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(Joshua wakes up on the floor of Sandeman's house and finds it empty. He sniffs the air and follows a scent outside. He walks down the street, sniffing the air and a fire hydrant. Upon seeing a dog, he barks with it for a minute, then crosses the street. He walks through a market, sniffing a fish and licking it before a shop owner shoos him away. He follows the scent through Max's building. When he reaches Max's door, he whines and howls. Inside the apartment, Original Cindy hears him and opens the door, clearly expecting a dog. Joshua bursts in and faces her, sniffing the air, and she gasps.) ORIGINAL CINDY: Ooh! Max! (Max enters the living room.) MAX: Joshua! JOSHUA: Max. MAX: How'd you get here? (Joshua smiles and points to his nose.) MAX: Did anyone see you? (He shrugs.) MAX (to Original Cindy): It's okay. He's a friend. ORIGINAL CINDY: Yeah, sure. (To Joshua.) You just...threw me back there, that's all. You're Joshua, right? JOSHUA: Joshua. Right. (He extends his hand and she shakes it.) ORIGINAL CINDY: Original Cindy. Good to meet you. I'm making breakfast. You hungry? (Joshua nods and smiles. A short while later, Joshua is sitting at the counter and wolfing down some oatmeal from a bowl, barely bothering with the spoon. Max is sitting across the counter, drinking coffee. Original Cindy stands next to her, tending the pot of oatmeal.) MAX: I was gonna come by and bring you some stuff. JOSHUA: Time to find Father. ORIGINAL CINDY: Father? Who's Father? JOSHUA: Sandman. He made us. He's gonna make Max better. ORIGINAL CINDY: You mean your lovebug thing where you can't touch Logan? (Max nods.) Well, get on it, boo! I'm tired of seein' you mopin'. This virus bitch has gotta go down so that you can get busy with your man. (Max smiles.) JOSHUA: Max and Logan, gettin' busy. That's the plan. MAX: The plan is we're gonna find Father. Logan's tracking down some leads. In the meantime, you've gotta lay low. You can't be walking around out there. JOSHUA (smiling): Don't mope. I'm on it. ORIGINAL CINDY (to Joshua): Hey, hey, you want some more? We got more food. (Joshua nods and starts to lick the serving spoon.) Ah! Ah! Down! (She swats him and he backs off, holding out his bowl instead.) Okay. (In Chinatown, a mean wearing a large hat shuffles down a busy street. He looks around and approaches a pair of vendors. The vendors see his face and exchange looks. The man points to an overcoat hanging behind the vendors and one of them gets it for him.) VENDOR: Eight dollar. (The man hands holds out some money. Blood drips from his hand onto the T-shirts lying on the counter. We see subtitles as one of the vendors speaks to the other.) SECOND VENDOR (in Chinese): Don't take his money. Tell him to leave! FIRST VENDOR (to the man, in Chinese): Go away. Go away right now! (The other vendor hands the man the coat.) Hurry up. Don't come back. (The man shuffles away. People stare at him as he passes by.) (At a motel, also in Chinatown, a man checks in a guest. His son sits on the step outside the door. The boy watches a firecracker burst high in the air. The man hears the burst and addresses his son.) MAN (in Chinese): Henry, I told you no more bottle rockets. HENRY: Chill, Pop. It wasn't me, I swear. MAN (in Chinese): Don't lie to me. Now get out there and sweep. (Henry takes a broom that is standing just inside the door. He slams the door shut and begins to sweep the front step. A young man staggers down the street nearby, bleeding from the nose. He begins gasping and collapses, now bleeding from the eyes as well. A small crowd gathers around to help. A man wearing a suit pushes through the crowd and looks at him closely.) MAN: Somebody call an ambulance. Somebody call an ambulance! (Some distance away, the man who tried to buy the overcoat is wrapping a withered hand with tape. The camera moves up to the back of his head, which has a sparse layer of hair, and we see a barcode on his neck. He finishes taping and puts on the large hat.) INTRODUCTION: They designed her to be the perfect soldier--a human weapon. Then she escaped. In a future not far from now, in a broken world, she is haunted by her past. She cannot run; she must fight to discover her destiny. (In Logan's apartment, he is sitting at his computer while Max stands across the room.) LOGAN: So then I ran a search of university records. If this guy Sandeman was the genius behind Manticore, he'd probably have some sort of degree in genetics, or biochemistry, or something. MAX: Anything turn up? (Logan stands up and walks over to her. She backs up a little bit.) LOGAN: Yeah, a couple of Ph.D.'s, but nothing in the sciences. MAX: What about the house? LOGAN: Mmm. His name wasn't on it. Mortgage was held by an offshore corporation, and the taxes were paid out of a numbered account. MAX: Guess if you're splicing genes for a secret government agency, gotta make sure you cover your tracks. (Logan takes a step toward her and she takes a step around him.) LOGAN: In May of '08, bank repo'd the property after six months of non-payment, and it's sat there empty ever since. Looks like Sandeman just disappeared. MAX: Maybe...retired someplace sunny. LOGAN: Or he ran for his life. I mean, hey, we're talking about Manticore. Place wasn't exactly known for job security. (He takes another step toward her and she heads for the kitchen. He follows.) MAX: Yeah, well, if he had time to pack his bags, he probably would've taken this. (From her bag on the table, Max pulls out Sandeman's cane. A plastic bag has been wrapped around the Manticore carving on the top.) LOGAN: The Manticore symbol. And we're sure he's one of the good guys? MAX: Joshua's sure; that's enough for me. Thought maybe we could check it for prints, or DNA. LOGAN: I don't know. After ten years? MAX (tossing the cane on the table in frustration): Worth a shot. I mean, we got nothing on this guy. Not even a first name. LOGAN: I'll call Matt Sung...see if he can get the police lab to do it. (Looks at Max.) We're gonna find him, Max. And we're gonna beat this. MAX: I just want things to be the way they were. You know, when we could hold hands without you keeling over on me. (The door opens. Max remains in the kitchen while Logan goes out to the living room to see who came in. Asha has entered.) LOGAN: Asha. ASHA: I just got this close to getting busted at a checkpoint. LOGAN: Yeah. Listen-- ASHA: They ran my papers through the computer, and I could tell they were getting onto them being forged, 'cause they were taking forever. LOGAN: Yeah-- ASHA: So I just got the hell out of there. LOGAN: That's a smart move-- ASHA: All I wanted to do is go home and take a bath. Now I gotta get my hands on a whole new fake I.D. LOGAN: I can probably help you with that-- ASHA: And we gotta talk about this Manticore thing. You know, I'm really glad your friend Max and her furry little friends got out of there, but it's really-- (Max steps into the living room next to Logan.) ASHA: Oh. Hi. MAX: Hi. ASHA: What I meant was...we...my group...the... LOGAN (to Max): The S1W is that political organization that I was-- MAX: Yeah, yeah, (to Asha) government's trying to say Manticore was just a V.A. hospital you guys burned down. (Asha nods.) MAX: Sorry...from me and all my furry little friends. (Asha gets the point. Logan covers his face with his hand.) MAX: I gotta get to work. (To Logan) Have fun. (Outside, Max angrily unlocks her mountain bike while mocking Asha.) MAX: "All I wanna do is take a bath." All I wanna do is drown her in one. (Max rides her bike through the streets, oblivious to the traffic. We hear her voiceover as she talks to herself.) MAX: Don't get mad. It's not her fault everything handcuffs you to freaking Manticore. But what is up? Is someone trying to tell me something? (A car hits her. Max flies off her bike and lands flat on her back. Rafer gets out of the car and kneels over her, touching her cheeks, shoulders, and arms.) MAX: Rafer?! RAFER: Lie still. MAX: I'm okay. RAFER: I don't know. You went down pretty hard. MAX: That was you? RAFER: Sorry. You came out of nowhere. (He begins to slide his hand under her shirt. She swats it away.) MAX: What the hell are you doing? RAFER: Relax. I'm a paramedic. MAX: You deliver pizzas. RAFER: That was just part-time. We spent one night together four months ago; you think you know my life story? Now try and lie still. I gotta check for broken bones-- (Max flips him over her onto his back. She follows so that she is sitting menacingly on top of him.) MAX: Next time you wanna cop a feel, hit me harder and make sure I'm out cold. (She starts to walk away, shooing away the gathering crowd.) No damage. Just a scratch. RAFER: Max. (She turns around to see him holding up her shoe. After glancing downwards at her shoeless foot, Max snatches the shoe away from him. She puts it on and stalks away.) (In his apartment, Logan paces while talking on his cell phone. Matt is in his office, looking at Sandeman's cane.) LOGAN: Matt? Logan. Did you get it? MATT: Yeah. Just arrived. LOGAN: Listen, I appreciate you doing this. MATT: Yeah, no problem. I'll get you the results as soon as I can. LOGAN: Great. (They hang up. Matt notices a man standing in the main room, arguing with the person behind a desk. It is the same man who told the crowd in Chinatown to call an ambulance.) MAN: ...biochemist. Do you understand? I'm a scientist. Now I'm sure you have a great team of scientists working at the precinct, but... (Matt enters the next room and addresses the man.) MATT: Hi. (The man turns and beings talking to Matt.) MAN: Yes. Hello. The boy that died today in Chinatown--I was there, and I think that I may have been exposed to something. MATT: Sir, the coroner's still trying to figure out what happened. We'll have the report in the morning, okay? MAN: Well, I would like to see a copy of that report, yes? MATT: You'll have to file a request with the M.E.'s office. MAN: No. No-- MATT: Just follow them. (A couple of people lead the man out of the room as he protests.) MAN: This is totally unacceptable. I don't have time... (Matt walks back into his office. Another man follows him, holding a piece of paper.) OTHER MAN: Sung? MATT: Yeah? OTHER MAN: You had a sketch artist working on something? MATT: Yeah, rumor's flying around Chinatown about some strange guy in an overcoat. OTHER MAN: I'll say. (He hands Matt the sheet of paper. On it is a drawing of a face, half of it misshapen.) MATT: Yeah, the eyewitness says his face was bleeding. Could be the dead kid was exposed to something he's got. OTHER MAN: Could be. Let's keep this under wraps until the autopsy comes out. I don't want to start a panic. MATT: You haven't been to Chinatown lately, have you? It's already panic. (The man walks out and Matt sits down, looking at the drawing.) (Max walks into Jam Pony carrying her bike, which is in two pieces.) SKETCHY: Hey, what happened to you? NORMAL: Where you been, little missy? Huh? Been paging you all morning. MAX: Well, I lost my pager when I got hearsed on Charles Street. But I'm all right, thanks for asking. NORMAL (handing Sketchy a package): Here. Hot run, sector nine. MAX: Can I borrow-- NORMAL: No. Don't even ask. You're not covered on company bikes, and if you so much as break a fingernail, we both know you'll sue. (To other workers) Hey, let's go! Bip bip bip! It's called Jam Pony, not Jam Clydesdale. (Max hangs her bike up. Rafer enters and Max sees he is wearing a paramedic's uniform.) RAFER: Hey. MAX: Okay, you are a paramedic. So what? You showed up to try to make me feel bad for not believing you? RAFER: No, I came by to give you this. (Hands Max her pager and holds up two lunch bags.) And to see if you wanted to have lunch. My way of making up for our, uh, little run-in. (In Logan's kitchen, Asha is standing at the counter while Logan digs around in the fridge.) ASHA: Listen, I'm really sorry about-- LOGAN: Forget about it. ASHA: How can I? I put my foot so far down my mouth, I got teeth marks on my knee. (Logan walks over to the counter next to her and sets down some food.) ASHA: She must hate me. LOGAN: Really, forget about it. Eat something. (Max and Rafer are sitting at a table at Jam Pony with food spread out before them.) MAX: I'm not really hungry. RAFER: Look, um, about what happened that...night... MAX: I'd really rather just forget about that night. RAFER: Me too. I was in a really weird headspace 'cause, uh, I just broke up with my girlfriend like three weeks before...Anyway, if I came on too strong, I'm sorry, 'cause I'm not like that. MAX: It's okay. RAFER: Came by here looking for you a couple times. No one knew where you were. MAX: I had to deal with some family stuff. It's complicated. RAFER: Family stuff's always complicated. MAX: You have no idea. RAFER: Thought maybe you had a boyfriend somewhere. MAX: That's complicated too. ASHA: Which has gotta be the understatement of the century. LOGAN: Max and I danced around each other for almost a year. Just when we finally figure out what's going on between us, this virus thing happens, and... MAX: We can't be together. RAFER: What do you mean? Why not? MAX: It's hard to explain. It's like...it's too intense. Sometimes I think maybe we're just not meant to be. LOGAN: I mean, if it's right, why does it have to be so hard? ASHA: I don't know. MAX: Logan's probably just better off without me. ASHA (fingering his shirt): I just want you to be happy. RAFER: He'd be lucky to be with you. Anybody would be. (Asha looks into Logan's eyes with her mouth open. Logan shakes his head a bit and starts to say something. Before he does, Asha drops his shirt.) ASHA: I should go. RAFER: I'd better get back to work. MAX: Yeah, me too. (Asha heads for the door.) LOGAN: You don't have I.D. Asha... (The door closes behind her.) RAFER (leaving): See you around. MAX: Okay. (In the motel, Henry's dad is asleep on the couch. Henry is at the counter, checking in the transgenic with the overcoat.) HENRY: This is your bus ticket, sir. (Henry hands the man a ticket and a key. He goes upstairs as Henry watches.) (Another firecracker bursts over Chinatown. Sketchy and Original Cindy stop to make a delivery. Original Cindy holds Sketchy's bike while he hands a package to a man behind a counter. The man talks to a coworker nearby.) COUNTER MAN: Yeah, that mutant--saw it here yesterday. Grabbed a pigeon...bit its head off. Looked at me like I was next. (Sketchy, looking concerned, returns to his bike and Original Cindy.) SKETCHY: You know, it's worse than I thought, O.C. ORIGINAL CINDY: What? SKETCHY: The mutant infestation. It's here in Chinatown as well. ORIGINAL CINDY: Were you born dumb, or do you put in work? (Suddenly they notice lots of people around them start coughing, bleeding from the eyes and nose, and collapsing. The clerk Sketchy just gave the package to is one of them.) ORIGINAL CINDY: Ambulance. We gotta get an ambulance. (The next day, Matt stands on the street while men in biohazard suits handle body bags. He is talking on his cell phone to Logan.) MATT: Twenty-two. All Chinese. LOGAN: What'd the M.E. say? MATT: If it's the same thing that killed the kid yesterday, it's some kind of, um, pathogen. She said she's never seen anything like it. LOGAN: I mean, is it...some kind of toxin, or what? MATT: She's running some tests, trying to figure it out. Listen...did you catch Eyes Only's hack about that place Manticore? LOGAN: Yeah, why? MATT: Well, the government's trying to say it never existed, okay? But the word on the street is that the place burned down and a bunch of these genetically-engineered whatsits got out. LOGAN: Well, those are just rumors. MATT: Yeah, well, the rumor's that one of them is hiding out here in Chinatown. Supposedly deformed. It bleeds out through his skin. LOGAN: You think there's a connection? MATT: I don't know, but Eyes Only might. Can you talk to him for me? LOGAN: Yeah, I'll try and get to him. MATT: I appreciate it. LOGAN: Sure thing. And listen...I'm sorry, Matt. I know this is close to home. MATT: Yeah. (At Jam Pony, Max and Original Cindy are talking at their lockers.) ORIGINAL CINDY: It was horrible. MAX: Those poor people. ORIGINAL CINDY: Said on the news that anybody that was there is supposed to get checked for infection. I'm scared. (Logan walks in.) LOGAN (to Max): Hey. Can I talk to you? NORMAL (to Max as he passes by): Five minutes and I start docking. (In a secluded area of Jam Pony, Max and Logan keep their voices down.) MAX: Even if there is some screwed-up transgenic out there...doesn't mean he's got whatever's killing these people. LOGAN: When you were at Manticore, were you aware of any experiments that involved exposure to virulent bacteria or pathogens or-- MAX: No. And why are you jumping to conclusions? LOGAN: Because the guy's been seen in the area. MAX: If this has something to do with me and my furry little friends, then how come all the victims are Chinese? Manticore's always been real big on equal opportunity. LOGAN: Could be that it takes prolonged exposure. If this guy was downtown, maybe it'd be rich white people who were dying. MAX: Ever think maybe it was something they ate? Or they all got bit by the same mosquito? Or maybe some bug that got released from a lab? LOGAN: Come on, Max! This is nothing new to Manticore. Look what they did to you and me, for God's sake. MAX: Just because I'm poison doesn't mean we all are. Your five minutes are up. (Walks away.) (At a sector checkpoint, Asha attempts to sneak through a broken fence.) SECTOR COP: Hold it right there. (She looks up to find one cop on each side of the fence pointing a gun at her.) (At Sandeman's house, Max walks into the living room. Joshua has cleaned it up and is sitting in an armchair, book in hand.) MAX: I love what you've done with the place. JOSHUA: Laying low. MAX: Good, 'cause it's dangerous out there. Especially these days. JOSHUA: Like it here. Father's books...Father's house. MAX: Yeah. Listen, about Father...(Goes to stand by the window)...Logan's come up empty. He's still working on it. He'll find Sandeman, just as soon as he's done saving the world...from us. (Joshua joins her at the window.) JOSHUA: Max and Logan. That's the plan. MAX: I don't know. I'm starting to think there is no plan, and if there is, I'm not clued in at all. Father ever talk to you about fate? You know, like...whether some things just weren't meant to be? JOSHUA: Canine with human DNA...not meant to be. Then Joshua. (Points to himself and smiles.) Max and Logan not meant to be...then gettin' busy. MAX (chuckling): We'll see. JOSHUA: Yeah, you'll see. This virus bitch going down. (Max's pager beeps.) MAX: It's him. (At a pay phone on the street, Max calls Logan.) LOGAN: Hello? MAX: If you're calling to apologize-- LOGAN: I'm not, but I will, if that's what it takes. MAX (harder): Spit it out. LOGAN (apologetically): Asha was heading home, and-- MAX: She left already? LOGAN: Yeah. And she got arrested by sector cops. I need your help. MAX: You want me to save her. LOGAN: I don't know who else I can ask. MAX: Try Sung. LOGAN: I did. He's not answering his page. MAX: Smart man. LOGAN: Look, Max, if they run her prints and find out who she is-- MAX: Yeah, yeah. Where are they holding her? LOGAN: Sector Four headquarters. MAX: We'll meet you at Crash in an hour. (In an interrogation room, a man is questioning Asha while two cops stand guard.) ASHA: Look, I told you, I left my I.D. at work. I can--I can bring it in tomorrow. (The door opens and the man is handed a sheet of paper.) MAN: Your prints came through, Ms. Barlow. We know you're with the S1W. ASHA: I don't know what you're talking about. (He pushes pen and paper towards her.) MAN: I want the names and addresses of everyone in your group. ASHA: This is crazy. (He smacks her.) MAN: This department does not take terrorist activities lightly. ASHA: The S1W are not terrorists. MAN: Tell me what I want to know, or this is going to get ugly. (Suddenly Max bursts through the glass covering a large vent and begins taking out the cops. Asha jumps onto the man's back.) ASHA (repeating): I'm gonna kick your ass! I'm gonna kick your ass! (Max finishes with the cops and turns to see Asha attempting unsuccessfully to take out the man. Max knocks him out with one punch. Asha watches him drop and looks at Max, astonished.) MAX: It's my thing. Come on. (At Crash, Logan is sitting at the bar, checking his watch. Rafer approaches nearby and addresses the bartender.) RAFER: You know a girl named Max? (Logan turns to look at him.) Dark hair, hangs out here a lot? BARTENDER: Yeah, hard to miss. But, uh, hasn't been in here tonight. RAFER: I'll have a beer. BARTENDER: Take that one. LOGAN (to Rafer): You know Max? RAFER: Yeah. You? LOGAN: Yup. RAFER (offering his hand): Rafer. LOGAN (shaking it): Logan. RAFER (realizing who it is): Right. (Outside, Max and Asha pull up on Max's Ninja. Asha gets off.) ASHA: Listen, uh, thanks. I know you didn't have to. MAX: It was a favor to Logan. Besides, it wouldn't be right for you to take the rap for something you didn't do. ASHA: Um, you going in? I'm just gonna get my I.D. from Logan and go, so... RAFER: You're waiting here for Max, right? LOGAN: Yup. RAFER (standing up): That's my cue to go. LOGAN: You don't have to. MAX (still outside): Things between me and Logan are really screwed up right now. ASHA: Yeah, but he's crazy about you. RAFER: She digs you, man. I'm just gonna back off. LOGAN: Have a seat. MAX: I don't know how things are gonna play out between us...so I'm gonna go. LOGAN (standing up): I wouldn't want to mess anything up for her. (To bartender.) Hey, Neal? NEAL: Yeah. LOGAN: You know Asha? NEAL: Yeah, I know Asha. (Logan takes out an I.D. from his shirt pocket and hands it to Neal.) NEAL: I'll give it to her. LOGAN (paying his bill): Great. Thanks. (To Rafer.) See ya. MAX: Good night. (She puts on her bike glasses and rides down the alley. Logan walks up the stairs and leaves. Asha walks through Crash; Neal gives her the I.D. Logan gets in his car, sighs, and drives away. Seconds later, Max rounds the corner behind him and rides into the other direction. Neither one sees the other.) (At the motel, Henry is climbing up a ladder attached to the outside of the building. He reaches the transgenic's window and leans over to peer inside. The transgenic is unpacking a suitcase. Downstairs, Henry's father is on the phone.) HENRY'S FATHER (in Chinese): I saw him and called the police right away. (Matt and another cop walk in.) They're here. (He hangs up and Matt flashes his badge.) MATT (in Chinese): I'm Detective Sung. You the one who called the police? HENRY'S FATHER (in Chinese): It's here. My son, he rented. I was asleep. I had no idea. (They walk up the stairs. Meanwhile, Henry is still peering in the window while the transgenic removes his hat and coat. His father, Matt, and the other cop reach the hallway.) HENRY'S FATHER (in Chinese): I keep telling him not to rent to strangers. The creature, his room is over there. MATT (in Chinese): OK...you stay here...and stay back. (Matt and the other cop walk towards the transgenic's closed door. Henry leans over too far and the ladder falls. He hangs from the window ledge.) HENRY: Help! Help! (Matt and the other cop draw their guns. The transgenic leans out the window and extends a hand to Henry. Henry takes it and the transgenic pulls him inside. We that half the transgenic's face is deformed, almost tumorous. He smiles and pats Henry on the cheek. The door opens suddenly and the other cop shoots the transgenic dead. Matt enters, gun drawn. Henry's father rushes in and hugs Henry. They all stare at the transgenic.) (Later, Logan and Matt are waiting outside Dr. Shankar's autopsy room. Max enters and Logan stands up.) LOGAN: Hey, what are you doing here? I told you I'd call you. DR. SHANKAR: He's clean. MATT: Clean? DR. SHANKAR: Not a trace of the pathogen found in the others. MATT: Let me take a look at that. (He takes her clipboard and enters the autopsy room. Dr. Shankar follows with Logan and Max. She turns back the sheet covering the transgenic. The left side of his body is as deformed as the left side of his face is. Matt notices something and removes a pen from his pocket. He uses the pen to brush aside the transgenic's sparse hair.) MATT: What is that? (They all see the barcode on the back of his neck.) LOGAN: Looks like a tattoo. (Matt notices Logan, Max, and Dr. Shankar exchanging glances.) MATT: Why do I get the feeling you guys aren't telling me something here? What's going on? MAX: You killed an innocent man. That's what's going on. (Max leaves, upset.) MATT: It looked like he was hurting the kid. LOGAN: We know, Matt. MATT: Something killed all those people, okay? I-- DR. SHANKAR: Lab tests came back this morning. It's not an infectious agent. They were exposed to the pathogen directly. MATT: Where'd it come from? DR. SHANKAR: Don't know. I can tell you this--Mother Nature didn't cook this thing up. The pathogen's genetically engineered. LOGAN: Well, if the pathogen's man-made, then either it escaped from a lab, or somebody's exposing people to it on purpose. (In a messy lab, the man who insisted he was a biochemist is peering into a microscope and talking on the phone.) MAN: No, don't worry. I got my hands on a copy of the M.E.'s report. They're chasing their tails...Well, I'm ready when you are. All I need is a test subject...I'll be expecting you. (In Sandeman's house, Joshua is looking at the police sketch while Max paces.) JOSHUA: He was downstairs people. Didn't turn out so good. MAX: Spends his whole life in the basement in case Manticore needs to cut him up for spare parts, finally gets out in the world, and they shoot him dead like he's some kind of animal! See, this is why I'm always on you--because it's not safe out there. JOSHUA: People get real scared...when things are different. MAX: Yeah, but what I forgot to tell you is when they get scared...they can get really mean. I'm sorry. (In his apartment, Logan is talking to Matt Sung on his cell phone. Matt is in his office.) LOGAN: There's a rumor going around the black market about a new kind of bioweapon, capable of distinguishing between population groups. It's a nasty little trick no one's ever been able to pull off before. MATT: Yeah, maybe some kind of anti-Asian hate group. LOGAN: Maybe. Maybe what's happening is some kind of field test. MATT: Why do you say that? LOGAN: Well, first off, no one's claimed responsibility, but second, look at the way this thing's playing out. Starting with a single victim, then a handful in a narrowly targeted area... MATT: Well, I'm not sure what's worse--that somebody's out to kill me and mine, or that they're using us as...as guinea pigs. You got anything else for me? LOGAN: Well, I'm working on some leads, but it's slow going. Internet's been crashing all day. MATT: Do what you can. LOGAN: Talk to you later. (That night, Max walks into her apartment as her phone rings. She answers.) MAX: Hello? LOGAN: Hey. I just wanted to, uh...call, and...never got a chance to...thank you for springing Asha. MAX: No big deal. LOGAN: And because...you were right. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. Whatever it was that killed those people had nothing to do with transgenics. Guess our thing's just got me a little spun, you know? MAX: Yeah, me too. (Both their lines beep.) LOGAN: Is that me or you? MAX: I think it's me. Hold on. (They each press a button to take another call. Asha is calling Logan and Rafer is calling Max.) ASHA: Logan? MAX: Hello? RAFER: Max. LOGAN: Hi. ASHA: I'm at Crash. Why don't you come over? MAX: Hey. RAFER: Come over. I'm at Crash. MAX: I don't think so. LOGAN: Not tonight. ASHA: You sure? RAFER: Well, I'll be here if you change your mind. LOGAN: Yeah. I'm on the other line. MAX: I have someone on the other line. RAFER: All right. ASHA: Okay. See ya. (Logan and Max hang up with Asha and Rafer, and return to their own call.) MAX: Hey. LOGAN: Hi. MAX: So... LOGAN: Anyway, I...just wanted to say...sorry. About...everything. MAX: Yeah. Me too. Good night. LOGAN: Good night. (They both hang up and just stand there for a minute.) (Later, Max walks through Crash and joins Rafer at the bar.) RAFER: Hey, Max. MAX: Hey. (Logan walks down the steps into Crash, spots Asha sitting at a table, and joins her.) (Later, Rafer talks to the bartender and Max takes the opportunity to look around. A friend approaches Asha and Logan takes that opportunity to look around. Max and Logan make eye contact and smile.) (In his lab, the man who was looking into the microscope is talking to a man seated in a chair. Several large men in suits are standing nearby.) MAN: What delays? I told you three steps were going to be involved, did I not? Step one: Target the pathogen to a single individual, expose him to it via airborne dispersal, make sure he's the only one it affects. Went off without a hitch, did it not? (One of the men sets his beverage can on top of a nearby piece of equipment.) MAN: Uh, excuse me--could you not put that there, please? That is a very expensive piece of equipment. (The man removes the can.) MAN: Thank you. Step two: Target the pathogen to a specific race of people. The Chinese at the bus stop. I used, uh, gene expression on the base pair for the epicanthic fold--you know, the, uh, the eyelid. Worked perfectly. No one died but them, yes? (The camera shows us the seated man's face and we see it is White.) WHITE: Your technology is very impressive. But let's move on to step three. MAN: I'm ready. See, it was--it was easy with the Chinese. I had specific gene sequences that I could target. But the kids you're targeting...(Chuckles)...Wow, that was tough. See, because, uh, they're just a little bit of everything, aren't they? In the end-- WHITE: Cyril. CYRIL: In the end, I targeted their immunological surveillance cells-- WHITE: Cyril! (Stands up and gets very close to him.) Action is character. Show me some. I showed you, didn't I? CYRIL: Yes. WHITE: I paid you half, up front. I gave you everything that you asked for. Now it's time for you to show me. (Points to an unconscious young man in a restraint. We see a barcode on the back of his neck.) This is your test subject. CYRIL: No problem. We could do it right now, if you'd like. WHITE: No. I want to do it in the field. I want to know for sure. CYRIL: Well, you're the boss. (Reaches into a case and pulls out a dispersal gun and a cartridge.) How does, uh...tomorrow sound? WHITE (nodding): Now assuming that everything goes according to plan, how soon can you ramp up production on the pathogen? CYRIL: Well, I can manufacture enough to blanket the entire western seaboard by Friday. How you disperse it is, of course, up to you. (Shows White the cartridge.) You see, these are good for small areas, but they are very expensive and very hard to get a hold of. WHITE: We'll use helicopters. CYRIL: Well, that sounds like a plan. By the weekend, there won't be a transgenic left alive from here to San Diego. WHITE (sarcastically): Good. Maybe I'll play a round of golf on Sunday. (The next day, in his apartment, Logan is talking on his cell phone while adjusting a servomotor on his ankle with an Allen wrench. Matt Sung is in his office.) LOGAN: Matt? I think I may have a lead. Said in the police reports that both times, when the boy died and at the bus station, people said they thought they heard fireworks. MATT: Yeah, so? It's Chinatown. (Logan bends his knees a couple times and puts on his jacket.) LOGAN: No, listen. There's a type of bioagent dispersion cartridge. It's fired from a handheld launcher. Triggered by an altimeter. MATT: Okay. LOGAN: According to my source, a buyer recently shelled out for three of 'em, twenty grand apiece. Took delivery last week. MATT: Tell me you got an address. LOGAN: Have I ever let you down? (Later, Matt bursts into Cyril's lab and checks it out, gun raised. Logan follows him in. The place is empty.) (At a sector checkpoint, White steps into a delivery truck. Cyril is inside, along with the unconscious test subject.) CYRIL: All right. Three steps are going to be involved. WHITE: Why am I not surprised? CYRIL: Step one: We take the test subject into the target area, where we release him. (Picks up a cartridge.) Step two: We use this to disperse the pathogen. There's enough here to kill any transgenic within a two-mile radius, which should be more than enough to cover, uh, Sector Four. WHITE: What if he escapes the kill zone? CYRIL: No. That--that will be impossible. Only takes a minute for the plume to hit ground level, and it takes another four minutes for it to dissipate. There's no way on earth he can make it out alive. WHITE: All right. (Cyril attaches a tracking device to the transgenic's shin, under his pant leg.) CYRIL: Step three: We track him and retrieve the body. WHITE: I have a correction to step three. You track him and retrieve the body. I'm staying away from here until this thing is done. CYRIL (surprised): Uh... WHITE: What if you messed up--got a couple of base pairs wrong? For all we know, we could end up with a sector full of dead people. CYRIL: You don't trust me? WHITE: Make a believer out of me, Cyril. You'll get the rest of your money. (Steps out of the van.) You have a nice day now. (In Cyril's office, Logan is hacking into Cyril's computer.) LOGAN: Come on. (The computer screen comes up with a map of Sector Four. An animation shows something going up into the air and then a plume covering the ground. After the plume has spread, the following information appears:
TARGET ZONE - APPROX. 2 miles LOGAN: Matt. (Matt walks over while Logan dials his cell phone.) MATT: What is it? (Logan points at the screen and speaks into the phone.) LOGAN: Max, it's me. We got a problem. (Cyril's truck backs into an alley between some industrial buildings. Cyril releases X5-692's restraint, wakes him up, and opens the truck's rear door.) CYRIL: You're free to go. (X5-692 takes off running down the alley. Cyril smiles and loads the cartridge into the dispersal gun.) CYRIL: You can run, but you can't hide. (Outside the sector checkpoint, White is sitting in the backseat of a parked car. A police car and Matt Sung's Grand Am pull up nearby.) WHITE: What the hell are the cops doing here? Son of a bitch. (To the driver.) Drive. (White's car leaves. Logan steps out of Matt's car. Matt steps out and speaks into a walkie-talkie.) MATT: Units three and four, move into position. (Max pulls up on her Ninja and approaches Logan.) LOGAN: They've got an X5 they're gonna test the pathogen on. (They hear a voice come over the radio in Matt's car.) VOICE: Eyewitness said he busted out of a van on Mercer. Took off down 11th. (Cyril fires the cartridge into the sky. Max and Logan notice the midair burst.) MAX: I gotta get him out of there. LOGAN: There's no time. In about a minute it'll hit ground level. Whole sector'll be toxic for another four minutes after that. (Max sets a timer on her pager. It starts at 0 and counts up.) MAX: I'm going in. LOGAN: Max-- (Max runs through the sector gate.) MAX: Jam Pony messenger. Coming through. LOGAN (following her): Max! (A sector cop stops him.) SECTOR COP: Hold up. Sector passes only. LOGAN: Max! (Cyril closes the truck's rear door from the outside and walks away, tracking X5-692 with a handheld computer. Max reaches 11th Street. She looks around and sees Cyril, standing on one side of the street and looking up. She follows his gaze and sees X5-692 quickly climbing a ladder attached to a building. She starts up the ladder after him. Cyril sees her. Max reaches one roof of the building and sees X5-692 climbing up another part of the building.) MAX: Hey! No, wait! (She follows him up the ladder. He runs across the roof and jumps over the alley onto the roof of the next building. Max follows. X5-692 runs to the other side of the roof and jumps down onto the slanted roof of another part of the building. He half-runs, half-slides to the edge of the roof and stops. Max reaches the edge of the flat roof and looks down. She sees a large tank of water in the alley below, jumps onto the slanted roof, and pushes X5-692 off. She jumps after him. They both fall into the tank and remain underwater. He tries to swim away from her, but she grabs him and shows him her barcode. She makes hand signals and he nods. She shows him her pager.) (Matt opens the door of the truck and points his gun inside. It is empty. Logan points to the alley behind them and they walk down it.) (X5-692 starts to rise to the surface. Max pulls him back down and checks her pager. It says 4:58. A few seconds later, they surface. Cyril is standing on the edge of the tank, computer in hand and pointing a gun at them. Cyril tosses the computer away.) CYRIL: Lady, I have no idea who you are, but you just cost me five million dollars. (Cyril goes to shoot but is suddenly shot himself and falls into the pool. Max looks up to see Logan and Matt Sung standing on a catwalk a short distance away. Matt has shot Cyril. Max smiles.) (That night, at Sandeman's house, Joshua covers a sleeping X5-692 with a blanket in front of a fireplace. Then he joins Max across the room.) MAX: Thanks for letting him stay the night. He's had a rough couple of days. Logan's gonna help me get him over the border tomorrow. JOSHUA: Killing us all. That was the plan. MAX: Still is. We just got lucky this time. (Gets up to leave.) See you first thing in the morning. JOSHUA (calling her back): Hey. (She stops and turns around.) JOSHUA: You lay low, little fella. MAX: You too, big fella. (Later, Logan and Max are at his window, watching the rain.) LOGAN: Convinced Sung to let me hang onto everything we found at the guy's lab. Didn't want whoever hired him to get their hands on it again. MAX: He's a good guy, Sung. LOGAN: Yeah, he is. And he's got a lot of questions. I'm not sure what I'm gonna tell him. MAX: As little as possible is usually a good idea. LOGAN: I'll do my best. (They chuckle.) LOGAN: Did I mention I was sorry for jumping to conclusions? MAX: Yeah. (Pause.) MAX: Anything turn up on Sandeman's cane? LOGAN: Nothing but traces of rodentia calcium. The rats tried to eat it. MAX: Another dead end. LOGAN: Yup. (He sighs.) Listen, about the other night at Crash-- MAX: Didn't know you were gonna be there. LOGAN: Same with me. MAX: I...just...needed to get out. LOGAN: I know the feeling. MAX: So... LOGAN: Anyway... (Max's pager beeps and Logan's cell phone rings. They both look to see who's calling. Max silences her pager.) MAX: Rafer. LOGAN: Asha. (Neither one answers their call, and they continue to watch the rain without speaking. Fade to black as we hear Logan's cell phone continuing to ring.)
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