BY KAL-EL
ROLE REVERSAL
ACT 4
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Everything up until the end of 'Chant Down Babylon'.
Cut to Maideckizne Rocks, just outside of where the pod chamber used to be. She is looking up at the sky, the wind blowing through her hair.
Behind her, Max slowly walks across the desert.
MAX: Liz?
Liz takes a deep breath.
LIZ: Max, please, go away. I really want to be alone right now.
Max put his hand on her shoulder comfortably.
MAX: Right now, I think there�s a large difference between what you want and what you need.
Liz turned around to face him, their faces almost touching.
LIZ: And what do I need?
MAX: Someone to talk to.
At that exact second, Liz swung her arms around Max and held him close.
LIZ: (whispering)Is he okay?
MAX: I don�t know. I went right after you. I needed to see if you were all right. Why did you�?
Max put his hands in hers, and lifted them up. There, he saw a red mark on her wrist.
MAX: (surprised)You�re hurt. Did Michael�?
Liz nodded. Max began to get mad.
MAX: He�ll pay for this.
LIZ: No, Max. Don�t do anything to him. I think blasting him through a window did enough.
They pause for a moment, neither one saying anything.
LIZ: It hurts a little. Can you heal it?
MAX: No.
Liz becomes surprised.
LIZ: Why not?
MAX: My powers aren�t working right. I tried to fix a television, and ended up blowing it up. I�I can�t risk hurting you. But maybe you can do it yourself?
Liz seems unsure.
LIZ: I don�t know how.
MAX: Here�
Max touches her hand gently, almost as if it were made of glass. Slowly, he brought her hand over to her wrist.
MAX: All you have to do is feel it. Feel your skin, and then relax. Let the power flow.
He was whispering now. Liz could feel his warm breath on her face.
Her hand began to glow gently.
LIZ: I can feel it. It�s like�I can see my own molecules inside my head.
MAX: Good. Now, just push them gently back together. Like you�re putting together a complex puzzle. Be careful.
The light subsides, and Liz removes her hand. The red mark is completely gone.
Max smiles at her.
MAX: I knew you could do it.
LIZ: I just wish everything were that easy to fix.
Liz turned around and wrapped her arms around herself. Max moved close her, until his chin was just above her shoulder.
LIZ: Maria was horrified of me. My best friend is scared of me.
MAX: Liz, I�m sorry for doing this to you.
Liz shook her head.
LIZ: Don�t blame yourself for this, Max. When you healed me, you had no idea what would happen.
MAX: I should have, though. I had no right to bring you into this life. Of always hiding who you are, of looking over your shoulder every moment. You deserve better than this. You deserve better than me.
LIZ: This isn�t about us, Max. This is about me. I just know that sounds selfish when I say it out loud.
Both to them start to laugh.
LIZ: Just promise me you won�t pull away again. Right now, I need you more than ever.
Max leans in close to her and gently brushes her lips with his.
MAX: I promise.
Liz sees the television exploding at Jesse and Isabel�s
She looks at him, concerned.
LIZ: You said your powers aren�t working right?
MAX: Yeah, you saw�?
LIZ: The TV? Yeah. Any idea what�s happening?
MAX: Not a clue. Are you still �Liz Parker, science girl�?
Liz simply grinned.
*****
Cut to the apartment above the Crashdown Caf�. Liz sat at her desk, preparing a microscope slide.
LIZ: Your powers were working fine until that thing with, Clayton. So, knowing that, my best guess is that the two are related. You altered Clayton�s body at a cellular level, so your DNA would be the logical place to start.
MAX: Ok.
Liz looks in the microscope, adjusting the focus.
LIZ: That�s strange�
Max looks over at her.
LIZ: Oh god, Max!
MAX: What what�s wrong?
LIZ: I think you�d better come see this.
Liz moves to the side and lets Max look in the microscope.
MAX: This isn�t my blood.
LIZ: Yes it is, Max.
Max looked up towards her, confusion reflected in his face.
LIZ: It�s human, Max. How is that even possible?
Max stood up, and paced across the room for a moment. Finally, he stopped and turned towards Liz.
MAX: Clayton Wheeler was human. When I was healing him, my subconscious somehow altered his body to resemble mine. The hair, the face, the fingerprints, even the voice. But the blood�it�s not a physical characteristic. I must have completely forgot�
LIZ: So when you took over, the blood stayed human. But you still have your powers?
MAX: Nasedo said that the powers weren�t alien, but evolved human.
LIZ: So you evolved Clayton�s body, but it�s not used to the powers. That�s why they�re out of control. Your body is still adjusting to them.
MAX: Yeah, just like yours were.
Max stared at his hand, taking it all in. Liz walked up to him, concerned.
LIZ: Max?
Max turned to face her.
MAX: My�my body�s completely human. The only thing that�s still �alien� about me are memories I don�t even have access to.
LIZ: You know what this means, don�t you? No more royal seal in your head. No more king.
A shocked smile slowly appeared on his lips.
MAX: I�m free.
*****
Cut to nighttime, at the rear entrance to MetaChem. Michael�s motorcycle halts to a stop a few feet away from the door. He climbs off and walks towards it.
MICHAEL: (muttering) Here goes nothing.
Michael puts his hand up against the lock and begins to concentrate. A small flash of light appears over it, and Michael pushes the door open.
Slowly, he creeps through the hallway. He hears voices coming from an office, so he halts in his tracks. He flattens himself against the wall and listened.
SCIENTIST # 1: An actual alien life form on earth? And he was working as one of our security guards. If I had known that, I probably would have gone up to front desk more often.
SCIENTIST # 2: You still have that DNA sample. We need it for �Operation Evolution�.
SCIENTIST # 1: Don�t worry, it�s up in lab B. The new boss said to lock it up good. That guy gives me the creeps.
SCIENTIST # 2: I�ve heard he�s one of them too.
SCIENTIST # 1: He�s an alien? Then why not use his blood?
SCIENTIST # 2: I don�t know. They guy�s not even twenty-one.
Leaning against the wall, Michael�s jaw started to hang open. Without making a single sound, he snuck past the door, and headed down the hallway.
He found an elevator, and rode it upward to the second floor.
MICHAEL: (whispering)Lab B.
*****
Cut to Michael�s apartment. Max and Liz arrive, with Max still having a smile on his face. However, once inside, they see Kyle, Isabel, and Maria waiting there.
MAX: What�s going on?
Isabel walks up to him, and says mater-of-factly.
ISABEL: Michael�s gone.
Max�s smile disappears.
MAX: Gone? What do you mean �gone�?
KYLE: Liz, didn�t you tell him?
Max looks towards Liz, who now has a panicked look on her face.
LIZ: Oh no, I was so upset about what happened that I completely forgot.
MAX: Forgot what?
LIZ: Michael went back to MetaChem.
Max turns towards the others.
MAX: WHAT?
MARIA: I tried to stop him, but he wouldn�t listen. He�s going to destroy the evidence of you guys being aliens. That�s a good thing, right?
MAX: Not this soon. Definitely not going alone. He�s going to get himself killed.
Max turned around and went towards the door.
KYLE: Hold on, Max. Where are you going?
MAX: After him.
Liz runs after him.
LIZ: Max�
ISABEL: What, so they can kill you again?
MAX: They might still think I�m Clayton. That might give me an advantage. One that you wouldn�t have, Isabel. I�ll be careful.
Liz looks at him.
LIZ: I�m coming with you.
MAX: No. It�s too dangerous.
LIZ: Your powers aren�t even working, remember?
Kyle and Maria�s eyes go wide.
MARIA: (in shock)Powers aren�t working�?
KYLE: Whoa. When did this happen?
Max ignores their questions. He just continues to look at Liz, and took her hand..
MAX: I don�t want you to get hurt. It�s been happening too often lately. I have to do this alone. I�m sorry.
He kisses her forehead, and lets go of her hand. Then he leaves.
Liz watches the door for a moment, as a determined look comes over her face.
LIZ: (muttering)Not this time, Max.
She walked over to Kyle and grabbed him by the wrist. Then she stormed into the other room and shut the door.
KYLE: Hey! What gives?
*****
Cut back to the Valenti house. Jim Valenti picks up a phone and dials a number.
VALENTI: Hey, is this the license bureau?
*****
Cut to MetaChem. Max walks up to the main entrance, where he sees Michael�s motorcycle parked.
He gently pushes open the door, finding it open.
MAX: (sarcastically)Nice job, Michael.
He walks in, and takes the back stairs up to the third floor. Looking around, he creeps through the hallway, past and office. He doesn�t notice it start to open.
MAX: (whispering)Michael?
*****
The camera pans down towards Max�s feet, and shows the floor below. Michael walks down the second floor�s hallway, and arrives at Lab B.
MICHAEL: Too easy.
He looks through the window in the door, and sees a security camera inside.
Michael then puts his hand up against the glass and uses his power. First the glass shatters, then the camera explodes. He then reaches inside and unlocks the door.
On a table, he sees dozens of containers saying �Michael Gurin�, one of which is a blood sample. He uses his power again, as each sample disintegrates into dust before his eyes.
Michael smiles in triumph, turning his attention to a nearby computer. It must have been left on.
He looks at it.
MICHAEL: What�s �Operation Evolution�?
He hits �Enter� to see the next page. After reading it, panic fills his eyes.
MICHAEL: No way.
He continues to read, choice sentences caught his attention.
�Alien powers are human-based�
�Genetic re-configuration�
�Subjects Liz Parker and Clayton Max/Max Evans are the missing link�
MICHAEL: This is not good.
Michael grabs a floppy disk off the desk and puts it in the computer. He copies the file, and ejects the disk.
MICHAEL: I gotta get this back to Max.
That was when he heard the gunshots.
*****
Cut to the bedroom of Michael�s apartment.
Liz pulls Kyle inside and locks the door.
KYLE: If you�re planning on setting up something to upset Max like last time, forget it. Once was enough.
LIZ: Kyle, I need your help. And not like that.
KYLE: Got ya.
Liz took a deep breath.
LIZ: I need you to watch me. Make sure that, until I open my eyes again, no one disrupts me. No one touches me or tries to shake me out of it. Can you do that?
KYLE: I think so. Out of what?
LIZ: I�m going to try to astral project myself to MetaChem. Like what I did when Max was in New York.
KYLE: Don�t you need Isabel for that?
LIZ: I don�t think so. She was just an outlet last time because I couldn�t access my powers yet. Plus, it�s not that far away this time. I can�t ask Maria because she�s freaked out.
KYLE: Ok, how do we do this?
They both sit down on the floor, across from each other.
LIZ: Remember�no one snaps me out of this.
Liz closes her eyes and begins to relax her breathing.
KYLE: Ok, meditating I get. Relax your body. Clear your mind�
Liz can hardly hear him now. She feels her head begin to feel lighter, as the world around her starts to get fuzzy�
Then evaporates, as she was transported somewhere else�
*****
Cut to MetaChem. Max is walking down the hallway, still looking for Michael.
MAX: (whispering)Michael?
Suddenly, Max heard footsteps behind him, just as he neared another set of stairs.
NICHOLAS: Hey Max! How ya been?
Max turns around and sees Nicholas�along with about ten armed guards.
MAX: Who are�?
Nicholas smirks.
NICHOLAS: Don�t recognize me, huh? Oh well�I guess you�ll never know.
Then Max heard a clicking sound as the guards loaded their weapons.