"Vincent:" "This is where the wealthy and the powerful rule." "It is her world," "A world apart from mine." "Her name..." "Is catherine." "From the moment I saw her, she captured my heart" "With her beauty," "Her warmth and her courage." "I knew then, as I know now," "She would change my life..." "Forever." "Catherine:" "He comes from a secret place, far below the city streets," "Hiding his face from strangers," "Safe from hate and harm." "He brought me there to save my life." "And now, wherever I go, he is with me in spirit." "For we have a bond stronger than friendship or love." "And although we cannot be together," "We will never, ever be apart." "¶ ¶" "Man:" "Hey, lady, excuse me." "Bobby, over here." "All I want's a paper." "Miss, can I have some change, please?" "Excuse me, could I have some change?" "Woman:" "Please, could I have some change now?" "No, I need some change right...!" "Man:" "All I want's a paper." "Could I get a sports illustrated?" "You got the post?" "Sports illustrated?" "I asked for a damn sport illustrated." "What's the matter with you?" "Are you deaf?" "(speaking inaudibly)" "Answer me!" "Are you deaf?" "!" "(speaking inaudibly)" "No!" "(screaming)" "Laura!" "It's all right, guys, it's all right!" "She's with me." "It's all right." "It's all right." "Laura..." "Laura, what happened back there?" "You must have patience, laura." "No, they don't know any better." "You do know." "Come on." "I know it is hard." "All right, come on." "Back to work, huh?" "Okay?" "Man:" "Okay now?" "Laura!" "Laura!" "Laura!" "(horns blaring)" "Come back, laura!" "Come back!" "Laura!" "Everybody, clear out." "¶ ¶" "This is where you go out." "You can still change your mind." "Try not to worry." "You'll be safe." "I'll be near." "The woman I told you about is waiting." "Yes," "Catherine." "This last year..." "I felt in you" "A need to see beyond these tunnels and chambers." "You've known inside yourself that it was time." "I will miss you as well." "¶ ¶" "I love you, too." "(jackhammer rattling in distance)" "¶ ¶" "Catherine:" "This one is miguel." "We don't know his last name," "But we do know he's their lieutenant." "His name is rinaldo guttierez." "He call himself "lincoln"" "Because he wears a penny in each ear." "So he's the head poncho." "You think we can do without that kind of stuff?" "You know, just for one day?" "Hear, hear." "Parker, why are you getting" "Bent out of shape over some punk" "Who whacked a security guard?" "It's not the point, mcqueeney." "Are you sure" "This lincoln guy's the one?" "According to detective d'nelly." "We still don't have enough on this lincoln guy" "For an arrest." "Not unless rumors are suddenly admissible." "Mcqueeney:" "How come they're not making" "A move, chandler?" "Last week, you said there'd be..." "I know what I said." "Joe:" "All right, look." "Maybe mcqueenie's right for once." "Maybe we should just leave this to social services." "To do what?" "Put the minors into foster care." "See what happens." "Joe, this deaf gang is like a family." "There's no way they'll give up lincoln." "They're animals like all the rest." "They are kids nobody wanted." "Most of them were abused." "All they know is anger, and lincoln is using that." "If we don't get rid of him first," "You can forget about" "Social services." "One more week." "What?" "No!" "Just give me one more week" "To do it my way." "No!" "Make it an even month" "Before you write it off." "Can you live with that?" "Do I have a choice?" "(sighs)" "(bottles clinking)" "(lid clattering)" "(clattering)" "Mommy, could you comb my hair?" "(cat meowing)" "(rapping on door)" "(insistent rapping)" "(cat meows)" "(banging continues)" "(device trilling)" "Definite make on blanca esteban." "The other chick I don't know." "Number four..." "He's coming your way." "See if you can get an id on the one in the cap." "You got it." "(static crackles)" "(whispers):" "Joe..." "(clanging taps)" "They're here." "They're moving." "(static crackles)" "Okay, here we go, people." "Oh, come on..." "Come on..." "(clanging taps)" "No good!" "Everybody, stand down." "Hold your positions." "Damn!" "Cathy, look." "Laura?" "!" "Vincent:" "It's been difficult for her above." "We've known that for some time." "Little by little, she began to shed her duties as a helper." "Until last week, when..." "She disappeared." "Why didn't you tell me, vincent?" "I might have helped." "Somehow, I still think of the tunnels as her home." "I felt certain that if she needed sanctuary-- for whatever reasons" "That she would seek it among us." "Well, she's found it, vincent..." "But in a dangerous place, among people who live by violence." "One of them, we think, killed a security guard." "And this is her new home?" "I'm sorry..." "I know." "Vincent..." "Laura herself may have broken the law." "I'm not sure," "But you should prepare yourself for that possibility." "We have our own laws, catherine, and..." "Laura must still answer to them." "Until the council and the others determine otherwise," "She remains a part of our community." "I can't protect her in any way." "I know, but..." "I must see her..." "Tonight." "Please." "(distant siren blaring)" "¶ ¶" "It's good to see you." "Yes, it is." "Painful, as well." "I would never ask you to apologize." "I'm here Because I care for you." "Because I love you." "Because..." "I know that you have been unhappy." "You could have come to me." "The world choked you." "I understand your anger." "But..." "Is this the right place for you?" "Are you happy here?" "Do you love him?" "You've become a woman." "I wish the circumstances were different, but..." "You know the message I bring." "Laura..." "Our purpose here is not to judge you." "You can stand there" "With straight eyes and tell me that?" "Please, laura." "Remember, we are all your friends, and..." "You know our rules as well as anyone." "If you wish to continue as part of us," "Then you must, at the very least," "Abide by the moral principles" "According to which we all live." "Vincent:" "What principles?" "Love?" "Trust?" "Those are just words." "What good will they do me in the world above?" "Yes, I love." "I trust." "But I also hate." "I also distrust." "There are other, more complex feelings" "That I need to help me to survive." "You are always free to return here." "We would welcome you." "I have another family now." "Catherine tells us that some in your "family"" "Are suspected of murder." "I know of no murders." "But you live by violence." "We do know that." "We live as we must." "The only way we can." "We live" "As all of you do." "We've made the same choices:" "To live outside of society." "The only difference I see" "Is that you have chosen to live down here." "We have chosen to live bound by our deafness." "No handicap-- whatever it is-- can excuse stealing and robbing." "That is a fact." "Down here, you taught me that I was no different." "That I was the same as everyone." "Now you call me handicapped?" "You know that william didn't mean it like that." "I was your friend." "I am your friend." "We're worried about you..." "That's all." "It makes no difference." "It is the same everywhere." "I carry a shield with me now." "A shield to protect me." "You can vote, if you want." "I reject your vote." "(clanging) I reject your judgment." "Laura..." "Please." "Consider what..." "Catherine:" "You involved yourself with the girl," "And you involved her in a felony!" "You just killed it for all of us." "Months of work." "What the hell were you thinking?" "!" "Don't give me that self-righteous crap." "It's not like I volunteered for this." "That is no excuse." "(sighs)" "You talk to me, jerry, or I take it to internal affairs right now." "I just about gift-wrapped lincoln for you!" "You're the ones who screwed up, not me." "That is something different." "Don't confuse it." "I'm not confusing things." "You listen to me, detective." "You didn't just screw up;" "you broke the law." "I am talking endangerment, entrapment..." "And if anything happens to that girl" "God forbid-- it is on your head." "Do you understand?" "You have been lying to us." "To her, and to yourself." "It's over." "(typewriters clacking)" "Come on." "(sighs)" "Boy, it's funny." "What's that?" "How I feel." "I mean, I'm kind of relieved you found out." "Secrets can get pretty heavy." "The worst part of it was keeping it from laura." "You know, my parents are deaf." "Sign was my first language." "I love her, cathy." "I didn't want to." "And I don't want to." "But I do." "And I know I'm in major trouble." "(sighs)" "I'll do what I can to help you, jerry," "But I can't keep this from the others." "I'm sorry." "And until we decide what to do," "I don't want you anywhere near that gang." "That includes laura." "(subway cars rattling overhead)" "(pen scratching paper)" "Vincent:" "It's late." "Yet I cannot sleep." "I'm thinking of laura." "It's cold up there tonight." "I can feel it." "The chill, down through the layers" "Of pipe and earth that protect us, insulate us." "What's happening to her?" "Can there be anything so painful" "As watching a child you love falter in the world?" "Refuse your help?" "At what point do you draw quietly away from their lives?" "At what point do you say," ""I am no longer responsible"?" "We taught laura to depend on herself," "To think her own thoughts." "Do we now tell her to disregard those lessons?" "To doubt herself?" "To change?" "She is a woman now." "No longer a child." "(subway cars rattling)" "What is happening to her up there?" "¶ ¶" "¶ ¶" "¶ ¶" "(gasps)" "(panting)" "(dog barks in distance)" "¶ ¶" "¶ ¶" "¶ ¶" "(sighs)" "¶ ¶" "I..." "Can..." "Speak." "Please, understand." "L-laura..." "Laura..." "I..." "Wanted to tell you" "Before." "If you wanted me," "I would cut off my tongue and turn off my ears for you." "(screaming)" "You can't go back there." "You're not one of them." "(sobbing)" "(thudding)" "(sobbing continues)" "Catherine:" "I told you to stay away from laura." "I couldn't just leave her with them." "I told her everything." "I had to." "(sighs)" "Is she with you now?" "No, I don't know where she is." "I been walking the streets, looking for her." "God, I feel miserable." "Well, where might she have gone?" "I said I don't know." "Tell me what happened, jerry." "Jerry?" "Jerry, what's going on?" "Jerry?" "(hard rock music playing)" "(singer screaming)" "(jerry groaning)" "(grunts)" "(groaning)" "(singer screaming)" "(music stops)" "(grunts)" "(muffled panting)" "(muffled groans)" "(muffled cry)" "Laura!" "Laura!" "Come in." "Come in." "Huh?" ""contact vincent"?" "Wha...?" "Who's going to get killed?" "One of the gang?" "You can't expect vincent to help them!" "A cop?" "(panting)" "(panting)" "Nothing so far." "Over." "Mcqueeney and parker are inside." "We're still waiting." "Over." "All right, we'll take it up to center from up here." "We can cover b and d pretty well." "Over." "The place is empty." "We'll head north on avenue d from here." "(groans)" "(groans)" "(groans)" "We got them!" "We got them!" "(sirens wailing)" "(tires screeching)" "Officer:" "All right!" "(growls)" "(siren wailing)" "(brakes screeching)" "(siren stops)" "Officer:" "Over here!" "Come on, move it!" "¶ ¶" "Don't be ashamed." "Hate and rage are powerful forces in all of us." "Don't punish yourself for feeling them." "They're a part of us we understand the least," "And yet, they're the part of us we should try" "To understand the most." "What is it, laura?" "Jerry?" "I also..." "Hope to meet him." "Perhaps someday." "You have a lot to be proud of, vincent." "All that you've given laura and taught her." "I never realized until now just how much she's given me..." "How much I miss her." "She's been through a lot." "The world has tested her." "And yet she chooses to remain above." "She's in love." "That she could forgive jerry" "That took courage." "It's the rarest kind of love." "To surrender yourself completely to your heart," "To trust in it fully," "To believe in it without doubting." "To let it guide your life." "So now laura's found the way." "Yes." "Will it make her life any simpler, do you think?" "No." "Not simpler." "But she'll be happier." "Perhaps." "Trust me, vincent, she will be happier."