M I L L E N N I U M IT... HAS... BEGUN... NOTHING IS FORSAKEN... Virtual Season Episode #412. "Tribulation" (2/2) written by: Dan Owen TEASER BLACK. FRANK (V.O.) Previously on Millennium. There follows a one-minute recap of the events in "Rapture", concluding with: EXT. SECLUDED ROAD - NIGHT A Lexus swings into a secluded, small road and stops. The car's headlights are switched off. Tense silence. INT. BLACK LEXUS - NIGHT The Elder grabs the briefcase and with all the strength he can muster, he tries to smash the glass with its corner. CLUNK! The safety glass prevents damage. CLUNK! A second attempt proves futile. The Elder sinks back in his seat, breathing erratically. THE ELDER Who are you? Who's do you work for?! EXT. SECLUDED ROAD - NIGHT An AVERAGE MAN, his features not visible, is walking briskly up the small road to the Lexus. INT. BLACK LEXUS - NIGHT CLOSE ON - A SPEAKERPHONE inside the passenger section of the Lexus crackles into life, and Mr. Cain speaks coolly to The Elder: MR. CAIN Good evening, Mr. Swanson. The Elder's mouth is open - the man knows his real name. MR. CAIN That's right, I know who you are. (a beat) Your time is at an end, I'm afraid. My superiors cannot condone competition in these matters - so your historic crusade must end. Tonight. FZZZZZ! The tinted partition begins to roll down. The Elder presses himself against the back of the chair, Graves's briefcase pressed to his chest. He swallows his fear. The partition has disappeared, revealing Mr. Cain properly. He turns in his seat, and aims a gun at The Elder's forehead. The Elder closes his eyes in fearful prayer, awaiting the inevitable. CUT TO BLACK. The sound of a GUNSHOT reverberates loudly! FADE IN: EXT. BLACK LEXUS - NIGHT CLOSE ON - THE DRIVER'S WINDOW which has been smashed by the impact of a bullet! INT. LEXUS - NIGHT The Elder is panic-stricken, pressed against the passenger seat, still clutching Graves's briefcase. His eyes are tightly closed, but he slowly opens them. DRIVER'S SEAT The Elder leans forward cautiously. He finds Mr. Cain's body, lying side-ways across both front seats. The right side of his face a mess of blood and hair from the impact of a bullet. CLUNK-CLUNK! The driver's door opens, showering fragments of the broken window onto Mr. Cain's legs. The Elder retreats into the back seat again, still fearful for his life. The Average Man, seen walking up the small road, drags Mr. Cain's body out of the car, and dumps him on the floor. THE ELDER What are you doing?! The Average Man leans inside the driver's door, and his face becomes visible at last. It's MABIUS. His stony-features stare blankly at The Elder, not a flicker of emotion. MABIUS Honoring our agreement. The Elder is still wide-eyed, but immensely relieved. He closes his eyes and takes the moment to gather his emotions. Mabius sneers slightly. FADE OUT. ACT ONE BLACK. "He that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." -- Matthew 24:13 FADE IN: EXT. SOCIETY OF THEOSOPHICAL SCIENCE BUILDING - DAY A modern, large and functional building, with a large parking lot outside. Legend INDICATES: Society of Theosophical Science Building Washington, D.C. 10:12 AM INT. DR HILTON'S OFFICE - DAY DR HILTON is seated at a desk, typing data into his computer. His office is "efficiently untidy"; the walls swamped with medical posters and diagrams of the human brain. Dr Hilton reclines back in his chair and YAWNS, shaking off morning fatigue. He opens a desk drawer and his searches through a rack of CD's - which are all labeled in order: BF999, BF1000, BF1002, BF1003 Hilton's hand stops its search, and hovers over them. WIDER Hilton has noticed a missing CD in the sequence - 'B1001'. He quickly searches the rest of the drawer, then pulls open a lower drawer (also filled with CD's) and continues searching. He can't find it - and GROANS with frustration, SLAMMING the drawers closed! He spins to his computer and calls up a search menu. Hilton's fingers type 'FILE #1001' and hit ENTER. After a beat, the computer displays some text: 'ALL DOCUMENTS LOST' Hilton's face sinks into despair and he begins rubbing the bridge of his nose, his eyes closed in sorrow. A FILING CABINET is quickly opened to reveal dozens of file folders, all neatly stacked and labeled like the CD's. Hilton pulls out one labeled "B1001". The weight tells Hilton what he wants to know before he opens it - it's empty. INT. JORDAN'S BEDROOM - BLACK RESIDENCE - DAY Jordan is sat on her bed, reading a book. Frank enters. FRANK Hey. Jordan doesn't look up. FRANK (CONT'D) What's that you're reading? JORDAN Nothing. Just a book. Frank structures his thoughts. FRANK I'm going to need a second-opinion on some apartments tonight. Any volunteers? Jordan nods, but still concentrates on her book. Frank becomes interested and moves over to sit on her bed. FRANK (CONT'D) What is that...? He reaches for the book, but Jordan pulls it away from him. JORDAN It's not for you. FRANK (slightly confused) I'm just interested. Jordan thinks, then grudgingly passes her father the book. Frank takes it, his eyes not leaving Jordan. He looks at the front cover, which reads: 'THE PIED PIPER OF HAMLYN' FRANK (chuckles) Is that all? I remember this one... As Frank opens the book, Jordan slides off the bed. FRANK What's up? JORDAN I promised Aunt Helen I'd help Charlie finger-paint. Jordan leaves. Frank considers her strange behavior, and turns his attention to the book again. He flicks through the pages and is amazed to see that at the top-right of every page Jordan has drawn an "eye hieroglyph". INT. DEBRIEFING ROOM - BALTIMORE PD - DAY DETECTIVE HART is standing with RYAN FROST, both studying a series of names on a whiteboard. Legend INDICATES: Baltimore PD Debriefing Room 10:45 AM HART Basically, all these people don't even exist. Ryan raises his eyebrows, confused. Hart notices. HART (CONT'D) That's right. Everything about them doesn't check out. It's as if a whole plane of ghosts decided to take a trip at the same time. He indicates the name 'RICHARD GRAVES'. HART (CONT'D) Except this guy - he's for real. Dr Graves, the one who drew that eye on his window. He was a parapsychologist, with no family, no friends. Just acquaintances and work colleagues. RYAN Were these people all... illegal immigrants, or something? HART (shaking his head) I give up. The whole thing's starting to gimme a headache. RYAN (quietly) Then we have no way to tell if they were all Christians. HART What? RYAN Frank and I still think this may be some sort of elaborate hoax - to resemble a "rapture". Self-fulfilling a prophecy in the hope of kick-starting seven years of world tribulation. Events promised by Jesus in the New Testament. HART (unconvinced) This Rapture thing... where's the sense in that? Twenty-nine people disappear from a plane - good mystery, yeah. But that's it. Why would they want people to believe they'd been "taken to Heaven"? RYAN People believe the unbelievable when conventional thinking fails. There's a whole social layer of believers who could be convinced this was The Rapture, especially considering the hysteria over missing people recently. Did you read this morning's paper? Hart looks depressed. Ryan reaches back and grabs a copy from a nearby table. He opens it out to the main page. The main headline is: 'FLIGHT 320 MYSTERY UNSOLVED' Underneath that is a smaller headline, which reads: '6 BABIES ABDUCTED' RYAN (O.C) Now, I don't know if these passengers really *are* missing, but it's a little odd there's been this rise in disappearances. Check the Missing Persons List lately? A nineteen percent increase in cases across America. HART It's weird, yeah, but these things tend to come in threes. Freaky coincidences, that's all. RYAN I hope so. INT. FBI MEETING ROOM - DAY Andy McClaren is standing with CAROL FINLEY at the front of the room, in front of a large television screen. Emma and McGreevey are present, together with some other FBI AGENTS. McCLAREN Carol Finley of the Millennium Group will be assisting in the child abduction case, at the Bureau's request. Carol? Finley steps forward and nods to McClaren, half-smiling. FINLEY Thank you. The main question we have to ask in this case is: "how did the kidnappers evade the hospital staff"? Well, perhaps we can answer that now. Finley turns and presses 'PLAY' on a VCR behind her. The large television set flickers into life. THE TELEVISION shows an exterior shot of George Washington University Hospital, late at night. FINLEY (O.C) We'd already checked the hospital security tapes and couldn't find anything due to the cut power. But *these* images come from a nearby street camera. We've magnified and enhanced them with minimal degradation. (adding) Contacts in NASA assisted us. McGreevey mouths a "whoa" to Emma, impressed. Emma focuses on Finley. FINLEY The view is from the right side of the hospital complex. That's the laundry room's entrance. You'll notice that at 11:17 PM, a small window light goes out up here-- (indicates a square of light on the screen) --that was the corridor light leading to the maternity ward. At 11:19... Finley FAST-FORWARDS the tape, then stops. FINLEY (CONT'D) ... these two orderlies leave the hospital via the laundry room, pushing what appears to be a medical trolley loaded with blankets. Emma is interested, sitting up in her chair. FINLEY (CONT'D) The two orderlies' faces can't be distinguished, but they do match the general appearance of two night-shift orderlies present around the maternity ward at that time. Mark Hill and Darryl Banner. (a beat) They both disappear out of camera range now... and seconds later a black Sedan speeds away. ON SCREEN - a black Sedan speed past the camera. FINLEY (CONT'D) We suspect that they entered the maternity ward via the laundry chute, somehow cut power to the corridor, stole the babies, then smuggled them all back down the chute and into a trolley. EMMA Where do these orderlies live? McCLAREN Both share an apartment downtown, but I already sent some men up there. Banners and Hill have gone - the whole place was cleared out. Emma and McGreevey glance at each other, intrigued. INT. FRANK'S JEEP - DAY Frank's is driving through the busy morning traffic, while talking into his cell phone. FRANK How's the investigation going? INTERCUT BETWEEN SCENES: INT. CORRIDOR - BALTIMORE PD - DAY Ryan has his cell phone on, standing alone in the corridor. A few COPS pass by holding files. RYAN Looks like it's grinding to a halt pretty fast. The FAA have nothing to go on, so the whole thing's pretty much dead in the water now. Lots of embarrassed faces. The airline aren't too please - already bracing themselves for the court cases. But Flight 320 may be flying back to New York tomorrow night; business as usual. FRANK'S VOICE I've been thinking about the eye on the window. I want to see where Dr Graves worked. The Society of Theosophical Science? RYAN STS, yeah. If you think it could help. FRANK (nodding) His missing briefcase was listed on the luggage manifest. Someone stole it at the airport - but maybe they stole it *back*. INT. BANNERS & HILL APARTMENT - LIVING ROOM - DAY Emma, McGreevey and Finley are searching the house where the two orderlies lived. Emma pulls open a drawer and finds it's empty. In fact, almost ever personal possession is missing. FINLEY No neighbors saw them leave, but one remembers hearing a car late last night - possibly them making their escape. Emma closes the drawer, annoyed. EMMA So after abducting the babies from the hospital in their car, they wait here for their contact, exchange the babies for a small fortune, and make their escape. Finley heads for the living room door, opens it and steps outside. Emma and McGreevey instinctively follow. FINLEY An APB has been issued nation-wide, and all airports notified. Hospitals have them blacklisted, too. McGREEVEY We still need to figure out who they sold the babies to. EMMA I doubt we'll ever find them. Not now. They could be sold to any one of thousands of childless couples. Emma absently closes the door and we see the faded outline of the "eye hieroglyph" on the door. As if a wall decoration has been taken down. Finley notices it and turns to block it from their view. Emma notices her erratic turn. McGREEVEY We can't give up that easy. Do you have children yourself, Emma? Emma takes her time to answer, her attention swung by Finley. She looks at McGreevey pointedly. EMMA You know I don't. McGREEVEY I have two sons - Mark and Jamie. You don't just quit at the first hurdle when lives are involved - especially childrens'. Emma gives McGreevey an apologetic look. EMMA I'm sorry. She steps aside as McGreevey passes her, and purposefully waits for Finley to move next. Finley complies, but passes her with a grudgeful glint in her eye. Emma frowns slightly, then looks up to see the faded "eye hieroglyph" on the door. EXT. MEADOWACRE RETIREMENT HOME - DAY A large building situated in the middle of some neatly cut grounds; lawns, fences, trees, pavements. A calm and tranquil setting. Legend INDICATES: Meadowacre Retirement Home Washington, D.C. 11:18 AM EXT. VERANDA - RETIREMENT HOME - DAY An old man sits in a wheelchair, his left leg missing. This is EDWARD PRINCETON - late-90's, bald, with small spectacles. Despite his old age, he's physically still quite healthy. Edward is staring across the retirement homes' green grass, stretching into the distance. Elderly couples can be seen walking around. An elderly woman, MAISIE GREEN - early-80's, white-hair and a sweet face - walks up to Edward with the aid of a cane. MAISIE Good morning. Edward turns slightly in his chair, and smiles briefly. He speaks with a slight English accent, which has pleasantly mixed with American over the years. EDWARD Morning. (a beat) Nice day today. Maisie sits down in a chair next to his, carefully. She considers her thoughts, staring out at the grounds. MAISIE I finally finished your book yesterday. "Life Of War"? EDWARD Oh. Edward drifts off, looking serene. MAISIE Aren't you going to ask me what I thought? EDWARD What did you think? MAISIE I thought it was wonderful. You're so lucky, Edward. If you know what I mean. EDWARD (sighs) The book doesn't do it justice. I just had to do it, y'know? Put it into words. But even words aren't enough - not even when I *tell* the story. You... had to be there. MAISIE I remember being a little girl and pretending to see fairies. It must be so amazing to have seen an Angel. For real. EDWARD I remember it so vividly. Even after all these years. (taps his missing leg's thigh) Can't really forget it, can I. MAISIE It's funny how relieved I am to have met you, Edward, and to have read your book. This gets Edward's interest. EDWARD Relieved? MAISIE Angels are just characters in stories, stained-glass pictures in churches. But somehow, when you meet somebody who says he actually *saw* one... someone honest... they come to life. Become more real. EDWARD How do you know I'm not lying? MAISIE (smiles) I know you. Edward smiles and turns in silence to stare out across the grounds again. Then, he suddenly grabs his chest and a pained expression grabs his face. MAISIE (CONT'D) Edward!? Edward - breathing short, shallow pockets of air - wracked with pain. As Maisie's arms grab his shoulders, he strains in his wheelchair. EXT. SOCIETY OF THEOSOPHICAL SCIENCE BUILDING - DAY Frank's jeep parks into a free space in the parking lot. The concrete building itself is spacious, with a typical look of manufactured cleanliness and professionalism. Legend INDICATES: The Society of Theosophical Science Washington, D.C. Frank gets out, followed by Ryan from the passenger side. FRANK I've been searching news stories across the country, and some world-wide. RYAN What for? FRANK Trying to prove or disprove our Rapture theory. RYAN And... Ryan reaches Frank, both stood opposite each other. FRANK There's been a sudden rise of missing people. Seventy-eight percent of those cases occurred two nights ago. RYAN Frank, if the people aboard Flight 320 *did* vanish as a result of God's will, along with who knows how many others worldwide - we *won't* solve the case. It would be a miracle, pure and simple. Frank considers this. FRANK I think there's more to this than just missing people. That eye hieroglyph is the key - it's a symbol used in remote viewing. Last year, Agent Hollis and I stumbled onto Grillflame; a top secret project utilizing psychic spies at the Stanford Research Institute. One ex-viewer there - Mildred Carson - had the ability to not only view the past, but the future. (a beat) They gave them numbers for security reasons. She was 512. We helped her escape from the Group, who were trying to kill her. RYAN (frowns) Why did the Group want her dead? I'd have thought they'd welcome knowledge of the future. FRANK I don't know. Perhaps they feared she could alter events so it wouldn't suit their aims. RYAN So to recap, you think Richard Graves worked for this Project Grillflame... stole some top secret documents in his briefcase... intended to fly from to New York with them, but disappeared mid-flight. Frank shrugs; even he's not quite sure. FRANK Hopefully things will become clear when we talk to Graves's colleague. INT. MILLENNIUM GROUP CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY The Elder is seated at the head of the conference table with ten other MILLENNIUM GROUP MEMBERS (five each side of the table, an empty chair where DUCHAMPE had sat); amongst the remaining are ALBRECHT, TITUS, and BLAYLOCK - who has a badly bruised forehead. TITUS It's comforting to know some of Project Blueflame's research is still in our hands, despite Dr Graves disobedience. ALBRECHT I've reviewed the contents of the briefcase myself. I don't pretend to understand it all, but it's obvious to me Blueflame has been a huge success for them. Especially in the case of this "Subject 718". THE ELDER I personally met with our medical team in New York, many of them were involved with Project Stargate in the '70s, and they assure me that this new information will not be wasted. Our own project was eighteen months behind theirs - so now we're even, and have the advantage. TITUS The Board won't take kindly to any of this. They'll seek revenge. THE ELDER What do you call last night? The Elder shoots a glance at Blaylock, who turns sheepish. THE ELDER (CONT'D) They may have gotten the better of Mr. Blaylock here, but they tried their best... and failed. ALBRECHT Who did they send? THE ELDER I don't know. A very well-informed individual, it has to be said. I have to admire their audacity, if nothing else. TITUS There has never been a successful assassination of a Group Elder. I'd hate *our* generation to be the first. Have you relocated? THE ELDER Don't worry. I have many homes, and security has been improved in all of them. I'll certainly never trust a silent driver again. The other Group members show genuine concern, but are satisfied with their Elder's words. ALBRECHT I suggest you consult with the Old Man on this. An organization that threatens the goals of the Group is a potent threat, and shouldn't be underestimated. THE ELDER I'm already in contact with the Old Man, and awaiting his reply. Albrecht nods, satisfied. Duschampe looks uncomfortable. ALBRECHT The Board's use of government companies is what really bothers me. TITUS We do the same. And in comparison, they're still amateurs, in over their heads. They have drive and efficiency, but not the history... loyalty... and sense of purpose to accomplish the task with true ease. THE ELDER Exactly. And don't forget that we've had almost two thousand *years* to perfect ourselves. They've had, what, twenty-six? BLAYLOCK Still. They have some sway over Congressional matters, and shouldn't be underestimated. While we masquerade in the limelight, their existence goes completely unnoticed by anyone. (a beat) Dr Graves accomplished his mission, yes, however disruptively... but now the ball's in their court. The Elder holds a stare at Blaylock, sensing deep unrest in the usually blindly loyal member. The other Group members notice the pair's unease. FADE OUT. ACT TWO FADE IN: INT. DR HILTON'S OFFICE - DAY Dr Hilton shakes hands with Frank and Ryan as they both sit in front of his desk. He looks calm, co-operative, and intrigued. RYAN Thanks for speaking with us. DR HILTON No, that's fine. I still can't quite believe he's "gone". We were quite close professionally. RYAN How long had you known Dr Graves? DR HILTON Uh, just eighteen months, actually. But we were close. We shared common theories in parapsychology, you see. FRANK (glancing around) What is it you do here, exactly? DR HILTON Oh, well it's quite simple: we study Eastern religious teachings and incorporate them into theosophical doctrine. RYAN Can we have the even simpler version? DR HILTON (smiles) Of course. Um, we try to prove that humans - people - are not just the product of the physical body, but a complex creation consisting of multiple "bodies". Each one more subtle than the one preceding it. There are thought to be seven great planes of existence with seven corresponding - or complimentary bodies. One of these, the astral body, is thought to be able to travel on the astral plane, connected to the physical body by a silver cord. FRANK You're talking about 'out-of-body experiences'? DR HILTON Kind of. Although spontaneous OBEs differ from astral projections in that OBEs are very pragmatic, occurring in this dimension of consensus reality. FRANK Would remote viewing be classed as an OBE? DR HILTON (thinks) Well, I believe that OBEs and remote viewing share some characteristics. Whether an individual has a simple OBE or is able to travel and retrieve information is a matter of degree. Remote viewing is, basically, the scientific training of innate abilities. RYAN "Innate abilities"? DR HILTON *Everyone* has the ability to remote view, Mr. Frost. We can all accidentally use it, or be taught to use it, in everyday life. It's also hereditary in many cases. Frank's eyes widen slightly at this comment, and shifts in his chair. FRANK And Dr Graves assisted with this research. DR HILTON Yes, we basically try to prove our theories. Test people for signs of psychic ability. RYAN You do this on these premises? DR HILTON In special darkrooms here, yes. There are a variety of different tests. We don't focus on OBEs or remote viewing in particular... any form of ESP is tested for. FRANK What happens to subjects who perform well - those who have a ninety-five percent success rate, for example? DR HILTON They're free to do what they want, we don't *own* them. (smiles) A few become psychic detectives, actually... but most just return to their normal lives with big ego's, or head down to slot machines in Vegas. Dr Hilton CHUCKLES to himself. RYAN Did Dr Graves have any reason to be flying to New York last night? DR HILTON He was delivering a speech at a Science Fair two days from now. I've already cancelled his appearance. FRANK What did he take with him? DR HILTON Oh, uh, his speech, of course... maybe some files and folders, things for his presentation. RYAN I take it you've seen the news? All the passengers on the plane he was traveling on vanished too. DR HILTON Yes, I saw that. Very, very bizarre. We're all... well, we can't make sense of it, obviously. FRANK (firmly) Did Richard Graves have the ability to remote view? DR HILTON (a beat) He had *minor* abilities as a result of intensive personal training. RYAN Such as..? DR HILTON (exhales, thinking) He could correctly guess 45 cards in a 52 card deck. Little "party tricks" like that. Why? FRANK Someone stole his briefcase from the airport. Was the speech he wrote *so* important someone would steal it? DR HILTON Well, we have our rivals in this business, like any other. I suppose it's conceivable a nefarious company may stoop so low as to steal his work. I can't imagine who, however. RYAN D'you recognize this symbol? Ryan takes out a piece of paper, unfolds it and slides it across Hilton's desk. Dr Hilton stares down at the "eye hieroglyph" drawn on the paper MATCH CUT TO: INT. THE OLD MAN'S SHACK - DAY The familiar run-down wooden home, littered with strange oddities and books. A piece of paper, filled with typed text, is being read by THE OLD MAN, who sits at an rickety desk. The paper he reads bares the same "eye hieroglyph" symbol. The Old Man's world-weary eyes scan the words with precision. O.C a DOG BARKS, and soon a dozen of the animals join the cacophony of BARKS and GROWLS outside. He turns to listen for a second, before turning back to the desk. A low BUZZING sound is heard as he sharply wafts away a fly. Annoyed, he quickly takes out a lined notepad from a small desk drawer. His fingers reach for a silver fountain pen, and he begins writing in elaborate pen strokes. Low BUZZING begins again O.C. INT. DR HILTON'S OFFICE - DAY Frank is waiting for a reply from Dr Hilton. FRANK *I've* seen it before. At the Stanford Research Institute. Where they work on remote viewers, like you do. Ryan notices Hilton's slightly vacant expression. RYAN Doctor Hilton? HILTON It's a, uh, symbol. Just a thing we use to designate remote viewers. It has its basis in Egyptology and the occult in general. The "all-seeing eye" commonly seen on American currency, for example. It's apt because that's exactly what viewers *could* do: see all. FRANK You spoke about rivals of your society. Any names? HILTON STS share research and results with dozens of similar companies across America and world-wide: SRI, UCLA, Maimonides Medical Center, Oxford University... RYAN What about the CIA? HILTON Sorry? FRANK Don't the CIA and the NSA use special divisions of "psychic spies" in their work? HILTON I don't feel I should comment on that. But it's public knowledge many of the world's superpowers take remote viewing seriously. FRANK Do you supply psychics to agencies that say they're acting on behalf of the US government? RYAN Like the Millennium Group, for instance. DR HILTON (confused) I've never heard of them. FRANK Would you mind if we see one of your tests you do here, Doctor? In one of these "darkrooms". DR HILTON Uh, of course, yes. Frank sits back in his chair, satisfied but still curious about Dr Hilton. INT. THE OLD MAN'S SHACK - DAY CLOSE ON - A PIECE OF PAPER which bares his black-inked reply to The Elder's message, together with a red-ink stamp of an ouroboros in the bottom-right corner. The Old Man's hand feeds it into a fax machine. He dials a number and hits 'SEND'. The Old Man watches his reply feed itself into the machine. His face etched with concern. A BUZZING sound occurs again, O.C. INT. EDWARD'S ROOM - DAY Edward Princeton is lying on his bed, hooked up to medical equipment, which includes an ECG machine. He is asleep, and Maisie is seated at his bedside in a wheelchair. A DOCTOR enters the room. DOCTOR Ms. Green? Maisie looks up at the Doctor. MAISIE Is he going to be okay? DOCTOR We don't know. He's had a heart condition for years now, and... well he is a *very* old man, Miss Green. So, it doesn't look too good, I'm afraid. But we can at least make him comfortable. Maisie looks very sad; tears well up in her eyes. MAISIE He's a war veteran, you know. The First World War. Just a teenager back then. Imagine that? Could you *imagine* *teenagers* going to war? It was evil. He was just... cannon fodder for those machine guns. But he survived it. The Doctor says nothing, just listens. Maisie gathers her emotions. MAISIE (CONT'D) Because he was touched by an Angel, Doctor. Death holds no fear for him now. He's blessed by the divine. The Doctor contemplates Maisie, as she turns and squeezes Edward's hand tightly. MAISIE (CONT'D) (to Edward, whispering) Your Angel will be here soon, Edward. INT. MILLENNIUM GROUP CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY CLOSE ON - A FAX MACHINE which ejects a facsimile of the Old Man's reply, which bears the ouroboros stamp on the bottom-right corner. The Elder's hand grabs the reply. WIDER The Elder stands with the page, idly scanning the Old Man's written words. He then turns to Mabius, who is standing silently a few feet away. The Elder rips the Old Man's reply into strips, not moving his stare from Mabius, and feeds the reply into a nearby paper-shredder. The slices of paper drop into a waiting waste-paper basket. INT. LABORATORY A long, dark area kitted out with various pieces of computer equipment. Four TECHNICIANS are busily moving around the room. Through one-way glass, two small darkrooms can be viewed from this area. Frank and Ryan are standing with Dr Hilton, who is explaining everything. DR HILTON Here we can watch two subjects. Today it's, uh... (glances at a wall-chart) ... one-ninety and three-sixty-two. Frank looks into the first darkroom; the woman inside (190) is seated at a chair and watching a monitor. On the screen a silent documentary is being shown; featuring dolphins, sharks, whales, seahorses, and other forms of aquatic life. FRANK (O.C) What are they doing? DR HILTON Well, Subject 190 is acting as the "Sender" for this session. It's her job to try and absorb those images from the screen and project them into the mind of the "Receiver" next door. Ryan walks to the other darkroom; inside a man (362) is seated at a dimly lit table with a pencil and paper. He is sketching something. RYAN (amazed) So this guy's actually receiving the images in his mind from the woman in the other room? DR HILTON That's the intention. Suddenly, the monitor in darkroom #1 is turned off. A red light appears in both darkrooms. The woman gets up and leaves her room via a small door, and the man puts down his pencil and leaves the room. DR HILTON (CONT'D) Here. Hilton leads them into the man's darkroom through a different door. INT. DARKROOM #2 Frank and Ryan watch as Dr Hilton holds up a small stack of A4 paper. He passes them the results. Frank and Ryan leaf through the drawings: -- A crudely drawn dolphin -- A starfish -- A ship's anchor -- A shark's serrated teeth RYAN That's incredible. DR HILTON Subject 362 is one of our top men - but not a great artist, as you can see. (chuckles) We sometimes have the Receivers *verbally* describe things, but drawings make paperwork easier. Dr Hilton flashes Frank a smile, which Frank doesn't return. FRANK This would be invaluable to the Government if you perfected it. A whole army of psychic spies who don't even have to leave the room. They could mentally retrieve enemy plans, code words... draw the layout of secret military bases. The ultimate Intelligence weapon. DR HILTON Still science-fiction, Mr. Black, trust me. But Dr Graves and I often thought that psychics were a taste of the future. Glimpses of the next step in human evolution. Frank nods - incredulous - still believing Dr Hilton isn't telling them the honest truth about his experiments. INT. FBI OFFICES - DAY Emma is seated at her desk, typing something on her keyboard. Ms. Finley casually approaches and both women lock eyes. FINLEY No sign of Hill or Banner. They could be out of the country by now. Emma nods, not fully listening. Finley notices, and gestures to the screen. FINLEY (CONT'D) Problems? EMMA Why did you try and hide that marking on the door? FINLEY (raises an eyebrow) I'm sorry? EMMA The apartment door. You tried to hide the outline of something. A faded mark on the wood. Finley doesn't say anything, at a loss to explain. Emma grabs a pen and a pad of paper. She quickly draws the familiar "eye hieroglyph" on the paper, and shows Finley. EMMA (CONT'D) This. FINLEY I've never seen that before... and I don't see why it matters. EMMA Neither do I. FINLEY (brighter) Well then. Let's concentrate on the task at hand, shall we? The missing babies. Finley screws up Emma's drawing and leaves, dropping it into a waste paper basket nearby. Emma watches her go - sure Finley's keeping something from her. INT. CORRIDOR - DAY Dr Hilton is leading Frank and Ryan out of the building. Dr Hilton turns a corner into the large lobby with a semi-circular reception desk. ACROSS THE LOBBY An elevator PINGS, and the doors slide open. 718 - the man seen in "Rapture" (who acted as a Receiver for Dr Hilton) steps out into the lobby. He instantly notices Hilton with Frank and Ryan, busily shaking their hands. 718 stops and watches, focusing on Frank in particular. His eyes close slightly, wincing in concentration... FRANK We'll be in touch if we need more information. DR HILTON Of course. I'd be happy to help in any small way I can. As Ryan begins to say something to Dr Hilton-- FRANK'S INTERNAL POV He is forcefully struck by a fast sequence of images: -- Row upon row of babies in cribs, CRYING! -- A 'prison bus' SCREECHING to a halt! -- Graves's hand holding his briefcase. -- A gun SHOOTING out a black car's window glass! -- Mabius's face, sneering. -- The "eye-hieroglyph" on a wooden door. -- A pencil scratching out a drawing. -- A WHITE FIGURE hovering in a Western Front trench! Frank's eyes widen in shock, the images having appeared without warning. He desperately tries to remember each one. DR HILTON (O.C) Mr. Black? Frank stares ahead and sees 718, stood outside the elevator. 718 nods his head slowly, as if to confirm what Frank may be thinking. The look on 718's face is one of controlled urgency - willing Frank to understand. RYAN (O.C) Frank? Frank glances to Dr Hilton, then back to 718. FRANK Who's that man over there? Dr Hilton turns and sees 718, who instantly starts acting normally and walks across the lobby. Frank watches him. DR HILTON Oh that's, uh, another subject here. Quite gifted, nothing unusual. Now, if you've nothing more to ask, I'll bid you farewell. Frank watches 718 disappear down a corridor. Ryan shakes Dr Hilton's hand again, apologetically. RYAN Thank you, Doctor. We'll be in touch. Ryan nudges Frank away, and the pair leave the building. Dr Hilton watches them go, a glint of malice in his eye. INT. HIGH WINDOW - THEOSOPHICAL SCIENCE BUILDING - DAY A MALE HAND has parted the Venetian blinds and watches Frank and Ryan leave, both walking across the car lot. WIDER The male hand belongs to MR. EPSTEIN. Beside him stands MS. TURCO (from his small committee in "Rapture"). MR. EPSTEIN Is that them? TURCO Yes. Ryan Frost and Frank Black. Both ex-Millennium Group candidates. MR. EPSTEIN Hmm, just a candidate? How strange they let Mr. Black slip so easily out of their grasp. If there's even the slightest piece of truth in the rumors of his ability... TURCO He doesn't hide it. In fact, he uses it in his working life. But he can't control it correctly. It controls *him* in many ways. MR. EPSTEIN Of course, it's the same for everyone who taps such skills late in life. (a beat) He could have been an exceptional member for the Group to have. TURCO Are you expressing an interest in him, sir? MR. EPSTEIN I'm *always* interested. I hate to see talent go to waste, but... it's too late now. The key to the future lies with children, not old men. TURCO He does have a daughter... Mr. Epstein turns to Ms Turco with keen interested, closing the blinds. MR. EPSTEIN Reeeally. Tell me more. HOLD ON Epstein's interested smirk, before we: FADE OUT. ACT THREE FADE IN: EXT. FRANK'S JEEP - DAY Frank and Ryan have just got inside the vehicle. Ryan turns to Frank, who is staring ahead in thought. RYAN Interesting person. FRANK Interesting place. RYAN So, Graves had a strange job. A job which explains the eye he drew on his window. But, this doesn't explain much else. Suddenly there's a RAPPING on Ryan's window. Both turn to see 718 stood outside, nervously tapping on the glass. Ryan winds the window down and 718 cranes his face into the car. 718 Please, you have to let me come with you. I-I need to speak with you. Please. Frank recognizes him, but Ryan just seems confused. FRANK (to 718) Get in. 718 They wouldn't, uh, like that very much, but I don't have a choice now. FRANK Who are you talking about? Who're *they*? 718 (stares at the building) The people here. The Board of Directors. Frank furrows his brow. 718 (CONT'D) I want to come, I want to, but I'm scared. I've never been "out". Not past the main gate, anyway. It's not allowed. Frank and Ryan look to each other, both amazed and concerned. INT. RYAN'S HOUSE - DAY Frank's jeep swings into the driveway. INT. FRANK'S JEEP - DAY Frank parks the car and tugs the handbrake on. Ryan turns round in his seat and stares down at 718 - who has hidden himself under a blanket in the backseat. INT. RYAN'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY Ryan is fascinated by 718; the man looks fairly normal, but has a nervous quality to him. He glances around he empty room, fascinated. Frank is watching. RYAN Take a seat. Ryan gestures to a sofa, which 718 sits on and begins feeling, bouncing on it slightly. Like a child, almost. Frank and Ryan sit down on chairs around him. FRANK What's your name? 718 No, no, I don't have a name. I'm just me. 718. RYAN Did they give you that for a name? I thought they were just code words for anonymity. 718 Only the lucky ones have real names Some, like me, have always just had numbers. FRANK You're a remote viewer. 718 nods. RYAN How long have you been with STS? 718 Thirty-six years. All my life. I I was born there, is what they tell me. FRANK Where are your parents? 718 I'm an orphan. Again, that's what they tell me. Frank pulls up a chair and sits opposite 718. 718 looks eager to talk, and awaits Frank's question. FRANK Do you know what happened to Dr Graves and the people on his plane? 718 Yes. The Tribulation has begun. RYAN Then it's true? It *was* The Rapture and those people were taken to Heaven? 718 That's what Graves hoped would happen. It's not for me to say if that's what happened. Graves was a good man at heart, I could tell. He had a much cleaner outlook on things. Different to the others. He used to confide in me about recurring dreams he had - of himself leading people into a realm of light, where a blonde-haired woman and a bleating lamb awaited them. He said he was just one of many who would shepherd people into this new existence. (a beat) And two nights ago, twenty-eight viewers went missing. Dr Graves freed them. His business trip to New York was an excuse to smuggle them away. He stole a small buss the Board use to transport viewers across state. (a beat) But the incident on the plane's unimportant now. *We* are important. Me, and others like me. All the viewers left behind, that he couldn't save. FRANK What can you tell us about the viewers? How many are there? 718 Hundreds, perhaps thousands. The Board of Directors control us, and keep us at different facilities; air force bases, medical centers, universities, bunkers, abandoned silos... (a beat) The Board teach us the gift from an early age. It's inherent in all of us, but we outgrow it normally. But not us. We're taught to embrace it, and use it to order. FRANK In their darkrooms. 718 (nods) Yes. There are many viewers; not discriminated by gender *or* age. FRANK'S INTERNAL POV A very fast sequence of images; different angles and close-ups on the same thing: -- Rows and rows of CRYING babies! Frank ponders the image, then realizes that 718 is staring at him. 718 is open-mouthed, and cracks a faint smile. 718 You. You can see, I knew it. But... differently. Abstract and... abrupt. Frank takes a deep BREATH, kind of embarrassed. 718 (CONT'D) The best type of Subject are those who know no other life. Sadly, some still think sitting in chairs and using their gift *is* life. We're treated like, like appliances. Radios. RYAN *How* are you used? What do they make you do? 718 now seems enraptured by Frank as he talks. 718 We go wherever we are sent. If the numbers are right. I've seen many things for them; mountains, deserts, forests, jungles, cities, sea beds, the moon, even Mars! 718 gets up and walks over to the large living room window. He places his fingers on the glass and stares out at some passing suburban traffic. 718 (CONT'D) ... but I have never *seen* with my own eyes. Only with my mind. Like a dream. (a beat, low) It's all so much... clearer now. RYAN This "board of directors"; are they senior members of the Millennium Group? Are they the ones experimenting with viewers? 718 (confused) Millennium? You mean The Great Barrier? Frank looks puzzled. 718 (CONT'D) (elaborating) The year 2000. Nobody can see past that time. Every viewer can handle the present, many can use the ether to visit the past, but very few see the future. Seeing into the new millennium is one of their prime objectives - part of Project Blueflame. RYAN (frowns) We thought it was Grillflame? 718 No, Grillflame was an earlier campaign. (to Frank, surprised) You both know of that? FRANK (nods) I met a viewer who worked on the Grillflame project - she was being hunted by the Millennium Group, along with other viewers; her daughters and granddaughters. Her name was Mildred Carson. 512. 718 nods slowly. 718 Yes. Yes, 512. I know. She was a very successful Subject for them. The Board are suspected of "breeding" from successful viewers when they reach their fifties. To ensure their gift is passed on. It's hereditary in most cases, you see. 512 had many, many daughters. A big family. (a beat) You say this Millennium Group *kill* the viewers? FRANK Yes. We don't know why, though. 718 They must fear us - our ability. Or perhaps they wish to study us. To some we represent the future of military espionage, so they want to conquer the world, using us as their eyes. FRANK That doesn't sound like the Group. The Group want to *end* the world. They believe in apocalyptic doctrine so religiously they want to start Armageddon. 718 (shaking his head) That's not the Board's agenda. They're more concerned with total control. Dominance. Using science and politics to covertly own the planet. RYAN So, there's *two* societies... both competing against each other. FRANK (thinks) If this Board of Directors have the upper-hand over the Group - thanks to the viewers. That puts the Group in a bad position. RYAN It fits that they'd try and kill the competitions' trump cards - or steal their work. FRANK Graves's briefcase. Frank and Ryan nod; both finally understanding the riddle. RYAN There's still one thing I don't get. What was Graves doing on a plane full of his remote viewers? INT. THE ELDER'S OFFICE - NIGHT The Elder sits at his desk; fingers interlocked and deep in thought. Waiting. On his desk an executive toy (four metal balls suspended by wires) which are rhythmically CLICKING to-and-fro. 718 (V.O.) Graves *never* traveled by plane. He has vertigo. INT. WASHINGTON NATIONAL PARK - NIGHT The Elder is now seated on a park bench, waiting for something. Behind him we see a parked black Lexus. 718 (V.O., CONT'D) It's inconceivable he would fly. Unless... RYAN (V.O.) What? A MAN walks up to The Elder and stops facing him. The Elder looks up and smiles wryly. 718 (V.O., CONT'D) Dr Graves was very proficient in the art of viewing. Quite gifted, actually, although he never told his employers. The Man sits - but we still don't see his face. 718 (V.O., CONT'D) He had one ability in particular - something very few people can do. Not even me. FRANK Tell us. 718 Bilocation. DR RICHARD GRAVES is revealed as the Man sitting next to The Elder. Graves smiles at him enigmatically. INT. RYAN'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY Ryan looks puzzled. RYAN What's that? 718 Bilocation is the ability to be in two places at the same time. Frank thinks for a moment, trying to get his head around what that would mean. FRANK So... you're saying Graves may not have even been on the plane? 718 Exactly; not *properly* there. An illusion, but with enough physical presence to interact with things. (a beat) In the 17th century a Christian nun, Sister Mary - the "Blue Nun of Agreda" - was able to travel mentally from her convent in Spain to Central America. There she preached and taught the Jumano Indians. Nobody saw her leave the convent and her superiors labeled confessions of her travels as "hysterical tales". However, her story was later corroborated by Father Alonso de Benairdes, who visited the Indian tribe many years later. They told him of Sister Mary's visits. RYAN If Graves *did* have the ability to be in two places at once... where is he now? 718 I don't know. All I know is that twenty-eight viewers went missing from the STS. And they'll stay missing if Dr Graves's dream was a premonition. RYAN If Dr Graves didn't disappear with them, we have to find him. Frank's expression agrees with Ryan. INT. WASHINGTON NATIONAL PARK - NIGHT Dr Graves is walking casually through the park with The Elder, both silent for now. The Elder stops walking and turns to Graves, then takes out a CD marked 'BF1001'. He taps is gently. THE ELDER Copies of everything you stole have been made and sent to our facility in New York. Soon, the work so diligently carried out by the Board, will be surpassed. GRAVES I worked there for months, and during all that time I came to my own opinions about them. The Elder raises his eyebrow. GRAVES (CONT'D) The Board are extremely competent people. Not the small thorns we first thought. THE ELDER Yes, but you see... despite all their scientific and political prowess... they lack one thing. The thing that has kept the Group strong for two thousand years. (a beat) Faith. GRAVES I'm glad your pleased... Dr Graves indicates the CD in The Elder's hand. GRAVES (CONT'D) ... especially with that. THE ELDER Subject 718's work was especially enlightening, yes. His new-found ability to interact with events is an amazing accomplishment. GRAVES I'm sorry you had to attain the briefcase yourself at the airport, but I was afraid the Board would track me down otherwise. They had a car pursuing me, and I only narrowly managed to catch the plane on time. It seemed the best way to make sure the material would fall into your hands. Graves smiles. The Elder turns cold. THE ELDER The pickup was supposed to take place in New York. I wasn't best pleased to learn of this "disappearance" bare minutes into your flight. (a beat) The whole reason for your little jaunt was more than just gathering data for us... (a beat) I'm missing twenty-eight viewers. GRAVES Oh, yes. Sorry, that part of the deal is off. As I suspected... God stepped in and took control of the situation. Righted a wrong. The Elder frowns. GRAVES (CONT'D) So, like Enoch in "Genesis", they have been transported to the next plain of existence. Enraptured. Taken away so that no harm can come to them... and they can't inadvertently cause harm to others. The Elder nods slowly, admiring Graves's confidence in his presence. GRAVES (CONT'D) I tend to take miraculous events such as this very, very seriously. Children - innocents - taken at birth and taught dangerous powers don't grow up into normally adjusted people. They're a strange perversion of mankind's greed and corruption in the search for power. Both gifted and cursed forever. THE ELDER So what now? There are still thousands of viewers in the world. You can't save them all, Richard. GRAVES *I* can't. But I know someone who can... Graves purposefully glances upwards slowly to the sky. Then he stands, smiling at The Elder. He tosses the CD back into the case. GRAVES (CONT'D) ... and He will. Enjoy the taste of forbidden fruit while you still can. THE ELDER (chuckles menacingly) What makes you think you can just walk away? Graves glances behind himself, and sees Blaylock - silhouetted against his Lexus - watching. Graves smiles and returns his stare to The Elder. GRAVES What makes *you* think I'm even here? Graves smiles more confidently, as The Elder's expression crumbles into a mix of fear and wonder. FADE OUT. ACT FOUR FADE IN: INT. FBI MEETING ROOM - DAY Andy McClaren is listening to Emma Hollis, who is standing with McGreevey and Finley. A few other AGENTS are in attendance. EMMA In conclusion; the worst-case scenario seems to be the most likely one. The babies from the hospital were stolen by two orderlies. For money, pure and simple. FINLEY We traced the career histories of them and, not surprisingly, every hospital or laboratory they've ever worked at had newborns go missing at some point. McGREEVEY I hate to say it, sir, but it is unlikely we'll find the children now. McClaren is rubbing the bridge of his nose and his eyes, annoyed and stressed. McCLAREN You're not the one who's going to have to tell that to the families at home counting on us to return their children safe and sound. EMMA It's a small comfort to the parents, sir, but I doubt they'll be harmed. In cases like this some children have been found decades later - having grown up with homosexual or transsexual parents. Told they were adopted as orphans. McGREEVEY There *are* rare occasions when small children are abducted and... sexually exploited - but that's not likely here. FINLEY (elaborating) Potential buyers wouldn't want newborns, wouldn't want to... wait that long. McClaren takes a deep breath and exhales loudly, clearly frustrated. McCLAREN Okay, dismissed everyone, thank you. McClaren watches at the room clears. INT. MEADOWACRE RETIREMENT HOME - DAY Maisie Green is still keeping a bedside vigil on her friend Edward. Edward is lying in bed, hooked up to various medical equipment. Maisie sits silently, holding Edward's hand. Legend INDICATES: 6:14 PM CLOSE ON - EDWARD'S FACE buried beneath an oxygen mask. HOLD ON this angle as we begin to HEAR sounds of a terrible battle: -- MEN screaming in agony! -- Bombs EXPLODING! -- The incessant backbeat of machine-gun FIRE! -- Low whistles of falling bombs! -- EXPLOSIONS! -- More SHOUTING! INT. HIGH RISE APARTMENT - DAY A large apartment overlooking the Boston city traffic down below. The blinds are partially closed, giving the room a gloomy feel. A MYSTERIOUS FIGURE (the same one from "Gestalt") is seated in a large chair, listening to Mr. Epstein, and smoking a cigar. MR. EPSTEIN These ex-Group candidates are sniffing around the Society. Fortunately, I think Dr Hilton did an admirable job of belaying some of their fears. But... MYSTERIOUS FIGURE (exhales cigar smoke) Go on... MR. EPSTEIN Subject 718 has also gone missing. The Mysterious Figure now speaks with forced levelness, his voice almost cracking into rasps. MYSTERIOUS FIGURE How did this happen? MR. EPSTEIN As you know, security is not usually a main concern. The long-term Subjects know no other life besides their work, but... we feel he must have left with Mr. Black. Formed a connection to him. MYSTERIOUS FIGURE You have Mr. Black's address, I hope? MR. EPSTEIN Yes. But his house in Falls Church was empty. A neighbor says he moved away a few months ago - we're not sure where to. MYSTERIOUS FIGURE What about this other ex-Group candidate... Mr. Frost. MR. EPSTEIN We're sending someone to check his house right now. We're confident of success. MYSTERIOUS FIGURE Let's just hope Mr. Black wasn't paranoid enough to go somewhere else. (a beat) We can ill afford the disappearance of *another* viewer. Especially our prized possession. With 718 out in the open it's possible the Group will attempt to steal him away. MR. EPSTEIN Yes, sir. We're certain Dr Graves was leaking information to the Group. But still no luck finding him or his briefcase. And the Group's Elder somehow eluded Mr. Cain. MYSTERIOUS FIGURE (sighs deeply, thinking) Forget the Doctor and the briefcase. There's nothing we can do now... but I *want* Subject 718 sitting safely in his darkroom before sunrise. Whatever the cost. MR. EPSTEIN Sir. Epstein leaves. The Mysterious Figure stubs his cigar out and immediately snips the end off another with a cutter. INT. McCLAREN'S OFFICE - DAY Andy is seated at his desk, staring down at a newspaper headline, solemnly. The headline reads: 'HUNT FOR MISSING BABIES CONTINUES' together with a small photo of the Drake family, long-faced. Andy SIGHS again and folds the paper closed. He stares ahead, thinking... then with a grunt focuses himself and takes out a cell phone from his desk drawer. He dials. INT. RYAN'S HOUSE - DINING ROOM - DAY Frank and Ryan are seated at an oval table, watching 718 eat a bowl of soup and savoring every moment. Ryan checks his watch. RYAN That reminds me; Cindy'll be home soon. I promised her we'd go to this restaurant she likes tonight. 718 Your wife? RYAN Fiancé - but we've been engaged for four years already. Just never seem to have enough time to arrange a wedding. FRANK It's worth making the time. Ryan turns a little coy, just as Frank's cell phone RINGS. Frank answers it. FRANK Yeah, Frank Black. INTERCUT BETWEEN SCENES: INT. McCLAREN'S OFFICE - DAY Andy speaks to Frank on his cell phone. ANDY Frank, it's Andy. FRANK'S VOICE What's wrong? ANDY I got a case here we're working on. Missing babies. You seen today's paper. FRANK Uh, no. Listen, Andy... ANDY I know that, technically, you're no longer with the Bureau, but... well, I was hoping you could at least *consider* assisting the local PD on this one. Hollis and McGreevey haven't had much luck. Suddenly, Frank is struck by understanding as: FRANK'S INTERNAL POV -- A blue-white FLASH of light! -- Babies CRYING in their cribs (different angles). FRANK Where were the babies abducted? ANDY The George Washington University Hospital, two nights ago. Six of 'em. We suspect they were to be sold on to childless couples, but... I dunno, there's something else-- FRANK (interrupting) You want *my* view on things. ANDY (nods to himself) A lot of worried families would really appreciate it, Frank. FRANK D'you know the Society of Theosophical Science building downtown? ANDY Uh, not really, why? FRANK Go there. Get a warrant, get some men. ANDY Uh, Frank, I can't just go breaking down doors without good reason. FRANK (thinks) Who stole the babies, do you know their names? ANDY Two hospital orderlies; a Darryl Banner and Mark Hill. FRANK What does their employment record say? Andy searches for the relevant file on his desk. He finds it and opens it. ANDY Just, uh, similar work with other hospitals in the area... both lab technicians at... The next line completely stuns Andy. The line reads: LABORATORY TECHNICIANS (2nd GRADE) SOCIETY OF THEOSOPHICAL SCIENCE BUILDING, WASHINGTON D.C., VA - 1995 -1997 ANDY (CONT'D) (shocked) Son of a gun, I don't believe it! How the hell did you know that? FRANK They worked with STS? ANDY (nodding) For two years, yeah. FRANK (urgently) They never left, Andy, they were just reassigned to do the dirty work. I'm involved in the same case, but from a different angle. The Society take new-born children and perform mind tests on them. ANDY I-I just don't... how could you just... FRANK I'll meet you there. ANDY Okay, okay, I'm on it. Andy hangs, and can't resist a wide beaming smile as he considers the newspaper headline again. He shakes his head in amazement. INT. RYAN'S HOUSE - DINING ROOM - DAY Frank hangs up and turns to Ryan. FRANK We have to go. (to 718) You'll be safe here, nobody knows about this place. 718 stands up urgently. 718 Can't I come with you? FRANK I don't want you anywhere near that building. 718 looks to Frank, nervous. FRANK (CONT'D) You'll be okay here, don't worry. 718 nods disparagingly. EXT. RYAN'S HOUSE - DAY Ryan and Frank quickly leave the house together, rushing to Frank's jeep. RYAN How do you know it's connected? Kids are abducted all the time - you know that. FRANK It's them, it must be. That's what they do - "the best Subjects are ones who know no other life", like 718 said. Innocent children. RYAN But what if the babies aren't kept onsite? It'll be our word against theirs. Frank glances at Ryan over the jeep's roof. His face betrays his concern, but the moment calls for action. EXT. SUBURBAN STREET - DAY Frank's jeep SCREECHES on the tarmac and drives off down the road. The jeep passes a DARK BLUE CAR as it leaves. INT. DARK BLUE CAR - DAY Inside is sat Ms. Turco and MR. JENKINS (seen in "Rapture"). They watch Frank's jeep disappear behind them. MR. JENKINS That's them. Just two of them. MS. TURCO Where are they going? INT. RECEPTION - SOCIETY OF THEOSOPHICAL SCIENCE - NIGHT The double-doors fling open as Emma Hollis and Ken McGreevey enter, flanked by dozens of FBI AGENTS (the ERT TEAM) in blue jackets. Ms Finley is also present, but maintains a distance. A startled receptionist waits for them to approach. McGreevey flashes his badge. McGREEVEY I'm Special Agent McGreevey, this is Special Agent Hollis, we're with the FBI. EMMA We have a warrant to search these premises. Emma holds her warrant out for the receptionist to see. RECEPTIONIST For what? McGREEVEY Children. The Receptionist looks puzzled. INT. CONFERENCE ROOM - NIGHT Mr. Epstein is seated alone in the large room. He SLAMS down a telephone on his desk; sweat visible across his forehead. Intensely scared. SLAM! The door to the room is flung open and three FBI AGENTS pile inside, guns aimed. Mr. Epstein coolly turns round in his revolving chair, hands raised in surrender. INT. CORRIDOR - NIGHT Five AGENTS run down the corridor, opening doors and entering rooms. Emma Hollis is among them. She jogs past a stairwell, stops, and decides to follow it down. INT. BASEMENT SUB-SECTION - NIGHT Emma is alone as she walks down the stone-walled basement, past metal pipes and radiators bolted to walls. She approached a frosted glass door - blurred people visible inside. The door is marked: '16188' and underneath is a thin metallic "eye hieroglyph" matching that seen on Hill and Banners' apartment doors. Emma looks amazed to see the door marking, but quickly focuses herself opens it. Inside, THREE SCIENTISTS freeze in their tracks as she aims her gun at them. EMMA FREEZE! Nobody move! Wide-eyed with concentration, she steps closer to see the terrible site: dozens of babies asleep or CRYING in their cribs. Approaching sixty children in total. The scientists look to one another, guilty-faced. INT. RYAN'S HOUSE - HALLWAY - NIGHT 718 is approaching the front door, which is KNOCKING. He is unsure what to do, so lingers in the hallway, chewing his lip. BANG! A bullet rips through the door lock, splintering the wood! 718 jumps in fright as the door CREAKS open quickly. MR. JENKINS enters, brandishing a smoking gun. He instantly sees 718, who is rooted to the spot in fear. Jenkins half-laughs at the man's cowardice. INT. RECEPTION - SOCIETY OF THEOSOPHICAL SCIENCE - NIGHT AGENTS are still present, holding back staff of the establishment. The receptionist is still stunned. Ms Finley watches proceedings, stood calmly near a wall. Frank and Ryan enter through the double-doors. RYAN (looking around) Looks like we missed the fireworks. FINLEY (O.C) The babies were found downstairs. Frank turns to see Finley. She crosses over to him. FRANK What are you doing here? FINLEY Relax, I was assisting the Bureau at Agent Hollis's request. Emma appears, together with McGreevey, both walking with Mr. Epstein - who has been hand-cuffed. Frank keeps a glaring eye on him as he passes. Mr. Epstein seems resigned and doesn't acknowledge anything. EMMA (to Frank) I don't understand-- FRANK I was the one who informed Andy about all this. We've been trying to crack the same case for the past two days. EMMA I still don't get it. *You* were looking for the babies? RYAN Passengers on a plane, actually. Emma can't even attempt to make sense of the connection. FRANK (sighs) It's a long story. Emma suddenly catches sight of Finley, who is leaving. She rushes up to her and grabs her by the shoulder. EMMA Hey! Finley turns round calmly. EMMA (CONT'D) That mark on the door. I found the same thing downstairs where the babies were being held. FINLEY Then the orderlies were obviously working for the men who run this building. EMMA It wouldn't have been hard to make that connection if you hadn't dismissed that symbol. We could have gotten here sooner. FINLEY Perhaps. Fortunate for everyone that Frank Black worked his magic once again. Finley leaves. Emma watches, her face a mixture of loathing, interest and confusion. INT. BLUE CAR - NIGHT Ms Turco is driving, with Mr. Jenkins in the passenger seat. Ms Turco watches 718, who has been handcuffed in the backseat - hands and feet. TURCO (to 718) Next stop Boston. You're going to *love* the facilities we have there. Y'hear me back there? 718 isn't listening. He has his eyes closed and is concentrating very hard on something. EXT. SOCIETY OF THEOSOPHICAL SCIENCE BUILDING - NIGHT Frank is standing alone, watching the procession of FBI vans, cars and a few ambulances in the car lot. Suddenly-- FRANK'S INTERNAL POV A slow, fragmented, almost dream-like series of images: -- Dr Graves driving a small bus (like a prison bus). He glances back at 28 people - all busy changing into business suits (the viewers). -- Dr Graves sitting aboard Flight 320, his finger draws an "eye hieroglyph" on the window. -- Dr Graves is simultaneously driving his now empty bus, but concentrating hard on "bilocating". -- Jane (the flight attendant) disappears behind red curtains. Dr Graves looks across at the plane's passengers - all 28 viewers look at him and smile, grateful and excited. -- A white light begins to fill the area and the BLONDE WOMAN who spoke to Frank in "Rapture" appears. The light she radiates is strikingly similar to 718's (as witnessed by Edward in his trench). She smiles pleasantly. By her side stands a small lamb, which BLEATS beckoningly. -- There's a FLASH of blue-white light and instantly all the passengers disappear! CLOSE ON - Graves's briefcase which remains left behind. -- Simultaneously, Dr Graves SLAMS on the brakes of his small bus! He pulls to a stop and checks the time on his watch; '11:17'. Headlights GLARE behind him through his rear-view mirror, so he shoves the buss into gear and speeds onward. -- Behind him a dark blue car is pursuing Graves's bus. Inside, Mr. Jenkins is driving with a determined stare. -- The sound of BABIES crying! -- A man (MARK HILL) is hurrying down a hospital corridor with two babies in his arms. He has night-vision goggles on. He reaches a laundry chute hatch and gently slides the children down. -- Ms. Turco, stood in Hill and Banner's living room, hands them a metal case. She looks across at the six abducted babies, all huddled together on a sofa. Banner opens the metal case and stares down at his payment - thousands of crisp dollar bills. Frank snaps "awake" from the vision and rubs the corners of his eyes, then his forehead. The vision was extremely unusual in its clarity and length. INT. BLUE CAR - NIGHT 718 finished concentrating and opens his eyes. He half-smiles. Then closes his eyes again quickly, lapsing straight into concentration as he begins another "ether trip". INT. EDWARD'S ROOM - NIGHT Maisie is asleep in her chair, her hand still holding Edward's. The room is dark and the occasional BEEP of machinery the only sound. Edward's eyes suddenly open, awake. He flinches, wakening Maisie. MAISIE Edward? Edward, can you hear me? You had a heart attack, but you're going to be all right, don't worry. Edward's eyes are wide, as a WHITE LIGHT slowly fills the room. Edward smiles weakly. EDWARD (weakly) Look. Maisie turns in her seat - to her, nothing is different; there's just a dark wall. MAISIE (turns to Edward) What is it? Edward is still smiling. EDWARD'S POV The black wall is lit with effervescent light, emanating from a white vision of a man: 718 - Edward's angel. The apparition of 718 smiles at him. 718 It's okay, you'll be fine... just head to the light. 718 instantly disappears, plunging the room into darkness. Edward closes his eyes peacefully. Maisie, still oblivious to anything extraordinary, prods Edward nervously. MAISIE Edward? Edward? She stands up shakily and presses a wall-button to summon help. Edward's ECG machine flat lines with a BEEEEEP... as Edward dies. Happily. INT. DARK BLUE CAR - NIGHT Ms Turco is steering the vehicle into a gas station to refill. She parks. Turco cuts the engine and stares back at 718, before smiling creepily. TURCO (CONT'D) (sarcastically) Don't "go anywhere". Mr. Jenkins CHUCKLES at his colleagues' pun. EXT. GAS STATION FORECOURT - NIGHT Turco is filling the car up with gas from the pump. CAMERA CREEPS up to her holstered gun on her hip... and a hand reaches out and grabs it! WIDER Turco drops the gas pump handle and turns to see Dr Graves, pointing a gun at her. Graves looks stern and professional. GRAVES He's coming with me. Turco looks at Graves with contempt. EXT. GAS STATION FORECOURT - NIGHT (MOMENT'S LATER) Through the windshield we see Turco and Jenkins are handcuffed together and gagged in their seats. A white car SCREECHES out of the forecourt. CUT TO: CLOSE ON - A TELEVISION SET A REPORTER is speaking to camera, with the sound of plane ENGINES in the b.g. REPORTER Behind me, Flight 320 is about to disembark from Washington-Baltimore Airport, and complete it's flight to New York City. Authorities are still at a loss to explain the disappearance of its passengers two days ago, and many believe the mystery will never be properly explained... WIDER INT. MILLENNIUM GROUP CONFERENCE ROOM - NIGHT The Elder is sat watching the broadcast on his television set, which is neatly embedded in a piece of antique furniture. Behind him, stands Mabius. MABIUS It's interesting who He chooses to save, while the rest are left to endure to the end. Still, the thousands were chosen, and taken... and so it truly begins... Mabius places a hand on The Elder's shoulder. The Elder stares at it from the corner of his eye, guilty-ridden. EXT. RYAN'S HOUSE - NIGHT CINDY MILTON steps out of her car and walks up the front door, searching her handbag for the keys. She finds them and raises them to the keyhole... then stops when she sees the lock has been blasted apart by a gunshot. Her expression freezes. CINDY Oh my God... She carefully prods open the door and enters. INT. RYAN'S HOUSE - NIGHT Cindy steps inside very carefully, opens her handbag and takes out a Tazer stun-gun. She's about to make another step but - FLICK! - the hallway light goes on and Ryan appears in the hallway. RYAN You're late. Cindy almost jumps out of her skin. CINDY Oh Jesus, Ryan! She relaxes as Ryan rushes forward to comfort her. RYAN It's okay, it's okay, it's just me. Ryan grabs her and hugs her tightly. CINDY I thought... oh God. RYAN Hey, hey, no it was just some... just a burglar. They didn't get anything. Ryan's eyes betray his guilt over lying; torn over his decision to cover-up the real story... but he tightens his embrace. INT. JORDAN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT Jordan is asleep in her bed. A slant of light creeps across her blanket as the room's door is opened. Frank stands in the doorway and admires his daughter silently for a seconds. INT. BLACK RESIDENCE - HALLWAY - NIGHT Frank gently closes the door, and turns as Tom reaches the top of the stairs. TOM I told you. Out like a light. Frank smiles. TOM (CONT'D) Oh, I almost forgot. This was left in our mailbox, addressed to you. Tom hands Frank a small envelope, marked plainly "Frank". He rips it open and unfolds a piece of paper from inside to read: CLOSE ON - PIECE OF PAPER DON'T WORRY. I AM SAFE. WE ARE ALL ANGELS ON A HUMAN JOURNEY. 718 An inked "eye-hieroglyph" marks the bottom of the paper. Frank considers the note again, thoughtfully. TOM (O.C) Good news? FRANK (looking up) Let's hope so. CLOSE ON - THE EYE HIEROGLYPH staring at Frank from the white paper, as we... FADE OUT. THE END