Russian Roulette
[Opening Scene: Crouched behind a old abandoned van in a junkyard, Jesse and Brennan question a young new mutant, Tina.]
Brennan: Are you sure you saw these Russians following you?
Tina: Until I lost them this morning at the depot.
Jesse: You’re certain they saw you use your abilities?
Tina: I mean, there’s no way they could have missed it. I was underwater for thirty minutes.
Brennan: In that case, we really ought to get outta here.
Jesse: Come on, Tina. I’ll take you someplace safe, okay?
Tina: I don’t know, I mean... I've heard weird stories about The Underground. [She stands, scanning the lot for any trace of her pursuers, and is spotted by the two Russians, Sonya and Yuri, who are hiding inside a van of their own across the lot. Yuri holds a device, the Pushka H5B7, up to a hole in the van’s wall as Sonya records data on her computer screen.]
Sonya: Detection works.
Yuri: But we are still out of range to neutralize.
Sonya: Who knows this better than I, huh?
Brennan (pulling Tina back down behind the van): Tina, look at me. Now do I look like someone who'd have anything to do with something...something weird? [She smiles at him, shaking her head.] No. Now, what do you say we all take a walk back to the MV, huh? [She nods, and Jesse escorts her towards their car. Standing up, Brennan looks around the lot. Sonya smiles as the Pushka indicates that he’s a mutant as well.]
Sonya: Oh, joy. Another one. [She pats Yuri’s back.] It’s working. [They kick open the back doors of the van and step out. Hearing the noise, Jesse, Tina, and Brennan spin around.]
Brennan (pointing at Jesse): Jesse, get Tina in the MV. Now. [Nodding, Jesse runs with Tina towards the car. Brennan waits as Sonya and Yuri approach him with the beeping Pushka, then creates a tesla coil and throws an electrical arc at them. The arc hits Yuri in the chest, and he falls backwards, taking Sonya down with him. When Yuri doesn’t get up, Brennan goes over to check on him, but Sonya pops up, shooting him with a blast from the Pushka. As Brennan doubles over in pain, Sonya kneels by Yuri’s side.]
Sonya (shaking him): Yuri. Yuri, come on. Get up. [She helps Yuri to his feet, and they start towards Brennan, who is trying in vain to form a tesla coil. Before they can reach him, Jesse drives the car in front of Brennan, cutting them off.]
Tina (opening the back door for him): Get in!
Brennan (taking her hand, groaning): I lost my power!
Jesse (watching Tina pull Brennan in): Get him in, let’s go. [As soon as he’s in, Jesse speeds off.]
Opening Credits. “Russian Roulette”
[Scene: in the lab at Sanctuary, Brennan’s fidgeting on the biochair as Emma prepares to scan him for injuries.]
Emma (looking over at him from the computer): Lie still, Brennan. [She activates the scan, and a yellow light passes over Brennan’s body.] Scan’s complete. [She walks over to him.] How’re you doing?
Brennan: I’m fine. [Trying to sit up, he gasps in pain.] Okay, this really sucks. That gun. It...uh...fired some sort of weird laser beam thing at me.
Emma: Adam said it was some kind of particle beam that threw your DNA out of whack.
Brennan: Is that what he said?
Emma (smiling): Not in so many words.
Brennan: I’ll just bet. [He holds his stomach.]
[Outside the lab, Adam and Jesse are walking towards the main computer.]
Adam: Did you get a look at the weapon?
Jesse: No, I didn’t see much. And I’m pretty sure they didn’t see me. I guess it blew out Brennan’s charge temporarily, huh?
Adam: I’m afraid it’s done more than just neutralize his power.
Jesse (frowning): What do you mean?
Adam: I won’t know the damage until I’ve gone over the scan. [Jesse turns away, soberly.] It’s not your fault. If anyone’s responsible, it’s me.
Jesse: That’s crazy.
Adam: Well, no more crazy than your guilt. Can you tell me anything about them?
Jesse: Um. It was a man and a woman. Tina said they were Russians.
Adam: Russians. [He turns to the computer.] Pushka H5B7, all files. [A 3-D image of the gun and its accompanying computer appears in the air in front of them.] Was this the weapon?
Jesse (studying the images): Yeah, it could be. But like I said, I didn’t get a very good look at it. What is it?
Adam: It’s top secret Russian military ordinance, circa 1980. It’s a device intended to detect and neutralize new mutants. The gun’s schematics, direct from the KGB. Look. According to this, the weapon can reverse the neutralization process.
Jesse: So we’ve gotta get the weapon.
Adam: Yes. But there’s a fail-safe in case someone like us gets a hold of it. Without the precise triggering sequence, the weapon self-destructs. And without the reversal process, Brennan will die.
Jesse: I’m gonna go see how Brennan’s doing. [Jesse goes back towards the lab just as the computer beeps to indicate an incoming call.]
Adam: Answer.
Shalimar (over her comlink): Adam. I’m with the family.
Adam: Shalimar. What’s going on?
Shalimar: Well, I gotta tell you. It’s a little weird. [Shalimar strolls around the back porch of the Benedict’s house, watching as Tina sits at the picnic table with her new foster brother Daniel. The father, Stephen, smokes a cigar in a lawn chair while the mother, Caroline, prepares dinner on the gill.] I mean, Tina’s at the table, but they’re all just sitting around staring at each other. Everybody smiles too much. Nobody's talking.
Adam: So what's the problem?
Shalimar: What do I know about family therapy?
Adam: You've got a family, don't you?
Shalimar: Yeah, but--
Adam: That's all the therapy you need.
Caroline (shoving a plate of meat under her nose): Steak tartar?
Shalimar: No thanks. I may be feral, but I do prefer my meat medium well.
Caroline (laughing, embarrassed): Oh. [Stephen smiles widely at them, holding up his pipe.]
[At Genomex headquarters, Sonya enters Mason’s office, where he’s working on his computer.]
Sonya: Mr. Eckhart? [He holds up a hand, signaling her to wait.] you’ve lost a lot of weight. All that work and stress. I have something wonderful for you. The plans for the Pushka. [She holds out a roll of paper.]
Mason (not looking up): We’ve already been through this. Your father’s weapon was an embarrassment to your government. A humiliation which led to his untimely death in the Gulag. I promised you 20 thousand for each new mutant that you could bring me neutralized.
Sonya: The Pushka H5B7 works.
Mason (looking pointedly at the empty room behind her): Oh, well in that case...where are these new mutants that you brought me?
Sonya (rolling her eyes): We had a glitch in our operation.
Mason (glaring at her): I'm busy.
Sonya: Your manners have deteriorated along with your white cell count, Mr. Eckhart. Even with our glitch, we managed to neutralize an electrical new mutant.
Mason (looking up): And where is he?
Sonya: He got away, but the Pushka got him. [Mason stares in disbelief.] It did. I swear on my father’s grave. You know how to reach me if you want to chat about anything further. [She leaves.]
[Shalimar sits at the table with the Benedict family over dinner.]
Stephen: I’m a telekinetic. And Caroline regards my abilities as pretty wild.
Caroline (getting up): Well, I’ll get dessert.
Shalimar: So I guess a feral new mutant’s a whole new ball game for her, huh?
Stephen: Caroline was visiting her mother at the only other time we had a feral in the house.
Daniel: The one we placed with the Stewarts.
Shalimar (looking at Stephen): That ought to be classified.
Stephen (putting an arm around Daniel): Adam trusts me. And I trust my son. Couldn’t do it without him.
Shalimar: So what about you, Daniel? Any new mutancy?
Daniel: I take after my mother. As normal as can be.
Caroline (coming out with a tray): Chocolate fondu for five, everybody! Think of it as catching your dessert with a fork. [They laugh.]
[Inside the lab at Sanctuary, Brennan’s getting restless on the biobed.]
Brennan: I’m burning up here.
Emma: It’s your system’s reaction to the neutralization.
Brennan: I’ve gotta go get that weapon.
Emma: The more you move around, the faster the neutralization spreads. Lie still. We have to stabilize you.
Brennan (struggling to sit up): No, no. I’m stable enough.
Emma (pushing him back down): It’s gonna be okay, Brennan.
Brennan (moaning in pain): I’ve gotta go.
Emma: It’s time for a little serenity. [She pictures an eagle flying free in the air, and takes his face in her hands, projecting the image into his mind. Brennan calms down. Emma goes to join Adam as he walks down the stairs.] Adam! We can save him, right?
Adam: Well, honestly, I don’t know. But right now we have to buy him all the time we can. Jesse’s
gonna find the weapon. [He looks up as an alarm goes off on the computer.]
Emma: What’s that?
Adam: Someone calling Genomex from one of our safehouses.
Jesse (at the computer): I’ve already got a trace on the system.
Shalimar (walking up): Safehouse compromise? [They listen in on the call.]
Mason: Eckhart here. Can I help you?
Jesse (surprised): Eckhart?
Daniel Benedict (sitting inside his house): I have some information on the whereabouts of two new mutants.
Mason: Is that so?
Daniel: One is my father. The other is a new mutant placed here yesterday by Mutant X.
Shalimar (in shock): That weasel!
Mason: I’m listening.
Daniel: I want a face to face.
Mason: We’ll get back to you.
Adam (his face in his hands): I held him in my arms when he was a baby.
[A secretary shows Sonya back into Mason’s office.]
Sonya: Can I assume you called with good news in regard to my proposal?
Mason: Yes, I have an informant who will lead you to a family of new mutants. But I don’t want them dead. [She picks up a governor gun on the table.] That device inserts a subdermal governor so that you’ll be able to control these new mutants when you find them.
Sonya (frowning at the gun): But this won’t be necessary. We have the Pushka.
Mason (walking around behind her): Oh yes, of course. The Pushka. Isn't that Russian for "Colossal Error in Judgment"?
Sonya: I have solved the Pushka’s problems.
Mason: That’s wonderful Take it anyway, just for me.
Sonya: The bounty?
Mason (sitting at his desk): 20 thousand each, as we discussed, provided that you bring them to me neutralized and alive. Then we’ll discuss a contract. [She starts out of the room.] Of course, I fully expect to be disappointed. Since, as I recall, the Pusha neutralizes new mutants and then disintegrates their internal organs until they’re dead. [An image of Brennan sleeping in the lab at Sanctuary is superimposed over the screen as he talks.]
[Standing around the computer, Mutant X listens in on the call when Sonya contacts Daniel.]
Sonya: I am an associate of Marcus Eckhart, Daniel. I understand you’re interested in issues of concern to the GSA?
Daniel: Yes.
Sonya: Then meet me at 3:00 today at the southwest side of Millenium Park and we can discuss these issues.
Daniel: I’ll be there. [He hangs up.]
Shalimar: So when did the GSA start hiring Russians?
Adam: Now Eckhart believes in outsourcing. He wants to use this Pushka against new mutants, and apparently this Sonya woman controls the weapon. So we’ve gotta move fast. [He turns to Jesse.] You're going to meet Sonya in Daniel's place. [They follow him towards the door.]
Jesse: So I get the Pushka. And?
Adam: You find out if it works, how it works, how to reverse the neutralization, and then you bring it to me.
Shalimar: What's he doing for the rest of the afternoon?
Adam: Well, I know it’s a lot, but we don’t have a lot of time. And Brennan’s life depends on it.
Emma: The Russians are gonna expect Jesse to lead them to Daniel’s family.
Adam: We’ll deal with that when we get to it.
Shalimar: What about Daniel?
Adam (smiling): He’s in for a little lesson in moral responsibility.
[Close to 3:00, Daniel’s pacing around the southwest entrance to Millenium Park when a black SUV drives up to him. The back door opens and he’s dragged inside.]
Daniel: Hey, wait, did Sonya send you? Take it easy! Where’s Sonya? [The SUV speeds off, and a visual cloak is placed on Daniel’s temple, temporarily blinding him. Once he’s reached his destination, a black-gloved hand removes the cloak, and Daniel looks around to find himself Mason’s office.]
Mason (coming around to face him): I have to say, I’m very curious. Why are you informing on your father and foster sister?
Daniel: So. You’re Mason Eckhart. My father used to scare me into behaving by telling me stories about you.
Mason: You certainly know how to ingratiate yourself. Answer my question, please, why are you betraying your father.
Daniel: New mutants are a virus. A disease. They're marrying, mating, and reproducing. I have to stop that from happening. They belong here in a controlled environment.
Mason: Have you any idea what we do with people like your father?
Daniel: Reprogram them, I guess?
Mason (beckoning him over to the window): It’s a little more complex than reprogram, Mr. Benedict. Your father and foster sister will be placed in a stasis unit for future study.
Daniel (swallowing hard as he looks down on the stasis pods, stunned): That’s, uh....that’s exactly where they belong.
Mason: A man after my own heart. Wait here for me until I get back. [He turns around.] And don’t touch anything. [He walks out the door and turns into Adam, revealing that both Mason and his office were merely holographic images created by Sanctuary’s dojo. Walking out of the force-field which surrounds Daniel, Adam glances down at Shalimar, who has been monitoring the exchange from the computer below the dojo.]
Shalimar: I’ll keep an eye on him.
Adam: Ever since Jesse dragged him into the MV, he’s been terrified. The force-field will keep him from going anywhere.
Shalimar (raising her eyebrow): Fine. I’ll still keep an eye on him. [Adam walks down the stairs towards the lab. Jesse watches Adam standing over Brennan as he lies on the biobed surrounded by blue rings of energy projected by the EED.]
Adam: The isolation unit will keep him stable, and he’s comfortable thanks to Emma. [He walks over to Jesse.] And as for you, the minute that things get even a little bit dangerous, I want you out of there, with or without the Pushka. [Jesse nods.] I want you to maintain video contact via your comlink.
Jesse (looking at Brennan): How long can he stay in there?
Adam: Well, isolation will slow the deterioration, but it won’t stop it. You’ve got 24 hours.
Jesse: You can count on me.
Adam: Yeah, but don’t let any pointless guilt make you foolhardy. Then you’ll both be lost. [Jesse nods and heads out.]
[Jesse reaches Millenium Park, where Sonya and Yuri are waiting, leaning against the fence.]
Jesse (walking up to them): Sonya?
Sonya: They call your kind rats in this country, correct?
Jesse: What do they call them in your country?
Sonya: I call you Krisa. You don’t want to know what it means. You have addresses for me?
Jesse: Yeah, I’m not just gonna hand that over to you.
Sonya: Why else would I have agreed to come? [Jesse rubs his fingers together, asking for money.] Yuri. Our Krisa thinks he’s sly fox. [Yuri points his gun at Jesse’s face; Jesse raises his hands. Watching the scene from Sanctuary, Adam, Shalimar, and Emma stiffen.]
Sonya (holding out her hand): The names and addresses.
Jesse: You know, I could have just given that to Eckhart over the phone.
Sonya: Then why didn’t you?
Jesse: Cause he didn’t come up with the right price.
Yuri (waving the gun in his face): I’ll show you the right price, Krisa.
Sonya (pushing him back): Patience, Yuri. What have you got for me?
Jesse (lowering his hands): I can give you my foster sister and my father. And I know the new mutant underground like a book.
Sonya: How much?
Jesse: Ten thousand each.
Sonya: Five.
Jesse: They're worth ten.
Sonya: I'm getting bored, Yuri. Shoot him.
Jesse (holding up his hands quickly): Five.
Sonya: Scan him for bugs.
Jesse (turning quickly, dropping his comlink ring): Scan me? I ought to...scan you.
Yuri (scanning him): Clean. [They escort him down the path.]
Adam (as the video screen goes blank in front of him): He’s on his own.
[In Sanctuary’s dojo, Adam walks back into Daniel’s force-field, pretending once again to be Mason.]
Mason!Adam: How well do you know Sonya?
Daniel (confused): I don’t know her at all. She told me she was working for you. Why?
Mason!Adam: Well, let’s just say she’s a freelancer who hasn’t earned my trust.
Daniel: Well, you can trust me. I’m the guy who can blow the whole new mutant underground wide open. You think because I work with my father that I care about new mutants?
Mason!Adam (walking behind his desk): Don’t you?
Daniel: My father has blinders on to everything but the cause. He doesn’t care about me or his family. All he cares about is rescuing and hiding new mutants from you.
Mason!Adam (his back turned to Daniel): From me? I don’t think so. [At the computer, Shalimar turns off the dojo hologram, revealing Sanctuary and Adam.]
Daniel (looking around): Shalimar? This isn't the GSA!Shalimar (smirking): Nothin' gets by you, huh? [Adam turns around.]
Daniel: Adam!
Adam: Daniel. It’s been a long time.
[Inside their warehouse hideout filled with electronic equipment, Yuri and Jesse sit on opposite sides of a table eating pizza. Sonya works at a computer behind them.]
Yuri (holding up the Pushka): The weapon worked fine. What is to worry about?
Sonya: It has to work perfectly. The Pushka is my father’s legacy.
Jesse (mouth full of pizza): Does Eckhart know about the Pushka?
Sonya: Of course. But Eckhart has no faith in Russian technology. [She points at Yuri.] Hey! You dare get any of that on the Pushka, you’ll lick it off.
Yuri (putting down his pizza, chuckling): If your father was so smart, why couldn’t he make the weapon work?
Sonya (slapping him): Who are you to speak like that about my father?
Yuri (hanging his head): Sorry, Sonjka. You’ll make it work.
Sonya (straightening): I have to. Our future depends on it. And once I do, we are rich, decadent and free. Like real Americans. [Returning to her computer, she slaps his arm.] Get back to work.
Yuri (pushing an electrical plug over to Jesse): Find for me a tube that works.
Jesse (pretending to concentrate on the wires): Yuri, what is it about the Pushka that doesn’t work?
Yuri: The neutralization is just a little too...deadly. [Realizing who he’s talking to, he frowns at Jesse.] Hey. What do you care?
Jesse: Nah, I just want to make sure that I can count on the Pushka when the times comes. [Yuri stares at him suspiciously.] Come on, I’m after the big bucks here. [He smiles.]
Yuri (laughing, patting him on the shoulder): Why, yes, you are.
[Emma walks up the dojo stairs to talk to Daniel, who is sitting on the floor, playing with his tray of food. Getting up, he walks over and ttries to hit her, but his arms are stopped by the invisible force-field that separates them.]
Daniel (shaking his head): You can’t hold me here.
Emma (crossing her arms): We seem to be doing okay in that department.
Daniel: I have rights, you know.
Emma: Please. What about your family’s rights?
Daniel (turning his back): I’m not talking about them anymore.
Emma: Then shut up and listen! Don’t you feel even a little bit ashamed for betraying your father’s trust?
Daniel (facing her): I said, I don’t want to talk about it!
Emma: Then maybe it’s time you thought about your mother.
Daniel: My mother has nothing to do with this!
Emma: How is she going to feel when she finds out you betrayed the man that she loves? [He begins to pace back and forth, agitated.] For a treacherous little Judas, you don’t seem to have considered the further consequences of your--
Daniel: SHUT UP! [His tray of food soars up from the floor and smashes against the force-field in front of her. Shalimar and Emma look at each other in surprise.]
Emma: You’re one of us. You’re a telekinetic, just like your father. How long have you known?
Daniel: I’m not a new mutant!
[In Sonya and Yuri’s warehouse, Jesse studies some blueprints lying on a table next to Sonya, then walks over to Yuri, giving him a friendly punch on the back.]
Jesse: Hey!
Yuri (holding up the Pushka): The weapon is ready.
Jesse: Huh. Tomorrow, huh? Can I hold it? [Yuri reluctantly hands it to him.] So what happens if you neutralize a new mutant and then...uh...change your mind?
Yuri: You changing your mind about neutralizing your father, Krisa?
Jesse: No, no, I was just wondering if there was a way to reverse the neutralization, that’s all.
Yuri: Smart kid. [He leans close to Jesse so Sonya can’t hear him.] There’s a sequence that reverses the process: A7, zed 41, then the trigger.
Sonya (calling from her computer): Bring me the Pushka, Yuri. I need to calibrate the power ratio for new prototype.
Yuri (going to her): Right away, Sonjka.
[Shalimar’s joined Emma at the top of the dojo steps, looking in at Daniel, sitting with his back to them.]
Shalimar: No fun being different, huh, Daniel?
Emma: Keeping secrets from everybody, always afraid of being found out? I was like that when it hit me.
Shalimar (grinning at her): You should have seen this one when she came on the scene.
Emma: I had a hard time coming to terms with my abilities. It’s all about acceptance.
Daniel (standing up): I don’t give a damn.
Shalimar: Well, we don’t give a damn about you. We do, however, give a damn about the people whose lives you wanted destroyed.
Daniel: You know, I didn’t ask for this. I don’t want to be one of you!
Shalimar: None of us asked for this. But you play the cards your dealt.
Emma: It’s not new mutants you hate. It’s yourself you despise.
Shalimar: Who you gonna blame for that? Your father? ‘Cause he didn’t pay enough attention to you?
Emma: That man works for our cause, but he’d lay down his life for you!
Daniel (coming up to them): Does he know what I did?
Shalimar: Yeah. Adam had to tell him.
Emma: How’s it feel to betray that kind of trust? [They turn and walk down the steps, past Adam, who’s at the computer, answering an incoming call.]
Jesse (on a cellphone in the warehouse): Hello?
Adam: I’m here.
Jesse: It’s all working out. And I got the information we need.
Adam: Good! Then get the weapon and get out of th–
Yuri: Who are you talking to, Krisa?
Jesse: Hold on a sec, Dad. [He covers the mouthpiece, turning to Yuri.] Just making sure my dad’s gonna be home tomorrow. [He talks into the phone again.] Sorry, Dad, that was Bobby. Yeah, I’ll see you then. Bye. [He hangs up and throws the phone to Yuri.] You almost blew it, you know?
Yuri (going back to the table): Whatever. [Holding the Pushka on his knee, he notices that it starts beeping when Jesse walks past. He points the Pushka directly at Jesse.] Sonya!
Sonya (at the computer): I’m busy, Yuri.
Yuri: Our little Krisa is one of them. [Sonya rushes over to check the screen, which reads: “Molecular configuration strand 19 code 12RU.”] What means ‘Molecular Configuration’?
Sonya (walking up beside him): It means, we have our new mutant.
[Sonya stands beside Yuri as he aims the Pushka at Jesse.]
Yuri: Let me test the Pushka on him.
Jesse: Shoot me, and you lose three more new mutants!
Sonya (surprised): Three?
Jesse (realizing his mistake): My...mother’s a closet new mutant. She’s a telekinetic like my dad. If you keep that thing away from me, there’s plenty more where they came from.
Yuri: Let me test it.
Sonya: Don’t shoot him. The last thing we need to do is lose the bounty on these other freaks. Keep him covered. [She pulls out the subdermal governor gun.] Turn around. [Seeing no way out, Jesse turns around and lets her inject a governor in his neck. Back in Sanctuary, Emma reaches out with her mind and sees Jesse struggling with chains around his neck.]
Emma: Jesse’s in trouble. [She turns to Adam and Shalimar behind her.] I saw him chained to a wall.
Adam: A subdermal governor.
Shalimar: They found him out.
Adam (sighing): We’ve got one chance to get the weapon and get Jesse out of there. [They follow him out of the room.]
[The next morning, Jesse leads Sonya and Yuri up the stairs to the Benedict’s back porch.]
Jesse: I’m home.
Adam (smoking a pipe in Stephen’s lawn chair): Daniel! Glad you could make it.
Jesse (catching onto the ruse): Hi...Dad. Shalimar (wearing an apron, cooking with Emma at the grill): Hi, honey! Oh, I wish you’d told me you were bringing friends. I don’t think we have enough chicken.
Jesse (nodding): Mom.
Shalimar (turning to Emma): Sweetie, could you go get some?
Emma: Sure, Mom. Hi, Daniel!
Jesse: Tina.
Sonya (nonplused): We are not his friends! We are his accomplices.
Shalimar (smiling enthusiastically): Oh, any accomplice of Daniel's is a friend of ours! [Rolling her eyes, Sonya nods to Yuri. He shoots a pulse from the Pushka at Shalimar, who jumps straight up into the air, avoiding the blast. Adam spins over the railing to the ground, and Emma dives behind the wall. Shalimar, from the second floor balcony, hits Yuri in the face with the plate she was holding, then leaps down in front of him. Feral eyes flashing, she back-kicks him against the railing and slaps him across the face. Peering around the corner, Emma projects an image into Sonya’s mind of a rope choking her. Sonya drops her gun, gasping for breath and grabbing at her neck. As Shalimar and Emma take the Pushka from the unconscious Yuri, Jesse runs down to Adam’s side.]
Jesse: The reversal process: A7, zed 41, then the trigger. You got the Pushka. I’ve got some unfinished business back at their hideout. It’s at the old Drexel packing plant. Give me six hours, then come and get me.
Adam: Are you sure?
Jesse: You trusted me to do this in the first place. Let me finish the job.
Adam: All right. They implanted you with a subdermal governor.
Jesse: Yeah. [He leans over to show him.]
Adam: Yeah? This will deactivate it until I can remove it later. [He deactivates the governor.] Good.
[Jesse runs back up to the house, past Shalimar and Emma, who carry the Pushka and its computer down the stairs to join Adam. He beckons them to follow him.] I’ll explain later. [As they walk off, Shalimar tosses the apron over her shoulder, and Emma finally releases Sonya from her choking illusion. Jesse knees by her side.]
Jesse: Are you okay?
Sonya (looking up at him): The Pushka?
Jesse: It’s too late. They’re gone. They got the Pushka.
Sonya (pointing her gun under his chin): And I’ve got you.
[Back in the lab at Sanctuary, Adam holds the Pushka and dictates to Shalimar, who stands behind him entering the sequence into the Pushka’s computer.]
Adam: A7, zed 41. Then I pull the trigger.
Shalimar: Man. I hope Jesse got that sequence right.
Emma (standing at the computer across the room): Now, Adam. We don’t have much time.
Adam: Yeah. [He shoots a blast from the Pushka at Brennan, who flops around in his chair, then lies still as his heart monitor flatlines. They wait anxiously until Brennan finally takes a breath, his heartbeat starting again. Emma goes to his side, grinning when he opens his eyes.]
Brennan: How’m I doing?
Adam (smiling): Well, thanks to Jesse, we’ve managed to reactivate your new mutant DNA. You’ll be fine in a few hours. [He and Shalimar pack up the Pushka and head out of the room, followed by Emma.]
Brennan (calling out after them from the bed): Fine, guys. No, no, really. Go ahead without me. I’ll catch up.
Emma: That would be a terrific addition to the arsenal.
Adam: Yeah, if it still worked. Looks like the reversal process blew out the circuits.
Shalimar: Oh, please. You’ll have it up and working in no time.
Adam: Well, maybe. Right now, I wanna have a little chat with Daniel. [Putting the Pushka away, he walks up the dojo stairs. At the computer behind him, Shalimar turns off the force-field to let him in.]
Daniel: Adam.
Adam: Daniel.
Daniel: You come to beat me up too?
Adam: No. I gather your self-loathing was punishment enough. You were such a quiet little boy.
Daniel: Please. I was terrified of the silence. The minute I learned about my dad, I knew there was someone out there to hunt him down like a freak.
Adam: And you wanted to make it easy for the predators?
Daniel: When Eckhart–-when you asked me why I was ratting on my father...
Adam: Yes?
Daniel: I thought it was for his own good. But I guess I...never thought things through 'cause I was afraid of where it could lead me.
Adam (nodding): Like the fact that you’re more like your father than you ever could’ve imagined. [He puts a hand on his shoulder.] Or ever wanted to be.
[Arriving at the Benedict’s house, Adam walks Daniel up the stairs to his back porch.]
Daniel: Thanks, Adam. For the second chance.
Adam: It’s your father you have to thank. [Stephen comes out of the house to stand on the porch, waiting.]
Daniel: What do I say to him?
Adam: It’s deeds, not words. [He pats Daniel on the back. Daniel walks up to his father, who hugs him tightly as Adam looks on.]
[In Sonya and Yuri’s warehouse, Jesse sits on a chair in the center of the room, hands handcuffed behind his back.]
Jesse: It should have been easy. I mean, you had the Pushka, right?
Sonya (walking around the desk): Had the Pushka. It will take me a month to construct another one. I’ll be the laughingstock at the GSA.
Yuri (sitting at the desk, bruised from his encounter with Shaliamar): And the minute you walk in with the perfected Pushka, you are golden.
Sonya (smiling): And meanwhile, we have our ginea pig to test it on. Yuri. I have an idea. Come on. [He walks with her to the back of the room. Behind them, Jesse phases out of his handcuffs and is about to stand up when an alarm goes off on one of Sonya’s computers. Jesse hastily sits back down. Sliding back the front door, Daniel sticks his head into the warehouse. Yuri grabs him and points his gun at his head.]
Daniel (holding up his hands): Hey, hey. I’m Daniel Benedict.
Jesse (from his chair): He’s lying! I’m Daniel Benedict!
Daniel: And I’ve change my mind about our little deal. [He lifts Sonya’s laptop off her desk with his mind and smashes on the floor.]
Sonya: My work! Yuri, shoot him! [Daniel concentrates on Yuri’s hand, forcing him to punch himself in the forehead. Sonya grabs his gun, but Jesse jumps up from his chair and masses in front of Daniel, protecting him from the bullets. Adam, Emma, and Brennan walk in through the door.]
Brennan: Woah. [Shalimar somersaults over to Sonya and flashes her feral eyes at her, knocking the gun from her hand.]
Sonya (staring at her in confusion): The mother? [She points at Brennan.] The electrical one? I thought you were dead! [She reaches down to wake Yuri up.] Yuri! [The two Russians run from the room. Jesse starts to chase after them.]
Adam: Hey. You don’t have to worry about them.
Emma (smiling): They’ll be taken care of.
Shalimar: Trust us. [Outside, sirens start to wail.]
Daniel: Now, is that the real GSA?
Emma: No. But it is the real immigration and naturalization service.
Brennan: Something tells me those Russians don’t have their papers in order.
Adam (putting his arm around Daniel’s shoulders): Daniel. That was very brave, and very stupid.
Daniel: Yeah, but when it comes to forgiveness, it’s deeds, not words, right?
Adam: Right. [He pushes him towards the door, smiling.] You go home, and stay home.
Jesse (going over to a computer monitor): Adam, the plans for the new and improved Pushka are all right in here. All we’ve gotta do is download them.
Shalimar: Great! That means you don’t even have to repair the Pushka.
Adam: Yeah, it would be great to have a device that could detect new mutants, but if it ever got in the hands of the GSA, I would never forgive myself.
Adam (looking at Brennan): So...are you feeling up to getting back to work? [The team watches him as he tries to create a tesla coil, and fails. On his second try, he succeeds, and throws an electrical arc at Sonya’s computer equipment. The team walks out of the warehouse together as the equipment behind them explodes in a hail of sparks.]
Merci à FirstMutant
![[HypnoCup] Les héros de Mutant X se battent en duel !](/graph/news_icon/news_icon-a4d8aea06cd743cd53f468c48ee636c4.jpg?v1){kind=icon}
