"Last time on Stephen King's Golden Years..." "Dr Todhunter!" "Overload across the board!" "The janitor is growing younger." "That means that the effects are much more powerful than we had thought." "I want to take the janitor and his wife out of Falco Plains." "I want to get them and take them anywhere, because if I don't, Andrews will." "You want permission to kidnap a woman and a man who may prove there is a fountain of youth?" "Harlan, we can't just go." " All our things..." " Gina, we have no other choice." "He's everything that's wrong with everything." "He's not National Security, he's Murder Incorporated." "I could disappear without a trace and so could you." "Harlan Williams." "He's your murder suspect." "I think we're safe on this road for maybe two hours, until they get their act together." "Get a list of anything reported stolen in the last six hours." "I'm too old for this." "That makes two of us, darling." "Does it?" "Please, Dr Ackerman." "Just stay calm." "I'm as calm as a cucumber." "I'm sure there's nothing to worry about." "I'm suggesting..." "You're suggesting that someone is getting rid of witnesses who know anything at all about Redding, Williams and the Gold Series explosions." "You're being paranoid." " Perfect paranoia is perfect awareness." " I beg your pardon?" "Never mind." "I want protection right away." " You knew Dr Eakins, didn't you?" " Of course." "We've got eight consulting physicians in the county." "I know them all." "Eakins examined the janitor's eyes and as far as I know, he's the only one who's been murdered." "Had you spoken to Dr Eakins about Harlan Williams recently?" "Within, let's say, 48 hours of Eakins' murder?" " No." " You sure about that?" " Of course!" " Then you're safe." "The murder probably isn't linked with the Gold Series." "Even if it was, you're in the clear." "You haven't spoken to him." "So what I want you to do is perfectly simple." "You stay put." "I'll be landing in about 40 minutes." "We can discuss things further then." "If there's anything to discuss." " I want protection now, damn it!" " Get control of yourself!" " Just stay put, until..." " Go to hell." "I'll just take care of myself, thank you very much." "Can you push this thing any faster?" "Damn fool." "Dr Ackermann..." "Yes?" "What is it?" "I've been looking for you." "Mr Andrews called." "He wants to see you this afternoon." "Not today." "Just tell him I'll call him tomorrow." "Well..." "What do you think?" "I think if a man looked at it too long, it would boil his eyeballs." "What did you say about driving the Chrysler building to Chicago?" "I didn't think you'd take me seriously." "Actually, it was a damn good idea, Harlan." "Hey, Gina!" "Want to see something that'll boil your eyeballs?" "Hey, sweetheart." " Maybe she didn't hear you." " She's not deaf." "Gina?" " Are you okay, darling?" " I'm fine." "Just leave me alone for a while, Harl." " What's wrong, honey?" " Please, leave me alone." " Can't you understand English?" " Gina, tell me what's wrong." "Can't you see what's wrong?" "I'm old." "I don't want you looking at me, because I'm old." "Honey..." "Gina." "I've never felt old before, because we've always been together." "And now, I'm old." " I am old." " Hush." " I'm old, too." "I'll be 71 next fall." " No." "You got it wrong, Harl." "Today is your birthday." " No, it's not." "It's..." " Yes." "It's today." "And I'd say you were 65." " Gina..." " Don't you think I know?" "Haven't I lived with you long enough to have a pretty good idea of how old my husband is?" "Today, you're 65." "You'll have a birthday again in another week and you'll be 60." "And then, a few days after that, you'll be 55." "Because it's not slowing down." "It's not!" "Gina, it's just a bit of man-made freakishness, that's all." "It could be a lot worse." "I could be changing into a human alligator, like in the horror movies." "But I'm just an old man." "With a younger man's face." "You really believe that, don't you?" " Of course I believe that." " Well, why not?" "Don't old people all over the world say they still feel 16 inside?" "Even when they can't stand up straight." "Or walk a mile without having to stop and sit down to catch their breath." "So why shouldn't you feel old, while you're getting younger?" "You don't even know that you feel young." "Do you, Harl?" "It's kind of funny when you think about it." "You just need some sleep, Mother." "You'll feel better tomorrow." "Yes." "I'll feel better tomorrow." "I'll also be older and you'll be younger." "You keep saying that." "Yes, because I see the way you walk." "I see the way you smile." "You say I need sleep." "You're right." "I am beat." "But you're not beat." "You've been up as long as I have, but you're not even breathing hard." "No, but my feet hurt like hell." "Part of you is enjoying this." "Gina, that's not true at all." "You really believe that, too." "I see the way your head turns when you smell something in the woods, or suddenly hear something that I can't hear anymore." "You don't see the light in your eyes, Harl." "But I do." "I do." "Dr Todhunter, I need your signature." " What time do you have?" " It's half past the hour." " Are we ready?" " Yes." "It's scheduled for this afternoon." " Do it now." " Now, Dr..." "Do it now." " Sir, but you see..." " Do it now!" "Do it now!" "Now you listen to me, you overpriced, overpaid simpleton." "Time marches to the beat of a very different drummer." " You don't see that?" " But..." "Just open your ears and you can hear it." "I hear it all the time." "Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tapping in my brain," "Like a little drum that says:" ""Don't wait." "Don't wait."" ""Don't wait!"" " Do it now!" "Do it now!" " Yes, Sir." "Do it now." "Do it now!" "Do it now." "Harlan." "What?" " Are you coming?" " In a minute." "I'm sorry, but I'm not going to be able to sleep a wink until I take a look." "He's about 60." "He's skinny as a chicken leg." "He looks like my cousin Cecil." " You peeked?" " Of course I peeked." "I told him we'd get him back to his people as soon as we could." "Now, come on to bed." "I don't know." "I..." "I've sure been to enough funerals, but dead bodies still give me the willies." "Do you remember that mummy we saw at Coney Island?" "King Ramesses. 2000 years old." "How can you remember his name?" "You dared me to touch it." "How could I not remember?" "I remember all those things we did in those days." "I remember all of them." "Remember how we'd go down to the water?" "Pretending we were leaving on a voyage?" "The Queen Elisabeth." "1st class, starboard side?" "Boats would pull away from the peer." "Balloons tied to their rails." "All the people waving and cheering." "People on the boats." "People on the pier." "Harlan..." "You're one of the people on the boat now." "And I'm one of the people on the pier." "I'm waving to you." "And the water between us is getting wider, and the boat's getting smaller, and smaller." "And pretty soon, it'll be too small to see." "And you'll be gone." "You'll be gone." "I'll just take care of myself, thank you very much." "I didn't know this was happy hour." "You got any beer?" "I want you off this base, Mister." "Domestic's fine." "I'm not picky." "Beans and pork rinds." "They're hell for the old cholesterol, but nobody lives forever." "I'll give you exactly one hour, or..." " You'll throw me in the brig?" " No, in the infirmary." "In restraints, and so doped up you'll think you're on the Starship Enterprise." "No, you won't." " What did you say?" " This is my investigation now." "Oh, is it?" "And who, may I ask, made it your investigation?" "The Defence Secretary of the United States of America, Sir." "The orders were telexed at 3.09 this afternoon." "I'm also in charge of the investigation of the doctor's cowardly murder." "You bastard!" "Looks like the work of terrorists." "Car bomb." "Standard stuff." "Yeah." "Typical slimeball tactics." "I've also been charged with the recovery of Harlan Williams, who seems to have been infected by this incursion." "It also seems likely it's had an adverse, a dangerously adverse effect on his mental state." "What are you talking about?" "He wanted to keep his job." "And, in fact, he was obsessed with his job." "When he failed his eye exam, the doctor who failed him was murdered." " He passed the retest." " Did he?" "That's hard to tell." "William's file is missing from Eakins' office." "That's interesting, because a few hours ago his medical records were stolen from Falco Plains." "I know." "By Dr Ackerman." "We found part of Williams' file in his car." "Photocopies." "Somebody broke in to the records file and took the originals." "Ackerman." "Ackerman had a key." "He wouldn't need to break in." "Maybe he wanted to make it look like somebody else did it." "You'd better start moving." "I don't know anything about a telex." "And by my account, you've got 55 minutes." "Yeah, well..." "I'm in charge." "And I drive one big bulldozer, my friend." "And I'm going to have Williams, his wife and your pet poodle by noon tomorrow." "And if you get in my way, you're going to be a bloody rag on one of the tracks." "Maybe..." "And maybe you thought you'd have them before the sun went down today." "If you want to keep your pension and those tin stars, you stay the hell out of my way." "I'm surprised at you, General." "Removing evidence from the scene of a federal crime." "You could get 15 years." "Thanks for the drink, Mister." "Evening, Harlan." " How did you know it was me?" " You've got your own way of walking." "I'm here to relieve you." " I'm fine." " No, you're not." "You're plumb tuckered out." "You need some sleep." " You promise to wake me in an hour?" " Two hours." "Deal?" "Deal." "Terry..." "Are they going to catch us?" "I don't know." "People in the Shop used to say" "John Rainbird was the best field operative that ever lived." "Me, I always thought Andrews was better." "They could catch us." "Yeah." "What happens then?" "Well..." "I'm history." "That's number one." "That's a big immutable." "And Gina?" "I think the odds are good your wife will also cease to exist." "Ever thought of maybe turning yourself in?" " Turn myself in?" " They might find a way to reverse it." "They don't know what they did in the first place." "How can they reverse it?" "Well, Todhunter is crazy, but he does know what he did, or he will." "Even if he could, do you really think he would?" "Do you?" "No." "I think he'd do tests." "I think he'd watch you." "Wait for it to be over." "One way or the other." "And what if it goes all the way to the end?" "What happens to Harlan Williams then?" "Will I turn back into a child again?" "Do I get to be one month old?" "A day old?" "Do I get to be a preemie in an incubator somewhere?" "And then die?" "I'm never going back, Terry." "Not unless someone gets lucky and throws a halter over me." "And if they don't get lucky?" "Then I get lucky." "And they take me back on a cooling board." "Now, go on." "Get some sleep." "Dr Todhunter." "We'll have the old man by tomorrow night." " I'll believe it when I see it." " You will." "Well, here are his medical records." "They're for your eyes only." "Where did you get these?" "Does it matter?" "You wanted them, you got them." " What's happening with the mouse?" " Nothing." "Good night." "Good night." "Time is running short, my friend." "You're not safe here." "You understand that, don't you?" "You're all I have right now." "My only living record, until we find the janitor." "You'll be comfortable at my house." "We'll even bring along a couple of your girlfriends." "I thought you'd like that." "What the hell is going on?" "My deputies told me you're moving out of here." "Lock, stock and barrel." "We're relocating the command centre back to the base." "But these are civil crimes that have taken place in my jurisdiction." " I don't see..." " A doctor was killed at Falco Plains." " Are they connected?" " Maybe." " In what way?" " Sorry." "That's classified." "Classified?" "This has become a matter of national security." "I've been ordered by Washington to take over the investigation." "Sheriff Mayo, I'm ordering you to turn over any evidence you may have." "Say, within the hour." "Is that a problem?" "No." "Naturally, we'd like to have you working with us." " Doing what?" " We'll let you know." "I think you just did." "It stopped, Father." "After a while, they always stop." "Anyway," "I brought it, Father." "Just the same, because... you were the one who told me, because you were the one who let me in on the secret." "That time is short." "Time... is very, very, very... very short." "But it's all we have." "Of course." "Isn't that true, Father?" "That time is all we have?" "I love you, Father." "But it was a great relief to me... all the same, you know." "When your time ran out." "Good night, Father." "Okay, that's fine." " What's going on, Rick?" " I'm sorry, Sir." "I can't let you out." " I've been given orders." " Get out of the way." "I'm sorry, Sir." "I can't." "You're restricted to base." " Get the hell out of the way." " Please." " I have my orders." " I'm coming through." "You understand, Sir, I will carry them out." " When I say "three", we all lift." " Watch your back." " My back's just fine." " One, two, three." "Well, let's hit the road." " Are you okay, darling?" " Yes." "I'm just tired." "Wait." "There's something we have to talk about." "I want to suggest something to you." "It's hard to explain, because the lines are so thin." "What lines?" "The lines between civil and national law." "Between state and local jurisdiction" "And I guess, what you'd call "eminent domain"." "Maybe you'd just better explain your idea." "We beat them out of Falco Plains." "We beat them out of New York State." "I don't want to know how close it was, but today, they're going to be out in full force." "Police, FBI, Shop agents." "DSA operatives, maybe even the National Guard." "You're saying we don't have a chance now." "I'm saying Harrisburg is 40 miles away." "We can make it that far." "How much further, I'm not sure." "What do we do then?" "We find a shopping mall, we go into the biggest department store there and you two start to shoplift." " We do what?" " Shoplift." "Get the stuff expensive enough to lift you out of the misdemeanour category." "Oh, yes." "I see." "Good for you, dear, because I haven't the foggiest." " Explain it." " Okay." "The best thing for you to take is some piece of electronic equipment." "Something small, but fairly expensive." "One of those CD players." "You, Gina..." "I ask to try on a couple of high-priced dresses and when I come out of the changing booth," "I only have one, as I've hidden the other under my clothes." "That's good." "But do it clumsily enough to be noticed." "Then wait and as soon as you get out the doors, the security guys will hit you." " And we hit back." " That's right." "Mess them up." "I don't see what you two are excited about." "You said we had to get away and now we have to get caught?" "Explain." "You'd be taken in by the civil authorities." "Don't you see?" "You and Gina would be behind bars." "But not behind Shop bars." " And then?" " You use your one phone call." "You get a lawyer." "You tell him everything." "Everything." " Nobody's going to believe us." " Not at first." "But you can convince them of one thing." "No bail, under any circumstances." "And then you get him to postpone the hearing, until he can see what's happening." "Until everyone can see what's happening." "But what about you?" "I think if I hang around, it could be hazardous to my health." "Extremely hazardous." "Come on." "We should go." "You're late." " What time is it?" "I'm bushed." " Get un-bushed." "Do it in a hurry." " An hour of sleep is all I got." " Forget about it." "You can sleep later." "You're here because this situation is not under control." " Are we online yet?" " Yes, Sir." "Two minutes ago." "They've gone to ground." "That's all." "Don't worry." "We've got 150 agents, from Pennsylvania to Upstate New York." "We'll have another 150 by noon." "There will not be a problem." "I assure you." "Your assurances cut no ice with me, Fredericks." "We have one hell of a problem here." "You don't know how bad this could be." "I don't understand what you're so upset about." "You ought to get down on your knees and thank whatever god you believe in they're not spilling their guts." " Who the hell would believe them?" " Who?" "Anyone who saw it happening, that's who." "Terry's not stupid." "What if she decides to have this janitor locked up by some podunk sheriff?" "Why would she?" "To keep him from us long enough to make this look like something else, besides the UFO story." "At first, no one would believe what's happening, but if it should take us some time, Todhunter said he could change." "And then Harlan Williams finds himself in one great big lively media circus." "The guy who got an accidental drink at the fountain of youth." "And now the big bad feds are chasing him, wanting to lock him up." "Some nice old folks with grey hair and bad arthritis might find that a little annoying, don't you think?" " Yeah." " It has to be us." " We have to get him back." " And do what with him?" "Put him in Todhunter's hands." "He's the only one who really understands what Williams means." "But you know what you want, right?" "You want Terry." "That's right." "I want Terry." "More than anything I've ever wanted in my whole life, I want her." "All right." "Let's say we get arrested and taken into custody." "What's the downside?" "I can see by your face there is one." "Lee Harvey Oswald." "That's the downside." "I don't understand." "If they decide they can't get Harlan back, before what's happening leaks out, they may decide to stop it from happening." "Oswald was no Dillinger, shot while running down an alley." "He was shot in a police garage." "While he was in police custody." "But the man that shot Oswald, that Jack Ruby..." "He was crazy." "Plenty of people thought he was sent to do a job." "Hey, Mister." "You're a quart low on oil." "All right." "Sometimes, it's easier to believe in a conspiracy than outright craziness." "But it still happens." "Not every guy who ever hanged himself in a cell committed suicide." "I'm just saying, it could happen." "You're saying that Harlan could get killed." "But they'd leave you alone, Gina." "I'd be dead, but they'd leave you alone." "Oh, stop that!" "We're in this together." "Like everything else." " Ease off, darling." " Don't tell me to ease off!" "Gina, please." "Look, we might make it to your daughter's place in Chicago." "What happens after that, I don't know." "We also might get you picked up by a police department that would lock you up tight and keep you safe." "The point is, we have to choose." "That'll be 11.40." "If Jack Ruby killed the man who killed the president and the police couldn't stop it, what chance does Harlan have, if he gets arrested for shoplifting and they decide to come after him?" "If they send that man, Andrews, after him?" "If they send Jude Andrews, I wouldn't give him a snowball's chance in hell." "No matter where he was locked up." "What are we standing here for?" "We're wasting daylight." "Let's not waste daylight." "And when we get to Harrisburg, let's just keep going." "I'll explain it on the way." "Have a nice day." "What's going on?" " Roll down the window." " One minute." " Shut the door." " What?" "Shut the door!" "He'll get out." "Shut the door." "What are you talking about?" "They got out." "Catch them!" "Get him!" "No." "No!" "I don't think you have to worry about them, Dr Todhunter." "That's quite perceptive, for someone who's obviously had major chromosome damage." "Let me get this straight." "There are two lab animals missing." " That appears to be the case." " You don't know where they are?" "No, Sir." " Were they taken?" " It's possible, Sir." "Possible." "I like that answer." "It's also possible I could dislocate your shoulder." "I don't know where they are, Sir." " Could they have gotten loose in here?" " That could've happened." "But even if they did, they'd still be in this room." "They couldn't have gotten through the walls." "They're metal." "Hey..." "Did you see any loose animals running around in here?" "In here?" " Yeah." " No." "Just those two out by the fence this morning." " You did?" " Yeah." "Can you show me where?" "Even better." "I've got them in my locker." "You do?" "I was going to make bookends out of them." "I'm not going to get in trouble for this, am I?" "No." "Not at all." "Harlan didn't think anyone would mind if I was picking up dead animals." "You see, I'm studying this home taxidermy course." " I'm learning to stuff animals." " Harlan?" " Harlan Williams?" " Yeah." "We work together." "Can you show me these mice, Billy?" " Like, now?" " Like now would be fine." "Sure." "Oh, my God." "Look." "Aren't you going to stop, Terry?" " How bad is he hurt?" " I think he broke his leg." "What happened?" "I'll stay here with them." "You two go for help." "My brother..." "He's already gone." "Thank you." " Well, then." "We can be on our way." " We can't leave them." " There's nothing we can do for him now." " I'm not going to leave them here." "I want you two to get in the car." " Where is he hurt?" " He broke his leg." "I've got a first aid kit in the car." "Ambulance is on the way." "You'll be just fine, son." " There." " You witness the accident?" "No." "We just stopped to see if we could help." "But everything seems to be under control." "Officer, could you move your car?" "We have to get going." "We're late." "I brought some water." "For the boy." "Thank you, Ma'am." "Mother, why did you get out of the car?" "The officer is going to move his car, so we can get going." "Why did you get out of the car?" " I just thought..." " No." "You didn't think." " I'm sorry." " What's done is done." "Get in." " You're right." "I didn't think." " Never mind." "But if you've got a rosary, now would be a good time to kick it into overdrive." " Three, four, Sergeant." " Three, four Sergeant is en route." "We have a situation here." "I need some backup on the circle road." "Send a unit." "Get out of the car with your hands up now!" "I'm going to count to three, then open fire." "One, two..." "Hands up." "Where's the girl?" "Don't move." "Put the gun down." "Very slowly." "Easy." "Easy." "Nice." " How the hell did you do that?" " Magic." "You're not going to hurt him." "Not if I don't have to." "And I hope next time, if we have a next time, you'll consider staying put when I ask you to." "Where did you get the facelift, Gramps?" "You wouldn't want one." "What the hell is this?" " What happened?" " Some fugitive stole my cruiser." " Stole your cruiser?" " They handcuffed me to this hearse." "They handcuffed you to the hearse." "Will you stop repeating everything I say and take off my shoe?" " You hurt your foot?" " I've got a spare key in my shoe." "You've got a spare key in your shoe." "Tyler..." "Do you mind?" "Stole your cruiser..." "Damn."