Episode Three

## End of the Line

Winter's War: End of the Line is the third and final episode of Season One, and is the last episode to feature Jack, Shaun, Emily, and Amelia. The story takes place after the events of Episode One, and addresses major plot points from Episode Two, such as Austin's death, Jack's moral conflict, and Shaun's declining sanity. Episode Three is much longer in length than the previous two episodes, and also features a more complex and involving narrative.

## Synopsis

Set after the events of Episode One, the episode opens with an emergency transmission sent by a scout unit to Amelia Vander, the leader of the Neutral Zone settlement, and the widow of Austin Leur. The scout states that he and his team have found Shaun Maher standing off at gunpoint against a man, Jack Harkin, and a pregnant female, Emily Freeman. Upon spotting this violent situation, and after witnessing Shaun level his gun at Emily, the scouts took action and immediately neutralized the trio, rendering them unconscious so that they could be transported to the Neutral Zone for questioning. It is indicated in the message that during the scuffle, the scouts noted the that mental state of Shaun was deteriorating. The episode is then divided into three separate 'acts', which focus on different events and the characters involved.

The first act of the episode revolves around Jack and Amelia, and focuses on bridging the gap between the previous two episodes. When Jack awakens from his unconscious state, he is held at gunpoint by Amelia. When she asks Jack to recall the last thing he remembers, he has a rapid flashback of Shaun raising his gun at Emily. Out of panic, Jack launches to his feet, but Amelia calms him by stating that Shaun has been brought into custody. When Jack asks Amelia why she bothered to bring him in, she debriefs Jack on the events that unfolded: Shaun was working as the settlement's hired gun and was looking for the killer responsible for the death of Austin, which he framed on Jack. When angrily asked to explain himself by Amelia, Jack profusely denies his involvement in Austin's death, stating that it was Shaun that killed Austin and manipulated his death to get supplies out of sympathy. Amelia, not knowing who to trust anymore, decides to question Shaun with Jack so that the truth can be revealed. In the last segment of this act, Amelia reveals that Emily is still alive and is being cared for by the settlement medics. In the final shot of act one, Jack learns Emily's name for the first time.

The second act revolves around the interrogation of Shaun as he falls deeper into insanity, and the reuniting of Jack with Emily. The act opens with Jack and Amelia entering the room where Shaun is being kept. Jack demands that Shaun tells Amelia the truth about Austin. The tense exchange that follows reveals that Shaun is psychopathic, and that he has traded his human morality for emotional detachment to killing and manipulation. Jack condemns Shaun, stating that he's become a monster. Blinded by madness, Shaun lunges at Jack, but is then shot by Amelia out of panic. After a moment of eerie silence, Amelia drops her pistol to the floor, realizing she has broken the pacifistic code of the settlement. Jack comforts her apparent shock by saying that Shaun wasn't worth keeping alive, and to leave it at that.

After a short blackout, the second half of act two opens with Jack reuniting with Emily in the medical bay. It is revealed that she was shot in the leg by Shaun, but the baby is still alive. Jack, eased by this news, tells Emily to get some rest. Just before Jack leaves the room, Emily stops and warmly thanks him.

The third and final act revolves around a raider invasion of the settlement, and the ultimate sacrifice of Jack for the sake of Emily and her child. The act opens with Amelia calling Jack on a walkie talkie, informing him that raiders have breached the building and are spreading everywhere. Jack begins to make his way to her, but is ambushed by a raider gunmen. After outrunning a storm of bullets, Jack comes face to face with a second raider, who is then shot twice by Amelia, marking her abandoning of pacifism. She gives Jack his trademark rifle, and he quickly shoots the pursuing raider. Amelia informs Jack that more are coming from the back entrance. Noting how the building used to be a school, meaning that its doors are bullet proof and have magnetic locks, Jack orders Amelia to find Emily and to get her out of the settlement. While Jack makes his way to the back entrance corridor, Amelia finds Emily limping towards her. Emily demands Amelia to tell her where Jack is, despite Amelia urging her to get to the exit. Emily notices Jack in the back entrance shutting the magnetic doors, and instantly realizes what he's doing. Panicking, Emily attempts to reach Jack, refusing to leave him behind. Jack, however, seals his fate as he locks the magnetic doors, trapping himself and the incoming raiders. During their last, tender moments, Jack orders Emily to run, and she is pulled away by Amelia to the exit.

Jack makes his way down the sealed corridor, where two raiders proceed to aim their weapons at him. Jack loads his gun, and the episode ends.