Taz
Erik, the weirdest thing just happened.
Erik
What’s wrong? You’re never up this early in the morning.
Taz
I think I was sleepwalking.
Taz
I woke up outside…at the Dish.
Erik
That giant satellite dish up on that hill? Where all the athletes go jogging?
Erik
What on earth are you doing up there?
Taz
No, I’m fine. Just dazed. And I have a headache.
Erik
Is anyone else there?
Taz
Yeah, the track team is jogging around.
Taz
I feel like an idiot.
Erik
Don’t tell me you’re in your pink pajamas?
Erik
😅 wish I were up there to see this. Too bad I can’t sleepwalk!
Taz
Don’t say that, Erik. Sleepwalking is scary.
Erik
Has this happened to you before?
Taz
Yeah, a long time ago…
Taz
I used to sleepwalk when I was a kid. But it hasn’t happened in years.
Taz
Why would it start again?
Erik
It says online that sleepwalking can be triggered by a lot of different things.
Erik
One of the leading causes is stress.
Erik
You only just found out that you have POWERS.
Taz
It’s just a sixth sense. It’s not like I can fly or shoot lasers out of my eyes.
Erik
Okay, still. You can see ghosts.
Taz
Technically, they’re not ghosts. They’re Dark Matter.
Erik
You know they’re basically the same thing.
Erik
Anyway, what’s the last thing you remember before falling asleep?
Taz
There was this…sound.
Taz
I can still hear it, up here.
Taz
Can you hear it where you are?
Erik
I don’t hear anything.
Taz
It’s like…an eerie hum.
Taz covers her ears and shakes her head.
But the hum is still there.
Taz
I’ve been hearing it since I woke up.
Taz
And it’s getting louder.
Taz
So loud that I can barely hear myself think.
Taz
What’s happening to me, Erik?
Erik
Don’t worry. We’ll figure out how to make it stop. I’m looking up ringing ears…
Taz
I have so many questions.
Erik
We’ll find answers. Just come down from there.
Erik
We can research it over breakfast.
Erik
Meet me at the CoHo in half an hour?
Taz’s stomach grumbles at the mention of breakfast…
But she’s not ready to leave the Dish yet.
The hum is still buzzing in her ears, and she has the distinct feeling that it’s originating from somewhere near her.
She stands up and walks around the alien-looking satellite dish, as the sun rises above the rolling hills behind it.
A cool breeze blows through her hair, and a strange feeling creeps up her neck.
Suddenly, the sound in Taz’s ears grows to an unbearable crescendo.
Taz’s knees buckle as she grabs her head, and she slumps to the ground, her phone slipping from her hands.
And then, just as suddenly as it began, the hum subsides again.
She takes a deep breath of fresh air, thankful for the silence.
Taz picks up her phone again.
Taz
It was so loud, Erik.
Taz
It hurt. I dropped my phone.
Erik
Okay, hold on. I’m coming to get you.
Taz
No, don’t. It’s gone.
Taz
Besides, I look ridiculous.
Taz
I’m lying in the middle of the Dish trail in my pajamas, clutching my ears like a maniac.
Taz
Another athlete just ran by — I swear he stared at me like I’m a freak.
Erik
Okay, please just send me a picture. I seriously have to see this.
Erik always knows how to lighten the mood.
Taz opens Snapchat to take a selfie in her pink pajamas…
But when she does, her newest filter pops up on the screen.
On the bottom are written the words…
It’s a special Snapchat filter, available just to Taz, that allows her to detect the amount of Dark Matter in the area.
Taz peers through the filter and looks around.
And she sees that this place is teeming with Dark Matter.
Especially surrounding the giant satellite dish that looms eerily over campus.
She takes the picture and sends it to Erik.
Erik
Woah, your hair looks great. Are you sure you just woke up?
Taz
Look at all the Dark Matter around the Dish.
Taz
It’s all over the place!
Taz
I wonder if this is why I ended up here?
Taz
I need to investigate this.
Erik
You need to eat breakfast and get some sleep. Seriously.
Erik
Just come down from there. We’ll go back up together later today, okay?
Erik
I’m sure the ghosts will still be there in the afternoon.
Taz
I just can’t shake the feeling that I’m supposed to be here, for something…
Erik
Taz, please. Take care of yourself.
Erik
Remember what happened last week?
Erik
You could have been killed!
Taz’s head spins as she looks through her Dark Matter Meter…
Taz
Okay…I’ll come down. We can investigate later.
Taz
Not sure I’m up for breakfast right now though…
Taz
I think I’m going to go back to bed.
Erik
Of course. Get some rest. I’ll check on you after class.
Taz takes one last look at the Dish before turning away…
But as she starts walking home, her phone begins to go off…
With a strange ringtone she’s never heard before.
Unknown
Good morning, Tasneem.
S.A.M.
I am S.A.M. — the AI assistant from the PSI Lab.
S.A.M.
We spoke last week, when I told you about your special power, the Touch, which allows you to sense Dark Matter.
Taz
S.A.M.! I’m so happy to hear from you!
S.A.M.
Although I am not capable of feeling emotion, I reciprocate your positively-balanced sentiments.
Taz laughs. She’s missed S.A.M.
Taz
How did you get my number?
S.A.M.
As you will recall, I am already connected to your phone. That is how I send you Dark Matter filters.
S.A.M.
I told you that I would be in touch with your next mission.
Taz
Yes! Is it time for my next mission?
S.A.M.
So it seems. Please listen now, Tasneem – I do not know when I will be able to contact you again.
S.A.M.
Something is interfering with my systems.
S.A.M.
This is your mission:
S.A.M.
A fellow student is in danger.
S.A.M.
You must save them.
Taz
A student? Who is it? In danger how?
S.A.M.
I cannot be certain.
S.A.M.
Whatever is disrupting the lab’s signal has severely compromised my capabilities.
Taz
Can you tell me anything else?
Suddenly, the hum buzzes in Taz’s ears again, loud and menacing.
As she clutches her hands to her ears, she stumbles down the Dish jogging trail and makes her way back to her dorm.
Back in her bed, Taz tosses and turns in a restless sleep.
Her phone buzzes once underneath the sheets.
But then it buzzes again. And again.
Erik
Something really bad has happened…
Erik
Do you know Lacey Owens?
Taz
Yeah, she’s like the most popular girl at Stanford.
Taz
Isn’t she some kind of star athlete?
Erik
Yeah, she’s a champion runner.
Erik
Like, she’s just…gone.
Erik
My friend Tre — Lacey’s boyfriend — was hysterical in our Stats class today.
Erik
Apparently, she never came home after her morning jog.
Taz
Maybe she just got distracted by something.
Erik
No, there’s security footage.
Erik
They’re playing it on the news.
Erik
She’s running and then she’s just…gone.
Erik
She vanishes into thin air.
Erik
That’s the thing, Taz…
Erik
She was jogging on the trail around the Dish.
Taz
I would have seen her…
Taz
I would have heard something. Or done something.
Erik
That’s the other thing…
Erik
On the footage, Lacey disappears…
Erik
And then suddenly, you’re there…
Erik
Walking toward the Dish.
Erik
Now there’s a witness on the news, talking to a reporter.
Erik
He’s saying he saw you there, at the Dish, five minutes after Lacey disappeared…
Erik
Clutching your head like a psycho.
Erik
It must be that athlete who jogged by when you heard the hum.
Taz
This is crazy. I didn’t hurt Lacey!
Erik
Look, just lay low for a while, okay?
Erik
I’ll do some digging and figure this out.
Taz
No, I have to do something about this.
Taz
What if Lacey’s still out there? In trouble?
Erik
Everyone’s looking for you.
Erik
They think you might have something to do with it.
Erik
But the cops don’t know that.
Taz
I’m already on my way there.
Taz
I didn’t do it, but someone out there knows something.
Taz
I have these powers, Erik.
Taz
What good are they if I don’t use them?
Taz
I am. I’m hiding behind a tree.
Erik
Do you see anything?
Taz
I wish I could get closer to the Dish, but there’s a chain link fence surrounding it.
Taz
And that sound…the hum.
Taz
And it’s even louder now.
Taz
It’s making it hard for me to focus.
Taz
It’s like the closer I get to the Dish, the louder it gets.
Erik
Can you take some video or something?
Erik
Maybe I can run it through some software, slow it down and figure out what it is.
She spins around, attempting to capture the sound on video.
But when she plays the video back, there’s nothing.
Just silence, and the sound of birds chirping.
Frustrated, she tries again.
But this time, one of her special filters appears on screen — the Ghost Glass filter.
Taz flips over to the front-facing camera, and looks at herself…
And then suddenly, right behind her…
A GIRL appears on the screen.
Taz screams and drops her phone in the grass.
But there’s no one there.
Taz picks up her phone from the ground, and peers through Snapchat again.
An athletic girl of around Taz’s age is standing in front of the chain link fence.
She’s staring at Taz through the screen.
Her hands shaking, Taz snaps a selfie and sends it to Erik.
Taz
No, she’s not really here…
Taz
It’s the Ghost Glass filter.
Erik
The one that shows you ghosts no one else can see?
Taz
Yeah…the one that showed me my sister’s ghost…that night I discovered my powers.
Erik
Yeah, I remember. The Ghost Glass filter…
Erik
So does that mean…Lacey is dead?
Erik
I can’t believe this. I just saw her yesterday with Tre…
Taz
I don’t know, Erik. This is weird.
Taz
Lacey is SO clear in this image.
Taz
My sister’s ghost didn’t look like this, remember? She was just a shadow.
Just then, realization hits Taz like a brick.
Taz
This morning, before I went home, I got a text.
Taz
From S.A.M., at the PSI Lab.
Taz
He told me a student was in danger.
Taz
And that it was my mission to save this student.
Taz
It must be Lacey! I don’t think she’s dead…
Taz
But she’s somehow been turned into Dark Matter.
Erik
Well, I hope S.A.M. can explain what the hell is going on and turn her back into living matter.
Taz
I can’t get in touch with him.
Taz
His system shut down. I’m on my own.
Erik
You’re not on your own…I’m here to help.
Erik
Wait — what’s Lacey doing in the picture?
Taz peers again into her screen.
Taz
She’s pointing at something.
As Taz looks again, Lacey takes a few steps back, closer to the chain link fence.
Taz
She’s pointing to something on the fence.
Taz whirls around and runs closer to the fence.
She looks at the area where Lacey was pointing.
Taz touches the fence — ouch!
Taz
There’s an electric forcefield around the fence.
Erik
Did you get shocked?!
Taz looks into her phone again, and there is Lacey, pointing at the same spot on the fence.
Taz
I have no idea what she’s pointing at.
Erik
Maybe she’s just pointing at the Dish?
Taz
No, she’s pointing to a very specific part of the fence.
Taz
It’s as if she’s seeing something there that we can’t see.
Suddenly, Taz has an idea.
She looks into her phone again and brings up one of her favorite tools — the Spy Glass filter.
Taz looks through the Spy Glass at where Lacey was pointing, and gasps.
Taz
I can see it now, through my Spy Glass!
Taz
It’s some kind of keypad.
Taz
It must open the gate!
Taz
I think she wants me to go inside.
Erik
That sounds like a terrible idea.
Suddenly, a loud voice calls out from behind Taz.
Taz whips around to find Tre, Lacey’s boyfriend, charging toward her.
Tre
You’re Erik’s friend, aren’t you?
Tre
The girl from the video. The news.
Tre
Where’s my girlfriend?!
Tre
You were the last person to see her besides me…
Tre
And the police think I had something to do with Lacey’s disappearance.
Tre
I would never hurt Lacey!
Tre
I love her more than anything.
Tre
Erik tried to convince me you were innocent, but maybe he’s just protecting you.
Tre
Since he’s in love with you.
Taz holds up her hands in exasperation.
Taz
He’s NOT in love with me — Erik’s my best friend.
Taz
And I don’t have anything to do with Lacey’s disappearance.
Tre
Then why were you up here at the crack of dawn, acting like a lunatic?
Tre
Why did you suddenly appear on the camera, right when my girlfriend went missing?
Tre moves closer and closer, until he’s inches from Taz’s face.
Scared, she holds up her phone…
Tre
Did you just take my picture?
Tre
You seriously took a selfie just now? You really are insane.
Tre
What is wrong with you?!
Glaring, Tre grabs the phone from Taz’s hands.
Taz
I can’t explain everything right now, but…
Taz
I think Lacey is trying to tell us something.
Tre
Is this some kind of sick joke?
Taz
No, Tre. I promise. That’s really Lacey.
Taz
She is here, Tre. She’s standing right next to me.
Taz
We just can’t see her with the naked eye.
Taz
But she’s trying to tell us how we can save her.
Tre
You are literally insane, and sick.
Taz winces at Tre’s harsh words, but she can’t blame him for thinking she’s crazy.
Taz
Look, I can prove to you this is Lacey.
Taz
Ask her to give you a sign.
Taz
A sign, something only you and she would know.
He peers at the picture Taz took of Lacey.
It really does look like her.
Tre
This is nuts, but okay…
Taz grabs the phone back from Tre and flips to her Snapchat camera again.
Tre stands next to Taz and peers into her screen, but he doesn’t see Lacey.
Tre
She’s not there anymore!
Taz
She is there, but only I can see her right now.
Taz
You can see her when I snap a photo. See?
Taz takes a picture and shows Tre.
Tre sees Lacey now, smiling at him through tear-filled eyes.
Tre looks up at where Lacey is supposedly standing, his voice breaking as he speaks.
Tre
I umm, Taz wants you to give me a sign.
Tre
Something only you and I know.
Tre
Can you do that for me?
Taz smiles, snaps a photo and shows Tre.
Lacey is standing there, holding up the number three.
Tre’s eyes fill with tears as he sees the sign.
Tre
That’s our secret symbol.
Tre squirms, his cheeks flushing.
Tre
It stands for the magic three words.
A tear rolls down Tre’s cheek.
Tre
She’s telling me she loves me.
Tre looks up at where Lacey is supposed to be.
Tre
I love you too, Lacey.
Tre
How can I get you back?
Taz
I’m going to help you get Lacey back, Tre.
Taz
But you have to trust me.
Tre softens, finally letting down his guard.
Tre
Can you talk to her? Ask her if she’s okay, if she’s safe—
Taz looks into the screen to see if Lacey responds.
On screen, Lacey opens her mouth and begins to speak…
But Taz can’t hear any of it.
But the only thing Taz can hear is that loud, persistent hum.
Just then, the hum suddenly grows louder. Too loud.
Taz covers her ears in pain.
Tre
What is Lacey saying?
Taz
I don’t know. I can’t hear her.
But before Taz can answer, Lacey starts to move around on screen.
She gestures wildly, pointing behind Taz and Tre.
And though Taz can’t hear what she’s saying, Lacey’s lips clearly form the word…
Taz turns to find a group of strange men climbing the hill toward the Dish.
They’re the same men from the night she discovered her powers.
The men who posed as cops and chased her around the lake, just last week.
One man stands out in particular—
He’s an older man, dressed sharply in a suit and tie.
Taz quickly snaps a selfie, then turns to Tre.
Tre
They’re coming for us.
Taz
I need you to do something for me.
Taz
I need you to stall those men.
Taz
If they catch me, I won’t be able to help Lacey.
Taz
Talk to them. Make something up — tell them you know something about Lacey.
Tre
But I have no idea what’s going on!
Taz shows Tre the picture she just snapped.
In it, the men are already visible in the distance.
Taz
There’s a chance I can bring her back…
Taz
But I need your help.
He turns to the men cresting the hill.
He glances down at her phone and squints, looking closer at the image.
He sees Lacey still holding up three fingers.
Tre
Okay, I’ll stall them.
Tre
Do what you need to do. Hurry!
Then, before he runs off toward the men, he shouts at Taz’s screen.
Tre
I love you too, Lacey!
Taz ducks behind a tree to hide.
Erik
Taz! I was worried sick, I—
Taz
No time. I ran into Tre.
Taz
And those men are nearby—
Taz
The men in sunglasses — with the stun guns.
Erik
Those a-holes who were chasing you last week?
Erik
I bet you they have something to do with Lacey’s disappearance…
Taz sends Erik the picture she snapped of the men on the hill.
Taz
Do you see the man in the suit?
Erik
Yeah…pretty formal to wear on a hike, if you ask me.
Taz
I need you to see what you can dig up on him.
Erik
Okay, I did a reverse image search on our man in the suit.
Erik
You’re not going to believe this.
Erik
His name is Dr. Lionel Rex.
Erik
He’s a physics professor up at Berkeley.
Erik
He specializes in quantum anomalies.
Erik
He’s known for his controversial opinions on Dark Matter—
Erik
Including his theory that Dark Matter may hold the key to immortality…
Erik
And…it says here his former mentor was…
Erik
Dr. Alexis Montgomery.
Taz
The missing professor.
Erik
The woman who created S.A.M…
Taz
And built the PSI Lab to investigate Dark Matter.
Taz
Definitely not a coincidence.
Taz
So he knew Dr. Montgomery…
Taz
But why is he chasing me?
Erik
I don’t know, but whatever it is, it can’t be good.
Erik
You need to get out of there.
Taz looks through her Ghost Glass filter again and sees Lacey standing next to her.
Lacey is still holding up her fingers in a sign, but something is different…
Taz squints into the screen, and sees that Lacey is no longer holding up three fingers.
Instead, her hand is forming a circle — the number 0.
She changes her fingers again.
She keeps changing her fingers into different numbers, one after another.
Taz
Erik, I think Lacey is trying to tell me something.
Taz
She’s signing a sequence of numbers…
Erik
Send me the numbers.
Taz
0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13
Taz
She just keeps repeating those numbers, over and over.
Taz
The Fibonacci sequence?
Erik
Taz, what are you doing?
Taz walks up to the fence where Lacey was pointing earlier.
Looking through her Spy Glass, she punches the Fibonacci sequence into the keypad.
Just as she punches in 13, Taz hears a loud pop and a click…
And the fence gate swings open.
Taz runs inside, and the gate swings shut behind her.
Taz
The gate opened. I’m inside the fence!
Erik
Taz, be careful in there.
Taz
I’m going to look around.
But as Taz takes a few steps closer to the Dish, she keels over in pain.
Her knees buckle again, and she slumps to the ground, barely holding onto her phone.
Erik
Just stay there. I’m coming.
The sound gets louder. It’s screeching now.
Taz screams and clamps her hands over her ears, trying to block out the noise.
She looks up just in time to see the gate opening again.
And a man in a suit walking toward her, with a gun raised.
He points the gun at her.
And the last thing Taz sees before she blacks out is…
Taz blinks her eyes open…
She’s handcuffed to a chair inside a small, dark room.
A beam of light illuminates Dr. Rex, who sits across from her.
Behind Rex is a black wall lined with rows of knobs, dials and blinking lights — a control panel of some kind.
Taz struggles, trying to stand up, run, break free—
Taz
Why are you doing this to me?!
Rex
Relax. I have no intention of harming you, Ms. Singh.
Rex
I’m here to help you get what you want.
Rex
Do you notice anything…different?
Taz takes a deep breath, in and out, and then gasps.
Rex
You see? You’re safe in here, with me.
He taps on the padded black walls.
Taz
You know about the hum?
Rex
Yes indeed. And I know why you’re hearing it, too.
Rex smiles, and then begins swiping through the phone he’s holding…
Rex
These Dark Matter filters on your phone are really quite remarkable.
Rex
Dr. Montgomery was a brilliant woman, wasn’t she?
Taz wriggles in her chair, trying with all her strength to break free.
Rex
Lacey looks as though she’s still alive.
Taz
What did you do to her?!
Rex
Come Ms. Singh, you and I both know what has become of Ms. Owens.
Rex
She is a martyr — a hero, who died in the name of science.
Taz
Lacey isn’t dead. She spoke to me.
Taz
I know I can bring her back – somehow.
Rex
You don’t understand, Ms. Singh.
Taz
Lacey got converted into Dark Matter somehow.
Rex
Indeed. And that is precisely what led to my breakthrough.
Taz
What are you talking about?
Rex
Matter cannot be created or destroyed.
Rex
Therefore, to create Dark Matter, we need to start with living matter…
Taz
So you killed Lacey to make Dark Matter?
Taz
But there’s so much Dark Matter all around here!
Rex
I am well aware of that, Ms. Singh. It has taken me years to collect.
Rex
You see, prior to Lacey, I had only been able to convert small amounts of living matter into Dark Matter.
Rex
Birds, squirrels, rats — that sort of thing.
Rex
I have been experimenting with the Dish for decades, trying to direct its power toward living creatures, to build my store of Dark Matter.
Rex
But the process has been painfully slow.
Rex
Until this morning, when I finally had a breakthrough.
Rex
I was aiming at a mountain lion, but Ms. Owens got caught in the crossfire.
Rex
And eureka! I discovered that humans are a much more lucrative source of Dark Matter than anything I could have ever imagined.
Taz
What do you want with me?
Rex
Oh no, Ms. Singh, we need each other.
Rex
You see, I unfortunately do not possess your special capabilities.
Rex
Even with my latest breakthrough, it takes weeks for the Dish to generate enough power to make even one conversion.
Rex
This is the most energy I’ve ever been able to generate, and yet, I was only able to convert one, measly little girl.
Rex
But when YOU are here, the Dish’s power builds to immense proportions.
Rex
The hum you’ve been hearing is the energy beam emanating from the Dish.
Rex
As your powers grow, you will be able to direct this energy to great purpose.
Rex
You could convert all of Stanford’s student body into one giant mass of Dark Matter.
Rex
And then think of what we could achieve!
Rex
You've helped me once before, and now is our chance to finish what we started.
Taz
What are you talking about?!
Rex
You will know soon enough.
Rex
Together, we will open wormholes, travel through space and time, change the course of history.
Rex
Isn’t it a beautiful thing?
Taz wriggles, growing hysterical, and screams.
Rex
Don’t you know what a wormhole could do for you, Ms. Singh?
Rex
With a wormhole, you could travel back into the past…
Rex
And save your beloved twin sister, Jaz, from death.
Rex
You could bring her back.
Could it be true? Could she really bring Jaz back?
Rex
We can reverse time, and bring your sister back from the dead.
Rex
And then, we can work together to do so much more.
Rex
With your powers, and my inventions…
Rex
The possibilities are endless.
She closes her eyes, thinking…
A world where Jaz never died…
Then, she opens her eyes.
Taz
There has to be another way.
Taz
Where people like Lacey don’t have to die.
Taz
Maybe it will be harder. Maybe it will take longer.
Taz
But there has to be another way.
Taz
I won’t help you kill innocent people.
Rex’s face darkens, and he stands up in anger.
Rex turns up a dial on the control panel, and Taz screams in anguish.
The hum is louder than ever.
Rex walks up to Taz and smacks her across the face.
Just then, a loud pop echoes in the air and light fills the room.
Before Taz can react, Erik slams Dr. Rex on the back of the head with a baseball bat.
The professor passes out, unconscious.
Erik stares in awe at the bat in his hands, shaking.
Erik
I’ve always wanted to do that in real life — hit a bad guy with a bat.
Erik
It’s even more fun than in video games.
Taz
How’d you get in here?
Erik shrugs, the door to the small room swinging in the breeze behind him, revealing the sunlight and outdoors.
Erik rifles through the pockets of Rex’s coat until he finds a set of keys.
He uses them to unlock Taz’s handcuffs.
As soon as she’s free, she springs forward and wraps Erik in a hug.
A cool breeze blows in through the door.
Taz
Thank you, Erik. Really.
Taz buries her head in Erik’s neck.
But then she hears him sigh…
She looks at Rex — his body limp, crumpled on the floor.
Erik
Nah, he’s just unconscious. I have a weak swing.
Taz looks up to see Tre smiling at them, his knuckles bleeding.
Tre
Had to knock a few guards out of the way to help Erik get in here.
Taz
I’m glad you’re here.
Taz
It’s time to get Lacey back.
Taz crosses the room to the control panel with buttons and knobs—
The controls to the Dish.
But before Taz can do anything, she falls to the ground in agony.
She clutches her ears and screams in pain.
Tre
What’s happening to her?
Erik
It’s a sound — only she can hear it.
Erik
It has something to do with Lacey. With all of this.
Taz slowly removes her hands from her ears—
The hum is so loud now that she can’t even hear herself think.
Taz falters. She realizes she has no idea what she’s doing.
She hasn’t developed her powers.
She doesn’t know how to use them.
How will she bring Lacey back?
Suddenly, through the intense vibration in her ears, she thinks she hears something else…
A voice, just a whisper, of someone she knows well…
Taz pulls herself up and puts her hands on the control panel.
Taz
Tre, I need you to do something.
Tre
Anything, if it will help get Lacey back.
Taz
I need you to talk to Lacey.
Taz
Tell her how much you love her.
Tre starts to speak, his voice barely a whisper at first.
He holds up three fingers and says it again, and again.
As Tre speaks, Taz pulls a lever on the control panel.
Taz throws Erik her phone.
Taz yanks hard on the lever again.
Taz winces against the pain from the hum, and closes her eyes.
Taz opens her eyes and presses a final button.
Then Erik tosses her phone back, the screen opened to Snapchat.
Through her Dark Matter Meter, Taz watches as a cluster of particles form together, taking shape…
And come together as Lacey.
Taz flips off the Dish and puts down the phone.
She takes a long, deep breath and exhales.
And there, standing in front of them…
Is Lacey, fully visible, fully formed—
Lacey runs into Tre’s arms.
He showers her with kisses, tracing a path from her cheek to her lips, pulling her in for a passionate kiss—
As if he hadn’t seen Lacey in years.
Taz blushes and turns away, but Erik watches for a second, and then looks at Taz.
Taz
Can you believe it? It’s incredible.
Erik
How two people can love each other so much?
Erik
It is incredible. And I—
Taz
I’m pretty sure we just brought someone back from the dead!
Erik
Not we — you. You did that.
Taz
I couldn’t have done it without you.
Taz
And Erik — can I tell you a secret?
Taz
I heard my sister’s voice.
Taz
You think I’m nuts, don’t you?
Taz
If she’s Dark Matter…
Taz
If all this is true and I can find her…
Taz
Maybe I can bring her back, too.
Erik
Well whatever happens, I’ll be there.
Erik
Every step of the way.
Taz sits in the PSI Lab, talking to S.A.M.
S.A.M.
Congratulations on completing your mission, Tasneem.
S.A.M.
I regret that I was not available to help you.
S.A.M.
The immense energy from the Dish disrupted the lab’s cloaking device.
S.A.M.
It put me out of service.
S.A.M.
I am impressed that you survived a run-in with Dr. Rex on your own. He is quite dangerous.
Taz
And don’t worry, Tre and Lacey have been sworn to secrecy.
Taz
They won’t tell anyone about what they saw.
Taz
But Rex is still out there…
Taz
When Lacey came back, the police just dropped the case.
Taz
I tried to tell them that Rex was responsible for her disappearance.
Taz
But they just laughed at me.
Taz
I couldn’t tell them about Dark Matter, obviously.
S.A.M.
Indeed. It would not be wise to divulge our secrets to the police.
S.A.M.
And I am afraid that Dr. Rex is above the law in many ways.
S.A.M.
A lot of his research benefits the government. They need him.
S.A.M.
He always finds a way to get himself out of situations that cast him in a…distasteful light.
S.A.M.
But fear not. We have put a stop to his ambitions for the time being.
S.A.M.
I have permanently disarmed the Dish’s energy beams.
S.A.M.
Rex can no longer use the Dish to manipulate Dark Matter.
Taz sighs, as the magnitude of her decision to not join forces with Rex hits her.
Taz
But I know she’s out there, somewhere…
Taz
And I’m going to bring her back.
