DARK ANGEL
Season One, Episode #18: "Hit A Sista Back"
First Aired 5/8/2001
(At her apartment in the morning, Max is putting on her jacket and getting ready for work. She goes into the kitchen)
MAX: Morning.
ORIGINAL CINDY: Good morning. (turns around with facial guck all over her face)
MAX: What the hell are you doing?
ORIGINAL CINDY: Exfoliating -- deep-cleaning pores, sloughing off dead skin cells and clarifying areas of hyperpigmentation.
MAX: All before 9:00 AM?
ORIGINAL CINDY: You should give it a try, girl. Your face could use a little freshening.
MAX: What's wrong with my face?
ORIGINAL CINDY: Nothing except it's all clogged up and tired and dull.
MAX: It is?
ORIGINAL CINDY: We live in a dirty world, boo. It can play havoc with a girl's complexion.
MAX: Well, what's in that stuff?
ORIGINAL CINDY (points to the items on the counter): Milk, oatmeal, rosemary, hibiscus, a half an egg, some vitamin A that I caged from Normal's private stash when he wasn't looking, and some horsetail, for microcirculation. I'm going to whip you up a batch so you can start the new day with your skin all hydrated and glistening.
(Original Cindy picks up the milk carton. Max sees a missing person ad on the side of the carton and grabs it from Original Cindy. It has a picture of Tinga and reads:
HAVE YOU SEEN MY MOMMY?
MISSING
PENNY SMITH AGE 22
MISSING SINCE FEB 25/2020
Max has a flashback of when she was with Tinga and Zack in Portland, and they were fighting off the Manticore men. [From The Kidz Are Aiight])
ZACK (in flashback): Just got a message from Tinga. Lydecker's onto her, and she isn't home.
TINGA (in flashback): You take care of yourself, baby sister.
MAX (in flashback): You, too.
ORIGINAL CINDY (takes the milk carton away from Max): Penny Smith -- is she a friend of yours?
MAX: Something like that. (quickly leaves)
(At Tinga's home, her husband Charlie Smith is putting shoes on Case, their son.)
CHARLIE: One down . . . two down.
(The phone rings and Charlie goes to answer it)
CASE: Daddy . . .
CHARLIE: Just a second. (answers the phone) Hello?
MAX (from a pay phone): You don't know me, but I'm a friend of your wife's.
CHARLIE (to Case): Go get your books, kiddo. (to Max) Do you know where she is? Is she all right?
MAX: As far as I know, yeah, but you have to stop looking for her.
CHARLIE: What?
MAX: You don't know about her past? Why she has a bar code on the back of her neck?
CHARLIE: Her tattoo.
MAX: Look, I know how this is going to sound, but your wife isn't who you think she is and her name isn't Penny. It's Tinga. She's not missing; she's in hiding.
CHARLIE: Wh-what are you . . . ? Who is this?
MAX: People are after her -- bad people. Putting that ad out pretty much gave them directions to your house and now they're going to be after you.
CHARLIE: You think this is some kind of a joke?
MAX: Look, the phones are probably tapped. Just take your son and run, now.
CHARLIE: You shut up about my son. Don't call here again. (hangs up) (to Case) You ready for school?
(Charlie picks up a framed picture of Case and Tinga. Case is playing on the floor, finishing up a puzzle of a castle.)
CASE: Daddy, who was that?
CHARLIE: It was just a wrong number. Where's your jacket? Okay, come here, kiddo. (helps Case put on his jacket) All right, give me another arm. There you go. (looking at the large castle puzzle) Did Miss Forsyth help you put that together?
CASE: No. I did it.
CHARLIE: Sure you did. Come on.
(In the classroom at school, Case is doing work with a group of children on the carpet. The teacher goes up to Case.)
TEACHER: Case? I have a surprise for you. (brings Case to the next room) You're doing so well in your classes that from now on, you're going to have a special tutor.
(The man, Lydecker, turns around with a lollipop in one of his hands and smiles at Case)
LYDECKER: Hi, Case.
(Opening credits)
(At Logan's apartment, he is working on the exoskeleton with Sebastian's help via the phone and web cam. There is a spark and the top part of the exoskeleton falls down.)
SEBASTIAN: What happened?
LOGAN: It shorted out . . . again.
SEBASTIAN: Sounds like you need to replace the servocontroller.
LOGAN: Well, I can't exactly call the Pentagon and requisition one, can I?
SEBASTIAN: You’ll have to improvise. Maybe pull the controller from one of those robotic arms. They used to handle toxic chemicals.
LOGAN: And how much is it going to cost me to get my hands on one of those?
SEBASTIAN: Since when do you care?
LOGAN: Problems with the family business. How much?
SEBASTIAN: Eight, maybe ten grand.
LOGAN: Whatever. No guarantee I can get this contraption to work again anyway. Probably just wasting my time.
SEBASTIAN: Maybe . . . but on the off chance you could get back on your feet, you got something better to waste it on?
(The door slams; Max has arrived)
MAX: Logan!
LOGAN: Uh, I'll be right there. (to Sebastian) I’ll call you back.
(Logan ends the call and covers up the exoskeleton with a sheet. He rolls out to the living room area, where Max is sitting on the couch.)
LOGAN: Hey. You all right?
MAX: Considering I just found out I'm an aunt. Tinga has a kid in Portland. Her husband put out a missing person's ad on her.
LOGAN: Well, he did that, I got to think that means he doesn't know about her.
MAX: I tried to warn him, but he thought I was a crank and hung up on me.
LOGAN: Can't really blame him.
MAX: Guess I have to go to Portland.
LOGAN: Max . . . you know Lydecker's going to be all over this.
MAX: Which is why I have to get them out of there as soon as possible. Logan, she's my sister. This is her family. She'd do the same for me.
LOGAN: So, when I tell you this is a bad idea, a trap . . . ?
MAX: I say, "Thanks for the good advice . . . and can you track down an address for me?"
(At night, Charlie is tucking Case into bed.)
CHARLIE: Which story would you like tonight? How about Bunky's Rocket?
CASE: I want Mommy's story.
CHARLIE: There's a princess in Mommy's stories, right?
CASE: Uh-huh.
CHARLIE: Once upon a time, there was a princess who was born far, far away. She and all her brothers and sisters all lived together in a giant castle and they loved each other very, very much.
CASE: The castle was a bad place.
CHARLIE: That's right. There was a king, and he was evil and he tried to hurt the children. So one day . . .
CASE: You forgot about the Nomilies in the basement.
CHARLIE: I don't think I know that part.
CASE: You didn't tell me everybody's name.
CHARLIE: The princess had a name. What was it?
CASE: Tinga.
(Charlie flashes back to the anonymous phone call he had earlier.)
MAX (in flashback): Her name isn't Penny. It's Tinga.
CHARLIE: Case?
(Case has drifted off to sleep. Max is on top of the building across the street. She is looking at the windows in Charlie's apartment. Max looks down at the alley below and spots Manticore men hiding.)
MAX: These guys never learn.
(Tinga spots Max and takes out her knife. Max turns around and spots a shadow moving. She goes after the person. Tinga jumps down behind Max. Max flips Tinga in the air so they’re face to face)
MAX: Tinga, it's me!
(At Tinga's hideout, she is strapping on her gear and weapons)
TINGA: Did you get any recon?
MAX: Lydecker's set up on the apartment. Got people on the outside of the building. Probably on the inside, too.
TINGA (holds up a gun): Are you strapped?
MAX: I don't do guns. It'd be easier if we had a third person.
TINGA: If you're talking about Zack . . . forget it. I left his ass in snowy Canada.
MAX: Let me guess. Our big brother told you you were crazy for coming back here.
TINGA: Pretty much. I wish I could give Charlie a heads-up, but I got to figure Lydecker's got the phones tapped.
MAX: We only got one shot at this. We have to get them both at the same time.
TINGA: He walks Case to school every morning. We could do it there.
MAX: It's going to be okay.
TINGA: I wanted to go back for them, Max . . . you know, but how could I? What if I led Lydecker to them?
MAX: I know.
TINGA: I thought they would be safer this way.
MAX: You're going to be together again. I promise.
(Lydecker at his desk working when Madame X walks in)
MADAME X: I understand there's a development in the search for X5/656? A husband and child in play?
LYDECKER: I was planning on filling you in at the, uh, briefing next week.
MADAME X: Fill me in now.
LYDECKER: We're keeping our man covered 24/7. I'm personally taking point on the boy.
MADAME X: Is the child of any interest to us?
LYDECKER: He's showing signs of accelerated motor control as well as heightened spatial recognition and advanced logical thinking.
MADAME X: Really?
LYDECKER: I'm as surprised as you. We've never had those kind of results in laboratory settings.
MADAME X: Mix of X5 and human DNA has almost exclusively resulted in offspring of spectacular mediocrity.
LYDECKER: And those were the successes.
MADAME X: The father . . . does, uh, he have any idea what's going on?
LYDECKER: One of the others tried to warn him. X5/452, I think. We traced the phone call to a pay phone in Seattle.
MADAME X: "Hello, Mr. Smith, your wife's a genetically engineered soldier escaped from a secret government lab and you're in terrible danger."
LYDECKER: He didn't believe her.
MADAME X (laughing): Nothing like having the truth work in your favor. How often does that happen? The mother won't be able to stay away for long. Maternal instinct and all that. Grab them both, and take them back to Manticore. I want to meet this little boy.
(Next morning at school, Max and Tinga are checking out the area from across the street. Manticore men are everywhere in disguise)
MAX: And those are just the ones we can see. Not a lot of cover. Looks like our best shot's the apartment.
TINGA: Tonight. (spots Charlie and Case arriving) Oh! There they are.
MAX: He's beautiful.
TINGA: Look how much he's grown!
CHARLIE: Okay, kiddo, you going to have a good day at school today?
CASE: Uh-huh.
CHARLIE: What are you going to do today?
CASE: Play with Donald. He's my new teacher.
CHARLIE: Your new teacher?
LYDECKER (comes up behind them): You have a very gifted son, Mr. Smith.
TINGA: What the hell is he doing here? What is he doing with my son?
MAX: Take it easy.
CASE: Hi, Donald.
LYDECKER: Hi, Case. You ready? All right.
(Lydecker holds Case's hand and they walk into school. In the classroom, Case and Lydecker are sitting at a round table where Case is coloring. Lydecker holds up a big card with a problem puzzle on it.)
LYDECKER: Case, if these pieces were put back together which shape would they make?
CASE (points): That one.
LYDECKER: Good. (flashes his sector pass at Case) Case, what's the number on my card?
CASE: 4-1-2-8-2-0-9-0-8-7-6-9-4-5-7-3. Can I have another lollipop?
LYDECKER: Sure.
(Lydecker gives Case a lollipop and takes one for himself. They both take the wrappers off and suck on their lollipops.)
LYDECKER; After this, would you like to go to the playground?
CASE: I like to climb the monkey bars.
LYDECKER: You know, where I live . . . you can climb the monkey bars all day.
CASE: You can?
LYDECKER: Mm-hmm. And you can swim and you can play and there's a forest. It's a very happy place.
CASE: Will my Mommy be there?
LYDECKER: Would you like that? (Case nods) Then I think we can work it out.
(Back at Tinga's hideout, Max and Tinga are looking at the floor plan of the building area.)
MAX: We got guys stationed at the east and west exits, the lobby and the roof. From 0900 to 1700, two more posing as repairmen in the apartment across the street.
TINGA: What, the old plumber gag? I thought that went out with J. Edgar Hoover.
MAX: Man loves the classics.
TINGA: That's a lot of manpower, Max.
MAX: Good thing we're a lot of girl power.
TINGA: None of this would be happening if I had just told Charlie the truth.
MAX: How come you didn't?
TINGA: I sort of did, the first night we met. I had never clicked with anyone so fast before. We just stayed up all night talking. He told me everything about himself. I mean, everything. Somehow I thought maybe he could handle hearing everything about me. And then I saw that look on his face.
MAX: So you laughed it off and told him you were kidding. I've been there.
TINGA: You know, and then I told myself that if we ever got serious, I'd tell him. And then when we did, I told myself if we ever had kids . . . and every time I tried I'd just remember that look on his face . . . and I couldn't do it.
MAX: I feel you.
TINGA: You ever tell anyone?
MAX: Only 'cause they kind of figured it out on their own.
TINGA: Boyfriend?
MAX: Not exactly.
TINGA: He handled it okay?
MAX: Yeah.
TINGA: When we get them out of there tonight I'm going to tell him everything.
(Max sits down next to Tinga and puts her arm around her shoulders.)
MAX: Honey, when you and me take out 20 trained operatives without breaking a sweat . . . I think he's going to come real on his own that there's something special about you.
(Agent Sandoval walks into Lydecker's office with a recorded message from Charlie's tapped phone)
LYDECKER: Problem?
AGENT SANDOVAL: 10:17 this morning, Smith called his sister in Phoenix.
(Agent Sandoval plays the recording.)
CHARLIE: I'm thinking of taking some time off and bringing Case up for a visit.
SISTER: Thought you wanted to stay in Portland in case anything turned up about Penny.
CHARLIE: Uh, I really need a break. Things are a little tense right now.
LYDECKER: He's been tipped. We're bringing them in. Tonight.
AGENT SANDOVAL: Yes, sir.
LYDECKER: Have X5/734 handle the transfer.
(Max and Tinga start on their plan. They walk on a tight rope across to the roof of Charlie's building. Below, a large caravan of trucks is approaching. Max and Tinga look down from the building top to see what is going on. Max uses her enhanced vision to see who the people below are)
BRIN: Alpha team, cover the exits. Bravo is in the apartment to retrieve the target. Move out. Go.
MAX: Brin.
TINGA; She's one of them now.
(Max and Tinga go inside the building. Max puts a smoke grenade down the laundry chute and Tinga pulls the fire alarm. People start running out. Manticore men are guiding the people out in the stairwells. Max and Tinga take down two Manticore men. They kick down Charlie's door and Tinga enters with gun in hand.)
CASE: Mommy!
TINGA: Hi, baby. (Hugs them) (to Charlie) Hi.
MAX: Let's go, people.
(Tinga punches through a wall and takes out a gun. Charlie is stunned)
TINGA: I'll explain later.
MAX (to Charlie): Stay close. Come on. Trust me.
(Outside the building, the Manticore soldiers have retrieved the smoke bomb)
SOLDIER: Smoke grenade.
BRIN (to walkie-talkie): All teams, this is control. There is no fire. Repeat, there is no fire. We have unauthorized personnel in the area. Bravo team, proceed immediately to Objective Offspring.
(Inside the building, a Manticore soldier jumps out in front of Max and Tinga.)
SOLDIER: Freeze.
MAX: Take cover.
TINGA (shoots down the soldiers): Move.
(Soldiers are coming up from both sides of the hall. Charlie, Max, and Tinga go back around the corner to hide and reload. The soldiers are shooting.)
MAX: There’s men on the stairs!
(More Manticore men are coming from the stairs. They seem to be surrounded when Zack swings in through the window shooting and takes down all the men in the hall. Max and Tinga smile)
ZACK: Is this an invite only, or can anyone crash?
(On the roof top)
ZACK: You taking the express route?
MAX: I'll lower Charlie down, then come back the way I came.
ZACK: I'll guide you down, Max. It'll take the weight.
MAX: Come on.
TINGA (to Case): Bye, honey. Okay, you have to hold really tight to mommy now. Okay? Yeah.
MAX (to Charlie): You ever mountain climb?
CHARLIE: No.
MAX: It's easy.
MAX (to Zack): Meet you at the rendezvous point.
(Charlie, Tinga, and Zack all rappel down safely. Max is about to make her move down when she spots Brin up on the rooftop across from her)
BRIN: You shouldn't have come here, Max.
MAX: What did they do to you?
BRIN: Made me better.
MAX: They brainwashed you.
BRIN: They made me remember what I am.
(Brin and Max fight. Brin is very strong and is winning. Finally, she knocks Max down and stands over her.)
BRIN: You're not the mission. Go. You saved my life once; now we're even. The next time I see you, little sister, I'm bringing you home.
(Max leaves and Manticore soldiers arrive on the roof top.)
(At Logan's apartment. Tinga sits down next to Charlie and holds his hand, but he gets up and leaves)
MAX: Had a run-in with a friend of ours on the roof tonight -- Brin.
ZACK: It's on us. We promised to get her out.
LOGAN: How's the happy couple?
MAX: He'll get over it. They'll be safe together again.
ZACK: For now. Those two aren't going to do anything but slow her down and mess with her judgment. If she's smart, she'll tell him to take the kid and go. Otherwise, they're going to wind up sharing a suite back at Manticore.
MAX: You're a real family values guys, aren't you?
ZACK: Family isn't an option. Not for us.
LOGAN: You can't really blame the guy for being freaked out. Wonder why she never told him.
MAX: You make it sound easy.
LOGAN: No. If you're going to have a relationship with someone you have a right to know what you're getting into.
MAX: Only, the thing about relationships . . . is you never know what you're getting yourself into.
(Max is guiding Tinga to a couch for Case in Logan's apartment. Tinga puts Case down)
MAX: Is this okay?
TINGA (to Max): Yeah. (to Case) Shh.
CASE: Mommy, tell me a story.
TINGA: Okay, baby. What do you want to hear?
CASE: About the princess. What happened once she ran away from the castle?
TINGA: Well, she met her prince and they fell in love and they had a family.
CASE: Did they live happily ever after?
TINGA: I don't know, baby. I hope so.
(Case falls asleep. Tinga gives Case a kiss on the cheek and looks at Max teary-eyed.)
(Logan rolls into the kitchen to find Charlie sitting in the dark.)
LOGAN: I thought I heard somebody in here.
CHARLIE: Sorry. Couldn't sleep.
LOGAN: Want a drink?
CHARLIE: Yeah.
LOGAN (gets a bottle of wine): Pre-pulse. Small batch. Last bottle.
CHARLIE: Don't you want to save it for a special occasion?
LOGAN: Guest needs a drink. In the Cale family, that's occasion enough.
CHARLIE: So how long have you and Max been together?
LOGAN: Uh, we're not like that.
CHARLIE: Because of . . . what she is?
LOGAN: Because of a lot of things.
CHARLIE: When she first went missing I, uh, I couldn't deal. Almost sent Case to live with my sister in Phoenix. But I, uh, I figured it out, you know? I'm not saying it was easy. It wasn't the same without Penny . . . Tinga. But then, it's not the same now that she's back.
LOGAN: And it's never going to be.
CHARLIE: You know what I was thinking before you walked in? That maybe I ought to just take Case and get out of here.
LOGAN: Well, he's her son, too. You don't have the right to take him away from her.
CHARLIE: She had no right to get me into this. To get him into this.
LOGAN: Maybe not. But you're in it. And you're going to have to deal with it. And she hasn't changed. Everything else has, but she's still the same woman you fell in love with, raised a son with. Don't throw it all away just because some lunatic wants to throw her back in a cage.
(Tinga enters, carrying Case, with Max following.)
CHARLIE: Something wrong?
TINGA: He has a fever.
MAX: Poor baby. (spots a glowing spot on the back of Case's neck. A barcode is appearing) Oh, my God.
CHARLIE: What is it?
TINGA: What's happening? Max?
(Later)
TINGA: He's burning up.
CHARLIE: What's going on? Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?
MAX: It's a message from Lydecker.
CHARLIE: Well, what's that supposed to mean?
MAX: Let me see. (takes a look at Case's barcode)
MAX: It's 14 digits. Manticore barcodes are only 12.
CHARLIE: This is insane. I'm taking him to the hospital.
ZACK: No, that's what Lydecker wants.
CHARLIE: Stay out of this.
TINGA: Charlie, wait.
CHARLIE: We've got to do something, Penny.
ZACK: Tinga.
CHARLIE: Listen, you son of a -- (jumps at Zack)
(Zack grabs Charlie by the neck)
MAX: Wait. That's enough.
(Max breaks Charlie away from Zack)
LOGAN: It's a phone number. My guess is, Lydecker's private line. If you give me a minute, I can scramble the signal, make it untraceable.
MAX: We need to bring down his core temperature. Fill the tub with ice.
(Madame X looking into a microscope of moving specimens.)
MADAME X: They almost look like they're alive.
LYDECKER: In a way, they almost are. They're designed to incorporate themselves in the body's cellular machinery stimulating metabolic activity and enhanced neuromuscular function.
MADAME X: And in this case, I take it that you've programmed them to do the exact opposite?
LYDECKER: Yeah.
MADAME X: I must say, I'm impressed.
(The phone rings)
LYDECKER: That'll be them.
MADAME X: Put it on speaker.
LYDECKER (answering): Yes?
MAX: Is this some kind of bioengineered virus?
LYDECKER: Nanotechnology.
MAX: My next guess.
LYDECKER: I'd say he has about six hours left.
MAX: You sick bastard.
LYDECKER: I don't want to see him die any more than you do.
MAX: What do you want?
LYDECKER: Tinga.
MAX: After what you did to Brin?
LYDECKER: She's quite happy where she is.
MAX: Back with the children of the damned? Forget it.
LYDECKER: It's not your decision to make. Tell your sister, I'll save her son . . . when she gives herself up.
MAX: We'll get back to you. (hangs up)
LYDECKER: In a few hours, the convulsions will start. They'll call back.
MADAME X: You're not really going to give up the boy?
LYDECKER: You try something with these kids, you'll end up with nothing. Besides, it's the mother we're interested in. From what we can tell from the child's DNA there's something about her genetic makeup that allows her to pass along traits to her offspring.
MADAME X: The goose that laid the golden egg.
LYDECKER: Once she's back, we can make a hundred more like him.
MADAME X: Your call.
(Back in Logan's apartment)
TINGA: Make the call. (to Charlie) He's going to be okay.
CHARLIE: I can't lose you again.
TINGA: This is the only way.
(Max leaves the room and runs into Zack)
ZACK: You know Lydecker's not going to hold up his end of the deal. You can't trust him.
MAX: We have no choice.
ZACK: You go through with this and you're on your own. I won't have anything to do with him.
MAX: Big surprise.
ZACK: She made herself vulnerable and now she's paying the price. Don't make the same mistake.
(Tear rolls down from Max's eye)
(At South Market, Max is waiting at the gate. Manticore vehicles approach on the other side. Lydecker gets out with Brin is behind him. Lydecker walks to the gate opposite from Max)
MAX: Show me.
(Lydecker shows Max the scanner device that will cure Case. Max signals for Tinga. Tinga gets out of the vehicle, a tear rolling down her check)
TINGA: (to Case) I love you. (to Charlie) Please don't let him forget me.
CHARLIE: I won't. (Charlie and Tinga kiss) I love you.
(Tinga heads for Lydecker. She grabs Max’s hand as she passes. On the other side of the gate, Brin moves toward her, but Tinga motions her to stop)
LYDECKER: Here. (passes the device through the fence to Max) Just put it close to his neck over the bar code.
(Max follows Lydecker's instructions and the barcode disappears. Case wakes up)
CASE: Daddy? Daddy.
(Charlie nods at Tinga, who is crying as she is led away to the Manticore hummers.)
MAX (turns to leave): Let's go.
LYDECKER: This isn't as big a tragedy as you think it is.
MAX: Whatever you have to tell yourself.
(Charlie and Case get back inside their car.)
BRIN (to walkie-talkie): Move in.
(A station wagon drives up to the vehicle on Max's side of the gate. Men get out of the station wagon as other undercover men converge on Max and Charlie. Max fights some of them off, but they knock Charlie down and take Case away.)
LYDECKER (to walkie-talkie): Delta, this is control. What the hell is going on?
MAX: You son of a bitch!
LYDECKER: It wasn't me.
(Lydecker goes to the gate. The station wagon takes off. Max runs after it. Zack comes swinging from the top of South Market, shooting, and stops the station wagon. Max and Zack pull the men out of the vehicle. Max safely takes Case out.)
MAX: You got a thing for dramatic entrances, huh?
ZACK: I told you he'd try to pull something.
MAX: I don't think it was Lydecker.
(Inside Brin's hummer, Tinga is in the back.)
LYDECKER (on the radio): Delta, this is control. This boy was not a target. Under whose authority do you think you're --
(Brin turns the radio off.)
TINGA: What did you do? Where's Case?
(Brin knocks out the Manticore soldiers in the hummer.)
TINGA (smiling): I knew you couldn't be one of them.
BRIN: Shut up.
(Brin punches Tinga on the forehead.)
(Later, Lydecker's hummer drives up to Brin's hummer, which has crashed on the side of the road. Lydecker walks up to find Brin unconscious inside the vehicle with blood on her head.)
LYDECKER: Brin.
SOLDIER: Is she alive, sir?
LYDECKER: Pulse is strong.
SOLDIER: X5/656 is gone, sir.
(At Lydecker's office)
LYDECKER: What the hell did you think you were going to accomplish with that little stunt?
MADAME X: I wanted a hat trick.
LYDECKER: And now we have nothing. Tinga escaped, and we lost the boy.
MADAME X: Wouldn't want anyone to accuse me of playing it safe.
LYDECKER: I'll be sure and include that in my report to the committee.
MADAME X: You do that. (gets up and leaves)
(Max and Zack are standing by the water. Zack is throwing pebbles into the water.)
ZACK: If it wasn't him that double-crossed us, then who?
MAX: Good question.
ZACK: Only it doesn't matter. I mean, Lydecker, someone else -- what difference does it make? We've been running half our lives, Max. They just keep coming.
MAX: Taking us down one by one.
ZACK: I'm not going to let them do to Tinga what they did to Brin. We're going to get her out somehow. (gives Max a hug) Take care of yourself.
MAX: You, too.
(The next morning, Brin and Madame X meet up.)
MADAME X: Good work.
BRIN: I'm sorry we didn't get them all.
MADAME X: No, the important thing is you recovered X5/656.
BRIN: May I ask when she'll be returned to Manticore?
MADAME X: In due time. Until then, operational secrecy remains in effect particularly with regard to Lydecker.
BRIN: Understood.
MADAME X: Dismissed.
(Brin leaves)
(At Logan's apartment)
LOGAN: My friends can get you over the border tonight. You should be able to get work on the east coast with these. (hands Charlie a package)
CHARLIE: I appreciate everything you've done for us. I don't know how I can repay you.
MAX: You just take care of my nephew.
CHARLIE: You know, this whole time I've been thinking she should've told me from the start that she was . . . different. Truth is, I probably would've walked away. . . Would've been the biggest mistake of my life. 'Cause even after everything that's happened I wouldn't give up one minute of the time that we spent together. Not a second.
CASE: Where's Mommy?
CHARLIE: Mommy had to go away.
CASE: She went back to the castle, didn't she? To fight the evil king.
MAX: I'll get her back to you, okay? I promise.
CHARLIE: Not a second.
(Charlie leaves with Case)
(Max is standing on top of the Space Needle reflecting.)
MAX: Once upon a time, there was a princess who lived in a castle in a faraway land. One day, she and her brothers and sisters escaped the evil king who held them captive there, and tried to make their way in the world. It was hard because the king never stopped looking for them.
(Meanwhile, Madame X pulls up to the facility where she is keeping Tinga. Inside, there is a glass case in the middle where Tinga is floating in a green liquid with many tubes connected to her body)
MAX: But the princess was lucky. She fell in love and had a family and she was very happy. But one day, the evil king and his men found her and took her away, so there was no happily ever after, only the happily ever now that had been hers for a little while. And no matter what they did to the princess, nothing could ever take that away from her.