DARK ANGEL
Season One, Episode #17: "I And I Am A Camera"
First Aired 5/1/2001
(The Jam Pony gang is hanging out at Crash)
ORIGINAL CINDY: Another thing you got to learn about men is they never stop acting like little boys.
MAX: You know what, girl? Sometimes it sounds like you can almost switch teams.
ORIGINAL CINDY: Let's not get gross.
SKETCHY: Ladies. Can I offer either of you an adult beverage?
ORIGINAL CINDY: No, and you might want to slow down yourself, wigga, cuz you faded.
MAX: So, who's over there with Herbal?
ORIGINAL CINDY: That's Snuffy. He just got out of lockup. Him and Herbal used to be cellmates.
MAX: Herbal did time?
ORIGINAL CINDY: He did a couple years in Avenol for slinging the herb.
SKETCHY: Miscarriage of justice.
MAX (takes a drink): All respect to my soldiers on the wrong side of the wall.
SKETCHY (to bartender): Let me have a mescal neat with a worm back.
HERBAL: Max, Original Cindy, say what’s up to my boy Snuffy Wills. Um, Snuffy is needing some employment just now. So, you think maybe we can convince Normal to . . . help a brother out?
MAX: You know we will.
SKETCHY: Hey, guys, check it. (Sketchy takes a drink and uses his lighter to spew a huge flame out of his mouth)
MAX: I'm going to get you out of here before you incinerate someone.
SKETCHY: Let me finish my worm.
MAX: You're done. It's nice to meet you. (Max shakes Snuffy's hand)
(Max and Sketchy leave and go outside)
SKETCHY: I don't feel so good.
MAX: You hurl, you're dead.
(A man wearing a long coat and a camera on his head appears. A kid comes out of a door and throws his cigarette on the ground. The mystery man grabs the kid.)
MYSTERY MAN: Pick it up.
KID: Hey, let me go.
MYSTERY MAN: I said pick it up.
KID: Who the hell are you?
MYSTERY MAN: This is where it starts. Pretty soon the streets are a river of garbage. All the windows are broken, obscene graffiti's everywhere. So, why shouldn't the girl sell her body in an alley to buy drugs? Pick it up, now.
KID: Okay. (picks up the cigarette)
MYSTERY MAN: I know what you look like. (A shutter clicks as the mystery man brings his camera over his eye and takes a picture of the kid.)
(Nearby, Sketchy is throwing up as Max is holds him)
SKETCHY: You're a true friend, Max.
MAX: Just don't get it on my shoes.
(A man appears with two other guys behind him)
MAN: Hand over your wallets, no one gets hurt.
SKETCHY: I'll handle this. Piss off. (advances unsteadily)
MAN: Oh, you wanna die tonight, skidmark? (takes out a gun and points it at Sketchy)
SKETCHY: Uh, that'd be a negative. Here. (hands his wallet over and the man knocks him down)
MAX: See now, you shouldn't have done that 'cause even though he's a drunken idiot, he happens to be a friend and I gotta kick your ass.
(Max fights off the guys while the mystery man is in the background taking pictures. She sees him after she finishes off two of the guys. The mystery man trips the third guy and takes Sketchy's wallet from him. He walks over to Max and Sketchy.)
MAX (to Sketchy): Hey.
MYSTERY MAN: You all right?
MAX: Yeah.
MYSTERY MAN: Here. (gives Sketchy's wallet to Max.)
SKETCHY: Thanks. What happened to those guys?
MAX: Let's get out of here. Want to give me a hand with my friend? He's kind of heavy.
(Max turns around and the mystery man is gone.)
(Opening credits)
(The next day at Jam Pony Headquarters, the gang is arriving.)
SKETCHY: All right, so we leave Crash a little after midnight 'cause Max was getting tired.
ORIGINAL CINDY: Like you remember anything about last night after the first nine beers.
SKETCHY: Can I please tell my story? So, I'm walking her home . . .
ORIGINAL CINDY: Please.
SKETCHY: . . . And we're jumped by a pack of local hard bodies. I throw a few punishers to defend our girl's honor, but these dudes are large and numerous. I go down . . . eventually.
CO-WORKER: Hey, how much did they rip you off for?
SKETCHY: Nada. This guy, I guess you could call him appears out of nowhere and takes out the entire dirt bag crew like he was some kind of Shaolin master.
ORIGINAL CINDY: And if you weren't on no chronic break then I got a white girl's ass.
SKETCHY: If you don't believe me, ask Max. She saw the whole thing.
MAX: Fists of fury. It was awesome.
CO-WORKER: So, who was this dude, man?
SKETCHY: An urban legend in the making, you ask me.
ORIGINAL CINDY: Like Original Cindy always says, the night holds a million secrets.
SKETCHY: You got that right. I'm 90% certain that zombies walk among us.
ORIGINAL CINDY: And here he comes.
NORMAL (walks over): I hate to break up this little cretin fest, but I have a hot run to 17 Clemson.
SKETCHY: Uh-uh. Rydin' Forties turf. They still got that gang war going on with the Ryddim Kidz and I'm allergic to yellow tape.
NORMAL: You know, there was a time in this once-great nation when people actually took pride in their work, rose to meet any challenge . . .
MAX: I'll take it, just so we don't have to hear how great the Great Communicator was.
NORMAL: Yes, you kids could learn something from that man's example.
SKETCHY (coughs): Bite me.
MAX: Bless ya.
(Max leaves Jam Pony and enters a building with a dark hallway to deliver the package. She hears a camera clicking. The mystery man appears at the end of the hall)
MYSTERY MAN: Don't be nervous.
MAX: Small world.
MYSTERY MAN: Not really. I figured you'd be the only one at the messenger service who wouldn't be afraid to come here.
MAX: I need a signature.
MYSTERY MAN: It's for you. Open it.
(Max opens the envelope and finds a blank piece of paper with "DESTINY" typed in the center.)
MAX: And this is supposed to mean what?
MYSTERY MAN: I can see your future.
MAX: Then you've already watched me turn around and walk away 'cause you're a whack job.
MYSTERY MAN: Fact is, I'm offering you an opportunity.
MAX: Pass.
MYSTERY MAN: I saw what you did last night. Suffice it to say you have abilities that couldn't be described as . . . normal.
MAX: Whatever angle you're playing here, bring it on and let's get it over with.
(Suddenly, behind them in the hall, a guy gets thrown out of a door into the wall. A man calls out the door after him)
MAN: Yeah. Now, you tell your set what I said. Then, maybe we can talk about trucing. (fires with a machine gun at the guy thrown out) (Max turns back around and sees that once again, the mystery man has disappeared)
MAX: So, what is it you want...
(Kids outside are playing baseball)
KID: Are you ready?
(A pitch is thrown and the batter hits. Another kid goes to get the ball and finds Snuffy dead underneath a car)
KID #2: Dead guy under there.
KID: We know. He's the foul line.
(Jam Pony Headquarters)
HERBAL: Snuffy always have my back in that terrible place. Made sure not harm came to I and I. He was my brother.
MAX: How you doing?
HERBAL: I'm trying to get my head around what only the most high understand. My boy is walking with the king now.
ORIGINAL CINDY: You know he is.
NORMAL (walks over): Heard about your friend. I'm sorry for your loss. (They all stare at him, surprised he cares) Did I say something wrong?
HERBAL: No, man. I thank you from my heart.
NORMAL: Yeah, all right. (leaves)
MAX: If you ever want to talk or need anything . . .
HERBAL: Just time to think about things.
MAX: Take care.
(At Logan's apartment)
MAX: I was talking to Herbal's friend last night like I'm talking to you right now. He's dead, gone, ceased to exist.
LOGAN (looking up files on the computer): Gerald "Snuffy" Wills. Released from custody three days ago after serving six years for carrying a forged sector pass. Preliminary crime scene report has cause of death as multiple gunshot wounds to the chest. No witnesses.
MAX: Seemed like a sweet guy.
LOGAN: After you called I dumped six more unsolved homicides -- all recent parolees killed in the last three weeks, same MO.
MAX: Let me guess, the cops couldn't care less.
LOGAN: Or they're in on it, or looking the other way.
MAX: Either way, the law-and-order types come out on top.
LOGAN: Pretty much. I wouldn't mind getting my hands on a list of upcoming parolees. If past is prologue, they could be potential targets.
MAX: Could you hack into corrections?
LOGAN: I've been trying. My computer keeps booting me off. Damn blackouts.
MAX: What else is new? I guess I'll have to get those files for you the old-fashioned way.
LOGAN: Thanks.
MAX: How about dinner afterwards?
LOGAN: Another time.
MAX: You okay? You seem preoccupied lately.
LOGAN: I've got a lot on my mind.
(Max leaves and Logan flips through his notepad to look at pictures of young Max from Lydecker. Logan remembers what Lydecker said about Max and flashbacks of young Max appear.)
LYDECKER: She's not the girl next door. They were designed to kill. All it takes is a trigger. You have no idea what she's capable of doing.
(Max gets on her Ninja to go get the records. The mystery man is following her. At the police station, Max gets the records, but runs into a guard on duty in the courtyard. Max takes the CDs out of the tin box and throws the box out to the middle of the courtyard to distract him. The guard doesn't take the bait.)
MAX: Great, how'd I get the smart one?
(The guard is advancing towards where Max is hiding when the mystery man comes out running and screaming. He kicks down the guard, and then he leaps over the high gate. Max is amazed to see someone has powers somewhat like hers. She goes back to her bike and there is a note left by the mystery man. The note says, "You really DO need to talk to me OR bad things will happen." On the other side of the note is a picture of Max doing a flip in the air from the other night.)
(At his apartment, Logan is looking at the police files)
LOGAN: Corrections is releasing 22 prisoners next week, nine of them paroled to Seattle.
MAX: Maybe Eyes Only should tip them to what's going on.
LOGAN: I need to know who's behind it first. It's hard to believe six people can get mowed down without anyone seeing it.
MAX: Especially with hoverdrones zooming around everywhere. You think they would've caught something on tape.
LOGAN: Maybe I should talk to my Uncle Jonas. His company makes the damn things. If the sector cops are sitting on any surveillance footage maybe he can help me suss it out.
MAX: I thought he was one of those right-wing support-your-local-sector-police, neo-Republican idiots.
LOGAN: He is . . . but he cares deeply about money and if there's even a hint of scandal involving one of his products it could hurt his sales. Believe me, he'll want to help.
MAX: As I recall, he kind of liked me. You want me to tag along?
LOGAN: Uh . . . not necessary. Run into any trouble out there tonight?
MAX: Nah. Just some weird guy who keeps following me around.
LOGAN: Anything to worry about?
MAX: No. If he gets out of line, I'll just kill him. Late.
(At this, Logan gets a strange look on his face, a bit fearful. Max leaves)
(At home, Original Cindy is fixing herself a cup of tea.)
ORIGINAL CINDY: Hey, shugga.
MAX: Hey.
ORIGINAL CINDY: There's soup if you're hungry.
MAX: Mmm.
ORIGINAL CINDY: Want some tea?
MAX: No. (goes and sits on a chair)
ORIGINAL CINDY: Break it down for Original Cindy 'cause you ain't right.
MAX: There's this freak.
ORIGINAL CINDY: You want to be a little more specific?
MAX: He's been following me around, taking pictures.
ORIGINAL CINDY: You need me to put the smackdown on his ass, you know I will.
MAX: It's not those kind of pictures.
(Max shows Original Cindy the picture of her jumping in the air that the mystery man left)
ORIGINAL CINDY: Uh-oh.
MAX: No joke.
ORIGINAL CINDY: What's his dealio?
MAX: Not sure. Takedown, blackmail, finder's fee. Worst part is he's revved up somehow. I watched him jump a ten-foot fence.
ORIGINAL CINDY: Damn. What does Logan think?
MAX: He's not in the loop on this. I've been getting a weird vibe off him lately like when he looks at me he sees something he doesn't like.
ORIGINAL CINDY: Or can't have.
MAX: More like all of a sudden he's clued into the real that I'm seriously not like other females.
ORIGINAL CINDY: Like that's a bad thing.
MAX: I'm beginning to think maybe he thinks it is.
ORIGINAL CINDY: Hoes up, g's down, you ask me. How are you going to handle this dude?
MAX: Looks like he's got my number. I think it's about time I get his. Late.
ORIGINAL CINDY: Late.
(Max gets up to leave)
(At Uncle Jonas' place, Logan and Jonas are drinking martinis.)
JONAS: Pretty serious allegations, Junior, but don't you think if this kind of thing was going on the people in charge would be doing something about it?
LOGAN: Not if they're in on it.
JONAS: Got anything to back up this rogue-police-death-squad theory of yours?
LOGAN: Not yet. That's why I came to see you -- help me get access to hoverdrone surveillance footage. Here's a list of dates, times, and locations.
(Logan gives Uncle Jonas a piece of paper. Uncle Jonas reads it.)
JONAS: A muckraking piece like this with your byline would be quite a feather in your cap, wouldn't it?
LOGAN: Well, you've got a lot at stake here, too, uncle. If the hoverdrones you manufacture are being used as part of a police cover-up . . . that can't be good for business.
JONAS: Let me call Lucas Gant in the morning. He's a friend with influence and connections. If anyone can shake something loose, it'll be him.
LOGAN: I appreciate anything you can do.
JONAS: On another matter . . . (goes over to his desk to get a check and gives it to Logan) I was going to mail this to you, but you can save me the postage. It's your share of the fourth-quarter earnings from the Cale trust.
LOGAN: Great. Thanks.
JONAS: On a clear day, I bet you can really see the class struggle from that penthouse of yours.
(Meanwhile, Max goes back to the place where she made that delivery to the mystery man. She climbs up to the roof of the building and sees a window to climb in. She has found the mystery man’s crib. She sees tons of newspaper clippings and a mannequin from the D.O.D. (Department of Defense). She also sees developed pictures of herself. Then she spots a panel with newspaper pictures of the people who have been recently killed. All of the pictures have a red "X" marked across them and include the most recent Snuffy Wills. The next picture without a X is of Pedro Benedek. She immediately calls Logan.)
MAX (on phone): Logan, it's me. There's a guy on that list from corrections. His name's Pedro Benedek. I need an address on him.
LOGAN: All right. Hold on, I'm checking. What's up?
MAX: I've got to get over there. He's next in line to get greased. That whack job who's been stalking me . . . he's the killer.
LOGAN: I thought you said he wasn't anything to worry about.
MAX: Turns out he was trying to recruit me as another soldier in his one-man militia.
LOGAN: Come on. (hits the side of his computer monitor)
MAX: So much for your sector police theory.
LOGAN: Yep, here it is. 3117 East Calhoun.
(Max drops the phone immediately after she receives the address. When Max arrives at the apartment, the mystery man is already there knocking on the door)
MYSTERY MAN: Open up.
MAX: Hey.
MYSTERY MAN: Didn't expect to see you here. You're just in time.
(Mystery man kicks down the door and enters the apartment. He finds Pedro with his headphones on asleep on the chair.Max grabs the mystery man and flings him out the door to the wall.)
MAX: The vigilante routine is over. You're done killing people.
MYSTERY MAN: Me? Nah, I'm not killing anybody. That thing did.
(Mystery man points to the hoverdrone that just appeared next to the window. He gets his camera ready. The hoverdrone beams a red laser grid on Pedro's face.)
MYSTERY MAN: No!
(The mystery man leaps on top of Pedro to push him down. The hoverdrone shoots through the window several times and then leaves. Max goes to the window.)
MYSTERY MAN: You all right?
MAX: Yeah, but what the hell was that?
(Max brings the man back to Logan's apartment)
LOGAN: A hoverdrone?
MAX: Mounted with twin 45-caliber automatics.
MYSTERY MAN: And silencers. (Imitates shooting) What do you call yourself?
MAX: Max.
LOGAN: Can I ask? How did you know this guy Benedek was going to be the next target?
MYSTERY MAN: It -- it was in the newspaper.
LOGAN: The newspaper?
MYSTERY MAN: I'm a voracious reader, see, and I was reading the obits and noticed how all these ex-cons kept getting shot.
LOGAN: Right.
MYSTERY MAN: And Benedek was a sex offender.
LOGAN: So?
MYSTERY MAN: So when Benedek got let out they published his name and address in the paper, to alert the neighbors. I thought he could be a possible target and went to warn him. It turns out, I was right. Max . . . is that short for Maximum?
MAX: Maximum?
MYSTERY MAN: As in maximum force? Ooh! Maximum girl? Woman. I meant maximum woman.
MAX: It's not short for anything.
MYSTERY MAN (smells his fingers): I've got to go wash my hands. Uh, I'm afraid our friend Pedro peed his pants.
LOGAN: Sure.
(Logan points to the direction of the bathroom. Mystery man leaves and Max waves her hand to indicate the smell)
LOGAN: So this guy's not a vigilante killer, he's just a nut who happens to be following the same set of leads as us?
MAX: And who can jump a ten-foot fence and run really fast.
(Mystery man comes back from the bathroom. His leg seems to slighty give out on him, causing him to stumble)
MYSTERY MAN: Aw . . . damn, got a screw loose.
MAX: No argument there.
MYSTERY MAN (adjusting his leg): Ah ha . . . there. Hate when that happens. It's so embarrassing. Okay. So, what's the chair do? I mean . . . (imitates shooting) Or are your powers mostly mental?
LOGAN: Mostly mental, yeah.
MYSTERY MAN: You're the brains. She's the brawn. What happened? You get bit by a spider? Struck by lightning?
MAX: Not that I remember.
MYSTERY MAN: So, what, you're a mutant?
MAX: Guess you could say that.
LOGAN: So what about you? Uh, what sort of powers do you have?
MYSTERY MAN: Ordinarily, that's not something I discuss, but since we're all in this together . . .
(Mystery man unzips his fly and turns around. He pulls down his pants. Logan and Max both have weird looks on their faces. Mystery man turns around and opens his long coat)
MAX: Wow.
LOGAN: I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking at here.
(Mystery man shows off his exoskeleton and does a 360 to show it off.)
MYSTERY MAN: It's an exoskeleton. This pad picks up the nerve impulses relays them to the servomotors. Enhances speed and strength, the ability to jump the ability to lift and carry by as much as 30 percent.
LOGAN: Really?
MAX (reads “DOD” on the exoskeleton): Department of Defense?
LOGAN: You stole that?
MYSTERY MAN: It was given to me for a reason. Or do you think I just happened to land a job at the warehouse where they were mothballed after the pulse . . . that I just happened to lose control of my forklift, which just happened to knock over the crate it was in? No. That, my friends . . . is destiny.
(Now the three are sitting at the dinner table with the mystery man sitting at the end eating cookies and drinking milk.)
LOGAN: About the hoverdrone you saw -- the thing I don't get is why would the sector police deploy a sophisticated piece of hardware to hunt down ex-cons when a good, old-fashioned death squad would do the job just as well?
MAX: Maybe the cops aren't the ones behind this.
MYSTERY MAN: Not to be an alarmist here, but can we be certain that these drones aren't being deployed from some other dimension?
LOGAN: I don't think we're dealing with anything quite so esoteric. I'll talk to my uncle. If the drone is a modified version of one of the company's designs, a list of customers would probably help narrow the field. In the meantime, we need proof that this thing is actually out there.
MYSTERY MAN: Would photographs be helpful? I got the attack on Benedek right here. (points to the camera on his head)
LOGAN (to Max): You go with him and get back here with the pictures ASAP.
(Back at mystery man's place developing the pictures.)
MYSTERY MAN: So, uh . . . how old were you when you discovered you had powers?
MAX: I had it beaten into my head at a pretty young age.
MYSTERY MAN: I was a late bloomer. My life probably would have gone in a whole other direction . . . if it hadn't been for her. (points to a picture) It's my sister, Francesca. Huh. I took that with my very first camera.
MAX: You two close?
MYSTERY MAN: Yes and no. She's deceased.
MAX: Sorry.
MYSTERY MAN: That's why I do this -- to try and make up for what I didn't do back then.
MAX: I lost a sister, too. My life was never the same.
MYSTERY MAN: What was her name?
MAX: Eva. She was nine.
MYSTERY MAN: Then you understand. I just wish Francesca didn't have to be the one to show me my destiny. She wasn't quite right, see. She, uh, couldn't talk too good and had trouble walking. So when the men broke in to steal our television she got scared and wouldn't stop crying. I told them they could take whatever they wanted. The more the men kept yelling at my sister to shut up the more scared she got. Then one of them hit her and she didn't make any more noise after that.
(Logan arrives at Uncle Jonas' place)
JONAS: Logan . . . you're up early. I thought you Bohemian types only ventured out when the sun had set.
LOGAN: I need your help.
JONAS: Oh, yes, your little article. I'm afraid I haven't come up with much. Bloody Mary? (goes across the room to refill his glass)
LOGAN: No, thanks. The fact is, I've uncovered some disturbing information since we last spoke.
JONAS: Oh?
LOGAN: Those ex-cons -- they were killed by a hoverdrone.
JONAS (Laughing): Junior, you watched too many X-Files when you were a boy.
LOGAN: You do build custom models for outside buyers.
JONAS: Well, yes . . . but with gun turrets? I think that would have thrown up a few flags down in purchasing.
LOGAN: Whoever bought it could've had the guns put on later through another contractor.
JONAS: Our entire company is built on the idea that hoverdrones protect people. You publish some half-assed yarn it's going to drive away business . . . and take a chunk out of your bottom line, too, let's not forget.
LOGAN: I'm not going to print anything I can't prove. If I could get you photographs . . .
JONAS: We'll get to the bottom of whatever it is that's going on.
LOGAN: Thanks, Jonas. I'll be in touch. (leaves)
(Back at the mystery man's place, the photos didn't come out)
MYSTERY MAN: No . . . they didn't come out. Hmm. (picks up his camera headgear) Must've broken when you threw me against that wall.
MAX: Sorry. How old were you when your sister died?
MYSTERY MAN: 13. A year and two days older than her.
MAX: You were just a kid. You can't blame yourself for what happened.
MYSTERY MAN: That's what my mom kept telling me, but I didn't feel like a kid. I felt like someone who didn't do the right thing when they should've. You know?
MAX: Yeah. Do you still keep in touch with your mom?
MYSTERY MAN: Nope. Ran away when I was 15, drifted around, then, uh, destiny intervened and . . . well, you know the rest.
MAX: It must be pretty rough for her. She lost her daughter and her son, too.
MYSTERY MAN: Can't argue with destiny.
MAX: I think we make our own destiny.
MYSTERY MAN: Too bad about the pictures. We can always get some more.
MAX: How?
MYSTERY MAN: Just wait for the darn thing to return to base for refueling.
MAX: You know where it refuels?!
MYSTERY MAN: Mm-hmm. Yeah, down by the waterfront. Uh . . . I followed it there the other night.
MAX: Why didn't you say something?
MYSTERY MAN: You didn't ask.
(At Uncle Jonas' place, Jonas is making a call to Logan.)
JONAS: Logan, I have something for you on this hoverdrone thing.
LOGAN: Great. I'm on my way.
JONAS: Not here. Can't risk being seen with you.
LOGAN: Bad for business.
JONAS: Glad you understand. Meet me at 354 Jorgen Avenue in an hour.
LOGAN: I'll see you there.
(Jonas hangs up the phone . Gilbert Neal is in the room.)
JONAS: I know my nephew, Gil. He won't stop till he finds what he's looking for.
GILBERT: That's why we're sending him on a wild goose chase -- keep him occupied with some cloak-and-dagger until the field tests are completed.
JONAS: How the hell he even got wind of the half-dozen dead ex-cons . . .
(Jonas goes over to the side to refill a drink for Gilbert. Gilbert goes to the window.)
GILBERT: Target practice is almost over. The facial recognition technology is working perfectly. We're going to be able to market a stealth technology that can track down and eliminate anyone, anywhere . . . from a photograph. A month from now, we can just sit back and let the bids roll in.
JONAS: Listen, Margot and I want to have you and Joy over for dinner next week.
GILBERT: Sounds great.
JONAS: We were thinking Tuesday night we could -- (turns around and sees a hoverdrone by the window. The hoverdrone has the laser grid target on Jonas) No!
(The hoverdrone starts shooting through the window and kills Jonas. It flies away afterwards. Gilbert picks up a picture of Logan on the mantle.)
(Max and mystery man are looking around the waterfront for the hoverdrone base.)
MAX: You sure this is it?
MYSTERY MAN: Seventh and Third. Or was it Third and Seventh? No, no, this is definitely it. I'm positive. On three. One . . . two . . . (runs to the opposite side of the door) Get ready for three. Ready?
MAX: Yeah.
MYSTERY MAN: A three! (kicks down the door and they both go in. They have just walked in on two girls and a guy playing bondage.)
MYSTERY MAN: Good lord.
MAX: Ugh.
(Max and the mystery man are now at another location.)
MAX: You sure?
MYSTERY MAN: Absolutely.
MAX: That's what you said before.
MYSTERY MAN: No, I said I was positive. Ready? On three. One . . . two . . . (runs to the opposite side of the door) Get ready for three.
(Max kicks down the door)
TECHNICIAN: Hey, who the hell are you?
(Max goes to the technician, who is controlling a hoverdrone shown on the computer screen, and mystery man kicks down the other man.)
MAX: You better bring that sucker back here now.
TECHNICIAN: I can't. The target's been acquired.
MAX: Do it.
TECHNICIAN: Look, this isn't a test; it's a search and destroy. Anyone tries to stop it will be a target, too.
(Max knocks the technician out and sees that Logan is the next target on the screen. The drone is tracking him in his Aztec)
MAX: Logan . . .
MYSTERY MAN: He's heading east on Jorgen.
MAX: Come on.
(Max and the mystery man are able to catch up to Logan. They pull up next to him.)
LOGAN: Max, what the hell are you doing here?
(Suddenly the hoverdrone is there, shining a red laser grid on Logan’s face)
MAX: Logan, get down!
(Max jumps into the car as the firing starts and makes sure they both lay low. She takes control of the steering wheel from below. The mystery man gets hit on the knee by the hoverdrone. Max drives the vehicle into a warehouse. Mystery man closes the door.)
MAX: Take cover.
(Mystery man carries Logan out of the vehicle. Max gets back behind the wheel. The hoverdrone is still attacking. Max backs out of the warehouse. The hoverdrone follows. Max drives the vehicle back into the warehouse. Max rolls out of the vehicle and the hoverdrone smashes through the Aztec’s windshield. It still comes flying out from the back of the vehicle.)
MAX: Would you die already?
(Max jumps down into a pit in the ground. She spots a red light on the bottom of the hoverdrone. Max manages to stick the pole in the hoverdrone’s sensor and get control of it. She smashes it to the ground)
MAX: Say goodnight, Hal.
(Max gives the hoverdrone one final stab at the red light to finish it off, then heads back with the wheelchair to where Logan and the mystery man is hiding.)
MAX: Boys!
LOGAN: We're over here.
MYSTERY MAN: It appears we've had a small mechanical failure.
(One of the mystery man's legs is going nuts.)
MYSTERY MAN: I believe a bullet or a fragment thereof has lodged itself in my mid-anterior servomotor.
MAX: Better than lodging into your mid-anterior actual leg. We're going to have a hell of a time hitching a ride back to the city.
(Max rolls Logan out of the wheelchair with the mystery man walking beside her, his leg going all whack.)
(At Logan's apartment, he is looking out the window.)
MAX: Heard about your uncle Jonas.
LOGAN: Multiple gunshot wounds to the chest. No leads, no witnesses. Sound familiar?
MAX: Same guys who put a hit on you.
LOGAN: My uncle's partners.
MAX: Go figure.
LOGAN: He swore he didn't know what was going on -- lied right to my face, didn't even blink.
MAX: And he paid the price.
LOGAN: But his cronies skate off this unless Eyes Only tells the whole story.
MAX: You know what'll happen if you do that.
LOGAN: The government steps in, everybody acts all shocked. Then, they seize the assets of Cale Industries in a show of civic outrage, confiscate the company, the trust.
MAX: And your net worth along with it.
LOGAN: Well, I own my apartment. Got some art I can sell. I'll be all right. And Cale Industries will be out of the murder business for good.
MAX: So your idea of going to war is taking a vow of poverty. That'll show them, Logan.
LOGAN: This lifestyle of mine, Max, is bought and paid for with money made helping keep people under police surveillance. It took a lot of people dying for me to finally face the fact that . . . I've been living a lie.
MAX: What about all the good things you've accomplished with Eyes Only? How you going to keep that afloat when you're broke?
LOGAN: Somehow.
MAX: You know, only a bored, rich, liberal, white guy would piss away a fortune to prove he wasn't a bored, rich, liberal, white guy. Nobody would think any less of you if you decided to let this one slide. I would invite you not to be a dope.
(The next day, Max and the mystery man are at the bus depot. Mystery man is buying a bus ticket.)
MYSTERY MAN: So you really think this is a prudent thing to do -- turning my back on destiny like this and going to see my mom?
MAX: Let me put it to you this way. Do you really think we just happened to hook up happened to go after that hoverdrone that just happened to shoot up your mid-anterior servomotor and bust up that exo-thingie? No. That, my friend, is destiny.
TICKET VENDOR (handing him the ticket): Here ya go.
MYSTERY MAN: I think you're right . . . and, besides, I'm not getting out of the business altogether. There have been reports of an inter-dimensional portal forming under Sheboygan that could easily turn into an astral dumpsite. I might be sending for you.
MAX: You have a nice long visit with your mom first. You're giving her a big part of her life back.
(Eyes Only comes on screen at the television sets nearby.)
EYES ONLY: Do not attempt to adjust your set.
MAN: Hey, man, check it out -- Eyes Only.
EYES ONLY: Do not attempt to adjust your set. This is a streaming freedom video bulletin. The Cale Corporation is guilty of murder. Its executives, Jonas Cale and Gilbert Neal . . .
MYSTERY MAN: Hey, Eyes Only. I've always wanted to meet him. That guy . . . he's a real hero.
MAX: Yeah, he is . . . and a real dope.
(Mystery man gets on the bus)
MAX: Hey. I never got your name.
MYSTERY MAN: Phil.
MAX: Phil . . .?
PHIL: Just plain Phil. Well, you and Logan take care of each other for me, okay?
MAX: Yeah. City's not going to be the same without you.
PHIL: I'm leaving it in good hands.
(A guy drops a pop can on the ground.)
PHIL: Hey, pick that up!
GUY: Yeah right.
MAX (grabs the guy): You heard the man. Pick it up!
(The guy picks up the can and puts it in the trash can.)
(Max and Phil wave good-bye to each other.)
(At Logan's apartment)
MAX: So you did it, huh?
LOGAN: Mm-hmm. Sure did. By the time the banks open tomorrow morning this check won't be worth the paper it's printed on. (waves the check from Jonas.)
MAX: Maybe you should go cash it then.
(Logan looks at his watch.)
LOGAN (looks at his watch, sarcastically): Five after 3:00. Damn. (pours some wine into two glasses) My Uncle Jonas gave me this bottle when I graduated from college. Told me to save it for a special occasion.
MAX: Like financial ruin?
LOGAN: Why not? To my dear Uncle Jonas who, underneath his winning smile, was a cold-blooded killer.
MAX: The one thing I learned in my years at Manticore is never underestimate what people are capable of doing to each other.
LOGAN: My uncle, for all his privilege, went right for the heart of darkness. You've lived your life trying to get as far away from that as possible.
MAX: Guess that counts for something. Got to blaze. Got to meet the gang for Snuffy's memorial. (gets up to leave) Thing is . . . it's always there, the darkness . . . right on my tail.
LOGAN: I know . . . but you got moves. (Max smiles)
(At Manticore)
GILBERT: State-of-the-art. Ideal for special ops. The recent series of field tests have proven its viability and . . .
MADAME X: And your sudden legal troubles are translating into a fire sale price.
GILBERT: The specs, testing data and four years of research and development. All yours for 10 million dollars. I'm on the next flight to Belize.
MADAME X: One step ahead of the feds.
GILBERT: Do we have a deal?
MADAME X: The money is being wired to your offshore account as we speak. Trust is far too rare a commodity these day. (Gilbert shakes Madame X's hand.) Where's the second prototype?
GILBERT: Parked in a van outside.
MADAME X: Fully operational?
GILBERT: It's good to go.
MADAME X: And all you need is a photograph?
GILBERT: That's it.
MADAME X: Amazing.
(Madame X sits back down. Gilbert leaves. Madame X takes a picture of Gilbert from the surveillance camera outside her door. She then prints the picture and looks at it.)
MADAME X: Just amazing.
(At Logan's apartment, he is putting his check through the shredder. He looks at the photos and then shreds them too. Bling rolls in with a large crate with D.O.D. on the outside.)
BLING: Something just came for you. Need a hand?
LOGAN: I got it. Thanks.
BLING: I'm heading out. I'll see you tomorrow.
(Bling leaves and Logan opens the crate. Inside the crate is the exoskeleton with a typed up note from Phil. The note reads:
SORRY IT'S ALL BUSTED UP,
BUT IF YOU CAN FIX IT,
WHO KNOWS? MIGHT HELP YOU
GET FROM HERE TO THERE.
BEST,
PHIL
Logan stares at the exoskeleton and smiles.)