" What's the deal on this hit man?" " Independent contractor." "Rumour is, he got into town last night." " The guy who did the Rivera hit last year?" " Yeah." "Sorry." " Hey, Max." "I didn't hear you come in." " How's it going?" "Hey." " Just came by to cadge some coffee." " Sorry." "The market's been out for a week." "Ironic, considering Seattle was the coffee capital of North America back in the day." "Sounds like you got a situation." "Who are the bad guys looking to whack?" "Not sure yet, but you can bet it's one of the good guys." " What do you need me to do?" " Don't worry." "We got it covered." "Oh." "Me and S1W are gonna do some recon, narrow the list of potential targets." "I didn't want you to worry about it." "I know you got your plate full these days." "Yeah." "Well, good luck." "I gotta jet." "What are you doin' later on?" "There's a party at Crash." "It's Halloween." "Uh..." "We'll probably be working on this all night." "OK." "Later." " So blondie was there at 8am?" " Gotta get up early to save the world." "Mm-hm." "Don't go there." "You should see them together." "They're so into their hero stuff." "Hot run." "Hello?" "People?" "Hello!" "Great." "I'm talking to myself." "687 Magnolia." "Take off that get-up." "You look like a weirdo." "For your information, I am the shape of things to come." "Demons, mutants, monsters, creatures not of this world, walking among us." "It says so right here." " What is this falderal?" " The press follow-up on the Eyes Only story about the Manticore escapees." "Everything the government doesn't want you to know." "You have an ass for a head." "Now, bip-bip-bip." "It's three o'clock." "That's the time." "D'you wanna give me the weather?" "It's Halloween." "The whole town's shutting' down early." " It's just another business day to me." " I'm not hearing it." " Why you gotta be so salty?" " Whine all you like in that illiterate dialect, but we're not closing early." "Capeesh?" "Normal, when it comes to a test of wills, you're gonna win hands down." " Cos you the man." " But at what price?" "You're gonna lose half a day tomorrow easy, just gettin' the toilet paper off the building." "All right." "Last run today will be at four o'clock." "But I want all of you in here extra early tomorrow." "Losers." "Max." " Hey." " How's it goin'?" "Just another day in a broken world." "Yeah." "There's a party tonight at Crash." "I was wondering if you were gonna go." " Thinkin' on it." " So maybe I'll catch you there." "Maybe." " What did your boy want?" " To hang out." " And you said?" " Maybe." "Maybe." "That is a sign of mental health." "Hey, I ever tell you ladies the one about the priest, the minister and the rabbi?" " Every day, Murray, every day." " Good one." " What are you gonna go as tonight?" " Either Snow Ho and the Seven Little Pimps or Rick James." "I'm thinkin' Super Freak, but depends on the curl activator." "Can we go by Joshua's?" "I've got groceries to drop off." "Let's say hey to doggy-dog." "They designed her to be the perfect soldier, a human weapon." "Then she escaped." "In a future not far from now, in a broken world, she is haunted by her past." "She cannot run." "She must fight to discover her destiny." "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa." "Trick or treat?" "Did I scare you?" "Why they call it Halloween, boo." "So, you got candy?" "Me and my crew have got a carton of eggs." "Here's five bucks." "Beat it." "Cool costume, mister." "Are you all right?" "Whoo!" "I used to live in a crib kinda like this with a Dominican sister named Veronica." "Aye, mommy." "Joshua, we can't stay too long." "We're going out tonight." "Halloween." " "Cool costume, mister."" " Huh?" "Max and Joshua, outside with up-there people." " Oh, no." " Oh, yes." "Do you wanna end up in a cage?" "Lived in cage." "Down there, cage." "Basement." "No, a real cage, like an animal in a zoo." "That's if they don't just kill you." "Tonight, up-here people look like Joshua." "Tonight, safe." "He's got a point." "Halloween's the one night when he can get his swerve on." "Get my swerve on." "Tricks and treats." "What's the worst thing that could happen?" "I know you think you're trying to help." "Don't." "You gotta promise me you won't go out." "You have to lay low." "Trust me." "I'm lookin' out for you." "OK." "Lay low." "Read Father's books." "Little Women." "Woo-hoo!" "Good." "I got you some of those snack cakes you like." "I've been thinkin' about a nice hot bath all day." "I've been thinkin' about Joshua all alone while the rest of the world is having a party." "What am I supposed to do?" "Let him tag along with me?" ""Hey, gang." "Say hi to Joshua, my transgenic mutant friend."" "Everyone's gonna think it's a costume." "He's better off where he is." "No one can ask him any questions or make any judgments." "Judgements about who?" "Him or you?" "Look, all I wanna be is a nice normal girl, and have a nice normal Halloween." "Whatever normal means." "Wake up, boo." "I'm awake." " Your boy's here." " My boy?" "Your date." "Rafer." " Hey." " Hey." " No costume?" " I don't really do Halloween." "You?" "I'm a genetically engineered killing machine escaped from a government lab." "What, you don't read the tabloids?" "Um..." "Weren't we supposed to meet at Crash?" "Yeah." "This is kind of embarrassing, but would you mind coming by my mom's place with me?" " Your mom?" " She really wants to meet you." "Is that a problem?" "No." "Not at all." "Rafer." "And this must be Max." " Nice to meet you." " He's told me so much about you." "I said I must meet this special girl." " I'm not so special." " Oh, come." "Let me tell your fortune." "I don't know." "Um..." "I can really see the family resemblance." "Max... is not your name." "You two have the same nose." " Your name is..." " Guevara." "Max Guevara." "No." "It says so right here on my sector pass." "You have no name, only a number." "I see secrets, dark secrets... wrapped in mystery, shrouded in illusion." "You are not what you seem!" "Guess you busted me on my push-up bra." "You are running from something." "Running from your past." " I was gawky in high school." " No matter where you run there is danger." "I see danger all around." "And then I see..." "I see... nothing." "Except... a face!" "Whose face?" "Is it a guy?" "A girl, then." "With blonde hair, right?" "It is neither man nor woman." "It is the face of... death!" " Oh!" " Mom, are you OK?" "Let's get you some water." "Great first impression." "I thought I told you to stay home." "Max and Joshua outside." "You just don't see fabric like this any more." "My mom's OK." "Sometimes she gets a little carried away, but she likes you." " That's great." " Rafer, my son!" "Be right back." " Max and Joshua gotta blaze." " Go home." "Pretty wack." "If I go out there for one minute, will you go away?" " Lay low till you say so." " OK." " How'd you find me?" " Original Cindy said "She's with hot boy."" "What was so damn important it couldn't wait?" " Sally." " Sally?" "Sally who?" "Sally." "Is he dead?" "Do I look like I'm dead?" "Do I sound like I'm dead?" "Criminy, I thought you said she was an X5." "X5." "What happened?" "All you need to know, dollface, is I had an accident." "Being a Manticore alum myself, I can't exactly beat feet to the emergency room now, can I?" " You're a Nomlie." " An anomaly?" "Hell, no." "I'm exactly what they wanted." "Designed with cartilage instead of bone." "Good news is I don't fracture in battle." "Bad news, I get bent out of shape sometimes." "I guess." "Well, don't just stand there gawking like a couple of chuckleheads." "Do something." "Uh..." "I'll immobilise his upper body while you rotate his head back into position." "I'll move his shoulders this way." "You move his head the other way." "Put your back into it." "I haven't got all night." "On three." "One... two... three." "Now you've done it." "Ugh!" "This can't be happening." "You never seen a soldier whose body parts are self-sustaining and regenerative?" "Starfish." "Starfish in his cocktail." "I can take a direct mortar hit and shake it off." "Incoming!" "What are you doing?" "Get your ass back here!" "What can I do?" "Body's got a mind of its own." "Rover doesn't have a prayer." "I run like the wind, baby." " Body's gone." "Very fast." " Like I said." "We gotta do something fast." "I don't need a headless transgenic on the loose." "Max!" " Where'd you disappear to?" " Rafer..." " Say hi to my friend Joshua." " Tricks and treats." "Hey." "Cool costume." "Rafer, I was wondering, can we borrow your car to run an errand?" " Sure." "Yeah, I guess." " Cool." "Meet you out front." "We need reinforcements." "You need to call some people." " Who?" " Couple of transgenic colleagues are in town." " Sure that's a good idea?" " Just get me to a phone." " Hey." "We set to go?" " In a sec." "They just..." "I mean..." "He just needed to make a phone call..." "Joshua needed to make a phone call." "So, you're a paramedic." "Yeah, right." "Cool." "You probably see some really gruesome stuff out there, right?" " Yeah, sometimes." " Torn-off limbs." "Guts hangin' out." " Decapitations." " Not a lot of those, thank God." "But you'd know what to do if someone's head was off and needed to be put back on?" "You could handle it?" "Once someone's head comes off, it pretty much stays off." "Right." "It's ringing." "OK, Lassie, you align the receiver to my ear so I can communicate with the person who's going to answer on the other end." "Other way, moron." "Hello?" " Hey, baby, it's me." " Me, who?" "Don't be like that." "It's Sally." "Oh, you mean Sally who stood me up for the third time straight last night?" " I'm not talking to him." " Wait." "I will make it up to you later, kitten." "Right now, I'm in a situation, extreme in nature." " Get my drift?" " Let me guess." " The business part of you's run off again?" " Matter of fact, yes." "But I still got man skills, sugar." "Don't even try and get on my good side." "Fun and games aside, I gotta get the rest of me back, pronto." "Hook me up with your lizard buddy." "We gotta strategise." "Hold on." " Speak." " Sally's on the line." "His body's gone AWOL again and we're putting together a search party." "Sorry." "Me and Chad are going to a Halloween party." "Chad?" "Who the hell is Chad?" "My life partner." "And watch your language." "We've been out for three months and you've already got a life partner?" "You never know when love will find you." "Chad's worked on his costume." "I can't let him down." "Listen to me, frog boy." "I'm in a major situation and I need backup." "Tell your life partner you have other plans, and get your slimy butt in gear." " Capeesh?" " Gotta blaze." " So where are we going?" " To meet some friends." "Am I going the right way here?" "Good thing I'm without my stomach." "I'd be losing it right about now." " Quiet!" " Huh?" "Quiet." "The ambulance sure is quiet without the sirens going." "So, Joshua, you're what?" "A Wookiee?" "A Planet of the Apes guy?" " Special." "First." " First what?" "First prize." "He won first prize for his costume at school." "He's an exchange student." "You know, English as a second language." " Way to go." "Where you from?" " Father." " Father..." "land." " I always wanted to visit Germany." "This is gonna be a long night." " So what kinda errand are we running?" " Looking... everywhere." "It's like a tradition in Germany this time of year to look for stuff." " Like a scavenger hunt?" " Exactly." " Kinda like an Oktoberfest thing." " Exactly." " I'm down with that." " Fest thing." " Stop." " Where?" "Here." " Are you coming?" " Yeah." "My foot fell asleep." "I'll be right in." "All right." "I'm suffocating under here." "While we're in there, not one peep outta you." "Easy." "Ow." "Come on." "Are you guys from Germany too?" "Yeah." "This is Dieter and Katarina." "Call me Kat." "I thought his costume was great, but you guys are tight." "What are you?" "A desert-acclimated combat soldier?" " Wide receiver." " Reinforcement." "He means they're part of our scavenger-hunt team." "Right?" " Right." " Right." "Easy on the caffeine." " Tonight's special is haggis." " Haggis?" "What's haggis?" "Heart, liver, lung of a sheep, minced with suet, onions and oatmeal, boiled in the animal's stomach." "Comes with fries or coleslaw." "Haggis." "Yum!" " I'll have the haggis." " I'll have the haggis." " Just water." " Nothing for me, thanks." "Haggis, haggis, haggis, one water, one nothing." "The sandbox is over there." "Here's the deal." "Under no circumstances can that guy know he's rolling with transgenics." "Mess up and your mutant asses will be kicked." "Yeah." "Any idea where your body might be?" " Not a clue." " Think." "Excuse me for being a little light-headed, no thanks to you." " I think I'm supposed to meet somebody." " Who?" "A female." "Yeah, redhead." "Great set of hooters, nice round bubble butt." " Me and this hottie were meant to hook up." " Where?" "Can't remember." "No, wait." "First I'm supposed to get something." "What?" "Package." "I was waiting for a delivery but it never showed." "The messenger service closed early, so I was gonna go get it myself after hours." "Where?" " Some place in Sector Nine." " Can you be a little more specific?" "I can't remember the name." "Jam Clydesdale?" "Flam Pony?" " Jam Pony?" " Yeah, that's the one." "Oh, my God." " We gotta blaze." " Blaze now?" "Before haggis?" "Max, looks like you're hangin' out with a higher class of people than usual." " Reagan Ronald's the name." " Call me Kat." "Ah." "I'm charmed." " Cool costume." " It's not a costume." "It's for haggis night." "The spécialité de maison." "I'm sorry." "Allergic to cats." "Not that you're really a cat, but just goes to show you the power of the human mind." "I see a cat, I sneeze." "I can't breathe in here." " What was that?" " Dieter can throw his voice." "He's a scream at parties." " Can you make that salt shaker talk too?" " What a moron." "Better keep practising." " We're outta here." " I thought people wanted haggis." "They ran out." "See ya." "Great to meet you." " Be right back." " What are you hunting for here?" " Ming vase." " Saxophone." "You know, one of those 14th-century royal Chinese saxophones?" "Don't you wanna go with 'em?" "You remind me of my friend Chad." " How big's your package?" " Let's just say I don't get any complaints." "How'd you like me to pluck out your eyes?" "Tell me what I'm looking for." "A package." "That's all I know." " Everybody take a pile." " Ow!" " This way, everyone." " It's Reagan Ronald." "Let's go." "Hurry up." "C'mon, let's go!" "OK, gather round." "Clear the way." "I'm pleased to announce our greatest fears have been realised." "Mutant transgenic monsters live among us." "I surreptitiously photographed these fiends earlier on this evening." "Unfortunately, my undercover activities force me to relinquish my post here." "While I was out, a headless mutant broke in and stole a package." "Surveillance video caught the entire thing." "Is there a cat in here?" "Did someone bring a cat in here?" "The package that this headless mutant absconded with, do we know what was in it?" "No, we do not." "However, in this vermin's haste to flee, he dropped a piece of paper which reads:" ""Be at the coordinates at 10pm."" "I hate cats." "Vile creatures." "They're always sleepin' and lickin' themselves." "Oh, lovely." "As for this headless mutant, he will not succeed in his nefarious mission." "While I coordinate operations here at HQ, you will scour the night, you will find him, and beat him into a transgenic paste." "But first, cake and ice cream upstairs." "Yeah?" "An army marches on its stomach." " What a loon." " What does that mean, meet at 10pm?" "Got me." "I told you, I was planning on hookin' up with that redhead." "Where?" "Talk fast or the left eye goes first." "Some bar." "Munch?" "Crunch?" "Smash?" "Rash?" " Crash?" " That's the one." "This just gets better and better." "What are you looking for here?" "Waffle iron, ukulele, stuffed moose head, whatever." "It's not even like that." "We're playing by German rules." "Can you get me a beer?" "Yeah." "One brewski coming up." "Look at my girl, comin' correct and takin' Joshua for a night on the town." "That is so not what's happening." "Hey, brown sugar, what's cookin'?" "Sweet baby Jesus!" "Tell me I did not see what I just saw." " Hold this." "I'll be right back." " Ugh!" "Thought you were tracking' down a hit man." "Excuse me?" "Oh, sorry." "Have you two seen a headless body around?" "Back room." "Hey, Max." "Just been discussing the mutant infestation with your boy here." "Not right now, Sketch!" " Alpha leader." "Come in, alpha leader." " Roger." "This is alpha leader." "Over." "This isn't Roger." "This is Sketchy." ""Roger" is an acknowledgment in the affirmative, not a name, moron." "How many times have I told you?" "Say "over"." "Over." " Acknowledged." "Over over." " No, not "over over"." " "Over." Over." " That's what I just said." "Over over." "Oh, God." "Never mind." "What have you got for me?" "Over." "The headless mutant transgenic male Caucasian subject just left, armed with a sniper rifle." "The others went after him." "Over over." "Roger." "Guess we know what was in that package he was after." "All right, this is alpha leader." "Clear." "You forgot to say "over over"." "Over over." "Nitwit." " Why are we chasing this guy?" " That rifle he's got, we need it to win." " Other team." " Isn't that weird for a scavenger hunt?" "German rules." "Step on it!" "What?" "We're outta gas." "Great." "Just great." "Thanks, guys." "OK, talk." "Why's your body packing' heat?" "Seattle's a rough town." "Maybe I wanted protection." "A rifle as protection?" "Try again." "You'll never get it out of me." "Fine." "Fine." " I'm in town on a mission." " A mission?" "For Manticore." "Sheesh." "Manticore's gone." "Finito." "Kaput." "No more missions?" " For any of us?" " Your mission from now on is to lay low, which is why we can't have this idiot running around waving an assault rifle." "Manticore or no, I take pride in my work." "And Mr Lemkin expects the job to be done." "Lemkin?" "Pierpont Lemkin?" "Oh." "I can't believe I just said that." "You're the hit man Logan talked about." "Lemkin." "Lemkin." "Lumps in my Lemkin!" "Give me that." "How can your body work without the rest of it tagging along?" "Muscle memory." "I trained for months for this job." " Who's the target?" " No way." "I've said too much already." " Now you listen to me..." " OK, we're good to go." " Change of plan." "We're going to Logan's." " Your ex-boyfriend's house?" "He's not my ex-boyfriend." "I mean, we're not like that." " My Girl." " Breakfast at Tiffany's." "Pretty Woman." "Little Women." "I read that." "Beth dies." "Oh!" " So I'm thinkin' my head is your hit man." " Could be." "We still need to figure out who the victim is." " Good luck." " Zip it!" " Tokyo Decadence." " Idle Hands." " Born Free." " No." "Faster, Pussycat!" "Kill, Kill, Kill!" " Look at me." "Look at Joshua!" " Monty Python and the Holy Grail." " Bingo." " Found something?" "No, I got bingo." "How is this going to help us find the target?" "Yeah." "Mm-hm." "Good work." "Thanks." "My informant." "According to him, the target is either a priest, a minister or a rabbi." " I feel like I've heard this joke before." " It's not a joke." "A man's life is at stake." "Father McAllister, Reverend Beckwith and Rabbi Stutz are outspoken religious leaders." "Any of them could've tangled with Lemkin and bought this hit." " You can't narrow it down any more?" " Not unless that head starts talkin'." "Let me break it down for you, Sally." "Tell me what you know, or you're in a world of hurt." " I can take anything you dish out." " Yeah?" "You ever had a swirlie?" "You ready to talk, Sally?" "Huh?" "Buster!" "Max, what are you doing?" "All right, all right!" "I'll tell ya." "It's the priest" " Father McAllister." "That's a..." "Battery-operated, voice-activated animatronic head." "Realistic, isn't it?" "Yeah." "There's a perfectly simple explanation for this." "Boo!" "I've had enough of you." "Head... talking..." " No body..." " It's OK, man." "We're all friends here." "Wait a minute." "You're not really German exchange students on a scavenger hunt." "You're monsters." "Rafer, I had a real nice time." "Call me." "OK, team, we're moving out." "Can you keep Rafer entertained?" " No problem." " Let's go." "Come on, kitty." "Logan says Father McAllister's receiving a humanitarian award on Sunday night." " Father?" " Different Father." "Stay with me." "Tonight there's a run-through." "Not much security." "Perfect opportunity for a hit." "We need to search the place top to bottom." "Joshua, you take the basement." "Joshua in basement." "Always the plan." "Fine, take the roof." "You take the basement." "You handle backstage." "I'll do the catwalks." "I think I might be better suited to handle the catwalks." "How about you do what I say and we don't have a problem?" " Catfight." " Let's get moving." "Uh-oh." "We walk over to the podium where I am to accept my award." "Well-deserved, I might add." "I wait till the applause dies down, then I give my acceptance speech." "And I promise you, there won't be a dry eye in the house." "Come on, come on." "What are you waiting for?" "Yo!" "Father McAllister, over here." "Who's that calling my name?" "A great admirer of yours." "How about an autograph, Your Eminence?" "Let me go!" "Just kick her ass." "So this was some kind of drunken Halloween fraternity prank?" "Apparently so, Your Worship." "That hooligan was intending to egg you as part of a pagan initiation ritual." "Oh, thank you, my children, for putting a stop to his heathen plan." " Don't thank her, Your Godliness." " Thank us." "We saved you." "Now just hold the phone." " I'm Eyes Only." " I'm supreme commandant of S1W." "Saints preserve us." "When you have a moment, Your Cleanliness, would you marry us?" "It would be my privilege, my son." "There they are, constables!" "Do your duty!" "Pardon the interruption, Your Significance, but these people are monsters." "Max, get away." " Max..." " No, he wasn't hurting anybody." "And what do you know about it?" "Are you one of them?" "Well, answer him, Max." "No..." "I'm not one of them." "Then move along and mind your own business." "Max..." "All I wanted was a normal night out." "But I guess, for a girl like me, normal is just too much to ask." "The thing is..." "Boo!" " What are you doin' here?" " Checkin' in on you." "Poor Joshua's gonna spend his life in a cage." " I know." "It's all my fault." " Got that right." "Max and Joshua, outside with up-here people." " Wanna end up in a cage?" " What's the worst that could happen?" " What the hell was that?" " Flashback." "Happens all the time." "Thought I was trippin' there." "This whole evening's been one great big nightmare." "But the worst part wasn't some talking head in a bag, or Nomlies eating' haggis, or even Joshua gettin' hauled off by the po-po's." "It was my girl denying who she really is." "Denying the people that she loves." "Sugar, that's the worst thing that you ever coulda done." "That's the worst thing that coulda happened." "But can I ask you one question?" "Where are your clothes?" "Boo." "Hey!" "What are you gonna be for Halloween?" "A prune?" "I just had the weirdest dream." "Put some clothes on." "You're gonna be late for the party at Crash." "And your boy Rafer is waitin' on your ass." "Tell him I couldn't make it." "There's something I gotta do." "Hey, big fella." "What ya doin'?" "Lay low." "I've been thinkin'." "You and me aren't like other people." "We're different, and nothing's gonna change that." "Joshua and Max... different." "Yeah." "Some people might even call us freaks." "Freaks." "Which is why we gotta stick together." "So I'm gonna take you out." "Even if it's just for one night." "Come on." " Tricks and treats?" " What's the worst that could happen?" "Cool costume."