“Zero Day” is episode nine of season one of Colony.
The episode opens on Day 366. A man and his son are lighting a Chinese lantern, which has a photograph of the boy’s mother on it. This is one of many lanterns being lit, in honour of those who died in the Arrival. Then Redhats arrive and tell everyone to clear the street and return to their homes, for this is an unauthorised gathering. One of the people walks forward and a Redhat jabs him with his gun. Then a rock hits another on the head, accompanied by a shouted ‘Traitor.’ Things start deteriorating.
The next day, Will and Beau are at a scene where there is one Redhat strung up with a sign saying ‘Traitor’ around his neck and others lying dead, with destroyed vehicles. This was not the largest riot either. Will recollects that, during the Arrival, he and Katie were on different sides of town. Bureau agents were being taken out or disappearing, so he couldn’t go back to his house because someone from the invasion might be waiting. Beau wonders if this is enough to sell Snyder their story; Will replies that after this, Snyder will be eating out of their hands.
Back at the DHS, Snyder is asking how this happened as he tripled security on the streets. Jennifer says there were a lot of people on the streets, mostly peacefully recognising the anniversary, some looting. A few protests turned violent, but most of the violence was spontaneous and random. Snyder spots the ‘most’ in that and Jennifer says that four or five may have been coordinated.
Will and Beau ask Snyder to come and speak in private. They have information that a new cell has set up operations outside the colony. A reliable CI says they are providing cash and weapons to anyone willing to fight in the LA block. Beau suggests they get in under the wall. The attacks seemed to be done to make Snyder look bad; they were well orchestrated, then everyone vanished without a trace. Will wants to head through the wall into downtown and Snyder agrees, only to take Lagarza with them.
Katie is meeting with Broussard. In the previous episode, “In from the Cold”, Katie had watched Rachel be killed by Lagarza (instead of capturing, which makes it difficult to question someone), then saw her and her sons strung from a bridge. Broussard had told her that the opportunity would come again, and he wanted Katie with him. Katie hasn’t been able to get in touch with Broussard. He explains how his mother died during the Arrival; her heart gave out. He was angry and if he had acted out of pure emotion, he would be dead. He gave Katie space to deal with this, so she could get past it. She doesn’t want to get past it.
Maddie is doing paperwork when she starts crying. Nolan Burgess asks her if she’s okay; she explains that she has come across a painting she and her husband bought. It was confiscated after the Arrival. Then Charlotte Burgess tells Maddie she needs her help. To clean the kitchen. If Maddie doesn’t want to, Charlotte can always get someone else sent up.
Snyder is in his office, looking at what appears to be a photo of his daughter, when Nolan arrives. He asks if Nolan has heard that the chief minister is coming to LA. Yes, he has. Snyder also asks about a proposal about taking over the block and leading it in a new direction. Nolan says he hasn’t heard about it; Snyder isn’t convinced. He wants a copy of the proposal.
Broussard takes Katie to the other Resistance cell he met, the one who know about a VIP coming into the colony. The three there are unsure of Katie; her answer that her combat experience is 17 years of motherhood and 10 running her own business doesn’t appear to reassure them. Broussard tells the three he trusts Katie, that’s all they need to know. He is the most cautious man they have ever met, and trusts her with his life. They know a VIP is coming in on the Metro; they just don’t know the station yet.
Will and Beau’s convoy arrives at a building in downtown, having gone under the wall. They head to the top, under the guise of clearing the floors, to have a look at the surroundings. There are piles of cars stacked up and the route to Big Bear, which is where Beau’s cabin is, isn’t usable by vehicles. Something is placed on the ground, then they fire their guns with the radio on to stage an attack. When Lagarza and his men arrive, they state there were two insurgents, but they got away. Lagarza finds what was put on the floor, a map.
Back in the colony, Snyder is shown the map, which has the locations of the four largest Zero Day attacks rings. Their intel was good. Snyder says they were right about something else; a tunnel was found under the wall. The same tunnel that Bram and Pia have been using. Snyder is going to shut it down, but they tell him not to; it can be used to set a trap.
Broussard and the others have found the right station. There are guards everywhere. Katie asks how the intel was obtained, and is told it is proprietary. Which is a word that has been used before, and is a curious choice of phrase, suggest corporate secrets. Katie says that if it’s a partnership, they need full disclosure in both directions. It’s revealed that they have a micro UAV – the subject of a billion-dollar market evaluation, prior to the Arrival. Hence, proprietary. The three contributed avionics, hardware and software. There were two prototypes and one was put in the office of a high-ranking collaborator, until the battery died.
Maddie seems to be trying to get back in Charlotte’s good graces with information on an art collection she knows about. Broussard and Katie are planning the attack on the VIP, presumably the chief minister, which includes training Katie to shoot. Will wants to take his family out to the cabin, to keep them safe, but these clash with Katie’s own ideas on how to keep them safe. Bram had planned to take his teacher out of the city to a proper telescope; if he does that now, he’s going to run into Redhats. There are many different plots going on.