ScriptsLesserEvil

Fan Fiction Archive

Diseased
Transcribed by StarvedChoccobo

Scene opens on a whistling kettle. Darien moves over to the teapot with a cup containing a tea bag in hand. Darien sets the cup down and tries to pick up the kettle, but gets burned.

DARIEN: Aaaah!

Darien shakes his hand and puts on an oven mitt. He looks over at the door to see a envelope being slid under the door. The package is marked, �Darien Fawkes: For Your Eyes Only�. Darien grabs the kettle with the oven mitt and quickly moves it over to an unlighted burner. He throws the mitt away and walks over to the door, quicksilvering as he reaches it. He opens the door wide, and, in quicksilver vision, looks down the hallway, but sees no one. Darien sheds quicksilver as he reaches down and picks up the envelope.

DARIEN: (voice-over) There�s an old saying: �Curiosity killed the cat.� Or was it the cat burglar?
The scene moves to an overhead shot of Darien, who is studying the contents of the folder, which are scattered across the counter. Darien picks up a newspaper clipping about his trial and a set of his fingerprints.
DARIEN: (voice-over) My file from the Agency. The life and times of Darien Fawkes. Things I was proud of. Things I wanted to forget.

Darien moves to a police report of his attempted burglary from the pilot.

DARIEN: (voice-over) And some things I never even knew.

Darien looks up.

DARIEN: Hey, Stacey Meyer was cheating on me.

The camera zooms in on a sheet and two words: Solution Beta.

DARIEN: Solution Beta?

Darien flips the page back to reveal a note. It reads: �Itching to know more? Meet me @ 10:00 @ the corner of Cedar + Walton + I�ll scratch.�
The scene quicksilver fades to the corner of Cedar and Walton, where the camera slowly pans to Darien. As he looks around, a red convertible drives up. Darien watches as it pulls up.

DARIEN: Oh, crap.

The car pulls to a halt. Allianora is behind the wheel.
ALLIANORA: The Invisible Man.
DARIEN: Aquamama. Guess I should�ve guessed.
ALLIANORA: Who�d you expect?
DARIEN: I don�t know, someone I could trust.

Allianora chuckles and removes her sunglasses. One of her eyes is completely black.

ALLIANORA: Bad news. You�re all out of those.
DARIEN: Hey, looks like you�re getting a little touch of what I occasionally get. You know, I got a friend I can hook you up with. They got stuff for that.

Allianora gets out of the car, and starts walking around to Darien.

ALLIANORA: Occupational hazard. Let�s just say Kosovo is a little rough this time of year.
DARIEN: So�

Darien raises the folder.

DARIEN: This was good. I enjoyed it. Where�d you cook this up?
ALLIANORA: I stole it from your Agency.
DARIEN: Or doctored it.
ALLIANORA: Even we don�t know that much about you.
DARIEN: We? You mean, the, uh, that �Organization� thing?
ALLIANORA: Chrysalis. That�s the real name of the organization. You should know that now.
DARIEN: Why? You got me here, you know�

Darien looks around.

DARIEN: Where�s the sniper?
ALLIANORA: If we wanted you dead, you�d be dead. I�m here to try to help you.
DARIEN: Help me with what?
ALLIANORA: Help you stay alive. Did you read about Solution Beta?
DARIEN: Someone went ahead and blacked it out. Do you believe that?
ALLIANORA: Well, there�s something under the black that you need to see.

Allianora walks to the car.

DARIEN: Let me guess�you can show me.

Allianora turns to Darien.

DARIEN: Okay, uh, I�m walking away now. All right, you really want to help me, don�t shoot me in the back.

Darien starts to walk off.

ALLIANORA: You know, you once asked me if I regretted it, what they did to me.

Darien stops, then turns back to Allianora.

DARIEN: What do you want, huh?! Did you come out here to bond with me, you need a hug, or something?

Allianora looks at him, appearing hurt.

DARIEN: Yeah. I regret what they did to me, okay?

Darien turns away again.

ALLIANORA: Good, because it�s nothing compared with what they�re going to do to you.

Darien turns back to Allianora again.

ALLIANORA: You want to learn about Solution Beta, get in the car.
DARIEN: Only problem with that is, that would require me trusting you, you know?
ALLIANORA: All right. You, you want to take your chances? Good luck, and go to hell.

Allianora starts walking back around the car.

ALLIANORA: Because, you know what? I don�t need to bond with you, okay? We already did that when they cut us open and they took out the part that makes us normal.

Allianora opens the car door and gets in. Darien looks at her for a moment.

DARIEN: (voice-over) They say, �He who sups with the devil needs a long spoon.� Yeah, well�I was making dinner reservations for two.

Darien gets into the car, and Allianora screeches off.

Fade to static, intro.

DARIEN: (voice-over) There once was a story about a man who could turn invisible. I thought it was only a story, until it happened to me. Okay, so here�s how it works. There�s this stuff called quicksilver, which can bend light. Some scientists made it into a synthetic gland, and that�s where I came in. See, I was facing life in prison, and they were looking for a human experiment. So, we made a deal. They put the gland in my brain, I walk free. The operation was a success, but that�s where everything started to go wrong.
Fade to commercial.

Scene returns to Darien and Allianora walking down the sidewalk.

DARIEN: (voice-over) Francis Bacon, the guy who heard voices, said, �There is nothing makes a man
suspect more than to know little.� Well, right now, I suspected everything, so I wanted to learn as much as I could.

DARIEN: So, this is Chrysalis, huh?

ALLIANORA: This is the Macmillan building. We�re going to the 27th floor.

Scene shifts to inside the building.

ALLIANORA: This is Cerberus Sentinel. It�s a private security firm that handles contracts for the world�s most powerful corporations.

Darien and Allianora walk up to a reception desk, where Allianora signs in.

ALLIANORA: We maintain an alert network, and offer a paramilitary guard training program.
DARIEN: That�s always good. So, uh, in other words, this is a front for Chrysalis.

Darien and Allianora resume walking.

ALLIANORA: One of many, but you�ll never be able to prove that.

Allianora walks past Darien into an elevator.

DARIEN: Look, the deal was, you were going to tell me what was in the file, you remember that?
ALLIANORA: The answer�s on floor 30.

The elevator doors start to close as Darien stares at Allianora.

ALLIANORA: Suit yourself.

Darien reaches in and stops the doors.

DARIEN: Okay, fine, fine.

Darien gets into the elevator. It reaches the 30th floor, and Allianora walks out. Darien is more cautious, peering out the door before moving. Allianora notices this, and stops.

ALLIANORA: Darien, if we wanted you dead�

DARIEN: �I�d be dead. I know, I know. You keep saying that as if it�s supposed to wash all my worries away. You know, you could want me tortured, or brianwashed.

ALLIANORA: What I want is to show you the truth, but I�d be lying if I said that it isn�t going to hurt.

Darien and Allianora walk into a large office. A man is staring out the window. He notices Darien and turns around.

STARK:Mr. Fawkes, welcome to Cerberus Sentinel. I�m Jared Stark.

Stark offers his hand, which Darien stares at, making no move to shake it. Stark then clasps his hands behind his back.

DARIEN: Cerberus, uh�pardon me if my Greek mythology is a little bit rusty, but, uh, that�s the guy who guarded the gates of hell, right?

STARK:Hades, actually.
DARIEN: Hell, Hades, Schmades, you know, same concept, right?
STARK: Actually, Hell is where you pay for your sins. Hades is just a resting place for lost souls.

Allianora motions to a chair.

ALLIANORA: Take a load off.

Darien doesn�t move.

DARIEN: Look, guys, come on. There�s really no reason to be polite. I mean, you know, we are enemies.
STARK: Well, that�s why you�re here. Some opponents are so dangerous, they become valuable.
DARIEN: So, what are you guys saying, just�why can�t we all just get along, is that it?
STARK: Oh, something like that.
DARIEN: Yeah, well, forget it, all right?
ALLIANORA: Why?
DARIEN: Because you�re the bad guys.
STARK: Are we?
DARIEN: Yeah.
STARK: When the US bombed Hiroshima, they killed thousands, but saved millions. The end justifies the means.

Stark moves off and sits in the chair behind his desk.

DARIEN: I don�t agree with that.
STARK: Sure you do. You say so every time you cash your paycheck.

Darien leans in towards Stark.

DARIEN: Let me tell you something, okay? It�s not my choice to work for the government.
STARK: Oh, of course not. We know about counteragent, Darien.

Darien shakes his head.

STARK: Keep you on a pretty tight leash, don�t they? But you have no idea how short that leash really is.

The scene shifts to the Official�s office, where Claire is looking out the window.

CLAIRE: Okay, now I�m starting to worry.

The Official reads �The Art of War�, with Eberts looking over his shoulder.

OFFICIAL: Oh, so he�s late. So what?

Claire walks over to the Official�s desk.

CLAIRE: Well, it�s Monday.

The Official and Eberts look up.

CLAIRE: It�s counteragent day, he�s never late for that.
EBERTS: He has failed to check in on any secure lines of communication.

Hobbes walks into the room, holding a sheet of paper.

HOBBES: We have a serious problem.

The Official puts his book down and looks at Hobbes. Hobbes waves the sheet of paper and walks up to the Official�s desk.

HOBBES: Thought I should bring this to your attention right away.

Hobbes places the paper on the Official�s desk. The Official doesn�t look at it.

OFFICIAL: It�s your paycheck.
HOBBES: Check the deductions, sir.

Hobbes leans in and starts pointing to lines on the paper. The Official glances at where Hobbes is pointing.

HOBBES: You�ve got your federal, the state, FICA, and this.

Hobbes taps the paper, and leans back out. The Official looks at Hobbes.

OFFICIAL: Plate glass window.
HOBBES: Eight hundred bucks. What is that?
EBERTS: Robert, did you or did you not throw an enemy operative through a plate glass window at the end of your last assignment?
HOBBES: Stay out of this, Charlie Brown, if you know what�s good for you!
OFFICIAL: All right, Bobby, Bobby, take it easy. Eberts is right. The mission was over. You�re being docked for unnecessary destruction of private property.
HOBBES: Please, I mean, I mean, it was clearly in the context of the line of duty sir, I am begging you!
OFFICIAL: I�m sorry, Bobby.
CLAIRE: Excuse me�
HOBBES: Sir, you gotta stop nickel and diming me with this stuff, sir! (slaps desk)
CLAIRE: Excuse me, I�
HOBBES: It was clearly in the line of duty, sir�
OFFICIAL: Stop throwing people through windows.
HOBBES: He started it!
CLAIRE: Hey!

Hobbes and the Official stop and look at Claire.

CLAIRE: Darien is missing.
HOBBES: Fawkes went AWOL?
CLAIRE: Yes.
OFFICIAL: Yeah, he dropped off the radar. Bobby, track him down. You know how.
Hobbes nods.
HOBBES: I know how. That�s not a problem.

Hobbes picks up his paycheck and walks towards the door.

HOBBES: But this�(holds up paycheck)�this is not over!
CLAIRE: He hasn�t taken his meds.
OFFICIAL: Mmm. I would say so.

The scene returns to the outside of the Cerberus Sentinel building, then moves to Stark�s office. Darien and Allianora are sitting down in front of Stark.

DARIEN: Sorry, guys, I�m just not buying it.
STARK: Wait a minute, what, what don�t you buy?
DARIEN: It doesn�t make any sense, I mean, why would they want to take the gland out?
STARK: To put it in someone who shares their agenda.
ALLIANORA: A willing sheep, willing to follow orders without question.

Darien looks over at Allianora.

STARK: It makes sense. Did you read what your boss thought about you in the file?
DARIEN: Yeah. Hey, come on, just because me and the Official don�t see eye to eye, that doesn�t mean he wants to kill me, you know? I mean, believe me, Charlie Borden may be the devil, but, uh, he�s no murderer.
STARK: He�s as much a murderer as you are, Darien.

Stark gets up and walks over to Darien.

STARK: Tell me something, how many men have you killed for God and country, anyway, huh?
DARIEN: Let�s see, I think that would be none.
STARK: I think that Dr. Carver would disagree with that.
DARIEN: That was an accident.
ALLIANORA: And the Chameleon wasn�t?
DARIEN: That was self-defense. I didn�t have a choice.
STARK: You have a choice, Darien, and your boss makes a choice every single day to keep you under his thumb. Charlie Borden is just a, a name in a hat. You haven�t even begun to scratch the surface.

Darien looks thoughtful for a moment.

DARIEN: He�s too cheap. Yeah. He�s too cheap to pull this off, I mean, believe me, there�s no way the Agency has the money to fund a gland transplant.
STARK: The Agency received a ten million dollar reward for catching the Chameleon. Know what became of it? Neither do we.

Darien looks thoughtful again.

STARK: Don�t you think that the money should have been earmarked to fund a safe way to remove the gland, like the Official promised you?
ALLIANORA: And that woman who keeps you in line, uh, your Keeper. Do you trust her?
DARIEN: Her name is Claire, and she�s saved my life more than once, thank you very much.
ALLIANORA: She�s saved the gland more than once. What�s her last name?

Darien looks irritated.

ALLIANORA: What�s her last name?
DARIEN: What�s yours, okay?
STARK: Darien, Solution Beta comes with a list of potential recipients for the gland. One of those men, Tim Kirby, happens to live in this city. Talk to him, he�ll corroborate the truth. Darien, we need you. (laughs) And we just want to help you.

Darien looks at Stark and Allianora for a moment, obviously shaken.

DARIEN: Um, got to go. You guys done here?

Stark laughs.

STARK: You don�t have to ask permission. You�re a free man here.

Darien gets up and heads towards the door.

STARK: Talk to Tim Kirby. You�ll trust him.

Darien stops.

STARK: After all, he works for your government.

Darien resumes walking and leaves the room while Allianora and Stark watch. Fade to commercial. The
scene returns in the Official�s office. The Official is working on a calculator, looking displeased.

DARIEN: (voice-over) The Bible gives this sensible advice: �Separate thyself from thine enemies, and take heed of thy friends.�

The Official rips a sheet of calculator paper off the roll and throws it away. He opens a drawer and pulls out an abacus. The Official chuckles.

DARIEN: (voice-over) It�s easy enough�if you know how to tell the two apart.

Hobbes opens the door and walks in.

OFFICIAL: You find him?
HOBBES: No, I did not. Frankly, I�m a little worried about him. He�s not in any of his usual haunts. Thrift shop, beauty supply, and�

Hobbes attempts to sit in a chair.

DARIEN: Hello.

Hobbes jumps up and looks at the empty chair. The Official watches as Darien sheds quicksilver and appears in the chair.

HOBBES: I found him.
OFFICIAL: Where you been?
DARIEN: Oh, just thought I�d take the morning off, you know? Bowl a few games.
HOBBES: You went bowling?
DARIEN: Yeah, I like to bowl.
HOBBES: (mimicking Darien) I like to bowl.
DARIEN: I do.
HOBBES: Yeah, you rent or own your own shoes?
DARIEN: Rent.
HOBBES: Where�d you bowl?
DARIEN: Oakview.
HOBBES: Oakview? Oakview.
OFFICIAL: Well, what did you bowl?
HOBBES: Yeah, what�d you bowl?
DARIEN: 170, 175, and a Dutch 200.
OFFICIAL: You expect me to buy that? The day you bowl a Dutch 200 is the day I run the Boston Marathon.

The Official mockingly pumps his arms and chuckles.

HOBBES: (chuckles) Funny.

Claire walks by and stands in the doorway.

CLAIRE: Where the hell have you been?

Hobbes and the Official respond together.

HOBBES/OFFICIAL: Bowling!

Claire shakes her head.

CLAIRE: Shot. Now.
DARIEN: You spoil me rotten.

Claire looks at him, then walks off.

HOBBES: Well�

Hobbes gets up and walks to the Official�s desk. Darien gets up to follow after Claire, then stops by the door.

DARIEN: Oh, hey! Uh, actually, uh, this morning, as I was, uh, bowling, I, I got to thinking. You remember the ten million bucks we got for the Chameleon reward?
OFFICIAL: Oh, yeah, what about it?
DARIEN: What happened to that? I mean, obviously, you didn�t spend it on us.
HOBBES: That�s true. He�s got a point there, boss. What about that? Shouldn�t we be getting, like, a bonus for that? Some kind of little cash? You know, a little under-the-table thing?
OFFICIAL: Well, the ink on that page isn�t dry yet.
DARIEN: Ink�s not dry? What�s that supposed to mean?

The Official chuckles

OFFICIAL: It means I�ve got work to do.

The Official raises the abacus and shakes it.

OFFICIAL: Vamoose.

Darien looks at the Official, unhappily.

DARIEN: Yes, sir. Whatever you say.

Darien glares at the Official as he leaves. Hobbes moves to follow him.

OFFICIAL: Bobby.

Hobbes turns around and walks slowly back to the Official.

OFFICIAL: Something is up with him.
HOBBES: I know.

The scene shifts to the Keep, with Claire looking at one of her animals. Darien is nearby, and follows her as she walks around.

DARIEN: Hey, Claire, I know it�s been kind of a while since I bugged you about this, but have you made any kind of progress in figuring how to get the gland out of my head?
CLAIRE: Oh, I can take it out anytime I want�

Claire walks over to the freezer.

CLAIRE: �with, uh, one unfortunate side effect, that it�d kill you.
DARIEN: And how would you feel about that?

Claire walks away from the freezer towards some instruments.

CLAIRE: About what?
DARIEN: My being dead.

Claire looks at Darien, then walks over to him.

CLAIRE: Well, I certainly wouldn�t miss these fun conversations.

Claire puts her hands on her hips.

CLAIRE: What�s wrong?
DARIEN: Nothing. Hey, what�s your last name?

Darien takes off his jacket and jumps into the chair.

CLAIRE: Why do you want to know this?
DARIEN: Well, I just�want to know, you know? I like to call my friends by their last name, you know? Call Hobbes, �Hobbes�, he calls me �Fawkes�. I wanna be able to walk in here and say, �Hey, yo�Brewster, what up?�.
CLAIRE: Well, you can rest assured it�s not Brewster.
DARIEN: Come on, Claire, is it really�that strange a request? To, to know your last name?
CLAIRE: You can turn invisible. I can�t. The more classified my identity remains, the safer I feel.
DARIEN: Come on, it�s just you and me, right here.
CLAIRE: Hobbes and Eberts don�t know either. Now give me your arm before this stuff goes bad.

Darien looks at Claire for a moment, then offers her his arm. He takes a vial of counteragent and looks at it, sniffing it once. Claire takes the vial back from Darien.

CLAIRE: And relax.

The camera zooms in on Darien looking at Claire, then moves to an outside shot of the Agency.

DARIEN: (voice-over) Well, the Agency had put up the biggest stone wall outside of China.

The scene moves inside, where Darien, in quicksilver vision, is moving down the halls.

DARIEN: (voice-over) So, I figured, if they wouldn�t talk, the archives would.

Darien moves to a keypad, and presses some keys. The keypad lights up, then buzzes. Darien opens the door next to the keypad and walks inside, shedding quicksilver as he goes. Darien closes the door and starts looking through the archives. The camera fades to Darien opening a folder with a flashlight in his mouth. He takes it out and shines it on the papers inside the folder, one of which is a copy of a bank account containing over ten million dollars. As Darien looks through the folder, the keypad buzzes and Hobbes walks in.

HOBBES: A little bedtime reading, huh, Fawkes?

Darien responds without looking away from the folder.

DARIEN: No, no, no. I�m actually just catching up on some paperwork here.
HOBBES: Paperwork? That�s nice.
DARIEN: What�s your excuse?
HOBBES: Me? No excuse, just had a hunch.
DARIEN: Yeah?
HOBBES: I just had a feeling that someone was gonna break in, poke their nose where it don�t belong.
DARIEN: Good thing it�s just me, huh?

Darien closes the folder.

HOBBES: Yeah, good thing. Real good thing.

Darien takes the folder and stands up.

DARIEN: Well, you know what? I think I�m done for tonight here. I�m gonna go crash.

Darien tries to leave, but Hobbes moves into his way.

HOBBES: I�d say you already have.

Darien tries to get past Hobbes, and the two move back and forth quickly for a moment. Darien stops, and Hobbes twirls to look at him.

DARIEN: So, this is where it starts, huh?
HOBBES: I got you red-handed going through Agency files�
DARIEN: Please, please, will you just stop with the righteous act, all right?
HOBBES: It�s called espionage, my friend.
DARIEN: Oh, is it?
HOBBES: That�s right. Better known as treason.
DARIEN: Hey, you�re the traitor.
HOBBES: I�m a traitor?!
DARIEN: That�s right, you�re the traitor.
HOBBES: No, you�re a traitor! (pokes Darien)
DARIEN: You�re the traitor!
HOBBES: I ain�t no traitor! (keeps poking Darien)
DARIEN: No, you are the traitor! (pokes Hobbes) I thought you were my friend!
HOBBES: I am!
DARIEN: (whispers) Yeah.
HOBBES: What are you talking about? What?

Darien looks at Hobbes, confused.

DARIEN: You rea�.you don�t�
HOBBES: What?
DARIEN: You really don�t know what I�m talking about, do you?
HOBBES: What�s the matter with you?
DARIEN: You�re okay.
HOBBES: I�m fine. You�re whacked, and if you don�t tell me what going on, I�m gonna shoot you, right in the, right in the elbow.
DARIEN: Okay, so you�re, you�re okay. Come here.

Darien moves back to where he was when Hobbes came in, and grabs the flashlight. Darien walks back to Hobbes.

DARIEN: Pop that open, and right there? Check that out, right there.

Darien hands Hobbes the folder and shines the flashlight in.

DARIEN: Open it up. How�s that for you? Boom. Right there. It�s Chameleon reward.
HOBBES: That�s ten million bucks�
DARIEN: That�s right, stashed away in the land of cuckoo clocks and hot chocolate. It�s the Official�s dirty laundry, or�.laundering? W, what is that?
HOBBES: He charged me eight hundred bucks for a window. Fat b� How�d you know to look for this?
DARIEN: Well, uh, it�s kind of a long story�.starting with this morning.

Darien and Hobbes stare at each other, and the scene quicksilver fades to Hobbes, after Darien has told him about Chrysalis.

HOBBES: So, you think it was that chick from�what is it, uh, uh, Crys, Crystal Lite?
DARIEN: Chrysalis.
HOBBES: Chris Chrisys?
DARIEN: No, Chrysalis.
HOBBES: Chris Christmas?
DARIEN: No, it�s not Christmas, it�s Chrysalis.
HOBBES: I got it.
DARIEN: Chrysalis.
HOBBES: So, you believe her?
DARIEN: Honestly, I don�t know who to believe anymore. But I�m gonna find out, you wanna help?
HOBBES: Well, I�you know, I could, but, you know, sometimes, my mind�
DARIEN: You�re busy, is that what it is?
HOBBES: There are things in my life that I�
Hobbes� cell phone rings, and he picks it up quickly.
HOBBES: Bobby Hobbes. Yeah.

Hobbes looks at Fawkes.

HOBBES: He�s here� in bed� asleep in his rinky-dink little apartment.

Darien walks up to Hobbes slowly.

HOBBES: You want me to wake him? Okay. I�ll see you tomorrow, then, Chief.

Hobbes hangs up.

HOBBES: Hope you know what you�re doin.
DARIEN: That makes two of us.
HOBBES: All right, what�s the next move?
DARIEN: You ready for this?
HOBBES: Yeah.
DARIEN: Okay. One of the �suitable candidates� to replace me lives here in town. I�m gonna go check it out.
HOBBES: Yeah?
DARIEN: You in?
HOBBES: You�re asking me?
DARIEN: That�s what I�m saying.
HOBBES: I could be in.

Hobbes raises his hand.

HOBBES: High-five.
DARIEN: Please. What�d I tell you about that?
HOBBES: Let�s low-five.

Darien and Hobbes low-five. The scene switches to Darien�s car driving down the highway. The scene jumps again to Darien and Hobbes getting out of the car at Kirby�s house.

DARIEN: Well, I don�t know where that came from.
HOBBES: I know, man. It was, it was an instinct.
DARIEN: That�s embarrassing.
HOBBES: But I know it�s down low.
DARIEN: It�s down here, man, down low.

Darien and Hobbes give each other a low-five as they walk up to Kirby�s front door, then Darien pulls his hand back quickly.

HOBBES: I�m cool, I�m cool. (points to Darien) Too slow.
DARIEN: That�s right.
HOBBES: How about this game? Wait. Remember that one?

Hobbes holds out his hands. Darien puts his hands on Hobbes� and quickly pulls them away as Hobbes tries to slap them.

DARIEN: Ah, see?

Darien and Hobbes climb the steps.

HOBBES: Wait, give me another shot.

Darien and Hobbes do it again, but Hobbes slaps Darien�s hands this time.

HOBBES: Ah-ha-ha!
DARIEN: You�re good. You�re good.
HOBBES: I was the champ.

Darien knocks on the door.

DARIEN: What was that game called, by the way?
HOBBES: I don�t know, it was Fast, Fast Hands, or something.

The door opens, and Kirby walks out.

DARIEN: Ah, hey, uh, Tim Kirby?
KIRBY: Mmm-hmm.
DARIEN: Yeah, my name�s Darien Fawkes, and I was just wondering if�

Kirby looks alarmed, then grabs Darien and throws him up against the wall. Hobbes follows Kirby and punches him. Kirby kicks Hobbes to the floor, then turns Darien away and kicks him off the stairs and onto the ground. Hobbes gets up and starts moving in a circle with Kirby.

HOBBES: Uh, you may want to reconsider this, okay? I am a Grand Master in Wu-shu, and I�m expertly trained with the CIA, okay?

Hobbes and Kirby exchange blows and blocks, but when Hobbes tries to kick Kirby, he grabs Hobbes� leg and pulls him in.

HOBBES: Oh, you too, huh?

Kirby throws Hobbes into the corner, then aims a roundhouse kick at Darien, who is climbing back up the stairs. Darien ducks, then quicksilvers. Hobbes grabs Kirby from behind, and Darien lands a few invisible punches. Kirby then throws Hobbes over his shoulder, and runs down the stairs. Darien sheds quicksilver as Kirby runs into the street. A black sedan drives past quickly and hits Kirby. Darien and Hobbes run to Kirby as the sedan streaks off. Hobbes checks for a pulse.

HOBBES: Damn! He�s gone, man.

Darien looks up, runs to his car, and jumps in.

HOBBES: Fawkes, what are you doing? Fawkes!

Darien drives off quickly, leaving Hobbes behind. Hobbes raises his hands to his face. The scene switches to the Official�s office, where Eberts and the Official are behind the desk. The Official is talking on the phone with someone.

OFFICIAL: Yes, sir, we can take care of that.

Darien storms into the office, and walks up to the Official�s desk.

OFFICIAL: Hold on a second.

Darien grabs the phone and puts it back in the cradle.

DARIEN: You had to kill him, didn�t you?
OFFICIAL: That was a very important call.
DARIEN: Cover your little tracks.
OFFICIAL: Eberts, redial.

Eberts picks up the phone and starts to redial, but Darien grabs the phone and throws it at the door behind him. Eberts cringes, then looks at the handle that he is still holding. Darien turns back to the Official.

DARIEN: One problem, fat man. You�re a little late.

Darien pulls out the folder.

DARIEN: I know everything.
OFFICIAL: I assume we�re talking about Solution Beta.

Two agents enter the room and look at the hole in the door.

DARIEN: You mean, so�it�s true?
OFFICIAL: Not only that�it�s active.

Fade to commercial. The scene returns with Eberts looking into a safe and pulling out a folder. The camera shifts to reveal Darien, the Official, and Eberts in the archives. He closes and locks the safe, then pulls back a fake wall, which looks like a set of boxes. Eberts hands the folder to the Official, who hands it to Darien.

OFFICIAL: A complete dossier on Solution Beta.

Darien opens the folder to reveal the same clippings and papers that were contained in the envelope given to him by Allianora.

EBERTS: A planned procedure to harvest the quicksilver gland and transplant it into another host in the event of your untimely death.
OFFICIAL: It�s a contingency plan. Just in case. We�ve already successfully executed it.
EBERTS: The gland carrier before you.
DARIEN: Simon Cole.
OFFICIAL: Yes. You are Solution Beta, Darien.

The Official drapes an arm over Darien�s shoulder.

OFFICIAL: You think I�m a slick, two-faced bureaucrat�
DARIEN: No, no.
OFFICIAL: � who manipulates and schemes to get his own way. And you�d be right. I make no secret of who I am.
DARIEN: Is that supposed to comfort me?
OFFICIAL: My job is to protect the nation, not cheer you up.
EBERTS: Well said, sir.
OFFICIAL: Shut up, Eberts.

Eberts looks at the floor.

DARIEN: How�d you guys know I even had this file?

The Official looks at Eberts, who looks up.

EBERTS: We first became suspicious when I noticed that several files were out of place this morning.
OFFICIAL: The question is, how did you know to look for it?
DARIEN: Well, uh�.
HOBBES: Chrysalis told him.

The camera moves to show Hobbes in the doorway.

OFFICIAL: What?

Hobbes moves to Darien.

HOBBES: Sorry, partner, they did a real number on you this time.
DARIEN: What are you talking about?

Hobbes hands the Official a sheet of paper.

HOBBES: I found this in Kirby�s house, from which I had to take a cab, and I have the receipt�.Eberts.

Hobbes hands Eberts the receipt.

HOBBES: I better get reimbursed for that.

Darien and the Official look over the paper as Eberts moves to one of the boxes and stuffs the receipt inside.

OFFICIAL: What is it?
DARIEN: It�s a fax for Tim Kirby. It says that an assassin named Fawkes has been sent to kill him.
HOBBES: The car that hit him looked like one of ours.

The Official looks at Hobbes.

HOBBES: It wasn�t, but it looked real close.
DARIEN: What are you saying�(looks at the Official)� they wanted me to think it was you.

The Official sighs.

DARIEN: My God, they killed the guy just to sell their con.

Darien exhales sharply.

DARIEN: (to himself) Idiot, you should have saw that.
OFFICIAL: I knew they�d make a move on Fawkes sooner or later.
HOBBES: Yeah, it�s like the Cold War all over again.
OFFICIAL: Yeah, if it�s chess they want, they picked the wrong opponents.
HOBBES: Tell them, Chief.
DARIEN: Will you both shut the hell up, please. This isn�t a game, okay? This guy is dead. Right here. Tim Kirby. He�s dead.
OFFICIAL: What do you suggest we do?
DARIEN: Get revenge.
HOBBES: That�s right, you get in there.
OFFICIAL: How?
DARIEN: Chrysalis wants a double agent.

Darien looks at the Official.

DARIEN: Let�s give them a double agent.

The scene shifts to the outside of the Cerberus Sentinel building, then to the reception desk inside. Darien walks up to the receptionist.

DARIEN: I�m here for Jared Stark.
RECEPTIONIST: Name?
STARK: Darien Fawkes.

The camera reveals Stark waiting in the hallway.

STARK: Welcome to Hades.

The camera zooms in on Darien.

DARIEN: What�s your offer?

The scene shifts to Stark�s office, where Darien and Stark are silhouetted in front of the window.

STARK: You�re safe now, Darien. Know that.
DARIEN: Yeah, no offense, but I think I�ll feel safe once I�m out of this spy racket for good.
STARK: That day is coming soon for all of us. Trust me. Our first priority will be retrieving and duplicating counteragent, and you will be in charge of your own supply.
DARIEN: Good, it�s about time.
STARK: Before that, you�re going to have to prove yourself. We believe in throwing our people into the deep end, and seeing how they swim.
DARIEN: Cool. I swim like a shark.
STARK: Well, this should be right up your alley, then. It involves Allianora.
DARIEN: Yeah?
STARK: We�d like you to, uh, take her out.
DARIEN: Yeah, I know. I�ve been thinking about that too. (crosses arms) You know, but I don�t know, there�s really no chemistry� you�re not talking about a date, are you?

Stark says nothing.

DARIEN: Why?
STARK: She had orders to kill you, and failed.
DARIEN: Oh, in, in Santa Ruego?
STARK: And again at our cryo-facility. She�s reckless, arrogant. She�s not in sync with our agenda.
DARIEN: Yeah, yeah, about that, uh�w, what exactly is, � you know, �our agenda�?
STARK: You going to do this or not?
DARIEN: (sighs) Boy, I don�t know�You know, I mean, I� I don�t even have a gun or anything. The whole thing could get very messy.
STARK: You shouldn�t have to pull the trigger more than once�

Stark walks to his desk.

STARK:� although I�d recommend double taps to center mass.

Stark brings out a gun and clip, and places them on the desk.

STARK: Any other questions?

Darien walks over to the gun, and looks at Stark.

STARK: The sooner you get this over with, Darien, the sooner we get on with it.

Darien picks up the gun, loads the clip into it, and looks at it.
The scene shifts to the outside of the van, then to the inside. Darien and Hobbes are munching on sandwiches.

HOBBES: I like it when they, like, put more mayonnaise on it.
DARIEN: They want me to shoot her.
HOBBES: Who?
DARIEN: Allianora.
HOBBES: The mermaid?
DARIEN: Right.

Darien shows Hobbes the gun.

DARIEN: Straight out.
HOBBES: Oh, man.
DARIEN: Stark said he wanted me to shoot her center mass.
HOBBES: Right in the fish tank? Right in the big water tank, right? Ah, that�s just a con.
DARIEN: Just what I was thinking.
HOBBES: No, they just want to test you.
DARIEN: Mmm, she�s probably got, like, a bulletproof vest on or something like that?
HOBBES: Maybe.
DARIEN: Maybe? I thought you just said that it was�
HOBBES: Angles, Fawkes. You always gotta think angles, my friend. There are all kinds of angles, you know, they just come at you� You gotta be, you know, you gotta be ready in life. Got to be on both toes.
DARIEN: Yeah, angles.
HOBBES: Angles. One�
DARIEN: What?
HOBBES: The mermaid�s in on it, right? They just want to see if you�ll pull the trigger. Two: She�s not in on it. They really want her dead. They just want to see if you got the guts. Three: They�ve ordered her to kill you. But she won�t. Why? Why?
DARIEN: Why?
HOBBES: Because she likes you, okay? So they want to see if you�ll pull the gun on her, so she�ll have no choice. She�s gotta take you out. See?
DARIEN: So, what do I do.
HOBBES: I don�t know.
DARIEN: What do you mean, you don�t know?
HOBBES: What�re you lookin at me for?
DARIEN: What�
HOBBES: You just don�t over-think it. See, your problem is, you over-think things, and then you, you get, like a convoluted web of tangled thoughts in your mind. You can�t, you can�t function like that.

DARIEN: Would you close your mouth? God.

The scene shifts to an elevator in the Cerberus Sentinel building. The door opens and Allianora walks out. Dropping quicksilver is heard.

DARIEN: Hi, Alli.

Allianora turns around to see Darien leaning against a wall.

ALLIANORA: God, do I have to get used to that?
DARIEN: Me calling you Alli? Oh, yeah.

Darien walks up to Allianora.

ALLIANORA: You know, when you stormed out of Stark�s office, I didn�t think you were coming back.
DARIEN: Well, it was a pretty rude awakening.
ALLIANORA: Yeah, well, at least you know where you stand.
DARIEN: I guess the truth�s a good thing, right?
ALLIANORA: I think you�re going to like working with me.
DARIEN: Well, I don�t know about that. My last partner was much better looking.
ALLIANORA: (laughs) Come on, give me a chance, maybe I�ll change your mind.
DARIEN: How about tonight?
ALLIANORA: Your place or mine?
DARIEN: Well, you already saw my place. How about yours?

Allianora hands Darien a card.

ALLIANORA: Eight o�clock?
DARIEN: Deal.

Allianora walks off. Darien looks at the card, then walks in the opposite direction. The scene shifts to Allianora�s house. Allianora is lighting many candles.

DARIEN: (voice-over) Tennessee Williams said, �We have to distrust each other.�

The doorbell rings.

ALLIANORA: Come in!

DARIEN: (voice-over) �It�s our only defense against betrayal.�

The door opens, and Darien walks in.

DARIEN: Hey.
ALLIANORA: Hey.

The camera moves to Allianora. She is wearing a very heavy sweater.

DARIEN: (voice-over) Uh-huh. Well, maybe that�s why instead of being dressed to kill, she was dressed like an armored tank.

Darien walks towards Allianora.

DARIEN: Nice sweater.
ALLIANORA: Oh, uh, thanks.
DARIEN: Aren�t you a little hot there?
ALLIANORA: Oh, well, that�s up to you. Let�s eat.

Darien leans his head against Allianora�s.

DARIEN: Let�s not.
ALLIANORA: Aren�t you hungry?
DARIEN: Oh, yeah, I�m hungry. I just wanna skip to dessert.

Darien kisses Allianora, but she stops quickly.

ALLIANORA: Um�

Allianora backs away, but Darien follows closely.

DARIEN: Come on, what�s the matter, huh?

Darien kisses her again, but she leans away.

ALLIANORA: Um, I just, I just, I just don�t want you to get the wrong idea.
DARIEN: What are you talking about, wrong idea? The first time we kissed, you tried to kill me, huh? Now we gotta play by the rules, is that what you�re saying?

Darien leans in for another kiss, but Allianora pushes him away.

ALLIANORA: My rules, yeah.

Allianora walks off, but Darien follows her.

DARIEN: Um, just so you know�shyness only works for nice girls.

Allianora starts to open a bottle of wine.

ALLIANORA: Are you always this romantic?

Darien moves in close again.

DARIEN: Well, I don�t get out much.
ALLIANORA: Mmm, no kidding.
DARIEN: Come here. Come on, giveme a little sugar.

Darien grabs Allianora and pulls her to him. Allianora drops the bottle of wine on the floor, which breaks.

DARIEN: Come on, there you go.

Darien tries to kiss her again, but she pushes him away.

ALLIANORA: You know�you know what� this, this was a mistake. Why don�t�why don�t you see yourself out.
DARIEN: But I haven�t shot you yet.

Allianora looks at Darien.

ALLIANORA: What?
DARIEN: Your buddy Stark� sent me here to whack you.

Allianora shakes her head.

ALLIANORA: You�re lying.
DARIEN: Mmm� no. You are. And you�re not very good.

Allianora grits her teeth.

ALLIANORA: Get out.

Darien moves back a bit, and turns away.

DARIEN: But, uh, boy� you know what? I never liked tests much anyways, so, uh�

Darien pulls out the gun, and turns back to Allianora.

DARIEN: Why don�t we just get this one over with, huh?
ALLIANORA: No, no, Darien, don�t. Darien�

Darien aims the gun at Allianora.

DARIEN: By the way, uh, this was fun. I�ll call you.

Darien shoots Allianora in the chest. She falls to the floor. Darien looks at her as the door opens behind him. Stark and two other men walk in.

STARK: Congratulations, Darien. That was your first test. You aced it.

The two men try to help Allianora up, but she angrily slaps one man�s hand.

STARK: Welcome to Chrysalis.
DARIEN: Okay.

Allianora gets up, breathing heavily, and walks off, holding herself where the bulllet hit. She strips off the sweater to reveal a Kevlar vest.

STARK: It appears I won our little bet.

Darien sits down and looks at Allianora and Stark. Allianora thrusts the sweater into Stark�s arms.

ALLIANORA: Congratulations.

Allianora looks at Darien and walks towards the door. Darien watches her as she turns around to stare at Darien, with tears in her eyes. She then turns back and walks out. Fade to commercial. The scene returns with a shot of the outside of the van, then to the inside.

HOBBES: So, it was option A, wasn�t it? Wasn�t it?

Darien sighs, looking depressed.

HOBBES: It was option A. It was a test. They just wanted to see if you had the, the, the cajones.

Hobbes clicks his tongue.

DARIEN: I guess so.
HOBBES: Right? I knew that. And the mermaid was in on it.

Darien looks at Hobbes.

DARIEN: Yeah. Yeah, she was in on it.
HOBBES: All right, well, you did good, grasshopper. You got in there. You passed the test. You�re in.
DARIEN: Yeah, I�m just worried about how long that�s going to last.
HOBBES: That�s okay, we�re stepping things up.
DARIEN: What are you talking about?
HOBBES: The Official wants you to make a copy of Stark�s hard drive.
DARIEN: How am I gonna do that?

Hobbes reaches over and grabs a CD-ROM in a case. He opens it up and hands it to Darien, who studies it.

HOBBES: Slip this into the computer, run the program. That thing�ll hack through anything, all right? It�ll hack through the Amazon jungle if it has to. We got it special for you. You get into any trouble, I got your back.

DARIEN: Thanks, buddy.

The scene shifts to the reception desk at Cerberus Sentinel, then to the hallways, then to Stark�s office. The CD-ROM suddenly appears by Stark�s computer. Darien shakes the quicksilver off and sticks it into the drive. The drive closes as armed men enter the room, followed by Stark and Allianora.

STARK: Fire until he appears.

DARIEN: Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh!

Darien sheds quicksilver and motions to Stark.

DARIEN: Right here.

Allianora and Stark walk over to Darien.

STARK: I have to say, Darien, I am very disappointed in you.
DARIEN: Me too. Can I just ask what happened to trusting each other?
STARK: I didn�t want to believe it, but Allianora was convinced that you were not what you seemed.
ALLIANORA: I rigged the security system to note any sudden drops in temperature.
STARK: The quicksilver led us right to you.

Stark leans down and removes the CD-ROM.

STARK: You have no idea what you�ve given up.

Darien stares downward.

STARK: Take him to holding. Prep him for surgery.

Two men step forward and grab Darien�s arms.

DARIEN: You guys don�t have to rush on my account.

The men drag Darien out of the room, followed by the other men. The scene changes to a shot of the van with a �ACME Painting� sign on the side. The camera moves inside, where Hobbes and a team of agents are gathered. Hobbes checks his watch.

HOBBES: Fawkes missed the check-in time. Let�s move.

The scene returns to a lab inside the building, where Darien is strapped to a chair and flanked by Allianora and Stark.

STARK: It�s not often that I make a mistake, Mr. Fawkes. In fact, this whole affair has been a great embarrassment for me.
DARIEN: Oh, sorry about that. I wish I could have been more useful.
STARK: Don�t worry, you�re still have another chance. In fact, your Agency was kind enough to provide us with directions on just how to get the most out of you.
ALLIANORA: A gland recipient is on his way as we speak.

The scene moves to the outside of the building as a loading door enters. Hobbes and the other agents are dressed as painters.

HOBBES: Hi, how are you doing?

A guard moves up to the group.

GUARD: Hi.
HOBBES: How�s it goin? We�re painters.
GUARD: You�re not on the list. What�s your authorization code?
HOBBES: You want a code? I�ll give you a code. Gentlemen?

The agents pull out assault rifles.

HOBBES: I�m not sure. Uh, I think the code is, uh, A, K� I can�t quite see, can you see that? K-40 something?
GUARD: Yeah. 4047.
HOBBES: Yeah, excuse me. We�re just going to do a little painting. Gentlemen.

Hobbes and the agents move past the guard. The scene moves back to the lab, where Stark�s pager beeps. Stark digs it out and looks at it.

STARK: Security breach. Watch him. Call me when they�re ready.

Stark walks out of the lab.

ALLIANORA: Darien Fawkes� last moments. I wish I had something nice to say.

Allianora shakes her head, then walks around Darien.

DARIEN: Look, you know, if this is about last night, I can explain, I mean�
ALLIANORA: Oh, shh, shh, shut up, don�t even try it. I can�t believe you shot me.
DARIEN: That was the whole point, you know? What did you want me to do, fail the test?
ALLIANORA: Yes, damn it.

Darien looks at Allianora, then looks away.

DARIEN: So, there were two tests, huh? One for me and one for you?
ALLIANORA: And you failed the wrong one.

The scene shifts to the hallways, where Stark is leading some of his men, who are armed. They turn a corner and stop. At the other end, Hobbes and the agents turn to Stark�s men.

HOBBES: Painters here.
STARK: Get down! Get down now!

The two sides exchange fire. Hobbes moves behind a corner, then pops out to take a shot at Stark, who narrowly avoids being hit. Hobbes then shoots a fire extinguisher, which explodes and knocks one of Stark�s men down. Stark pulls the man up as a shield, who is promptly shot. Stark quickly pulls the pin on a grenade on the corpse�s belt and throws the corpse into the computer server room. Stark runs off as the grenade explodes. The scene shifts back to the lab, where alarms can be heard.

ALLIANORA: This is goodbye.

Allianora leaves Darien and heads towards the door.

DARIEN: You know, there is one good thing about me shooting you.

Allianora, halfway out the door, stops and looks at Darien.

DARIEN: It was probably the one honest moment we shared.
ALLIANORA: You would think that.
DARIEN: I�m not a real complicated guy. Someone betrays me, I got no problem returning the favor.
ALLIANORA: Oh, wait, you�re the spy here. How�d I betray you?
DARIEN: I don�t know. You lied about the file. You faked Kirby�s death.
ALLIANORA: Kirby�s death was Stark�s idea, and the file is real.

Darien slowly turns to look at Allianora.

DARIEN: The file is two years old. I am Solution Beta. Now, I believed you. I really did. You know, that whole line about us having some kind of bond? Started thinking maybe it wasn�t a load of crap. Hmm. Guess I was wrong.
ALLIANORA: Half of me wants to believe you�re being honest.
DARIEN: And the other half?
ALLIANORA: Believes that a dead man will say just about anything.
DARIEN: Which half are you going to believe?

Allianora takes off the key ring and tosses them to Darien, who catches them.

ALLIANORA: Haven�t decided yet.

Darien looks at Allianora, then quickly begins to remove the handcuffs. The scene quicksilver fades to the hallways, now consumed in fire. Darien and Allianora come through a doorway and look around.

ALLIANORA: Go through when I say.

Allianora spits a stream of water at the fire in one direction, extinguishing most of it.

ALLIANORA: Go, go, go!

Darien runs past Allianora.

ALLIANORA: Go!

Darien runs to the end of the hallway, where Hobbes opens a door and lets Darien through. Darien turns back to look at Allianora, who runs off.

HOBBES: Come on, Fawkes, let�s get out of here. Come on!

Darien and Hobbes run off. The camera moves to the outside of the building, where one floor suddenly explodes. The scene moves back to the loading dock, where Hobbes and Darien run out of the building quickly. They move out into the crowd surrounding the building and look back.

DARIEN/HOBBES: Oh, crap.

Darien and Hobbes look up at the burning building.

HOBBES: Better not bill me for this.

Fade to commercial. The scene returns in the Official�s office, where Darien, Hobbes, the Official, and Eberts are gathered. The Official moves towards the window.

OFFICIAL: Well, the Cerberus corporation is gone. Burned to the ground.
HOBBES: Whoa! We won�t be held responsible for that, sir, will we, sir?
OFFICIAL: Oh, I doubt they�ll bring us to court.
DARIEN: I guess this whole mission was, uh, kind of a wash.
OFFICIAL: Not entirely. Eberts?

Eberts moves forwards.

EBERTS: In the few moments it had, our program managed to access Stark�s hard drive and send us encrypted files via their own ethernet.
OFFICIAL: That is correct. We�re sifting through them right now. Nice work, Eberts.
DARIEN: You wrote that, Eberts?

Eberts smiles. Darien turns to Hobbes.

DARIEN: You didn�t tell me that.

Hobbes looks at Darien and raises an eyebrow.

EBERTS: Apparently not.

Hobbes walks towards the door.

HOBBES: Oh, did I hurt your feelings, Eberts? Huh? So sue me. Collateral damage for Eberts� ego. Or better yet, dock my pay, Eberts.
OFFICIAL: Come on, Bobby.
HOBBES: Eight hundred dollars for a plate glass window. Daddy�s little pencil pusher. Eberts.

Hobbes walks out. The Official laughs.

OFFICIAL: You�re dismissed as well, Darien.
DARIEN: Yeah, well, actually, there is just, uh, one more thing. Why don�t you give us a second here, Eberts?

The Official looks at Eberts, who walks out.

DARIEN: Thank you.

Darien waits until Eberts leaves.

DARIEN: All right, so this whole thing got started because Allianora had my personnel file, right?
OFFICIAL: Correct.
DARIEN: Right, well, she could only have gotten that with a little help from the inside. We got a mole.
OFFICIAL: Well, I don�t like to think of myself as a mole. An anonymous source would be more like it.
DARIEN: Wait, what are you talking about?
OFFICIAL: I gave them the file.
DARIEN: You what?!
OFFICIAL: Well, even the best fishermen need bait. And damned if they didn�t reel you in with it. (chuckles)
DARIEN: So you wanted me in there.
OFFICIAL: I needed a spy.
DARIEN: Why didn�t you tell me?
OFFICIAL: Because those people would have spotted a fake a mile off. You had to be convincing. And you were.

The Official laughs, and moves to his desk.

OFFICIAL: Do you think I would really leave receipts for a Swiss account just lying around? (laughs)
DARIEN: I�ve been Official�d.
OFFICIAL: Official�d. I like the sound of that.
DARIEN: I don�t.

Darien moves towards the door. The Official spreads his arms wide.

OFFICIAL: Welcome back!

Darien walks out into the hallway.

DARIEN: (voice-over) Thoreau said, �We pay for our suspicions by finding what we suspected.� That�s why paranoia can�t protect you.

Darien looks over his shoulder.;

DARIEN: (voice-over) Because no matter how much you think they�re out to get you� you have no idea.
Fade to credits.