Dark Matter - Episode 2
by Elyse Endick
Erik, the weirdest thing just happened.
What’s wrong? You’re never up this early in the morning.
I think I was sleepwalking.
I woke up outside…at the Dish.
That giant satellite dish up on that hill? Where all the athletes go jogging?
Yeah…
What on earth are you doing up there?
I’m not sure…
I just…woke up here.
Are you hurt?
No, I’m fine. Just dazed. And I have a headache.
Is anyone else there?
Yeah, the track team is jogging around.
I feel like an idiot.
Don’t tell me you’re in your pink pajamas?
I might be…
😅 wish I were up there to see this. Too bad I can’t sleepwalk!
Don’t say that, Erik. Sleepwalking is scary.
Has this happened to you before?
Yeah, a long time ago…
I used to sleepwalk when I was a kid. But it hasn’t happened in years.
Why would it start again?
It says online that sleepwalking can be triggered by a lot of different things.
One of the leading causes is stress.
I’m not stressed.
Oh, sure, sure…
You only just found out that you have POWERS.
Like superpowers.
It’s just a sixth sense. It’s not like I can fly or shoot lasers out of my eyes.
Okay, still. You can see ghosts.
Technically, they’re not ghosts. They’re Dark Matter.
You know they’re basically the same thing.
Anyway, what’s the last thing you remember before falling asleep?
There was this…sound.
I can still hear it, up here.
Can you hear it where you are?
I don’t hear anything.
It’s like…an eerie hum.
Taz covers her ears and shakes her head.
But the hum is still there.
I’ve been hearing it since I woke up.
And it’s getting louder.
So loud that I can barely hear myself think.
What’s happening to me, Erik?
Am I losing my mind?
Don’t worry. We’ll figure out how to make it stop. I’m looking up ringing ears…
I have so many questions.
And no answers.
We’ll find answers. Just come down from there.
We can research it over breakfast.
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.
You still there?
Taz?!
And then, just as suddenly as it began, the hum subsides again.
Taz’s head clears.
She takes a deep breath of fresh air, thankful for the silence.
Are you okay?!
Taz picks up her phone again.
It was so loud, Erik.
It hurt. I dropped my phone.
Okay, hold on. I’m coming to get you.
No, don’t. It’s gone.
I’m fine now.
Are you sure?
Yes, I’m sure.
Besides, I look ridiculous.
I’m lying in the middle of the Dish trail in my pajamas, clutching my ears like a maniac.
Another athlete just ran by — I swear he stared at me like I’m a freak.
Okay, please just send me a picture. I seriously have to see this.
Taz smiles.
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…
“Dark Matter Meter”
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.
SNAP.
She takes the picture and sends it to Erik.
Look at this.
Woah, your hair looks great. Are you sure you just woke up?
Focus, Erik.
Look at all the Dark Matter around the Dish.
It’s all over the place!
I wonder if this is why I ended up here?
I need to investigate this.
You need to eat breakfast and get some sleep. Seriously.
Just come down from there. We’ll go back up together later today, okay?
I’m sure the ghosts will still be there in the afternoon.
I don’t know, Erik.
I just can’t shake the feeling that I’m supposed to be here, for something…
Or someone.
Taz, please. Take care of yourself.
Remember what happened last week?
You could have been killed!
Taz’s head spins as she looks through her Dark Matter Meter…
She’s exhausted.
Okay…I’ll come down. We can investigate later.
Not sure I’m up for breakfast right now though…
I think I’m going to go back to bed.
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.
Good morning, Tasneem.
Who is this?
I am S.A.M. — the AI assistant from the PSI Lab.
We spoke last week, when I told you about your special power, the Touch, which allows you to sense Dark Matter.
S.A.M.! I’m so happy to hear from you!
Although I am not capable of feeling emotion, I reciprocate your positively-balanced sentiments.
Taz laughs. She’s missed S.A.M.
How did you get my number?
As you will recall, I am already connected to your phone. That is how I send you Dark Matter filters.
Oh…right.
I told you that I would be in touch with your next mission.
Yes! Is it time for my next mission?
So it seems. Please listen now, Tasneem – I do not know when I will be able to contact you again.
Something is interfering with my systems.
This is your mission:
A fellow student is in danger.
You must save them.
A student? Who is it? In danger how?
I cannot be certain.
Whatever is disrupting the lab’s signal has severely compromised my capabilities.
Can you tell me anything else?
Hello?! S.A.M.?
Suddenly, the hum buzzes in Taz’s ears again, loud and menacing.
Taz’s vision grows dark…
As she clutches her hands to her ears, she stumbles down the Dish jogging trail and makes her way back to her dorm.
Hours later
Back in her bed, Taz tosses and turns in a restless sleep.
Her phone buzzes once underneath the sheets.
She ignores it.
But then it buzzes again. And again.
Hey, Taz, wake up.
Taz?!
Something really bad has happened…
I’m up, I’m up.
What’s going on?
Do you know Lacey Owens?
Yeah, she’s like the most popular girl at Stanford.
Isn’t she some kind of star athlete?
Yeah, she’s a champion runner.
And she’s missing.
Missing how?
Like, she’s just…gone.
My friend Tre — Lacey’s boyfriend — was hysterical in our Stats class today.
Apparently, she never came home after her morning jog.
This morning?
Maybe she just got distracted by something.
No, there’s security footage.
They’re playing it on the news.
She’s running and then she’s just…gone.
She vanishes into thin air.
Where was she?
That’s the thing, Taz…
She was jogging on the trail around the Dish.
No way.
I would have seen her…
I would have heard something. Or done something.
That’s the other thing…
What?
On the footage, Lacey disappears…
And then suddenly, you’re there…
Walking toward the Dish.
I don’t understand.
Oh no, this is bad.
What?
Now there’s a witness on the news, talking to a reporter.
He’s saying he saw you there, at the Dish, five minutes after Lacey disappeared…
Clutching your head like a psycho.
It must be that athlete who jogged by when you heard the hum.
This is crazy. I didn’t hurt Lacey!
Look, just lay low for a while, okay?
I’ll do some digging and figure this out.
No, I have to do something about this.
What if Lacey’s still out there? In trouble?
I’m going back.
To the Dish.
Taz, you can’t.
Everyone’s looking for you.
They think you might have something to do with it.
Well, I don’t.
I know that.
And you know that.
But the cops don’t know that.
Taz?!
I’m already on my way there.
I didn’t do it, but someone out there knows something.
I have these powers, Erik.
What good are they if I don’t use them?
30 minutes later
Taz, where are you?
I’m at the Dish.
Please be careful.
I am. I’m hiding behind a tree.
Do you see anything?
Not yet.
I wish I could get closer to the Dish, but there’s a chain link fence surrounding it.
And that sound…the hum.
It’s back.
And it’s even louder now.
It’s making it hard for me to focus.
It’s like the closer I get to the Dish, the louder it gets.
Can you take some video or something?
Maybe I can run it through some software, slow it down and figure out what it is.
Here, I’ll try…
Taz opens Snapchat.
She spins around, attempting to capture the sound on video.
But when she plays the video back, there’s nothing.
No sound.
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.
She whirls around—
But there’s no one there.
Taz picks up her phone from the ground, and peers through Snapchat again.
There she is 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.
Um, what the hell?
That’s Lacey!
You found her?!
No, she’s not really here…
It’s the Ghost Glass filter.
The one that shows you ghosts no one else can see?
Yeah…the one that showed me my sister’s ghost…that night I discovered my powers.
Yeah, I remember. The Ghost Glass filter…
So does that mean…Lacey is dead?
I can’t believe this. I just saw her yesterday with Tre…
I don’t know, Erik. This is weird.
Lacey is SO clear in this image.
My sister’s ghost didn’t look like this, remember? She was just a shadow.
Just then, realization hits Taz like a brick.
OMG
What?!
I almost forgot…
This morning, before I went home, I got a text.
From S.A.M., at the PSI Lab.
He told me a student was in danger.
And that it was my mission to save this student.
It must be Lacey! I don’t think she’s dead…
But she’s somehow been turned into Dark Matter.
Well, I hope S.A.M. can explain what the hell is going on and turn her back into living matter.
No…that’s the thing.
I can’t get in touch with him.
His system shut down. I’m on my own.
You’re not on your own…I’m here to help.
Wait — what’s Lacey doing in the picture?
Taz peers again into her screen.
She’s pointing at something.
As Taz looks again, Lacey takes a few steps back, closer to the chain link fence.
She’s moving, Erik!
What’s she doing?
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.
Nothing.
Taz touches the fence — ouch!
There’s an electric forcefield around the fence.
Did you get shocked?!
Yeah. But I’m okay.
Taz looks into her phone again, and there is Lacey, pointing at the same spot on the fence.
I have no idea what she’s pointing at.
Maybe she’s just pointing at the Dish?
No, she’s pointing to a very specific part of the fence.
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.
I can see it now, through my Spy Glass!
What?!
It’s some kind of keypad.
It must open the gate!
I think she wants me to go inside.
That sounds like a terrible idea.
Suddenly, a loud voice calls out from behind Taz.
Hey, you!
Taz whips around to find Tre, Lacey’s boyfriend, charging toward her.
You’re Erik’s friend, aren’t you?
The girl from the video. The news.
Tre. I can explain—
Where’s my girlfriend?!
You were the last person to see her besides me…
And the police think I had something to do with Lacey’s disappearance.
I would never hurt Lacey!
I love her more than anything.
Erik tried to convince me you were innocent, but maybe he’s just protecting you.
Since he’s in love with you.
Taz holds up her hands in exasperation.
He’s NOT in love with me — Erik’s my best friend.
And I don’t have anything to do with Lacey’s disappearance.
Then why were you up here at the crack of dawn, acting like a lunatic?
Why did you suddenly appear on the camera, right when my girlfriend went missing?
I don’t know—
Look, no more games.
Where.
Is.
Lacey?!
Tre moves closer and closer, until he’s inches from Taz’s face.
Scared, she holds up her phone…
And snaps a selfie.
What the hell?
Did you just take my picture?
Not of you, of me.
You seriously took a selfie just now? You really are insane.
Just look—
What is wrong with you?!
Just look. Please.
Glaring, Tre grabs the phone from Taz’s hands.
What is this?
I can’t explain everything right now, but…
I think Lacey is trying to tell us something.
Is this some kind of sick joke?
No, Tre. I promise. That’s really Lacey.
Lacey isn’t here!
She is here, Tre. She’s standing right next to me.
We just can’t see her with the naked eye.
But she’s trying to tell us how we can save her.
You are literally insane, and sick.
Taz winces at Tre’s harsh words, but she can’t blame him for thinking she’s crazy.
Then she gets an idea.
Look, I can prove to you this is Lacey.
Ask her to give you a sign.
A what?
A sign, something only you and she would know.
Tre hesitates.
He peers at the picture Taz took of Lacey.
It really does look like her.
This is nuts, but okay…
Great!
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.
She’s not there anymore!
She is there, but only I can see her right now.
What?
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.
Yeah, I see her.
Talk to her.
Tre looks up at where Lacey is supposedly standing, his voice breaking as he speaks.
Hey Lacey.
I umm, Taz wants you to give me a sign.
Something only you and I know.
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.
That’s our secret symbol.
What does it mean?
Tre squirms, his cheeks flushing.
It stands for the magic three words.
You know…
I love you?
Yeah.
A tear rolls down Tre’s cheek.
She’s telling me she loves me.
Tre looks up at where Lacey is supposed to be.
I love you too, Lacey.
Where are you?
How can I get you back?
I’m going to help you get Lacey back, Tre.
But you have to trust me.
Tre softens, finally letting down his guard.
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.
Lacey’s lips are moving…
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.
What is Lacey saying?
I don’t know. I can’t hear her.
There’s this noise…
What kind of noise?
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…
“RUN.”
Taz turns to find a group of strange men climbing the hill toward the Dish.
She recognizes them—
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.
Cops!
They’re coming for us.
Those aren’t cops.
What do you mean?
I need you to do something for me.
For you?!
For Lacey.
I need you to stall those men.
If they catch me, I won’t be able to help Lacey.
Talk to them. Make something up — tell them you know something about Lacey.
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 points to Lacey.
There’s a chance I can bring her back…
But I need your help.
Tre hesitates…
He turns to the men cresting the hill.
Then back to Taz.
He glances down at her phone and squints, looking closer at the image.
He sees Lacey still holding up three fingers.
I love you.
Okay, I’ll stall them.
Do what you need to do. Hurry!
Then, before he runs off toward the men, he shouts at Taz’s screen.
I love you too, Lacey!
Taz ducks behind a tree to hide.
Erik?!
Taz! I was worried sick, I—
No time. I ran into Tre.
And those men are nearby—
The men in sunglasses — with the stun guns.
Those a-holes who were chasing you last week?
Yup.
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.
Do you see the man in the suit?
Yeah…pretty formal to wear on a hike, if you ask me.
I need you to see what you can dig up on him.
I’m on it.
Moments later
Okay, I did a reverse image search on our man in the suit.
You’re not going to believe this.
Who is he?
His name is Dr. Lionel Rex.
He’s a physics professor up at Berkeley.
He specializes in quantum anomalies.
…Like Dark Matter.
No way.
Yes way.
But that’s not all.
He’s known for his controversial opinions on Dark Matter—
Including his theory that Dark Matter may hold the key to immortality…
And…it says here his former mentor was…
Dr. Alexis Montgomery.
The missing professor.
The woman who created S.A.M…
And built the PSI Lab to investigate Dark Matter.
Exactly.
Definitely not a coincidence.
So he knew Dr. Montgomery…
But why is he chasing me?
I don’t know, but whatever it is, it can’t be good.
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…
Wait a second.
What?
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.
Now it’s a one.
She keeps changing her fingers into different numbers, one after another.
Erik, I think Lacey is trying to tell me something.
What’s she doing?
She’s signing a sequence of numbers…
Send me the numbers.
0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13
She just keeps repeating those numbers, over and over.
That’s Fibonacci!
The Fibonacci sequence?
Yup, exactly.
Hmmm…I wonder
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.
It worked!
Taz runs inside, and the gate swings shut behind her.
What happened?
The gate opened. I’m inside the fence!
Taz, be careful in there.
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.
The hum.
It’s so loud.
I can’t move.
Just stay there. I’m coming.
It hurts, Erik.
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.
Dr. Lionel Rex—
He points the gun at her.
And the last thing Taz sees before she blacks out is…
Rex’s crooked smile.
Later
Wake up, Ms. Singh.
Taz blinks her eyes open…
She’s no longer outside.
She’s handcuffed to a chair inside a small, dark room.
A beam of light illuminates Dr. Rex, who sits across from her.
Watching 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—
But she can’t move.
Where am I?
Why are you doing this to me?!
Relax. I have no intention of harming you, Ms. Singh.
I’m here to help you get what you want.
Do you notice anything…different?
Taz takes a deep breath, in and out, and then gasps.
The hum…
It’s gone!
You see? You’re safe in here, with me.
He taps on the padded black walls.
Soundproof.
You know about the hum?
Yes indeed. And I know why you’re hearing it, too.
Why?
Rex smiles, and then begins swiping through the phone he’s holding…
Taz’s phone.
These Dark Matter filters on your phone are really quite remarkable.
Dr. Montgomery was a brilliant woman, wasn’t she?
Taz wriggles in her chair, trying with all her strength to break free.
These pictures…
Lacey looks as though she’s still alive.
What did you do to her?!
Come Ms. Singh, you and I both know what has become of Ms. Owens.
She is a martyr — a hero, who died in the name of science.
No…
Taz shakes her head.
It can’t be.
Lacey isn’t dead. She spoke to me.
I know I can bring her back – somehow.
I can feel it.
Let me out of here!
You don’t understand, Ms. Singh.
I do understand!
Lacey got converted into Dark Matter somehow.
Indeed. And that is precisely what led to my breakthrough.
What are you talking about?
Matter cannot be created or destroyed.
Therefore, to create Dark Matter, we need to start with living matter…
And convert it.
So you killed Lacey to make Dark Matter?
But there’s so much Dark Matter all around here!
I am well aware of that, Ms. Singh. It has taken me years to collect.
You see, prior to Lacey, I had only been able to convert small amounts of living matter into Dark Matter.
Birds, squirrels, rats — that sort of thing.
I have been experimenting with the Dish for decades, trying to direct its power toward living creatures, to build my store of Dark Matter.
But the process has been painfully slow.
Until this morning, when I finally had a breakthrough.
I was aiming at a mountain lion, but Ms. Owens got caught in the crossfire.
And eureka! I discovered that humans are a much more lucrative source of Dark Matter than anything I could have ever imagined.
You’re crazy.
What do you want with me?
Let me out of here!
Oh no, Ms. Singh, we need each other.
You see, I unfortunately do not possess your special capabilities.
The Touch?
Indeed.
Even with my latest breakthrough, it takes weeks for the Dish to generate enough power to make even one conversion.
This is the most energy I’ve ever been able to generate, and yet, I was only able to convert one, measly little girl.
But when YOU are here, the Dish’s power builds to immense proportions.
The Dish’s power…
You mean the hum?!
Precisely.
The hum you’ve been hearing is the energy beam emanating from the Dish.
As your powers grow, you will be able to direct this energy to great purpose.
You could convert all of Stanford’s student body into one giant mass of Dark Matter.
And then think of what we could achieve!
You've helped me once before, and now is our chance to finish what we started.
What are you talking about?!
You will know soon enough.
Together, we will open wormholes, travel through space and time, change the course of history.
Isn’t it a beautiful thing?
Taz wriggles, growing hysterical, and screams.
You’re a monster!
Am I?
Don’t you know what a wormhole could do for you, Ms. Singh?
With a wormhole, you could travel back into the past…
And save your beloved twin sister, Jaz, from death.
You could bring her back.
Taz gasps.
Could it be true? Could she really bring Jaz back?
If you join me, Taz…
We can reverse time, and bring your sister back from the dead.
And then, we can work together to do so much more.
With your powers, and my inventions…
The possibilities are endless.
Taz pauses for a moment.
She closes her eyes, thinking…
A world where Jaz never died…
Then, she opens her eyes.
No.
There has to be another way.
Where people like Lacey don’t have to die.
Maybe it will be harder. Maybe it will take longer.
But there has to be another way.
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.
You WILL help me!
Just then, a loud pop echoes in the air and light fills the room.
Hey, professor!
WHAM!
Before Taz can react, Erik slams Dr. Rex on the back of the head with a baseball bat.
The professor passes out, unconscious.
Erik!
Erik stares in awe at the bat in his hands, shaking.
I’ve always wanted to do that in real life — hit a bad guy with a bat.
It’s even more fun than in video games.
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.
I hopped the fence.
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.
Thank you, Erik. Really.
Taz buries her head in Erik’s neck.
But then she hears him sigh…
So she pulls away.
She looks at Rex — his body limp, crumpled on the floor.
Did you kill him?
Erik looks down at Rex.
Nah, he’s just unconscious. I have a weak swing.
Real smooth, man.
Taz looks up to see Tre smiling at them, his knuckles bleeding.
Tre! What happened?
Had to knock a few guards out of the way to help Erik get in here.
I’m glad you’re here.
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.
Is she okay?!
What’s happening to her?
It’s a sound — only she can hear it.
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…
Jaz.
Focus on love.
Taz pulls herself up and puts her hands on the control panel.
Tre, I need you to do something.
Anything, if it will help get Lacey back.
I need you to talk to Lacey.
Tell her how much you love her.
Focus on love.
Tre starts to speak, his voice barely a whisper at first.
I love you, Lacey.
Again.
I love you.
He holds up three fingers and says it again, and again.
I love you.
As Tre speaks, Taz pulls a lever on the control panel.
The Dish swings around.
Taz throws Erik her phone.
Taz yanks hard on the lever again.
The hum grows louder.
Taz winces against the pain from the hum, and closes her eyes.
Focus on love.
She thinks of Jaz.
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.
The hum is gone.
And there, standing in front of them…
Is Lacey, fully visible, fully formed—
Back to normal.
Alive.
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.
He smiles at her.
Taz smiles back.
Hey Taz—
Can you believe it? It’s incredible.
How two people can love each other so much?
It is incredible. And I—
No, not that.
Just…all of this.
I’m pretty sure we just brought someone back from the dead!
Not we — you. You did that.
I couldn’t have done it without you.
And Erik — can I tell you a secret?
Sure Taz, anything.
I think…
I heard my sister’s voice.
In the hum.
Oh.
You think I’m nuts, don’t you?
No.
Trust me, I don’t.
That’s great, Taz.
If she’s in there…
If she’s Dark Matter…
If all this is true and I can find her…
Maybe I can bring her back, too.
Well whatever happens, I’ll be there.
Every step of the way.
The next day
Taz sits in the PSI Lab, talking to S.A.M.
Congratulations on completing your mission, Tasneem.
I regret that I was not available to help you.
The immense energy from the Dish disrupted the lab’s cloaking device.
It put me out of service.
I am impressed that you survived a run-in with Dr. Rex on your own. He is quite dangerous.
I had help.
And don’t worry, Tre and Lacey have been sworn to secrecy.
They won’t tell anyone about what they saw.
That is wise.
But Rex is still out there…
When Lacey came back, the police just dropped the case.
I tried to tell them that Rex was responsible for her disappearance.
But they just laughed at me.
I couldn’t tell them about Dark Matter, obviously.
Indeed. It would not be wise to divulge our secrets to the police.
And I am afraid that Dr. Rex is above the law in many ways.
A lot of his research benefits the government. They need him.
He always finds a way to get himself out of situations that cast him in a…distasteful light.
But fear not. We have put a stop to his ambitions for the time being.
How?
I have permanently disarmed the Dish’s energy beams.
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.
I miss Jaz so much.
But I know she’s out there, somewhere…
And I’m going to bring her back.
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