Night Out of Doors (Mr Lyle, Miss Parker and sweepers are standing outside a greenhouse. Through the transparent shell of the structure they observe a shadowy figure as it moves down the structure.) Parker: Genetic engineering of plants. Mr Lyle: Do you think he’s in here? Parker: Lights are on. Somebody’s at home. Willie go get him! Willie: My pleasure. (Willie goes to the left end of the building and kicks in the door, weapon raised.) Jarod. Freeze. (The figure, assumed to be Jarod, flees in the opposite direction. Miss Parker and Mr Lyle arrive at the right end of the structure just as Willie grabs the fleeing man and they Willie and the man crash through the door and fall to the ground. Willie puts the man in an arm lock. Miss Parker crouches in front of him and lifts his chin with her weapon.) Parker: Time to come home genius. Man: I . . . I’m not him. (Willie lifts him to his feet.) Mr Lyle: You’re not who? Man: Whoever you’re looking for. Parker: Well, then who the hell are you? (She puts her gun in his chest.) Man: I’m the guy who waters the plants. Name’s Frances. Mr Lyle: (He holds a picture of Jarod up so that Frances can see it.) Well Frances do you know this man? Man: Jarod. Yeah he’s the scientist who used to work here. Parker: Used to? Man: Like I told the other guy that was looking for him, he’s gone. Parker: Someone else is looking for Jarod? Man: Yeah. The blind guy. Kinda Chinese looking. Said his name was Mr ah, Lee. Mr Lee’s Lair (A woman makes her way down a flight of metal stairs. She walks over to where Mr Lee sits and places a red-notebook on the small table beside him. The notebook is like the ones that Jarod has used all his life to keep a written record of his actions and thoughts. Mr Lee is also of oriental descent. He wears a black shirt with Chinese collar and large medallion on a chain around his neck and a black hat. His eyes are pale blue, faded and sightless. He is talking on the phone.) Mr Lee: I have absorbed all the files on Jarod. Yes, everything you gave me from his childhood to the present. You know he’s quite an interesting man. There are seven people I need to speak with. You get me those seven people and I will deliver Jarod. OPENING CREDITS (Mr Lee is leading a woman across the floor of his warehouse-come- residence. She is also sightless. He feels his way with a cane that is carved and ornate.) Mr Lee: Hm. Why is that? Rachael: The blind leading the blind. Mr Lee: Please no more blind jokes please Miss Newton. Rachael: You can call me Rachael. Mr Lee: Ah Rachael. And I am Mr Lee. Rachael: Who’s typing? Mr Lee: Her name is Tasha (?) Anna for short. (He leads her to a chair and she feels her way into it.) My new associate. Rachael: How exactly can I help you? Mr Lee: (He sits opposite Rachael.) I believe you once knew a man named Jarod. Rachael: Hmm. (She smiles.) Jarod helped me after I lost my sight in a terrorist bombing. He’s helped lots of people who have been victimised. (Anna, who is sitting in front of a notebook computer, enters the word “Victim” into a box and executes a search on it. Hits are flashed up on a map of the U.S. as newspaper articles appear on screen.) He taught me to see again, so to speak. Why do you want to know about Jarod? Mr Lee: I have reason to believe that he is in trouble. I need you to help him. Rachael: How can I help? Mr Lee: I’m sure you realise that the loss of vision often nurtures deeper insight. Rachael: And you feel I’ve developed this insight? Mr Lyle: But of course. That is why I brought you here. Please tell me how Jarod helped you and affected your life. Rachael: I met Jarod while I was still in therapy not long after the bombing. I was drawn to him right from the start. It was like he felt my pain, my fears. Flashback (Rachael is walking tentatively across a room, counting her steps. Jarod, whom she has not noticed watches from just inside the doorway.) Rachael: Six, seven, eight, nine, ten . . . Jarod: (Jarod puts out his arms to halt her progress.) You can stop counting you’re here. Rachael: (She laughs and places a hand on his chest and then his shoulder.) You must have stepped into the room. It’s eleven steps to the door. Jarod: I did. Very good. It’s a beautiful day. Why don’t we go outside? Rachael: (Her smile fades and is replaced with a frown. She steps away from Jarod.) Oh no. I think I’d rather stay here. Jarod: Rachael. You have to go outside sometime. Rachael: I was supposed to work in my studio but it was such a nice day I decided to go out onto the roof top of city hall. That’s what happened the last time I went outside. Jarod: You were in the wrong place at the wrong time. That is not your fault. You can’t stop living your life because of it. Rachael: You know, when I had my eyes behind the camera I could see things no one else could see. I can remember details of nearly ever picture I ever took. (Jarod listens, a frown creasing his forehead.) It’s ironic. They tell me that he was there that day. I must have seen the man who did this to me as he was setting his bomb. But as hard as I try I can’t remember. Mr Lee: (He stands up.) So, are you saying that Jarod connected with you emotionally? Rachael: Oh it’s more than that. It was almost like he became me. (Anna stops typing and looks up at Rachael.) He seemed to know me, understand me more than I knew myself. The way he enabled me to face my life again was magical. Like an artist painting a picture only Jarod was the painter and I was the canvas. Flashback (Jarod has a number of developing trays set out on a table. Rachael’s room has taken on the appearance of a mini-darkroom.) Rachael: Is this some kind of new therapy? Jarod: Call it a simulation. (He opens a bottle and pours some of its contents into one of the trays.) I’m going to create an environment with all the stimuli you need to re-create an event. And for you to become someone. Rachael: Who do you want me to become? Jarod: Yourself. (He places a camera in her hands.) Rachael: Oh my camera. I haven’t touched this since the. . . well since the day at City Hall. Jarod: Now I want you to develop that roll of film, the pictures you took that day. (He sits opposite her.) Rachael: (She opens the back of the camera.) Oh, there’s no film in it. Jarod: I know. I want you to develop the pictures in your mind. Rachael: Um, I’m on the roof top at city hall. (While relating the story she sees the images in her head, but it is like looking at a negative.) The natural light is at its natural angle. The building is closed. It’s Sunday and I’m getting last minute shots for my gallery opening. Jarod: Are you alone? Rachael: I think. I, oh, don’t see anyone. I don’t see anyone but oh . . . don’t see anyone but I feel the tingle on the back of my neck. Jarod: (Jarod rubs he back of his neck as if he feels the tingle.) Go on. Rachael: I don’t see anyone but I hear something. Jarod: What do you hear? Rachael: Footsteps walking quickly away. It’s right before it happened. (A single tear runs down her face.) Jarod: Rachael, do you see the bomb? Rachael: It’s only an instance before the flash. Jarod: Do you see him? Rachael: No. But I smell something. I smell . . . Jarod: You smell him. Rachael: It must be ? it’s cologne Jarod: Thank you. Rachael: Because of what he found in my mind Jarod was able to catch the bomber and help me find the courage to believe in myself again. Mr Lee: That’s very interesting. Oh Anna. (He stands, takes Rachael by the elbow guiding her to her feet.) Thank you for everything. (Anna walks across the room and starts to lead her out.) My assistant, Anna will take you home now. Rachael: (She stops walking.) You know, you were right about insight Mr Lee. You don’t want to help Jarod, you want to catch him. But you won’t succeed. He’s too smart, even for you. The Centre Outside Miss Parker’s Officer Parker: Who the hell is Mr Lee? Broots: What does a blind Chinese man want with Jarod anyway? Mr Lyle: The same thing anyone else would. An advantage. Sydney: Jarod’s a very valuable commodity. The question is who wants to trade in him. Parker: None of this makes any sense. Broots go back to Jarod’s last lair check the neighbourhood the airport, the train station, anywhere where some one could have seen this Mr Lee. (As Mr Broots departs on his errand, the group is approached by Mr Parker with Bridget on his elbow. She is, as usual, sucking on a lolly pop.) Mr Parker: I’m also interested in finding our sightless friend. Kept Bridget up to speed on any new development. She’s my liaison on this thing. Parker: Since when do I need a liaison to my own father? (Mr Parker purses his lips, frowns but says nothing more before walking away.) Bridget: Since you’re not the only ones after Jarod. (She adopts a mocking tone.) But don’t worry Angel, it shouldn’t be that hard to catch a blind man. All you have to do is open your eyes. Parker: Hmm. Prison (Dr Fein, dressed in the orange overalls of the prison system is lead into a “caged” area by a prison guard. On the other side of the bars, Anna sits at her notebook and Mr Lee sits in a chair close to the bars.) Fein: What’s going on? Guard: Some people want to talk to you. Fein: (He starts to pace up and down.) So what’s this, free egg roll night on the Ginsu? Mr Lee: Ginsu, that’s Japanese. A man of such erudition, a scholar, a physician. Hm! This imprisonment must have re-acquainted you with the low common man. Perhaps that’s his idea. Dr Fein, you may address me as Mr Lee. Fein: Well, Mr Lee, I don’t know what this is about but I . . . Mr Lee: This is about an acquaintance of yours whom I am searching for. His name is Jarod. Fein: (He steps up close to the bars and bends to bring his face to the same level as that of Mr Lee’s.) You’ve got to be kidding. For eighteen months I’ve been trying to tell people about Jarod but there’s no trace of him. It’s like he never existed. Mr Lee: You seem frustrated. Fein: Frustrated? That psycho is the reason I am spending the rest of my life in an eight by eight cell. Sue me if I’m frustrated. Mr Lee: (He laughs.) Dr Fein, you did bury an innocent man alive. Fein: You got a point? Mr Lee: Yes. Jarod in his unique way merely exposed you to the rest of the world. What is one man’s justice is another man’s revenge. Fein: Well a lot of good that’s going to do me now. (A cockroach scuttles across the floor near Mr Lee’s feet. Mr Lee halts its progress by crushing it under the end of his cane. Dr Fein watches in amazement.) Mr Lee: Dr Fein would you like to see Jarod in an environment worse than this? Fein: (He steps up to the bars, peers intently at Mr Lee’s eyes before waving his hand in front of them.) Can you do that? Mr Lee: If you tell me what he did to you? Fein: What he did? He tried to kill me. He tried to bury me alive. Flashback (The setting is a cemetery. A flame is thrown at Dr Fein’s feet. He looks down and stamps on the flame which has ignited a paper bag. Once the flame is out he looks at his shoe in disgust. It would seem that Bruno’s Halloween prank has worked quite well.) Jarod: Trick or treat? (Jarod is now out of his professor disguise and is wearing all black, including jacket and gloves.) Dr Fein: You scared the hell out of me. Jarod: Well it is after all what this holiday is all about, (He pops some candy in his mouth.) isn’t it? Oh you’re too late. He’s gone. Dr Fein: Who’s gone? Jarod: Enrique. The young man you killed. Dr Fein: What kind of sick prank are you trying to play? Jarod: (Jarod moves towards Dr Fein who in turn is forced to walk backwards in the direction of the grave.) Oh, this isn’t a prank. It’s a life lesson. You know, in some cultures they believe that the spirit of a man killed in anger returns to exact revenge upon its perpetrator. Spooky huh? (Jarod waves his fingers in front of his face in imitation of a child’s ghost.) Dr Fein: I’m getting out of here. (Dr Fein tries to push past Jarod but Jarod pushes him backward with his shoulder.) Jarod: Oh no, you can’t leave Dr Fein. This is the Day of the Dead. And you sir are the special guest. (Jarod pushes him in the chest. The coffin catches Fein at the back of the knees and he falls over backwards into the coffin. Jarod quickly slams and latches the lid closed. Dr Fein can be seen through the window at the head of the coffin.) Dr Fein: Let me out of here Jarod. This isn’t funny. (He bangs on the lid with his fist.) Jarod: Oh I know. It would be awful to be buried alive especially with that on your shoe. (Jarod bends over and slides the coffin into the grave. It falls with a crash.) Dr Fein: Owww. Jarod. (He bangs on the lid again.) Jarod: Sh sh shs sh sh. There’s no reason to wake the dead. (He picks up a long handled shovel.) You’re going to be joining them soon enough. (He throws a shovel- full of dirt onto the coffin.) Dr Fein: Jarod please. (Jarod squats down beside the grave.) Jarod: Did Enrique discover that you had killed one of the research subjects that he had recruited for you? Dr Fein: You’re crazy. Jarod: Ah ah ahhhh. (Jarod stands up and uses the shovel to throw more dirt on the coffin.) That’s not a very nice thing to say to a man with a shovel, is it? Dr Fein: Let me out. Let me out of here, Jarod, please. Jarod: (Jarod crouches down beside the grave again.) You took an innocent, homeless man and you turned him into your guinea pig. Someone to test your heart drug on. Someone that you didn’t think would be missed if it didn’t work. Well it didn’t work, did it? And someone did miss him. Enrique. So you buried him alive to save your research. Didn’t you? Didn’t you? Didn’t you? Didn’t you? Dr Fein: Yes! Yes! Now, let me out of here. (He bangs on the lid again.) Jarod: Screaming isn’t going to help you conserve your oxygen. And believe me you’re going to need all you can get. Dr Fein: No. No. NO! Jarod. Jarod: Happy Halloween. (Jarod throws more dirt onto the coffin but this time covers the window of the coffin lid so that Fein’s vision of the outside is obscured.) Dr Fein: Jarod. Jarod. Jaroooooooooddddddd!!!!!!!!!1 Mr Lee: (Mr Lee laughs, scraping his cane on the bars.) I can imagine. Perhaps that is his way of dispensing emotional justice. Fein: How’s any of this going to help you find him? Mr Lee: Oh you helped me a great deal already. You told me who he is and what he is. And, oh yes, I’ll catch him. Mr Lee’s Lair (Mr Lee turns on a DSA reader and activates a disk before picking up the phone and dialing.) Mr Lee: Mr Lee here. After interviewing the first few subjects I’m finding Jarod even more challenging than initially anticipated. DSA The Centre Sim Lab (Kenny, a janitor who Jarod had befriended just prior to his escape, and Jarod are sitting at a table. Kenny is teaching Kenny how to make an origami swan.) Kenny: Oh Jarod I’ll never be able to do this. Jarod: Sure you can. We’ll keep on practising. Mr Lee: His desire to help other people and his determination for justice are unyielding. Huh! But they will also prove to be his downfall. Hmm. (He hangs up the phone.) Mr Lee’s Lair (Mr Lee and Susan are sitting at a table. Mr Lee plays mother as he pours tea into an oriental china cup. She picks up the cup and sips.) Susan: Thank you. Mr Lee: You’re welcome. Susan: In many ways Jarod is the most compassionate man I’ve met. (Anna enters “Compassion” into the search engine and activates the search.) It’s almost as if it’s his natural state of being. Mr Lee: How is that Miss Grainger? Susan: He has a way of connecting with others, to their souls, in a way that I’ve never seen in any other person. It’s ironic really. Mr Lee: Ironic? Susan: He can be so there for other people and yet inside he’s so alone. I’ll never forget the day he walked into my office. Flashback (Susan is talking on the phone on the phone when Jarod, clad in the uniform of a motorcycle police officer, enters the room. He studies a noticeboard on which are pinned a number of photographs of people under a heading of “FOUND”.) Susan: Mr Morgan we may have a sighting on your daughter. If all goes well you should have your arms around Catherine by tomorrow night. Thankyou. God bless you too. How can I help you? Jarod: I don’t know who I am. Susan: As I looked in his eyes I could feel his pain, his sadness. Mr Lee: So Jarod came to you for help? Susan: Yes that’s what I do. Re-unite families find missing children. (Anna types “Missing Children” into her search engine.) I help people find their pasts so that they can have their futures. Mr Lee: I see. Susan: I thought I had seen it all until I heard Jarod’s story. Flashback Jarod: I’m looking for my parents. Susan: Are they still alive? Jarod: I don’t know. I was never told the truth. Susan: Why not use the police database to initiate a search? Jarod: I can’t. Look, this is probably going to be hard to understand but I don’t have much time. Seventy-two hours. Susan: Without a name. . . Jarod: I have a picture. (He hands her his picture of Margaret.) It’s my mother, at least that’s what I was told. Susan: I’ll see what I can do. Jarod: Thank you. Mr Lee: (He stands.) So you were able to give Jarod the identity of his mother. Susan: No. These people came and took the information. They destroyed it before Jarod even had a chance to see it. Mr Lee: That must have decimated his soul? Susan: Actually it seemed to inspire him to help other people who experienced a similar loss. Mr Lee: Really? Susan: Over the last three years he’s helped me locate and re-unite nine children with their families. And each time he’s refuses to take any credit or recognition for what he’s done. Mr Lee: A very resilient soul. (He pats her on her shoulder.) Susan: Like I said. Jarod’s the most compassionate human being I’ve ever met. Outside Mr Lee’s Lair (Miss Parker, Mr Lyle, Broots and Sydney arrive outside Mr Lee’s lair in a car. They sit and observe the exterior of the building.) Broots: You were right. It wasn’t hard to track Mr Lee. I mean most people talk to have never seen an old blind Chinese guy well at least not since Kung Fu. Parker: Well done, Grasshopper. Broots: I found out Mr Lee’s a pretty infamous guy in Hong Kong. Not only does he find people he makes them disappear . . . in little pieces. Parker: We play our cards right we’ll bring him in in one piece. Let’s move. Mr Lyle: (He talks into his radio transmitter.) Get in position. Willie: Yes sir, Mr Lyle. Inside Mr Lee’s Lair (Mr Lee is making another report on the phone again. Anna continues working at her notebook.) Mr Lee: It’s more difficult than I thought. I’m learning that Jarod is very complex, very Yin and Yang. Dangerous and yet in control. Full of great pain but a source of healing to others. He’s capable of bringing justice against the powerful and yet showing mercy to the weak. He helps the lost to find themselves and is unable to discover his own true nature. (He laughs.) Ironic isn’t it? (He takes off his glasses.) Anna I think we have visitors. (She stops typing and looks towards the entrance.) Outside Parker: We need to move. Mr Lyle: Patience Parker. The sweepers aren’t even in position yet. Parker: Lee has no idea we’re out here. You start stumbling around you’re going to blow it all. Mr Lyle: I know exactly what I’m doing. We’re going to go in and bring out the blind man. Let me show you how this is done. (He opens the car door and the alarm sounds.) Parker: You idiot. (She notices Anna observing them through the window.) We’ve been made. Get in. Broots: Miss Parker that’s a wall. Parker: Yes. And this is a rental. Broots: Oh! Oh! (Miss Parker puts the engine in gear and accelerates towards the glass wall. She drives straight through it, coming to a screeching halt after running over the furniture that Mr Lee was until recently, sitting. She gets out of the car her weapon at the ready.) Parker: Damn. He was right here. (She turns towards Lyle.) So this is how it’s done? Mr Lyle: (He turns and yells at the sweepers who have run in after the car.) Outside! He couldn’t have got far. Broots: (He is picking up and examining objects.) Wow, Mr Lee is like a Shoalin priest. Parker: What are you talking about? Broots: Well you know, look, he can’t be seen, felt for he can’t be . . . Parker: Oh get a life K-Tel. Mr Lyle: (He picks up some papers off the table.) What’s this? Braille. Great. Sydney: In case you’ve forgotten. (Sydney takes the papers from Lyle and runs his fingers across the raised dots.) Parker: What is it Syd? Sydney: Names. Of people involved with Jarod. Parker: Why? Sydney: He’s been interviewing them. Broots: How would Mr Lee know about them in the first place? Mr Lyle: Someone at the Centre. Parker: Broots I want you to trace all phone calls coming into and out of this warehouse. Let’s find out who Mr Lee is working for and why. Broots: Okay. Mr Lyle: Sydney, who do you think they are? Sydney: Whoever they are, these must be some very special people. The Centre Sim Lab (Mr Lyle is sitting at a table. Miss Parker is pacing up and down and Sydney sits like a statue arms folded, face impassive. Sam leads in a man, (Bernie Baxley from “Curious Jarod”) decked out in an Elvis costume, white overalls with sequins, large black wig and sideburns. He is carrying a small case.) Mr Lyle: Love the shoes. Elvis: Thank you very much. (He imitates Elvis’s voice and pose. He sits opposite Mr Lyle.) Mr Lyle: Do you always wear that get up? Elvis: Well I can see you don’t fully appreciate the incredible burden of my responsibility. Sydney: You’ll have to excuse Mr Lyle. He’s not a fan. Parker: But I am Bernie and I do appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to talk to us. Elvis: Well, I always got time to spend with a pretty lady. Parker: Tell us, what did Mr Lee want to know about Jarod? Elvis: How I felt about him, minute by minute, from the very instant we met. Flashback Marquis Casino Casino Floor (An Elvis impersonator complete with sequined white, flared legged jump suit, cape and large sideburns, stands beside a Floorshow poster of himself, his arms around two women. A third lady takes a photograph. Jarod watches with some puzzlement.) Elvis: So don’t you little ladies forget. Come see my show tonight. There’s no cover, there’s no minimum and there’s free hot h’ordourves. I’ll see you all later. Bye bye. Thank you very much. (The ladies depart.) Huh! (He takes up a typical Elvis pose as he notices Jarod’s interest.) Hey there teddy bear! You come to rub elbows with the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll? Jarod: Now I’m trying to understand this. You dress up in a rented costume and you pretend to be a dead singer? (Elvis’s smile slips and he peers over his dark glasses.) Elvis: Singer. Son do you have any idea who I am? Jarod: Well actually I would have . . . Elvis: You are looking at a national monument. Mount Rushmore in Blue Suede Shoes. There’s not a human being on God’s green earth that has ever demanded attention and respect than the man you are looking at this very moment. (Ivy arrives behind them, picking up empty glasses from between the slot machines.) Ivy: Hey Bernie, some guy at the craps table says he’ll give you five dollars to come and goose his wife. Elvis: I’ll be right there. Well my fans beckon. I must go. Thank you very much! (Jarod watches him leave, a look of child-like wonder on his face.) Elvis: To tell you the truth I read Jarod all wrong at first. Sydney: How so? Elvis: Well just like I told Mr Lee. Turned out that he was the only person who really cared about what I was going through. Flashback Marquis Casino (Jarod is walking past the room when he spots the Elvis Impersonator sitting inside. He pokes his head around the doorway.) Jarod: Hey! (Bernie is sitting in front of his mirror, having a drink.) Bernie: Well, welcome to Heartbreak Hotel. (Jarod enters the room and sits beside him.) Jarod: What are you doing here? You should be on stage. Bernie: Oh no. There’s no more stage for the King. The Casino fired me. Jarod: Did it have something to do with that bird thing? Bernie: Bird? Jarod: The goose? Bernie: No, they said they’d had complaints about the show. So I’ve put on a twenty or thirty pounds. You think it is easy being the idol of millions? Jarod: I would guess no? Bernie: You’re damn right it isn’t. I sacrificed everything. I did it ‘cause I loved it. It’s what the people wanted. I just wish some of those casino big wigs could spend one hour wearing the cape, just one hour. I tell you what they’d walk away singing a different tune. I’d guara – damn –tee yah! Jarod: Couldn’t you get a job at another casino? Bernie: No. No, no, buddy boy. After twenty-four years of making people smile, singing the songs, (Bernie removes his wig, which appears to surprise Jarod.) spreading the good vibrations, I’m afraid it’s the end of the line for the King. We had one hell of a ride though, didn’t we? Jarod: I bet you did. Bernie: Um, look, (peeling off a side burn) I’m sorry I’m spilling my guts and I don’t even know your name. Jarod: Jarod Falzon. Bernie: Bernie Baxley. Jarod: (Jarod shakes his hand.) Well it’s nice to meet you Bernie Baxley. Bernie: Thanks. (Jarod gets up to leave.) Jarod. I’m scared. Jarod: Of what? Bernie: (Looking at himself in the mirror.) Him. Elvis: Jarod helped me to face my fears, to find me again. I ah, got admit he kinda rubbed off on me a little bit. But I tell you, I think I rubbed off on him a little bit too. Flashback Outside the Marquis Casino Jarod: (He adopts an Elvis pose.) Well thank you very much. Elvis: After that I left Vegas. Never looked backed. Now, thanks to Jarod I’ve got my own place in Bransom, where the King’s legacy is kept alive three hundred and sixty-three days a year. Only closed for New Years and of course the King’s birthday. Threw out my hip dancing about a year ago. But Jarod taught me that you got to keep on adapting you know, keep looking for better ways to move and groove forward. S I broadened my repertoire. I thought I’d treat you folks with a well taste of my new act. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage Tiny King! Hey T.K. Well do you want to say something to the pretty little lady? You look better than a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich. Well thank you very much. (Miss Parker and Sydney chuckle, Miss Parker’s a little less than sincere.) Parker: Sam, get him out of here before I step on his blue suede face. Sam: Yes, Miss Parker. Excuse me King? Elvis: Yeah? Sam: It’s time to leave the building. Elvis: Ah! Gotta TCB. Mr Lyle: You did say that these people must be special. Parker: What the hell is going on Sydney? Sydney: Lee has been interviewing everyone of those people about their emotional connection to Jarod in order to anticipate his next move. (Broots rushes in, breathless.) Broots: Miss Parker. Oh. Oh. Parker: What is it? Broots: I traced the last call from Mr Lee’s warehouse to the Centre and you won’t believe where it ended up. Parker: Spit it out Broots. Broots: It went to your father’s office. Mr Lee’s Lair (Mr Lee sits at a table reading. Anna walks up to him and places a hand on his shoulder.) Mr Lee: Yes, the next subject may be reluctant to cooperate. Anna: Let me bring him in. Mr Lee: Huh! (?) Violence was not on your resume. Anna: Hmm. I’ll have to write a new one. A Carpark (It is night. A woman in a short skirt leans over the engine well of her vehicle. Her car is parked beside Lyle’s. He approaches his car, his keys in his hand.) Mr Lyle: Trouble? Anna: Oh yeah the batteries busted or something. Mr Lyle: Oh oh. Well maybe I can help? Anna: Really? You don’t mind? Mr Lyle: I’m not much of a mechanic, but I’m pretty good with my hands. (He moves to the engine of her car, leans over it. Anna hits him on the back of the head and he collapses to the ground.) Mr Lee’s Lair (Anna leads Lyle down the stairs. He is wearing a blindfold over his head and his hands are cuffed behind his back. Anna leads him to the centre of the room before removing his hood.) Mr Lyle: Ah Mr Lee. (Anna removes the hand cuffs.) Mr Lee: (?) I believe you have met my assistant Anna? Mr Lyle: Met her? She kidnapped me. Mr Lee: Oh really? (Anna sits down at her notebook.) Please sit down. Mr Lyle: (Belligerently) I don’t feel like sitting down. Mr Lee: Oh. Excuse my urgency, but it is important that I know about your relationship with Jarod. Mr Lyle: Really. Well I’d like to know about your relationship with Jarod. Mr Lee: (He smiles.) Mr Lyle, in life it is primary that one knows his position. (He turns and walks away putting his cane down as he does so. He turns to face a small candle-lit shrine against the wall. Lyle follows and picks up Mr Lee’s cane.) And you sir, are not in a position to ask questions. Mr Lyle: Look, I don’t know what you’re up to but I think it’s time someone taught you some manners. (Mr Lyle swings the cane attacking Mr Lee from behind. However Mr Lyle is no match for the martial arts skills of Mr Lee and it is not long before Mr Lyle finds himself on the floor.) Mr Lee: Oh I’m sorry. Did I hurt you? It is not only with sight that one sees. Let me help you. (He helps him up by placing a finger against a pressure point on the side of Mr Lyle’s neck and pushing upwards. Mr Lyle is forced to stand to avoid the pain that it causes.) Once again Mr Lyle, go sit down and tell me your story. Mr Lyle: (He sits.) What do you want to know? Mr Lee: I want to know what motivates Jarod. Why he risks himself to help others. Why he runs, but does not vanish. Mr Lyle: Why do you think I can help you? Mr Lee: Coochie, coochie, coochie coo. (He gently taps the pressure point on Lyle's neck.) Because you have a very unique relationship with Jarod. You did try to kill, did you not? Mr Lyle: All in the interest of science. Flashback The Centre Sim Lab (Jarod is removed from the tube in which his lifeless body has been kept at a temperature below freezing. Mr Raines applies the electro shock paddles to Jarod’s chest.) Mr Raines: Clear. Clear. (Jarod’s body leaps off the table as the electricity flows through it. Mr Lyle watches from behind Mr Raines.) Mr Lyle: It really wasn’t my idea anyway. Mr Lee: (He laughs.) I believe you also kidnapped Jarod? Ha? Mr Lyle: Desperate times call for desperate measures. Mr Lee: Desperate times call for desperate measures, Anna. So you weren’t content just to kidnap Jarod were you? (Lyle rubs his cheek where a discolouration is already showing under his right eye.) You also had to shoot his brother and kill him. Mr Lyle: That was an accident. Pure and simple. Flashback Outside Mr Lyle’s Lair Mr Lyle: (He has Miss Parker in a headlock, a gun pointed at Jarod and Kyle who are slowly walking towards him. Kyle has a shotgun aimed at Lyle.) This is beautiful. Just one big happy family, isn’t it? Jarod: It’s the end of the line, Lyle. There’s no place left for you to run. Mr Lyle: I’m disappointed in you Jarod. You know me better than that. Drop the cannon kid. Parker: Shoot him you moron. Mr Lyle: Shut up. (A helicopter approaches, it’s spotlight cutting a shaft of light to the ground.) Stay back or I’ll put a very large hole in big brother. Jarod: Kyle. Kyle: Threats and pain that’s all you’ve ever offered us. You stole our lives and you killed our spirit and you think you can threaten us with death. It doesn’t matter Lyle because we never made a difference any way. Mr Lyle: I’ll kill him, I swear I will him and then I’ll kill you. Jarod: Don’t do this little brother. (Miss Parker jabs an elbow into a knew would on Lyle’s side. He doubles in pain and releases Miss Parker. Kyle shoots Lyle, catching him high on his shoulder. Lyle turns back, brings his gun to bear on Kyle before switching his aim to Jarod. Kyle turn putting his body between Lyle and Jarod. Lyle fires and the bullet intended for Jarod hits Kyle in the back. Kyle stumbles forward and Jarod catches him before lowering him gently to the ground. Lyle also slumps to the ground but basically goes ignored.) Mr Lee: There’s another part that drives Jarod that I don’t understand. Mr Lyle: And that is . . . ? Mr Lee: Why after all you’ve done to him why he has not killed you. After all, he is more resourceful and intelligent than you are. Mr Lyle: Maybe he just likes me? Mr Lee: Not. Shall we start from the beginning. (Mr Lee strokes him lovingly on the back of the head.) All over again. The Centre Sim Lab Parker: Where the hell is Lyle? Sydney: I don’t know. But he seemed genuinely disturbed over the revelation that Mr Lee is in contact with your father’s office. Parker: Well we’re not waiting any longer. Let’s go ahead and talk to this guy Sydney: Hmm. (They walk down the stairs onto the main floor of the lab. A teenager sits at the table, feet up on its surface tossing a basketball. Sam stands behind him. Miss Parker catches the ball and sits opposite him.) Parker: Hi. JR: Hi. Sydney: Hi JR. My name is Sydney and this is Miss Parker. JR: Miss Parker. You sure look familiar. Parker: I have one of those faces. Listen JR it’s very important that you tell us exactly what Mr Lee wanted to know about Jarod. JR: (He takes his feet of the table and leans forward.) Is Jarod in some kind of trouble? Sydney: He might be. JR: I’ll do anything to help him. He saved my life twice. Once before I’d ever met him. Flashback Church (Jarod, his hands cuffed in front of him, is accompanied by a woman in a sheriff’s uniform. They crouch down beside JR who is lying unconscious and unmoving on the floor. He is surrounded by a group of young people who look on nervously.) Deputy Miller: JR? JR? Honey? Sweetie? Can you hear me? JR? Jarod: He’s in shock. (He leans down and listens to JR’s chest.) He’s still breathing. Deputy Miller: He’s hypoglycaemic. Jarod: When was the last time he ate? D Miller: Um? He had cereal for breakfast, three or four hours ago. JR? Come on honey. (Jarod puts a hand into the inside pocket of his jacket and removes a PEZ dispenser.) What do you think you’re doing? Jarod: I need to stabilise his blood sugar. Stick this in your mouth I want you to let it dissolve okay? Good boy. JR: Mum? Deputy Miller: Oh . Oh. It’s okay honey. Everything us going to be okay. JR: Mr Lee seemed to be very interested in the fact that Jarod knew that I was sick. Sydney: Your heart. JR: I needed a transplant. My mum had pretty much given up hope that I would get one in time. Until Jarod came into our lives. Flashback Jailhouse (Jarod is sitting on the cot, his back to the wall and his knees pulled up to his chest.) Jarod: How is he feeling? Miller: Better. Jarod: He has a heart condition. I noticed the bluish tint to his fingers and lips. I’d say by the look of it that you have a very sick boy. Miller: Are you a doctor? Jarod: Not at the moment. Why hasn’t he had a heart transplant? Miller: Because he’s on a waiting list. Because he has AB- blood which is very rare. It only happens in certain families. Jarod: One in three hundred thousand. I know. I have it too. Parker: You said Jarod saved your life twice. JR: He found me a heart. Flashback Mr Lyle’s Lair (Jarod leans over the body of Kyle who is dying before his eyes.) Jarod: Stay with me little brother. I’m going to get you to a hospital. Kyle: It’s too late, Jarod. (Broots, Sydney and Miss Parker watch.) Jarod: Don’t you say that. Look at me. Come on. Just . . . Just think. Think about of all the good times we’re going to have together. Kyle: I’m sorry Jarod. Jarod: For what? Kyle: For everything. (The air in Kyle’s lungs escapes for the last time.) Jarod: No. Oh no. Parker: (She is visibly moved.) Jarod gave you his brother’s heart. JR: Yeah, and ever since the transplant he calls. Not just to check up on me. To see how I’m really doing. Sydney: Hmm. JR: Jarod’s like the older brother that I never had. Mr Lee seemed to think that was real important. Sydney: Thank you JR. Sam will take you home. Sam: Come on Tin Man. (Miss Parker passes him his basketball and he bounces it on the way out.) Sydney: Mr Lee’s really narrowing it down. Compassion, empathy, desire for justice. All the things that make Jarod Jarod. Parker: Do you think he will be able to anticipate Jarod’s next move? To actually catch him? Sydney: Unless we get there first. Broots: (He enters in a hurry.) Miss Parker. Miss Parker. About that phone call from Lee to your father’s office. Parker: What about it? Broots: Well it wasn’t actually Mr Parker. Parker: Well did it go to his office or didn’t it? Broots: Yes, I mean, technically yes. Sydney: Technically? Broots: Well, there was a second phone line recently installed in your father’s suite. It seems now that he’s sharing his office with someone else. And I traced that call from Mr Lee to that new line. Parker: And just whose new line might that be as if I didn’t know? Broots: Bridget. Parker: (?) ask. Broots: Well she’s not there. I just intercepted another call between her and Mr Lee. She’s left in a limo. Mr Lee’s Limo. They’re going to get Jarod. The Limo (Bridget and Mr Lee sit in the back of the limousine, Anna sits opposite, notebook open on her lap.) Bridget: So tell me how you found him. Mr Lee: Simple. By interviewing people whose lives Jarod has touched I’ve been able to understand how he thinks and more importantly, how he feels. Anna: We were able to break the code, the pattern of his behaviour. Mr Lee: Jarod has a need to defend those that have been abused by power. Because of this need he is drawn to predictable situations. Bridget: Such as? Mr Lee: Those that are related to the trauma of a childhood and the guilt he feels over the abuse of his work. Anna has extensively researched potential scenarios that would attract him. Anna: We successfully isolated the one that will lead us to him. Bridget: It’s a shame that my future step children won’t be there to share the moment. (They laugh together.) Mr Lee: You’re deliciously naughty. Bridget: Why thank you Mr Lee. The Centre Sim Lab Parker: (She is yelling into a phone.) A blind Chinese guy, a bimbo and a limousine. How hard could that be to find. (She slams the phone down.) Two and a half years we’ve been chasing him and that bitch is going to bring him in. (Lyle appears on the stairs above them. His coat is over his arm.) Sydney: Lyle, are you alright? You look terrible. Mr Lyle: You oughta see the other guy. Parker: Bad hair day? Mr Lyle: I was abducted by . . . several of Lee’s men. They obviously got the best of me but I put a whole lot of hurting on them in the process. Lee questioned me for hours but he finally gave up. He had his enforcers drop me off in the middle of nowhere. Parker: Oh, well you can thank Bridget for your quality time with Lee. Mr Lyle: Bridget? Sydney: He’s working for her. Parker: Yeah, she’s going to bring Jarod in. Broots: Oh. Not if we get there first. (He is carrying a tracking device.) I’ve triangulated the signal from Bridget’s cell phone and it should lead us right to Bridget and Mr Lee. Parker: And that should lead us right to Jarod. (She takes the device from Broots, grabs him by the chin and gives his head a little affectionate shake. Broots smiles in wonder and exchanges a look with Sydney.) A Hospital (A boy in a wheel chair types “Thank you Jarod” into a computer on his lap. The computer speaks the words. Jarod, wearing a white coat is crouched down beside the boy. He hits two keys on the keyboard and the computer says “Your welcome.” Jarod stands up and shakes the grandfather’s hand.) Grandfather: Abner get’s to come home where he should have been the whole time. Grandmother: How can we ever repay you for all you have done for us? Jarod: This is repayment enough. Good luck Abner. (The grandparents depart with Abner and Jarod smiles and waves goodbye.) Outside the Hospital (Bridget, Mr Lee and Anna are walking along a path towards the main building of the complex.) Bridget: Ironic place to find Jarod. A genius at an facility for the mentally challenged. Mr Lee: Jarod has discovered that many of the residents have been intentionally misdiagnosed. The director keeps them here in order to defraud the insurance and their parents. Anna: They’re trapped, prisoners in an institution that denies them their freedom. Bridget: And Jarod is here to liberate them. How noble. Mr Lee: Wait. (They stop walking. They hear the approach of a helicopter. They turn to watch it land.) Jarod’s Office (Jarod enters removing his white coat, smiling. He hears the sound of the approaching helicopter and moves to the window.) Outside (The helicopter lands and Mr Lyle, Miss Parker, Sam and Willie get out.) Bridget: No. No no no no no. (She stamps her foot and then runs towards them.) I don’t believe this. What the hell are you doing here? Parker: Good to see you too. Where is here? Bridget: I’m supposed to bring him in. Parker: Like hell you are. Mr Lyle: Nobody’s cutting me out of this, least of all you. (Jarod looks out the window again.) Outside Mr Lee: Stop your arguing. We must get to Jarod now. (They move towards the entrance. Anna, who has remained near the helicopter looks up towards where Jarod is watching her.) Jarod’s Office (Miss Parker enters first with Sam, both with weapon’s raised.) Mr Lyle: He’s gone. Parker: You have a gift for the obvious. (She moves to the desk.) Bridget: He knew we were coming. Parker: (She picks up a memo off the desk.) He’s known all along, intercepted your memo. Mr Lyle: What memo? Parker: From Bridget to Daddy requesting the unique services of Mr Lee to catch Jarod. Bridget: He couldn’t have done this alone. Parker: You blew it, Angel. Mr Lee: Someone informed him of our presence. Anna. (Miss Parker goes to the window in time to see the helicopter lift off. Jarod is at the controls and Anna is beside him. Jarod brings the helicopter up to the level of the window, where he winks at Miss Parker, smiles and raises her eyebrows before veering away.) Inside the Helicopter Jarod: Thank you for all of your help. Anna: After all the people you helped it was about time that someone helped you. Jarod: What you did took a lot of courage. You bought me the time I needed. Anna: And I’d do it all again in a heart beat. What you did for my family and my nephew. (She looks at a photograph of her parents with Abner.) I’m the one who should be thanking you. Jarod: I hope some day we’ll meet again. Anna: I hope so too. CLOSING CREDITS
