Seers

by Horatio Jaxx

When flight 129 returns from the past, it is soon learned that its passengers and crew have comeback with an ability to forecast and shape future events. Soon after that discovery, the Department of Homeland Security realizes that policing malefactors who can see into the future is a task best performed by officers who can do the same.

2. Concentration

SCRIPT 2

CONCENTRATION

FADE IN:

INT. COURTHOUSE CONFERENCE ROOM—MORNING

Ethan and Barbara are in a judicial hearing in Richmond with their lawyers. Mr. Stamets is Ethan's lawyer, and Mr. Anderson is Barbara's lawyer. They are seated on opposite sides of a short conference table with their lawyers. The judge is not in the room.

MR. STAMETS: (whispering) "Try not to worry, Mr. McKay. There's a good chance you will retain custody."

ETHAN: (pondering) "I know I will, today."

Ethan's lawyer turns to give him a confused look just as the judge enters the room and takes a seat at the end of the table.

JUDGE: "Okay, Mrs. Langford, Mr. McKay, I have read the briefs and I have looked over the information that came with them. I do have some questions."

The judge stops to find a particular piece of paper.

JUDGE / CONT'D: "This is a unique situation."

The judge glances at Barbara then Ethan and back again before turning her attention to the piece of paper in her hand.

JUDGE / CONT'D: "I'm a little confused about this. According to what I'm reading here, Professor McKay went missing 11 ½ years ago when he was married to the now Mrs. Barbara Langford, but it says here that Barbara Langford has a 13-year-old daughter named Kira Langford. I need an explanation for that."

Barbara is unnerved by the judge's statement and looks to an infuriated Ethan in a panic.

BARBARA: "It happened a year after Daniel was born. Kira didn't understand why she had a different last name."

ETHAN: (angry) "So, you just changed it, problem solved."

BARBARA: "It's just a name."

ETHAN: "It's my name."

BARBARA: "She didn't know you, Ethan. You'd been gone for more than five years. She was eight."

ETHAN: "And your answer was to remove all trace of me from her life."

BARBARA: "That's not fair. You were dead. Kira was alive and she didn't like feeling like an outsider in the family."

JUDGE: (interjecting) "Okay, I get the picture."

The judge grabs another paper and holds it up.

JUDGE / CONT'D: "Mr. Stamets, according to this letter from DHS, they have some medical concerns regarding Jared's exposure to ... radiation. Can you expound on that?"

Barbara is shocked to hear the word radiation.

BARBARA: "Radiation?"

MR. STAMETS: "I don't have any details on that, Your Honor. What I have been told by DHS is that all the passengers and crew of flight 1-29 appear to have been exposed to some form of radiation."

BARBARA: (To Ethan) "Is there something wrong with Jared? Is he ill?"

ETHAN: "No, Jared is fine."

BARBARA: "Then why are they talking about radiation exposure?"

ETHAN: "They're not sure. They're seeing something that could be a form of irradiation."

BARBARA: "Your Honor, my son needs to be with me. I'm his mother."

MR. STAMETS: "Your Honor, the DHS makes it very clear in their letter that Jared is too young to recognize aberrant changes in his physiology. Ethan would be a better guardian because of his own exposure."

MR. ANDERSON: "How does that make sense? If the father gets ill, then how can he help his son?"

MR. STAMETS: (Quickly countering) "Langley doctors are monitoring Jared almost daily. DHS believes the child should be with his father for now."

BARBARA: "I'm his mother. I know how to care for my child."

MR. ANDERSON: "Your Honor, Mrs. Langford is better situated to provide a healthy atmosphere for her child."

MR. STAMETS: "As you can see in the brief, Your Honor, Mr. McKay has just moved into a house off base."

The judge examines the paper.

INT. MEDICAL CENTER OFFICE—MORNING

Jean is being tested for clairvoyance with Zener cards. The testing process looks haphazard and not like something that was commonly done by people trained to administer the test. The Zener cards is a deck of twenty-five cards of five sets of five symbols: a hollow circle, a plus sign, three vertical wavy lines, a hollow square, and a hollow five-pointed star. Jean is being asked to guess what is on the card. Each guess is wrong, and she is not shown the card after she guesses.

INTERCUT

INT. MEDICAL CENTER OFFICE—MORNING

Peyton is being tested for clairvoyance with Zener cards. Each guess is wrong, and she is not shown the card after she guesses.

INTERCUT

INT. MEDICAL CENTER OFFICE—MORNING

Noah is being tested for clairvoyance with Zener cards. Each guess is wrong, and he is not shown the card after she guesses.

INTERCUT

INT. MEDICAL CENTER OFFICE—MORNING

Jared is being tested for clairvoyance with Zener cards. Each guess is wrong, and he is not shown the card after she guesses.

INT. COURTHOUSE HALLWAY—MORNING

Ethan and Barbara come out of judicial hearing in Richmond VA and into the hallway with their lawyers. The lawyers standby as Ethan and Barbara talk.

BARBARA: (angry) "I want my son, Ethan."

ETHAN: "Your parental rights have been restored; you can see Jared any time you want."

BARBARA: "Don't do this, Ethan. You know Jared belongs with me."

ETHAN: "Well, the judge didn't agree."

BARBARA: "Six months, Ethan, and then I'm coming back in here to get Jared."

Barbara storms off.

EXT. LANGLEY AFB HANGAR—DAY

Sylvester Fimmel is watching air base personnel dismantle the debris of what once was Airbus N537AA when Kimberly Beale walks up to him.

KIMBERLY: "What happened?"

SYLVESTER: "The fuel mix caused a chemical reaction."

KIMBERLY: "How is that possible?"

SYLVESTER: (With a shrug) "We don't know."

KIMBERLY: "Find out."

Kimberly walks away.

INT. DR. REBECCA CLARK'S OFFICE—DAY

Rebecca is seated in a sofa chair and Dr. Jean Kumar is seated on the sofa across from her.

JEAN: "I'm seeing things, and they feel real. The ... visions were occurring only when I slept. Now I'm seeing things when I'm awake."

REBECCA: "Do you feel like ..."

JEAN: (interjecting) "No. It's not a trance. It's more like a daydream that feels like a memory. That's not an accurate description, but it's close."

REBECCA: "What's the difference?"

JEAN: "Normally, I can control a daydream. With these, it's like I'm a spectator."

REBECCA: "Is that what you were experiencing ..."

JEAN: (interrupting) "Yes, that's exactly what I was experiencing when the Airbus exploded."

REBECCA: "And do these visions always come ..."

JEAN: (interrupting) "No, no, no, they never come true. When the Airbus exploded, I didn't know what was happening, but I wasn't surprised."

REBECCA: "What does that mean?"

JEAN: "Well ... I was amazed, but the explosion felt like it was supposed to happen."

REBECCA: "How about my keys, was ...?"

JEAN: (interjecting) "No, your keys were different. That was a weird deja vu thing."

REBECCA: "Deja vu? Does that happen often?"

JEAN: "It's happening a lot, lately."

REBECCA: "Define a lot."

JEAN: "Multiple times a day."

REBECCA: "Are we talking three times a day?"

JEAN: "More like three times an hour."

Rebecca stops to make a note of that answer on her pad.

JEAN / CONT'D: "How long have you been detecting radiation coming from us?"

REBECCA: "Almost from the beginning."

JEAN: "Why weren't we told?"

REBECCA: "That wasn't ..."

JEAN: (interrupting) "Your call."

REBECCA: (Confused and amazed) "No, it wasn't, and you shouldn't worry. There's ..."

JEAN: (interrupting) "Oh, no negative effects. So, is it dissipating?"

REBECCA: "We don't know. We can ..."

JEAN: (interrupting) "How is that you can see the radiation in MRI's and not detect it?"

REBECCA: "That's a mystery, but we believe that is why ..."

JEAN: (interrupting) "It's not having an adverse effect on us."

REBECCA: "That's the general assumption. (intrigued) Are you aware that you've been finishing my sentences and anticipating my answers?"

JEAN: (mystified) "Was I?"

INT. CAFETERIA—DAY

Peyton and Jared are eating lunch inside the Langley AFB Dormitory cafeteria when Noah and Jean sit at the table with a tray of food.

JEAN: "Hi, Peyton. Hi, Jared."

PEYTON: "Hi."

JARED: "Hi."

NOAH: (To Jared) "Hey champ, how's the food?"

JARED: "Okay."

NOAH: "Good." (To Peyton) "How are you doing?"

PEYTON: "As well as can be expected I guess, considering that I'm still eating my dinners here."

NOAH: "Hey, this is great. The food is free and there are no dishes to clean."

JEAN: "I wouldn't go so far as to say the food is great."

NOAH: "Hey, free food and no dishes is great in my book."

PEYTON: "Is the glass always half full with you?"

NOAH: "No, but I like to keep things in perspective."

PEYTON: "Right."

JEAN: "So, how did everyone do on their test?"

Peyton gives Jean an exasperated shake of her head.

PEYTON: "The Zener Cards?"

JEAN: "Yeah, I guessed three of them right."

PEYTON: "Do they really think we have some kind of … precognition?"

NOAH: (optimistically) "Hey, we did jump through time. Maybe we have a superpower. (To Jared) What do you say, Jared, do you have a superpower?"

Jared enthusiastically nods his head yes while he eats.

NOAH / CONT'D: "You see."

PEYTON: "We don't have superpowers."

NOAH: "I take it you didn't do too well with the cards."

PEYTON: "It's not that kind of test."

NOAH: "I got five right."

PEYTON: "So, did I."

JEAN: "Between three and seven is the average out of a deck of 25 cards with an equal number of five separate symbols."

NOAH: "So, we're average?"

PEYTON: (With finality) "That's what I've been saying."

NOAH: "How about you, Jared, are you average?"

JARED: "Yeah."

PEYTON: "Actually, Jared got six of them right."

NOAH: (enthusiastically) "Way to go, Jared."

PEYTON: "Are you always this cheerful?"

NOAH: "When I'm enjoying the company ... Yeah."

PEYTON: "Well, the company notwithstanding, this sucks."

NOAH: "Are you down because of this place or is it family problems?"

PEYTON: "What makes you think I'm having a problem with my family?"

NOAH: "It just looked like you and your sister weren't getting along."

Noah's observation irritates Peyton.

PEYTON: (reluctantly) "My sister married my boyfriend."

NOAH: "Wow."

Noah gives a nod of understanding while Peyton waits for a response. Jean backs away from the conversation.

NOAH / CONT'D: "Well, she did think you were dead."

PEYTON: (angrily) "Seven months after my death she was pregnant with David's baby. How do you defend that?"

NOAH: "Maybe the tragedy of your death brought them together."

PEYTON: (annoyed) "Cassandra made it very clear eleven years ago that she wanted David."

NOAH: "Well, your sister looks like a pretty good catch herself."

PEYTON: (heatedly) "What does that mean?"

NOAH: "I'm just saying the feeling was probably mutual."

PEYTON: (testily) "You don't know anything about it."

NOAH: "Well, I think I know a little bit about men."

PEYTON: (peeved) "You need to be quiet now."

NOAH: "Okay."

They start eating in silence. The exchange amused Jean.

JEAN: (Changing the subject) "How did everyone do on their medical exams?"

NOAH: (With exasperation) "The same. What are they looking for?"

JEAN: "They're just monitoring and keeping a record."

PEYTON: "What about the radiation?"

JEAN: "That's got them baffled. They can't measure it, so they can't say for sure that it's radiation."

PEYTON: "So, it's not radiation?"

JEAN: "Something is affecting our MRI scans. The obvious explanation is radiation."

NOAH: "But that's a supposition."

JEAN: "Correct."

Peyton is careful not to alarm Jared when she speaks,

PEYTON: "And it's not doing anything to us?"

JEAN: "Not that I've seen, and I've seen all my medical records."

Ethan walks over to the table with a tray of food in hand.

ETHAN: "Hello, everyone."

As Ethan sits in the seat closes to Jared, he gets a hi from Peyton, Jean and Noah.

JARED: "Hi, Daddy."

ETHAN: "Hi, … you okay?"

JARED: "Yeah."

ETHAN: (To Peyton) "Anything happen today?"

PEYTON: "Zener test was different."

JEAN: "We shouldn't see anything new at this point."

ETHAN: "So, we're okay?"

JEAN: "Yeah, we're fine."

Jean's gaze suddenly freezes on Ethan.

INT. BEDROOM VISION/DAYDREAM—NIGHT

In a vision/daydream scene, Jean sees herself spilling into a bedroom locked in an embrace with Ethan and kissing desperately. They soon start to disrobe each other as they continue their kissing.

INT. CAFETERIA—DAY

Ethan, Noah, Peyton and Jared are still eating lunch inside the Langley AFB Dormitory cafeteria as they talk. Jean is staring at Ethan.

ETHAN: (To Jean) "Something wrong?"

Jean awakens from her vision/daydream.

JEAN: "Ah, no, I got lost in thought for a moment."

Jean begins eating her food. Peyton nods toward Jared.

PEYTON: "How did things go with the Judge?"

ETHAN: "I got a six-month reprieve."

Peyton has no response.

NOAH: "So, Professor, did you do the card test?"

ETHAN: "Yeah, this morning."

NOAH: "How did you do?"

ETHAN: "I got two out of 25."

NOAH: "Wow, and we have a loser."

PEYTON: "Don't mind him. Excessively cheerful is his default."

Ethan smiles and Jean release a slight chuckle.

INT. OFFICE—DAY

Rebecca Clark and Dr. Paul Crawford are reporting to Kimberly Beale in her office.

REBECCA: (bewildered) "It's odd, and it doesn't feel normal. It's like they're reading my mind."

KIMBERLY: "All of them?"

REBECCA: "Dr. Kumar and Noah Kane are almost always talking ahead of me. The others do it less frequently, but they all do it."

KIMBERLY: "Did you question them about that?"

REBECCA: "They just shrug it off as lucky guesses. But it happens too frequently to be luck."

KIMBERLY: "And that ESP test didn't show anything?"

PAUL: (dismissive) "No. Nothing. They all scored within the average."

KIMBERLY: "Are you sure about the tests?"

PAUL: (emphatic) "Zener Cards is the standard."

REBECCA: "There is something not normal with those people."

PAUL: "Well, I can't speak to any psychological problems, but physically they're fine."

KIMBERLY: "With exception for the radiation issue."

PAUL: "We'll figure that out, but this mind reading thing has to be a coincidence."

KIMBERLY: "Nine of the 1-29ers who left the base won Wednesday's Powerball lottery. Is that a coincidence?"

PAUL: "Nine?"

KIMBERLY: "Yes, nine."

REBECCA: "That can't be a coincidence."

PAUL: "Why haven't we heard about this."

KIMBERLY: "Because DHS is trying to keep a lid on it."

PAUL: "Why?"

KIMBERLY: "There's already talk going on that the 1-29ers are demons or aliens. DHS doesn't want to feed that, but they do want answers."

PAUL: (exasperated) "If they have some kind of ESP then they're hiding it."

KIMBERLY: "You're saying the passengers and crew of flight 1-29 are lying?"

PAUL: "No."

REBECCA: "Maybe."

KIMBERLY: "So, what are we talking about, Martian doppelgängers?"

Paul chuckles.

REBECCA: "I think we should at least consider the possibility that the 1-29ers are hiding something from us."

Kimberly considers Rebecca's words for a moment.

KIMBERLY: "What's on tomorrow's schedule?"

PAUL: "More physical exams, nothing major."

REBECCA: "I have five sessions on the schedule."

KIMBERLY: "Clear out the morning schedule. I'll get some people in here to run polygraph tests on them."

INT. ETHAN AND PEYTON 'S HOUSE—NIGHT

Ethan is in Jared's bedroom inside the house that the Langley AFB provided. Jared has just gotten into bed.

ETHAN: "Okay, buddy, you go to sleep now."

JARED: "Daddy?"

ETHAN: "Yeah?"

JARED: "I want to go home."

ETHAN: (solemnly) "Yeah, Jared, I do too. Go to sleep."

Ethan tucks Jared into his bed and leaves the room. He then goes downstairs to the living room where Peyton is sitting with a glass of wine while and watching the news.

NEWSCASTER: "The Lottery Association is reporting today that yesterday's Powerball drawing has produced nine winners, no names on the winners yet."

Peyton turns off the television as Ethan approaches.

PEYTON: "How's he doing?"

ETHAN: "He's ... Coping."

PEYTON: "He needs to be around other children."

ETHAN: "It's just a few weeks and then he'll be back in school."

PEYTON: "Is that going to be enough?"

As Ethan considers the question, his cellphone begins ringing. He notes the caller in the display and then answers.

ETHAN: "Cassandra, hi."

CASSANDRA: "Hi, Ethan, I hope I'm not calling too late."

ETHAN: "No, we're awake. How's Mom?"

CASSANDRA: "Mom is why I'm calling. She wants to go back to New York."

ETHAN: "Why? Is there something wrong?"

Peyton gives this phone conversation her attention.

CASSANDRA: "No, Mom wants you, Peyton and Jared to spend the weekend at my house."

PEYTON: (whispering) "Is something wrong?"

Ethan shakes his head.

ETHAN: (To Cassandra) "Your house?"

CASSANDRA: "I think Mom misses her friends, and there's nothing for her to do in Virginia when she's not visiting you, Peyton and Jared."

ETHAN: "Oh."

Peyton becomes intrigued by the conversation Ethan is having with Cassandra.

CASSANDRA: "So, can you get away for the weekend?"

PEYTON: (whispering) "What's happening?"

ETHAN: (To Cassandra) "I don't know. (To Peyton) Mom is going back to New York."

PEYTON: "Why?"

CASSANDRA: "I thought they said you could have weekends off."

ETHAN: "Yeah, but Barbara is making plans to visit with Jared."

CASSANDRA: "Oh, that's taken care of. Barbara is putting that off until Tuesday so Mom can have her weekend."

ETHAN: (To Cassandra) "Hold on." (To Peyton) "Mom wants us to spend the weekend at Cassandra 's home."

PEYTON: "Oh, okay then, we have to go if Mom is leaving for New York."

ETHAN: (To Peyton) "You sure?"

PEYTON: "Yeah."

ETHAN: (To Cassandra) "Can you help us with the transportation?"

CASSANDRA: "I'll make the arrangements and call you tomorrow."

ETHAN: "Okay, then we'll see you in New York."

CASSANDRA: "Great. Bye."

ETHAN: "Bye."

The call disconnects and Ethan looks at Peyton with concern.

ETHAN / CONT'D: "Are you sure about this?"

PEYTON: "I'm fine."

INT. KIMBERLY'S OFFICE—DAY

Ethan, Peyton, Noah and Jean begin filing into Kimberly Beale's Langley AFB office. Jessica, Kimberly's Secretary, ushers them into the room. Kimberly is sitting behind her desk examining polygraph printouts. She looks up and notes their entry.

KIMBERLY: "Come in. Take a seat."

Kimberly stands up and directs Ethan, Peyton, Jean and Noah to the four chairs situated in front of her desk. Ethan, Peyton and Jean eagerly take seats. They are anxious to hear what Kimberly has to say. Noah takes a defiant stance next to a chair.

NOAH: (annoyed) "Nobody said anything about polygraph tests, Agent Beale."

KIMBERLY: "Thank you, Jessica."

Jessica steps outside of the office and closes the door. Kimberly sits in her chair behind the desk.

KIMBERLY / CONT'D: "The polygraph wasn't in the plan."

NOAH: (testily) "What does that mean?"

Noah sits in the chair next to him.

KIMBERLY: "The polygraph was a last-minute decision, and you all appeared to be truthful in your answers."

PEYTON: (amazed) "First the Zener Cards and now a polygraph test."

JEAN: "And what about these questions: Are we hiding symptoms? Are we lying to the doctors?"

ETHAN: "Are we reading minds? What are you looking for?"

KIMBERLY: "Answers, Prof. McKay."

JEAN: "Answers for what?"

PEYTON: "Why not just asks us?"

KIMBERLY: (To Peyton) "That's what I'm about to do."

NOAH: "This ought to be good."

KIMBERLY: "The medical staff have been noticing, what they have termed, odd behavior from the 1-29ers."

ETHAN: "Us?"

KIMBERLY: "Yes."

JEAN: "Specifically, what?"

KIMBERLY: "Giving answers before you hear the question, finishing their sentences, knowing things before you're told, can you explain that?"

Ethan, Peyton, Jean and Noah are surprised by the question.

NOAH: "That's ridiculous. They're spooked, that's all. We're the time traveling space freaks."

ETHAN: (curious) "Have you noticed these things?"

KIMBERLY: "No, but I'm not around you as much as the medical staff."

ETHAN: "Are you noticing anything odd now?"

KIMBERLY: "No."

JEAN: "But you think we're hiding something?"

PEYTON: "Nothing showed up in the Zener test so now you think we're lying."

KIMBERLY: "It was suggested."

ETHAN: "Well, I'm not hiding anything, and I think Noah may be right about the medical staff."

KIMBERLY: "Maybe, or you're just not aware of these odd behaviors."

JEAN: "Are you suggesting that this has something to do with the hazing in our MRI's?"

KIMBERLY: "We're ruling nothing out. But there is another motivating factor behind these tests ... Nine 1-29ers won Wednesday's Powerball drawing."

ETHAN: "Nine?"

KIMBERLY: "Nine, professor, can you explain that."

ETHAN: "That's statistically ..."

KIMBERLY: "Impossible. I've been told that already."

PEYTON: "Wait. Why are we just now hearing about this?"

NOAH: "I agree. That would have been a big news story if it was true."

KIMBERLY: "DHS is blacking out news stories about 1-29ers."

PEYTON: "Why?"

KIMBERLY: "Anti 1-29er groups are popping up around the country."

JEAN: "You're saying we're in danger?"

KIMBERLY: "The numbers are small right now, but something like this lotto story could prove problematic."

ETHAN: "I'm flying to New York tonight with Jared and Peyton. Are we in any danger?"

KIMBERLY: "We've been keeping your faces out of the news and off the internet. You should be fine."

ETHAN: "Good."

NOAH: "So, what now?"

KIMBERLY: "It has been hypothesized that you may be seeing things before they happen."

NOAH: "Ah, come on!"

PEYTON: "So, what now, we're soothsayers?"

Ethan and Jean pause to consider.

NOAH: "You people are ridiculous. Nobody can see the future."

PEYTON: "I'm going to agree with Noah."

KIMBERLY: "What do you say, professor?"

Ethan pauses to seriously consider the question. Jean is equally intrigued.

ETHAN: "Let's test it."

KIMBERLY: "How?"

Ethan looks around and spots a medical book sitting on a shelf. He gets up, retrieves the book and hands it over to Kimberly. He then collects four pens from the pencil holder on the desk and gives one to Noah, Jean, Peyton and keeps one. He then takes the notepad from off the desk and divides it out between the four of them.

ETHAN: "Okay, Under Secretary Beale, I want you to wait one minute, open that book to a random page and read the first full sentence you see."

KIMBERLY: "Okay."

Ethan looks to Peyton, Jean and Noah.

ETHAN: "Okay, let's see what we can do."

NOAH: "You want us to predict what she is going to read?"

ETHAN: "Yeah, but write on the pad."

Noah shakes his head in astonishment and then turns his attention towards the pad in his hand. After a few seconds Noah and Peyton write something on their pads. After a minute, Kimberly picks up the book.

KIMBERLY: "Okay, here I go."

Kimberly opens the book.

KIMBERLY / CONT'D: (reading) "Additionally, rates of MRD negativity were much higher with IO than with chemotherapy 78% vs 28%, respectively."

Kimberly looks up at Ethan and he exposes a blank pad. Peyton's pad reads, (This is a waste of time). Jean's pad is blank, and Noah's pad reads, (I've got nothing).

ETHAN: "There's your answer."

Kimberly pauses to consider the efficacy of the test they just did.

KIMBERLY: "Washington wants an explanation for the Powerball winners. I'm getting nothing from the medical staff, So, I'm asking for your help."

PEYTON: "And what do you want us to do?"

KIMBERLY: "Keep me informed. If you learn something, bring it to me."

PEYTON: "Okay. I can do that."

NOAH: "I think you're chasing shadows, but sure, no problem."

JEAN: "Fine."

ETHAN: "Yeah."

KIMBERLY: "Good. One thing more, don't talk about this to anyone but me."

Everyone nods their agreement to Kimberly's request.

EXT. CASSANDRA'S HOME—NIGHT

A four-door luxury car stops in front of the house. The trunk pops open. The driver gets out, assists Ethan, Peyton and Jared's exit out the back doors of the car and then he goes to trunk to retrieve their overnight bags. When they have their bags in hand, Ethan, Peyton and Jared start for the front door of the house.

INT. CASSANDRA'S HOME—NIGHT

The living room of Cassandra 's home is wide and luxurious. Joanna is impatiently sitting on the sofa when the front doorbell rings. She gets up and starts for the door, but Cassandra comes into the foyer from the hall that leads to the kitchen and gets to the door before her. Ethan, Peyton and Jared are standing on the porch when she opens the door.

ETHAN: "Hi."

CASSANDRA: "Hi. Come in."

When Cassandra opens the door wide, Jared races past her and toward Joanna.

JARED: "Grandma."

Joanna embraces her grandson.

JOANNA: (cheerfully) "Hi."

Ethan and Peyton step through the doorway. Peyton visually examines the foyer as Cassandra closes the door.

CASSANDRA: "Hi, Peyton. Thanks for coming."

PEYTON: "Hi."

Cassandra steps over and gives Ethan an embrace.

CASSANDRA: "How was your flight."

ETHAN: "Uneventful ... this time."

JOANNA: "Thank you for coming, Peyton."

Joanna embraces her daughter.

PEYTON: "Of course, I came, Mom. Is everything okay?"

JOANNA: "I'm fine."

Joanna steps over and gives Ethan a hug.

ETHAN: "Hi, Mom."

JOANNA: "I'm so glad to see you. Thank you for coming."

ETHAN: "Of course, we came, Mom."

David MacLachlan enters the foyer from the hall and stops with 10-year Laura to his right and 7-year-old Anthony to his left. The housekeeper, Ellen, is a step behind and to the right. There's an awkward pause.

DAVID: "Hi, Peyton."

PEYTON: "Hi."

DAVID: "You look just the way I remember you."

Peyton pauses to look at David and his children.

PEYTON: "You look different."

DAVID: "Yeah, I guess eleven years will do that."

PEYTON: "I guess so."

There is another awkward pause.

DAVID: "This is Laura and Anthony. (To Laura and Anthony) This is your aunt, Peyton, your uncle, Ethan and your cousin, Jared."

LAURA: (shyly) "Hi."

ANTHONY: (waving) "Hi."

Peyton and Ethan respond with "hi's" and smiles. Jared says hi with a wave.

DAVID: "And this is Ellen, our housekeeper."

ELLEN: "Hello."

ETHAN: "Hi."

PEYTON: "Hi."

CASSANDRA: "Okay, I have rooms for you upstairs, so follow me."

Cassandra starts leading Ethan, Jared and Peyton up the stairs.

CASSANDRA / CONT'D: "And Ellen has prepared a late-night supper for you."

INT. FAMILY ROOM—DAY

Ethan, Peyton, Joanna and David are seated around a coffee table. Jared, Laura and Anthony are playing in the backyard. They are frequently visible through the large glass patio doors. Peyton and David exchange glances.

JOANNA: "What is the government looking for in all their exams?"

ETHAN: "I don't think they know, Mom."

JOANNA: "Then why keep you and let everyone else go."

ETHAN: "They didn't want to let anyone go, from what I hear. They had too."

DAVID: "I hear it's your employers who insisted you stay for six weeks."

ETHAN: "Yeah, we have to be cleared by DHS to get our jobs back."

JOANNA: "Do they have to keep you locked up on a military base?

Cassandra enters the room from the direction of the kitchen. She is elegantly attired in a morning dress.

ETHAN: "We're off the base now, Mom. They set us up in a house off base."

Cassandra takes an affectionate seat on the arm of David's sofa chair.

CASSANDRA: "From what I've seen, there's not much difference from off base housing and the dormitory rooms."

PEYTON: "I imagine anything that's not a mansion looks like a barracks to you these days."

CASSANDRA: "I suppose I am a little spoiled."

DAVID: "Spoiled is just another word for soft. I sometimes miss my college days."

Cassandra gives David a brief disapproving look out the corner of her eyes.

PEYTON: "Well, as I recall, the job of state attorney general was always an ambition of yours. Are you having regrets?"

CASSANDRA: "No. We're where we want to be. Ain't that right, honey?"

DAVID: "I'm enjoying the challenge."

CASSANDRA: "David is on track to become the governor of New York."

PEYTON: (disparagingly) "Wow, that would make you the first lady of the state. I expect that would really please you."

CASSANDRA: "It pleases me to see my husband succeed."

JOANNA: (Cutting in) "David is even being talked about for a senate seat someday."

PEYTON: "I don't doubt it. I always knew you were going to go far."

DAVID: "Yes, I recall that was always a sticking point with us."

PEYTON: "The sticking point was never about us."

DAVID: "Are you sure?"

Peyton searches for the right answer for that question.

DAVID / CONT'D: "You look better than I remember you."

Cassandra is startled by that remark.

CASSANDRA: "Everything looks better when you haven't seen it for a while."

Peyton stands up and starts for the door to the backyard.

ETHAN: (to Cassandra) "Well, big sister, you're looking great."

Joanna and Cassandra laugh.

EXT. PATIO—DAY

Peyton walks out on the patio and visually scans the expansive yard. Jared, Laura and Anthony are plying with a beach ball in the grass. David follows Peyton out onto the patio after a brief time.

PEYTON: "So, what did you do with the condominium?"

DAVID: "I sold it."

PEYTON: "Wow. You went the whole distance."

DAVID: "What does that mean?"

PEYTON: "The domestic bliss look. I suppose a candidate for State Governor can't look like he's keeping a bachelor pad."

DAVID: "I was 't getting much use out of it."

PEYTON: (snidely) "Yeah, I can imagine, Mr. Attorney General. A fifth avenue bachelor pad might ruin your chance of becoming the next Governor."

DAVID: "Cassandra and I fell in love."

PEYTON: "Yeah, was that before or after my wake?"

DAVID: "It wasn't like that."

PEYTON: "I did the math, David. Cassandra is not big on subtlety and the last time I was here, you two weren't even living in the same state."

DAVID: "We thought you were dead."

PEYTON: "Tell me, David, were you ever really in love with me?"

DAVID: "Yes. I never stopped."

PEYTON: "Oh, I beg to differ. It looks to me like you stopped on a dime."

DAVID: "You were dead, Peyton. I'm not going to defend myself to you."

PEYTON: "Yeah, I was dead, and you wasted no time jumping into bed with my trollop little sister. Tell me something, David, which came first the proposal or the pregnancy?"

David hesitates to answer.

PEYTON / CONT'D: (knowingly) "Yeah, that's what I thought."

Cassandra walks out on the patio. She is anxious to intercede in their conversation.

CASSANDRA: "So, what are we talking about?"

PEYTON: (testily) "Nothing. Nothing at all."

Peyton walks out into the yard as Cassandra and David watch. Ethan and Joanna come out onto the patio. Joanna follows Peyton out into the yard.

ANGLE ON PEYTON AND JOANNA

Joanna moves in beside Peyton as she wanders through the yard.

JOANNA: "You need to get past this."

PEYTON: "Past what?"

JOANNA: "You know what. Moaning about it won't change it."

PEYTON: "I'm not moaning. I'm angry."

JOANNA: "Well, stop, David is not worth it."

Peyton is startled by Joanna's remark.

PEYTON: "What does that mean."

JOANNA: "If you had married David, it would have been a mistake."

PEYTON: "Why?"

JOANNA: "David always wanted someone who would be content to stand beside him like a decoration, and we both know that was never going to be you."

PEYTON: (adamant) "They're not happy. They're trying to hide it, but I can see it."

JOANNA: "So?"

PEYTON: "You're okay with that?"

JOANNA: "Your sister was always going to live her life."

PEYTON: (knowingly) "Mom, Cassandra didn't get pregnant by accident."

JOANNA: "She offered to abort the pregnancy."

PEYTON: "Cassandra told you that?"

JOANNA: "David told me that ... a week before the wedding."

PEYTON: "You're saying David wanted to marry her."

JOANNA: "Yes. Your sister is good at what she does."

EXT. CASSANDRA'S PATIO—AFTERNOON

Ethan, Peyton, Joanna, David and Cassandra are all seated on patio furniture and are watching Jared, Anthony and Laura play in the backyard.

DAVID: "Ethan, will MIT be reinstating you back into the faculty right away or will there be some training first?"

ETHAN: "I'm sure there will be some catch up reading to be done, and they may want to test me."

DAVID: "You don't sound worried."

ETHAN: "I think MIT is looking forward to getting their hands on me."

PEYTON: "Since his return, Ethan has gotten offers to teach at 3 other schools."

CASSANDRA: "That sounds about right for my big little brother ..."

Cassandra 's cellphone begins to vibrate. She takes it into hand and checks the caller ID. She then looks up from her cellphone and exchanges scheming glances with Joanna.

CASSANDRA / CONT'D: "I'm sorry, I need to take this."

Cassandra gets up and goes into the house.

DAVID: "So, the math whiz kid story is true."

JOANNA: "Ethan is like his father. He can't let a math problem go once it's in his head."

PEYTON: (teasing) "I think they call that being obsessive."

JOANNA: (scolding) "You were no better, except you were that way about everything. At twelve years old, you were correcting the punctuation in my notes to your teachers, and God forgive me if I spelled something wrong or missed a comma."

Ethan, Peyton and David chuckle. Seconds later the laughter stops when Cassandra walks out onto the patio with Barbara, Kira, Daniel and James following behind. For a moment there is an awkward silence, and then Jared fills it with calls of "mommy, mommy," as he runs toward Barbara. Ethan gets up from his chair and scowls at the unfolding scene. Barbara waits for Jared to come up onto the patio and then she embraces him lovingly.

BARBARA: "Hi."

Ethan turns his attention towards his mother with a knowing look.

ETHAN: "You set this up?"

JOANNA: "I am not going to let this ... freak event tear my family apart."

ETHAN: "This isn't about you."

JOANNA: "Yes, it is. I'm not spending the remainder of my days alternating between my children because you can't get along."

Ethan fumes at James as he stands by Barbara and Kira.

JOANNA / CONT'D: "Ethan, this is the way things are."

JARED: (To Barbara) "What's wrong, Mommy?"

BARBARA: "Nothing, baby. Everything is going to be okay."

ETHAN: "I'm not ready for this."

JOANNA: "But this is not just about you."

Joanna looks toward Barbara and Jared.

ETHAN: "I'm supposed to just sit her and pretend that this is okay?"

JOANNA: "That's a start, yes."

Ethan fumes at his mother for several seconds, and then James steps forward.

JAMES: (sympathetically) "Ethan, I can only imagine how you must be feeling. But I want you to know ..."

Ethan takes an angry step forward. He and James are barely more than a foot apart.

ETHAN: (With fury) "You have no idea how I feel."

Ethan glares into James eyes. Barbara, Joanna and Kira are startled by the rage in Ethan's expression. They fear that he is about to attack James. Peyton is so startled by the rage in Ethan's manner that she quickly moves in close beside Ethan and James.

BARBARA: (angrily) "Ethan!"

PEYTON: "Ethan, let's just get through dinner for mom's sake. This isn't helping anything."

Ethan considers Peyton's words for a moment, and then he turns his attention toward his mother.

ETHAN: (angrily) "You shouldn't have done this."

Ethan storms off the patio and into the house. After he disappears through the patio doors, Kira moves over to James' side and gives him a consoling touch on the arm. He counters with a look and a smile.

JARED: "What's wrong with Daddy, Mommy?"

BARBARA: "Everything is okay, sweetie. Your father just has to figure out some things."

Daniel moves in next to Barbara and takes her by the hand.

DANIEL: "She's not your mommy."

Barbara quickly turns her attention to Daniel.

BARBARA: "Daniel, I told you about Jared, he's your brother."

Daniel looks at Jared resentfully.

JARED: "Who's he, Mommy."

BARBARA: "Jared, this is your brother, Daniel."

Jared looks at Daniel for a moment.

JARED: "Why?"

BARBARA: (carefully) "I know this is confusing for you, but while you were gone, I ... we added Daniel to our family, and Kira grew up."

Jared continues to look at Barbara with a confused expression. Daniel's resentment of Jared increases as Barbara's tender attentions to him continues.

BARBARA / CONT'D: "Do you understand."

As Jared shakes his head, Daniel tries to squeeze in between Jared and Barbara. James quickly steps forward to pull Daniel out of the situation.

JAMES: "Come on, Daniel. Your mother needs time to talk to Jared."

James leads Daniel away.

JARED: (tearfully) "I'm your son."

Barbara quickly embraces Jared.

BARBARA: "Yes, you are. And nothing will ever change that."

Everyone on the patio watches this exchange in silence. Kira watches with an expression of astonishment.

INT. NOAH'S DORM ROOM—EVENING

Noah enters his dorm in athletic attire and sweating from exertion. He sets his gym bag down on the bed, retrieves his cellphone from out of it and dials out to Jean.

INTERCUT

INT. JEAN'S DORM ROOM—EVENING

Jean is in her dorm room reading a book when her cellphone starts vibrating, she answers the call.

JEAN: "Hi, you back from the fitness center?"

NOAH: "Just now, have you eaten yet?"

JEAN: "No, I was waiting for company."

NOAH: "I'll meet you downstairs in 30 minutes."

JEAN: "Sure, bye."

NOAH: "Bye."

INT. CASSANDRA'S HOUSE—EVENING

Cassandra is setting the table in the dining room when Joanna comes up to her.

JOANNA: "Where's Ethan."

CASSANDRA: "He's on the porch. I don't think he's coming in."

Joanna gives her daughter a testy look, and then she takes off for the front door.

EXT. HOUSE—EVENING

Ethan is sulking on the front porch of David and Cassandra 's multi-million-dollar home when Joanna comes out to speak with him.

JOANNA: "Are you planning on standing out here throughout the evening? I'm just asking because Cassandra is setting up the seating assignments."

ETHAN: "You should have told me you were going to do this."

JOANNA: "Would you have come if I did?"

Ethan is on the verge of tears as he turns about and scowls at his mother.

ETHAN: (tearfully) "Mom, I'm looking at my wife with another man. How am I supposed to deal with that?"

Joanna hurries forward and hugs her son, and then she backs away to speak.

JOANNA: "The same way we deal with everything bad that happens to us. We face it head on, and we take it one day at a time."

ETHAN: "What if I don't want to face it?"

JOANNA: "If we don't face the hurt in our lives, it festers and consumes us from the inside out."

Ethan takes a breath and sighs with acceptance of the logic in Joanna's words.

JOANNA / CONT'D: (smiling) "Now is the beginning of the rest of your life. Remember?"

ETHAN: (reluctantly) "Yeah."

JOANNA: "Come on, you can't stand out here and sulk."

ETHAN: "Okay, I'll be there in a moment. Joanna goes back into the house. Ethan follows her in moments later."

INT. DORMITORY CAFETERIA—EVENING

Jean and Noah are seated at a table and eating their dinners.

NOAH: "So, have you been experiencing any divinations?"

JEAN: "Well, I did see you calling and asking me to join you for dinner."

NOAH: "Yeah, but you were expecting my call?"

JEAN: "I was."

They eat for a few seconds.

JEAN / CONT'D: "Have you experienced any ... visions or strange dreams?"

NOAH: "No, why?"

Jean considers the question and her answer for a moment.

JEAN: (suspiciously) "No reason."

INT. CASSANDRA'S DINNING ROOM—EVENING

The dining room is inside David and Cassandra 's home. Ethan, Peyton, Joanna, Barbara, James, Cassandra, David, Kira, Jared, Daniel, Laura, and Daniel are sitting at the dining room table. They are quietly eating. The silence is awkward.

CASSANDRA: (chattering) "Mom, did I tell you that David and I met Chelsea Clinton at the dinner in the governor's mansion? "

Joanna and Cassandra are acutely aware of the silence around the table.

JOANNA: (uneasily) "Ah, no."

CASSANDRA: (eagerly) "Oh, yes. She's as nice as everyone says and surprisingly funny. We only talked for a few minutes. We had to mix and mingle, but I think we made a connection."

JOANNA: "That's nice dear."

Everyone goes back to eating in silence.

INT. DORMITORY COMMON ROOM—EVENING

Jean and Noah walk into the common room of the dormitory building and make their way toward a coffee table with a chess game setup on it.

NOAH: "You play?"

JEAN: "It's been a while, but I know what does what."

Noah sits down in front of the coffee table, and Jean sits down on the other side.

NOAH: "Okay, let's play."

JEAN: "You sound confident. Don't tell me you're a chess whiz."

NOAH: "Hardly, but we played regularly in the home that I grew up in."

When Noah and Jean begin thinking about the board, they become mesmerized. They can see the game being played out dozens of different ways within a span of a few seconds. In the end, Jean wins when Noah topples over his king.

NOAH / CONT'D: (amazed) "Did you see that?"

JEAN: "I think ... I just visualized the game we were going to play."

NOAH: "I saw that too. But I think I was seeing more than one game."

JEAN: "No. I think we were playing one game a hundred different ways."

NOAH: "What does that mean?"

JEAN: "I think it means we were ... shopping through different futures."

NOAH: "You're saying we were seeing multiple versions of the future?"

JEAN: "I think so."

NOAH: (pondering) "So, we were we manipulating it?"

JEAN: "I think so."

Noah considers Jean's reply for a moment.

NOAH: "If that's true, then why couldn't we see the book?"

JEAN: (pondering) "I think it was because we were all looking at it."

NOAH: (confused) "What does that mean?"

JEAN: "I think there were too many hands on the chess piece."

NOAH: (confused) "What does that mean?"

JEAN: (surmising) "By looking at it, we were all pulling on it."

NOAH: (comprehending) "And the chess piece didn't know which way to go."

INTERCUT

INT. LIVING ROOM—EVENING

Laura, Anthony, Daniel and Jared hurry into the living room with Kira disinterestedly following behind. Laura grabs a deck of playing cards from off an accent cabinet.

LAURA: "Let's play cards."

ANTHONY: "Okay."

Daniel, Jared and Kira follow Laura and Anthony to the coffee table. They all sit on the floor around the table. Laura shuffles the cards as best she can, Cassandra, David, Peyton, Joanna, James, Barbara and Ethan wander into the living room and take positions and seats in scattered location about the room. They partially watch Laura layout cards face down on the coffee table.

KIRA: "What are you playing?"

LAURA: "Concentration."

KIRA: "How do you play that?"

ANTHONY: (excitedly) "You have to find two of kind."

LAURA: "We take turns. We turn over two cards and if they match, we keep them. Whoever has the most cards at the end wins."

KIRA: "Oh, okay."

When the cards are all laid out, Laura looks to Anthony.

LAURA: "You first, Anthony."

Anthony turns over two cards that do not match and then turns the cards face down.

DANIEL: (excitedly) "My turn."

Daniel turns over two card that do not match. He then returns the cards to their face down positions.

LAURA: "Your turn, Jared."

Jared gives the cards a brief study and then promptly turns over the four of clubs and the four of diamonds.

LAURA / CONT'D: (excitedly) "You've got a match."

Jared smiles with delight. Laura takes a turn and fails to get a match. Anthony and Daniel try in turn and get no matches, and then Jared promptly turns over two matching cards.

LAURA / CONT'D: "Wow! You did it again."

KIRA: "Way to go, Jared."

Anthony is dejected by Jared's continued success, and Daniel is angered by it. Laura, Anthony and Daniel try again with no success, and then Jared gleefully turns over two matching cards.

DANIEL: "You're cheating."

JARED: "No, I'm not."

DANIEL: (insistent) "Yes, you are."

Cassandra, David, Peyton, Joanna, James, Barbara and Ethan are alerted by the elevated voices and turn their full attentions toward the kids.

LAURA: "How are you doing that?"

JARED: "It's easy."

DANIEL: (angrily) "He's cheating."

BARBARA: "Daniel, don't say that."

DANIEL: "But he is."

JARED: "No, I'm not, Mommy. I just see it."

Ethan and Peyton become intrigued by what is happening and move over to the coffee table and stare down at it.

BARBARA: "I know, baby."

The talking suddenly stops in response to Ethan and Peyton's intense interest in the cards on the table.

ETHAN: "Do it again, Jared."

Jared turns over two more cards that are a match without hesitation. The adults are astonished. Kira, Laura and Anthony are amazed. Daniel is angered.

JARED: "It's easy, Daddy."

ETHAN: (To Peyton) "Did you see that?"

PEYTON: "Yeah. How are we seeing that?"

ETHAN: "Something's different."

JARED: "You do it, Daddy."

Ethan turns over cards in his mind until he finds a matching pair, he then reaches down and turns over the matching pair. Everyone is astonished.

ETHAN: (To Peyton) "You try."

Peyton reaches down and duplicates Ethan's success in the same manner.

PEYTON: "Why couldn't we do this with the Zener cards?"

Ethan and Peyton continue to turn over matching pairs without fail as they talk.

ETHAN: (knowingly) "We weren't allowed to see the Zener Cards."

PEYTON: "That's right ... Okay, but what about the book."

ETHAN: (confused) "Something had to be blocking us."

PEYTON: "The book had more possibilities."

ETHAN: "Yeah, but that shouldn't have made a difference."

Ethan ponders for a moment.

ETHAN / CONT'D: "We weren't holding the book. Maybe we needed to ... no, that doesn't work either."

PEYTON: (tentatively) "Maybe it's something we're doing."

Ethan is intrigued by that idea.

ETHAN: "Such as?"

PEYTON: (indecisively) "Well, if we can see ... things, shouldn't we be able to change them?"

ETHAN: "Okay! Go on."

PEYTON: "These cards are static. We can't change them."

ETHAN: "So, what you're saying is by looking at the book we were all trying to affect the outcome?"

PEYTON: (knowingly) "Multiple minds ... hundreds of possibilities ..."

The other members of the family become increasingly intrigued with their conversation.

ETHAN—PEYTON: (simultaneously) "We blocked each other out."

BARBARA: (anxious) "Kira, take the kids into the recreation room."

Kira beckons to Jared, Daniel, Laura and Daniel, and then she ushers them down an adjacent hall and into the recreation room. Barbara steps forward and confronts Ethan.

BARBARA / CONT'D: "What's happening, Ethan?"

Ethan and Peyton look at each other as they consider who and how they should answer that question.

ETHAN: "Nothing, nothing is happening."

BARBARA: "No! This is not nothing. How did you do that with the cards?"

ETHAN: "Don't worry about it, Barbara. We're ... dealing with it."

BARBARA: (angry) "Don't tell me not to worry, Ethan. I want to know what's happening with my son."

ETHAN: "Not now."

BARBARA: (yelling) "Yes, now, Ethan. I have a right to know."

ETHAN: (With anger) "I'm not talking about my son in front of him. "

Ethan points to James as he speaks. Barbara reflexively slaps Ethan in anger and then quickly steps back in shock. The room goes still. Ethan fumes at Barbara for a moment and then he storms away to the patio.

JOANNA: "What's going on, Peyton?"

PEYTON: "I can't talk about it, Mom."

JOANNA: "Why not?"

PEYTON: "I just can't."

Barbara becomes more concerned about what is being kept from them after hearing Peyton's answer. She then hurries off for the backyard patio.

INT. RECREATION ROOM—EVENING

Kira and the other kids can barely hear what is being said in the living room. When Barbara follows Ethan out onto the backyard patio, Kira and the other kids move to windows to listen. They can hear Barbara and Ethan conversation better now that they are on the patio, and when they raise their voices, they hear much better.

DANIEL: "What's happening?"

KIRA: "Shush."

The conversation that Kira hears makes her tearful.

INTERCUT

EXT. BACKYARD PATIO—EVENING

Barbara carefully walks toward a sulking Ethan and stops a few feet away.

BARBARA: "James didn't deserve that."

ETHAN: (angry) "I don't give a damn what he deserves."

BARBARA: "He's a good man, Ethan ... and I love him."

Ethan turns toward Barbara in a flash of anger.

ETHAN: "Is that supposed to make everything okay?"

BARBARA: (defiant) "For 9 years that man has been a husband and a father to me and Kira. 9 years, Ethan. James is the person who helped us move on with our lives. We were happy ... We are a family."

ETHAN: (furious) "Am I supposed to thank him for that? Am I supposed to thank him for stealing my family? My wife! My daughter!"

BARBARA: "No. You're supposed to understand that this is the way things are. It's not fair, and nobody asked for it, but it just is, Ethan."

Ethan is unwilling to accept the truth in Barbara's words and turns away in anger.

BARBARA / CONT'D: "James and I have a life together. We have a son. You can't ask me to throw that away."

ETHAN: "And you can't ask me to give up my son."

BARBARA: (angrily) "He's my son too."

ETHAN: "Not according to you. We were dead, and you moved on, remember?"

BARBARA: (furious) "Don't you dare try to keep me away from my son."

ETHAN: (angrily) "He's taken my little girl, and now you'd let him take my son?"

BARBARA: (sympathetically) "Kira is not gone, Ethan. She just doesn't remember you. She was two years old when you disappeared. Give her time. Nobody is taking anyone away."

ETHAN: "It doesn't feel that way."

Ethan walks off the patio, into the backyard and around to the side of the house.

INT. CASSANDRA'S HOME—MORNING

It is Sunday morning. Barbara is in the living room, where she is reluctantly preparing to leave. Joanna, Cassandra, David, Peyton, Laura and Anthony are in the living room to say their good-byes to her, James, Kira and Daniel. Jared is there, but he does not want Barbara to leave without him. Ethan is out of sight in the foyer listening.

JOANNA: "You sure you can't stay a little longer? We'll be eating lunch in a couple of hours."

Barbara glances at James before speaking.

BARBARA: "No, we've stayed too long already. It's a long drive and we need to get started."

JOANNA: "Well, it was good to see you."

Joanna gives Barbara a hug.

JOANNA / CONT'D: (To Kira) "And you too, sweetie."

Joanna steps over to hug Kira.

KIRA: "By, Grandma."

As soon as Kira and Joanna begin hugging, Peyton and Barbara say their good-byes with a hug. The hugging and good-byes continue for nearly a minute between those who are leaving and those who are not. Barbara saves her last good-bye for Jared and all eyes turn to that event. She stoops down to hug Jared.

BARBARA: (mournfully) "Mommy has to go now, baby."

JARED: "Can I go, Mommy?"

BARBARA: "Not right now, baby, but soon. We'll be together soon."

JARED: (tearfully) "Why can't I go?"

Just as Jared asks his question, Ethan moves forward to the edge of the foyer entrance. Barbara looks up and sees him.

BARBARA: "You have to ask your father."

Jared looks around at Ethan.

JARED: "Can I go, Daddy?"

Ethan takes a moment to give his son a sorrowful look, and then he reaches down and picks up the overnight bag on the floor behind him. He carries it over to where Jared is standing. The instant Barbara sees the bag, she catches her breathe in anticipation. Ethan stoops down in front of Jared, sets the bag on the floor and then lays his hand on his chest.

ETHAN: (tearfully) "Yes, you can go, but I need you to remember something. Everything I'm doing, everything that I've done, I did because I love you. You're my son, and you're the most important person in the world to me. Can you remember that?"

JARED: (nodding) "Mm-hmm."

Ethan suddenly gives Jared a massive hug and a kiss on the head before backing away.

JARED / CONT'D: "Are you coming, Daddy?"

ETHAN: "No, but I won't be away long. You'll see me. Is that okay?"

JARED: "Uh huh."

ETHAN: "Okay."

Ethan stands up and stands back. A tearful Barbara hesitates to give him a disbelieving look, and then she reaches down, picks up the overnight bag and then ushers Jared along beside her as she hurries toward the door.

BARBARA: "Come on, baby, let's go."

James takes Daniel by the hand and follows Barbara into the foyer and out the front door. An astonished Kira hesitates to move. She gives her father, Ethan, a momentary look of sadness.

KIRA: (softly) "Bye."

ETHAN: (softly) "Good-bye ... Kira."

Kira hurries out of the room, through the foyer and out the front door.

EXT. CASSANDRA'S HOME—MORNING

Ethan, Joanna, Peyton, Cassandra, David, Laura and Anthony walk out onto the sidewalk in front of Cassandra 's home as James climbs into the driver's seat of the large family vehicle. Kira and Daniel get into the back seat as Barbara and Jared climb into the front.

INTERCUT

INT. JAMES' CAR—MORNING

Barbara holds Jared in her arms as James starts the car and begins to drive off.

JARED: "Why didn't Daddy come?"

BARBARA: "You'll see your father soon. He's not going anywhere. Wait to you see our new home. You're going to love it. I promise you, baby, everything is going to be great."

As James drives off, Daniel stares at Jared resentfully, and Kira stares at Ethan out the back window of the car.

INT. KIMBERLY BEALE'S OFFICE—MORNING

Ethan, Peyton, Jean and Noah take seats in front of Kimberly Beale's desk as she sits behind it.

KIMBERLY: "Okay, what's so important?"

ETHAN: "You were right."

KIMBERLY: "Right about what?"

ETHAN: "We are seeing things before they happen."

KIMBERLY: "Excuse me?"

JEAN: "We couldn't see it before because we were too close to each other."

KIMBERLY: "Wait a minute, you're saying you're seeing the future?"

Ethan, Jean, Peyton and Noah answer with a simultaneous "yes."

KIMBERLY / CONT'D: "Wait, wait, last week you were saying that's impossible. What changed?"

JEAN: "Our visions have limitations."

NOAH: "We can only see what we're going to see and hear in the future."

PEYTON: "And because we see multiple versions, we can see more than what actually happens."

KIMBERLY: "Multiple versions? What does that mean?"

ETHAN: "The future is not set ... It's developing in our minds."

JEAN: "Seeing the future gives us the ability to alter ... no, not alter, configure it."

KIMBERLY: "I'm still not understanding. Why couldn't you see what I was about to read from the book?"

NOAH: (eagerly) "There were too many hands on the chess piece."

KIMBERLY: (dumbfounded) "What?"

PEYTON: "We were interfering with each other."

Kimberly thinks about their explanation for a moment, and then a thought comes to mind.

KIMBERLY: "If you were interfering with each other, how is all of you saw the Airbus explosion?"

NOAH: "When they switched on the engines to the Airbus, it was doomed."

PEYTON: "There was nothing any of us could do to change the outcome."

NOAH: (definitively) "The future was fixed."

ETHAN: "The book had hundreds of possible futures, and we were all tugging at them."

KIMBERLY: "Meaning, you couldn't see anything?"

ETHAN: (pondering) "I think we were seeing too much and that made it hard for us to focus in on a future. Up until recently, we've been letting these visions occur on their own."

KIMBERLY: "So, you can generate visions?"

ETHAN: "Yes, … I think we can."

KIMBERLY: "But you can't cut through the ... interference you create for each other?"

ETHAN: "I think we can always see something if we try. But understanding what we see when another ... SEER is looking at the same time and place will be like trying to figure out ah ... jigsaw video puzzle."

KIMBERLY: (comprehending) "That would explain why you never anticipated anything I was about to say. I rarely spoke with any of you separately."

JEAN: "Yes. Exactly."

ETHAN: "It also explains the 9 winning Lotto tickets."

Ethan reaches into his inside coat pocket, pulls out a lotto ticket and extends it toward Kimberly.

ETHAN / CONT'D: "Saturday's drawing ..."

Kimberly quickly takes the ticket. She then goes online and checks the numbers against the information she finds there.

KIMBERLY: (amazed) "Oh my God."

After a moment of thought, Kimberly comes to a sudden awareness. She snatches up the telephone on the desk, presses the button for her secretary and speaks into the microphone.

KIMBERLY / CONT'D: (With urgency) "Jessica, connect me to Mark Seeley. Tell him it's an emergency."

ETHAN: (concerned) "What's wrong?"

KIMBERLY: "We've just released 169 ... SEERS into the world."

JEAN: "These people aren't criminals."

KIMBERLY: "What happens if these people start plotting ways to capitalize off this ... FUTURE SIGHT or decide to act on their worst inclinations because they know how to do it and get away with it."

Ethan, Peyton, Noah and Jean are stunned by Kimberly's assertion. Suddenly, Kimberly's call connects.

KIMBERLY / CONT'D: "Deputy Secretary, I know how ..."

Kimberly is startled when Deputy Secretary Mark Seeley interrupts her in mid-sentence. For several seconds she listens with a look of mounting concern.

KIMBERLY / CONT'D: (somberly) "Deputy, it's worse than you think. I can explain what's happening."

Kimberly listens for several seconds more.

KIMBERLY / CONT'D: (hurriedly) "Okay, I'm on my way."

Kimberly hangs up the telephone and turns her attention toward Ethan, Jean, Noah and Peyton.

NOAH: "What's happening?"

KIMBERLY: "Thirty-two 1-29ers are missing. They either discarded or disabled their smartphones. We don't know where they are, and half of the others are calling in with threats of lawsuits if the government revokes the release agreement."

ETHAN: (knowingly) "They saw this coming."

KIMBERLY: (decisively) "Washington needs to be brought up to speed. Pack your bags."

FADE OUT.