(At Jam Pony, Normal is watching a Congressional hearing on TV while stamping some papers.)

SENATOR: Since the transgenics escaped into our streets seven months ago, the crime rate has spiked twelve percent in the city of Seattle alone. In Portland, an unknown viral agent has claimed the lives of thirty-nine citizens. This is more than just a coincidence.

NORMAL: Got that right.

SENATOR: These creatures are violent; many of them are diseased. This committee wants to know--the American people want to know--how many of them are out there? How do we contain the threat they pose?

NORMAL: Smoke 'em out and string 'em up, that's how.

(A voice on TV identifies the Senator who was speaking.)

VOICE: Senator James McKinley, chairman of the Congressional task force on the transgenic threat.

(Druid watches while a fellow messenger uses a knife to modify one of Normal's stampers.)

DRUID: Good. That's good.

(He stamps the wall and they look at the design with approval.)

BOTH: Nice.

(They walk past Sky and bump into him, making it look accidental. As they do so, Druid stamps the back of Sky's neck. The design is a barcode.)

SKY: Hey.

DRUID: It wasn't me.

OTHER MESSNGER (to Druid): Grow up.

(Sky shrugs and walks away.)

(At their lockers, Max and Original Cindy watch a messenger walk by wearing a T-shirt that says "WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE" with the police sketch of Joshua.)

MAX: I just want to get through my day without seeing one of those.

ORIGINAL CINDY: Don't even look like him. Doggie-dog is way better-looking than that.

(A pager goes off. Original Cindy and Max both check their pagers.)

ORIGINAL CINDY: It's me. (Max looks a little disappointed) Hopin' it was Logan?

MAX: Don't know why I would. It's over.

ORIGINAL CINDY: Wouldn't be so sure about that.

MAX: Thing is, I kinda told him I was seeing someone.

ORIGINAL CINDY: What?! Who?

(Alec comes by and opens his locker.)

ALEC: Hey, ladies.

(Max and Original Cindy exchange glances as they step away from the lockers.)

ORIGINAL CINDY: You gotta be kidding.

MAX: It was the only way after what happened. I know myself. Little by little, I'd forget about the virus, start hanging with him again...

ORIGINAL CINDY: ...and sooner or later, you two would accidentally touch again.

MAX: Can't risk it.

ORIGINAL CINDY (indicating Alec): Does he know he's your new squeeze?

MAX: Hell, no.

ORIGINAL CINDY: You gonna tell him?

MAX: Not if I can help it.

(In Normal's office)

DRUID: I'm telling you, Normal, just come see for yourself.

(Druid and the other messenger leave the office. Normal reaches into his desk drawer.)

(In the main area of Jam Pony, Sketchy is holding a tabloid and talking to Sky.)

SKETCHY: The paper dumped the whole mutant story once the mainstream press picked it up.

SKY: Bummer.

SKETCHY: And now they got me doing this totally made-up article about some bogus ten-thousand-year-old breeding cult.

(Normal points a gun at Sky. All the messengers watch and the room goes quiet)

NORMAL: Get out, freak. Now.

SKY: What'd I do?

NORMAL: Get down, you mutant bastard!

SKY: Mutant? Are you crazy?

NORMAL: You got three seconds! Get down!

(Sky kneels and puts his hands up. Max rushes over, grabs the gun, twists Normal's arm behind his back, shoves him across the room, and unloads the gun.)

NORMAL: Hey!

MAX: What the hell are you doing?

NORMAL: He's one of them! He's got a barcode!

(As Normal approaches him to check his neck, Sky rubs it. The barcode smears and Normal sees it is just ink.)

NORMAL: Oh. Well, he could have been one. Anybody could be. Let that be a lesson to all of you--vigilance. (To Sky) Go, wash your neck. (To Druid and the other messenger) You--get in my office. Now.

ALEC: All right. Crash, anyone? Huh? I'm buying. Sky?

(The messengers start to walk around again, some leaving for Crash.)

ORIGINAL CINDY: You comin'?

MAX: No.

(Max tosses the gun back to Normal and leaves.)

NORMAL: Girl's got quite an arm on her.

SKETCHY: Yes, she does.

(On top of the Space Needle, Max sits alone, and we hear her voiceover.)

MAX: I remember when I first got here, how it felt so right...like home. Never figured things would get so screwed up. Maybe it'd all be just as bad if I'd gone somewhere else. But then again...maybe not.

(In San Francisco, a woman who looks just like Max carries a bag of groceries up some steps and enters an apartment. She is joined by a boy who must be her son and a man who must be her husband.)

WOMAN: I'm home.

SON: I got an A on my spelling test.

WOMAN: That's great! Did you show Dad?

HUSBAND: Hey, honey.

WOMAN: Hey.

(They kiss. The man takes the groceries and rubs the boy's hair.)

HUSBAND: Get cleaned up, kiddo. It's chow time.

(The boy runs upstairs.)

WOMAN (looking at the spelling test): This is awesome.

HUSBAND: I know, huh?

(Later, the woman sits on the couch, reading a book. The man joins her.)

WOMAN: Munchkin down?

HUSBAND: Yeah.

WOMAN: So I got Friday off...so we can get out of traffic, and maybe try and do some night-skiing.

HUSBAND: Or maybe some hot-tubbing under the stars?

WOMAN: Sounds even better. (They kiss)

(Suddenly some men burst through the front door with guns. Some other men break through a window. The woman throws one of the men across the room. One man uses a taser on her. Another punches her husband. White enters the apartment.)

SON: Mom!

WHITE: Get him and the kid out of here.

WOMAN: No! (They keep tasing her)

SON: Mom!

WHITE: You're a long way from your usual haunts.

WOMAN: What are you talking about?

SON: Dad!

(The men handcuff her and take her husband and son away.)

WHITE: You really think you could hide from me, 452?

WOMAN: Oh, God.

WHITE: What, no witty rejoinders today?

WOMAN: My designation is 453.

WHITE: What?

WOMAN: 453.

(White checks her barcode.)

WHITE: I can't believe this.

OTTO: What's wrong?

WHITE: It's not her.

OTTO: It isn't?

WHITE: It's a clone.

OTTO: A clone?

WHITE: Get her out of here.

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.

(At Joshua's house, Max enters with some groceries. The easel is empty and Joshua is painting the window black. The place is a mess.)

MAX: Hey, Joshua.

(Joshua doesn't say anything.)

MAX: Brought you some stuff.

(Joshua glances at her and then turns back to the window. Max sees that he is withdrawn and tries to make him smile with a joke.)

MAX: Easel's over there.

(Joshua still says nothing. Max wanders over to the table and sees a map lying on it. Part of the map has been marked with a red pen.)

MAX: What's up with this map?

JOSHUA: It's Terminal City. There's a biochemical accident in sector seven. It's a fenced-in area.

MAX: Been there. There isn't much to see. People usually go there when they've got nowhere to go and nothing to lose.

JOSHUA: Like downstairs people. Transhumans.

MAX: Who told you that?

JOSHUA: Alec. Why didn't you, Max?

MAX: Because it's dangerous there.

JOSHUA: Yeah, but we're immune. It doesn't matter.

MAX: And this is your home.

(Joshua looks at her. Max starts picking up the papers lying around.)

MAX: ...under this mess, anyway. So forget about Terminal City.

JOSHUA: No.

MAX: I'll help you clean up.

JOSHUA: No.

MAX: It's okay. I don't mind.

JOSHUA: Leave it!

MAX: Joshua...

JOSHUA: Everything here reminds me of Annie. Books, chairs, sitting, eating...painting. This is not my home anymore, Max.

MAX: You have to hang on. It'll get better. I promise.

(In his apartment, Logan begins an Eyes Only broadcast.)

EYES ONLY: Do not attempt to adjust your set. This is an Eyes Only streaming freedom video bulletin. The cable hack will last exactly sixty seconds. It cannot be traced, it cannot be stopped, and it is the only free voice left in this city.

(At his headquarters in Seattle, White watches the broadcast while some men sit at computers, attempting to figure out Eyes Only's location. The man who often works with White and Otto stands by.)

EYES ONLY: Lately every crime, every act of violence committed on our city streets is being blamed on transgenics...

WHITE: Sixty seconds enough time for a trace?

SECOND MAN: When he gets started on this whole transgenic thing, sometimes he goes over.

WHITE: Keep rambling, pal.

EYES ONLY: Don't believe the hype. This has been an Eyes Only streaming freedom video bulletin. Peace. Out.

(Logan ends the broadcast.)

SECOND MAN: Damn. A few more seconds and we would have had him.

WHITE: Remind our Korean friends that if they don't come through, they don't get paid.

SECOND MAN: Yes, sir.

(The second man addresses the computer guys in Korean. Otto enters.)

OTTO: 453's DNA assay just came back.

(In a small room at headquarters, X5-453 is handcuffed to a chair. White shows her the DNA assay.)

WHITE: So, you're the cheap knockoff. See, 452 doesn't have any junk DNA. Every base pair sequence she's got is coded with genetic information. I'd like to know why.

X5-453: You should ask her.

WHITE: Fair enough. Where is she?

X5-453: How should I know?

WHITE: You mean to tell me you that you haven't been in contact with her?

X5-453: Why would I?

WHITE: Because she broke you out, along with all the other mutants.

X5-453: I was already out. I was on a deep-cover mission for two years. Industrial espionage.

WHITE: So that poor sap that you're married to--he was just part of your cover.

X5-453: At first. But when I found out Manticore went down, I...

WHITE: ...you fell in love with him and wanted to adopt his little boy. (Sarcastically faking tears) I'm sorry, I'm tearing up here a little bit. How sweet.

X5-453: Where are they? They don't know anything.

WHITE: You never told him you were built in a lab?

X5-453: Please.

WHITE: They're fine. And you will see them again, after you help me find 452.

X5-453: I already told you, I don't know where she is.

WHITE: Well, you're in luck, because I have a lead for you. See, she turned up at a local hospital a while back. Really stirred things up. The CDC was even brought in, and her doctor told them that he didn't have any idea she was transgenic.

X5-453: And you think he knows more than he's letting on.

WHITE: Now we had him under surveillance for a while, hoping she'd turn up again, but...now that I have you, why wait?

X5-453 (sighing): What do you want me to do?

WHITE: I want you to find out everything he knows about her--which shouldn't be too hard, considering--and then I want you to find her.

X5-453: And my family?

WHITE: You pull this off, and the three of you are free to go.

(He uncuffs her. She stands up and faces him.)

WHITE: I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "I could kill him right now." But you won't.

X5-453: You seem pretty sure of yourself.

WHITE: You won't do anything to endanger your family. I know this, because I have family too...or at least I did, before 452 took my son away. I am very motivated, and I want to find her really badly. I am not a patient man. Don't let me down.

(At Metro Medical, Logan sits on an examination table in his shorts. The exoskeleton lies on the table next to him.)

DR. CARR: Okay. Raise your right leg. (Logan does) Good. Now the left. (Logan does) Okay. Good.

LOGAN: So what do you think?

DR. CARR: Well, this is your second go-around with transfusions of transgenic blood. We both know what happened the first time. Nerve cell regeneration didn't last, and you lost mobility again.

LOGAN: This is different. Last time nothing happened for weeks after the transfusion. This time it was almost instantaneous.

DR. CARR: Maybe you're right; maybe this time it'll stick. Bottom line is...only time will tell.

(Logan nods and smiles.)

(In the hospital's parking garage, X5-453 parks her motorcycle. She drops a cigarette to the floor and grinds it out with her boot. She removes her wedding ring and puts it in her pocket. Logan, wearing the exoskeleton, comes out of the hospital into the garage. X5-453 walks right by him on her way in.)

LOGAN: Hey.

X5-453: Hey.

(In his office, Dr. Carr is working on something, unaware that X5-453 is standing there, watching him. He looks up and starts.)

DR. CARR: Oh! (Chuckling) Max. You scared the hell out of me.

X5-453: Sorry.

DR. CARR: You know, you just missed Logan.

X5-453: Logan? Mmm. That's too bad.

DR. CARR: So what brings you by?

X5-453: I was wondering if, uh, I could take a look at my file.

DR. CARR: You're kidding, right? You asked me to get rid of it. I did.

X5-453: Right. Thanks.

DR. CARR: The CDC's still poking around, asking questions about you. I just keep telling 'em I don't know anything.

X5-453: I was...wondering if you could take a look at my back. I'm having a muscle spasm. Check it out.

DR. CARR: Let me have a look.

(She hops up on the examination table and lifts up the back of her shirt. He check her back.)

X5-453: Maybe you can write me a prescription. I'm kinda low on cash.

DR. CARR: Jam Pony doesn't have much of a health plan, huh?

X5-453: Not really.

DR. CARR: Well, there's nothing unusual here. Could be some nerve damage from when you were...
(Moves her shirt aside to check her abdomen and is shocked)...shot. Max, there's no wound here. This just happened a few weeks ago.

X5-453: I heal fast.

DR. CARR: Not that fast, you don't.

(She grabs him by the throat and holds him against the wall.)

X5-453: The people who sent me--they're not gonna like that you've been lying about how well you know Max. So when you wake up, grab your family, pack your bags, and get the hell out of town.

DR. CARR: What are you talking about?

(She punches him out and leaves.)

(In the garage, Otto and another man sit in a parked car. They watch as X5-453 rides by on her motorcycle.)

MAN: There she is.

OTTO: Don't lose her.

(She turns around and drives toward the car.)

OTTO: What the...?

(She pulls out a pair of guns and shoots out the car's headlights and windshield. Otto and the other man duck. When she stops shooting, they slowly raise their heads.)

X5-453: If I'm on to you, then she'll be on to you. Got it?

(Otto nods.)

X5-453: Good boy. Tell your boss I work alone.

(She shoots out the car's tires.)

(At Jam Pony)

NORMAL: You were here yesterday. You saw the way she muscled me.

ALEC: Yeah, she's been working out a lot. What are you guys gettin' at?

NORMAL: That maybe we've got the wrong person and Sky isn't the transgenic.

ALEC: Oh, and Max is?

SKETCHY: Look, man, I don't want to believe it either. But I'm gonna sneak a peek to see if she's got a barcode, just in case.

NORMAL: No, these trannies are fiendishly clever. She could've had it removed somehow.

SKETCHY: That's true. Not having a barcode doesn't prove anything.

ALEC: I don't know, guys. I mean, listen to yourselves. You know? "If she's a witch, she'll float; if she's not, she'll drown." It's like either way, she's guilty.

(Outside, Alec sees Max ride up on her bicycle.)

ALEC: Max, hold up, hold up.

(He checks the back of her neck. Her barcode has started to come back.)

MAX: What are you doing?

ALEC: Yeah, that's what I thought. You need a little laser touch-up.

MAX: Thanks for the tip. (Starts to go inside)

ALEC: Wait, hold on, hold on. You can't go in there. Normal and Sketchy are all trippin' about your little stunt you pulled yesterday. Go to Joshua's. I'll meet you there later, all right? (Max groans) Go. Go.

(A short distance away, X5-453 pulls up and watches.)

(At Joshua's house, he is ripping up most of his paintings and throwing them into the fireplace.)

MAX: You'll get caught. You won't even make it to Terminal City.

JOSHUA: I'll take the sewers.

MAX: Why are you doing this?

JOSHUA: I can't be with upstairs people. I don't want to be alone anymore.

MAX: You won't have to be alone. I'll come every day.

JOSHUA: You come, then you go, then I'm alone. I'm tired of being alone, Max.

MAX: If you go to Terminal City, I won't be able to look after you.

JOSHUA: You don't have to look after me, Max. I can look after myself. At Manticore I took care of myself. I took care of everybody else.

MAX: It's different out here.

JOSHUA: No! I'm talking now! You listen! I don't want to hide anymore. I need to be with people like me. (Picks up his backpack and heads for the door)

MAX (upset): Fine. You want to go, you want to live in toxic waste, you want to eat rats for dinner, be my guest.

(He glances back at her, then starts to leave.)

MAX: Joshua...

(He sees that she's upset and kisses the top of her head.)

JOSHUA: Goodbye, little fella.

(At his headquarters, White is talking to the man who must be his superior.)

WHITE: We've been subpoenaed.

MAN: Yes, I know. McKinley's committee. The good Senator is determined to blow this thing wide open. Needless to say, we're taking the Fifth.

WHITE: Sir...

MAN: I don't want to hear it. Right now your priority is to maintain your cover.

WHITE: Not capturing transgenics?

MAN: As far as anyone needs to know, they don't exist. Understand?

WHITE: Perfectly, sir.

MAN: Well, then, I'll see you in Washington on Thursday.

WHITE: Very good.

MAN: Oh...(Looks White up and down)...don't wear a black suit.

(As his superior leaves, White glances down at his suit. Then he talks to the second man about Eyes Only.)

WHITE: How are we coming?

SECOND MAN: Well, we got a partial trace from his last hack. With any luck, we should lock on his position next time he comes on.

WHITE: Good. I'm gettin' tired of looking at this guy's mug.

(Otto and the man who was in the car with him enter.)

WHITE: And you are not tailing 453 because...?

OTTO: She made us, sir. Shot out our tires and took off. Said to tell you she works alone.

WHITE: That's my girl. Good to know she's on board.

(That night, X5-453 sits on her motorcycle outside Jam Pony. Logan goes inside. A girl passes by who looks like Max from the rear, but then she turns around and X5-453 sees it isn't Max. Eventually X5-453 goes inside. By then, Logan is on his way out, and they meet. X5-453 still doesn't know who he is.)

LOGAN: Max.

X5-453: Yeah?

LOGAN: Oh, so you are speaking to me. I guess I should be flattered.

X5-453: What do you mean?

LOGAN: This morning, outside Sam Carr's office?

(She remembers passing him that morning, remembers what Dr. Carr said, and puts the two together.)

X5-453: Logan.

LOGAN: Yeah?

X5-453: Sorry. I was in a hurry.

LOGAN: Great. In a hurry. Hmm. It's bad enough you won't return my calls or come over, but just because you're seeing someone else, now you're going to treat me like a stranger?

X5-453: Yeah. I already told you it's over.

(She pushes past him. He moves aside quickly to avoid touching her and stares at her as she walks away.)

(In their apartment, Max packs her things while Original Cindy looks on.)

ORIGINAL CINDY: What do you mean, leaving town?

MAX: White's on my ass 24/7, I can't go back to work, I can't see Logan, and Joshua said he doesn't need me anymore. Why am I staying here?

ORIGINAL CINDY: I'm here, for one.

MAX: Yeah, and one of these days, White and his men are going to bust through that door, and you're liable to get caught in the crossfire.

ORIGINAL CINDY: I'll kick their asses.

MAX: I'm serious. I've stayed too long. I need to go somewhere new, where nobody knows who I am and I don't have to worry about anybody but myself.

ORIGINAL CINDY: You think that's going to make you happy?

MAX: Maybe.

ORIGINAL CINDY: What about Logan?

MAX: He's better off without me in the picture.

ORIGINAL CINDY: If you say so.

MAX: He'll be fine. He's got his whole Eyes Only thing.

(In his apartment, Logan takes a deep breath and begins an Eyes Only broadcast.)

EYES ONLY: Do not attempt to adjust your set. This is an Eyes Only streaming freedom video bulletin. The cable hack will last exactly sixty seconds. It cannot be traced, it cannot be stopped, and it is the only free voice left in this city.

(At White's headquarters, they are working on tracing Eyes Only's location.)

EYES ONLY: The so-called "transgenic threat" has continued to dominate the news. As usual, facts--

(He stops abruptly as his computer beeps. On the computer screen is a message that says, "Broadcast security compromised! Unauthorized trace detected...")

SECOND MAN: Got him.

(On Logan's computer screen, a message says "Trace successful." Logan turns back to the camera.)

EYES ONLY: All right, people, this is the last you're going to hear from me for a while. Stay strong in the struggle. Peace. Out.

(Logan ends the broadcast and goes to the computer.)

LOGAN: This is not good.

(At Jam Pony, X5-453 hides while Normal locks up the place. When he leaves, she goes into his office, opens the file drawer, and pulls out Max's file. There is a note stuck to the front of it, written in Normal's handwriting. It says, "Keep an eye on this one; won't give her home address. Rooms with Nubian princess; keep an eye on her too.")

X5-453: Nubian princess?

(She opens the file. Inside is Original Cindy's job application.)

X5-453: Cindy. 339 Waverly.

(Joshua enters Terminal City and looks around. Figures in the distance move around but don't show themselves. An empty glass bottle rolls on the ground. As Joshua picks it up, three inhuman-looking transgenics point guns at him.)

FIRST TRANSGENIC: Don't move.

SECOND TRANSGENIC (looking at Joshua's face): It's all right. He's one of us.

(At Joshua's house, Alec walks around, searching.)

ALEC: Max? Josh? Where are you guys?

(He sees the map lying on the table.)

(At Logan's apartment, the second man and the rest of White's men except Otto burst in the door. They enter and find nobody inside. The second man checks Logan's computer; it says, "Unable to locate system folder. Hard drive erased." He and the rest of the men shoot everything to pieces--the computer, the kitchen table, the TVs. They smash his computer equipment, kick down the room dividers, and topple the stand that holds A/V equipment. Logan watches from a rooftop across the street. After a few minutes, he sighs and walks away.)

(At Max and Original Cindy's apartment)

ORIGINAL CINDY: You gonna call him and tell him you're going?

(Max picks up the phone and looks at it. Then she puts it back, glances at Original Cindy, and continues preparing to leave.)

(In his car, Logan pulls out his cell phone and opens it. Then he puts it back and drives away.)

(Outside Max and Original Cindy's building)

ORIGINAL CINDY: Before you go, there's something I want to say. You, Max Guevara, are my sister. You are my family.

(They hug.)

MAX: I love you.

ORIGINAL CINDY: I love you, too.

MAX: You take care of yourself, okay?

ORIGINAL CINDY: You, too.

(X5-453 pulls up a short distance away and sees Max leave on her Ninja. She follows.)

(Logan waits for a red light at an intersection. Nearby is a sign that says the following:)

SECTOR BORDER CONTROL
YOU ARE NOW LEAVING THE MILITARY PROTECTORATE OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
ALL PERSONS AND VEHICLES ARE SUBJECT TO SEARCH

(Max rides through the intersection in front of him.)

LOGAN: Great. Now I'm seeing her everywhere.

(The light turns green. Logan starts to turn but is cut off by X5-453, who is still following Max.)

(Eventually X5-453 pulls up even with Max. They ride side-by-side for a few moments before Max looks up. She is shocked to see that the other rider looks just like her. X5-453 pulls out a gun and shoots out Max's rear tire. Max wipes out.)

(Later, White steps through Logan's apartment, alone. He sees the whiteboard, chuckles, and erases the words "Ames White" and "government cover-up." His cell phone rings. X5-453 is calling from an abandoned building.)

WHITE: Yeah.

X5-453: It's 453. I have her.

WHITE: Is she secure?

X5-453: She's not going anywhere.

WHITE: Where are you?

X5-453: An abandoned building. Corner of Parish and Beechwood.

WHITE: All right. I'm on my way.

(On the road, Logan comes across Max's abandoned bike.)

(Alone in his car, White hears his cell phone ring and answers it.)

WHITE: Fe'nos tol. Tell the Conclave I've found 452. I'll bring her to you. (Hangs up) ...once I find out where she took my son.

(In the abandoned building, Max is tied to a post with a thick chain. X5-453 leans against another post nearby.)

MAX: You look familiar. Have we met before?

X5-453: Yeah. In a test tube.

MAX: Who came first, me or you?

X5-453: I'm 453.

MAX: Well, do what your big sister says and untie me.

X5-453: Sister? Yeah, right.

(X5-453 lights up a cigarette.)

MAX: I'm gonna tell Mom and Dad.

X5-453: Tell 'em I quit 'til yesterday. (Looks at Max's bag) So, looks like I interrupted a little vacation. Or were you skipping town?

MAX: Something like that.

X5-453: Same old 452.

MAX: What's that supposed to mean?

X5-453: It's what you do, isn't it? Run away? Like when it got too rough for you back at Manticore. Bet you never once stopped to think about what they'd do to the rest of us. They wanted to make sure it wouldn't happen again, so they tightened the leash. We got the worst of it, your twins. Manticore figured since we had the same basic psychological makeup as the twelve of you, we were the greatest flight risks, so they hauled us into psy-ops for evaluation...

(She briefly flashes back to her childhood at Manticore, being tested and experimented on.)

X5-453: ...for six months. You have no idea what they put us through, do you? While you were out in the world, living the dream, we paid the price.

MAX: "Living the dream" isn't exactly how I'd put it.

X5-453: Oh, so it's too tough for you out here, too? Guess I don't feel so bad about turning you over to White, then. See, he got onto me because of you. It's been ten years since the first time you ruined my life. I'll be damned if I let that happen again.

(In Terminal City, the transgenics lead Joshua into a large building. Some other transgenics are gathered in living and working quarters. We will eventually find out that they are named Mole, Dix, and Luke.)

JOSHUA: You have power.

LUKE: I put together a generator with some old car parts. That's what I do--I build stuff. Do you have any skills? Any special talents we could use?

JOSHUA: I paint.

LUKE: Paint? I don't know. I guess a couple new coats could brighten up the place.

JOSHUA (greeting the other transgenics): No, pictures. I paint pictures.

LUKE: Oh. Pictures. Right.

(A table has lots of guns lying on it.)

JOSHUA: Where'd you get these?

MOLE: Stole 'em.

LUKE: They're a little old, but they keep the ordinaries off our backs.

JOSHUA: Uh...ordinaries?

MOLE: Humans.

LUKE: Yeah. They mostly stay away from Terminal City, 'cause the biotoxins make 'em sick after a while. Not us, though. No, we do just fine, huh?

DIX: City's full of transgenics. Must be ten different groups between here and Oak Street. Everyone tends to stick with their own kind.

LUKE: Yeah, X's with X's, freaks with freaks...I guess that means you're with us.

MOLE: You do any weapons training at Manticore?

JOSHUA: Uh, no.

MOLE (handing him a gun): I'll teach you what you need to know.

DIX: We're not looking for trouble. We just want to be left alone.

LUKE (to the second transgenic): Dix! Someone's outside.

(He points to a couple closed-circuit TVs, which show Alec walking around outside. Moments later, the transgenics go out and point guns at him.)

DIX: Don't move.

ALEC: Hey, fellas. (Sees Dix) Whoa. What happened to you?

DIX: What are you doing here?

ALEC: I'm X-5.

LUKE: Then head over to Oak Street with your own kind.

ALEC: Well, I'm looking for a friend of mine, one of...your kind.

JOSHUA (smiling, from behind Alec): You found him.

(In the abandoned building, Max watches as X5-453 puts her wedding ring on.)

MAX: You're married?

X5-453: I have a husband and a little boy.

MAX: You're lucky.

X5-453: Yeah. You know, I had a nice, normal life...until White came looking for you and found me instead.

MAX: He has them. I'm sorry.

(Logan, hiding behind a post in the distance, watches and listens. He sees a crowbar lying on the ground nearby and picks it up.)

X5-453: Yeah, well, I get them back once I turn you over to him.

MAX: That's if he keeps his word.

X5-453: Don't have a lot of options, do I? This is my family. Maybe you don't know what that means. Maybe you'd just run off and save your own hide, like you always do. Not me.

(She hears a noise in the distance and walks away to check it out. Logan emerges from the shadows and approaches Max.)

MAX: Logan!

LOGAN: You okay?

MAX: Untie me. Hurry.

(He starts to loosen the chain, then pauses.)

MAX: What?

LOGAN: How do I know it's really you?

(X5-453 returns.)

X5-453: Logan?

LOGAN (to Max): Max?

MAX: Logan!

X5-453: Don't untie her!

(She runs over and kicks him in the head. He falls to the ground, unconscious.)

MAX (angrily): Hey!

(Max works her way out of the loosened chain.)

X5-453: Guy's really stuck on you, huh?

MAX: I thought I was a bitch, but you take the prize.

(They circle each other and begin to fight. Each lands several kicks and punches. Eventually X5-453 gets a hold on Max.)

X5-453: It's no use. I've got ten years of training on you.

MAX: Yeah, well, they didn't teach you to fight dirty.

(Max whirls around and punches her.)

(Later, White arrives at the building. Max, dressed as X5-453, lights up a cigarette. X5-453, dressed as Max, is chained to a post.)

MAX (as X5-453): Where the hell have you been?

WHITE: I had a thing.

MAX (as X5-453): Where's my family?

WHITE: All in good time, 453.

MAX (as X5-453): Yeah, right.

(Logan sneaks up behind White and knocks him unconscious with the crowbar.)

(Later, White wakes up, chained to the post. X5-453 is still dressed as Max and still chained to the same post. Max is still dressed as X5-453 but is no longer pretending to be her.)

MAX: Ames White. I oughta put a bullet in your head. But twenty-odd years ago, me and her got cooked up in the same test tube. So, in my book, that makes us sisters.

WHITE: Get to the point.

MAX: The point is, I'm gonna trade your sorry ass for her husband and kid.

WHITE: I don't think so.

MAX (holding up the crowbar): No? Well, then, I guess we get to find out how high your pain threshold really is.

(At Terminal City)

ALEC: I thought Max was with you.

JOSHUA: No. Is she all right?

ALEC: I don't know.

JOSHUA: You don't know?

ALEC: I don't know.

MOLE (pointing to Alec): He can't stay here.

ALEC: Easy, pal, I'm not planning to. (To Joshua) I'll hook up with you in a couple days, okay?

JOSHUA: Okay.

LUKE: Guys! What are they doing here?

(They all look at the TVs and see Max and Logan escorting White through Terminal City. Max is dressed in her own clothes. White's hands are cuffed behind his back, and Logan holds him at gunpoint.)

MOLE: Just a bunch of humans.

ALEC: It's Max.

DIX: You know her?

JOSHUA: She's a friend. She's X-5.

LUKE: X-5, huh? Not our problem.

ALEC (pointing to White): Yeah, well, you see that guy right there? He's in charge of hunting you down, so I suggest you make it your problem.

(Later, outside, a car drives into Terminal City. Max, White, and Logan stand waiting. Otto and the second man get out of the car.)

MAX: Let's see what you're packing.

OTTO: We're unarmed.

MAX: I don't have a whole lot of patience. I don't think you boys want to stay in Terminal City any longer than you have to.

(Otto and the second man glance at each other. Each pulls a gun out of his jacket and sets it on the ground.)

MAX: All right, let's do this.

(X5-453's husband and son get out of the car, looking scared.)

MAX: Okay, on three. One...two...three.

WHITE: Is my son still alive?

MAX: You won't be if you don't start moving.

(White slowly walks toward his men, and X5-453's husband and son slowly walk toward Max. They pass each other. When White reaches the guns lying on the ground, he jumps through his handcuffs and picks up a gun. Otto and the second man each pull out another gun. A couple more men get out of the car, and now there are several guns pointed at Max and the others.)

WHITE: Not another step. Nice work, Otto.

(Suddenly they hear a lot of guns cocking around them. They look up to see Alec, Joshua, and lots of other transgenics taking aim. White and his men are greatly outnumbered.)

MAX: You guys want to throw down, go ahead. But a whole lot of people are gonna get hurt.

WHITE: This isn't over, 452. (Calling off his men) All right, gentlemen.

(White and his men lower their guns and head for the car. Mole leads X5-453's husband and son away from the area.)

(Inside, in the living quarters, X5-453 comforts her son.)

HUSBAND (to X5-453): Sam, what's going on here?

SAM: I'll explain everything later. Okay?

(A short distance away, Max talks to Joshua.)

MAX: So I guess you really can take care of yourself...and me, too.

(Joshua growls playfully and gives her a kiss on the forehead. Alec approaches.)

MAX: Score anything?

ALEC: Jacked an SUV from some, uh, gangster guys outside a strip club. (Hands her some car keys)

MAX: Thanks.

ALEC: It's gonna be a long ride to Canada. She's got some explaining to do.

MAX: I appreciate this.

ALEC: Yeah, no worries. Anything for a friend, or a clone of a friend.

(Max approaches Sam.)

MAX: You're all set.

SAM: If you're expecting a thank-you, forget about it. None of this would've happened if it weren't for you.

MAX: You're right.

ALEC: You know, if Manticore hadn't gone down, you wouldn't even be with them. You know who took it down. (Looks pointedly at Max and walks away)

SAM: Not bad.

MAX (handing Sam the keys): Good luck.

SAM: You, too.

(Logan is sitting a short distance away, working on his laptop and trying to get a signal on his cell phone. Max approaches him.)

MAX: So White really messed up your place, huh?

LOGAN: Yep.

MAX: I'm sorry.

LOGAN: Got my files out. It's gonna take some pricey equipment to get Eyes Only up and running again.

MAX: You're going to need a good cat burglar.

LOGAN (surprised): Thought you were leaving town?

MAX: Nah. Got some family stuff to take care of.

(The next day, McKinley is conducting another Senate hearing. White is wearing a blue suit. As usual, lots of reporters are in the room. White's superior is also there.)

McKINLEY: Committee calls to the stand Special Agent Ames White. Now, Agent White, I'm sure you've been instructed by counsel and by your superiors to invoke your Fifth Amendment right. But I want to remind you, as an officer of this committee and as your fellow American, that all this committee is interested in is truth.

WHITE: The truth, sir, is quite simple. Did parties within our government secretly divert funds for genetic experiments? Yes.

(The crowd murmurs. White's superior looks angry.)

WHITE: Did they allow those transgenics to escape? Yes. Did they then choose to withhold that information from the American people? Yes. Are those transgenics dangerous? Most assuredly, yes.

(At Jam Pony, Normal and all the other messengers--except for Max, who isn't there--are watching the hearing on TV.)

WHITE: And I cannot, in good conscience, continue to be part of this cover-up.

NORMAL: That, my friends, is a true patriot.

WHITE: These transgenics are a great threat to our national security and our American way of life. Make no mistake. This is a war...a war we cannot afford to lose.

(Max enters behind the crowd of messengers and turns off the TV with the remote.)

NORMAL: Hey!

MAX: Bip bip bip, people. C'mon, these packages aren't gonna deliver themselves.

(Normal and Sketchy look at her for a minute.)

NORMAL: You heard her. Get back to work.

(The other messengers scatter. Normal and Sketchy keep looking strangely at Max.)

MAX: What? You got something to say?

NORMAL: Not me. Nope.

SKETCHY: No. It's all good.

(They walk away. Max hugs Original Cindy.)

MAX: Miss me?

ORIGINAL CINDY: You know it, boo. You know it.

(In White's car, he is talking with Senator McKinley.)

WHITE: Simms is going to want my badge.

McKINLEY: Don't worry about Simms. By the time I'm through, you'll be a national hero, positioned to eliminate the transgenics once and for all. The Conclave will be in touch. (Getting out of the car) Fe'nos tol.

WHITE: Fe'nos tol.

(On top of the Space Needle, Max once again sits alone, and we hear her voiceover.)

MAX: Wonder if Manticore cooked up any more of me...'cause one clone is plenty, especially when she's got a nasty left hook. She was right about one thing, though--running away isn't the answer. 'Cause as messed up as everything's gotten lately, this is home.