THE TRAGER HOUSE
Evening
[Gathered around Kyle in the foyer, the Tragers are laughing and smiling. They are so overjoyed to see him again, and they start asking questions all at the same time.]
NICOLE [hugs him]
Oh Kyle -
STEPHEN
This is great.
NICOLE
- it's so good to see you again.
STEPHEN
How long can you stay?
JOSH
What are you doing here?
LORI [gives him a hug]
Why didn't you tell me you were coming?
NICOLE
Did your parents come with you?
STEPHEN [stands next to Kyle]
Oh boy, let's just give this guy a chance to catch his breath here.
Are you okay?
[Kyle looks around at all of them smiling at him.]
VOICEOVER
I'll never forget that look on their faces. The joy and relief. They seemed so happy to see me. I wanted to tell them the truth about everything that had happened, but I wanted to be at home with them even more. . .
[Doorbell rings]
STEPHEN
Is that your folks?
[Kyle doesn't answer]
VOICEOVER
. . .and that meant playing my part in the charade.
[Stephen opens the front door and Brian Taylor is standing there.]
TAYLOR
Mr. Trager?
STEPHEN
Yes.
TAYLOR
My name is Brian Taylor. [extends his hand] I'm the attorney for David and Julia Peterson. [Stephen shakes his hand]
STEPHEN
An attorney? [looks over at Nicole, who looks at Kyle] Well, come on in.
[Nicole has a worried expression on her face.]
TAYLOR [coming inside]
Thank you.
NICOLE
Is everything all right?
TAYLOR
[hesitates] I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but David and Julia were killed in a car accident last week.
[The family looks horrified at this news.]
NICOLE
My God. . .
IN THE WOODS NEAR ZZYZX
[A hunter is alone at a campsite in the woods. Rummaging around in his tent, he pulls out a long hunting knife. He is stumbling around a little bit like he has been drinking. He has some wild birds cooking on a spit over the campfire and uses the knife to pull off a drumstick. It is almost too hot to eat. He is unaware that someone is watching him from the darkness of the woods, attracted by the light of the fire and the smell of the food.
He is playing around and throws the knife towards a tree at the edge of the campsite. The sharp tip sticks in the trunk of the tree and he chuckles to himself. As he turns away, the lost girl, "XX", walks into the area and over to the food. She is dirty and wet, and her body is still covered with the pink fluid from her gestation capsule. She begins to pull some of the meat off of the spit when he turns around and sees her.]
HUNTER [yells at her]
What are you doin'?!
[She freezes. He is holding a small bottle of liquor and starts to unscrew the cap as he watches her.]
HUNTER [looks up at sky]
Thank you. It's not even my birthday.
[Realizing that she is alone and naked, the hunter starts walking towards her. She is just staring at him with no expression on her face. As he draws closer, he gets a clear view of her abdomen.]
HUNTER
. . .the hell? No belly button?
[As he gets even closer to her, she becomes anxious and starts to back away.]
HUNTER
No, no, no, don't be scared sweetheart. We can be friends.
[He takes a couple of swigs from the bottle while she watches. He realizes that she is looking at the bottle.]
HUNTER
Huh? You want some? Here - warm you up. [hands her the bottle; she takes it.]
Go on. There. Yeah.
[She starts to take a big drink, but doesn't like the taste of it and spits it all out over his head. He ducks. Choking, she throws the bottle on the ground and breaks it.]
HUNTER
That wasn't very nice. Now you gotta be nice.
[Looking up at him, she is scared and confused. He puts his hand on her shoulder and starts to caress it. She looks at his hand and back at him again. She doesn't like it and gives him a shove that sends the man flying through the air and crashing into camping equipment on a table, knocking it over. Lying on the ground, he touches his hand to his head, then looks at it; he is bleeding over the eye. This makes him angry.
While he lies there, she walks towards the spit again to try and get some of the food. The hunter stands up and grabs the knife out of the tree trunk.]
HUNTER [walking towards her with the knife]
You wanna play? Let's play.
[He begins to swing the knife back and forth in front of her face. She carefully watches his motions, then in a swift movement, snatches the knife out of his hand.]
HUNTER [frightened]
Give me the knife. Give it to me!
[The girl looks at the long, sharp knife, then aims it at him. He is scared of her now. Suddenly, she throws the knife through the air at the tree. It goes completely through the trunk, the tip sticking out on the other side.]
HUNTER [looks over shoulder at tree, then at her]
[angrily] Why you little. . .
[He starts to go for her, but the girl grabs him around the throat with one hand and lifts him up into the air. The man is choking, struggling against her, his feet dangling off of the ground. With her bare hand, she crushes his throat and breaks his neck. When he stops moving, she just stares at him, then drops his body onto the ground. She pokes his still body with one foot and when he doesn't move, she steps over him and walks back to the campfire. Kneeling down in front of it, she pulls some meat off of the spit, smells it and begins to eat.]
[Opening Theme Music]
MADACORP
[A lit concrete sign shines in the darkness in front of a building complex. The circular logo and "MADACORP" is the only identification on the sign.
Inside one of the offices, a man is sitting in front of a computer typing an e-mail message. An alert appears on his monitor in red: "ALERT. 781228." He immediately opens up a new window and begins to type in a search parameter for "781228." A geographical view appears with an area of woods highlighted in red on the screen. Zooming in, the enlarged area on the screen is blinking. He immediately dials a number on his phone and picks up the handset.]
MADA-MAN [speaking into phone]
Get me Hollander.
THE TRAGER HOUSE
Living Room
[Taylor is sitting in a chair in the living room across from Nicole and Stephen. They are sitting on the couch next to each other, their hands clenched in front of them.]
TAYLOR
According to the police report, David lost control of the car and it plunged into a canyon. The, uh, gas tank was punctured and the car caught fire.
[Stephen and Nicole are both distressed by this news.]
NICOLE [sighs]
That's horrible.
TAYLOR
But for the grace of God, Noah decided to sleep in that morning; otherwise, we would be having a far more difficult conversation.
STEPHEN
And you say this happened a week ago?
TAYLOR
That's right.
STEPHEN
Well, I'm just surprised that Kyle - sorry, we're still not used to his real name.
TAYLOR
Oh, I understand.
STEPHEN
Why didn't he contact us sooner?
TAYLOR
Well, he missed you terribly. And to be honest, I, uh, well I had to insist that he come here at all. He was rather reluctant to involve you and your family again.
NICOLE [turns up her hands]
Why?
TAYLOR
He felt that he'd already been enough of a burden.
[Stephen shakes his head and sighs.]
NICOLE
Kyle's never been a burden.
TAYLOR
I'm glad to hear you say that. See, Julia and David named you as his permanent guardians.
NICOLE
His guardians? [Stephen and Nicole look at each other]
STEPHEN [sighs]
It's not that we don't want Kyle.
NICOLE
We. . .we went through so much when we lost him the first time. If. . .if he stays here and another relative comes to take him away again, I. . . [Stephen puts his arm around her.]
TAYLOR
There are no other relatives, Mr. and Mrs. Trager.
[They both look emotional and uncertain.]
It's a lot to take in. I understand, you need time to think.
[He reaches into his jacket for a business card.]
NICOLE
Would it be all right if he spent the night here?
TAYLOR
I'm. . .I'm sure he'd like that very much. [Stephen smiles]
I'm planning on leaving town tomorrow evening. Really the only question for me is whether I'm buying one plane ticket or two.
[Not answering, Nicole looks both happy and fearful at the same time.]
Kyle's Room
[In the darkened room with Lori and Josh, Kyle looks at his bathtub covered with a sheet.]
LORI
Mom was having a symbolic moment. A way of letting you go.
JOSH
Well. . .I always knew you'd be back.
KYLE [looks at Josh]
You did?
JOSH
Not like this. But - yeah.
[Kyle looks at his old bulletin board. One of his drawings is still hanging there. It is the one he drew of Amanda when he saw her for the very first time, playing the piano in her house. He smiles at the memory.]
LORI
Kyle, are you okay? I mean - I'm sorry, I know that sounds lame.
KYLE [looking around at her]
No. . .
LORI [softly]
I don't know what else to say.
KYLE
You don't have to say anything. [looks back at drawing]
JOSH
So is it weird? Being back here?
KYLE [looking around]
A little.
[Lori pulls the sheet off of the bathtub.]
LORI
There. That's better.
JOSH
Glad to see it?
KYLE [looks down at tub]
Very.
[They stand in a circle around the bathtub and look at one another.]
MADACORP
[A woman is standing still for a retinal scan. When her identification is verified, a display shows that she is "Clear for Entry."]
COMPUTER VOICE
Welcome, Emily Hollander.
[When the doors open, she steps into an elevator with the Madacorp logo on the floor. The man who summoned her is watching her on the camera inside the elevator. She knows it and glances up to watch him back for a moment. She turns around and the doors close in front of her.
Hollander and the man are sitting at a conference table in his office. He is looking through a folder.]
MADA-MAN
Miss Hollander, you've handled some unusual assignments for us before. [puts down folder]
HOLLANDER
I like unusual.
MADA-MAN
This case is no exception. In fact, it's a highly sensitive matter that requires the utmost discretion.
HOLLANDER [smiles]
Well, now I'm intrigued.
MADA-MAN [goes to his desk and gets two other folders. She sneaks a peek at her folder.]
Madacorp is like an iceberg. Most of its interests lie beneath the surface. As did Zzyzx - one of our research facilities. I say "did" because Zzyzx was fire-bombed this week.
HOLLANDER
By whom?
MADA-MAN
That's unclear at the moment, but there's a. . .much more pressing concern. [sits down again]
Zzyzx experimented with artificial reproduction and produced two primary assets. The first was a male called "XY." [hands her a folder; she looks through it] He was terminated some time last year for reasons unknown. The second is a female, "XX." She apparently survived the bombing and escaped.
HOLLANDER [looks amused]
Escaped? I take it the subject has outgrown her petri dish.
MADA-MAN [hands her the second folder; she looks in it]
She's fully developed. Human, yet not human. She's had no contact with the outside world. Consider her dangerous, unpredictable and disoriented. She's likely still wandering around the woods near Victor Falls.
HOLLANDER
And I assume that you don't want her to go camping.
MADA-MAN
I want her here. There's no telling what she might do and we can't risk any exposure to The Company. Shouldn't be too much of a challenge for you. I know what you accomplished in Iraq.
HOLLANDER
I'll find her for you, sir.
THE TRAGER HOUSE
Kyle's Room
[Stephen and Nicole are alone with Kyle in his bedroom. Stephen grabs a pillow and a blanket and puts them in the bathtub.]
NICOLE
I wish you'd let us know. We. . .we would've flown out there to be with you.
KYLE
Everything happened so fast.
STEPHEN
Well, you're here with us now.
NICOLE
It's. . .okay, you know. It's normal if you. . .feel some anger, a sense of injustice.
KYLE
Injustice?
NICOLE
You finally reunited with your parents and. . .
KYLE
Things don't always turn out like you expect them to.
[Stephen and Nicole look at each other.]
STEPHEN
Well, do you need anything else?
KYLE
No.
Thank you.
STEPHEN [smiles and pats Kyle on the shoulder]
Sure.
[Stephen and Nicole walk to the bedroom door.]
NICOLE [one last happy look at him]
It's so good to see you again.
Good night.
[They leave, Stephen shutting the door behind them. Kyle looks down at his tub.]
VOICEOVER
I couldn't help but think back to the last night I'd spent in this room. It was the beginning of my secret life. . .before I left with the Petersons. And now I was home, hiding even more secrets.
[turns around and looks in the mirror at himself] I could only hope that whatever fate had in store for me, it would be kind and forgiving to the people I loved.
Stephen and Nicole's Room
[Nicole is sitting up in the bed with her laptop. She is reading an article about the car accident captioned "Couple Die in Fiery Crash."]
STEPHEN [kicking off his slippers]
What a day. I'm exhausted.
NICOLE
It's just so hard to believe.
STEPHEN [sitting on bed next to her; looks at the laptop]
I know. You kept sensing somethin' was wrong.
NICOLE
I never dreamed of anything like this.
STEPHEN [looks at her]
You're not feelin' guilty, are you? I can tell you're happy that Kyle's home; miserable about the reason.
NICOLE
When did you become the psychologist in the family?
STEPHEN
I learn by osmosis.
NICOLE
I missed Kyle so much, and I'm thrilled that he's here, but I don't wanna lose him again.
STEPHEN
You heard the lawyer.
NICOLE
Yeah, there are no relatives that he knows about. And there's still so much that we don't know. What about those years when Kyle was missing? We still don't know what happened to him then.
STEPHEN
Yeah, well. I guess we're always gonna have questions. The only one we can answer right now is do we want him to be a part of our family?
Kyle's Room
[Later that night, Nicole walks into Kyle's room to check on him. As in her dream, she looks at him sleeping in his tub. But this time, he is really home. Coming over, she kneels down and pulls his blanket up around his shoulders. Quietly, she turns and leaves.
Kyle opens his eyes in the darkness. He is not asleep.]
Kitchen - The Next Morning
[Stephen, Josh and Lori are bustling around in the kitchen making breakfast. Nicole walks in carrying a pitcher of orange juice.]
NICOLE [to all of them]
Okay, just remember Kyle's been through a lot, so be extra sensitive.
[Stephen and Lori look at Josh]
JOSH
Why are you all lookin' at me?
LORI
Because you're such a model of tact and compassion.
JOSH
Fine. I won't speak.
LORI
Hmm - can we have that in writing?
STEPHEN
Guys, stop. The point is, Kyle needs our support.
NICOLE [pouring juice into glasses]
But don't press him. Let him deal with this in his own time in his own way.
KYLE [walks into kitchen]
Good morning.
ALL [with cheerful faces]
Good morning!
STEPHEN
Sleep okay?
KYLE
I haven't slept so well in days.
JOSH
Nothin' beats a cold slab of porcelain.
[they look at him; Nicole glares]
Sorry.
STEPHEN
Are you hungry?
NICOLE
I'll make pancakes.
KYLE [sitting at kitchen counter]
I missed your pancakes.
LORI
I think we're out of syrup.
NICOLE [stares at Josh]
Who finished the syrup?
JOSH [sitting at kitchen table]
I didn't know we were rationing.
KYLE
It's okay.
STEPHEN [starts to leave]
I'll go get some more.
KYLE
Wait. [Stephen stops] You don't have to be so nice. Just be yourselves. [they look at each other] You know what I mean. You're all trying to make me feel better and I appreciate it, but the truth is, just being here is enough.
[Kyle's cell phone rings; he gets it out of his pocket and looks at the caller ID.]
Excuse me. [walks over to other side of kitchen; Lori sits at table next to Josh]
Hello?
FOSS
How did it go?
KYLE
Fine.
FOSS
Are they there right now?
KYLE [looks over his shoulder at Stephen and Nicole]
Yes.
FOSS
We need to talk, so meet me later like we agreed.
KYLE
Okay, I will. Good bye.
NICOLE [to Kyle; Stephen is next to her just looking at the morning paper]
Was that Mr. Taylor?
[Kyle doesn't answer; they look at each other]
JOSH
Cool phone. You know, I could use a new one.
STEPHEN
Good, go buy one.
JOSH
Seriously?
STEPHEN [puts the want ads in front of him on the table]
Sure. Just as soon as you get that after-school job to pay for it.
LORI
Check the job board at The Rack. I'm meeting Declan there for lunch.
KYLE [gets glass of orange juice; comes over to table]
How is Declan?
LORI
An eternal ray of sunshine. He's in a gunk.
KYLE
A what?
LORI
A guy funk. Totally gender-specific. And you should come with. Maybe you can shake him out of it.
KYLE
If a guy funk is a gunk, then what's a girl funk?
JOSH
Redundant.
[Lori throws food at him.]
IN THE WOODS NEAR ZZYZX
[Emily Hollander is walking around and investigating the campsite. The hunter's body is lying on the ground; his shirt is missing.]
HOLLANDER [dials phone]
It's Hollander. I found our girl. . .or at least what she left behind.
MADA-MAN [in his office]
Where are you?
HOLLANDER
In the woods east of the Zzyzx complex.
MADA-MAN
How long ago since she was there?
HOLLANDER
By the looks of things, it couldn't have been more than four or five hours.
MADA-MAN
Is there anything I should be concerned about?
HOLLANDER [kneels over body; with her fingers she wipes a strange substance off his back]
Hmm. Not unless you count the dead guy covered in pink goo.
MADA-MAN
Clean it off so nothing can be traced back to The Company.
[Looking up, she sees the hunting knife impaled through the tree trunk.]
HOLLANDER
What the - ?
[She stares with disgust at her fingers and wipes the pink goo off on the man's pants.]
MADA-MAN
What is it?
HOLLANDER
Hold on.
[walks around the tree looking at the knife stuck through it]
She must be exceptionally strong. You forgot to mention that.
MADA-MAN
As I told you, I have no idea what she's capable of. Find her before she kills again. Is that clear?
HOLLANDER [walks back to dead body and stands over it]
Crystal.
THE TRAGER HOUSE
Kitchen
[Walking through the kitchen, Kyle grabs some SPKs out of the bag on the counter. He keeps walking, but stops and turns around to look at a half-empty glass of water that someone left behind. Going over to it, he stares at the glass, remembering the first afternoon he met Adam Baylin.]
[KYLE
What's the trick?
ADAM
Once you teach your mind to alter the positive and negative polarity of the cells in your body -
KYLE
- the glass will move.
ADAM
Not the glass. The water inside it.]
[Josh walks into the kitchen behind Kyle and watches him concentrating on the glass of water.]
JOSH
What are you doing?
KYLE [his reverie broken, looks over shoulder at him]
Oh, hey Josh.
JOSH
Why were you zonin' out like that?
KYLE
Was I?
JOSH
You were staring at that glass.
KYLE
I was thirsty.
JOSH [laughs]
Right. Come on, did you learn some new tricks while you were away?
KYLE [smiling]
I don't do tricks.
JOSH
Kyle. . .you forget. I kept records. . .okay? And I'd be more than happy to bust out that file if you got something new you wanna show me.
KYLE [looks at the glass]
Okay, I do have something. But we have to concentrate really hard if we want it to work.
JOSH
Absolutely.
KYLE [turns to the glass]
Face the glass. Close your eyes.
JOSH
Close my eyes?
KYLE
Do you want it to work?
[Josh folds his arms in front of him and closes his eyes. Kyle picks up the glass and quickly drinks all of the water. He puts the glass down again.]
[with mouth full of water] Open ‘em.
[over Josh's shoulder] I made the water disappear.
[Kyle leaves the kitchen and Josh stares uncertainly at the empty glass on the counter.]
ON THE STREET
[Kyle is running down the sidewalk on the way to his appointment to meet Foss. Declan is driving by and sees him.]
DECLAN [honks his horn]
Kyle!
KYLE [stops; waits as Declan pulls over to curb]
Hi.
DECLAN
Hey, welcome back. [gets out of his car]
KYLE
It's good to see you.
[They briefly hug each other]
DECLAN
You don't look any different.
KYLE
You don't look like you're in a gunk.
DECLAN [confused]
A gunk? Ah. . .Lori thinks I'm depressed.
KYLE
Are you?
DECLAN
No. . .[sighs] But you had me freaked out and worried.
KYLE
There's no reason to be.
DECLAN [sarcastic]
Right - because being the keeper of your secret code and good bye message shouldn't have given me any anxiety.
KYLE
You should forget about that box.
DECLAN
Forget it? It's been torturing me for months.
KYLE
Everything's fine now.
DECLAN [upset]
No, everything's not fine. Come on Kyle, you can't come back out of nowhere and not tell me what happened.
KYLE
Sorry, I have to be somewhere right now.
DECLAN
Where?
KYLE
I just gotta go. [turns and walks away]
DECLAN [standing on sidewalk, raises arms in the air]
Not cool, Kyle. After everything?
Just not cool!
[Kyle doesn't look back. He starts to run away down the sidewalk leaving Declan standing alone.]
JUNIPER PARK
[The girl, "XX", is wandering through the crowded park. She is dirty and dressed only in the hunter's large flannel shirt. People are staring and talking about her because she looks strange and wild. A mother grabs her two children off of a swing set and drags them away. An old man is sitting by himself on a park bench reading a newspaper. As he watches her, XX comes over to the bench and tries to sit down like the man. She has never done it before and plops down awkwardly. He looks kindly at her. She has never seen anyone old before and reaches out to touch the wrinkles on his face. He smiles at her and chuckles. This pleases her, and as she reaches up to touch her own face, copying his expression, she smiles for the very first time.
A baseball rolls on the ground at her feet and she glances down at it.]
GIRL [in the background]
Get the ball!
[XX stands and picks up the baseball and tastes it. She sits back down on the bench with the ball, looking at it and smelling it while the old man watches her. A little boy approaches her.]
BOY [holds out his hand]
Can I have my ball back?
[Copying the little boy, she holds her hand out to him and spreads her fingers, looking at him with wide eyes. He is frightened and runs away. Suddenly, she hears a heartbeat and looks up towards the road where Kyle is running past. Sensing something, he slows down, turns around and looks around the park for a moment. Not seeing anything, he keeps on running down the street as she watches him. When he is out of sight, she gets up from the bench, drops the baseball on the ground and walks off.]
COFFEE HOUSE
[Nicole and Brian Taylor are sitting inside at a table together having coffee and talking.]
NICOLE
I appreciate you seeing me.
TAYLOR
It's . .it's my pleasure. I understand you've got a very weighty decision to make.
NICOLE
No, we love Kyle. I mean, that's not the issue. It's just that. . .he left here with so many questions unanswered.
TAYLOR
Well, I'll do my best to answer them for you.
NICOLE
That five-year period when Kyle was lost and the Petersons were looking for him, he couldn't remember any of it.
TAYLOR
Well, he did through therapy in Connecticut.
He was abducted by a man named Adam Baylin.
NICOLE
Adam Baylin - that was the name of the grad student who looked like Kyle.
TAYLOR
Apparently, Noah bore a striking resemblance to Baylin's dead son. He kidnapped him. Clearly deluded, he raised him as his own for the next five years. Now the good news, if there can be any in these circumstances, is that he treated him very well. Noah said that they spent most of their time together with him teaching him.
NICOLE
Teaching him? Teaching him what?
TAYLOR
Mathematics, physics. Baylin was a scholar. And, as you know, Noah's very talented in those areas.
NICOLE
Well, how did Kyle end up wandering in the woods that day?
TAYLOR
Well, Baylin was a very tortured soul. He took his own life [Nicole closes her eyes and shakes her head], leaving Noah alone, distraught. Eventually he just wandered off. I believe that's where you came in.
[Nicole looks distressed]
Look, Mrs. Trager, Noah has come to terms with this. He wants to put the past to rest and move forward. My hope is that he can do that with the love and support of your family. [she nods at him]
ON THE HUNT
[Hollander is sitting behind the wheel of her car looking through documents. An APB comes over her radio that immediately gets her attention.]
POLICE DISPATCHER
Female caucasian, hair black, wearing blood-stained shirt only. Behavior erratic, considered dangerous. Sighted on McGowan, north of Juniper Park.
[Tossing the documents on the front seat, she speeds off in her car.]
FOSS'S WAREHOUSE
[Kyle enters an old warehouse in an out-of-the-way section of town. Sirens are blaring in the distance and a train whistle is blowing. Tables are piled with unpacked boxes. Foss's van is parked inside of the large room. Kyle walks over to a table with a computer monitor and starts to finger the blueprints stacked on top.]
FOSS [standing behind him in the darkness]
You made it.
KYLE
What's all this?
FOSS [approaches, carrying a CPU and keyboard]
Baylin's belongings. All his journals and his books; his research. You'll understand it better than I can. [puts equipment on the table and starts untangling the cords.]
How'd it go with the Tragers?
KYLE
It's hard. . .not telling them the truth.
I'm going to tell Declan.
FOSS [looks up and shakes his head]
No, you're not.
KYLE
I need to. He already knows a lot of the story.
FOSS
How?
KYLE
Before I left, he was helping me. [Foss looks horrified] There was no one else who understood.
FOSS
What and now. . .[chuckles] and now you're back and he's askin' questions?
KYLE
I can explain it to him.
FOSS [raises his voice]
No, you can't! For the same reason you can't explain it to the Tragers.
KYLE
He already knows more than they do.
FOSS [points finger at him and comes around to other side of the table]
Well, that's your mistake! [Kyle winces in pain]
What were you thinking? [the glass skylight in the ceiling vibrates]
KYLE
He's my friend. I can trust him.
FOSS
You're the one who said you wanted to come back! [Kyle winces again and the overhead glass shudders] You said you understood the way things were going to work!
KYLE
And there are consequences for my decision, I know that!
FOSS
Well, you obviously don't! Because the only logical move is to shut him out!
[The ceiling shudders again and jagged cracks appear in the overhead glass.]
KYLE
I need someone I can talk to!
FOSS
Then you know what? Go ahead. Tell him . . .tell him everything. Tell him all. Tell him about the experiments. . .and the murders and the lies that you've been perpetrating. [Kyle is in distress and more cracks appear in the glass over their heads.] And we'll wait and we'll see how long it takes before somebody catches wind of who you are and what you can do and drags you out of there!! Is that what you want?!
[Kyle clutches his head in pain as the skylight overhead explodes in a shower of glass that falls down towards them. They both look up, then duck and cover their heads. In a few seconds, it is all over. Shocked, they look all around them at the shattered glass.]
FOSS [points at the ceiling]
[gasping] That. . .that's. . .what we're here to explore. And that's why you can't explain, because of that. That is unexplainable.
[Kyle looks over at a large shard of glass that is sticking out the top of one of the cardboard boxes.]
JUNIPER PARK
[Hollander is talking in the park with the old man who saw the missing girl. He points in the direction she was walking when he last saw her.]
THE DOCKYARD
[The girl "XX" wanders into a deserted area of a dockyard near some large metal shipping containers. She is looking at a forklift when she sees her reflection in the cracked side-view mirror. She gasps softly. Not understanding who she sees, she waves her hand in front of the mirror and touches her hair. Confused, she hits her hand against the glass over and over until it breaks and she cuts her fingers. Shaking her hand and wiping it on the shirt, she wanders off again towards one of the shipping containers.]
THE RACK
[Lori and Josh are seated at the counter. She is drinking a smoothie and he is flipping through his little notebook.]
LORI [to counterman]
This smoothie has chunks.
JOSH [looking through his notebook]
Chunks are good. They add texture.
LORI
Hey, is that your - ?
JOSH
My Kyle File?
LORI
Still on the alien trip?
JOSH
Not unless he does something notebook-worthy again. Which, thus far, nada.
LORI
His parents just died. I don't think his mission is to amaze you.
JOSH
He could throw me a bone. Start speakin' in tongues, run a two-minute mile, predict a tsunami or. . .something.
[Kyle walks up behind them, listening to what Josh is saying]
LORI
He's only been back a day. Give him time.
JOSH [worried]
I just hope Kyle is still. . .Kyle.
KYLE
Hey.
LORI
Hi.
JOSH
Hey.
KYLE
How's the job search going?
JOSH
I still haven't found my ideal work situation.
KYLE
Which is?
[Two giggling girls walk past them.]
LORI
Sitting around eye-groping unattainable cheerleaders.
[Josh turns his head to watch them]
KYLE
Which he does here?
LORI
Mm-hmm.
JOSH [starts thinking]
Here.
[laughs] Kyle, you're a genius.
LORI
Oh please. I don't even think you could work a blender.
JOSH [scoffs at her]
[to counterman] Yo, you hiring?
[Looking up, Kyle sees Amanda coming through the door. She hangs up her coat and goes over to a rack of magazines and picks one up. Kyle smiles at Lori and starts walking over to Amanda. Lori and Josh look after him, smiling.]
KYLE [to Amanda]
Anything interesting?
AMANDA [turning around, surprised]
Kyle. . .
KYLE [smiles]
Yeah.
AMANDA [throws her arms around his neck]
Oh my God. Kyle, what are you doing here?!
KYLE
Um, I'm meeting Josh and Lori.
AMANDA
No, I don't mean here. I mean here, as in "in town."
KYLE
I got in last night.
AMANDA
I can't believe it. How long are you staying?
KYLE
Still trying to figure that out.
AMANDA
Well, make it as long as possible. We've got so much to catch up on.
KYLE
Well, let's catch up now.
AMANDA
I can't, I'm waiting for Charlie.
KYLE
Charlie?
AMANDA
Yeah, you know. Tall, dark, perpetually late boyfriend.
KYLE
You're still together?
AMANDA
Yeah, why wouldn't we be?
[Kyle just shrugs and smiles at her]
Anyhow, can we catch up later?
KYLE
How about tonight?
AMANDA [disappointed]
We're goin' to a concert. Believe me, I'd love to bail, but Charlie waited in line for like two days to get the tickets. But promise me you'll find time.
KYLE
I promise.
AMANDA
Then I know it'll happen.
[They smile at each other for a moment, then she hugs him again.]
[over his shoulder] I'm so glad you're here.
KYLE
Me too.
THE DOCKYARD
[Following her leads, Hollander is walking through the shipping area in the dockyard, and she notices the blood on the shattered mirror of the forklift. She turns when she hears loud banging. Walking towards the sound, the banging changes to a rapid thumping noise coming from the inside of one of the metal shipping containers.]
HOLLANDER [standing outside of container, ear against the side]
Hello? [the thumping stops for a moment]
I'm not here to hurt you. Do you understand?
I'm here to take you home. [thumping resumes]
Okay. I'm coming in now. Don't do anything crazy. [to herself] Anything crazier than this.
All right.
[Hollanders slides the door open slowly and steps inside holding a flashlight out in front of her. The girl inside looks up at her. She is drawing pictures on the outside of the cartons stacked inside the container.]
HOLLANDER
It's okay. Easy now. You're okay.
[getting closer and shining light in the girl's face] God, you're just a kid.
Hi. My name's Emily. That's it. Don't be afraid.
[kneels down in front of her] I'm here to help you. I'm your friend.
[The girl reaches out to touch the flashlight.] You like the light? Yeah.
[While the girl is distracted by the light, Hollander shoots her with a tranquilizer gun. The girl whimpers and looks down at the dart stuck in her body. She struggles for a moment before falling unconscious.]
HOLLANDER
You're just gonna go to sleep for awhile.
[Standing up, she checks the girl's pulse, then shines her flashlight around the inside of the container, looking at the drawings the girl has created. There are several of the hunter and one of the old man from the park. She makes a call on her cell phone.]
MADA-MAN [answering]
Ballantine.
HOLLANDER
It's Hollander. I've got her.
BALLANTINE
Where are you?
HOLLANDER
We're in a dockyard about six miles west of the interstate on Route 16 in a shipping container near the back fence.
BALLANTINE
Well, bring her in.
HOLLANDER [looking at more of drawings]
Yeah, well, there's somethin' that you're gonna want to see for yourself.
THE TRAGER HOUSE
The Kitchen
[The family is seated around the kitchen table. Nicole and Stephen are explaining to the kids about Kyle and his situation.]
LORI
Kidnapped?
STEPHEN
I know. It's tough to hear.
LORI
It's horrible.
[Josh only stares down at the table.]
NICOLE
His amnesia helped protect him ‘till he was ready to deal with the experience.
STEPHEN
Fortunately, Kyle seems to have made peace with it.
NICOLE [looking over at Josh]
Josh? You okay?
JOSH
Yeah, but a kidnapping. It's just. . .so. . .ordinary. [Stephen looks at him incredulously; Lori rolls her eyes]
Well, yeah, it's great that Kyle's okay, but this completely blows my alien abduction theory out of the water.
LORI
There is something seriously wrong with you.
STEPHEN
Look, we just wanted you both to know everything before we make our final decision.
NICOLE
When Kyle first came here, everything about him was a mystery. And. . .now it's all clear. And what we're left with is a boy - a remarkable boy, who has no one else in the world but us.
STEPHEN
And once we sign those custody papers, he'll be one of us. Here to stay.
LORI
Well, of course you should sign.
JOSH
Kyle's still the man. Even if he is ordinary.
Kyle's Room
[Back home after his secret meeting with Foss, Kyle hangs his jacket on the coat stand and walks into his bedroom. Declan is at the house, and he follows Kyle into the room and shuts the door behind him.]
DECLAN
Tough day?
KYLE [turning around]
What are you doing here?
DECLAN
Listen man. I get that whatever you have to say is gonna be a little off the charts of normal.
[Kyle looks over at the open window and back at Declan] But I can take it.
KYLE [walks over and shuts the window]
I really can't talk about that.
DECLAN
Why?
KYLE [comes back to Declan]
Because I don't wanna lie to you.
DECLAN
Well, then tell me the truth.
KYLE
It's not possible.
DECLAN
I don't understand any of this. That guy, Tom Foss, hid cameras in this house. Someone came after you with a gun, Kyle!
KYLE
It's all been taken care of.
DECLAN [upset]
But. . .what are you. . .what are you talkin' about? By who?!
Do you have any idea what I've had to deal with keepin' your secret? [Kyle winces in pain at another confrontation] I've been lying to Lori for months, I can't focus, my grades are screwed, my dad is all over me. [Kyle grimaces again and looks over at the window when a small crack appears in the pane.] The only thing that's kept me remotely sane is knowing that one day you would tell me what the hell you got me into and it would all be worth it.
Look me in the eye and tell me all of it was for nothing.
KYLE [looks him in the eye]
It wasn't for nothing. And I can't say anymore.
[Declan is mad and disappointed. He turns around and leaves. Kyle walks over to the window and looks at the crack in the glass that Declan didn't notice.]
THE DOCKYARD
[Ballantine enters the container shining a flashlight. Hollander is holding more drawings in her hand that the girl has made on packing paper.]
HOLLANDER
Our girl's been busy. They offer art classes at Zzyzx?
[shining flashlight around at drawings on the cartons]
Must be all the people that she came into contact with in the last 48 hours.
[Ballantine looks at the drawings and barely acknowledges the unconscious girl. Looking up at the inside wall of the container, something attracts his attention and he shines his flashlight on it.]
BALLANTINE
Can't be.
HOLLANDER [looks up at the large drawing of Kyle on the side of the wall]
Who is he?
BALLANTINE
The other asset.
HOLLANDER
XY? Thought you said he was terminated.
BALLANTINE
That's what I was led to believe. But if she saw him out there. . . Your next assignment, Ms. Hollander. . .has just begun.
[He leaves. Hollander stares at the image of Kyle on the wall. It is a drawing of him from the park where the girl saw him running.]
THE TRAGER HOUSE
The Kitchen
[Stephen and Nicole are in the kitchen preparing dinner and chatting. Kyle comes to the doorway and watches them, not saying anything.]
STEPHEN
I'm starving. Looks good.
NICOLE [closes oven door; turns around and sees Kyle standing there.]
I didn't hear ya come in.
STEPHEN
Everything all right?
KYLE
I know my coming back here hasn't been easy. The last thing I wanna do is make trouble for you.
NICOLE
You never brought anything but love into this house.
STEPHEN [watching Kyle]
Would you like to tell us something?
NICOLE
Kyle. . .Noah. We know about Adam Baylin.
KYLE [looks surprised]
You do?
NICOLE
Mr. Taylor told me everything. And we understand you wanna move on, so. . .we'll just take our cue from you, okay?
KYLE [nods]
Okay.
STEPHEN
And we'd like to sign those custody papers and make it official.
KYLE [smiles]
Thank you.
[walks into kitchen towards Nicole] Can we make one more thing official?
NICOLE
What's that?
KYLE
My legal name is Noah. . .but I'll never be anybody but Kyle. My name is Kyle.
STEPHEN
We'll take care of it.
Kyle's Room
[Kyle is sitting on the edge of his bathtub, his head hanging down. Brian Taylor walks around the tub to face him, hands in his pants pockets.]
TAYLOR
They believed our story. This is your home now.
KYLE [looks up at him]
They think Adam Baylin abducted me. Another lie.
TAYLOR
My lie. I had to put the puzzle together so that they could put the puzzle away.
KYLE
I hope I did the right thing coming back here.
TAYLOR
Well, you have what Adam always wanted - a family. Adam may no longer be here, but his dream still lives in you. He believed that you could be a shining light in a world full of darkness. So do I. The question now is, can you believe in yourself?
KYLE [resolute]
I can. But the secrets that put me here are the last I'm willing to keep.
TAYLOR
Well, then, you're already a better man than most.
[He pulls a small envelope out of his coat pocket]
Adam wanted me to give you this. [hands it to Kyle]
KYLE [taking the envelope]
What is it?
TAYLOR
I don't know.
[Kyle opens the envelope and pulls out a man's folded handkerchief, the initials "A B" embroidered in the corner. Unfolding the cloth, he finds an old ring inside. It has a large blue stone in an unusual setting on the thick platinum band.]
KYLE
It's a ring. It's beautiful. What's the symbol?
TAYLOR
Never seen it before.
The Dining Room
VOICEOVER [walking down hallway towards dining room]
When Taylor left, I hoped that the lies I had to tell left with him and that from then on, I could live safely and honestly with my family.
[Kyle stops in the entranceway and watches his family gathered around the table. He smiles at them.]
LORI
Kyle, come on. I'm starving.
JOSH
You better sit before things get ugly.
[Stephen chuckles as Kyle sits in his place at the table.]
NICOLE
So, here we are.
KYLE
Here we are.
STEPHEN
Back to normal.
JOSH
Too normal.
LORI [looking at him]
Josh -
STEPHEN
Let's eat.
KYLE [glances at Josh]
Phone's about to ring.
[They all look up at him]
The phone. . .it's about to ring.
[At the moment, the phone starts ringing.]
LORI
How did you do that?
JOSH [smiling]
I'll tell ya how. He's Kyle.
[Hidden in his hand under the table, Kyle is holding his cell phone. It is open and the number he has dialed is clear - it reads "HOME."]
THE END
Ecrit par Titenoiset