gives up proof that could clear him to save Eddie's life, they team up against the aliens and Eddie's blog becomes Cade's journal.
- Friend-or-Idol Decision: Cade gives up an orb containing an alien consciousness, evidence that might clear him, to save Eddie.
