Www.able.co.nz Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Able 2018 APPROACHING ROAR COLLISIONS REVERBERATE MELANCHOLY MUSIC PLAYS PA: Welcome to Gattaca. FOOTSTEPS AND VOICES ECHO, ELECTRONIC BEEP VACUUM HUMS You keep your workstation so clean, Jerome. It's next to godliness. Isn't that what they say? Godliness. I reviewed your flight plan. Not one error in a million keystrokes. Phenomenal. It's right that someone like you is taking us to Titan. Has the committee approved the mission? There's been talk of delay. You shouldn't listen to talk. You leave in a week. You've got a substance test. PA: If you have been notified for substance analysis please report to the testing centre. Hmm. Jerome. Never shy. Pisses on command. A beautiful piece of equipment there, Jerome. Did I ever tell you? Only every time I'm in here. Occupational hazard. You see a great many in the course of a day. Yours just happened to be an exceptional example. I don't why my folks didn't order one like that for me. By the way, have I ever told you about my son? No, you haven't. Remind me to sometime. So, you're about to go up? One week left. Please tell me you're the least bit excited. I'll tell you at the end of the week. Congratulations, Jerome. Thank you. How many launches are there in a day? A dozen? Sometimes more. You're the only one who watches every one of them. If you're going to pretend like you don't care, don't look up. JEROME: The most unremarkable of events. Jerome Morrow, navigator first class, is about to embark on a one-year manned mission to Titan, the 14th moon of Saturn. A highly prestigious assignment, although, for Jerome, selection was virtually guaranteed at birth. He's blessed with all the gifts required for such an undertaking, a genetic quotient second to none. No, there is truly nothing remarkable about the progress of Jerome Morrow, except that I am not Jerome Morrow. I was conceived in the Riviera - not the French Riviera, the Detroit variety. They used to say a child conceived in love has a greater chance of happiness. They don't say that any more. I'll never understand what possessed my mother to put her faith in God's hands rather than those of her local geneticist. BABY CRIES 10 fingers, 10 toes. That's all that used to matter. Not now. Now, only seconds old, the exact time and cause of my death was already known. Neurological condition, 60% probability. Manic-depression, 42% probability. Attention deficit disorder, 89% probability. Heart disorder... ..99% probability. Early fatal potential. Life expectancy 30.2 years. 30 years! The name for the certificate? Anton. No! Um, Vincent Anton. Yeah, that's a good name. I know he'll do something. Yeah, he'll do something. ROCKET ROARS OVERHEAD JEROME: From an early age, I came to think of myself as others thought of me - chronically ill. Every skinned knee and runny nose was treated as life-threatening. I'm sorry. The insurance won't cover it. If he fell... But I was told... I wish there was something I could do. Like most other parents of their day, they were determined that their next child would be brought into the world in what has become the natural way. Your extracted eggs, er, Marie, have been fertilised with Antonio's sperm. After screening, you are left, as you see, with two healthy boys and two very healthy girls. Naturally, no critical predispositions to any of the major inheritable diseases. All that remains is to select the most compatible candidate. First, we may as well decide on gender. Have you given it any thought? We would want Vincent to have a brother, you know, to play with. Of course you would. Hello, Vincent. Hi. Now, you have specified hazel eyes, dark hair and fair skin. I've taken the liberty of eradicating any potentially prejudicial conditions, premature baldness, myopia, alcoholism and addictive susceptibility, propensity for violence, obesity, etc. We didn't want... I mean, diseases, yes, but, er... Right, we were just wondering if it's good to just leave a few things to chance. You want to give your child the best possible start. Believe me, we have enough imperfection built in already. Your child doesn't need additional burdens. And keep in mind, this child is still you - simply the best of you. You could conceive naturally a thousand times and never get such a result. JEROME: That's how my brother Anton came into the world, a son my father considered worthy of his name. What did I tell you? See how much he's grown? By the time we were playing at blood brothers, I understood there was something very different flowing through my veins. And I'd need an awful lot more than a drop if I was going to get anywhere. Our favourite game was chicken. When our parents weren't watching, we'd swim as far out as we dared. It was about who would get scared and turn back first. Come on, you coward! Of course, it was always me. Anton was by far the stronger swimmer and he had no excuse to fail. 300 million, 350 million, 400 million... Maybe it was a love of the planets, maybe it was just my growing dislike for this one, but for as long as I can remember I have dreamed of going into space. ..750 million, 800 million... ..850 million. How many astronauts are there anyway? I bet I could be one, if I wanted. Hey, don't eat that! That's Pluto. My goals didn't change a lot in the intervening years... Vincent. ..much to my parents' dismay. Vincent? You have to be realistic. With a heart condition like yours... Mum, there's a chance there's nothing even wrong with my heart. One chance in a hundred. Well, I'll take it, all right? The trouble is, they won't. Listen, for God's sake, you gotta understand something. The only way you'll see the inside of a spaceship is if you're cleaning it. My father was right. It didn't matter how much I lied on my resume. My real resume was in my cells. Why should anybody invest all that money to train me when there are a thousand other applicants with a far cleaner profile? Of course, it's illegal to discriminate. Genoism, it's called. But no one takes the law seriously. If you refuse to disclose, they can always take a sample from a door handle or a handshake, even the saliva on your application form. If in doubt, illegal drug tests can just as easily become an illegal peek at your future in the company. SURF ROARS Sure you want to do this? You know you're gonna lose. It was the last time we swam together out into the open sea, like always, knowing each stroke to the horizon was one we'd have to make back to the shore. But something was very different about that day. Every time Anton tried to pull away he found me right beside him. Until finally, the impossible happened. Vincent! Vincent! POIGNANT VIOLIN MUSIC PLAYS It was the one moment in our lives that my brother was not as strong as he believed and I was not as weak. It was the moment that made everything else possible. POIGNANT MUSIC Like many others in my situation, I moved around in the next few years, getting work where I could. I must have cleaned half the toilets in the state. I belonged to a new underclass, no longer determined by social status or the colour of your skin. MAN: Welcome to Gattaca, gentlemen. Now...we now have discrimination down to a science. All right, there's your cleaning material. Start from the front and clean all the way back! And I want to see my smiling face on that floor! What about you, Your Majesty? You dreaming of space? Come here. You can start by cleaning this space right here. I was never more certain of how far away I was from my goal than when I was standing right beside it. ROCKET ENGINES ROAR When you clean the glass, Vincent, don't clean it too well. What do you mean? You might get ideas. If it's clean, it'll be easier for you to see me on the other side. Ha! For all my brave talk, I knew it was just that. No matter how I trained or studied, the best possible test score wouldn't matter without the blood test to go with it. I made up my mind to resort to more extreme measures. The man who showed up at my doorstep didn't exactly advertise in the Yellow Pages. Stand straight. How did you hear about me? People. Any distinguishing marks? Tattoos, scars, birthmarks? No. I don't think so. You're serious about this? I hope you're not wasting my time. No, I...I'd give 100%. That'll get you halfway there. That's an old edition but I know it all by heart. By heart, huh? You realise the commitment is binding? You have somebody in mind? For the genetically superior, success is easier to attain but is by no means guaranteed. After all, there is no gene for fate and when, for one reason or another, a member of the elite falls on hard times their genetic identity becomes a valued commodity for the unscrupulous. One man's loss is another man's gain. His credentials are impeccable. An expiration date you wouldn't believe. The guy's practically gonna live forever. He's got an IQ off the register, better than 20/20 in both eyes, and the heart of an ox. He could run through a wall. If he could still run. Actually, he was a big-time swimming star. Vincent, you could go anywhere with this guy's helix tucked under your arm. What did I tell you? You look so right together, I want to double my fee. We don't look alike. It's close enough. When did anybody last look at a photograph? You could have my face on your name tag! How do I explain the accident? That's the beautiful thing! It happened out of the country. There's no record he broke his back. On paper, he's a walking, talking, fully productive member of society. You just have to get him clean and fill in the last year. You're a foreigner. They don't care where you were born, just how. Blood has no nationality. As long as it's got what they're looking for, it's the only passport you need. Who lives up there? (BRITISH ACCENT) Well, I certainly don't. So began the process of becoming Jerome. Myopia is one of the most obvious signs of a disadvantaged birth. Isn't there another way? Surgery is no good - they'll see the scars. It's contact lenses or a white cane. Besides, the colour doesn't match. He's right. My eyes are prettier. You understand I take 25% of everything you make. If, for some reason, it doesn't work out, all this equipment must be returned within seven days and you don't get your deposit back. Wait - you said 20%! You told me 20%. 20%! It's not negotiable. I guess that's it. Not quite. Why? What? There's still a matter of the height. Why? How tall are you? Four foot six. How tall were you before the accident? Unfortunately, his profile says he's 6'1". So I can wear lifts. Even with lifts, you're not that tall. So, what? No. No! No - we never discussed that. Oh, I thought you were serious, Vincent. I am serious. I'm not doing that. I won't do that. WHIRRING Jerome never questioned my commitment again. I took my mind off the pain by reminding myself that when I eventually did stand up, I'd be exactly two inches closer to the stars. You all right? Yeah. You wanna go dancing? You had to be a right-hander, huh? I guess no one orders southpaws any more. Jerome Morrow. It's a nice name. It's MY name. I can't be you without it. What makes you think you can be me at all? Look at this. Look at it. It's nice. I'm impressed. Is it real? Are you colour-blind too, Vincent? It's silver. So? Jerome Morrow was never meant to be one step down on the podium. With all I had going for me... I was still second-best. Me. So how do YOU expect to pull this off? I don't know exactly. Your signature needs work. It soon came time to put our preparations to the test. Jerome had been engineered with everything he needed to get into Gattaca, except the desire to do so. You really want to be in there? I don't want to be in there - I want to be up THERE. What's up there? That's what I want to find out, Jerome. Call me Eugene. My middle name. If you're gonna be Jerome, you'd better start getting used to it. MAN: Look around. As the Favourites come out, it begins. Working as the Dream team. Nice! Ah. The flirt. Classic! Cadbury Favourites. * I gotta get going. Where's my sample? In the refrigerator - door on the left. Which pouch? Oh, any of them. Do you think I should test it? If you like. ALARM BEEPS My God! What's wrong with the machine? Nothing! It's a hot sample. You've been drinking again. I haven't! Oh, Christ, Eugene, it's 8am! I haven't! Oh... This is no joke! My interview is in an hour! ALARM BEEPS There is more vodka in this piss than there is piss. All right, I'm sorry. I had half a glass to celebrate. Try Friday's. That will be OK. There's only Wednesday left. Wednesday. That's the one. Listen...it's not too late to back out. This is the last day that you're going to be you and I'm going to be me. Well? Congratulations. Well...what about the interview? That was it. I got it. Of course you got it. SCRAPING NOISE And that's the way it was. Each day I would dispose of as much loose skin, fingernails and hair as possible, to limit how much of my in-valid self I would leave in the valid world. At the same time, Eugene prepared samples of his own superior body matter so that I might pass for him. Customised urine pouches for the frequent substance tests, fingertip blood sachets for security checks, and vials filled with other traces. While Eugene supplied me with a new identity, I paid the rent, and kept him in the style to which he'd become accustomed. Eugene never suffered from the routine discrimination of a utero, a faith birth, or in-valid, as we were called. A valid, a vitro, a made man, he suffered under a different burden - the burden of perfection. I was now a member of a relatively new and particularly detested segment of society - one of those who refuses to play the hand that he was dealt. I am most commonly known as a 'borrowed ladder', or... ..a de-gene-erate. In the guise of Jerome Morrow, I have risen quickly through the ranks of Gattaca. Only one of the mission directors has ever come close to discovering my true identity. It's strange to think he may have more success exposing me in death than he ever did in life. PA: Level 8 is temporarily closed. Please evacuate immediately. We apologise for any inconvenience. Well, I think we can rule out suicide. Excuse me, sir? Nothing. Thank you. This is going to take a while. It may push things back. VACUUMS HUM Irene, I want you to assist the investigators. My work, Director - that would put me behind. I appreciate your sacrifice, Irene. Will you see to it I don't lose my place in line? Your place is assured. So, will you kindly inform the authorities that we will cooperate in ANY way, although we can't tolerate a major disruption. Director... Thank you, Irene. Thank you, Director. Director... ..how will this affect the mission? Oh, we're still going ahead as planned. The launch window is only open until week's end and, tragic though this event may be, it hasn't stopped the planets turning, has it? What happened? I'm going up. When? End of the week. End of the week?! That soon? What about the mission director? He's dead. Are you serious? They found him in his office this morning beaten so badly they had to check his name tag. You ARE serious! So that's it - there's nothing between us... ..and ignition. I'm going up. The man was murdered. So? I didn't do it. But the place will be crawling with Hoovers. I'll take my chances with the J. Edgars over the mission director. Besides, what if they DO find something? I'll be slightly out of their jurisdiction. We have to get drunk immediately. CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYS Good evening, gentlemen. Good evening. Is our table ready? I understand you're leaving us, Mr Morrow. Looks that way. We'll miss you. You've opened the wine, I hope? Of course, sir. Pour yourself a glass. Thank you, sir. MAN: How old? Me? The specimen. I kissed him five minutes ago - a real good one. I'll see what I can do. WOMAN: Do you want the full sequence? Yes. Thank you. Good luck. MACHINE BEEPS PA: Some samples may be consumed in the sequencing process. Take advantage of our sequencing specials... 9.3. Quite a catch. Yes - quite a catch. PA ANNOUNCEMENTS CONTINUE IN BACKGROUND LAUGHTER AND CONVERSATION God! How many times have I told Cavendish? (LOUDLY) This can't have been opened more than five minutes ago. Wine like this needs to breathe. Remember that. You know, they say when you're weightless it's the closest thing to being in the womb. (CHUCKLES) I can't believe you pulled this off. They're sending you up there. Up there, for Christ's sake. You, of all people! I hate to think of you alone in that room for a year. Don't think about it. Anyway, the room I'm stuck in is bigger than your tin can. But what are you gonna do? I have my books. I go places in my head. I'd be happier if you had company. I have visitors. None that you don't pay. I wouldn't have it any other way. Seriously, what are you gonna do? I'm gonna finish this. What's Titan like this time of year? What's Titan like? Titan...is exactly like this... ..all the time. It's got a cloud around it so thick nobody can tell what's underneath. Maybe there's nothing there. There's something there. You should be going instead of me. Why's that? Because up there, your legs wouldn't matter. I'm scared of heights. ELECTRONIC BUZZING (EUGENE VOMITS) I'm sorry. Do you want this? I'll save some for you, shall I? (LAUGHS) (GROANS) I'm so sorry. I'm really sorry. You're not that sorry. I'm really, really sorry. Don't give me a hard time. Give me a break. (Grunts) Uh! Oh, come on! Come on - help! I'm sorry. Help! I'm sorry. (GRUNTS) You know, I wasn't drunk. What do you mean? When I walked in front of that car. What car? I stepped right out in front of it. I've never been more sober in my life. Go to sleep. Couldn't even get THAT right, could I? If at first you don't succeed... try, try again. Go to sleep. I'm proud of you, Vincent. You must be drunk to call me Vincent. * ALARM BEEPS BEEP HEARTBEAT THUMPS STEADILY How much do you need? 20 minutes. HEARTBEAT GETS LOUDER HEARTBEAT CONTINUES You can go. It's all right, Irene - you're excused. BEEP HEARTBEAT THUMPS We've found our man. It's the only specimen here that can't be accounted for. Every 10 years, things go our way. What do you know about the eyelash? It's an unregistered in-valid. He was a janitor here until a few years back, when he disappeared. So the specimen could've been here since then? Look at the floor. Nothing lays around here very long. What about motive? Would the janitor return now to kill someone he never knew? His profile suggests a violent temperament. If I'm not mistaken, his profile also suggests he's a sick man. There's a 90% chance this eyelash's owner has already died of natural causes. So there's a 10% chance he's alive. It's a lost-and-found case, sir. Find the man missing an eyelash and we have the murderer. I'll do a crosscheck - research his family... I've already run it. He has no living relative. That's a damn shame, sir. I want you to check the entry log, alibis, grudges... I see lots of dry eyes. The mission director was not, uh...universally loved. He was leading cutbacks in the program. With all due respect, sir, I... Whatever you say. STEADY HEARTBEAT THUMPS Jerome, Jerome, the metronome. You could play the piano by his heartbeat. Mr Director, you will be pleased to know we have a suspect. That is a relief. Who is it? We found an unaccounted-for specimen in the South Wing and here's his picture. An in-valid. We are still following other leads. Be that as it may, I'm having this posted immediately. I'm curious, Director... An advantage, I should imagine, in your line of work. Your, uh...hiring practices... Our recruitment philosophy? Who do you have to be to be here? Well, naturally, our standard is beyond that of the common citizen. Even amongst your people, you must have varying levels of excellence. Occasionally, we've been forced to accept candidates with minor shortcomings. But nothing that would prohibit someone from working in a field such as... law enforcement, for example. But now there are enough of the right kind of people to warrant a new measuring stick. Bodies with minds to match - essential as we push out further and further. Yet you still closely monitor performance? We must ensure that people are meeting their potential. Not exceeding it? No one exceeds his potential. If he did? It would simply mean we didn't accurately gauge his potential in the first place. FAST, ERRATIC HEARTBEAT HEARTBEAT STOPS Are you all right, Jerome? Terrific. (PANTS AND GASPS) (COUGHS AND PUFFS) SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS IRENE: This is the entry log for the last seven days. What about you, Irene? Do YOU have an alibi? I was alone. I find that hard to believe. Excuse me. I'll take care of that for you, Mr Morrow. ROCKET RUMBLES I see I'm not the only one who looks up every time there's a launch. Hello, Jerome. Hello. It's awful about the director. Awful it didn't happen sooner. (LAUGHS) Didn't the director threaten to cancel your mission more than once, Jerome? Yes. Somebody did you a favour. Do they know who I should thank? They found an eyelash in the South Wing. Does it have a name? Just some in-valid. Jerome? I had you sequenced. I read your profile. I'm sorry. Seems you're everything they say you are, and more. What about you, Irene? You're engineered just like the rest of us. Not quite like the rest of you. "Unacceptable likelihood of heart failure." I think that's what the manual says. The only trip I'll take in space is around the sun on this satellite right here. Well, if there's anything wrong with you, I can't see it from where I'm standing. If you don't believe me... ..here. Take it. If you're still interested, let me know. I'm sorry - the wind caught it. TAPPING OF KEYS ON KEYBOARD PA: Please check the latest Gattaca bulletin. Jerome. Is this... ..the approach path that we discussed? Absolutely, Director. Quite right. Quite right. Listen to what I'm saying to you. I want what I ordered. It's a completely different colour. No, I'm bored with talking to you. I'm bored! I'll call you back. That was the company that sell us your hair dye. They sent me 'Summer Wheat' instead of 'Honey Dawn'. Any fool knows it's two shades lighter. She said, "Why not try a change?" I don't want a change. We can't use a change. I'll probably have to pay for the five boxes they've sent. We can't stay here. Idiots I have to deal with, you wouldn't believe. They think I killed the mission director. What makes them think that? They found my eyelash. Where? In the corridor. It could be worse. They could've found it in your eye. They've got my picture plastered up all over the place. I can't turn around without seeing my own face. They'll recognise me. They won't recognise you. They'll recognise me! I don't recognise you! They won't marry the eyelash to you. They won't BELIEVE that one of their elite could've suckered them all this time. No, no, no, no, no. We change nothing. We do as we planned. You're Jerome Morrow - navigator first class. I'm not Jerome Morrow! I'm a murder suspect. What are you doing? What are you doing?! That's more than a day's worth! Wait. We can't stay here. Stop that! Oh, fine. Fine. You leave if you want, but you're not taking that stuff. That stuff is mine! I could've rented myself out to somebody with a spine, if I'd known you'd go belly-up on me at the last fucking gasp. You can't quit on me now. I've put too much into this. What do you want me to do? Wheel in there and finish the job myself? Eugene, they're going to find me. You still don't understand, do you? When they look at you, they don't see you any more. They only see me. Keep your lashes on your lids where they belong. How could you be so careless? I'm going out. Where are you going? If I'm going to get arrested tomorrow, I'm going out tonight. Are you sure that's a good idea? It was your idea not to change anything. Who's going? I'd say everybody. Everybody? If I don't go, it'll look suspicious. You don't want to look suspicious, do you? Thanks. HORN BEEPS 'IMPROMPTU IN G-FLAT MAJOR' BY SCHUBERT PLAYS Ugh! 'IMPROMPTU IN G-FLAT MAJOR' CONTINUES Who ordered this? What are we doing here? I'm following a lead. Forgive me, but that's what I do. I'm a detective. I follow leads. What makes you think the owner of the eyelash is here? He's an in-valid, sir. We look for in-valids where in-valids are. He's an in-valid. He's an in-valid clever enough to go unregistered all these years. Do you think he's likely to lie down for us now? What would you suggest, sir? Move the inquiry back to the scene. Draw a five-mile radius around Gattaca, sweep again. Random stops. 'IMPROMPTU IN G-FLAT MAJOR' CONTINUES You're a navigator? At Gattaca? That's what it says, doesn't it? It doesn't say you're crippled. I'm not crippled. I hurt my leg training, you moron. How dare you question me? Yeah, right. What's your number? All right, forget it. No! What's your number, you fucking flatfoot?! Forget it. What do you want? An apology? It gets to you that I can do what you can only dream of. I'm getting off this ball of dirt. How dare you question me?! That's harassment. My mistake. What's your number? What's your number?! DETECTIVE: May I remind you that this is a crime scene? What's this man doing here? What are you doing, old man? Uh...doing my job, sir. This is evidence. But it's just trash. APPLAUSE CHEERING You didn't know? Oh, yes. Yeah. Wonderful, wasn't it? 12 fingers or one, it's how you play. That piece can only be played with 12. What's all this about? It's probably nothing. You'd better not. I don't want to give you a contaminated specimen. You get my meaning? Thanks. You never know where those swabs have been. I want to show you something. TRAFFIC ROARS Come on. We'll miss it. HORN BEEPS HORN HONKS LOUDLY Come on. Come on. We'll miss it. Come on. SUBDUED MUSIC PLAYS What did I tell you? GENTLE MUSIC PLAYS Strange. What? Your eyes look different. I guess it must be the light. It must be. BEEPING BEEPING CONTINUES A positive match. I'm impressed. The cup was definitely used since the original sweep. Two samples. Two days. Either the suspect returned to the crime scene for a drink - and no one's that thirsty - or he still works there. I thought we checked all the service staff. I don't think he cleans out the place any more. He might be there under false pretences playing somebody else's hand. A borrowed ladder...at Gattaca? It's far-fetched, but it's not out of the realm of possibility. I can't believe he could be an elite worker. He wouldn't have the mental faculty or the physical stamina. Maybe you're underestimating him. Maybe he's an impostor and maybe the director found out. That could be his motive. I say we sample every employee within the parameters, intravenously. Two-thirds of their workforce fall into that category. We'd close them down for days. A fingertip sample or urine should be sufficient. I suggest blood from the vein. I hope I'm not out of line. PA: Mandatory testing for all employees on the profile database. Please cooperate with the authorities. It's only a matter of time, sir. Only a matter of time. What's with the plungers, Lamar? Are you opening up a blood bank? No. The gentlemen of law enforcement are concerned that my testing methods may have been compromised. Ow! Goddamn! Jerome, I'm sorry. Are you out of practice? Let me look at that. It's all right. It's all right. It's all right. Luckily, we have enough. If you need more, you can get it off his shoes. JEROME: Irene. So you didn't do it after all. Oh, no. I...I guess somebody beat me to it. I guess. Um... I leave in two days. I mean...I...I guess you know that. But, um... That's the last. Something's not right. He's not here. It's a blind alley. No - we've missed something. I say we test again. Test? I cannot allow you to disrupt operations any further. You're not concerned about having a murderer in your midst? Right now, your presence is creating more of a threat. The window for our latest launch is open for 7 days once every 70 years so it's rather crucial we leave on time. The mission means a great deal to you, doesn't it? And your late colleague opposed it, didn't he? Take another look at my profile, Detective. You won't find a violent bone in my body. My apologies, Director. He won't trouble you any further. This is not the only place we can look. OK. Start making the rounds. Look at those big, brown eyes. This is the time he won 'Baby of the Month' competition for the local Courier newspaper. 'Course, we weren't in very much doubt about it, cos he's so photogenic, eh? (CHUCKLES) I used to dread these afternoons. Now I positively cherish them. Play music. (JAUNTY CLASSICAL MUSIC PLAYS) Buckle up, Margaret. This is the future of bragging. # Oh, oh. Oh, oh. Oh. # GENTLE PIANO MUSIC PLAYS MOODY SAXOPHONE JOINS PIANO MUSIC CONTINUES I'm luckier than most. Not as lucky as some. I know something about that. You, Jerome? What heart problem did you ever have? Did you get yours broken once? I had this crazy idea... ..that you were more interested in the murder case than me. You're right. That's a crazy idea. Would you like to dance? SULTRY JAZZ MUSIC CONTINUES It's funny - you work so hard, you do everything you can to get away from a place, and when you finally get your chance to leave, you find a reason to stay. A year is a long time. Not so long. Just once around the sun. Hello, everyone. Nice to see you. I am your detective for the evening. Please don't leave the premises. PANICKED SHOUTING I said, "Nobody leave"! Am I speaking in some strange foreign language? check lenses, check dentures. I want napkins, I want cigarette butts, I want saliva off teacups. That's a familiar face. Check him out. Thought you wanted to dance. Excuse me. Where are you going? Hang on just a minute. Ugh! Jerome! Jerome! Are you insane?! Come on! SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS Where did they go? (SHOUTS) Where did they go?! Uh! Come on. Come on. (PANTS AND GASPS) Shhhh. Don't you understand I can't do that? You just did. Don't touch your face, don't swallow, don't spit. Let's clean his teeth. Vincent! Vincent! Who's Vincent? I... Don't say anything. Don't say anything. TENDER MUSIC PLAYS REFLECTIVE MUSIC PLAYS What happened? The scars on your legs. Oh...uh... Do you remember the '99 Chrysler Le Baron? This is the exact height of the front fender. I looked left instead of right... Did you just make that up or do you use it all the time? I use it all the time. I know you had something to do with the director's death. That's not true, Irene. Isn't that the man from last night? He's nobody. He's one of our best. I'm certain he has nothing to do with this business. Jerome Morrow. You don't look well, Jerome. Why don't you go home? Can I help you? I'm looking for Jerome Morrow. I'm sorry, he's ill - nausea. It's quite common before a mission. Really? I ought to pay him a visit. I understand you can show me the way. HAUNTING MUSIC PLAYS (DIALS PHONE) PHONE RINGS You don't know who he is, do you, Irene? PHONE RINGS Oh, shh... (WHISPERS) Come on, come on. PHONE RINGS Hello. Eugene, I need you to be yourself today. I was never very good at it, remember? The investigators are coming. I'm supposed to be sick. So you keep telling me. How long have I got? Not long. SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS Ugh! INTERCOM BUZZES INTERCOM BUZZES INSISTENT BUZZING I guess he's not home. Hello. I'm here to see Jerome Morrow. Yes, that's me. Come up. I guess he's home. (GROANS) (SIGHS) Come in! Come in. SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS Hello, sweetheart. Where's my kiss? Good to see you're feeling better. Of course. Now that you're here. Who's your friend? How can I help? It's about the director. Oh. Again? I hope it's no trouble. No. No trouble. (COUGHS) Forgive me for not giving you a guided tour. Couldn't we do this another time? Oh, this won't take a moment. Maybe he can tell me what I've got. Who were you expecting? ELECTRONIC BEEPING Yes? MAN ON PHONE: We have our man, sir. You have him? In custody. I'll come right away. DOOR CLOSES How are you, Jerome? Not bad, Jerome. How the hell did you get up here? Oh, I could always walk. I've been faking it. Irene. Irene! Don't touch me! Listen to me. I don't know who you are. The same person I was yesterday. I can't hear any more lies, Jerome. My name is Vincent. All right, Vincent Anton Freeman, and I'm a faith birth, or a de-gene-erate, whatever you want to call it. But I am not a murderer. You're a God-child? We do have one thing in common, only I don't have 20 or 30 years left in mine. Mine is already 10,000 beats overdue. It's not possible. You are the authority on what is not possible, aren't you, Irene? They have got you looking so hard for any flaw that after a while that's all that you see. For whatever it's worth, I'm here to tell you that it is possible. It is possible. HAUNTING MUSIC CAR WHIRRS Congratulations, sir. You did it. His spit was found in the dead director's eye - an unaccounted-for specimen. While I was busy obsessing about an eyelash, your instincts took us in the right direction. So the...the in-valid had nothing to do with this? No. Our friend here acted alone. This mission meant everything to him, didn't it? He knows if they miss this launch window, he won't live to see the next one. Since nothing can stop the launch now, he's being very, very cooperative. So I imagine you'll be celebrating tonight, sir? Of course. (SIGHS) I think she likes us. Sure. Just give her a bit of time, she'll get used to the idea. What was HE like? Who? The cop? Yeah. He was just a cop. Did you catch his name? MY name was the topic of conversation. Well, he'll be back. He said they have their man. It's over. No, it's not over. I have to meet him. Vincent? My God, you HAVE changed. Has it been so long you don't recognise your own brother? Are we brothers? Our parents both died thinking they'd outlived you. I had my doubts. Why are you here, Anton? I should ask you that question. I have a right to be here. You don't. You almost sound as if you believe that. I committed no murder. You must be disappointed. You've committed fraud. You're in trouble. I can get you out of here. Do you know what it took to get in here?! You've gone as far as you can. You'll come NOW! There's a few million miles left. It's over! That's your only way to succeed? To see me fail? I'm telling you... God! Even YOU are going to tell me what I can and can't do now?! In case you haven't noticed, I don't need any rescuing. But you did once. Well, you've got all the answers. How do you explain that? You didn't beat me that day. I beat myself. Who are you trying to convince? Do you want me to prove it to you? It's not important, Anton. It's forgotten. I'll prove it to you. You want me to prove it?! I'll PROVE it to you! I do. HAUNTING MUSIC PLAYS Vincent! Vincent! Where's the shore? We're too far out. Want to quit? We're too far out! You want to quit?! No! Vincent! How are you doing this, Vincent? How have you done any of this? We have to go back. It's too late for that. We're closer to the other side. What other side? You want to drown us both? You want to know how I did it? This is how I did it, Anton. I never saved anything for the swim back. MUSIC INTENSIFIES (GASPS FOR BREATH) POIGNANT VIOLIN MUSIC PLAYS * DISTANT HUM OF TRAFFIC You couldn't see, could you? That night crossing the street? You crossed anyway. If you're still interested... ..let me know. Sorry. The wind caught it. GENTLE VIOLIN MUSIC PLAYS You're flying today, aren't you? Look at what a mess you're in. (LAUGHS) Come on. I have your samples ready. I don't need any samples where I'm going. You might when you get back. Everything you need to last you two lifetimes. Why have you done all this? So Jerome will always be here when you need him. Where are you going? I'm travelling too. I don't know how to thank you. (WHISPERS) No, no. I got the better end of the deal. I only lent you my body. You lent me your dream. Not until you're upstairs. FLIGHT ANNOUNCEMENT IN BACKGROUND LAMAR: Have a good trip. What is this? New policy. Flight got you nervous? Well, there's a problem, Lamar. I never did tell you about my son, did I? He's a big fan of yours. Just remember... ..that I was as good as any... ..and better than most. He wants to apply here. I could have gone up and back and nobody would have been the wiser. Unfortunately, my son's not all that they promised. But then, who knows what he could do? Right? For future reference... ..right-handed men don't hold it with their left. Just one of those things. You don't want to miss your flight, Vincent. POIGNANT VIOLIN MUSIC PLAYS MUSIC INTENSIFIES For someone who was never meant for this world, I must confess, I'm suddenly having a hard time leaving it. Of course, they say every atom in our bodies was once part of a star. Maybe I'm not leaving. Maybe I'm going home. Captions edited by Gabe Atkinson. www.able.co.nz Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Able 2018