"Let us finish it." " Perhaps it is a trap." " It is." "Then what do we do?" "We break through." "There!" "I see him." "Pagans!" " Forward still." " Retreat!" "No!" "Do not stop!" "No!" "We are her salvation, and through her command we shall live forever." "I will not die." "Not here, not now!" "Never!" "No!" "We're almost there." "You'll make it." "I won't let you die." "Strong enough." "Finish it." "Don't worry." "We'll be all right." "I just need to take a little." "Finish it." " Hey, what are you doing here?" " Take a walk with me." " I have too much work." " It's the first snow." " Yeah, I know, but they're waiting on me." " You always" " Come on, Tommy." " Please, Izzi!" "I'm sorry." "I am." "I'll see you tonight." "Finish it." "Please, leave me alone." "I don't know how it ends." "All right." "I trust you." "Take me." "Show me." " What are you doing here?" " Take a walk with me." " I have too much work." " It's the first snow." " Yeah, I know, but they're waiting on me." " You always" " Come on, Tommy." " Please, Izzi!" "I'm sorry." "I am." "I'll see you tonight, okay?" "Izzi." "Hey!" "Dr. Creo, Antonio's on his way back." "Donovan's open and ready." "His vitals are steady." "Damn it!" "Come on." "Did he say if it was working?" "He just told me to grab you and meet in Surgery." " Where is he?" " I'm not sure." " Call him." " Okay." "Antonio sent me ahead with the scans." "He's still busy in Chem Lab." "Breeny, it's Manny." "Where's Antonio?" " It's still growing aggressively." " That much in two days!" "What do you mean, you don't know?" "Go get him." "Find him." "He's been lying open 50 minutes now." "He's crossing the street." " How were the in vitro results?" " I didn't ask." "Meet him at the elevator." "Get his ass in here." "Micromanipulators at 42 degrees, mediolateral, 72." "Yup." "How we doing, Donovan?" "You hanging in?" "No good." "Great specificity, but no suppression." " Shall we close him?" " We'll have to euthanise." " Why?" " If we don't treat him now, we won't have another chance before the growth gets him." "Damn it!" " I'll prepare the pentobarbital." " No, wait." "What is it?" "Remember that botanical compound we played around with last year?" " Which one?" " From that tree, the one from Central America." " That one." " Natul tortuosa." "82-A46." " From Guatemala." " The old-growth tree." "We had a couple of samples, but it was sterile." "The graftings and clippings didn't take either." " That's it." " All right, what's happening?" "Mix it with your compound." "They've got a similar tertiary structure, almost a mirror." "Manny, find those samples." " Yeah." " I don't see it." "Picture them side by side." "Fold them into each other like two lovers, woman on top." "They've complementary domains." " If we can get them to stick..." " Is this it?" " Go!" " Dr. Creo, we have no toxicity reports." " There's not a single piece of data" " It doesn't matter." "Donovan's on the table." "If we do nothing, he dies." " Antonio, how long?" " Two hours." "Keep him under." "I've never seen that adhesion pattern." " What's it binding to it?" " I don't know." "But it's definitely attaching to the high-growth regions." "Let's do it." ".751, 1.25." " Syringe is loaded." " Give it." "Manny, give me light." "Lowering." "Injecting." " Injection at 23:57." " 23:57." "That's good boy, Donovan." "That's good boy." " What's up, captain?" " My ring." " What ring?" " My wedding ring." " Where'd you leave it?" " Right there, where I always put it." "Someone must've knocked it on the ground." " Tommy?" " Yeah." " May I have a word with you?" " One second." "What are you doing?" " My ring!" "I put it right there." " It's gotta be here." " I need to talk to you." " Don't worry about it." "We'll find it." "Tommy..." " I'm concerned." " What?" "I saw Betty in the hall." "She was hysterical." " You've been running sloppy surgeries." " Nonsense!" "You injected that animal with an untested compound." "But he was open, for Christ's sakes!" "We were about to put him down." "NIH could shut us down." "I should shut you down for it." "You're reckless and you're losing perspective." "Look, why don't you just take a few days at home?" "Spend a little time with Izzi." "I'm here for her." "Izzi." "Izzi?" "Iz?" "Izzi?" "Izzi!" "Izzi!" "Izzi!" " Tommy?" " Isabel!" "That's funny." "Very funny." "What are you doing?" "I'm... stargazing." "I found it in the attic." " Come on in." "It's freezing." " I want you to see something." "Come on!" "You're an old fart!" "Okay." "Okay." "Go on, look." " You see it?" " The gold star?" "It's actually a nebula wrapped around a dying star." "That's what makes it look gold." "What?" " I took science." " When?" "Junior high." " The Mayans called it Xibalba." " Xibalba?" "It was their underworld." "The place the dead souls go to be reborn." "What?" "What are you talking about?" "My book." " I'm writing about it." " I thought it took place in Spain." "It begins there." "Ends there." "Are you done?" " Almost." " Good." "When do I read it?" "Someday soon it will explode, die, and give birth to new stars." "How amazing that the Mayans chose a dying star to represent their underworld." "Of all the healthy points of light in the sky, how did they find one that was dying?" "Where are your shoes?" "Izzi!" "Come on, come on." "Let's warm you up." "Whoa, whoa." "Careful." "Okay." "I'll get it." "I'll get it." "Careful." "Iz?" "Get inside." "Serves you right." "Is she a redhead?" "What?" "I left it in Surgery." "If you can't wait, you can't wait." "I'm joking." " I'll make some coffee." " Wait." "The sponge." "I want you to heat it." "Outside, before, you couldn't feel the cold." "Tommy!" " I'm calling Dr. Lipper." " No!" "I'm afraid." "Jesus, I'm sorry." " It's been happening for a while." " What?" " I'm losing sensitivity to hot and cold." " Why didn't you tell me?" "Because I feel different inside." "I feel different." "Every moment." "Each one." "Tommy?" "Oh, Jesus!" "Look, don't worry." "Don't worry." "All right?" "I'm here." "I will always be here." "I know." "Yes, I know, Iz." "Got you." " Hello?" " Alan, Tommy." " Tommy, how's Izzi?" " What's the earliest you can see us tomorrow?" " Let me check my schedule." " It's time for you to read it." " How's 3:00?" " That's your earliest?" " I'm in Surgery till then." "Is it urgent?" " No, no." "That's fine, thanks." "Thanks, Alan." "Bye." " We're gonna see him tomorrow after lunch." " I want you to start it." "Tell me what you think." " But it's not done." " Not quite." "Don't answer it." " Hello?" " Captain." " Antonio, what's wrong?" " Can you get down here?" " What is it?" " Donovan." "I've never seen anything like it!" " Is he okay?" " He's fine, perfectly fine." " Just tell me what's happening." " You won't believe me." "You've got to see for yourself." "Come right away." "No, I can't now." "I can't." "To Donovan!" " What's going on?" " Show him." "I came back around 1:00 to check up on Donovan." " Where is Donovan?" " That's him." "What?" "It can't be." "The sculp's almost healed." "There's hair growth." "I didn't believe it either." "And it gets even stranger." "Antonio had me run some tests." "Donovan responded well." "Really well." "I pulled up videos of him pre-op." "He's testing twice as well as he did last week." "We're seeing an increase in neural activity, where all the areas are usually stunted by normal ageing." " And the tumour?" " No change." "The growth patterns are normal." "There's no positive or negative effect." " We should tell Dr. Guzetti right away." " No!" "No!" "Antonio..." "Prep a new cocktail." "We'll stick with the same botanical substance." "What?" "!" "We're moving forward with experimental design." " Wait a minute." " But this could be a medical first." "A revelation!" "We've gotta pursue it." "We've gotta duplicate the findings." "We can monitor the monkey's synaptic growth, but our main focus is its main brain tumours, it's not ageing." " I know, but" " Stop!" "I want the next subject preped and ready for surgery." " Is everything all right?" " Yes." "Everything's all right." "Inquisitor?" "Enter." "The heretics." "They have confessed and ceded their lands to your holy office." "They await your judgment." "Yet another slice of her nation is mine." "Soon she will be powerless against me." "Queen of nothing but her sins." "What will you do with her?" "She too will confess, and then... she too will die." "Captain. 'Tis the queen." "She is surrounded." "The inquisitor demands blood." "Then there is no more time." "What is our response?" "Go now." "Warn the queen." " And you?" "Where are you going?" " He must be cut out." " She has forbidden it." " There is no other choice." "This is our only hope." "Stay." "Stay." "Our bodies are prisons for our souls." "Our skin and blood, the iron bars of confinement." "But fear not." "All flesh decays." "Death turns all to ash, and, thus, death frees every soul." "You, the condemned, you have confessed." "You admit to protecting a queen who twists the word of God and drowns all Spain in sin." "Your queen seeks immortality on Earth, a false paradise." "This is heresy." "She leads you towards vanity, away from the spirit." "But this is foolishness, for death exists." "The Day of Judgment is irrefutable." "All life must be judged." "Why are you here?" " Come quickly." " No." "Leave." "Protect the queen." "She sent me." "She demands your return." " Not before he dies." " No, Tomas." "Leave him." "She desires a private audience." "But fear not." "She will not be in hell alone." "I will make sure her servants are waiting for her." "Faithful servant, why do you cry?" "To see Spain brought so low, with an enemy thriving within her borders, feasting on her strength." "The shame is too much." "I've failed her." "Dare not pity Spain." "These times are dark, but every shadow, no matter how deep, is threatened by morning light." "Of course." "This loyalty of yours inspires you to protect Spain at any cost." "But killing the inquisitor is suicide." "Europe would have my head." "I, for one, am not ready to die yet." "Are you?" "I will die for Spain." "I know, Conquistador." "I know." "And this bravery of yours, it may save us yet." "For Spain has a plan." "There is hope." " There's hope?" " Father." "I am Father Avila of her royal Franciscan order." "Our allegiance remains with Spain." "Father." "Guards, leave us." "Conquistador," "I am going to tell you the true reason why the inquisitor pits cross against crown." "One year ago, Father Avila returned from the jungles of New Spain with a secret so great, it promised to free all mankind from tyranny." "Spain desired this treasure above all things, but the inquisitor feared it with equal measure." "When I refused to give up my quest for it, he responded with this violent coup to bring Spain to her knees." "But we have not yielded, and now we will defeat him." "This is our hope." " A dagger?" " Used in religious rituals." "I took it from a dead Mayan priest." "The marking on the hilt..." "Do you see it?" "It is a map." "A map to the Mayans' greatest secret." "Greater than Chichen Itza, greater than Yaxchilan, greater even than Tikal." "Here, in the centre, in the core of the once-great Mayan civilisation, we will find a lost pyramid." "No." "Not lost." "Hidden." "The hidden pyramid of the Mayan myths." "The myths tell us of a holy pyramid, built upon the navel of the Earth, the birthplace of life." "A special tree sprouts there." "They say whoever drinks of its sap will live forever." "Eternal life?" "Spain's fate hangs at the whims of a merciless enemy..." " ...you dare taunt us with these pagan yarns?" "!" " They are not yarns." "Remember, our own Bible confirms it." "In Genesis, there are two trees in the Garden of Eden, the Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of Life." "When Adam and Eve disobeyed the Lord and ate from the Tree of Knowledge, the Lord banned them from the garden and hid the Tree of Life." "Could it be?" "Could it be?" "Kneel, Conquistador." "Let in the morning light." "The beast runs amok in my kingdom." "He has isolated me." "And now he is sharpening his talons for one more fateful push." "But salvation lies in the jungles of New Spain." "Will you deliver Spain from bondage?" "Upon my honour and my life." "Then you shall take this ring to remind you of your promise." "You shall wear it when you find Eden." "And when you return," "I shall be your Eve." "Together, we will live forever." "Iz?" "Izzi?" " There you are." " Hey, what are you doing here?" " Babe, we have Lipper at 3:00." " This is an actual Mayan book." "Look..." "It explains their creation myth." "You see, that's First Father." "He's the very first human." "Is he dead?" "He sacrificed himself to make the world." "That's the Tree of Life's bursting out of his stomach." " Hey, come." " Listen." "His body became the tree's roots." "They spread and formed the Earth." "His soul became the branches, rising up, forming the sky." "All that remained was First Father's head." "His children hung it in the heavens, creating Xibalba." "Xibalba?" "The star!" "Nebula." "So what do you think?" " About?" " That idea." "Death as an act of creation." "Stay together, guys." "I'll pull out the car and meet you in front." "Iz!" " Tommy." " Hey." "Tommy." "You're all right." " I'm close." " No." "There are options." " We'll have to make some choices." " Alan?" "You had a minor seizure." "The growth in your brainstem's back and it's growing faster." " The next time" " No!" "No." "We had a breakthrough." "I know I can translate it to help you." "I just need a little more time, okay?" "There's hope." "There's real hope." " Tommy." " What?" "What, baby?" " I wasn't afraid." " I know." "You're very strong." "No." " No." " What?" "When I fell..." "I was full." "Held." "I know." "I caught you." "I held you." "It's okay, Iz." "Everything's gonna be all right." "There's time." "We have time." "We need to examine the hippocampal region for increased neural patterns." "What the hell's going on?" "Oh, Tommy, I brought in Dean Katari and Dr." "I'm sorry, what are you doing here?" " Well, Antonio and Betty were just showing me" " It's Donovan's latest scans." "Synaptic growth increased another 13%." "His brain is identical to scans from 12 years ago, when he was 6." "And the tumour?" " Exactly." "Please?" " Tommy..." "Please!" "Perhaps you should wait for me in my office." "Manny, I'll be right there." " Thomas, I'd like a word with you in private." " After surgery." "First cut." "Tommy, Dr. Lipper just called." "He said Izzi's doing better, and they're gonna move her to a regular floor in the morning." "When we're done here, I want you to prep Cain." "I'll get her." "She'll take care of it." "What do you think you're doing?" "You don't abandon results like that." "You have to repeat the procedure, get a confirmation." "Confirmation that the tumour's unaffected?" "She'll be dead by then." "Oh, Tommy!" "She had a seizure." "I'm so sorry." " How's she doing?" " She's stable." "Who's with her?" " She's alone?" " She needs to rest." "Tommy, no one invents new drugs overnight." "No one!" "You're not being rational." " You can't fix everything!" " Don't tell me what I can and can't do." " Your wife needs you." "Why are you here?" " Why the fuck do you think I'm here?" "!" "Oh, shit!" "I'll leave you two alone." "Lilly, I'm sorry about before." "She's amazing." "Lillian... could... could you have Henry re-scan the animals for me?" " Okay." " Thanks." " Hey." " Hey!" "I brought your manuscript in case you want to work." "How are you feeling?" "Good." "I'm sorry." "What about?" "There's been progress at work." "My conquistador." " Always conquering." " No." " Something amazing." "We tested" " That's for you." "It's for me?" "What is it?" "Open it." "Pen and ink." "For writing." "It's all done except the last chapter." "I want you to help me." "How?" "Finish it." "Finish it." " I don't know how it ends." " You do." "You will." "Stop." " Remember Moses Morales?" " Who?" "The Mayan guide I told you about." " From your trip?" " Yeah." "The last night I was with him, he told me about his father who had died." " But Moses wouldn't believe it." " Izzi!" "No, no." "Listen." "Listen." "He said if they dug his father's body up, he would be gone." "They'd planted a seed over his grave." "The seed became a tree." "Moses said his father became part of that tree." "He grew into the wood, into the bloom." "And when a sparrow ate the tree's fruit, his father flew with the birds." "He said... death was his father's road to awe." "That's what he called it." "The road to awe." "Now..." "I've been trying to write the last chapter and I haven't been able to get that out of my head." "Why are you telling me this?" "I'm not afraid any more, Tommy." "I asked Lilly if I could be buried at her farm." "No, stop it!" "I want you to be with me." "I am with you." "Look." "I'll always be with you." "I promise." "Will you stay with me tonight?" "Yeah." "I'll stay." "I'll stay." "Don't worry, we're almost there." "Through that last dark cloud is a dying star." "And soon enough, Xibalba will die." "And when it explodes, you will be reborn." "You will bloom." "And I will live." "Don't worry." "We're almost there." "Thank you, Lord!" "We are here!" "Circles." "He leads us in circles." "Only we are left." "All of your countrymen are dead." "He killed them all with this blind quest." "It's time." "Time to stop him." "Captain, we are lost." "The Franciscan and his tales are false." "There is no hope for us here." "There's only death." "I've mapped a course for us back to the ships." "Coward!" "Damn the maps!" "We're close, and I will find it." "Captain!" "Captain!" "Captain!" "Father." "What is it, Franciscan?" " In the jungle." " Yes, Father?" " The marking on the hilt." " On the dagger?" " It is the same." " The same?" "The same as on the stone." "Your choice, die now or, by my side, fight and live." " You fool." " Captain!" "Father!" "Take it." "We are here." " Where?" " The temple is there." "Sorry, Father." "For you, there is only death." "But our destiny is life." "You shall wear it when you find Eden, and when you return, I shall be your Eve." "Iz!" "Iz!" "Oh, come on, come on, come on!" "Oh, no." "Please!" "Please!" " Step aside." " She's in V-fib." " Pulse thready." " I'm bagging." " What's the rythm?" " Izzi!" "Izzi!" " Get the family out." " Sir!" " Get him out!" " Please!" " Give me the pads." " Charging." " Pulse?" " Thready." "What's the pressure?" "Oh, God!" "Tommy." "I know." "I know." "I've never seen anything like it." " Antonio didn't reach you?" " What?" "It's Donovan." "The growth is shrinking." "It's like the disease is cured." "Izzi." "Izzi!" "Izzi!" " No, no, no, no!" " Sir." "Please, sir." " Sir!" " No!" "Sir, it's too late." "I'm gonna have to ask you to leave." " Sir, it's too late!" " You killed my wife!" " Get off him!" "Let go!" " Let go!" "Let go!" "No, no." "No." "No!" "No!" "Don't die!" "No!" "It seems to me that we... struggle all our lives to become whole." "Complete enough when we die... to achieve a measure of grace." "Few of us ever do." "Most of us end up going out the way we came in, kicking and screaming." "But somehow Izzi, young as she was... she achieved that grace." "In her last days she became whole." "She saw her..." "Tommy!" " Tommy!" " Just stop it!" "Death is a disease." "It's like any other." "And there's a cure." "A cure." "And I will find it." "No!" "All these years." "All these memories." "There's been you." "You pulled me through time." "Dr. Creo?" "Dr. Creo, we heard you were back." "Update me on everything we know about that tree." "Every detail." "I'm okay." "Everything's fine." "The Donovan breakthrough's our starting point." "It's just a starting point." "All right?" "Let's build on it." "Stop ageing, stop dying." "Stop dying, that's our goal." "Scans, cultures, charts." "Let's get to work." "Come on, let's get to work." "Xibalba." "We're here." "We almost made it." "I'm sorry." "I'm sorry." "Finish it." "Stop it." "Stop it!" "What do you want?" "!" "Leave me!" "Leave me alone!" "Please, please." "I'm afraid." "Will you deliver Spain from bondage?" "I don't know." "I'm trying." "I don't know how." "You do." "You will." "You do." "You will." "I'm not afraid any more, Tommy." "I'm gonna die." "I'm gonna die." "Together we will live forever." "Forever." "Forever." "Forever." "We will live forever." "Finish it." "Okay." " What are you doing here?" " Take a walk with me." " I have too much work." " It's the first snow." "We always" "They're waiting on me." " Come on, Tommy." " Please, Izzi." "I'm sorry." "I am." "I'll see you tonight, okay?" "Izzi!" "Hey!" "Dr Creo." "Antonio's on his way back." "Donovan's open and ready." "His vitals are steady." "Come on." "Let's go." "Dr. Creo, where are you going?" "Izzi!" "Izzi." "No!" "Finish it." "Behold." "My queen." "Now and forever." "We shall be together." "Bye, Iz." "I finished it." "Is everything all right?" "Yes." "Everything's all right."