Siren

[MLM-217 (5C17)]

 

Written by Glen Morgan and James Wong
Directed by Allen Coulter
U.S. Air Date: March 20, 1988

[Transcribed by Libby]

 

[The episode opens in the hold of a ship. There are many people, of Asian origin, lying on the floor, sleeping. A rat runs over the neck of sleeping boy who awakes with a shout and wakens everyone else. As they try to settle back to sleep, a Young Man jumps up and runs up some steps to a door. He hammers on the door, to the objections of some people trying to get back to sleep.]

{dialogue in curly brackets indicates subtitles}

WOKENMAN1: {Stop it! Be quiet!}

WOKENWOMAN: {We're trying to sleep. Be quiet!}

WOKENMAN2: {Shut up!}

[The door is opened by a Crewman, also of Asian origin.]

YOUNG MAN: {I need to get out. I can't breathe.}

CREWMAN: {We'll tell you when it's time.}

YOUNG MAN: {I know we've ...}

[He sees the Crewman has a gun.]

YOUNG MAN: {We've docked. The ship hasn't moved for two days. When will you let us go?}

CREWMAN: {We'll tell you when it's time.}

YOUNG MAN: {Where is my brother? I haven't seen him in a week.}

[The Crewman doesn't answer and shuts and locks the door.]

PIER 31
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

[The ship is berthed and a gangway leads down to the dock. A Customs Officer drives up and the Captain walks down to the gangway to meet him.]

CUSTOMS OFFICER: Captain Law. What exotic trade from the Far East are we transporting today?

CAPTAIN: Dried goods. Shrimp, squid. Salted preserved fish.

[He hands over some documentation to the Customs Officer. In between the pages of the document are a number of banknotes.]

CUSTOMS OFFICER: Everything seems to be in order here. Good luck with your salted fish.

[He drives off, and the Captain starts back up the gangway. Then police cars, sirens sounding, start arriving.]

CAPTAIN: {Lying bastard.}

[He hurries into the ship, shouting into rooms off the corridor, hurrying people out.]

CAPTAIN: {We're being raided by the American police. Try to escape by any means possible.}

[On the outside, people are running, trying to escape from the immigration officials. One agent shouts: "Put your hands up and do not move!"]

[Inside the ship, the Captain sees two crew members.]

CAPTAIN: {Go to hold 38. Finish what we started.}

YEE CHUN: {The police are coming. Let them deal with it.}

CAPTAIN: {Yee Chun, it is our problem.}

YEE CHUN: {No, Captain. I can't go in there. I don't want to die.}

[The Captain pulls out a gun.]

CAPTAIN: {You kill the monster ... or I kill you.}

[Outside: "You're under arrest for illegally entering this country."]

[Inside, Yee Chun and his crewmate walk down a corridor.]

YEE CHUN: [to crewmate] {We don't have to do this.}

CREWMAN: {The Captain will kill us.}

YEE CHUN: {We die either way.}

[Men appear in the corridor behind them. "Federal Agents, drop your weapons."]

[Yee Chun and his crewmate drop their guns, put their hands on their head and walk towards the officers.]

YEE CHUN: {Don't go inside. You will live to regret it ... If you live at all.}

[INS agents approach the door, guns and flashlights ready.]

INS#1: I wonder what's behind door number one.

[He opens the door.]

INS#2: He says don't go in there. Something bad. Very bad.

[They enter and shine their flashlights around. They see a Woman chained up.]

INS#1: Oh my god.

[fade to black]

[main titles]

[polaroid fade up]

"SIREN"

[In the hospital, Catherine is counseling a woman, Diane.]

CATHERINE: Let it out, Diane.

DIANE: It was so powerful. It was like it wasn't a dream, it was like it was happening for real. Again. It's telling me something.

CATHERINE: It's telling me that you haven't finished grieving for your loss. You were the victim of a terrible act. You have to give yourself time to process those feelings inside you. [pause] I'm sorry, Diane, it's ten after.

[Diane starts quickly picking up her belongings.]

CATHERINE: No, that's OK, it's OK. Take all the time that you need. I'm just going to look outside and see if my daughter's here.

[Outside, in the corridor, Jordan is waiting with a woman, Terri.]

CATHERINE: Hey, hi.

TERRI: Catherine, hi. They had a great time but, listen, I gotta go, Zoe has gymnastics.

CATHERINE: Oh, that's OK. Thanks, Terri.

JORDAN: Bye!

TERRI: Bye, sweetie. I'll see you tomorrow.

[Terri leaves.]

CATHERINE: [to Jordan] Now listen. Can you give me one more minute?

JORDAN: Sure.

CATHERINE: OK. You just wait there with Ellen.

JORDAN: OK.

[Jordan goes over to a nurses station and speaks to Ellen.]

JORDAN: Can I get a drink of water?

ELLEN: Sure, you know where it is?

JORDAN: Yep. Turn left at the end of the hallway.

[She goes off. At the end of the hallway she looks left, no water cooler. Then she looks right and sees the water cooler is in that direction. She shrugs, then walks down the corridor and is just about past an open doorway when she stops and looks in. There is a woman sat on the examining couch. It's the Woman from the ship. The Woman senses Jordan is there and looks at her. Jordan looks back.]

CATHERINE: Jordan! Jordan, come on! Jordan, do you hear me? Sweetie.

[Catherine walks up to Jordan and then sees the Woman.]

CATHERINE: [to Woman] I'm sorry.

[She leads Jordan a little way from the door and crouches down to speak to her.]

CATHERINE: That was very rude. You know better than to stare at people anywhere but especially in a hospital.

JORDAN: Mom, you have to help her.

CATHERINE: I don't even know who she is. She probably doesn't even need my help.

JORDAN: You have to help her.

CATHERINE: Come on, let's go.

[Catherine stands and starts to walk away but Jordan stands her ground.]

JORDAN: Promise you'll help her!

CATHERINE: Jordan!

JORDAN: Promise. It's very important.

CATHERINE: Why?

JORDAN: She's gonna save Daddy's life.

 

[Frank's house. Frank is lying on the floor in the pose of a murder victim shown in a crime-scene photograph held by Lara.]

LARA: Point taken. It was staged to look like it wasn't.

FRANK: Right. Which leads me to believe that this murder was committed by someone who is familiar with the case.

LARA: Law enforcement? Not the first time that a new crime has been blamed on a past murder. [pause] Frank, point taken. You can get up now.

[He rolls over on to his side, propping his head up with his hand.]

FRANK: You know, working in this business sometimes makes me wonder if my last portrait will end up being the subject of a crime scene photo.

LARA: That's why I always wear clean underwear.

[Frank looks at her quizzically and amused.]

LARA: Well, it's not the only reason.

[There's a knock on the front door. Frank gets up and goes over to the front door and opens it.]

FRANK: Catherine.

CATHERINE: Hi. I'm sorry I didn't call before I came over. I, I didn't know I was really coming over here until I was standing in front of your door.

FRANK: Well, come in.

[She enters.]

FRANK: This is Lara Means. [to Lara] You remember Catherine.

LARA and CATHERINE: Hi.

LARA: How are you?

CATHERINE: Good.

[There's an awkward pause.]

CATHERINE: I'm sorry. I didn't know that you were working.

LARA: Oh, oh, oh, we're not. I mean, we are, but we're done, almost. I'll just ...

[Lara walks off, embarrassed.]

CATHERINE: Can I have a minute?

FRANK: Yeah. Sure.

[Lara sits in the front room. Frank and Catherine talk by Frank's desk.]

FRANK: You have something for me?

CATHERINE: I do. Uh. This is so silly. But Jordan was relentless. I've never seen her like that. I mean, about something like this. There's this woman.

FRANK: Yeah.

CATHERINE: She was brought into our hospital from this ship that was smuggling people into the United States. They gave her a complete check-up, blood work, x-rays, everything. She had no ID. No-one knows anything about her, only that maybe she suffered abuse from the smugglers.

FRANK: Ok, Catherine. What do you want me to do.

CATHERINE: I don't know. I, I sort of made this copy of her file. It's got her blood type and fingerprints. Maybe you can find out who she is.

[Frank smiles.]

FRANK: Catherine, you stole her history.

[Lara is still sat in the front room, but is carefully watching Frank and Catherine.]

CATHERINE: I know. It's crazy, it's crazy. But I had to do it. There was just something in Jordan's voice. She was serious. And I took her seriously.

FRANK: Jordan wants you to find out who she is.

CATHERINE: Jordan wanted me to help her, because this woman is going to save your life.

[Lara looks up on hearing this.]

I.N.S. DETENTION CENTER
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

[Frank and an INS agent, Agent Brown, are walking outside a fenced compound.]

AGENT BROWN: We're dealing with the Chinese government now to determine the background to these people. The ones with a criminal record are weeded out and sent home. The rest are given their day in court. What's the Millennium Group's interest in all this?

FRANK: To be perfectly honest. None.

AGENT BROWN: Detective Giebelhouse said that you worked with them.

FRANK: I do. But this is a private enquiry. Listen, I need to know anything you have on this woman.

AGENT BROWN: A civilian request.

FRANK: Yeah.

AGENT BROWN: We have no information on her.

FRANK: How was she discovered? Why is she still in the hospital? I know she was chained when the agents found her.

AGENT BROWN: We have no information. Sorry. Is there anything else?

FRANK: No. Thank you.

[Frank walks alongside the chain-link fence, inside of which are a number of the people from the ship. He holds up a photograph.]

FRANK: Do you recognize her? She was on the same ship you were on. Can you tell me anything about her. What about you? You recognize her, don't you.

[He has stopped and is showing the photograph to one man, Lee Chun. Lee Chun just looks at the photograph. Frank turns the photo briefly to look at it and there's a vision – some flashes of white light and a woman's voice. Lee Chun hurries away.]

 

[In the hospital, the Woman pulls at a dressing attaching a line in her arm. It comes away and she looks at it, uncomprehending. She tastes it, then licks her arm where it had been placed. There's a knock at the door and Catherine enters, accompanied by an Asian woman.]

CATHERINE: Hi. My name is Catherine. I'm a counselor here at the hospital. This is Jennifer. She is the Chinese language interpreter. We just wanted to make sure that everything was OK.

[Catherine switches on a tape recorder and holds it out as Jennifer translates Catherine's words into Chinese. The woman doesn't respond – just looks at the tape recorder.]

JENNIFER: Maybe she speaks another dialect.

[Jennifer tries other dialects. Still the woman doesn't respond.]

JENNIFER: Just run out of dialects. From where the ship originated, she should have responded to one of my questions.

CATHERINE: [to the Woman] My daughter, the little girl who was staring so rudely at you last night, she wants me to help you. But I don't know how.

[The Woman starts speaking. Her voice is strange, as though there are two voices. Jennifer shakes her head.]

JENNIFER: Not of this earth.

 

[Dockside at night. Frank and Lara get out of Frank's red jeep as another car draws up. Giebelhouse gets out and the three start walking over to the gangway.]

FRANK: Thanks, Giebs.

GIEBELHOUSE: Hey, sorry about that INS guy. I didn't think he was going to be such a pain in the ass. What exactly are we looking for?

LARA: We don't know.

GIEBELHOUSE: OK. Besides the smuggling of human beings into the United States, for which we already got the perps in custody, you suspect another crime's been committed?

FRANK: Not necessarily.

GIEBELHOUSE: Just give me a reason why we're going up there.

LARA: We're collecting evidence.

GIEBELHOUSE: For what?

FRANK: For a crime to be named later. After you.

[They walk up the gangway onto the ship.]

GIEBELHOUSE: I'm gonna stay up here to look for my evidence.

FRANK: All right.

[Frank and Lara go down inside the ship and look around. They have flashlights as there is little light below deck.]

LARA: Can you imagine coming across the Pacific Ocean in this. Knowing that at the end of the journey there's a great possibility that you will be caught and sent home only to start all over again.

FRANK: That's the power of a dream. People consider this country a beacon of hope. They use any means, Lara, go to any lengths, to get here. Because humans always gravitate toward the light.

[They enter the hold seen earlier.]

LARA: Yup. Humans will always find ways to exploit other humans. You know, these people are usually so indebted to the smugglers who bring them here that they become virtual slaves working for years to repay their debt. I'm sure they'd do anything to wake up from that nightmare.

FRANK: You know, it's refreshing to hear someone even more cynical than I am.

[Frank smiles, Lara looks less amused. They go back into the corridor.]

LARA: According to the report, cargo hold 38 is where they found the woman.

FRANK: OK.

[They enter the cargo hold. Frank shines his flashlight on the metal pole and the chains where the Woman was held. There's another vision – the flashing white lights, like a firework, the woman's voice, and a man's face.]

FRANK: The ocean.

[He goes back out on deck.]

GIEBELHOUSE: Collect any evidence?

[Frank is trying to open something. Giebelhouse and Lara assist him. Finally, he levers up the lid of a wooden container and holds it up.]

FRANK: OK, take a look. What is it?

[Inside, are two men, dead.]

LARA: Oh. It ain't salted preserved fish.

[Now we see there are more bodies.]

[fade to black]

[polaroid fade up]

[Mortuary room.]

CORONER: Yup. Same as the other three. Cause of death, ventricular fibrillation due to hypothermia. There is evidence of acidosis, increased formation of lactic acid, depression of renal function. No indication of trauma to the head or neck. No wounds of any kind. No signs of puncture marks. These people died from exposure to the elements.

LARA: Well, it's not like they were out in the middle of nowhere. They could easily have found shelter on the ship.

GIEBELHOUSE: Maybe they were forced to stay outside on deck. In which case, it's murder. Or at least manslaughter.

FRANK: Is it possible to tell whether these victims were subjected to the elements just once, or many times, before they died.

[The coroner goes over to another body. The other three follow him.]

CORONER: It's hard to say but if you look at the extremities here, I see signs in these cuticles that indicate a previous frostbite had been healing and that would indicate more than one exposure.

GIEBELHOUSE: Frank, do you think they were, like, tortured? Or repeatedly exposed to the cold until they died?

FRANK: Or rescued again and again until it was too late.

LARA: Either way, I can understand that maybe one person died like this, but four? What could possibly have happened on that ship?

 

[Interview room. Giebelhouse and Lara are sat at a table opposite the Captain. Frank is sat on a chair against a side wall.]

GIEBELHOUSE: 14 years. That's a long time. You could have a whole career in 14 years.

LARA: Or you could start a new career. Go back to school, get your Bachelors, Masters, PhD two times over.

GIEBELHOUSE: 14 years is enough time to watch a boy grow into a man.

CAPTAIN: What are you talking about?

GIEBELHOUSE: The next part of your life. Are you interested?

LARA: Hey. I know that your lawyer told you to plead no contest and the most you'd do is 15 months. That's when it was smuggling. Now, now it's different.

GIEBELHOUSE: Yeah. Now it's murder. Four counts.

CAPTAIN: No.

LARA: We found four bodies crammed into a crate on your ship. You want to tell me how they got there?

CAPTAIN: They died.

GIEBELHOUSE: You killed them?

CAPTAIN: No. I don't know how they died. But I do know the people I transport would not want to be thrown into the sea. I was bringing them back to the homeland to be buried.

[Frank gets up and puts the photograph of the Woman down in front of the Captain. The Captain is disturbed and turns the photograph over face down.]

FRANK: Who is she?

CAPTAIN: When you answer that question you will know what killed the men.

FRANK: Tell me about the first time you saw her.

CAPTAIN: I was alone on the bridge making a routine check. I noticed we were off course.

[The Captain continues as a voice over. He was checking the radar screen.]

CAPTAIN: I have to make an adjustment which loses us maybe an hour. I think nothing of it. The sea often takes you to where she wants you to go.

[He adjusts the helm.]

CAPTAIN: It was late at night which makes what happened next even more impossible.

[He leaves the bridge and goes out for a cigarette.]

CAPTAIN: In the middle of the Pacific with nothing around for miles, I heard her.

[The same woman's voice as before.]

CAPTAIN: Against the roar of the sea I hear her voice. It sounded close, like it was just beyond the lights of the ship.

[He goes over to a searchlight and switches it on.]

CAPTAIN: But thinking back now, it was close. It was as if she stood next to me.

[In the searchlight, there's a small boat with a lantern. Sitting calmly in the boat is the Woman.]

[Back in the interview room. Yee Chun is sitting opposite Giebelhouse and Lara. An interpreter translates his words.]

INTERPRETER: Her voice went beneath your skin.

INTERPRETER: With hands seductive and powerful.

INTERPRETER: Hold on to your spine.

INTERPRETER: I was walking back to my cabin when I hear laughter. A woman's laugh. Women are not allowed in crew quarters. Naturally I was curious.

[Yee Chun is walking down a corridor. He is initially amused on hearing the woman's laugh.]

INTERPRETER: (VO) They were in a passionate embrace.

[Chun peeks around the open door and sees the woman lying on top of Fung Lum.]

INTERPRETER: (VO) Which was not in itself unusual because it was Fung Lum. He considers himself a conqueror of women.

[The woman sees Yee Chung and stares at him. She purses her lips and blows softly. There's an eerie sound of the wind blowing. Yee Chun seems disturbed and walks away.]

INTERPRETER: But it looked to me as it was she who had conquered him.

LARA: So, this was the first time that you saw her.

[The Interpreter translates for Yee Chun who replies.]

INTERPRETER: I thought Fung Lum had smuggled her on board.

GIEBELHOUSE: What? He didn't notice the rescue?

[Again the Interpreter translates.]

INTERPRETER: Nobody was rescued from the sea.

 

[Interview room. Chin is sat opposite Giebelhouse and Lara.]

CHIN: She came as the answer to his prayer.

[Chin continues as a voice-over. People are moving around in the hold. An old woman is cooking.]

CHIN: My brother believed in divinity. He believed the forces of the world is foretold.

[The Woman and Chin's brother are sitting together.]

CHIN: Only we are blind to the future. But she, she have the gift to see.

[The Woman is shaking a container of prayer sticks. One prayer stick falls to the ground.]

LARA: So, so how did your brother meet her?

FRANK: A voice. He heard her voice. He heard her voice and was seduced before he saw her.

CHIN: Yes. She sang to him.

FRANK: Did you see this woman before the journey started? Was she part of a group?

CHIN: No. She just appeared.

[On board the ship. It is night and stormy. Crew members exit out onto the deck.]

[Interview room. Yee Chun again.]

INTERPRETER: That's when everything started going crazy.

INTERPRETER: We found Fung Lum on the bow, frozen.

[The captain rushes across the deck and puts a blanket over the man, calling for other members of the crew who stand and look.]

INTERPRETER: On his face was an expression I'll never forget. A scream caught inside a smile.

[Interview room. The Captain again.]

CAPTAIN: He was an experienced seaman. It was impossible for him to die in this way. I don't know how. I have no proof but I believe now, this woman killed him. Next day and night passed without incidence. The next morning we found another body. For our own safety, we put the woman into chains and locked everybody into their quarters.

[The immigrants are pushed into the hold and the door is shut.]

[Interview room with Chin.]

CHIN: We was frightened. Nobody know why they lock us together. My brother is very angry. When we go to sleep he would tell me, we have to get out. When I wake up the door is still locked but Ming is gone. I never see my brother again.

[Giebelhouse looks over at Frank, who nods at him.]

GIEBELHOUSE: Mr Chin. I'm sorry you have to find out this way but was one of these men your brother?

[Chin looks at the photographs of the dead men. He nods. A tear falls onto the photograph of his brother.]

 

[Frank's house.]

LARA: Here's my thing. I'm captain of a ship smuggling aliens into the United States. Bodies start showing up dead on board. First thing I'm gonna look for is a scapegoat. If, I also happen to be a misogynist who spends a majority of my time at sea in the company of other men, then it wouldn't be a stretch for me to blame all my troubles on the most beautiful woman that I've seen in a long time. Because subconsciously I got a lot of problems relating to women and I am scared to death of anything resembling lust.

FRANK: What about the other stories?

LARA: Well, Yee Chun is part of this crew and he disputed his captain's story of the rescue at sea.

FRANK: Chin believes she's supernatural.

LARA: That statement only strengthens my position.

[Frank sighs. Then starts up the computer connection to Millennium.]

FRANK: Soylent green is people.

[The log-in procedure starts.]

FRANK: I sent the mystery woman's picture and fingerprints to the Millennium Group's database for analyzing. And apparently they came up with a match.

[A photograph of the woman and her details show upon the screen – a report from Interpol HQ, Lyon, France.]

LARA: Tamara Shui Fa Lee. Chinese national, Hong Kong resident.

FRANK: Lost in the east China Sea 50 miles south of Sakashima island. November 1988. She's been dead for ten years.

[fade to black]

[polaroid fade up]

[Hospital. Frank and Catherine are listening to the recording Catherine made of Tamara.]

CATHERINE: I played the tape for every interpreter that works in the hospital. Nobody knows what, or if it's an actual language. But the funny thing is, even though I couldn't understand her, I had the feeling that she totally understood me. Did you find out anything?

FRANK: Maybe. The only match the computer came up with was a girl that presumably died ten years ago.

CATHERINE: Well, that's not her. She's not only alive, she's amazingly healthy. All of her tests came back negative. They're going to send her back to the detention camp. And then probably back home to China soon.

FRANK: Could you get me into to see this woman?

CATHERINE: Frank. I've been thinking. I shouldn't have brought you into this. I shouldn't have been involved in it myself. I know that Jordan is sensitive and that she's special but she's still only a child and to do what we did because of something that she said, that's, it's insane.

FRANK: You want me to forget about it.

CATHERINE: I think we should.

FRANK: Can I borrow this?

[He picks up the tape recorder.]

CATHERINE: Don't forget about dinner tonight.

FRANK: I wouldn't miss it for the world.

[Frank walks down the corridor. He listens to the tape, Tamara speaking in the unknown language. He leans against the wall, listening, when suddenly Tamara speaks in English.]

TAMARA: Last chance for the truth.

[Frank is startled. Then goes into Tamara's hospital room. She is sitting on the bed, in the lotus position.]

TAMARA: I've been waiting for you.

FRANK: You know me?

[He puts the tape recorder down and switches it on.]

TAMARA: Frank Black. How many acts by how many men did it take before our two points intersect.

FRANK: You speak English.

TAMARA: No. You understand English.

FRANK: Are you Tamara Lee?

TAMARA: If you want me to be. If that makes you comfortable. Yes, you can call me that.

FRANK: If who you are is not important, then what are you? How did you get on that ship?

TAMARA: Oh, they must have told you.

FRANK: Three different versions. Which one do I believe?

TAMARA: They're all true. Because, as you must know by now Frank, there's no such thing as a single truth. Everything must be seen from its own point of view.

FRANK: No. There is good and there is evil.

TAMARA: Is there, Frank? [pause] So tell me, was it good for you to kill that man, to leave your family, or was it evil. But this is not why we came together. I am not here to talk about your past, Frank, I'm here because I'm more concerned about your future.

FRANK: You're going to save my life?

TAMARA: Exactly. Your life. You know, you are either living or dying. Living is doing whatever you want to do. Dying is everything else. So, which are you?

FRANK: At this moment, I'm not very sure.

TAMARA: Then you'd better figure it out. There are only 652 days left. I can offer you anything, Frank. Just tell me what you want – wealth? power? sex? Believe me, greater men have fallen for less. I can make you so very happy, Frank. Just tell me what you want.

FRANK: Is this your idea of a seduction?

TAMARA: You tell me. Is it working?

FRANK: Not in the least.

TAMARA: [mock sigh] Then keep thinking.

 

[Frank is driving his red jeep along a darkened road. He is tired. He picks up the tape recorder from the seat and looks at it, puzzled. He puts it in his jacket pocket. He has a vision – the white lights. He is having difficulty keeping away. He puts his hand to his face. As he takes his hand away and looks up, he sees Tamara, dressed in white, standing in the middle of the road. He slams on the brakes but the car ploughs into her, sending her flying over the top of the car. Frank stops the car and gets out. He looks at the front of the car but there's no damage. He looks around for her but there is no sign of her. He trips on the edge of a ditch and sits down, head in hands. There is a white wooden cross propped against the side of the ditch. Then he gets up, gets back in the car and drives off.]

 

[Dinner table in the yellow house. Catherine, Frank and Jordan are eating a Chinese meal.]

JORDAN: Why do we have to eat with sticks?

FRANK: Because it's Chinese food. You grab it with – look, watch what I'm doing – you hold it like that with your thumb and you grab it like that and you pinch the food like this. See, I'm an expert.

CATHERINE: Oh.

JORDAN: Look, I did it!

[Jordan has used two chopsticks, one in each hand!]

CATHERINE: Very good.

FRANK: That's cheating but you ...

CATHERINE: No, they say that the test of a true chopstick master is to pick up a peanut.

[Which Catherine has just done. Unfortunately, as she holds it out for them to see, it slips free and pings across the table. They all laugh.]

[Later. Sitting room. Frank is sitting on the sofa where Jordan has fallen asleep. Frank gently toys with her hair. Catherine comes in with coffee mugs.]

FRANK: Hey.

CATHERINE: Here, sweetie.

FRANK: Thank you.

CATHERINE: It's good to have you home.

[Frank has a vision. A gun firing; Frank shooting at the Polaroid Man; the Polaroid Man lunging at Frank with a knife; Frank stabbing the Polaroid Man; polaroids of Catherine and Jordan. Frank suddenly looks exhausted.]

FRANK: I'm worn out. Gotta get some sleep.

[He goes off. Catherine looks concerned.]

 

[Later. Frank is asleep in bed. He suddenly awakes with a jolt, waking Catherine.]

CATHERINE: Frank? Frank?

[Frank is startled to find he's in bed with Catherine.]

FRANK: I'm sorry. What did I do? Fall asleep downstairs or something?

CATHERINE: What's the matter?

FRANK: We're sleeping together.

CATHERINE: We've been sleeping together since before we were married.

[Another vision. Bletcher, the yellow house, Catherine in the garden, the polaroid of Catherine tied up.]

CATHERINE: You're sensing things again.

FRANK: Again?

CATHERINE: It hasn't happened since you resigned from the FBI.

FRANK: What about my work with the Millennium Group?

CATHERINE: What? What group? I don't know what you're talking about.

[Frank and Catherine enter the basement. Frank checks his computer.]

FRANK: My Millennium Group icon has been deleted. There's no ouroboros!

CATHERINE: Honey, do you want to tell me what this is about?

FRANK: Come here, listen to me.

CATHERINE: What?

FRANK: You, you, Catherine, you tell me, who am I, who am I?

CATHERINE: Your name is Frank Black. You have a wife and daughter who love and adore you. You own a very successful private investigative consulting firm with Fortune 500 clients. You live in this beautiful yellow house with money in the bank and you're very happy.

FRANK: I am?

 

[A pager shows "2000". It is day, outside a building. Peter Watts and another man walk towards the building. Frank is standing by his red jeep.]

FRANK: Peter! I tried to page you about ten times.

WATTS: That was you? How did you get my number?

FRANK: It's Frank. Frank Black. The guy that you got into the Millennium Group.

WATTS: Oh, yeah. The Millennium Group. Yeah, how was the meeting last night. I was busy at work and I couldn't go. Hey, why don't we all go down to headquarters right now, I gotta pay my dues this month anyway.

[Watts and the other man walk off.]

FRANK: You know, you're playing right into my delusion. It's the oldest trick in the book.

WATTS: All right, Mr Black. I won't play games if you won't. I don't know who you are, how you know me. But you stay away. You've got no idea what you're dealing with here.

[Watts and the other man walk into the building which has "Department on Justice" on the door.]

 

[Verandah of the yellow house. A man is sat on a chair, reporting to Frank, who is not paying attention.]

MAN: I checked out all the bank accounts, recent credit apps, large purchases. Anything that would indicate a sudden influx of money.

[The man's voice starts fading out.]

MAN: I may have found our embezzler at the controller's office, on a $53,000 annual salary she recently purchased two Ski-Doos, a trailer, a brand new SUV...

[Frank has a vision of Jordan screaming.]

FRANK: Excuse me.

[He goes in through the front door.]

FRANK: Jordan?

[He goes into the basement.]

FRANK: Jordan!

[There's a vision of Jordan lying dead in the arms of the Gehenna monster who is sat in Frank's chair. Then Jordan screaming.]

FRANK: Jordan!

 

[The darkened road as before. An ambulance and police car are there with paramedics. Frank is sat by his red jeep.]

PARAMEDIC1: ... a body temperature of 93 degrees. He's been out here way too long. This guy's in a lot of trouble. Come on, let's go.

PARAMEDIC2: I'm hooking up ...

[fade to black]

[polaroid fade up]

[Hospital room. Frank unwinds bandages from his hands, revealing his fingers individually bandaged as in frostbite cases. He's fully dressed. He starts pulling off the finger bandages with his teeth. Catherine comes in.]

CATHERINE: Frank, what are you doing? You almost died of exposure 12 hours ago. You should be in bed, recovering.

FRANK: I've got to see her.

CATHERINE: Who?

FRANK: The woman, Tamara.

CATHERINE: I ...

[Catherine has brought flowers, which Frank takes from her.]

FRANK: Thank you.

CATHERINE: It's too late. She's already been sent back to the internment center. Frank, they're never going to release you in this condition. No doctor in his right mind is going to sign you out. Do you want to tell me what's going on?

FRANK: Catherine, who am I? Who am I?

CATHERINE: Your name is Frank Black. You have a wife and daughter who love you. You work with the Millennium Group.

FRANK: Ah, good.

[He goes back to the doorway and kisses her as he leaves.]

CATHERINE: Honey. Frank!

NURSE: Mr Black, where are you going?

CATHERINE: Frank!

 

[The Center. A man unlocks the padlock on the main gate and opens it. Tamara walks into the compound. A man sees her and runs to a group of men, including the Captain, who are standing around a fire, drinking.]

MAN: {She's back!}

CAPTAIN: {This time she will not escape.}

[The men move off.]

 

[Night. Frank is walking down a road. A car draws up.]

LARA: Frank! Frank, it's me.

FRANK: I have to talk to her.

LARA: Frank, get in!

[Lara pulls over in front of Frank, then drives slowly alongside him as he continues to walk.]

LARA: Frank, are you OK. Catherine called Peter Watts. She's really concerned about you. She said that you walked out of the hospital in a delusional state and from what I can see she's right.

FRANK: I have to talk to her.

LARA: Tamara Lee? What did she do to you?

LARA: Look. I don't know what's going on here, but I think I have a good idea. Somehow, whatever killed those men on that ship is affecting you.

FRANK: She's at the internment center. I have to talk to her. What part of that don't you understand?

LARA: Some of those men died from repeated exposure to the elements. And, Frank, my friend, you are following the same pattern.

FRANK: Look, either take me there or leave me alone.

LARA: Get in the car.

FRANK: I'm driving! I'm not going to let you take me back to the hospital.

LARA: Frank, you are in no condition to drive.

[Frank walks on.]

LARA: OK! All right, fine. Get in.

 

[The Center. Inside a dormitory block. Tamara sits on a bed. A young boy is watching her.]

BOY: {Who are you?}

[Tamara just looks at him. The boy's mother comes over and ushers him away. Tamara lies down.]

[A man holds a makeshift knife. The Captain and others are sitting by the open fire.]

CAPTAIN: {Four people died on my ship, under my care. The police believe I am responsible. I am. After Fung Lum I should have stopped her then. We will stop her now.}

CHIN: {Captain Law, I'm afraid of this woman. She has ... }

THIRD MAN: { ... a power.}

CAPTAIN: {I know. It is her voice. Her voice is the lure of Death's sweet call. Here's a tape of Chinese opera.}

[He hands it to the third man.]

CAPTAIN: {Play it loud. If you can't hear her voice this will be the song of her death. Don't forget it.}

[Chin and the third man don headphones.]

 

[Back on the road, Frank is speeding and almost hits an oncoming car.]

LARA: Frank! What!

[Lara fastens her seat belt.]

LARA: I'm just going to lay it on the line here.

FRANK: Go ahead.

LARA: You're acting irrational. There's no reason why we have to see this woman tonight. She's under custody and you really need to go back to the hospital.

FRANK: Have you ever been given a second chance? At life? Tamara gave me a vision of a new path. A vision full of grace, and horror. And I've got to find out if my association with Millennium is bringing that horror to my home, my family. Or has the Group been keeping it bay. I've got to find out.

 

[The Center. The third man and Chin enter the building.]

CHIN: {Everybody is out. She's all alone inside.}

MAN3: {I don't want to see her face. I hate that moment when they know.}

CHIN: {She's asleep. She won't know.}

[They go into the dormitory, rush over to the sleeping woman. Chin covers her with a blanket and the third man stabs her repeatedly. The woman cries out, and Chin lifts up the blank. It isn't Tamara. As the two men realize this, Tamara gets down from the top bunk in another part of the room and runs away. The two men run after her.]

 

[Lara and Frank arrive outside the compound, and Frank brings Lara's jeep to a screeching halt. They get out and run over to the locked gate. Frank grabs hold of the gate, then recoils in pain from his frost-bitten fingers.]

LARA: I'll find an agent in charge to let us in. OK?

FRANK: Yeah.

[Frank sees Tamara running across the compound followed by the two men.]

FRANK: Hey! Hey!

[He runs back to Lara's jeep and starts up the engine. Lara realizes what he's about to do.]

LARA: Frank, no!

[Frank drives the jeep at the gates, smashing them open. He gets out and starts running.]

[Tamara has been cornered by the two men and the Captain. She grabs a length of wood and hits one of them, knocking off his headphones. He hits her and knocks her to the ground.]

TAMARA: {If you kill me, they'll kill you.}

CAPTAIN: {Cover her head.}

[He throws the blanket over her head and he and Chin raise their knives. But they are both thrown away from Tamar and land on the ground. The Captain rushes over and grabs Tamara, pulling off the blanket.]

CAPTAIN: {You took four lives. I want you to see who will take your life.}

[As he is about to strike, Frank grabs his arm. Lara and two guards run up.]

AGENT: Federal agent!

[He points his gun at the group.]

AGENT: Help the girl.

[Frank and an agent lead Tamara away.]

FRANK: Hey. You OK?

[Tamara doesn't respond.]

FRANK: Hey. Frank Black. I'm Frank Black. Listen, I gotta ask you a very important question.

AGENT: Mr Black, you're wasting your time. This woman doesn't understand English.

FRANK: Oh, she understands.

[Tamara speaks in the unknown dialect.]

LARA: But Frank, she's been through a lot. We'll set up an interview tomorrow. [to Agent] Take her away.

FRANK: I recorded the whole interrogation.

[He switches on recorder. Frank's voice: "You know me". Tamara's response is in dialect.]

LARA: How did you make sense of what she said?

[Recording: Frank's voice: "You speak English." Again, Tamara's response is in dialect.]

[Frank switches off the recorder.]

FRANK: I heard what I wanted to hear. She was sent here to tempt me. With a question about ...

LARA: About the Millennium Group?

FRANK: About my life. And I didn't know until this moment that she didn't have the answer.

LARA: Do you?

[As Tamara is led away, she calmly looks back at Frank.]

[fade to black]

[end credits]

Starring:

Lance Henriksen (Frank Black)
Megan Gallagher (Catherine Black)

Also Starring:

Terry O'Quinn (Peter Watts)
Stephen James Lang (Det. Bob Giebelhouse)
Brittany Tiplady (Jordan Black)

Guest Starring:

Vivian Wu (Tamara Shui Fa Lee)
Tzi Ma (Captain Youfook Law)
Ricky Cheng (Yee Chun)
Kristen Cloke (Lara Means)

Co-Starring:

Fulvio Cecere (Agent Brown)
Colin Foo (Lo Fat)
Simon Wong (Chin)
Alannah Ong (Jennifer)
Ronin (Interpreter)
Michael Puttonen (Coroner (II))
Cory Dagg (Stan)
Eileen Pedde (Doctor (I))
Bobby Magee (Customs Officer (I))

Uncredited:

Derek Lowe (Ming)
Heather McCarthy (Terri)
Mikela J. Mikael (Diane)
Darryl Quon (Fung Lum)
Melanie Skehar (Ellen)

Music by Mark Snow
Editor: George R Potter
Production Designer: Mark Freeborn
Director of Photography: Robert McLachlan
Executive Story Editor: Michael R Perry
Associate Producer: Julie Herlocker
Associate Producer: Kathy Gilroy-Sereda
Associate Producer: Jon-Michael Preece
Consulting Producer: Chip Johannessen
Consulting Producer: Darin Morgan
Co-Producer: Robert Moresco
Co-Producer: Paul Rabwin
Producer: Thomas J Wright
Co-Executive Producer: Ken Horton
Co-Executive Producer: John Peter Kousakis
Written by Glen Morgan & James Wong
Directed by Allen Coulter

Executive Producers: James Wong & Glen Morgan
Executive Producer: Chris Carter

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