THE LONE GUNMEN Episode #2x02: "A Sort of Homecoming" Written by: Sally Helmerich Story by: Sally Helmerich & Holly Surbaugh OPEN TEASER EXT. LIGHT AND LIFE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL--DAY Light and Life Christian School in Saltville, Nebraska. In fact, the LEGEND says... LIGHT AND LIFE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL SALTVILLE, NEBRASKA 10:07 A.M. Present day springtime. From the appearance of the foliage, it's probably May. It's a small school, simple in architecture, a cross and an American flag in front of the school. INT. LIGHT AND LIFE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL, SEVENTH GRADE CLASSROOM--DAY Flip to interior of a classroom of seventh graders. The students are all very middle American looking, lots of blonde hair (this is, after all, Nebraska. Most of the natives are of Northern European extraction). The classroom is arranged in neat rows of five students each, four rows. The students are all extremely docile and quiet, with the exception of one boy, who is fidgeting. He's a cute kid, light hair. Right now, he's looking as if he's got a headache or is extremely tired. He's clearly not concentrating on the lesson. The boy's name is Greg Cahill. The teacher is a youngish woman, maybe early thirties. She is concentrating on her lesson and has not been distracted from it by the young boy. He stares at her, then uncovers his eyes with his hands. She seems neither especially kind nor unkind. The teacher is reading to the class from the Book of Acts, Chapter 2, verses 17 through 20. TEACHER In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Cue in to the fidgeting young boy. He is in the third row from the door, second row back from the teacher. TEACHER ...I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy, will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the Earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. Zoom in on the boy again. He's becoming increasingly fidgety and agitated. His expression suggests alarm. TEACHER The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood - Greg, is there a problem? Greg does not answer her. His eyes grow wide, and he unexpectedly lunges forward, knocking over the girl classmate in the seat in front of him. He grabs the teacher around the throat and begins to shake her violently. Classmates jump out of their seats and try to intervene, but his strength is seemingly that of one possessed. Their attempts to push him off result in him kicking at them and biting one classmate. A great deal of panic and noise ensues. The teacher finally collapses, dead. END TEASER FADE TO BLACK OPENING MUSIC, INSERT YOUR FAVORITE COMMERCIAL HERE OPEN ACT I INT. GUNMEN HQ-WORK AREA--NIGHT It's not work time. Langly, Frohike, Jimmy and Byers are all watching the NBA playoffs. The halftime show has started. Frohike is appreciatively leering at the Laker girls on screen. FROHIKE Catch the legs on that one. She is HOT. Laughter from Byers and Jimmy. Langly moves in closer to the TV on his knees to get a better glimpse. FROHIKE Closest he'll ever get to a woman. LANGLY Shut up, Doohickey. The phone rings. LANGLY Jimmy, answer that. And whoever it is, we're closed. The NBA playoffs are sacrosanct! FROHIKE Yeah, no interrupting our worship service. Especially not at halftime. Jimmy obliges and picks up the phone. JIMMY Lone Gunmen Newspaper Group. Yes, he's here. Hold on. Jimmy attempts to hand the phone to Langly. LANGLY I told you, man, no calls during the playoffs! JIMMY (Teasing smile) Oh, I think you'll want to take this one. It's a woman. This sets off a storm of laughter and guffaws from the other guys. Langly, embarrassed, takes the phone into another part of the room. LANGLY Becky? Becky Lundgren?...Yeah, that's right, it's Cahill now. Only been for a dozen years or so, eh? (Laughs weakly, smacks himself on the forehead in "I'm such a dork" manner) What's up? (He listens to her, and his face knits up into a frown) You're at my folks' house? (Facial expression changes to dismay) My brother's there? He wants to speak to me. Really. (His expression is now a mixture of disbelief and alarm) Steve? Yeah, it's Ringo...what the hell's going on? Langly re-enters the TV viewing area. The halftime show is over, and the game is back on. LANGLY You guys ready to head for Saltville, Nebraska? FROHIKE (Leers up at him) You have to go that far for a date? (then turns serious) Saltville, isn't that where your folks are? LANGLY (quietly) Yeah. INT. VAN-EARLY EVENING Frohike is driving, with Byers in the front passenger seat and Jimmy and Langly behind them. They're traveling down a nonpaved road. The van bounces about mercilessly. FROHIKE My kidneys are not happy about this. BYERS (Grimacing) We are on the right road, aren't we? Everyone grimaces as the van hits another pothole. LANGLY Look, I grew up here, how stupid do you think I am? FROHIKE Don't make me answer that. There is a white clapboard farmhouse coming up ahead. FROHIKE I'm not saying we're wasting our time, but I really don't know how much help we can give you girlfriend- LANGLY Ex-girlfriend! BYERS (He points at the white house) Is this the place? LANGLY (Gulping) Yeah. EXT. VAN IN DRIVEWAY OF HOUSE--EVENING The white clapboard house looks as though at one time it was very handsome and well-tended, but has fallen into disrepair. The yard is disheveled. The time is early evening, just as the sun is setting. FROHIKE (Sotto, to Langly) You okay with this? LANGLY (Wearing the look of the condemned) Yeah. (Beat) I'm cool. Langly knocks hesitantly at the door. A tall, thin blonde man answers the door. His hair is thinning and quite short. He's dressed in faded overalls and a faded workshirt and workboots. He is obviously several years older than Langly, but the gestalt is similar. He stares at Langly, as if he's not quite believing he's really here, but there's nothing to suggest that he's happy to see kid brother turn up on the doorstep. In particular, he stares at Langly's hair, and gives a disapproving expression. This is Stephen Langly, his elder brother. It's been a difficult life and it's etched into his face. It's quite obvious that he has issues with his younger brother as well. STEPHEN Ringo? LANGLY Uh... (beat) Hi, Steve. STEPHEN (sizing up the others) You didn't say anything about bringing guests. (Said in a rather reproachful tone) You know that Mom and Dad aren't up for it - but then again, that's typical of you. Stephen motions them to enter. FROHIKE (Sotto, to Byers) Some warm welcome, eh? INT. KITCHEN OF LANGLY FARMHOUSE--NIGHT Stephen leads them all into the kitchen, not indicating if anyone should sit down. Seated at the table is an elderly couple. The woman is blinking, as if she isn't able to see. The man's expression is one of disapproval and irritation. His hands are gnarled with arthritis, and he's having a difficult time even grasping his coffee mug. These are Mr. and Mrs. Langly, parents of Ringo and Stephen. They both appear quite elderly and not in good health. Both wear glasses and are simply dressed. The kitchen is old fashioned and very large, but without a great many modern conveniences except for a microwave oven. The walls are tile, and the appliances appear to be several decades old. MRS. LANGLY Ringo? Is that really you? Mr. Langly wears a grouchy expression. He examines his younger son with extreme distaste. MR. LANGLY It's him, all right. Come over here and say hello to your mother. It figures you couldn't have even cut your hair before coming here. You never were one for showing respect. FROHIKE (In an attempt to be amusing) We can barely get him to brush it. Mr. and Mrs. Langly glare at Frohike. FROHIKE Just joking, ma'am, sir. A pleasure to make your acquaintance. Frohike extends a hand to Mr. Langly, who does not accept it, for whatever reason. MR. LANGLY And you are? FROHIKE Melvin Frohike, sir. And these are our associates, John Byers and Jimmy Bond. MRS. LANGLY Do you all work at the newspaper? MR. LANGLY That's not a newspaper. That's cat box liner. Langly is standing between his parents, wearing an expression that suggests that lightning striking him down here and now would be preferable to what is transpiring in this moment. MRS. LANGLY So what brings you here, Ringo? MR. LANGLY If you're looking for money, forget it. BYERS Actually, we're here because we received a call from Mrs. Cahill, asking for our help. MR. LANGLY (staring at Langly, then at Steve, who is preparing coffee) Becky Cahill? (He snorts, and points at Stephen) Trying to make all kinds of excuses for that boy, saying it wasn't his fault, when the fact is, she doesn't raise him right. Tell ya, I'd have given that kid a whipping years ago instead of dragging him all over to doctors and making up excuses. He's a bad seed. He glares pointedly at Langly. MRS. LANGLY Now, we've known Becky for years, and she's a good Christian girl, but that son of hers- BYERS From reading his medical records, I understand he suffers from ADHD and is being treated with Ataral. Ataral can cause some side effects, but there are no documented studies of violent behavior transpiring from use of the drug. MR. LANGLY The boy doesn't need drugs, he needs discipline. STEPHEN (Plainly irritated with everyone and everything) You'll meet with Becky tomorrow morning. Ringo, you can sleep in your old room. I don't know where everyone else can go. JIMMY Oh, we can just stay in the barn- FROHIKE (Glaring at Jimmy) Speak for yourself. Is there a motel nearby? STEPHEN Closest one's the Sleepy Glen in Riverwood. About twenty miles uproad from here. You can stay. I just don't have time to play hostess with the mostest. There's a lot of work I need to do here. Ringo, if you're staying here, the least you can do is help me. LANGLY Right now? STEPHEN (shakes his head) They always said you were the smart one. INT. BARN--NIGHT Lots of cows. It appears to be a good sized herd. Langly makes a face as he follows his brother in, presumably at the odor. STEPHEN Here, you can do that side. He hands Langly a tray containing some vials and syringes. LANGLY (looking a little squeamish) I haven't done this in years. What is this stuff? STEPHEN A new form of BGH. Developed at U Neb. Stephen is starting to load a syringe. LANGLY (Slightly horrified) This stuff's experimental? STEPHEN Look, the only reason I'm participating in this trial is because I can't afford the cash up front to buy it right now. So when County Extension contacted me and asked if I'd participate, I said sure. Now get busy. It's a big herd. LANGLY So why don't you just not use it? Ben and Jerry's only buys from herds that don't use BGH. STEPHEN (snorts) Designer ice cream doesn't pay the bills around here. Yields are way too low without it. And volume's where the money is. Ours is way too low. LANGLY (Hesitantly loading a syringe) You said you couldn't afford to buy this stuff. STEPHEN (Sighing heavily, and leaning against a barn pillar for a moment) I can barely afford to buy feed. Our credit's maxed out, and if I don't start getting some production from these ladies, I can forget about paying on the mortgages this month. We're about 60 days from foreclosure, Ringo. I've got one hand these days, where I really need three, but I can't pay another one. Stephen turns to inject a cow. STEPHEN Could really have used your help all these years. LANGLY Guess Mom and Dad aren't doing so great. He winces as he injects a cow. LANGLY (Mutters to himself) I so hate cows. STEPHEN Mom's nearly blind from diabetes. Dad had to stop working five years ago. He can barely walk. (Bitter tone) Or didn't you notice? Langly moves to the next cow. Hesitates again. STEPHEN We thought when you won a scholarship, you'd come back and help. You'd grow up. But you didn't even finish. You had the chance, and you blew it. LANGLY Hey, it was a REALLY bodacious D&D game. STEPHEN And from the looks of it, all you're doing is playing still. Stephen turns his back and keeps working. Langly continues with his side of the barn, looking rather guilty. FADE OUT END OF ACT I COMMERCIAL BREAK! FIX YOURSELF A SNACK! ACT II INT.-FARMHOUSE, LANGLY'S OLD BEDROOM--NIGHT It's an average-sized bedroom, probably 12 x 14, but Byers, Frohike and Jimmy have moved in computer gear and sleeping bags, making it look terribly cramped. The furniture is rather old-fashioned looking and done in dark wood. The walls are bare. Byers has set up a laptop computer and has it plugged into a phone line in the wall. He's seated at an old, small desk that was probably used by Langly to study when he was younger. BYERS I keep thinking that any minute now, we're going to short the entire house out. FROHIKE Dibs on the bed. JIMMY (Puzzled expression) But that's Langly's bed. Don't you think he should have it? FROHIKE (snorts) Age before beauty. This brings a stifled chuckle from the others. Langly enters the room at this point. JIMMY Frohike commandeered your bed, dude. LANGLY (Glaring at Frohike) Hope the bedbugs bite. (Turns to Byers) Having all kinds of fun at 56K? BYERS (Groaning) I think the only thing DSL means in this part of the country is, 'doesn't seem likely.' We're just going to have to make do with this. LANGLY Find out anything? BYERS I've been checking for incidents of school violence. There are, naturally, a few, but they seem to be scattered, and there's no particular pattern to them. Of course, I haven't been able to look at anything other than newspaper accounts, since the download time is so long. Byers makes a face that suggests operating in the technical Dark Ages isn't making his life any easier. JIMMY Me and Byers were thinking we'd go check out the school tomorrow. I mean, they'd let him in. He looks kinda... FROHIKE Respectable? Or does that have too many syllables for you? I'm going to take some water samples from the local reservoir and test them. LANGLY Lucky you. FROHIKE And you get to meet with your chickadee. Did you know she's a widow? LANGLY (Surprised expression, long beat) Uh, no. BYERS Her husband Jack was killed in Desert Storm. The boy was only three years old at the time. She's been raising him herself all these years. Maybe it's been too much for him. Byers shakes his head. BYERS I don't know that we're really going to be able to help Mrs. Cahill. Not that I can blame her for doing everything possible for her son, but he's fatherless, and he's had behavior problems for a long period of time. Granted, he was doing better with Ataral, but you never know. He might have just, well, snapped, for lack of a better word. LANGLY I dunno. When I talked to her on the phone, she said he's never been like this. He doesn't get violent. Never happened. Fact, she doesn't even think he's really hyperactive. FROHIKE Unfortunately, a lot of kids these days are diagnosed as having ADHD, when in fact what they're mostly guilty of is being boys, since a disproportionate number of them are male. JIMMY Seems like it's wrong that you'd just drug kids because they got a lot of energy. I could never sit still back then. As he talks, Jimmy fidgets and paces over the sleeping bags. The others just roll their eyes. BYERS I just hope we can help. At the very least, I hope we can find something that will allow him to be tried as a juvenile. JIMMY Yeah, he is just a kid. FROHIKE Yeah, but unfortunately, he's a kid who's killed someone. I agree, though; it doesn't mean he should be tried as an adult. Frohike turns to Langly. FROHIKE Isn't there a bar anywhere nearby? LANGLY (Shakes his head in the negative) Sorry. Blaine County's bone dry. He stares at their disappointed faces. LANGLY And you thought I was kidding when I said I grew up in hell. INT.-BARN-EARLY MORNING Stephen and Langly are up, tending to the cows. Stephen appears to be awake, but Langly is bone weary and unhappy. LANGLY I consider 4:30 an okay time to go to bed, not to get up. STEPHEN Lazy as ever, I see. C'mon, Ringo. These ladies need milking. Let's move. Becky's going to be here soon. Langly looks up at the sky, closing his eyes in terror. WOMAN'S VOICE (O.S.) Steve? Langly immediately goes pale. He remembers what she sounds like. It's Becky Cahill, nee Lundgren, the first girl he ever went out with. STEPHEN C'mon in, Becky. Becky Cahill enters. She is a very tall, sturdily built woman in her early thirties, light brown hair worn in a ponytail, light eyes. She's dressed in jeans and a plain white T-shirt. She looks over to Stephen, then spots Ringo. BECKY Ringo? She seems slightly embarrassed to see him. LANGLY Uh... (Long beat) Hi. Becky walks in closer to Langly, very tentatively. BECKY (Very ill at ease) Thank you for coming. LANGLY Uh...'s okay. Uh...maybe we should go talk about this? STEPHEN It's fine. You can catch up later. He waves them off. EXT. BARN-DAY Langly and Becky are walking around the exterior of the barn. There are some cows in the outer pen. It's muddy. BECKY It was something of a long shot, asking you to come. I wasn't sure you would after, well, you know. LANGLY Well, I mean, I guess I was kind of shocked when I found out you'd gone off and gotten engaged. Guess it shouldn't have surprised me. Not like I was real attentive or anything once I headed out. Not sure what we can do for you. I mean, we'd really like to help. Byers and Jimmy, they're my colleagues, they're going over to the school, see what they can find out. BECKY (shaking her head) I don't know that they're going to learn much there. Sad to say, Greg's always been a difficult kid. Well, at least until this last semester. It was very strange. It was as if he'd turned into a Stepford child. You remember that movie, Stepford Wives? LANGLY One of the low moments in bad cinema. Thought you'd put him on some drug to calm him down. BECKY He's been on Ataral for years. And no, I didn't give him some drug to calm him down. It's the only way I could get him into school. But it changed after Christmas. Before that, he was still very lively, hard to rein in. About a week after he'd gone back from vacation, he got very, very docile, quiet. After what I've been through with him, you'd think I'd be grateful, but it was creepy. And then this. LANGLY He doing better in school, you know, better grades and stuff? BECKY (Frowning) Not really. Of course, since he was quiet, no one was complaining. He's not a terrible student, provided the subject is math or science. LANGLY He got a problem with this teacher? BECKY Actually, she's been one of the better ones he's had. He's gotten along with her quite well compared to ones he's previously had. I tried to talk to him after he got so strange, find out if something had happened at school, and he said nothing. I talked to his teacher and to the principal, and they could think of nothing. LANGLY (Laughs cynically) Of course not. C'mon, Becky, we went to that school. We know what they're like there. BECKY They don't hit kids anymore. They've got a no-corporal punishment policy. LANGLY How enlightened of them. So what do you think's going on? BECKY (Sighing) Greg has to take his medication four times a day. Two times are at school. He's given them in the office. I thought they might be giving him too many pills, but he seems to be in line with the dosage. I've asked him if they're giving him anything else, and he says no. It's hard enough to get him to take his own pills. I believe him. I think he'd tell me if they were giving him something else. LANGLY Ever think about sending him to the public school? BECKY It'd be even worse there. At least Light and Life is small and he can get some individualized attention. The problem is, now he's got everyone's attention. The two of them stop. BECKY Ringo, they want to try him as an adult. I can't let that happen. I'm not saying he didn't do what he did. There were too many witnesses to deny that. But I really think what happened was beyond his control. All I have to do is prove it. I've seen your newspaper around the house. Steve gets every issue- LANGLY You're kidding. BECKY No, I'm not. He's got a post office box in town, and he gets it there. Probably under a different name. He hides them from your parents as much as possible, but occasionally they've latched on to one. I'm really glad Steve's around. It's been hard since Jack died. For some reason, everyone thought once I was widowed, I'd be running after all their husbands, and a lot of old friends don't talk to me. And Greg doesn't exactly make me the town's favorite girl. I don't leave my parents' farm much. They help me with Greg, and let's face it, I don't know anything else but farming. LANGLY You could've. You were real smart. BECKY (Shaking her head) You know my parents were never going to let me go away, go to college. Not that we could even afford it. I didn't have a chance. And that's what I want for Greg. I want him to have a chance. LANGLY (Long beat) Well, we're gonna try. BECKY From what I can tell, this is the sort of thing you and your friends do-you help those that no one else can, or will. You just seem to know what to do. Langly, at that point, steps in a mud pile, loses his footing, and falls face down into the mud. He's not only filthy, he's embarrassed as all get out. LANGLY Uh, you were saying? END ACT II COMMERICIALS ACT III INT. LANGLY FARMHOUSE-LANGLY'S BEDROOM-DAY Langly, Byers, Frohike and Jimmy are seated in Langly's bedroom, with Langly and Jimmy on the bed (sitting), Frohike seated at the desk with one of the laptops, and Byers standing near the door. FROHIKE Tested the water samples. The only thing these people are suffering from in their water is lack of pollution. After living in the city for so long, I'd probably die from lack of chemicals. BYERS So that was a dead end. As was the school. And speaking with the teacher is obviously not an option. JIMMY The principal sure didn't want to talk about it. God, that guy wasn't just uncooperative, he was hostile. BYERS I don't think he feels warmly towards journalists in general. For that matter, I don't think Mr. Armstrong feels too warmly towards humans at large. LANGLY Did you say Armstrong, man? Old guy? BYERS That's him, yes. LANGLY He was my sixth grade teacher, and he made my life hell. He hit me every single day. BYERS He seems to be at odds with the school's noncorporal punishment policy. He went on and on about how undisciplined the kids were, about how a good paddling was still the best way to set them straight. A real spare the rod and spoil the child type. JIMMY I told him I thought he was wrong about that. I mean, I was nice and all- BYERS It might not have been the best call to make at that moment, Jimmy. Jimmy looks sincerely guilty. JIMMY I'm real sorry, man. LANGLY Wouldn't matter what you told them. People here are real suspicious of anyone they don't know, and almost everyone knows everyone around here. And Armstrong's always been a bastard. You try talking to the kids? BYERS We waited for recess, but it never happened. Not that any of the kids would have said anything. It was bizarre. These kids were zombies. FROHIKE I did find something in the kid's medical charts that looked like it might be kind of hinky. I sent it off to our redheaded friend in DC to take a look at. This kid's serotonin and epinephrine levels were off the charts. BYERS But kids who commit violent acts are normally low in serotonin. FROHIKE That's what I thought. I checked it against normal gradients, and this kid was out of the water. The weird part was that other than the Ataral, he tested negative for every drug known they tested for. BYERS What we really need to do is talk to the boy. LANGLY Becky says he's not saying much. He really can't remember what happened real well. Not sure they'd even let us in, and it's 75 miles to Ainsworth. FROHIKE Yeah, but can you buy liquor there? LANGLY Yeah. FROHIKE Sounds like a road trip to me. INT. VAN-DAY Becky accompanies the four of them to Ainsworth Juvenile Correctional Facility. She looks agitated, uncertain. The rest are equally uncertain, but enjoying the prospect of a beer. Langly is driving, Becky is in the passenger seat, and the other three are crammed in the back seat. Frohike is between the other two and appears quite squashed and uncomfortable. BECKY Our lawyer isn't happy about this. LANGLY Yeah, well, what's he done for you lately? BECKY (Sighing) He's doing what he can. But it's not enough. LANGLY You can fire him, you know. BECKY (Glaring acidly at Langly) In case you haven't noticed, criminal defense lawyers are in short supply around here. And I'm not exactly rolling in the dough. I can't afford some hotshot from Omaha or Lincoln to come out all this way. And to tell the truth, I don't really think they could get to the heart of the matter. Did you hear anything back from your friend in Washington? FROHIKE She's looking through the literature, trying to see if there's some correlation between the boy's brain chemistry levels and what happened. She's working fast. BECKY Not to be nasty, but tell her to work faster. My son goes to trial in two weeks. We don't have all the time in the world. (She puts her hands in her face). I'm sorry. This has just been very stressful. Becky looks around the van and winces as it makes a loud clatter. BECKY You drove all the way across the country in this? BYERS She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts. BECKY Then helping my son should be a piece of cake for you guys. INT. AINSWORTH JUVENILE FACILITY-VISITORS' AREA-DAY Our latest LEGEND says: AINSWORTH JUVENILE FACILITY AINSWORTH, NEBRASKA 11:53 A.M. The five of them are met by Greg's lawyer, a man named Harley Moss. Harley is average height, gray-haired, and vaguely sleazy. His clothing is cheap, 'Sears' off-the-rack variety. BECKY This is Harley Moss, my lawyer. These are the journalists that are trying to help me. This is Melvin Frohike, and John Byers, and Ringo Langly, and Jimmy Bond. MOSS Jimmy Bond? You're serious. Did your parents see too many spy films? JIMMY (Innocently, not understanding that he's been insulted) Did yours ride motorcycles? MOSS Mrs. Cahill, you're wasting your time with these people. The best we can hope for is that a M'Naughton defense will hold up. BECKY And if it doesn't? My son has not been himself in months. Someone has done something to him, and I'm going to find out what it is. Moss simply shakes his head. His looks shows that he believes Becky is being irrational. A guard calls to Becky and lets them in. GUARD 45 minutes. LANGLY (To Frohike) Good, we can make it to a state store before 5. FROHIKE (Aghast) They close at 5? You can't buy liquor after 5? (Shakes his head) You're right. We are in hell. INT. AINSWORTH JUVENILE CORRECTION FACILITY-VISITORS AREA--DAY The area is painted a hideous institutional green. Bulletproof plexiglass separates the prisoners from the visitors. The chairs are plastic and uncomfortable. A young boy is brought in behind the plexiglass. He looks very drawn and tired. The life seems to have been completely sucked out of him. He's seated across from Becky, on the other side of the glass, and fidgets nervously. It's Greg Cahill. Becky looks heartbroken. She'd do anything to reach over and give her son a hug. BECKY Sweetheart, I've brought some friends with me. They're here to help you. GREG How? Nothing's gonna help me now. Greg begins to sniffle. Becky looks as if her heart will break open any second. Jimmy steps forward and taps Becky on the shoulder. JIMMY Can I talk to him? BECKY Greg, this is Jimmy. Just tell him what you told us. The other three stand off to the side, but move in closer. JIMMY (Very gently) How're you doing, guy? GREG Not so good. I miss Kelsey. Jimmy looks up questioningly at Becky. BECKY His dog. He loves animals. The rest all nod in sad agreement. JIMMY I bet Kelsey misses you, too. We're gonna try so that you can see your dog again, do everything we can, but we need you to tell us everything. GREG I told everyone everything. I keep trying. Like I try to remember what I did, but I just can't. JIMMY You remember what happened before that? GREG (Tearful and shaking his head) Have a hard time remembering lots of things. JIMMY Did you always have a hard time remembering? GREG Not everything. Not always. Just these days. Feels like I'm always asleep. BYERS (Edging in) When did you start to feel as if you were sleeping all the time? GREG Don't know. It was like, I remember Christmas, it was real good. But after that, it's like I don't really remember much. Like it's not real. Expressions of concern on everyone's faces. BYERS And they're not giving you any extra pills at school. GREG Nope. I don't like pills. I don't like taking even the ones I have to take. BYERS But you said you're having trouble remembering things. GREG I'd know if I had to take more pills. It's hard to swallow them. BYERS You said you felt all right until after Christmas. GREG Yeah. I remember Christmas real good. I got new hockey skates. BECKY Which he barely used. He seemed so tired. GREG Nobody wants to play. Everybody's always tired. A look is passed between Byers, Langly and Frohike. GREG I wanna go home, Mom. At that, Becky bursts into tears. Langly drapes an arm over her shoulders. JIMMY We're gonna do whatever we can so that you can see Kelsey again. Greg begins to cry in earnest. A guard, deciding that this is too much strain on the boy, takes him away. Becky struggles, but Langly leads her out, and the others follow. INT. BARN-NIGHT Stephen, Langly and Becky are all in the barn. Stephen hands the two of them syringes and vials. STEPHEN We only did half the herd last night, Ringo. We'll get the other half tonight. BECKY I see you've started using the County Extension program stuff, too. My dad and I've been using it for about three months. Production's way up. STEPHEN Hope we start seeing some results here soon. LANGLY Still say it's creepy using this untested stuff. BECKY It seems to be working. The cows are much calmer and their yields have definitely increased. LANGLY Seems to me if they got much calmer they'd be in a coma - Becky, how long you say you've been using this stuff on your herds? BECKY About three months. We started in February. LANGLY Who else is using this stuff? BECKY I think the pilot study is in Blaine County only for now. STEPHEN I see where you're going with this. And you're crazy. This is bovine growth hormone. LANGLY Yeah, well, maybe it's got some special sauce in it. STEPHEN (Snorts) Ringo, the problem is, you're starting to believe the stuff you print. LANGLY Hey, everything we print, we can verify. STEPHEN (Scornful tone) Right. You can verify the existence of little green men. LANGLY Grey. They're grey. And we've got proof. BECKY (Turning to Langly) You don't seriously think there's something in this stuff that could have made my son do what he did? I think you're reaching. They wouldn't put something in there that would hurt children. LANGLY Wouldn't they? STEPHEN They don't do medical experiments on kids, Ringo. LANGLY Like hell they don't. Sounds like Greg's been nothing but a lifelong medical experiment. BECKY Look, I don't like that I have to medicate him, but if I don't, he can't go to school anymore. The drugs have helped him. LANGLY Oh yeah, that's why he choked a teacher, one he actually sort of liked, to death. Langly sets down the syringe and pockets a vial. LANGLY You can call me crazy if you like. Nothing new there. But I'm having this stuff tested. STEPHEN And where are you going to do that? In that wreck you call a van? LANGLY Nope. We're gonna send it to the FBI. STEPHEN Oh, they'll take you very seriously! LANGLY (Staring hard at Stephen) Hey, we have friends there. If anyone can help us on this, they can. INT. LANGLY FARMHOUSE-KITCHEN-NIGHT Langly enters via the kitchen door, anticipating running upstairs to consult with his cohorts, but he's stopped on the way by his father. MR. LANGLY Why aren't you helping Steve? LANGLY Because I think we might have found something that'll help Becky and Greg. Mr. Langly stares at him, anger in his face. MR. LANGLY You'll come all this way to help a girl you haven't seen in over a dozen years, but you won't come to see your mother once in all that time. Mr. Langly shakes his head vehemently. MR. LANGLY You're a loser and a smart mouth. I was hoping you'd come to your senses and grow up someday, but I don't think that's going to happen. And tell your friends to get their liquor out of my house! He turns to leave the room. Once he's out of earshot, Langly shakes his head and heads for 0 the stairs. LANGLY And he wonders why I never come around. INT. LANGLY FARMHOUSE-LANGLY'S OLD ROOM-NIGHT Byers and Frohike are on the computer. Jimmy is on the bed, petting one of the barn cats. There are open bottles of beer everywhere. LANGLY We're not supposed to have the cats in the house. JIMMY But she followed me in. She just wants some love, you know? He pets the cat, and the cat appears to be enjoying it. JIMMY Your folks don't let the animals in the house? That's so weird. LANGLY Yeah, well, this is a farm and animals aren't pets here. (He stares around the room) On the other hand, we're not supposed to have beer in here, either. BYERS Maybe we should take it out to the barn. Langly grabs a beer. LANGLY Hey, we're legal in every state of the union. But I got something that might not be. He produces the vial of BGH from his pocket. Byers takes it from him. BYERS (Looking puzzled) What would bovine growth hormone have to do with Greg killing his teacher? LANGLY Well, it makes the cows real docile. JIMMY (Raising himself on one arm) And Greg was saying he felt like he's sleeping all the time. BYERS Where is the milk processed around here? LANGLY (Shrugging) There's three processing plants here in Blaine County. Probably won't last long; they're all getting swallowed up by the majors. I don't think it's the processing, though. Steve says this stuff's experimental, a new derivative they're cooking up at U Neb. FROHIKE The next question is, where's the pilot study? LANGLY Becky says here in Blaine County. BYERS You said it's from University of Nebraska? LANGLY Which means it's probably getting funded by the robber barons at ConAgra and their ilk. BYERS I'm going to try and hack the university research database. He turns intently towards the computer and starts typing. INT. LANGLY'S BEDROOM-NIGHT-ABOUT AN HOUR LATER FROHIKE There've got to be about a hundred of these strains being developed. How're we going to know which one is the one we're looking for? BYERS We need to have that sample tested. Unfortunately, we can't FedEx it out till tomorrow, Scully won't get it till the next day, and it's going to take her some time to test it. Not to mention that since this isn't official business, she's going to have to be quiet about it. Frohike's cell phone rings. He grabs it. FROHIKE Hello. Agent Scully, what a surprise. (He nods) You were looking at the boy's charts again. What'd you find? (He covers the microphone and turns to his cohorts) She thinks the lab stats suggest something related to high doses of benzodiazopenes. (He returns to talk to Scully) Those could make somebody sleepy, couldn't they? And they could interact with Ataral or a drug like that? Listen, we're going to be sending you a sample of BGH, and we need you to test it, ASAP. Yes, I know it takes time. I'll see if Byers can get the NMR and autoradiography data. Thank you. Yes, we know we owe you. Again. No, we haven't forgotten we owe you from Vegas. G'night, Agent Scully. LANGLY What's she talking about, we owe her? We helped her find Mulder! FROHIKE We'll probably owe her in this life and beyond. Byers, you got anything? BYERS I'm trying to download the lab data from the BGH studies, but it's going to take a while to crack. They're probably proprietary interests, and it's no wonder they're heavily guarded, but I've got a few tricks left. LANGLY Yeah, a few basic-level tricks, all of which you learned from ME. Byers shoots him a brief look. BYERS Wait...something's coming up. LANGLY You got the data? BYERS Well, I've got a directory. Looks like project lists. FROHIKE Is there a subdirectory for BGH? BYERS I'm looking...there's a lot of cross-listing here. Let me redefine my string. Byers continues typing while the others look on, drinking beer. Jimmy is cuddling the cat. Jimmy moves in very close to Frohike. As he moves right next to him, the cat hisses at Frohike and runs off. LANGLY I always said you could scare dogs and little kids. Now we can add cats to the list. FROHIKE Shut up, punk- BYERS I think I have something. Here's a list of the sponsors for the various projects. LANGLY All ag giants. Maybe some pharmaceutical companies. BYERS Mostly, but this one is strange. Very strange. FROHIKE In what way? BYERS (Looking up in alarm at his colleagues) One of the sponsors is the Nebraska Department of Education. JIMMY What would the Department of Education be doing with a BGH study? All four look at each other. LANGLY Maybe a whole hell of a lot. JIMMY So what do we do now? FROHIKE We get the sample off to Agent Scully. We get as much documentation as we can. And then we wait. JIMMY (Wincing) So what're we gonna do till then? LANGLY (Grinning wickedly) Got plenty of cows to milk. The others appear to be ready to lob beer bottles at him. Langly is saved by a knock on the door. STEPHEN (from behind the door) Don't bother hiding the beer, it's only me. Langly opens the door. LANGLY You need something? STEPHEN You better come downstairs. LANGLY Not if Dad's down there. He doesn't want to talk to me, anyway. STEPHEN It's not about Mom or Dad. It's something on the news. LANGLY What about it? STEPHEN Another school killing. In Lewiston. Today. The four of them race down the stairs behind Stephen. INT.-LANGLY FARMHOUSE LIVING ROOM-NIGHT Mrs. Langly appears to have gone to bed. Mr. Langly is sitting in his chair and glares at his sons as they enter. The five younger men pile into the living room. MR. LANGLY Kids. Don't know what's wrong with them anymore. Think they can get away with- STEPHEN (Sharp tone, interrupting) Dad, be quiet! MR. LANGLY And they have no respect- BYERS Excuse me, but we need to hear this. We appreciate your hospitality, sir. Mr. Langly is taken aback by Byers' politeness and shuts up. ANNOUNCER (On TV) Only a few weeks after the tragic killing of a teacher in the quiet farm town of Saltville, there's been a copycat killing by an eighth grade student at Western Blaine County Middle School in Lewiston. The boy, whose name has not been released because of his age- FROHIKE Where's Lewiston? LANGLY About 12 miles west of here. FROHIKE I think we'd better get that sample off to Agent Scully as fast as we can. If not sooner. FADE OUT END ACT III COMMERCIAL BREAK! ACT IV EXT. WEST BLAINE COUNTY MIDDLE SCHOOL, LEWISTON, NEBRASKA-DAY West Blaine County Middle School is a noncharacteristic building that could just as easily be an office building or a prison, save for that there's no razor wire. Frohike, Byers, and Jimmy are outside. The principal of the school has just finished talking to the press. BYERS At least we have a name now. We need to get hold of that boy's medical records. FROHIKE You think he was on Ataral or something like it? BYERS It's worth checking into. JIMMY What if he wasn't? BYERS Let's find out first. INT. LANGLY BARN-DAY Langly is milking cows. Becky is in the doorway. BECKY Can I come in? LANGLY Sure. BECKY Is Steve around? LANGLY Nah, he's off pleading with his bank manager, I think. Becky pulls up to the cow next to Langly. BECKY Here, let me give you a hand. I've done this a few times. She laughs a little. LANGLY Hell, I'm surprised I even remembered how. Guess you don't forget, least not as easily as you'd like. BECKY (Sighing) No. You don't. The two of them work in silence for a moment. BECKY I left you because I knew you wouldn't be back, Ringo. I'm sorry I was such a coward about it. LANGLY (Wincing) Forget it. Water under the bridge. BECKY Wasn't for me. You know, you're the first boy I ever kissed? LANGLY Well, you're the first girl I ever did. Not that there's been a lot of action since. Both of them laugh awkwardly. BECKY You never think about coming back here? LANGLY You ever think about leaving? BECKY I guess the answer to both is no, isn't it? LANGLY (Clearly uncomfortable with the conversation) Guess so. Becky turns to face Langly. BECKY You have no idea how much I appreciate you doing this for Greg. LANGLY Hey, that's what we do. A cow kicks Langly, and he falls off his bench where he's been milking. He falls into a pile of straw and his glasses are set askew. He groans. LANGLY (Laughs sardonically) Obviously I'm not cut out for this. Becky laughs as well. Frohike, Byers and Jimmy appear in the doorway. LANGLY Come on in, don't let the smell stop you. What'd you find out in Lewiston? FROHIKE Wasn't so much what we found in Lewiston. It's what we learned on the way back. Byers found out that the kid who was the killer this time was another ADHD kid, and was taking Ritalin. BYERS There was a problem, though. I'm trying to get the chemical data for the BGH for Scully. Security around this stuff is fairly tight. I finally got in, but they tracked an intruder. I don't think in view of the scrambling technology we have, they located us, but it's still worrisome. LANGLY (Unconcerned about being caught at the moment) Did you get it off to Scully? BYERS She said she got it. I just hope it's in a format she can use. I didn't have much time to decrypt the files. She's got the sample, too, but says she needs about twelve hours to properly conduct the analysis. BECKY But you think it's in the hormone... ? FROHIKE That's the theory. But we need proof. It's still a long leap from proving the structure of a chemical substance and then proving it's responsible for what happened to Greg. BYERS We have to find if there was any deliberate intent on the part of individuals or groups to use this on children. LANGLY We've got the department of ed involved, we can prove that. BYERS But why? And did the school officials at Greg's school know about this? We need to get back and talk to Mr. Armstrong again- LANGLY Armstrong's not going to talk to you. Bet on it. BYERS Why not? We should at least give him the chance to speak. LANGLY Because he's a major jerk. I know it, you know it. Langly's expression suggests that it's payback time. FROHIKE Dude, he may have been a bastard to you, but that doesn't mean he's involved in this. LANGLY (Cocky tone) Oh, he's involved. Turns to the cows. LANGLY Sorry, ladies. You're just gonna have to wait. Langly turns to Becky. LANGLY You coming? Becky looks terrified. BECKY Yeah. INT. LANGLY FARMHOUSE-LANGLY'S BEDROOM-DAY LANGLY C'mon, man, this can't be that hard. BYERS It's risky. We've been spotted once. FROHIKE Someone was spotted once. For all they can tell, we could have been in Bombay or Moscow. BYERS The problem is, we've got plenty of tables and data now, but we need correspondence. Memos, letters, something linking specific people to this. We have to prove knowledge. And I'm not finding it here. FROHIKE What time does the principal leave the school, Becky? BECKY I think he's there till around 5. Why? FROHIKE Time to pick out something black and sexy and do a little funky poaching. INT. LIGHT AND LIFE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL-NIGHT Frohike, Langly, Byers, and Jimmy are all dressed in black and standing outside the principal's office. The principal's office is in the interior of the building, and not visible from the outside. The four are carrying tools for the job in small duffel bags and briefcases-black, of course. FROHIKE I finally found something good to say about living in the country. They don't believe in heavy duty security systems. That had to be the easiest B&E we ever did. LANGLY No one ever even used to lock their doors. Frohike easily picks open the principal's door lock. He flips on a light. It's a typical office, with a desk, some chairs, and, under a worktable in the corner, a small safe, roughly 2.5 feet cubed. FROHIKE Wonder what he's doing with a safe. JIMMY Lost and found? FROHIKE What, storing kids' minds in there? He snorts derisively before he pulls out a stethoscope and begins to figure out the combination. Langly pulls out some picks and quickly works open the locks on the principal's desk. He hands some of the folders inside to Byers, who starts to flip through the contents. BYERS Most of this looks like ordinary files you'd have if you were a school administrator. Nothing unusual here. I do see that he writes a lot of letters to parents about the importance of the children behaving. LANGLY Yeah, the no-slapping policy is probably killing him. Needs another outlet for his hostilities. BYERS Detention slips. Lots of them...let me see the dates. Byers flips through the stack of detention slips. BYERS This is interesting. Detentions are given in abundance through December, but after the first of the year, they drastically drop off. I notice Greg was a regular in detention. LANGLY Yeah, probably has my old seat. And I doubt those detentions dropped off because old Armstrong suddenly got a hefty dose of the Christmas spirit. JIMMY That should show something. BYERS The problem is, it's not proof. Frohike, how're you coming on that? FROHIKE (Turning to glare at Byers) This thing's a bitch. Almost there. What was I saying about country living? LANGLY He's gonna notice if this stuff's gone. BYERS Oh, he won't notice. Jimmy, there's a Xerox over there. We need you to make copies. Jimmy takes the detention slips from Byers. LANGLY Yeah, consider it a glamour job. Jimmy walks over to the copier and begins feeding the slips through. JIMMY Uh, guys? Isn't there something that says you can't use stuff you take illegally? BYERS We're not taking anything. We're copying. FROHIKE (Triumphantly opens the safe) Yes! Now that better have been worth the trip. Frohike, Langly and Byers all gather around the safe, peering in. There is a large stack of manila envelopes, all dated and carefully organized. Langly grabs one and opens it. LANGLY Whoa, dudes. Jackpot. FROHIKE What is it? LANGLY You wanted letters. You got 'em. Armstrong's been in on it the whole time. BYERS Jimmy? You better make sure there's lots of paper in that copier. INT. LANGLY BARN--NIGHT Stephen and Becky are penning the cows for the night. STEPHEN (Reproachful, to Langly) Where were you? I thought you were going to be here for dinner. LANGLY (Looking at Becky) Out getting ready to serve Armstrong on a platter. BECKY (Puzzled) Mr. Armstrong? He's involved in this? FROHIKE He's neck-deep in it, all right. And we've got the proof. LANGLY Steve, man, don't inject the cows anymore. That stuff's poisoning kids. We got the proof, right here. Langly hands his brother the correspondence. STEPHEN (Reading aloud) "Discipline has become the number one issue in our schools today. Students are becoming increasingly more violent and disruptive. Therefore, I consider the use of chemical substances to calm them down and make them more orderly an appropriate use"... Ringo, where'd you find this stuff? LANGLY Armstrong's office. Becky grabs the paper from Stephen's hand. She reads it silently, turning pale as she does so. Stephen looks over at his brother. His expression is one of shock and disbelief. STEPHEN Ringo, we went to that school. We graduated from there. LANGLY And Armstrong was always a bastard. STEPHEN Granted, he was a tough disciplinarian... but this? Stephen looks at Becky, then at the others, then back at his younger brother. STEPHEN You got any beer left? INT. LANGLY FARMHOUSE-LANGLY'S BEDROOM-NIGHT Becky, Stephen, Jimmy and Langly are all seated on the edge of the bed. Frohike is at the computer, and Byers is standing near the door. The barn cat from the night before has followed them in and is rubbing against Jimmy, who happily accepts the cat's ministrations. All of them are drinking beer. Stephen and Becky appear to be in a state of shock. BECKY There's only one problem. We can't use this stuff. FROHIKE Sure we can. BECKY How? You took it illegally. BYERS These are only Xerox copies. The originals are all in place. I even resealed the envelopes. LANGLY Don't mind him, he's totally anal. FROHIKE I figured we'd just place an anonymous tip with the FBI, and let them follow it up. I'm sure they'll be very interested. Byers' cell phone rings. He flips it open and answers it. BYERS Byers. Agent Scully? Yes? There are benzodiazopene derivatives in the BGH? Everyone in the room sighs a huge sigh of relief, but the relief is incomplete. BYERS Listen, we have some information obtained from an anonymous source... EXT. LANGLY FARMHOUSE-DAY Jimmy, Langly, Frohike and Byers are loading the van. Stephen, Becky, and Langly's parents are standing nearby. Becky walks over to Langly. BECKY The FBI Field Office in Omaha is alraedy taking action. This won't clear Greg, but the charges are being dropped to involuntary manslaughter. Greg will probably just do probation. I'm supposed to meet with Harley and the D.A. later today. (Long beat) You have no idea how much I appreciate this, Ringo. You saved my son. You saved me. LANGLY (Shrugging) Ah, I get by with a little help from my friends. Becky steps away for a moment. Stephen steps over to talk to Langly. STEPHEN Dad thinks you did good. LANGLY Like he'd ever say it to me. STEPHEN No. And he still thinks you're crazy and you're wasting your life. Both brothers laugh. LANGLY What about you? STEPHEN (Long beat) Next time, don't wait over a dozen years to get back, okay? LANGLY Yeah, well, maybe next time you're in DC- STEPHEN We'll see. Anyway, looks like you're ready to head off. LANGLY Yeah. He turns to his parents. LANGLY Bye Mom, Bye Dad. MR. LANGLY (Grouchy tone) Don't be such a stranger. Becky has been standing off to the side. Jimmy, Byers and Frohike all climb into the van. Stephen and Mr. and Mrs. Langly head back into the house. She shyly approaches Langly. Becky stares at her hands, awkwardly. BECKY You know... you'll always be the first boy I ever kissed. LANGLY No, guess nothing could change that, huh? He smiles a little. BECKY I wish things could have been different. LANGLY Sometimes, me too. BECKY But this is how it is. Langly looks a bit sad. LANGLY Yeah. Becky leans forward towards his face. Both of them kiss, very lightly. It's chaste in the extreme. BECKY Thank you. LANGLY Good luck, Beck. CUT TO: INT. GUNMEN HQ--DAY A week has passed. The Gunmen are at work on their latest issue. The headline, of course, reads, "SCHOOLKIDS POISONED BY BGH IN NEBRASKA." The subheader says "Certain school administrators had full knowledge and cooperation." BYERS Reuters and UPI both picked us up on this one. LANGLY With the kind of cash they threw our way, maybe I can send a little home. Steve could use the help. FROHIKE And it looks like Greg's not going to trial at all. He pleaded to involuntary manslaughter and he's on five years probation. JIMMY Which means he gets to stay with Kelsey. He'll be happy about that. How come we can't get a pet? FROHIKE Because they get fur in everything. And we already have you. Jimmy looks puzzled. All through this, Langly has been very quiet. He smiles slightly. LANGLY And I got even with the teacher from hell. Looks like he's going right where I always thought he belonged. FROHIKE So, you heard from Becky? LANGLY No. But I got an e-mail from Steve. FROHIKE And? LANGLY He says to say hi. The others return to work, as Langly holds his small smile. END ACT IV FADE TO BLACK MUSIC--CREDITS END