Girl Interrupted

STEPHEN: My name is Stephen Jameson. I am one of the Tomorrow People, the next step in human evolution. They call our powers the three T's. CARA: Stephen? STEPHEN: Telekinesis... And teleportation. There is a shadow war going on between us and Ultra... ...the secret organization that hunts us. The only way to keep my species from going extinct is to find my father. And the only way to do that is by working for the enemy. CARA: Previously on The Tomorrow People... Reading someone's thoughts is just the beginning. You'll be able to access their feelings. Even their memories. Stephen, you have no idea what you're getting yourself into. MARLA: We have a visitor. This is your uncle. Work for me, Stephen. We track anything that can indicate a new breakout and then we have our agents who help us track rogue paranormals. And when the time comes, Stephen will lead us to the Tomorrow People. And we'll kill them. Stephen. Got someone I'd like you to meet. Your new partner. (LAUGHING) (INDISTINCT CONVERSATION) Whoa, whoa, whoa... Dude, go for it. That girl literally doesn't say no. Why don't you make a move? I'm just looking out for my wingman. (HEART BEATING) (INAUDIBLE) (INAUDIBLE) You can read lips, right? Good. Well, let me tell you, you're not missing anything. The music here sucks. (CHUCKLES) You wanna get out of here? Go someplace a little more quiet? (POP MUSIC CONTINUES PLAYING) (CHUCKLES) You're really pretty. How do you say, uh, "pretty" in sign language? (GASPS) Hey, hey! Easy. Heard about you from the guys. Ow! Ah! Deaf ***... Get over here! (CLOTH TEARING) (TEARING) Hey! Cara! (PANTING) (GRUNTS) (SOUND FADES OUT) (SCREAMING) (SCREAMING) (OWL HOOTING) (HIGH-PITCHED WHINING) Excuse me. Are you done with that? Your newspaper. MAN 1: Way to go, dude. You just creeped her out. MAN 2: How do I tell her I didn't get the promotion? I was so sure. We were so sure. MAN 3: I'm so tired. I'm so, so tired. (TELEPATHIC WHISPERING CONTINUES) JOHN: Hey, just in time. We figured out a way to get the jump on Ultra. A way to save breakouts before their powers are stripped or they're turned into agents. Yes. We are using Ultra's own intel against them. (LAUGHS) My buddy Tim figured it out. Who stole his new processor? Good combo. Up top? Are you okay? I thought you... You were gonna get us food. Sorry, I, uh... I got sidetracked. What's the plan? We're going to need Stephen. (DANCE MUSIC PLAYING) Uh, I don't think I should drink with... Your meds. Yeah, I know. It's just water. It's a prop. You gotta blend. I'm blending, okay? Check it out... Oh... No, no, no, please. Don't ever do that again. (LAUGHING) I, uh, I'm actually trying to reintegrate you into the social circle, not have you scare people away. I know, okay? I get it, but I don't need you to babysit me. Good. YOUNG MAN: She's not wearing a bra. No wait, she is wearing a bra. She's not wearing a bra. Oh, I can't tell. YOUNG WOMAN 1: Twenty calories a chip. Salsa's another 20, but I skipped lunch, so... Really good. YOUNG WOMAN 2: ***... ***... ***. Sartre was right. Hell is other people. What's your problem? (LAUGHS) Nothing, um... Emily. Jameson, I remember. The crazy one. Hey, you know, we should probably split up before the normal kids think the freaks are starting a club. What is her problem? Claws in. Emily's been through hell. Yeah, so have you. Okay, I get what happened with her sister was awful, but doesn't mean she gets a free pass. Maybe that's enough socialization for one night. Okay, sure. I'll meet you outside. Just let me go say bye. EMILY: I'm so sick and tired of trying to fit in with these people. Thank the non-existent God that in 48 hours I'll be dead. JEDIKIAH: We certainly had a difficult time tracking you down. Question is, what are we going to do with you now? Who are you and what is this place? It's kind of a rehab center for people like you. Look, I'm not saying that superpowers aren't fun. Heck, if I was born with them, I'd probably decorate my walls with stolen Van Goghs as well. (LAUGHS INCREDULOUSLY) Of course, I prefer Modernism. Point is... Your kind can't be trusted in our world. This... This is about the paintings. Look, I will never teleport into the Met ever again and I will never touch another painting, okay? I know you won't. (INJECTOR CLICKS) Well, that's entirely up to you. First part is non-negotiable. Your criminal disposition, your mediocre powers, are useless to me. So I'm going to take them away from you. Return you to the way you used to be. And the second part? That you will never breathe a word of what happens today to anyone, or, make no mistake, I will kill you. You believe me? Give him the shot. Hey, hey, wait, no. Ow! (GROANING) (SCREAMING) JOHN: Have you ever seen someone have their powers taken? I have. What do you want me to do? (DOOR OPENS) It's game time, baby. Tim, pull up the schematics. TIM: Yes, Cara. I've constructed a 3D map of Ultra. You want me to break into my own office? A highly restricted part of the facility. We'll guide you through it, step by step. And I'll be close enough to be inside your head the whole time. And theirs. This dongle. ...inside their firewall. It'll install software that syncs up their system directly to Tim. It'll give us all their intel on new breakouts. Ultra is linked into a whole web of classified material. Medical files, police reports, psych records. They even have their own algorithms for ID-ing potential paranormals. It's sort of like an alarm system that lets them know if someone's secretly one of us. Tap into that system, no more head start for Jedikiah. Are you excited, Timothy? You get to stick your dongle in Ultra's mainframe. TIM: As you know, I'm incapable of experiencing excitement. Or appreciating crude *** innuendo. Stephen, I know it's dangerous. If you get caught, it won't matter that you're Jedikiah's nephew. But, hey, if you're not ready... I'm ready. Cara. You got a sec? At this party, it was the first time that I could hear all of my classmate's thoughts. Sucks, doesn't it? Knowing what's going on inside people's heads. Yeah, but... Not just that, there's this girl, Emily. What'd you hear? "In 48 hours, I'll be dead." That could mean anything. Or it could mean, in two days, she's gonna kill herself. Even if it did, we don't use our powers to intervene in human lives. Do you really want to play God? It's messy, it's complicated and it risks exposure. When I was losing it, I had to go to the nurse every day to get my pills. Me and Emily, we were the freaks, both of us having breakdowns. Only she had an excuse. She was behind the wheel of the car Stephen, stop it. You dig around in people's minds, you'll find everyone has a sad story. You talking from experience? Not that I'd like to share. Okay, wait... So what? We just ignore them? Forget about their kind. We'll be lucky if we can save our own species. Take off your shirt. Excuse me? Bio-metric transmitter. It only works on bare skin. (CHUCKLES) Okay. You could buy me dinner first, I don't even know your name. Yes you do, it's Agent Nichols. Got a first name, Agent Nichols? This isn't some get-to-know-you luncheon. I'm here to train you. It's Darcy. What the hell's the gun for, Darcy? According to your file, not only are you naturally gifted in telepathy, teleportation, telekinesis, but you can actually stop time. I don't know how to control it. Oh, I saw the tape. You did it before. Yeah, by accident. Your power is tied into your emotion. The stronger your emotion, the stronger your power. Which is why you were able to save those kids. Because you were scared. Which only follows that, if I scare you again, you'll be able to stop time. Wait, wait, wait... Two... Three. (SHOUTS) What just happened? (BEEPING) Nothing, except for an incredibly elevated heart rate. You just fired a gun at me. Why aren't I dead? Oh. It was loaded with blanks. Our kind can't kill, remember? I just had to make you think it was real. (CHUCKLES) (PANTING) Well, this was... ...loads of fun. I'm gonna go grab a water. Maybe change my shorts. You do that. CARA: Your partner's a real sweetheart. CARA: And hers. Being a telepath, is like being a psychic antenna. That's why I had to get close enough to help you, it helps me hear better. See that agent? Follow him. He's headed to the restricted section. STEPHEN: Uh, problem. There's a key pad. (PULSATING) Two, two... Six, zero, one. (CLICKING) STEPHEN: Now which way to the mainframe? Left. Go all the way to the end of the... CARA: Wait! Someone headed your way. Hide. You're all clear. Go. Okay, stop. You're there. STEPHEN: I don't see a mainframe. (BEEPING) CARA: Above you. You see that panel? Third one up. Can you reach it? It's the primary data cable for the mainframe. (PULSATING) WAITER: Damn European tippers. MAN: I can't believe I blew it with another interview. (OVERLAPPING TELEPATHIC WHISPERING) STEPHEN: Okay, that was easy. Which way out? Am I clear? (WHISPERING CONTINUES) Cara, are you there? (HIGH-PITCHED WHINING) (SIGHS) Stephen. What are you doing here? Uh... I... I was looking for you. I wanted to talk to you in private. Come to my office. STEPHEN: I overheard something that I wasn't supposed to. One of my classmates, who's been having pretty serious mental problems, is thinking about killing herself. Oh, that's tragic. So... So I should try to help her? What was it that Stalin once said? When one man dies it's a tragedy, when millions die, it's a statistic. Well, obviously he was a monster. And he had it backwards. Because what happens if by using your powers to help this person, you accidentally reveal to the rest of the world that there's a new species living amongst them? One that could read their thoughts, steal their secrets, prey upon them. Humans would either try to exploit you or kill you and then millions would die, of your kind and mine. And that would indeed be a tragedy. So what does make Emily? Is she the statistic? You can't save everybody. Sweep the fourth floor. Make sure nothing is out of place. (RUSSELL EXCLAIMS) The great dongler returns! Good job. Tim's uploading from Ultra as we speak. Are you sure you got out clean? Yeah, yeah. Cara was with me every step of the way. Thank you for not making a big deal in front of... Actually, it was a big deal. I almost got caught up there because of you going mute on me in the middle of a mission. What happened? Sometimes my powers work a little too well up there. I can get overwhelmed by all the noise and I get these... Episodes. Episodes? What? Being stuck down here. There's a whole world up there you can't be a part of. Trust me, Stephen. I'm happy not being a part of that world. (PHONE RINGING) (OFFICERS SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY) Cara? Are you okay? What happened, honey? Who? Who did this to you? OFFICER: Mr. Coburn? Tell her she's under arrest. For the *** of Tyler Miller. ***? (STAMMERING) My daughter says she just shoved him. She was defending herself. Yeah, well, it was some shove. The kid's head was cracked open. What did you hit him with, a rock? Where did you hide it? The truth is going to come out. Don't waste... Can I have a moment alone with my daughter, please? Don't worry. Don't worry. It's gonna be okay. Sir, you wanna help your daughter? I suggest you find her an attorney. EMILY: 4-15, then 5-44, 7-23, 9-16... So you're, uh... You're stalking Emily now? (CHUCKLES) No. Liar. Nothing. I'm just worried about her. I think she's been more depressed than usual. Oh, and this is based on the, uh, the 10 seconds of scintillating conversation Not just that. I, um... I overhead her at the guidance counselor talking about the accident and her sister. That's not cool. I know, but I heard what I heard. She's in a dark place and I'm worried she might try to hurt herself. I didn't steal it. Okay, I stole it. I just needed an excuse to check in with her. Make sure she's okay. Sweet. I mean it's creepy... (SCHOOL BELL RINGING) Are you doing okay? Yeah. Why? Come on. I recognize the look. It's happening again, isn't it? I know this time of year is hard. But you don't have to be so alone. With your powers, it'd be so easy to just let me in. You know damn well there are things inside your head you don't let me see. I'm sorry. It's all ancient history. Just try and focus on the present. (DOOR CLOSING) What is with you all over me all of a sudden, Jameson? We, uh, we brought your notebook. Picked it up? My hero. STEPHEN: Hold on... Look, you did your good deed for the day so you can go check off your community service hour. We... We're worried about you. You're worried about me? You're the one who's hanging out with a ***. A friend. I know about your sister. And I've lost somebody too. I didn't lose her. She's not a set of car keys. I killed her. I wasn't paying attention. I didn't even see a train coming. I killed my little sister, okay? So, if you're here to tell me that you know what it feels like to have your parents look at you like you're a murderer... No. No, I just meant that... We'd like to help you. Stephen overheard you talking in the counselor's office accidentally. That's funny, 'cause I haven't been to the counselor all year. So, maybe you're hallucinating again? Tim, I need you to search some numbers for me, see if they mean anything. 5-44, 7-23, and 9-16. TIM: They could signify anything. Time intervals. Departure or arrival times for a flight. Train. Train. Emily's sister. Uh... Search all train schedules. See if there's a line that hits those times. No matches. I am a supercomputer. Nothing. This doesn't have anything to do with your friend at school. The one who's mind your reading? Yes, thank you, I already got the lecture. Then I don't need to explain why it's not worth the risk. I risked my *** for you guys. I hacked into Ultra's mainframe to help your species track down new breakouts. It's your species too, Stephen. And I almost got caught thanks to whatever the hell's going on inside your brain. But just because you can't deal or don't give a damn about humans, doesn't mean... What's he talkin' about? You're right. The real reason not to help these people isn't because it's reckless. It's pointless. They don't deserve saving. The people you love, they don't know the truth about you. If, when, they discover there's a freak living in their midst, then you'll find out who they really are. TIM: Sorry to interrupt, but I just received an alert via Ultra's mainframe. It seems there's a breakout. You got an ID? Facial recognition coming through. Tim's put us ahead of Ultra on a new breakout. Let's move. I didn't get any kind of telepathic read on this girl. Maybe that's 'cause your powers are fritzing out. Russell and I can handle this if you're not feeling 100%. Stop coddling me, I'm fine. Why not? JOHN: You're the inside man at Ultra. We can't risk you being exposed. Dark-haired female, 5'6". Exhibiting paranormal powers somewhere in the vicinity. What a craphole. Why would a breakout want to hang here? CARA: She's probably confused. Wants to stow away on a ship. Get as far away from home as fast as possible. GIRL: I have to get out of here before they figure out I'm a freak. We'll cover you. GIRL: Please don't make me go home. You don't know what they did to me. CARA: It's okay. Everything's gonna be okay. Hey! It's me, we have to go. I don't think so. (YELLS) They took her! We gotta jet! We can't help her if we're dead! RUSSELL: We don't know that. Maybe she bolted with the breakout. There was no breakout, it was a damned trap. Jedikiah must have found our drive. I never should have let her go up top, not in the state she was in. Wait, what do you mean? The night Cara broke out, this *** attacked her, tried to *** her. Cara fought back. That's how she discovered she had powers. That was five years ago exactly. This time of year is always rough. It's like she's reliving it all over again. What do you think we do? No. No, they'll be ready for us. We don't have a choice. They're gonna kill her. Stay here. Stephen. I'm gonna get her. I'm the inside man, remember? STEPHEN: Jedikiah. Hmm. JEDIKIAH: Power suppression restraints. Very effective. How'd you get her? JEDIKIAH: Familiar? What is it? Just something that mysteriously found its way into my computer system after you came on board. I've never seen it before. Get Darcy to give me another one of your telepathic brain scans if you don't believe me. No, I prefer to take you at your word. Learning otherwise would, of course, put you in the same boat as your friend there. STEPHEN: What are you gonna do to her? I mean, you can't kill her. (SCOFFING) I certainly can. Easily. She's useless. But impressive. Our best telepath could not retrieve a shred of intel on her compatriots. Jedikiah... Please. Don't do it. Well, you seem awfully attached. Cara helped me. When I thought I was going nuts, her voice kept me from falling apart. I owe her. You do know that she's a murderer. A fugitive. Unrepentant. I'm sorry, Stephen, I can't justify it. I'm gonna have to put her down. What if you just take away her powers? She would be harmless. Now, why would I let her off that easy? Because of John. He's in love with her. You take away her powers, you turn her into the thing he hates. Human. Without her telepathy, she's useless to him. I can't tell if your being sadistic or self-serving. If you don't believe me... Why don't you let me give her the injection? (GASPING) So, now what? I'm gonna get you out of here. It's the only way. No, Stephen, no! I'm sorry, the best I can do is to give you your old life back. No, you don't understand what it was like for me to be human. No, you don't understand. If I don't do this, they're gonna kill you. Stephen, I can't... I can't go back to who I was. I'm sorry. Kill me. Just kill me. No. You are a survivor, Cara. You will find a way. No, don't. (CARA BEGGING) (STRAINING) No, don't, Stephen! (GROANING) (BELL DINGING) Cara. CARA: Yeah? Nothin'. I just didn't know you were such a good actress. How'd you know you could do it again? I didn't. I just hoped I could. No. No. No, don't, Stephen! Oh, my God, Stephen. (PANTING) Okay. I'm gonna inject you with saline. Are you a good actress? 'Cause you need to give the performance of your life here. Thank you. Ready? He saved my life. When Ultra had me, I thought... Hey. You're safe now. What about Stephen? If Jedikiah ever sees me using my powers again, you know what will happen to him. He made that choice himself. I would have done the same thing. I'm just glad I got you back. Me too. I'm serious, man, you gotta teach me how to do that. There's still a few casinos I haven't been banned from. We could do some major damage! TIM: Pardon me for interrupting. Oh, Tim! We are having a moment. But are you aware you have 12 missed calls, Stephen? I believe the eager young woman's name is Astrid. How do you know that? My phone doesn't even work down here. Never mind, you're a supercomputer. Hmm. Who's Astrid? We blocked all cell reception a long time ago. Security measures. I just opened a line for you now. (DIALING) Hey, it's me. Yeah, look, it's Emily. Nobody can find her. Um... Her mom has been calling everybody. I think you were right. She's hiding something. Her mom said that this last week, she's totally shut down on them. When did her sister die? Do you remember the date? I think it was around now. You don't think she's gonna... Yeah, it's the anniversary. Astrid, I'm sorry, I gotta go. Tim, those numbers I gave you didn't match any train schedules? That is correct, Stephen. (SIGHING) What about the time intervals? That's interesting. They match the westbound blue line. Only the times are off by exactly three minutes. That's 'cause she's not planning on hopping a train, she's planning on getting hit by one. Emily's been obsessing about dying the same way her sister did. I don't care about your rules, I gotta stop her. Why the hell not? Stephen, this girl knows you. You'll risk exposing yourself if you use your powers in front of her. Cara. I almost lost you once today. I can do this, John. Trust me. (CROSSING BELL RINGING) (SOBBING) Between the three of us, I think we can TK the car. Too risky. Wait... Cara! It's okay. She's got this. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. (TRAIN HORN BLOWING) What the hell? What are you doing? I might ask you the same question. Are you crazy? Get out! No. (TRAIN HORN BLOWING) Do you think this is what your sister would've wanted? How do you know about my sister? You don't understand. Everybody blames me. My parents... What happened was an accident. Killing yourself is not going to bring her back. (TRAIN HORN HONKING) I know what it's like to see someone's face every time you close your eyes. Killing yourself is not gonna settle the score. (TRAIN CLATTERING) What'd you say? We should go before she sees you. Emily. What do you think'll happen? Let's hope it's a wake-up call. Maybe now they can all stop living in the past. STEPHEN: Moment of truth. I hope Emily knows how lucky she is. A mystery woman just talked her off the edge. I think she's feeling pretty lucky. I meant that she gets to go home. Something I can never do. What happened? I wanna show you something. Something I've never shared with anyone. (PULSATING) (KNOCKING) Yeah? Cara? (STAMMERING) What are you doing here? Dad... I can hear. What do you mean, you can hear? That doesn't make any sense. Cara, a boy is dead. That boy, do you know who his father is? No one's gonna believe that you're innocent. No one's gonna believe that you suddenly can hear. Look, you want a life, then you turn around and you go. And you never come back here. Ever. Cara. (MONEY RUSTLING) This is the best I can do. Take this and go. (THINKING) We'll be better off without her. Cara. Go. (SOBBING) Cara! Bye. (GIRL SOBBING) I'm sorry, Cara. I had no idea. It's okay. You can't change what happened. No. You also don't have to let it define you. Maybe we were given these powers for a reason. You know? Our being able to help people like Emily, it's not playing God. It's just being human. You're a real cup's-half-full kinda guy, aren't you? I like that. You did good today. Really good. (CHUCKLING) Hey! You scared the crap out of me. Sorry. Anything you wanna say to me? Uh, yeah. Text me before you show up in my room like something out of Paranormal Activity. Anything else? About Emily, maybe? Um... Yeah. I'm sorry I hung up on you. I just heard that she's fine. You know she's fine. You were at the train tracks. And then, all of a sudden, you were just... Not. Um... I appreciate the credit, but I wasn't anywhere near a train. You're really gonna stand there and lie to my face? (SCOFFS) Astrid... I'm onto you. And if you don't wanna tell me the truth, I will go figure it out for myself.