EPISODE 8 ‘VEIL’
Written by Charlie Craig, Directed by Martha Mitchell
Original Airdate: 19-MAR-1998
THE SHOW OPENS. AN OLD TRUCK DRIVES DOWN A DARK ROAD. AS IT PASSES, TOM AND SLOAN EMERGE FROM BEHIND SOME TREES. THEY LOOK ACROSS THE STREET TO A SEEDY MOTEL. TOM IS WEARING HIS BLACK WINDBREAKER-STYLE COAT, A BLACK CREW NECK SHIRT AND BLACK PANTS.
Sloan: What do you think?
Tom: I think we’re a hundred miles from home and no one’s gonna recognize us.
TOM AND SLOAN CROSS THE STREET AND NEAR THE MOTEL.
Sloan: Unless they read the paper.
Tom: Out here, I don’t even think they deliver the paper.
Sloan: I’ll go in. It’s your picture they’ve been flashing around most.
Tom: You have any sunglasses?
SLOAN REACHES INTO HER EXTREMELY LARGE PURSE AND PRODUCES A PAIR OF SUNGLASSES. SHE GIVES TOM A PUZZLED LOOK.
Tom: Put ‘em on.
Sloan: Why?
Tom: You’re running away from your husband and no one can know you’re here.
SLOAN NODS HER HEAD IN UNDERSTANDING AND PUTS THE SUNGLASSES ON. TOM GIVES HER A SMALL SMILE AND NODS AS SHE TURNS TO GO IN.
NEXT SCENE
AT A FUNERAL HOME. KELLY LIES IN A CASKET, EYES CLOSED, HANDS FOLDED OVER ONE ANOTHER. ED ENTERS AND WALKS UP THE AISLE TO A MAN AND A WOMAN.
Ed: Mr. and Mrs. Hammond?
Mrs. Hammond: Dr. Tate. Thanks so much for coming. It means a lot to us, seeing how you were the last person to spend some time with Kelly.
Ed: I wanted to be here.
Mr. Hammond: We spoke to the medical examiner about his findings earlier today. He says he has no idea what happened to Kelly.
Ed: I know.
Mrs. Hammond: But how could that be? I mean, even with everything that you’ve told us about who this..about what this man was, who took our Kelly....I just don’t understand.
Ed: Neither do I, Mrs. Hammond, but I promise you, I won't stop until I do.
Mr. Hammond: Thank you.
ED RISES AND APPROACHES THE CASKET. HE RESTS A HAND ON KELLY’S AS HE STARES DOWN AT THE DECEASED GIRL. HIS EYES BULGE IN SHOCK AS HE SEES SOMETHING MOVING UNDER THE SKIN OF KELLY’S NECK.
NEXT SCENE
AT THE ANNEX MOTEL, THE NEXT MORNING. SLOAN IS SLEEPING. SHE WAKES UP WITH A JOLT, SITTING UP AND LOOKING AROUND. SHE LOOKS OVER AT TOM, SLEEPING IN AN UPHOLSTERED CHAIR BY THE FRONT WINDOW. (HE LOOKS REALLY SWEET IN REPOSE.) SHE GRABS A BLANKET FROM HER BED AND COVERS HIM. HE WAKES AND LOOKS UP AT HER.
Sloan: I’m sorry.
Tom: That’s alright. I wasn’t sleeping.
Sloan: Then what were you doing?
Tom: Thinking. About Lewis.
Sloan: Join the club.
SLOAN SITS BACK DOWN ON THE EDGE OF THE BED.
Sloan: I still can’t figure out why Lewis shot Lisa and not you and me.
Tom: He’s toying with us.
Sloan: But why? Why would he pass up the chance to kill us and then force us underground instead? It doesn’t make sense.
Tom: Not to us. That’s what concerns me.
NEXT SCENE
AT THE BIO LAB. ED RUSHES THROUGH THE DOORS OF THE LAB AND INTO THE LIBRARY ROOM. ATTWOOD IS READING THROUGH A BOOK. HE TURNS AS ED ENTERS.
Ed: We have to do an autopsy on Kelly Hammond’s body.
Attwood: We don’t have Kelly Hammond’s body.
Ed: Well trust me, we need to get it.
THEY EXIT THE LIBRARY AND BRISKLY WALK THROUGH THE LAB AREA.
Ed: Look, I know this is gonna sound crazy, but there’s something inside it. I mean, I saw something...moving....Under her skin.
Attwood: Ed, I understand you were emotionally involved with Kelly, and a certain level of disorientation is to be expected with grief.
Ed: I admit I’m disoriented. But I know what I saw. The question is, what is it? And are you gonna help me find it?
Attwood: How is this relevant to our work here?
Ed: How is it relevant?!? Kelly got the rash on her neck after she was in the cave with Lynch. This, this lump...might be connected.
Attwood: I’ll need the parents’ consent. They’re aware of her contact with the new species?
Ed: They read the paper.
Attwood: Get them to sign a release. I’ll arrange whatever you need.
Ed: You got it.
ED BUSTLES OUT AND ATTWOOD ENTERS HIS OFFICE.
NEXT SCENE
AT THE ANNEX MOTEL. SLOAN WALKS FROM THE KITCHEN AREA CARRYING A GLASS OF WATER. SHE LAYS ON HER STOMACH ON THE BED, FLIPS OPEN A FOLDED NEWSPAPER, AND STARTS READING IT. PICTURES OF HER AND TOM COVER THE FRONT PAGE. TOM SITS IN HIS CHAIR, ELBOWS ON HIS KNEES, HANDS FOLDED, THINKING. HE’S TAKEN OFF THE COAT TO REVEAL A LONG SLEEVE BLACK T-SHIRT. (DOES ANYONE ELSE IN THE WORLD LOOK THIS GOOD IN BLACK? I JUST DON’T THINK SO.)
Sloan: They only want me for harboring a fugitive. You they want for twenty-six murders.
SLOAN LOOKS UP AT TOM.
Sloan: Did you kill all these people?
TOM GLANCES OVER AT HER, UNCERTAIN, THEN LOOKS AWAY.
Tom: No.
Sloan: But you said--
Tom: (forcefully) Sloan...
Sloan: I need to know this, Tom.
Tom: Five. I killed five people.
Sloan: On orders?
Tom: If that makes a difference. It was programming.
Sloan: Was I the first, that you didn’t kill?
Tom: There was one before you...a teenager...a boy....young, but uh...with incredible potential. Brilliant mind...
Sloan: (aghast) A teenaged boy?
Tom: When I went to umm..... His mother showed up and she begged me, to take her life, instead of his. I’d never seen such compassion, such desperation, to be willing to give one’s life for another.
Sloan: How did Lewis react?
Tom: I never told him...the truth. And a week later I met you.
NEXT SCENE
AT THE HAMMOND HOME. MR. HAMMOND STANDS BY THE HEARTH, WHILE ED OCCUPIES A CHAIR AND MRS. HAMMOND SITS ON THE SOFA.
Mr. Hammond: (angrily) I’m afraid I don’t understand. We talked about the medical examiner’s findings.
Ed: I know. All I can tell you is that he apparently missed something.
Mr. Hammond: I saw....what he did to my little girl. I am sure you know. How can we put our Kelly through that again?
Ed: I know you want answers. You want to know what happened to your daughter. So do I. Without examining her again those answers may be lost forever.
Mrs. Hammond: The funeral’s tomorrow. All those people. I just don’t know.
Ed: Your daughter was killed, Mrs. Hammond. She didn’t just mysteriously die. This may be our best shot at getting at those behind her death.
Mr. Hammond: If you think you can figure out who and what killed my little girl, then you do what you have to do.
ED NODS.
NEXT SCENE
AT THE ANNEX MOTEL. SLOAN CLEANS UP TAKE-OUT BOXES IN THE KITCHEN. TOM WALKS PAST HER CARRYING A PAPER CUP, CHEWING, AND REACHES TO GET A NAPKIN FROM THE TOP OF THE REFRIGERATOR. HE WIPES HIS MOUTH AND TOSSES THE NAPKIN INTO THE GARBAGE. (NO TOM GESTURE OR MOTION LEFT UN-TRANSCRIBED! IT’S NOT JUST A MOTTO, ITS A WAY OF LIFE!) SLOAN WALKS INTO THE NEXT ROOM AND FLICKS ON THE TV.
Tom: (calling to her from the kitchen) Don’t, please.
SLOAN LOOKS UP AT HIM THROUGH THE DOORWAY.
Tom: I’m tired of seeing my face every thirty minutes.
(BOY, I WOULDN’T BE! THAT IN FACT SOUNDS LIKE NIRVANA TO ME!)
Sloan: I’ll find a sitcom.
TOM ENTERS THE SLEEPING/LIVING ROOM.
Tom: Ohhh. I don’t feel like laughing.
Sloan: (turning to Tom) Do you laugh?
TOM SITS IN A CHAIR NEXT TO THE BED, STILL HOLDING HIS DRINK, AND CROSSES ONE LEG OVER THE OTHER. HE LOOKS AT SLOAN.
Tom: What are you talking about?
Sloan: (smiling) You. I have NEVER see you laugh.
Tom: (with a shrug) Well...that’s because I don’t remember being is a situation with you where something was funny.
Sloan: So you do find humor in things?
Tom: Sure.
Sloan: Ok, let me see if I can make you laugh...
SLOAN’S EYES BRIGHTEN AS SHE CLIMBS ACROSS THE BED TO FACE TOM. SHE KNEELS ON THE BED AND FLASHES HIM A WIDE GRIN. (I CANNOT POSSIBLY DESCRIBE HOW CUTE HE LOOKS IN THESE SCENES.)
Tom: (dragging her name out) Sloan....
Sloan: This old lady’s being robbed...
SLOAN POINTS HER FINGERS AT TOM AS IF THEY WERE PISTOLS.
Tom: A joke? Is this a test?
Sloan: So she hands the robber all her money. He says, ‘That’s it?’ She says yes. He starts searching her, all over her body--
Tom: (dryly) Maybe we should watch television.
Sloan: I’m not finished.
HE GIVES HER A HUMORING LOOK.
Sloan: ...So he’s searching, feeling all over her body, looking for money. Feels her waist, feels her chest, feels her backside. Nothing. He’s like, ‘Where’s your money?’ She’s like, ‘I don’t have any more! But don’t stop lookin’, I’ll send ya a check.’
TOM LAUGHS, SENDING SLOAN A GORGEOUS SMILE. SLOAN BREAKS UP AT HER OWN JOKE. TOM SLOWLY BOBS HIS HEAD UP AND DOWN.
Tom: (still smiling) Well, that’s not bad...
Sloan: (flabbergasted) Not bad? That’s all I get?
Tom: (thinking about it and giving a shrug) Yeah.
SLOAN LAUGHS. (SIGH. REWIND THAT AND WATCH IT AGAIN!)
NEXT SCENE
EXTERIOR, ANNEX MOTEL. THE CAMERA PANS DOWN TO A MAN IN A CAR ON A CELL PHONE. IT’S LEWIS IN HIS BMW.
Voice on phone: Nine-one-one operator. What’s your emergency?
Lewis: I know where the police can find the man they want for all those cult killings.
NEXT SCENE
MORTICIAN TECHS WHEEL KELLY’S CASKET PAST HER PARENTS INTO THE LIFE SCIENCES BUILDING. ED AND ATTWOOD STAND NEXT TO THE HAMMONDS.
Ed: (to the Couple) Thank you.
Mr. Hammond: Take care of her. Please.
Ed: I will.
ED AND ATTWOOD TURN AND FOLLOW THE CASKET INSIDE. THE HAMMONDS LOOK ON AFTER THEM.
NEXT SCENE
(OH DEAR LORD. IT’S WHAT WE’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR. THE MOST-PLAYED SCENE IN PREYDOM. BRACE YOURSELF. THIS IS QUITE POSSIBLY EVEN BETTER THAN THE BROWN PANTS IN EPISODE THREE.)
AT THE ANNEX MOTEL, NIGHTTIME. SLOAN EXITS THE BATHROOM, DRYING HER FACE ON A TOWEL. SHE’S ONLY WEARING HER LITTLE BROWN CAMISOLE AND HER JEANS. SHE LOOKS OVER AT TOM, SETTLING INTO THE UPHOLSTERED CHAIR, AND STOPS.
Sloan: Oh, this is ridiculous. You can’t sleep in the chair again.
Tom: It’s alright.
HE ADJUSTS THE BLANKET OVER HIMSELF.
Tom: Just don’t tell me any more jokes.
SHE SMILES.
Sloan: I’m serious. I feel guilty taking the bed. I mean, we’re in this together. You need your sleep as much as I do.
HE COCKS HIS HEAD AND LOOKS UP AT HER AS SHE SITS ON THE EDGE OF THE BED.
Sloan: (patting the bed beside her) Come on.
HE ALMOST IMPERCEPTIBLY SHAKES HIS HEAD NO.
Sloan: (with a grin) I promise not to examine you in your sleep.
TOM’S EYEBROWS RAISE A NOTCH AS HE TILTS HIS HEAD. HE PUSHES THE BLANKET BACK AS HE SITS UP.
Tom: (all smooth-like) Just one thing, uh...I like the left side.
SLOAN DIPS HER HEAD, SMILING, AND GESTURES IN A ‘IT’S ALL YOURS’ WAY AS SHE GETS UP AND MOVES TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BED. TOM SETTLES IN, PROPPING THE PILLOW AGAINST THE HEADBOARD AND SITTING STRAIGHT UP IN THE BED. SLOAN, LAYING UNDER THE COVERS NEXT TO HIM, LOOKS UP AT THE MAN.
Sloan: (wryly) So, what you’re just gonna sit up like that?
TOM LOOKS DOWN AT SLOAN.
Tom: (as if it has just occurred to him) No.
TOM SCOOTS DOWN THE BED AWKWARDLY. HE SETTLES DOWN AND EXHALES. SLOAN STARES AT HIM FOR A MINUTE, ROLLS HER EYES, THEN LEANS OVER HIM AND SHUTS OFF THE LAMP SITTING ON THE STAND NEXT TO HIM. HE GLANCES AT HER AS SHE LEANS OVER HIM, HER CHEST INCHES FROM HIS FACE. HE INHALES THE SCENT OF HER HAIR AS IT BRUSHES HIS FACE. SLOAN RETURNS TO HER PILLOW, AND THEY BOTH STARE UP AT THE CEILING OF THE DARKENED ROOM. AFTER A BIT, SLOAN LOOKS OVER AT TOM.
Sloan: Thank you for trusting me.
Tom: With what?
Sloan: Your....story.
TOM TURNS HIS HEAD TO LOOK AT HER, THEN TURNS ON HIS SIDE, PUTTING HIS HAND UNDER THE PILLOW AND PROPPING HIS HEAD UP. HE LOOKS DOWN AT SLOAN, LYING ON HER PILLOW.
Tom: It wasn’t easy to tell you.
Sloan: I know. And I don’t judge you. By what you did. By the past.
Tom: Doesn’t make it right.
Sloan: No. But what you’ve done...what you’re doing....who you are can help to make it right.
Tom: (oh-so-softly) Hmmm.
TOM ROLLS OVER AND BRACES HIMSELF ON HIS FOREARMS, LOOKING OVER AT SLOAN AS HE PULLS HER BENEATH HIM. HE LOWERS HIS HEAD, BRUSHING HER LIPS WITH HIS. HE PULLS BACK AND LOWERS HIS HEAD AGAIN, DEEPENING THE KISS. SLOAN SNAKES HER ARMS UP AROUND HIS NECK, THREADING HER FINGERS THROUGH HIS HAIR. HE SLANTS HIS MOUTH OVER HERS AGAIN AND AGAIN, DEVOURING HER LIPS AS A LOW MOAN EMERGES FROM DEEP WITHIN HIS THROAT. SUDDENLY HE LIFTS HIS HEAD, BREAKING THE KISS. TOM FLASHES ON AN IMAGE OF POLICE CARS WITH FLASHING RED LIGHTS.
Sloan: What is it?
Tom: (dazed) Trouble.
HE LOOKS OVER AT THE WINDOW AND SLOAN DOES THE SAME. SHE SEES THE FLASHING LIGHTS OF THE POLICE CARS AS TIRES SQUEAL OUTSIDE THE MOTEL. SHE PUSHES TOM OFF HER AND OUT OF THE BED.
Sloan: Get out of here!
HE LOOKS AT THE LIGHTS, THEN TURNS BACK TO SLOAN, RISING FROM THE BED.
Tom: Sloan....
Sloan: (pushing at his chest) Go, go....dammit, GO!
Tom: (steadfastly) No...Sloan....
Sloan: Go! Go!
SHE PUSHES HIM TOWARDS THE KITCHEN AS THE MOTEL ROOM DOOR BURSTS OPEN. COPS MUSCLE INTO THE ROOM.
Cop #1: Get down!
SLOAN QUICKLY DROPS TO THE FLOOR ON HER STOMACH.
Cop #2: ...went out the window!
COPS EXAMINE THE KITCHEN BUT SEE ONLY A BROKEN-OUT WINDOW. A POLICE OFFICER HANDCUFFS SLOAN AS WE HEAR THE NOISE OF THE COPS IN THE BACKGROUND.
Cop #2: This is Unit Two. We have one suspect matching the description. The male suspect has fled on foot. Send us the canine units so we can start tracking now!
(OKAY, YOU’VE BEEN GOOD. GO BACK AND REWIND THAT 3 OR 4 TIMES. LISTEN CLOSELY, I SWEAR YOU’LL HEAR THAT MOAN. EVEN IF YOU DON’T, REWIND IT ONE MORE TIME FOR GOOD MEASURE.)
NEXT SCENE
AT THE POLICE STATION. RAY WALKS DOWN A HALL AND OVER TO A CELL. WE SEE SLOAN BEHIND THE BARS. SHE LOOKS UP AT RAY AS HE APPROACHES.
Guard: Okay, just call for me when you’re ready to go.
Ray: Thanks. I’ll only be a minute.
Sloan: Thanks for coming. I didn’t know what to do.
Ray: I guess staying out of trouble wasn’t an option. Well, the good news is, they’re only gonna charge you with harboring a fugitive.
Sloan: When can I get out?
Ray: Procedure is, you’ll be arraigned and the judge will set bail. Now if it were my case, I’d spring you and hope you’d lead to Tom. They know he was at the motel with you. What happened there?
Sloan: Oh, uh, he got out the back.
Ray: And left you to get arrested.
Sloan: No, it wasn’t like that.
Ray: I just call ‘em like I see ‘em, Sloan. Maybe you should try it sometime.
NEXT SCENE
AT THE BIO LAB. ED PULLS BACK A COVER TO REVEAL KELLY’S BODY ON A GURNEY. ATTWOOD STANDS OVER HER.
Attwood: Kelly here was your friend, Ed. I know this isn’t easy. But the benefits could be enormous. Don’t forget that.
Ed: I know.
Attwood: Now, where did you see this moving object?
Ed: It was just about the clavicle, traveling upwards. I thought it might be just inside the temporal carotid.
Attwood: Then let’s make the incision there.
ATTWOOD HANDS ED A SCALPEL.
Ed: Everything appears normal.
Attwood: Well the next most obvious target in that direction of travel would be the brain.
Ed: (looking up) You know she was complaining of headaches. Man, I really don’t want to do that to her.
Attwood: We can get a CT scan of the head.
THEY COVER THE BODY BACK UP WITH THE BLANKET AND WHEEL THE GURNEY OUT OF THE ROOM.
NEXT SCENE
AT SLOAN’S APARTMENT. SLOAN ENTERS WITH RAY FOLLOWING, AND CLOSES THE DOOR BEHIND HER. SLOAN LOOKS AROUND, PROBABLY FOR YOU-KNOW-WHO.
Sloan: (sighing) Oh, it’s good to be home.
Ray: Your house is being watched. Tom may try to contact you and I’d hate to see you caught in the crossfire.
SLOAN REMOVES HER COAT AND SITS ON ONE OF THE STOOLS AT HER CENTER ISLAND.
Sloan: Tom wouldn't put me in danger.
Ray: Okay.
HE TURNS TO GO.
Ray: You got my pager and telephone numbers...
Sloan: (quickly standing up) Ray! Thanks.
Ray: (smiling as he backs out the door) See ya.
SLOAN LOCKS THE DOOR BEHIND HIM.
NEXT SCENE
EXTERIOR. THE CAMERA PANS OVER THE HOOD OF A BLACK BMW. LEWIS SITS BEHIND THE WHEEL. HE WATCHES RAY EXIT THE ENTRANCE TO SLOAN’S APARTMENT AND GET IN HIS DODGE. RAY DRIVES OFF. LEWIS CHECKS HIS SIDE MIRROR, WATCHING THE TWO COPS POSITIONED IN A CAR BEHIND HIM. THEY’RE STAKING OUT SLOAN’S APARTMENT.
NEXT SCENE
AT THE BIO LAB. ED ENTERS THE LAB AREA WITH X-RAY FILMS IN HIS HAND. HE WALKS OVER TO ATTWOOD.
Ed: Found it.
Attwood: Where?
ED PUTS THE FILM UP ON A LIGHT BOARD.
Ed: Right now it’s in her eustachian tube.
Attwood: Right now?
Ed: It’s moving. These scans are over the last four hours. It’s heading right towards her ear.
Attwood: It’s behaving like a parasite.
Ed: Only the host has died.
Attwood: It’s looking for a way out.
NEXT SCENE
AT SLOAN’S APARTMENT. SHE’S MAKING HERSELF A CUP OF TEA. HER DOOR MONITOR BUZZES. SHE WALKS OVER TO THE DISPLAY AND PRESSES A BUTTON. SHE SEES A SCRUFFY-LOOKING OLD WOMAN ON THE VIDEO SCREEN.
Sloan: Yes? Can I help you?
Woman: Uh, your friend Tom sent me.
Sloan: How do I know that--
Woman: He said to tell you, ‘But don’t stop looking, I’ll send you a check.’
SLOAN LAUGHS.
Sloan: Is Tom alright? Where is he?
Woman: Yeah, he’s fine. He uh, wants you to meet him at the Centennial Park uh, at midnight.
THE WOMAN WALKS OFF.
NEXT SCENE
RAY’S CAR TURNS THE CORNER OF SLOAN’S BLOCK AND PULLS UP IN FRONT OF SLOAN, WAITING ON THE SIDEWALK. SHE GETS IN THE CAR AND TURNS TO RAY.
Sloan: Thanks for coming.
Ray: Buckle up.
RAY TEARS OFF AND SLOAN BUCKLES HER SEATBELT. THE STAKEOUT COPS RACE AFTER THEM, RED LIGHTS FLASHING. SLOAN LOOKS BACK AT THE COPS CHASING THEM, THEN OVER AT RAY.
Sloan: So this is what being a detective’s all about, huh?
Ray: No, Sloan.
HE GESTURES TO THE OFFICERS BEHIND THEM.
Ray: That’s what’s being a detective’s about. This....this is the other side of the fence.
RAY AND SLOAN SPEED DOWN MORE STREETS WITH THE COPS CLOSE BEHIND. TIRES SQUEAL. SIRENS BLARE. RAY GETS AHEAD OF THE COPS AND KILLS HIS HEADLIGHTS. HE TURNS DOWN AN ALLEY AND THE COPS RACE PAST. HE’S LOST THEM.
Ray: (exhaling) Well.
RAY BACKS OUT OF HIS HIDING SPOT AND DRIVES DOWN THE ROAD. THEY PULL UP IN FRONT OF A PARK.
Sloan: Thanks.
Ray: You want me to wait?
Sloan: Uh, no. I don’t want to scare Tom off. And the police will be looking for you anyway.
SHE GETS OUT OF THE CAR.
NEXT SCENE
AT THE BIO LAB. ED AND ATTWOOD STAND OVER KELLY’S BODY. ED IS LOOKING THROUGH MAGNIFYING GOGGLES.
Ed: I don’t see anything.
Attwood: (handing Ed an otoscope) Here.
ED USES THE DEVICE TO LOOK INSIDE KELLY’S EAR.
Ed: Got it! Right there.
ED LOOKS BENEATH A MAGNIFYING SCOPE AT WHAT HE HAS EXTRACTED. IT IS A WIGGLING INSECT, A TICK. ED LOOKS UP AT ATTWOOD.
NEXT SCENE
AT THE PARK. SLOAN TAKES COVER IN SOME SHRUBS AS HEADLIGHTS FLASH OVER HER. THEY PASS, AND SHE WALKS OUT ONTO THE SIDEWALK. SHE CHECKS HER WATCH. A GROUP OF YOUNG MEN APPROACH HER. SLOAN LOOKS AT THEM WARILY. A MAN ALMOST RUNS INTO HER, SCARING HER. HE EXCUSES HIMSELF AND WALKS AWAY.
NEXT SCENE
DAYTIME, AT THE BIO LAB. IN ATTWOOD’S OFFICE. ATTWOOD POURS HIMSELF A CUP OF COFFEE AS ED ENTERS, SLAPPING A REPORT IN FRONT OF ATTWOOD.
Ed: Tested the tick’s DNA.
Attwood: One-point-six percent?
Ed: Yep. Lynch must’ve planted the tick in Kelly when she was in the cave.
Attwood: Actually, this is quite brilliant. The tick has the same DNA construction of their species. They insert it into a human being to convert our DNA structure.
Ed: Parasite doesn’t live off the host. It feeds the host.
Attwood: It’s basically gene therapy.
Ed: So, Kelly’s headaches could’ve been a reaction to whatever this tick was secreting. We gotta take this bug apart.
Attwood: No, we can’t kill it.
Ed: We have to know how it works.
Attwood: Well we won’t know if it’s dead. We have to plant it back into a living host and see what happens. Was she supposed to die, did she have a bad reaction....?
Ed: No, Kelly was one-point-three percent the last time I tested her.
Attwood: (pointedly) Was she supposed to get to one-point-six?
NEXT SCENE
AT SLOAN’S APARTMENT. SHE OPENS THE DOOR AND ENTERS. SHE FLICKS ON THE LIGHTS AND SETS HER DOOR MONITOR. SHE PLAYS BACK HER ANSWERING MACHINE MESSAGES.
Ed: (voiceover on the answering machine) Hey, it’s Ed. Where are you? I heard Ray bailed you out. Anyway Sloan, you gotta get back to the Lab. I know you got a lot of stuff to deal with, but you gotta get in here.
SLOAN TAKES OFF HER COAT AND STARTS WALKING TO HER BEDROOM, LOOKING BACK AT THE ANSWERING MACHINE AS IT PLAYS ED’S RAMBLING MESSAGE. TOM WALKS OUT FROM BEHIND A WALL. SLOAN TURNS AND STARTS WHEN SHE SEES HIM. SLOAN LOOKS AT HIM FOR A MOMENT AND HE LOOKS AT HER. SHE CLIMBS THE STEP AND THROWS HERSELF INTO HIS EMBRACE.
Sloan: You scared the hell out of me. I waited in the park--
Tom: (holding her upper arms) Sorry about that. I had to send you there to get the police away.
Sloan: Are you alright?
Tom: I’m fine. What about you?
Sloan: Worried about you. Scared.
SHE TURNS FROM HIM AND WALKS OVER TO HER DRESSER. HE EXHALES AND SITS IN A CHAIR NEAR THE FOOT OF HER BED. SLOAN TURNS BACK TO LOOK AT HIM.
Tom: Listen, uh, about the motel...
SLOAN SMILES AND BOWS HER HEAD.
Sloan: Tom....
HE LOOKS UP AT HER.
Tom: Oh, I’m talking about me leaving.
SHE AWKWARDLY GIVES A NOD OF UNDERSTANDING.
Tom: I should never have left you.
Sloan: I made you leave!
THE PHONE RINGS. SLOAN RUSHES OVER TO ANSWER IT.
Sloan: It’s probably Ed. He sounded really freaked out.
SHE PICKS IT UP.
Sloan: Hello? Lewis.
TOM’S HEAD POPS UP AT THE NAME AND HE STANDS AND WALKS OVER TO SLOAN.
Sloan: Why the hell have you done this to us?
Tom: Sloan.
TOM TURNS HER AROUND AND TAKES THE PHONE FROM HER.
Tom: Lewis.
CUT TO THE BMW. LEWIS SPEAKS ON HIS CELL PHONE.
Lewis: Tom, listen. We shall reign in the kingdom of man.
CUT BACK TO TOM, IN SLOAN’S APARTMENT. A GLAZED LOOK COMES OVER HIS EYES. SLOAN LOOKS AT HIM.
Sloan: Tom, what is it?
HE HANGS UP THE PHONE, STILL STARING STRAIGHT AHEAD.
Sloan: What did he say?
TOM STARTS TO WALK PAST SLOAN. SLOAN PUTS A HAND OUT TO STOP HIM.
Sloan: Tom? Wait a minute, where are you going?
SHE MOVES TO INTERCEPT HIM AND HE PLACES HIS HAND ON HER FACE AND PUSHES HER AWAY, HARD. SHE LANDS IN A HEAP ON THE FLOOR WITH A GRUNT AS TOM STRIDES NONCHALANTLY TO THE DOOR. SLOAN LOOKS UP, WATCHING HIM LEAVE WITH A PUZZLED LOOK ON HER FACE.
CUT TO THE SIDEWALK OUTSIDE SLOAN’S APARTMENT. (THERE’S THE FLORIST SHOP!) TOM EMERGES FROM THE APARTMENT ENTRANCE AND COOLLY WALKS OVER TO LEWIS’S BEEMER. TOM BENDS DOWN AND LOOKS INTO THE VEHICLE. LEWIS NODS AT HIM AND TOM GETS IN THE CAR. THEY DRIVE OFF. (BOO-HISS! THEY’RE NOT BUCKLED UP!) THE CAMERA PANS OVER TO THE COPS ON STAKEOUT. THEY’RE SLUMPED IN THEIR SEATS, DEAD.
NEXT SCENE
AT THE BIO LAB, DAYTIME. IN ATTWOOD’S OFFICE. ATTWOOD SITS AT THE DESK AND SLOAN AND ED SIT OPPOSITE HIM.
Ed: Look, I hate to be the one that has to say it--
Sloan: (dejectedly) Then don’t.
Ed: Sloan, I understand why you wanted to trust Tom as much as you did, but come on. This new species, they’re making it pretty clear, they’re not interested in co-existence.
Attwood: I have to take Ed’s position on this one, Sloan. Not only for your safety, but for the good of everyone involved.
Sloan: Something happened to Tom. He didn’t....
SLOAN LOOKS OVER AT ED.
Sloan: ....He wasn’t acting right.
Ed: Because he finally snapped, Sloan. Back to what he was. What he is.
Sloan: I don’t believe that. I saw the look on his face. Lewis said something to him, something to trigger a response.
Ed: Such as?
Sloan: (angrily) I don’t know! Maybe Lewis planted a code in his subconscious. Some sort of reset switch.
Attwood: Well, that would be consistent with the so-called ‘training’ or ‘programming’ that Tom alleges Lewis put him through to make him a killer.
Ed: Yeah, that’s because he’s back to what he was. A killer.
Sloan: He could’ve killed me on the spot and he didn’t.
Attwood: Which only means that maybe we have some time to prepare before he does try to kill you. And probably the rest of us.
SLOAN LOOKS STRICKEN AT THE THOUGHT OF THIS.
NEXT SCENE
A BRIGHT WHITE ROOM. NO WALLS CAN BE DISCERNED, JUST WHITE. WE SEE A BLACK CASE BEING OPENED, A SYRINGE AND VIAL INSIDE.
CUT TO TOM, SEATED IN A CHAIR, STARING FORWARD, UNSEEING. (HE LOOKS DAMN GOOD. BLACK LONG SLEEVE T-SHIRT. PANTS ARE ONLY SO-SO THOUGH. BLACK. TOO BAGGY.) LEWIS STANDS NEXT TO HIM. HE HAS JUST GIVEN TOM AN INJECTION FROM THE SYRINGE HE HOLDS. TOM DROPS HIS EYES SHUT. (WOW, THIS IS A GREAT TOM SCENE. THE CAMERA PANS AROUND TOM, AND WE GET TO SEE HIS TASTY HAIRCUT FROM ALL ANGLES. BOY, THAT HAIR SURE IS SHINY!)
NEXT SCENE
AT THE BIO LAB. ED IS SITTING AT HIS DESK. HE PICKS UP A PETRIE DISH AND STARES AT THE INSECT INSIDE. SLOAN STANDS NEXT TO HIM.
Ed: Attwood wants to insert the tick into one of the monkeys. And see what happens.
Sloan: (coldly) Probably die just like Kelly.
ED LOOKS AWAY AND SLOAN QUICKLY TURNS, PALING.
Sloan: I’m sorry.
SHE LOOKS AT HIM, AND HE LOOKS UP AT HER.
Sloan: I know you became close. She was lucky to have you around in the end.
ATTWOOD APPEARS IN THE DOORWAY.
Ed: (to Attwood) You ready?
Attwood: Already done.
Ed: What do you mean? The tick’s right here.
Attwood: I synthesized the tick’s secretions. I injected one of our monkeys directly.
Ed: Yeah, but that won’t tell us--
Attwood: We don’t have time to wait for the tick to work. The dose I injected into James is highly concentrated. What the tick did to Kelly in weeks should happen in days. Maybe sooner.
ED LOOK OVER AT THE MONKEYS IN THE CAGE OUTSIDE HIS OFFICE. THEY ARE ALL AGITATED, CLIMBING UP THE SIDES.
NEXT SCENE
IN THE WHITE ROOM. TOM STILL SITS ON A CHAIR IN THE THE MIDDLE OF THE ROOM. (BOY HE LOOKS GOOD, DID I MENTION?) HE STARES STRAIGHT FORWARD. LEWIS WALKS PAST HIM, CIRCLING HIM.
Lewis: It’s good to have you back, Tom.
Tom: It’s good to be back.
Lewis: Do you think you’re ready to go back to work?
Tom: Yes. What do I do?
SUDDENLY IT’S JANE DANIELS IN FRONT OF TOM, NOT LEWIS.
Jane: What you were trained to do.
Tom: I don’t remember, Mother.
Jane: I know. It’s been a long time. There are things you need to take care of.
THE CAMERA SPINS AROUND TOM AGAIN.
Tom: You’ll help me?
SLOAN STANDS BEHIND TOM’S SHOULDER NOW, WEARING THE SAME OUTFIT SHE WORE WHEN LEWIS CAPTURED HER.
Sloan: Of course I will.
THE CAMERA PANS AROUND TOM AGAIN AND HE CLOSES HIS EYES.
NEXT SCENE
AT THE BIO LAB. SLOAN AND ED STAND AT A COUNTER. SLOAN HOLDS JAMES THE MONKEY AS ED SWABS ITS LITTLE MONKEY ARM WITH A PIECE OF COTTON.
Ed: Come on, James. I know this sucks, but it’s in the name of science.
Sloan: You would’ve been a really good doctor, do you know that?
Ed: I’m starting to think I should’ve stayed with it.
Sloan: What do you mean?
ED STICKS A NEEDLE INTO JAMES'S ARM AND THE MONKEY SCREECHES.
Ed: I mean, is this what the future holds for us? It’s biological warfare and we’re on the front lines. And a lot of people are going to die.
Sloan: Not if we do our job.
NEXT SCENE
LATER AT THE BIO LAB. ED AND SLOAN SIT IN ED’S OFFICE, EATING CHINESE TAKEOUT. LIGHTNING FLASHES OUTSIDE THE WINDOW AND WE HEAR THUNDER.
Ed: Why are you so sure that Tom won’t try to hurt you or the rest of us?
Sloan: I know him.
Ed: Come on, how can you really know him, Sloan? I mean, come one, will you be honest with yourself? He is not human and he never will be. There’s no way you can know what’s going on inside of him.
Sloan: We’ve become close enough for me to be sure.
Ed: Exactly how close?
Sloan: (angrily) Whatever you’re thinking didn’t happen.
SLOAN RISES FROM HER CHAIR AND WALKS OVER TO WHERE THE CHINESE FOOD BOXES SIT ON A FILE CABINET.
Ed: Is it going to?
SLOAN TURNS TO LOOK AT ED, THEN LOOKS DOWN AT HER PLATE.
Ed: So you’re not sure.
SLOAN FIDGETS WITH THE CHINESE FOOD.
Ed: What happened with you two when you were in hiding in that motel?
Sloan: Nothing.
Ed: But it almost did.
SLOAN EXHALES AND TURNS TO ED.
Sloan: We kissed. It was stress! We were locked up, scared.
Ed: You can not go there, Sloan. I mean, we don’t know how they’re trying to attack us. We just discovered the tick. Who knows what an innocent kiss could mean?
SLOAN LOOKS AT ED, PENSIVE. ED’S PAGER BEEPS AND HE CHECKS IT.
Ed: It’s James's DNA test.
LIGHTNING FLASHES AND THUNDER ROLLS AS THE SCIENTISTS LEAVE THE OFFICE.
NEXT SCENE
IN THE WHITE ROOM. TOM SITS AT A SMALL ROUND TABLE. ED SITS ACROSS FROM HIM. THEY’RE EATING DINNER. (TOM LOOKS REALLY GOOD. OR AM I REPEATING MYSELF?)
Ed: You’re gonna have to kill her, man.
Tom: I know.
Ed: I mean this, this relationship you have with Sloan. It’s dragging you down.
Tom: (nodding) You’re right.
Ed: Well, glad you’re starting to see things my way.
WE SEE A GHOST SHOT OF LEWIS’S FACE AS THE CAMERA PANS BACK.
NEXT SCENE
AT THE BIO LAB. IN THE LAB AREA. ED AND SLOAN WALK TO A COMPUTER ON A COUNTER. THEY DO A DNA DIFFERENTIAL ANALYSIS. THE RESULT FLASHES 1.6%.
Ed: This is amazing. It took only hours for James’s entire genetic makeup to be altered by a simple deer tick.
Sloan: (stunned) And how many of them are out there?
CUT TO ED AND SLOAN WALKING DOWN THE HALLWAY OUTSIDE THE LAB AREA.
Sloan: Ed....
Ed: It’s too quiet in here.
A MONKEY SCREECHES AND ED AND SLOAN LOOK AT THE CAGE.
Sloan: Oh, my God.
WE SEE ONE MONKEY, HOPPING AROUND, AGITATED, WHILE TWO OTHERS LAY UNMOVING AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CAGE.
Sloan: He killed the other monkeys.
NEXT SCENE
LIGHTNING FLASHES AND WE CUT TO A DRAB GREY ROOM. TOM LIES ON A COT AND LEWIS SITS BESIDE HIM IN A CHAIR. TOM SITS UP.
Lewis: How do you feel?
Tom: Fine.
(AND HE LOOKS IT, TOO! THAT MAN IS SOOO FINE.)
Lewis: There’s something I want you to do for me, Tom.
Tom: Ohh-kay.
TOM STANDS AND WALKS AROUND THE COT. LEWIS RISES AND APPROACHES HIM. THEY FACE A DOOR.
Lewis: There’s someone in the other room. I want you to kill them.
TOM WALKS TO THE DOOR, A BLANK STARE UPON HIS FACE. LEWIS WATCHES HIM. TOM OPENS THE DOOR. JANE DANIELS IS SITTING BEFORE A WRITING DESK. SUNLIGHT STREAMS IN THROUGH THE WINDOW ON HER RIGHT.
Tom: Mother.
Jane: Tom. Are you alright?
TOM RAISES THE GUN AND AIMS IT AT HER HEAD. JANE GIVES A SMALL SMILE AS SHE RISES FROM HER CHAIR.
Jane: I’m proud of you.
TOM FIRES, AND HIS MOTHER SLUMPS AGAINST THE DESK. LEWIS WATCHES THE SCENE FROM THE OTHER ROOM. TOM TURNS BACK TO LOOK AT LEWIS, A FIERCE LOOK UPON HIS FACE. LEWIS GRINS AT HIM. TOM LOOKS DOWN AT THE BODY THAT LIES BEFORE HIM.
NEXT SCENE
AT THE BIO LAB. ATTWOOD SITS AT HIS DESK, THINKING. SLOAN KNOCKS ON THE DOOR. ED IS BEHIND HER.
Attwood: Come in.
THEY DO.
Sloan: What’s going on?
Attwood: It’s been twenty-four hours since Tom drove away with Lewis. If Lewis hasn’t killed him, I think we can expect Tom any time now.
Ed: Wait, what do you mean by ‘expect’?
Attwood: Well, if Sloan’s right and Lewis has some control over Tom, I’d anticipate that Tom would try to kill us.
Ed: What about your security forces?
Attwood: I’ve relieved them of their duty. I want Tom to come here. I want him to feel that we’re vulnerable.
Sloan: You’re gonna trap him.
Attwood: I have no choice. I’m under orders, Sloan. Truthfully, I think it is the best thing to do.
Sloan: What about the police? If Tom tries to come near us, they’ll see him.
Attwood: Tom’s off the hook. I’ve arranged for the police and the media to receive a package exonerating him.
Ed: Ok, so what do we do now?
Attwood: I’ve devised a plan to capture Tom without harming him.
Sloan: (incredulously) We’re talking about Tom here. The one who’s been helping us all along. Without him on our side, we don’t stand a chance of succeeding.
Ed: (pointedly) He is no longer ON our side, Sloan.
Sloan: Well then, we’ll just have to figure out a way to get him back.
ED LOOKS AT ATTWOOD. SLOAN TURNS TO THE OLDER MAN.
Sloan: We can’t just give up on him.
Attwood: As I said, we have no choice. I’m afraid it’s time for you to put your personal feelings aside.
SLOAN LOOKS OVER AT ED, MOUTH AGAPE. SHE SLOWLY CLOSES IT.
NEXT SCENE
EXTERIOR OF THE LIFE SCIENCES BUILDING. A BLACK BMW SITS PARKED BY THE CURB.
Lewis: When you’ve completed your task, return here.
TOM TURNS TO LOOK AT LEWIS.
Lewis: It’s good to have you back.
Tom: Thank you.
TOM EXITS THE CAR AND STRIDES AROUND THE SIDE OF THE BUILDING. HE STARES STRAIGHT AHEAD, FOCUSED.
CUT TO ED, ENTERING ATTWOOD’S OFFICE AND CLOSING THE DOOR BEHIND HIM.
Ed: Tom just pulled up.
ATTWOOD KNEELS NEXT TO THE DOOR, RIGGING A CONTRAPTION TO THE DOORKNOB.
Attwood: Based on everything we know about Tom and people like him, this voltage should be just enough to drop him without killing him. Good work, Ed!
Sloan: Where will he be taken?
Attwood: That’s on a need-to-know basis, Sloan. And even I’m not on that list.
SLOAN LOOKS OVER AT ED AS ATTWOOD ARMS THE DOOR.
CUT TO TOM, STRIDING ACROSS THE ROOF. HE APPROACHES A RAILING AND HOPS OVER IT. (SIGH.) HE CROUCHES (SIGH AGAIN!) NEXT TO A HATCH IN THE ROOF. TOM LIFTS THE ALARM FACEPLATE OFF AND FIDDLES WITH THE WIRES INSIDE. HE PUTS THE FACEPLATE BACK ON AND PUNCHES 1-8-6-5 AND ‘ENTER’ ON THE KEYPAD. THE LIGHTS GO GREEN. TOM OPENS THE HATCH AND CLIMBS DOWN A LADDER INTO A STAIRWELL.
CUT TO TOM, WALKING DOWN THE OUTER HALLWAY OF THE BIO LAB. HE CAUTIOUSLY PUSHES THROUGH THE DOOR. HE ENTERS THE LAB AREA AND WALKS ACROSS IT. HE SPOTS ED THROUGH THE DOOR OF ATTWOOD’S OFFICE. HE PULLS HIS GUN FROM BENEATH HIS COAT. TOM’S EYES NARROW AND HIS HEAD LOWERS AS HE SPOTS HIS PREY THROUGH THE WINDOW OF ATTWOOD’S OFFICE--SLOAN. SHE LOOKS UP AT HIM. HE PAUSES IN FRONT OF THE DOOR AND STARES INTENTLY, MENACINGLY, AT HER THROUGH THE WINDOW. HER EYES ARE HUGE WITH WORRY AS SHE LOOKS UP AT HIM AGAIN. HE PUTS HIS HAND ON THE DOORKNOB AND SUDDENLY HIS BODY ARCHES AND HIS HEAD IS THROWN BACK. HE IS BEING ELECTROCUTED. SLOAN’S MOUTH OPENS IN SHOCK. TOM FALLS TO THE FLOOR AND ATTWOOD RUSHES FORWARD. ATTWOOD DISARMS THE DOOR AND SLOAN RUSHES TO HER FALLEN MAN. SHE CHECKS HIS PULSE.
Sloan: (relieved) He’s still alive.
Attwood: Let’s move him into the library.
ED, SLOAN AND ATTWOOD GRAB THE PRONE MAN AND LIFT HIM.
CUT TO THE LIBRARY. TOM IS ON A GURNEY, STILL UNCONSCIOUS. ED IS STRAPPING HIM TO THE GURNEY AS ATTWOOD LOCKS A CHAIN AROUND HIS WAIST. SLOAN STANDS AT TOM’S FEET, STARING DOWN AT THE MAN. HE’S STRAPPED UNDERNEATH HIS RIBCAGE AND ACROSS HIS SHINS. THE CHAIN IS SECURED AROUND BOTH ANKLES AND STRETCHES UP BETWEEN HIS LEGS TO ATTACH AROUND HIS WAIST. (ESSENTIALLY, HE AIN’T GOING NOWHERE...)
Attwood: It should be a while before he comes around. I’ve got a phone call to make. I’ve been ordered to ask you to leave the lab immediately.
ATTWOOD WALKS OUT. ED WALKS OVER TO SLOAN.
Ed: It was the right thing to do, Sloan.
Sloan: (shaking her head) I don’t know.
Ed: How ‘bout I give you a ride home?
Sloan: No thanks. I’m gonna stay here till they take him away.
Ed: Call me later, if you wanna talk.
SLOAN NODS ABSENTLY, STILL STARING AT THE RESTRAINED MAN, AS ED LEAVES THE ROOM. SLOAN TAKES HER COAT OFF AND PULLS A CHAIR UP NEXT TO THE GURNEY. SHE SITS, LOOKING DOWN AT TOM. SHE LEANS OVER HIM, SMOOTHING THE HAIR AT HIS RIGHT TEMPLE, STROKING THE BACK OF HER HAND DOWN THE SIDE OF HIS CHEEK AND BACK UP. SUDDENLY TOM’S EYES SPRING OPEN. HE WHIPS HIS HEAD OVER TO LOOK AT SLOAN AND SHE JUMPS, BACKING UP TO THE WALL. TOM STRUGGLES VIOLENTLY AGAINST HIS RESTRAINTS, TO NO AVAIL. HE CALMS HIS MOTIONS AND GLARES AT SLOAN, LIPS IN A TIGHT LINE.
Tom: Set me free.
Sloan: I can’t do that.
HE STRUGGLES AGAIN, ROCKING THE GURNEY WITH HIS MOTIONS. HE STILLS AND STARES UP AT THE CEILING, A FEROCIOUS LOOK ON HIS FACE.
Tom: You will all die, Sloan.
Sloan: (shaking her head) You are not like them, Tom. I know you. I know what’s really in your heart.
Tom: You don’t know me.
Sloan: I do! I know how you feel about humans.
TOM STARTS TO STRUGGLE AGAIN.
Sloan: About love.
SLOAN APPROACHES THE GURNEY AND SITS IN THE CHAIR. SHE LEANS CLOSE TO TOM.
Sloan: About me.
TOM STARES AT THE CEILING, REFUSING TO LOOK AT HER.
Sloan: Why did you save my life? Protect me, give me information? Give me a blood sample?
HE GLANCES AT HER. SHE LEANS OVER HIM, HANDS RESTING ON EITHER SIDE OF HIS HEAD.
Sloan: Why did you tell me about Lewis?
HE VIOLENTLY JERKS HIS HEAD TO LOOK AT HER.
Sloan: Yes, that’s right! That’s right! I know who Lewis is! I know what he taught you and why!
Tom: No.
Sloan: You told me!
Tom: No. I wouldn’t.
Sloan: You told me everything! You told me about the little boy you couldn't kill because his mother offered her life for his. And you couldn’t....you didn’t kill me. You had the chance but you couldn’t do it.
SLOAN'S VOICE BREAKS WITH EMOTION; SHE IS ON THE VERGE OF TEARS. TOM SHAKES HIS HEAD, DENYING WHAT SHE’S SAYING. SLOAN LEANS DOWN, HOLDING HIS FACE IN HER HANDS AND SOFTLY KISSES HIM. SHE PULLS BACK AND HIS HEAD LIFTS AWAY FROM THE GURNEY, FOLLOWING HER LIPS. SHE BREAKS THE KISS AND LOOKS DOWN AT HIM. TOM’S EYES CLEAR AND HE LOOKS UP AT HER.
Tom: Sloan?
SHE SMILES DOWN AT HIM IN RELIEF.
Tom: Sloan...
Sloan: Yes!
Tom: Sloan...Sloan...
PAIN AND CONFUSION FLASH ACROSS HIS FACE.
Tom: (gasping, his voice full of emotion) The last thing I remember we were in your apartment. I was.....I abandoned you in the motel. I’m sorry.
SLOAN SAGS AGAINST HIM IN RELIEF AND HE RAISES HIS HEAD, LOOKING QUESTIONINGLY AT HIS BONDS.
Tom: What--
Sloan: I’ll explain that later, I’ll be right back, okay? I’ll be right back.
TOM LIFTS HIS HANDS TO HER AS SHE RACES FROM THE ROOM. HE DROPS HIS HEAD BACK DOWN ONTO THE GURNEY.
CUT TO SLOAN, PEEKING HER HEAD CAUTIOUSLY AROUND A DOORWAY. SHE SEES ATTWOOD TALKING TO THREE BEEFY GUYS, EXPLAINING SOMETHING TO THEM. SLOAN DARTS ACROSS THE HALL AND INTO ATTWOOD’S OFFICE. SHE GRABS KEYS OFF ATTWOOD’S DESK AND RETURNS TO TOM. SHE UNLOCKS THE CHAINS.
Sloan: I’ve gotta get you out of these before Attwood gets here.
Tom: Attwood did this? Why?
Sloan: Help me.
SLOAN UNDOES THE STRAPS AND TOM SITS UP.
CUT TO TOM AND SLOAN, MAKING THEIR WAY DOWN A STAIRWELL.
Sloan: You have to get out of here. Attwood--
Tom: (stopping her with a hand) He’s not the one I’m worried about.
Sloan: Lewis.
Tom: He’s outside. I have to take care of him.
SLOAN REACHES FOR HIS HAND.
Sloan: No, you don’t.
Tom: It has to end, Sloan.
HE WALKS AWAY FROM HER AND DOWN THE STEPS.
CUT TO LEWIS, SEATED IN THE BMW. TOM APPROACHES THE PASSENGER DOOR. HE LOOKS IN AT LEWIS, THE DAZED LOOK BACK IN PLACE ON HIS FACE.
Lewis: It went well.
Tom: Fine.
TOM PRODUCES HIS GUN AND AIMS IT THROUGH THE WINDOW AT LEWIS.
Lewis: What’s this all about.
Tom: It’s over.
Lewis: You're going to kill me?
Tom: (shaking his head) No.
Lewis: Because you can’t.
Tom: Because I choose not to.
SUDDENLY A BEEFY MAN RACES UP AND GRABS TOM FROM BEHIND. ANOTHER OPENS LEWIS’S DOOR AND GRABS HIM. ATTWOOD WALKS UP.
Attwood: You have your orders.
THE MAN LETS GO OF TOM. ATTWOOD GESTURES TO LEWIS.
Attwood: He’s the man we want.
TOM LOOKS AT ATTWOOD, CONFUSED. ATTWOOD TOUCHES A HAND TO TOM’S ARM.
Attwood: Welcome back.
ATTWOOD WALKS AWAY. TOM STARES AFTER HIM. HE SEES SLOAN AND A SMALL SMILE LIFTS THE CORNER OF HIS MOUTH. SHE SMILES AT HIM AND HIS SMILE DEEPENS A TOUCH. HE WALKS OVER TO HER AND SHE EMBRACES HIM. WE SEE LEWIS BEING HANDCUFFED AS TOM AND SLOAN WALK OFF, ARM IN ARM.