“Gladiator” is episode eighteen of season two of First Wave.
A Gua scientist and their assistants are working on something; the man is saying that it’s fascinating how humans and Gua differ. They initiate fertilisation and a body starts rapidly growing. The chamber in which they are being grown is opened and what started out as a single cell has become a full-size husk in seconds. The woman, Rae, says it didn’t form; the husk is severely deformed. The man, Dr Galloway, says they need more human DNA samples, then kills the husk.
Two bareknuckle fighters are in a ring with a crowd watching. A quatrain has led Cade to Atlanta and a possible ally. One man knocks the other down and, afterwards, complains to his trainer that he isn’t on a Vegas card. This isn’t even a real ring. The trainer tells him he’s a 35-year-old fighter with a prison record and an Olympic drug disqualification. The fighter still wants a shot.
After the trainer leaves, Cade greets the fighter, Healy. Healy knows Cade, and what he’s been accused of. Cade needs Healy’s help; Healy said he’d be there if Cade needed him. Healy replies that was something said in the joint. Cade shows Healy a flyer; a research team is looking for fighters. He explains that he’s spent the last two years tracking the people who killed his wife. He needs Healy for entry into the programme; Healy will be the fighter, Cade the trainer. What’s the catch? It could be dangerous. They are killers. Healy doesn’t want to help but, as Cade leaves, ask if there will be good fighters there. Cade says they are looking for the best.
Cade and Healy arrive at Eddie’s trailer; Eddie has heard about him from Cade. They were cellmates inside. Healy wants to see The Paranoid Times site. As he’s reading, Cade tells Eddie that Healy was close to winning gold at the Olympics. But had a bad migraine the night before the fight and took some over the counter medication that were on the banned list. Things went downhill from there.
Healy isn’t impressed by the stories about aliens and asks how they expect people to believe them. Eddie says they have believers. Freaks like him? Yes, Eddie is a freak and proud of it. Healy asks why Cade thinks aliens are involved. Because they do experiments. And the budget for this programme is something like nine times higher than that of similar programmes, most of the money donated by an offshore corporation in the Caymans, a Gua money laundering front. Healy doesn’t care about aliens; he just wants some real competition.
At the programme, Dr Mira Ruben takes a blood sample from Healy and assigns him a room. Cade wants to stay and talks Ruben into it, even though it’s against regs. Healy asks Cade what their room reminds him of. He might want to stay awhile, if he’s up against some decent competition. Later, they watch from an observation and control room as two men fight. Dr Ruben says they are part of the Human Genome Project, and each university looks at different base pairs. They’re looking at what causes aggression. They could town down violence. Or ramp it up, Cade suggests. Elsewhere, Galloway thinks Healy’s DNA sample might be what they need, but they need more DNA.
Dr Ruben is explaining what they do when the Gua, Galloway, arrives. She introduces him as their resident genius. Galloway thinks Cade looks familiar. Cade says he just has one of those faces. Healy is fighting the victor of the previous fight, who no-one has beaten. Until now. Galloway is pleased, then asks where Cade is. Cade has slipped out, following Rae into a condemned area.
When Cade returns to their room, Healy asks if he’s found aliens. He thinks so. Healy thinks the talk about aliens is a scam. It isn’t. Cade says they need to leave, but Healy wants to stay. It’s the best possible training he can get. Cade is concerned that if Healy stays, he could die, and Cade doesn’t want to be the one who costs him his shot at the big time. Healy doesn’t believe in aliens and can handle himself.
Cade meets Eddie outside. Eddie has the blueprints to the building, and has run background checks. Ruben checks out; Galloway has bits missing. Cade is heading back in and Eddie says he will come with, because Cade lacks the scientific knowledge. Though, once inside, Eddie has second thoughts. They look at the Gua’s secret lab in the condemned wing. They are working on a new husk; Cade says killing machines for the Second Wave. This husk isn’t deformed and is a lot more dangerous. Healy isn’t going to leave, though, because he doesn’t believe in aliens. Which means Cade stays as well.