| “ | Make them believe. | ” |
— Rick's last words to Ben.
| ||
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Rick Thompson was the son of Mike Thompson, a resistance Fighter with the 2nd Mass. He was captured during the Invasion of Earth and became one of the Skitter's harnessed children. Although living with the 2nd Mass, he remained vocal in his fierce loyalty to the Skitters, who he believed to be morally superior to humans, up until the Season 1 Finale, Eight Hours. Later he regains his faith in skitters but also in Mankind, seeking to facilitate an alliance between the rebellion and resistance.
Story
Season 1
Rick was first seen picking up shrapnel for the Skitters and Mechs. During this sighting, Rick was grabbed by his father, Mike and was taken back to the high school so Dr. Harris could try to release him from the harness. As soon as Rick wakes up, the captive Skitter wakes up, signifying a possible connection between the two. After reattaching his own harness, Rick was used by the Skitter to communicate with the group. Mike then ripped the harness off his son's back.
Later on, Rick is approached by Hal in the courtyard, where Hal asks him what it is like to be harnessed. Based upon this conversation, Hal determines that it might be possible to simply sneak in and rescue Ben, which he does. Rick later joins his father and the rest of the children in the trip to the Sanctuary. While there Rick reveals his preference to the company of the aliens rather than humans. After escaping from the Sanctuary with the other children, Rick's father is killed while protecting his son. At his father's funeral, Rick comments on how bizarre it is that "they", as in humans, kill each other. Ben is taken back by this.("Sanctuary (Part 2)")
He also draws pictures one of them, a charcoal sketch depicting them as a spider nursing her brood. He also produces a remarkable likeness of Captain Weaver's old neighborhood and home, presumably despite not ever being there before. Noticing this it prompted Weaver to join the scout team for the structure in Boston to determine how to best destroy it. Later Hal has a talk with Rick and he tells Hal that his father's death-meaning Mike-was the way it had to be and that the 2nd Mass will know soon enough about what is going on. Later after John Pope demonstrates the new ammunition he is manufacturing from Mech metal and fires a bullet through the head of a wrecked Mech, he runs off, presumably to find a Skitter to warn of the 2nd Mass impending attack on the aliens with their new ammunition. Ben sees him and pursues him.
He later attacks Scott and sabotages the radio they were using to jam the Skitters. When Ben confronts him about this he tries to convince Ben to escape with him and find the Skitters. He escapes the school and after wandering in the woods he finds Megan. She says they will welcome him back if he tells them everything about the 2nd Mass. After the encounter with Megan, Tom finds him and Rick realizes the Skitters do not truly love him, crying and saying that he misses his father. He appears to snap out of his loyalty to the Skitters and seems to become loyal to the 2nd Mass once more.(Eight Hours)
Battle of Fitchburg
When Weaver overheard Anne say they had run out of medicine, Weaver called Rick and Ben over. Weaver told them the enemy was surrounding them. He said under normal circumstances he wouldn't go to them but he was out of choices. Weaver wondered if they could still sense the Skitters. Weaver felt he could use them to find a way out between the enemy lines. Ben felt he could sense them if they were close enough. Weaver then asked Rick if he could. Rick said he still heard them and that he would do what he could. He then allowed them to leave, telling them to keep their heads down and not to engage the enemy. After traveling for some time Rick sensed the Skitters were close and told Ben, Ben said he knew. Rick then heard something else and asked Ben if he did. Ben said he did and that something was following them. Jimmy revealed himself to the two boys and said he was making sure they didn’t get into trouble. Rick and Ben then heard the buzzing, meaning Skitters were nearby so they hid in a pharmacy.(Battle of Fitchburg Chapter 3)
Season 2
After Tom returns to the 2nd Mass, Anne Glass revealed to him that Rick went missing: "I don't know. One day he was here, the next he's gone."(Shall we Gather at the River)
Several weeks later he reappered, having been found by Hal in a battelfield where Skitters and Mechs had been fighting each other. He is taken to Anne in the medical convoy and treated but remains unconcious for a time. When he awakens he is in shock and not speaking, this is until Tom arrives and Rick ask's where Ben (who had been missing) is. Tom decides to follow Rick after arguing the point with Weaver. Rick then leads a group to where he believes Ben could be, following signals from his newly glowing spikes (a trait seen in Ben previously by Hal), when they were close he senses Ben and another, leading the group to them. Here Tom and the group meet Red Eye and Ben who's defending him. Rick begins acting as the translator for the Red-Eyed Skitter untill it passes out (forcing Rcik to as well), the group take the pair back to the 2nd's camp where Anne treats the skitter until it (and assumably Rick) awakens. Rick begins tranlations between the skitter and Tom (discussing the rebellion of the skitters and a potential alliance) but they are interupted by an apporaching attack squad after Red Eye. Rick dies when Boon accidently hits him in the chest with a blast from a shotgun as he was trying to shoot the escaping Red Eye during the chaos. His final plea to Ben was to make his father understand as he "still had a father", dying in Ben's hands hoping for an alliance between his 2 families. (Love and Other Acts of Courage)
Appearances
| Season 1 appearances | ||||
| Live and Learn | The Armory | Prisoner of War | Grace | Silent Kill |
| Sanctuary (Part 1) | Sanctuary (Part 2) | What Hides Beneath | Mutiny | Eight Hours |
| Season 2 appearances | ||||
| Worlds Apart | Shall We Gather at the River | Compass | Young Bloods | Love and Other Acts of Courage |
| Homecoming | Molon Labe | Death March | The Price of Greatness | A More Perfect Union |
Gallery
