Prodigy (2017) - full transcript

Do you always play alone?

Challenging yourself can teach you
quite a bit about who you are.

Plus, I always win.

Or lose.

A matter of perspective.

Olivia.

Lovely to see you.

And you, Jimmy.

Hmm.

No one's called me
Jimmy in years.

Well, that's too bad.
It suits you.



Not so sure about
that these days.

Well, you'll always
be Jimmy to me.

Do you have time to
grab a cup of coffee?

Catch up a little?

I'm afraid we're on
a tight schedule.

No time for chit-chat.

All right, just
give me a moment.

How you feeling about all this?

Well, this process is
a little different.

But you think you're ready?

Well, I do think I'm ready
for anything at this point.

I hope so.

Wait. Pocket.

Again.



Arms up.

Yeah, I'll be getting
that back, yes?

You are not to
touch the subject.

Do not leave anything
near the subject's hands.

If the subject makes a request,

you are to seek my permission before
granting the subject anything.

I, uh, I mean no offense,

but, uh, is all this
entirely necessary?

If you have a problem
following these rules,

then I suggest that you
conduct your evaluation

from inside the control room per
my original recommendation.

No, that won't be required.

Do not, for any reason, release
the subject from the restraints.

In the event the subject
escapes the restraints,

drop to the floor and
cover your head.

Do not attempt to
leave the room.

Do not attempt to
re-restrain the subject.

- Understood?
- Yeah.

- Understood?
- Yes, understood.

Dr. Fonda.

I see you've met colonel birch.

The military is
assisting in this case.

I hardly think "assisting"
is a sufficient term.

Thank you for that
clarification, colonel.

All right, so show me
what we've got here.

This is Dr. Keaton, our
director of psychiatry.

Yeah, nice to meet you, Dr.
Keaton.

Always a pleasure to
meet a fellow shrink.

Well, I hate to disappoint, but, uh,
technically I'm a psychologist.

Oh. Oh, well, we can't
all be perfect, eh?

When the light is green,

you are go to zap
that little fucker.

And this charming young
man is Ryan mccrosky,

our chief technician.
Ryan, this is Dr. Fonda.

Hey.

Dr. Warner is our resident
biochemistry expert.

Ah, nice to meet you, Dr.
Warner.

Likewise.

It's time.

If you don't mind, colonel, I'd
like to walk Dr. Fonda over myself.

Be my guest.

You'll have to excuse them.

It's my fault they've had
to spend so much time

in that little room.

Well, you're the boss.

All clear, agent price.

Thank you, gentlemen.

I know this all seems
a bit strange, but...

Please try to go in there
with an open mind.

Well, if I couldn't do
that, I wouldn't be here.

Thank you, Jimmy.

Hello, Eleanor. My
name is James Fonda.

- I am here to...
- I love the sweater vest.

Well, thank you. I'm not all...

You have it all.

Worn loafers,
second hand slacks,

tattered briefcase.

I'm not quite sure I follow.

But the truth is in the details.

The lines on your face.

Your posture.

Distinct lack of concern
with your hairstyle.

Did miss Olivia send a
bargain bin find in with me?

How quaint.

You're a very
observant young lady.

I assume you have experience
with troubled youth.

Most likely from
bad neighborhoods.

What makes you say that?

That must be challenging work.

I imagine the return rate isn't
particularly high in those situations.

It must wear on you, not
being able to save them.

It does, but it also
makes each success

that much more satisfying.

And that's so conducive to a
satisfying home life, I feel, is it?

It is hard for me to
imagine your loving wife

allowing you out of
the house in your...

Current state.

My wife?

It is, unless she
isn't around anymore.

You shut her out, didn't you?

To look at you, I'd say you
shut most everyone out.

Is it easier to keep them away

than to risk getting hurt again?

That was quite an
evaluation, Eleanor.

Don't call me Eleanor.

What should I call you?

Ellie is better.

All right.

Ellie does suit you.

Spare me your pandering.

I'm well beyond your usual
trust-building exercises.

I agree, again.

Then let's skip the formalities and
get straight into it, shall we?

Into what?

You are an analyst, are you not?

I am.

And you have my file?

I do.

And you've got nothing for me?

No diagnosis?

Well, perhaps I'm not
as perceptive as you.

But, uh, to be honest,

I haven't even read this.

Is that right?

Relax. He's bluffing.

He wouldn't go in there blind.

It ls.

Is this common practice for you?

Arriving woefully unprepared?

If I had read this, it would have colored
my perception of you before we met.

Now personally, I prefer to hear
from the individual in question

rather than focusing on a
particular problem they have

or mistake they made.

Even if said individual is a
maladjusted prepubescent?

All the more so with children,

as they aren't usually
given enough credit

when it comes to expressing
their own anxieties.

I was right about you.

You were right about
a lot of things.

I have worked with children.

Often from rough neighborhoods,

and I'm not particularly
concerned with my hairstyle.

I don't believe, however,
that qualifies me as a, uh,

bargain bin find.

The other shrinks
they brought me

wore designer suits
and fancy watches.

A watch is a, uh, funny
device these days.

I have a friend who is
obsessed with fancy watches.

Eventually, after
years of hard work,

he rewarded himself with one.

And it was beautiful.

But the problem was
after about a week,

it was nearly two minutes slow.

He wound it, set it.

Another week went
by, same problem.

He was always losing time.

Yeah, my father gave me

this watch a long time ago.

It's not flashy by any means.

But I'll tell you what,
it's never lost a minute.

Yeah, a time piece may
have aesthetic value.

At its core, though,

it is a single function device.

Shiny or dull,

all that matters is how
well it tells the time.

And you can tell the time?

Never lost a minute.

You stand to lose more
than time in here.

Well, I'm willing to take
that chance if you are.

Perhaps.

But certainly not on
an empty stomach.

You hungry?

Peanut butter and banana
on whole wheat with chips

or celery.

So specific.

I take it with apple juice.

I'll see what I can drum up.

And Jimmy?

No crust.

I assume you have the means
to prepare Ellie's lunch.

- Mccrosky.
- What the hell?

What do you think?

She's an extraordinary child.

Well, perhaps this is
old hat for all of you,

but you can't deny how
remarkable her intellect is.

Her intellect is not what
concerns me, doctor.

What does concern you?

I'm more concerned with the
patient's personality disorders.

Disorders?

I think we can both
agree that she suffers

from a severe
superiority complex.

Well, given her
advanced intelligence,

one might excuse some
feelings of superiority.

Oh, not when it escalates to...

You really didn't read the file.

No. Like I, uh, told Ellie,

I like to hear the individual's
version of things first.

Professional
irresponsibility aside,

I think you owe it to yourself

to understand the violence
this patient is capable of.

Well, I trust it'll become
clear in talking with Eleanor.

We would prefer that it didn't.

Man slave reporting for duty.

You told me you were ready.

And you told me you needed
someone with an open mind.

Dr. Fonda, I have a
lot riding on this,

and I don't like the feeling that
you're not taking it seriously.

Everyone has a process, Olivia.

Mine can rub people
the wrong way,

but it is effective.

I need you to trust me on that.

Hey, doc, celery's not
gonna chop itself.

So, uh, how long do you
think this is gonna take?

'Cause, uh, I got a
hot date tonight,

and I am, like, 85% sure that this girl
is a freak, you know what I'm saying?

I'm... I'm sorry. I'm
not sure I follow.

Uh, let's just say I plan on
dipping into the sauce, you know?

I think what he's trying to ask is how
long you think your evaluation will last.

Uh, hard to say. Ellie knows
why I'm here, which, uh,

complicates my approach.

How long does progress in a
case like this usually take?

The walls are built high. They may
prove difficult to pull down.

Well, a meal fit for a Princess.

Or a spoiled little psycho.

That looks like orange juice.

You don't like orange juice?

I said apple.

I thought we might try
something different today.

Juice is juice, I suppose.

Excellent. Let me get
you started here.

The situation would be much improved
for everyone if I can use my hands.

I've been emphatically
warned against that.

Open up now.

I suppose you are more
comfortable with this?

Servant of the
peasants that you are?

You seem quite fixated
on socioeconomic status.

I have had enough exposure to you
working-class folks to know what you are.

What are we?

A lost cause.

I don't believe you're qualified to
condemn and entire class of people.

The number of dumpy towns we
pass through might surprise you.

We?

My mother and I.

I see.

And your father?

No one told you?

Colonel birch is my father.

That, uh, certainly
complicates things.

The good colonel wasn't
around much, you see?

Sounds rough.

And you and your mother couldn't
settle into any of these dumpy towns?

In spite of her deficiencies,

she knew that if people
understood what I was capable of,

I would end up in a
place like this.

She didn't want that for you.

Where is she now?

She's dead.

Oh.

I'm sorry.

Why?

Because it sounds like
she loved you a lot.

I don't like that term.

"Love." it's vague, overused.

How so?

Love is the guise under
which selfishness operates.

Parents only love their children so long
as they maintain control over them.

And the other side of that,

as a child, did you,
uh, love your mother?

At one point, I was convinced the
affinity I felt for her was love.

However, now I realize the
Harmony our lives shared

was closer to what one might
share with a common house pet...

A realization that
didn't make it easier

when the time came
to put her down.

Put her down?

That's right. You should
have read your file, Jimmy.

So, you, um...

She had become more a hindrance
than the catalyst at that point.

She was holding you back.

That's right.

I'm not sure I follow you.

That doesn't surprise me.

Were you ever in a place
like this with her around?

I was under the impression ink blots
were out of favor in your community.

A lot of people have
given up on them.

Not you.

Well, you find they still hold
value in certain situations.

Let's try a few.

I assumed you were beyond
such rudimentary techniques.

Afraid you might not
like what I see?

All right.

I'm going to hold up a card. I
don't want you to think too...

I know how it works.

Right.

Looks like a dog I found
on a street once.

It had been run over,

its blood running
into the gutter.

World war ll gas chamber,

naked emaciated
bodies piled high.

Ugh. What the...?

Oh, shit.

Gotta take this.

Hey, anybody else notice that
sudden rise in temperature?

- They're removing
blackened gloves.

But it's messy.
Blood everywhere.

The girl is clearly
toying with him.

Yeah, what is this guy?
An amateur?

Well, she wouldn't
have brought him in a

this point if she didn't
have a good reason.

She's grasping at straws.

That one looks just like
colonel birch's swollen eye.

Shit.

Oh, relax, colonel.

Just a couple of more
hours and we're free.

At the rate he's moving, we're
going to be here all night.

All night? Well, pull him out of there.
We don't have time for this.

A pack of chimpanzees tearing the
flesh off their young and eating it.

Ryan has a point, colonel.

We're moving in circles
with all this.

This is agent price's little
experiment, not mine.

Yeah? Well then, why doesn't she
just adopt the little antichrist

- and let us off the hook?
- Give it a rest, mccrosky.

- Judas hanging himself.
- If I miss this date,

I am going to be very
unpleasant to work with.

He has been disemboweled.

His intestines dangle with him.

- What do you think... about all this?
- Car accident.

The driver has gone
through the windshield.

His heart is pumping
blood onto the hood.

We won't learn anything significant
about the patient this way.

That one looks like
a battered woman.

Actually it resembles
miss Olivia.

Oh, here we go.
- She is bruised and scarred on her face.

She is moving forward, but I see blood
running down her legs from under her skirt.

What did I miss?

It is you, Jimmy.

You are sinking into
a bog of some kind.

I'm not sure you are
going to make it out.

- Last one?
- Mm-hmm.

My mother's head split
down the middle.

Blood trickling
down over her face.

How did I do?

There was a distinct
trend in your answers.

You don't say?

It's one of the reasons
I still like this test.

Even if the subject is being
purposely disingenuous,

patterns still arise
within their responses,

which shed light on certain
aspects of the psyche.

This should be interesting.

The dark shapelessness
of the blot

often leads people
to their own fears.

I see.

You, uh, specifically used the term
"blood" four times in ten cards.

It was five times, actually.

Does blood frighten you?

- No.
- What do you fear?

Only what I don't understand.

So you understand blood?

- Certainly.
- Do you have experience with it?

- A little.
- Human blood?

Enough to know it doesn't
make me squeamish.

What about your mother's blood?

That's the obvious encounter.

Was your mother afraid of blood?

Not that I'm aware of.

Was she afraid of you?

No.

But she should have been.

She believed the mundanities cf
everyday life could apply to me.

Right, wrong, good, evil.

The inventions of an
inferior breed of man.

You're above all of that?

My existence is elevated, yes.

How does your, uh, current situation
factor into that elevation?

My fate ends here,
it always has,

no matter what
ideas of salvation

you or anyone else
may have for me.

What is it you need
salvation from?

Miss Olivia.

Naughty, naughty.

Let me ask you a
question, Jimmy.

What possible reason
could they have

for strapping a nine-year-old
to a chair like this?

What is it people do when they
happen upon something different?

Something they can't comprehend?

In there, they can't
comprehend me,

and it terrifies them.

But what if they were able
to get a closer look at me?

Say at my brain chemistry?

They might be able to understand
just how different I am.

And how to control me.

That warm blanket of comfort comes
at a relatively small cost.

You aren't the first of your kind
miss Olivia has sent in here

in an ill-fated attempt
to justify my existence.

However, I am fairly certain

you will be the last.

Is it true?

I thought if you
knew, then you...

Is it true?

It's all right, agent price.

Dr. Fonda is a smart man.

I'm sure he can see the
logic in our decision.

You were going to
cut that girl open?

Yes.

I don't believe it.

The patient's
assertions are correct.

This mutation is something
the scientific community

and the world can't
afford to ignore.

The only way to be thorough
in such matters...

Is from the inside out.

That is worth her life?

The threat she poses far
outweighs any potential benefit.

And all of you condone this?

That's right.

You must understand none of us
are keen on euthanizing a minor.

Euthanasia is a method
reserved for animals.

Ellie's a child.

No. My grandkids are children.

That thing in there is nothing
more than a ticking time bomb.

What is she capable of
that warrants this fear?

That's classified information.

Given the circumstances, I
believe I have a right to know.

No. No, you don't.

Eleanor can do things...

That we've never seen before.

Things that have
proven dangerous.

Dangerous enough
to justify murder?

Ask her mother.

It is an extremely unfortunate situation.
No one is denying it.

Each of the analysts I brought in
came away with the same conclusion.

- Which is?
- Social detachment.

Lack of empathy.
Manipulative tendencies.

Girl is a sociopath.

Her intellect only amplifies her
already troubling behavioral patterns.

With all that intelligence,

you don't find this suspicious
that she is telling us

exactly what we need to hear
to draw that conclusion?

How much time do I have?

The execution is tomorrow.

- Jimmy?
- I need a minute.

Uh, this probably isn't
the best time, but, uh,

I need to leave in,
like, 15 minutes, so...

I realize I should have
been upfront with you,

but I don't have time for
long-winded apologies right now.

You don't have to play
the boss with me.

We have been in that room day
in and day out for the year

trying to figure out
what to make of her.

And this is what you settled on?

It's been several
months since this...

Autopsy was proposed, and the
others' minds are made up.

But the decision has
to be unanimous.

Ellie's given me no reason
for my continues support.

I can't hold them off any more.

I agreed to change my vote

if they gave me one last
chance to get through to her.

Me.

They don't see her for
what she is anymore.

And if we don't make
them see, she dies.

I'm sorry, Jimmy, but you're
the best chance I had.

The guards took something
from me when I came in.

I need to get it back.

Thought I lost you for a minute.

I'm not so easy to get rid of.

Do you know chess?

Are we resorting to such unorthodox
analytical methods already?

Chess is my favorite game.

I thought I might teach you.

I doubt there's much of
anything you could teach me.

Then you know how to play.

I found the game quite boring.

Within a week, I set speed records
against a master computer.

Oh, there's your problem.

You played against a computer.

A game against a person
is much more stimulating.

And I take it your vast psychological
prowess gives you an advantage.

There's only one
way to find out.

All right, but I'll
need my hands.

Calling out the moves
is easy enough.

I'll help you with the
rank and file, and...

How do you expect your
patient to trust you

if you won't trust her?

We both know it's against
the rules, Ellie.

Desperate times call for
desperate measures.

Oh, boy.

What does he think he is doing?

Son of a bitch.

Boom goes the dynamite.

That's it. I'm
shutting him down.

No, you're not.

He's gonna get himself killed.

Dr. Fonda knows what he's doing.

- Actually, he doesn't.
- Ryan, ready the pulse.

Colonel, you don't
have the authority...

If this situation
becomes hostile,

I do have the authority
to override your command.

Ryan, the pulse. Now.

Shit just got real.

Are you waiting for something?

Oh, no. Sorry.

Here, let me move the
board so we ca...

Your move.

Yes, it would appear so.

I've always found the early
moves to be the most important,

and they shape the
face of the game.

If you say so.

You know, the computer
moved instantly.

- And?
- And I was led to believe

this would be a more
stimulating experience.

Uh, stimulations lies
in the analysis.

Chess is not a game of speed.

Not for some, clearly.

So why you? Now? After
all the stiffs?

Is this a reevaluation?

Perhaps I've, uh,
graduated from the, um,

bargain bin to the sales rack.

You're right.

I shouldn't risk
slowing you down.

No, I think I can multitask.

You know, agent price and I were
schoolmates at university. That's where...

You were schoolmates, huh?

Mm-hmm.

And that's why she was keeping
such close tabs on you?

What is it you're implying?

Simply put, miss Olivia is a
reasonably attractive woman

for her age.

I'm sure that at university,
she was quite a dish.

I can only imagine the
canoodling that took place.

Eyes forward, gentlemen.

Sorry to, uh,
disappoint, Eleanor,

but I don't canoodle and tell.

And what would your wife think of
this liaison with an old flame?

I don't think my wife would
think anything of it any more.

You don't realistically
expect her to return, do you?

No. That, um, that part
of my life is over.

Really?

King without his queen.

Check.

Perhaps you can answer me this.

Why is it always trinkets when someone
wants to hold on to the past?

My mother, she used to
wear this little trinket.

What was it?

It was this inane fox pendant
I made when I was very young.

And, uh, that bothered you?

It was crude. Rudimentary.

In spite of my obvious talents, it was that
she insisted on displaying to the world.

Do you know why she wore it?

She told me I was very
proud of the piece.

It was the only reminder
I was ever just a child.

Physical manifestation of
my being in a lesser from.

I doubt there was so
much analysis involved.

All this ring does for me is remind me
of the joy I experienced with my family.

I think she wore it to remind
herself how much she loved you.

You should worry less about love and
more about the hole you are in.

I don't see what hole you mean.

You must be blind. I have
complete control of the board.

Just by nature's defensive game,

to protect what is
important, we build walls.

But I can understand how and why
my opponent builds their walls up.

It gives me an advantage when
I want to break them down.

At that point, what matters isn't
the quantity of pieces you take,

but the quality of those you do.

Check... mate.

No!

Hit the pulse, Ryan.

- Wait.
- If that wasn't hostile, I don't know...

Look.

Another game.

No.

Afraid you might not
be so lucky this time?

I'm not afraid to lose.

But if I did, I certainly hope I
would do it with a bit more grace.

- What the hell do you think this is?
- Birch!

Do you think this is a game or are you too
stupid to know what's good for you, huh?

Colonel, this is unacceptable.

This son of a bitch put every single
person in this compound in danger.

You call that acceptable?

This situation called
for extreme action.

Disobeying a direct
order is inexcusable.

- Spare me your orders!
- No, no, no, no.

The colonel is... is right.

The rules are in place for a
reason, and I violated them.

For that, I apologize.

We, uh, do, however,
need drastic results,

and I'm not going to get them
with a set of ink blots.

I hope it was worth it.

Do you, um, have access to
Ellie's mother's effects?

Yeah.

I'll need to see them.

You know, doctor, we
all have to thank you.

That little stunt you pulled in there
proved how volatile the patient is.

I didn't see it that way.

There's no denying the threatening
nature of that outburst.

I'm sure we've all seen a child
throw a temper tantrum before.

Not one that ripped a steel
table clean off its bolts, no.

You only saw her reaction.

You didn't see how
she played the game.

Oh, this should be good.

Please, enlighten us
on what we missed.

It's small moves that determine
the outcome in chess.

Ellie was in control and had
the opportunity to finish me,

but it meant
sacrificing her queen.

She didn't make the move. She
chose to protect her queen.

Okay. So the kid sucks at chess?

I believe that Ellie
subconsciously linked her queen,

that trinket,

to the memory of her mother.

- Wow.
- What a joke.

We don't have to stand here and listen
to this bullshit. Can we call this?

It was an elementary move.

One that someone with Ellie's
intellectual prowess wouldn't pass up.

Could be a mistake.

Even geniuses make mistakes.

It wasn't a mistake.

The child made several
counterintuitive moves,

each of which
protected her queen.

Not that it validates
the girl's reaction,

but Dr. Fonda's proposed
attachment to the piece is,

well, not entirely
without merit.

Thank you, doctor.

Fine, the kid loves queens.
Take her to a drag show.

I have to agree.
That proves nothing.

Dr. Keaton, what is the one
thing a sociopath lacks?

Uh, empathy.

Attachments.

Uh-huh.

I gleaned much more from the
way Ellie played the game

then the way she
responded to losing it.

And we're all thrilled
for you, doctor.

We're talking about a threat
to national security.

The girl's reaction is in
line with all previous data.

That's what I'm talking about.
Let's get the hell out of here.

I need more time.

We're all in agreement.
Your time is up.

Hold on.

I think it's worth giving Dr.
Fonda another chance.

- What?
- You got to be kidding me.

I don't know if it will
make a difference,

but he has progressed much
further than the others.

By risking the security
of this entire compound.

I will not stand idly by and
allow that to happen again.

That is not your call, colonel.

Oh, you don't think so?

I'd say that last outburst
was contentious enough.

And how contentious
is the situation now?

If you're gonna play that card,

you better be damn sure
you're able to justify it.

Let's not forget that that
is a killer in there.

I'm starting to think that
this may have to end in blood

for you to acknowledge
her as such.

Olivia, she's lost.

And she's angry.

But she is in there.

Give me time. I'll find her.

Feeling better?

We made quite a mess, didn't we?

A bit off the top,
but no harm done.

Can't say the same
for your file.

You know, you could be a
big help if you wanted.

That might constitute a threat.

I'm beginning to understand
why your wife left you.

You don't say?

Your persistence,
it's intolerable.

Late nights in the slums
instead of dinner at home.

That's the kind of thing
that poisons a marriage.

I'm afraid we don't
have time to discuss...

Correction.

You don't have time.

Must we play this game?

Children like games.

If you don't want to play,
the door is right there.

I know where it is.

Hold on.

Do you see that?

It looks different from before.

It looks like your wife, yes?

She's at home, tucked into bed.

With a new man.

If you turn it this way,

it's a bit more abstract.

It's your ideals, the same
persistence that tore you two apart.

Work wasn't the
reason my wife left.

Tell me more.

We lost a child.

Our daughter.

Several years ago.

And, uh,

my wife didn't cope
well with her death.

Eventually, she left.

Now we are getting somewhere.

Tell me what happened.

She was playing in the
yard and was hit by a car.

Oof, damn.

Was it quick?

No. She was very strong.

And you were there, by her side?

Every day.

But you couldn't save her.

No.

And that was when you started
working with children.

More so, yes.

And consequently, why
you are here now.

I am here to help you, Ellie.

It isn't really
about me, though.

It's about the return rate.

You think that if you
can save enough of us,

lt'll wash away your own pain.

It's pathetic.

Inn:

Doubt there's anything more painful
than losing someone we love.

I remember combing through
the events of that day

a hundred times trying
to make sense of it.

I was so overwhelmed by the feeling
that her death was my fault.

Rightly so. She was
yours to protect.

Yeah, I believed that
for a long time.

It was easier for
me to punish myself

than to accept that I
was somehow powerless.

Running from that truth...

Is what makes us
believe these things.

Things that... lead us
down a destructive path.

Takes a...

A different kind of
courage to stop running.

To face that truth.

The pain may never
go away completely.

But if you let go of the guilt,

it does get better.

Did the colonel ever tell you
how he got that nasty scar?

I'm not interested in...

Birch really is the epitome
of what I despise in people.

So set in his antiquated ways.

He can't see he's
spent his entire life

marching to the beat of
someone else's drum.

Sticks and stones, colonel.

When I first arrived,

he was determined to be the one to
access the potential locked within me.

After dozens of
unsuccessful probes,

his frustration ballooned.

One day, he unbound me.

Pulled out a pen
just like this one.

He told me he wasn't afraid.

That he didn't believe I had
any control over my power.

You don't have to
do this, Ellie.

I wonder...

If he is afraid now.

Ellie?

Can you hear me?

Olivia, what's happening?

That's enough.

That was unnecessary.

It was a warning. The
patient knows the rules.

Ellie, can I help you?

No, you can't. None of you can.

You pushed them, Ellie.

Now you're on their side?

- Here, let... let's...
- Get off me!

- Let me at Lea...
- I said get off!

That's it! 50%.

Holy shit.

I see you, colonel.

75%, mccrosky.

I don't wonder anymore.

I know you are afraid.

- Give her everything.
- No. It'll kill her.

What is it you think
she plans to do to us?

- Crank it, Ryan.
- Don't.

Agent price is no
longer in command.

Now!

You okay?

I'll live.

What happened?

She's been prepped and
is awaiting transport.

Transport? Where?

But she's still here now.

Fonda-.

If I could just get a
few more minutes...

I'm afraid I'm no longer
the authority here.

There must be some
way we can, uh,

appeal to your superiors.

I have poured almost all of my
professional credibility into that room.

I got to take the little I
have left to walk away.

The facade was crumbling.

Doesn't matter. Not after that.

Everyone in the control
room must have seen it.

- If... if we were...
- Jimmy.

It's over.

Her mother's effects.

I'm sorry I got you
caught up in all this.

I heard about your daughter.

Yeah. That was a very
dark time for me.

Yet, um, every year since,

I've become more convinced that
it's those moments that define us.

That our struggles are...

Simply questions life asks.

At the end, all that
matters is how we answer.

You're just the way
I remember you.

You aren't so
different yourself.

You were the boss then, too.

Why was it you, um,
thought to call me?

I knew you had been working
with kids ever since...

What happened.

Anyway, when all this
came up, I, um...

Inn:

You found yourself in a position

to help a little girl.

Yeah.

Anyway, I've spent the
last year of my life

throwing away everything
I've worked for for nothing.

I don't know. I couldn't, um...

I couldn't just...
Stand by and, um...

Let that girl die.

Maybe you won't have to.

Would you look who
is up and about.

- What the hell does
he think he's doing?

He needs another chance.

Another chance?
What's going on here?

Colonel was clear. He said
nobody goes in, nobody goes out.

And where is birch now?

Now those were strict orders.

Yeah, I don't know about you,
but I can't get fired again.

Fired? We're talking treason.

I'll take full responsibility.
Tell him I forced you.

Do you really think
he's gonna buy that?

Agent price?

I know this is hard.

Maybe we need to accept that colonel
birch is doing the right thing.

We all witnessed how
violently Ellie responded.

To provocation.

Does that make her
any less dangerous?

I saw something
before that response.

A crack in the persona Ellie has
spent so much time building.

And I know both of
you saw it, too.

We are sending that girl to die.

If there's even the slightest
chance that she can be saved,

I think it's a
chance worth taking.

I just... I'm not sure we can.

Thank you.

Well, missed my date anyway.

I hope you're right about this.

Me, too.

The hour is lit, doctor.

This won't change anything.

It is worth trying.

And if you succeed,

what then?

Ellie gets a chance at life.

What kind of life?

Life in a cage?

Never knowing any existence
beyond isolation?

Given what humanity
stands to gain,

the solution is
mutually beneficial.

I don't see it that way.

That's unfortunate.

I'm afraid the colonel does.

It's about time.

Eleanor.

Ever the idealist, aren't we?

I see now why miss Olivia was so
keen to acquire your services,

besides her obvious desire to
rekindle an old flame, that is.

We don't have much time, Ellie.

Looks to me like you're
already out of time.

I need you to tell me what
happened to your mother.

Read the file, James.
It's all there.

I want to hear it from you.

Too bad. I'm far too consumed
with my own execution.

That's a shame.

I'm gonna be in big trouble
for breaking in here.

So leave.

No, I'll just, uh, wait.

You know, maybe birch will
let me accompany you.

You know he won't.

What ls it you want to know?

Just what happened.

I killed her...

In cold blood.

That doesn't seem logical.

She was the person who
cared for you most.

There's your problem.

Your perspective is clouded by the
cumbersome weight of emotion,

without which, my logic
is perfectly sound.

What the hell is going on here?

Colonel, it was my call.

I will personally see to
it that you burn for this.

That's fine. This isn't
about me or you.

I need three men and a ram now.

Colonel, please just let him have
a chance... - Enough! Sit down.

- What do you mean?
- Or what?

Or you will have a much
less comfortable seat

for the remainder of
this demonstration.

I don't think I can get into
your head if I wanted to.

Maybe you think you can
change things around.

Until you get the
results you seek.

This is over. Ryan,
hit her with a pulse.

- No.
- That is just not true.

Excuse me?

It's still charging from
the power overload.

How long?

Uh, three minutes. - You still have
yet to tell me what you do think.

I think you're lying, Ellie.

To me, to everyone else.

To yourself.

Is that your diagnosis?

That I'm a liar?

No. I think you're lying
because you feel guilty.

I think you loved your
mother very much.

Back to love again, are we?

It must be easy to hide behind
an intellect so powerful.

I'm not hiding.

How did it happen?

I told you.

Was it an accident?

Like with me earlier?

No. I murdered her.

I meant to do it, and
I'd do it again.

All so you would end up here?

Correct.

So you killed her

in insure your own death.

My actions simply
expedited the inevitable.

Then why not take
care of it yourself?

Deny them the pleasure
of cutting you open.

You'd prefer I had?

No, but it would have made
more sense given your, uh,

self-destructive agenda.

You must have known this process

would involve a great
deal of deliberation.

There was no rush.

So you were resolved
to suffer through

the psychological scrutiny.

I wasn't going to deny myself
a last vestige of fun.

Maybe you thought one of these
experts could help you.

I assure you that thought
never crossed my mind.

Were you afraid?

Of what?

Behind all your understanding,

is there no fear of
your own mortality?

I'm not afraid to die.

I believe you.

I think you're afraid to
live with yourself...

After what happened.

I'm not afraid of anything.

One minute.

Colonel?

When it's hot, you fire up. - You can't
afford to keep doing this, Ellie.

Neither of us have the time.

Finally. Something
we can agree on.

Time's up.

You have everyone fooled, Ellie.

But when I lock at you, I still
see a scared little girl.

Then you are blind.

This numbness,

this anxiousness
to hurt yourself,

all feelings we experience
in times of trauma.

Like losing someone you love.

I've heard enough about love.

You have given in.

You let guilt turn your
wonderful gifts against you.

I said enough.

Do you miss her?

You still wake up in
the night, don't you?

- Shut up.
- Do you call out to her?

Shut up! - You're still expecting
she'll come and hold you.

Shut up!

Do it.

What are you waiting for?

I... can't.

It's her.

What if you can't tell the time?

After all,

what if my disdain for
humanity's inferior existence

was becoming too much for me...

- And my self-destruction
was an act of mercy?

What if your
provocation backfires

and convinces me to
turn on both sides?

To become the monster they
would so like me to be?

You decide what you become.

Where did you get that?

Clear! Move in!

It was my fault.

I didn't mean it.

I know.

I know. It was an accident.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

It's all right, Ellie.

Everything is gonna
be all right.

Check.

I only have so much time
away from the facility.

I'd prefer to make
the most of it.

Chess is not a game of speed.

So I've heard.

Perhaps you could benefit from a
little practice in your free time.

Free time?

Dr. Werner isn't working
you too hard, I hope.

He's having trouble keeping up.

How's agent price?

Pardon?

I haven't seen her around.

I thought maybe you had.

She's, um,

she's fine.

I'll give her your regards.

Careful, doctor,
you're slipping.

I'm not so sure about that.

Check.