BY KAL-EL
ROLE REVERSAL
ACT 3
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Everything up until the end of 'Chant Down Babylon'.
Around twelve people sat at a board table in a window-view office. Outside, repairs were being done after the fire around a week back. MetaChem was rebuilding, but was not without it�s losses.
EXECUTIVE # 1: Are you sure they�re dead?
EXECUTIVE # 2: Positive. The police found Merris Weeler�s body at a library in Vermont. We�re just not sure who killed her.
EXECUTIVE # 1: Of course we know who killed her.
EXECUTIVE: No we don�t. Was it her husband, Clayton? Or was it Max Evans? From the report she gave us, the boss looks exactly like him.
FEMALE EXECUTIVE: Looked, you mean? We�ve seen the pictures of him getting off that bus in Roswell. It�s safe to assume that Clayton�s dead as well. Evans must have taken over.
The head of the group sighs. He then picks a large portfolio off the table.
EXECUTIVE # 1: I�m guessing who just proceed with �operation evolution� then, correct?
FEMALE EXECUTIVE: I somehow doubt Mr. Gurin will be reporting for work ever again.
EXECUTIVE: Then we�ll just use those remains of Max�s body we collected from the dust. It must still have some strands of DNA left that we can use.
At that moment, the doors to the office burst open.
In enters the spiky-haired motorcyclist from earlier, now dressed in a gray business suit.
MAN: My, busy this morning aren�t we? Let me guess, stock talk, right?
He walks over to the head of the table.
EXECUTIVE # 1: Someone call security�
Before he can finish, the dark-haired stranger pulls him out of the chair by his collar and throws him to the floor.
EXECUTIVE # 1: Ahhh.
He then sits down in his chair and puts his feet on the table.
MAN: Consider this a corporate take-over. Your president and his only family are dead, so I�m taking over.
The man on the floor picks himself up and walks towards the stranger, taking a gun out of his pocket.
However, before he can do anything else, the stranger reacts. He lifts up his hand, and faces it towards the executive. A blast of invisible force hits him, causing him to fly against the nearest wall.
MAN: Anyone else have a problem with that?
Everyone in the room stares at him in shock.
FEMALE EXECUTIVE: Who are you?
The man simply smiles.
MAN: Nicholas.
He picks the portfolio up from the table and hands it to her.
NICHOLAS: I believe you have a full three pages on me in there somewhere.
She starts looking through the pages.
EXECUTIVE # 2: Our records show that Nicholas was a child.
NICHOLAS: Yeah, I was. Didn�t work for me. After that huge disaster at the summit in New York, I went for an upgrade.
FEMALE EXECUTIVE: What summit?
NICHOLAS: Not important. What is important, however, is how we can help each other. Tell me, is Evans really dead?
The executive from earlier picks himself off the ground.
EXECUTIVE # 1: Not exactly. His body disintegrated, but he took over Clayton�s body.
NICHOLAS: But his body is gone, right?
He receives nods, then smiles.
NICHOLAS: This is better than I hoped. Now, what say I help you out with�what did you call it? Ah, yes��Operation Evolution�.
*****
Cut to the Crashdown. Liz is in uniform, and begins waiting tables. She suddenly arrives at Kyle, who is going over a group of papers.
LIZ: Hey Kyle, what can I get you?
Kyle doesn�t even look up at her.
KYLE: Oh, just a coffee.
Liz looks at him, confused. Then she sees what he�s reading.
Next to the pile of pages was the destiny book.
LIZ: (whispering)Kyle, what the heck are you doing?
KYLE: Relax Liz. I cleared this with Michael first.
Liz double-checked the papers.
LIZ: Isn�t that�
KYLE: The translation Alex made? Yep. I�m going to try to understand this language by comparing the two. Maybe if someone can actually read this stuff then the next time some alien thing shows up, we�re not flying blind.
LIZ: When did you become �Mr. Studious�? You�re ruining my �dumb jock� preconceptions.
KYLE: Says the gun-toting holdup girl?
Liz laughs, and turns around.
KYLE: This doesn�t make sense.
Liz turns back to face him.
LIZ: What doesn�t?
KYLE: This paragraph just cuts off. I was thinking it continued on the next page, but it goes on to talk about the granolith. It�s like something�s missing.
LIZ: It�s from a different planet, Kyle. Maybe they have different sentence structure than we do. Or maybe you mistranslated something.
KYLE: No, no�look.
He shows her Alex�s translation.
KYLE: See, look at that. Mindwarped or not, Alex would have redid the sentence structure so we could understand it. He had this huge attention to detail. There�s something missing.
LIZ: What?
KYLE: That�s the question of the hour, I guess.
*****
Cut to the kitchen. Maria runs in, carrying a tray. She almost runs right into Liz, who is standing there.
LIZ: Maria! Careful.
MARIA: Ugh, I gotta warm these Will Smith�s up pronto.
Liz takes the trays and puts them on the counter. Then she lifts her hand over them. Her palm starts to faintly glow, as steam rises from the food.
MARIA: What are you doing!
Maria takes the tray away before Liz can finish.
LIZ: I thought you said they needed to be warmed up?
MARIA: Not like that.
Liz starts to become confused.
LIZ: Maria, Michael uses his powers on the food all the time. What�s the problem.
MARIA: Yeah, Michael does. Not you. Not like this. Could you at least pretend everything�s normal?
Liz looks at her, slightly hurt.
MARIA: I�m sorry. It�s just that�it weirds me out. You being all�whoosh�and all. You were like the only normal thing in my life, and now you�re not. It just takes some getting used to. You not being�normal.
LIZ: (muttering sadly)What�s so great about normal?
Maria looks at her.
MARIA: Did you say something?
LIZ: Just something Max told me. A long time ago. My shift�s almost over, so I�m gonna head out.
Liz removes the antennae barrette and leaves through the back door.
MARIA: Liz, I didn�t mean�
But she was already gone.
*****
Cut to the Ramirez house. Jesse straightens his tie while looking in the mirror. Behind him, Isabel kisses him on the cheek.
ISABEL: Remember, Jesse, dad�
JESSE: Got you. No telling the boss about anything.
He turns and smiles at her.
JESSE: I hate to say this, but this is sort of fun.
ISABEL: Fun?
JESSE: Yeah. I don�t know�maybe it�s just the rush of this cloak and dagger work. It feels exciting once you get past the lying.
ISABEL: I�m so sorry for not telling you, Jesse. It�s just that�
JESSE: No need. Liz Parker talked to me about everything last night. I think I understand things a bit better.
They pause a moment, then kiss.
JESSE: See you tonight.
Jesse arrives at the door just as Max appears at it.
JESSIE: Hey Max.
MAX: Hey.
Jesse leaves, as Max walks over to Isabel.
MAX: How�s he doing?
ISABEL: Oh, good. Liz talked to him apparently.
Max smiles.
MAX: Good.
ISABEL: So, how�s she doing?
MAX: What do you mean?
ISABEL: You know�
Isabel waved her hand over a couch cushion, turning it rainbow colored.
ISABEL: �that.
MAX: We haven�t exactly discussed it yet. My�experience at MetaChem�
ISABEL: �Experience�? You died. I thought you had actually�
MAX: I�m sorry you had to go through that, Iz. Believe me.
There is an uncomfortable silence for a moment before one of them speaks up.
ISABEL: Hey, could you do something with the TV? It gets static on channel four.
Max rolls his eyes and reaches behind the television.
MAX: And you can�t do this yourself because�?
ISABEL: I�m horrible with electronics. I�d probably put it together wrong.
Max presses the palm of his hand against the back of the TV. It starts to glow for a moment�
MAX: What?
A burst of light appears, causing Max to fall backwards. Smoke starts to rise out of the television screen.
ISABEL: But I wouldn�t blow it up!!! What is wrong with you.
Max begins staring at his hand in shock.
Arcs of green electricity start flowing around it. After a long moment, it dies down.
Isabel looks at his hand in shock.
ISABEL: Max? What just happened?
MAX: I don�t know.
ISABEL: I�ve�I�ve never seen anything like that before.
Max takes a deep breath.
MAX: I have.
*****
Cut to the Valenti house. Michael is there, talking to Valenti.
VALENTI: I�m not sure that�s such a good idea. It�s dangerous.
MICHAEL: Psycho lady�s gone, so it�d be a good idea not to be suspicious, right? Besides, I might be able to dig something up. There�s just something going on there that bugs me.
Just then Liz enters.
LIZ: Hey, is Max here?
MICHAEL: Nope.
Michael picked a camera up from the table.
LIZ: There�s something Kyle found in the book that�
MICHAEL: Yeah, get back to me on that.
He then pulls on his jacket.
LIZ: Where are you going?
MICHAEL: Work.
Liz�s eyes go wide.
LIZ: MetaChem? No. No Michael, that�s not really a good idea.
MICHAEL: You don�t say?
LIZ: They know what you are. What you all are.
Michael turns around to face her.
MICHAEL: Which is why I�m going back there to find out
LIZ: It�s too risky.
MICHAEL: Is it now?
LIZ: You�re putting everyone in danger. I understand being worried about what they know, but you have to talk to the other first.
MICHAEL: Correction, I�m putting me, Max, and Isabel in danger. Not you. Having powers doesn�t make you one of us, Liz. You�ll never be one of us, ok?
Liz is taken aback by what he�s saying. He turns around to leave, but Liz puts her hand on his shoulder and turns him back around.
LIZ: Don�t�
Michael roughly grabs her wrist and removes her hand.
MICHAEL: I�m starting to get why Max likes you so much. You both like to tell people what to do.
LIZ: What?
MICHAEL: Well, I�m not going to sit around waiting for someone to start picking us off one by one. Do you understand that?
Liz winces in pain.
LIZ: Let go. You�re hurting me�
MICHAEL: I�m through being pushed around. By you, by Max, by Maria�by anyone�
LIZ: Let�GO!
The second that Liz said �go�, a flash of green energy burst from her hand, hitting Michael.
He flew through the air, directly towards the window.
Outside, Kyle and Maria are headed towards the house when they see Michael crash through the window. Followed by Max and Isabel, who had just arrived.
MARIA: MICHAEL!!!
She runs over to him, kneeling down to see if he�s all right.
Slowly, Liz looks out the window in shock. She goes through the door and starts to walk towards them.
LIZ: I�I didn�t mean�
Maria looks up at her friend, horrified.
MARIA: Just stay away from him!
A scared look appears in Liz�s eyes. She then ran towards the gate.
Max sees her leave and tries to go after her. However, Isabel grabs his arm.
ISABEL: Max! Just let her go.
Max looks at his sister defiantly.
MAX: Not this time. Not ever again.
Then he goes after Liz.