All language subtitles for Prodigy (2017)

Do you always play alone?

Challenging yourself
can teach you quite a bit
about who you are.

Plus, I always win.

Or lose.

A matter of perspective.

Olivia.

Lovely to see you.

And you, Jimmy.

Hmm.

No one's called me Jimmy
in years.

Well, that's too bad.
It suits you.

Not so sure about that
these days.

Well, you'll always be Jimmy
to me.

Do you have time
to grab a cup of coffee?

Catch up a little?

I'm afraid we're on
a tight schedule.

No time for chit-chat.

All right,
just give me a moment.

How you feeling
about all this?

Well, this process
is a little different.

But you think you're ready?

Well, I do think I'm ready
for anything at this point.

I hope so.

Wait.
Pocket.

Again.

Arms up.

Yeah, I'll be getting that back,
yes?

You are not to touch
the subject.

Do not leave anything
near the subject's hands.

If the subject makes a request,

you are to seek my permission
before granting the subject
anything.

I, uh, I mean no offense,

but, uh, is all this
entirely necessary?

If you have a problem
following these rules,

then I suggest that you conduct
your evaluation

from inside the control room
per my original recommendation.

No, that won't be required.

Do not, for any reason,
release the subject
from the restraints.

In the event the subject
escapes the restraints,

drop to the floor
and cover your head.

Do not attempt
to leave the room.

Do not attempt
to re-restrain the subject.

- Understood?
- Yeah.

- Understood?
- Yes, understood.

Dr. Fonda.

I see you've met
colonel birch.

The military is assisting
in this case.

I hardly think "assisting"
is a sufficient term.

Thank you for that
clarification, colonel.

All right, so show me
what we've got here.

This is Dr. Keaton,
our director of psychiatry.

Yeah, nice to meet you,
Dr. Keaton.

Always a pleasure
to meet a fellow shrink.

Well, I hate to disappoint,
but, uh, technically
I'm a psychologist.

Oh. Oh, well,
we can't all be perfect, eh?

When the light is green,

you are go to zap
that little fucker.

And this charming young man
is Ryan McCrosky,

our chief technician.
Ryan, this is Dr. Fonda.

Hey.

Dr. Warner is our resident
biochemistry expert.

Ah, nice to meet you,
Dr. Warner.

Likewise.

It's time.

If you don't mind, colonel,
I'd like to walk Dr. Fonda
over myself.

Be my guest.

You'll have to excuse them.

It's my fault they've had to
spend so much time

in that little room.

Well, you're the boss.

All clear, agent price.

Thank you, gentlemen.

I know this all seems
a bit strange, but...

Please try to go in there
with an open mind.

Well, if I couldn't do that,
I wouldn't be here.

Thank you, Jimmy.

Hello, Eleanor.
My name is James Fonda.

- I am here to--
- I love the sweater vest.

Well, thank you.
I'm not all--

you have it all.

Worn loafers,
second hand slacks,

tattered briefcase.

I'm not quite sure
I follow.

But the truth
is in the details.

The lines on your face.

Your posture.

Distinct lack of concern
with your hairstyle.

Did miss Olivia send
a bargain bin find in with me?

How quaint.

You're a very observant
young lady.

I assume you have experience
with troubled youth.

Most likely
from bad neighborhoods.

What makes you say that?

That must be
challenging work.

I imagine the return rate
isn't particularly high
in those situations.

It must wear on you,
not being able to save them.

It does, but it also makes
each success

that much more satisfying.

And that's so conducive
to a satisfying home life,
I feel, is it?

It is hard for me to imagine
your loving wife

allowing you out of the house
in your...

Current state.

My wife?

It is, unless she isn't
around anymore.

You shut her out,
didn't you?

To look at you, I'd say
you shut most everyone out.

Is it easier
to keep them away

than to risk
getting hurt again?

That was quite an evaluation,
Eleanor.

Don't call me Eleanor.

What should I call you?

Ellie is better.

All right.

Ellie does suit you.

Spare me your pandering.

I'm well beyond your usual
trust-building exercises.

I agree, again.

Then let's skip the formalities
and get straight into it,
shall we?

Into what?

You are an analyst,
are you not?

And you have my file?

I-I do.

And you've got nothing
for me?

No diagnosis?

Well, perhaps I'm not
as perceptive as you.

But, uh,
to be honest,

I haven't even read this.

Is that right?

Relax.
He's bluffing.

He wouldn't go in there blind.

It is.

Is this common practice
for you?

Arriving woefully unprepared?

If I had read this, it would
have colored my perception
of you before we met.

Now personally, I prefer
to hear from the individual
in question

rather than focusing
on a particular problem
they have

or mistake they made.

Even if said individual
is a maladjusted prepubescent?

All the more so
with children,

as they aren't usually
given enough credit

when it comes to
expressing their own anxieties.

I was right about you.

You were right
about a lot of things.

I have worked with children.

Often from rough neighborhoods,

and I'm not particularly
concerned with my hairstyle.

I don't believe, however,
that qualifies me as a, uh,

bargain bin find.

The other shrinks
they brought me

wore designer suits
and fancy watches.

A watch is a, uh,
funny device these days.

I have a friend who is obsessed
with fancy watches.

Eventually,
after years of hard work,

he rewarded himself
with one.

And it was beautiful.

But the problem was
after about a week,

it was nearly
two minutes slow.

He wound it,
set it.

Another week went by,
same problem.

He was always losing time.

Yeah,
my father gave me

this watch a long time ago.

It's not flashy
by any means.

But I'll tell you what,
it's never lost a minute.

Yeah, a time piece may have
aesthetic value.

At its core, though,

it is a single function
device.

Shiny or dull,

all that matters is
how well it tells the time.

And you can tell the time?

Never lost a minute.

You stand to lose
more than time in here.

Well, I'm willing to take
that chance if you are.

Perhaps.

But certainly not on
an empty stomach.

You hungry?

Peanut butter and banana
on whole wheat with chips

or celery.

So specific.

I take it
with apple juice.

I'll see what
I can drum up.

- And Jimmy?

No crust.

I assume you have the means
to prepare Ellie's lunch.

- McCrosky.
- What the hell?

What do you think?

She's an extraordinary child.

Well, perhaps this is old hat
for all of you,

but you can't deny
how remarkable her intellect is.

Her intellect is not
what concerns me, doctor.

What does concern you?

I'm more concerned
with the patient's personality
disorders.

Disorders?

I think we can both agree
that she suffers

from a severe
superiority complex.

Well, given her advanced
intelligence,

one might excuse
some feelings of superiority.

Oh, not when it escalates
to...

You really didn't read
the file.

No.
Like I, uh, told Ellie,

I like to hear
the individual's version
of things first.

Professional
irresponsibility aside,

I think you owe it
to yourself

to understand the violence
this patient is capable of.

Well, I trust it'll become clear
in talking with Eleanor.

We would prefer
that it didn't.

- Man slave reporting for duty.

You told me you were ready.

And you told me you needed
someone with an open mind.

Dr. Fonda, I have a lot
riding on this,

and I don't like the feeling
that you're not taking it
seriously.

Everyone has a process,
Olivia.

Mine can rub people
the wrong way,

but it is effective.

I need you to trust me
on that.

Hey, doc,
celery's not gonna chop itself.

So, uh, how long do you think
this is gonna take?

'Cause, uh,
I got a hot date tonight,

and I am, like, 85% sure
that this girl is a freak,
you know what I'm saying?

I'm-- I'm sorry.
I'm not sure I follow.

Uh, let's just say I plan on
dipping into the sauce,
you know?

I think what he's trying
to ask is how long you think
your evaluation will last.

Uh, hard to say.
Ellie knows why I'm here,
which, uh,

complicates my approach.

How long does progress
in a case like this usually
take?

The walls are built high.
They may prove difficult
to pull down.

Well, a meal fit
for a Princess.

Or a spoiled
little psycho.

That looks like orange juice.

You don't like orange juice?

I said apple.

I thought we might try
something different today.

Juice is juice, I suppose.

Excellent.
Let me get you started here.

The situation would be
much improved for everyone
if I can use my hands.

I've been emphatically warned
against that.

Open up now.

I suppose you are
more comfortable with this?

Servant of the peasants
that you are?

You seem quite fixated
on socioeconomic status.

I have had enough exposure
to you working-class folks
to know what you are.

What are we?

A lost cause.

I don't believe you're qualified
to condemn and entire class
of people.

The number of dumpy towns
we pass through might
surprise you.

We?

My mother and I.

I see.

And your father?

No one told you?

Colonel birch is my father.

That, uh,
certainly complicates things.

The good colonel
wasn't around much, you see?

Sounds rough.

And you and your mother
couldn't settle into any
of these dumpy towns?

In spite of her deficiencies,

she knew that if people
understood what I was
capable of,

I would end up
in a place like this.

She didn't want that
for you.

Where is she now?

She's dead.

Oh.

I'm sorry.

Why?

Because it sounds like
she loved you a lot.

I don't like that term.

"Love."
it's vague, overused.

How so?

Love is the guise under which
selfishness operates.

Parents only love their children
so long as they maintain control
over them.

And the other side of that,

as a child, did you, uh,
love your mother?

At one point, I was convinced
the affinity I felt for her
was love.

However, now I realize
the Harmony our lives shared

was closer to what one might
share with a common house pet--

a realization
that didn't make it easier

when the time came
to put her down.

Put her down?

That's right. You should have
read your file, Jimmy.

So, you, um...

She had become more a hindrance
than the catalyst at that point.

She was holding you back.

That's right.

I'm not sure I follow you.

That doesn't surprise me.

Were you ever in a place
like this with her around?

I was under the impression
ink blots were out of favor
in your community.

A lot of people
have given up on them.

Not you.

Well, you find they still
hold value in certain
situations.

Let's try a few.

I assumed you were beyond
such rudimentary techniques.

Afraid you might not like
what I see?

All right.

I'm going to hold up a card.
I don't want you to think too--

I know how it works.

Right.

Looks like a dog I found
on a street once.

It had been run over,

its blood running
into the gutter.

World war ii gas chamber,

naked emaciated bodies
piled high.

Ugh.
What the--?

Oh, shit.

Gotta take this.

Hey, anybody else notice that
sudden rise in temperature?

They're removing
blackened gloves.

But it's messy.
Blood everywhere.

The girl is clearly
toying with him.

Yeah, what is this guy?
An amateur?

Well, she wouldn't have
brought him in a this point if
she didn't have a good reason.

She's grasping at straws.

That one looks just like
colonel birch's swollen eye.

Shit.

Oh, relax, colonel.

Just a couple of more hours
and we're free.

At the rate he's moving,
we're going to be here
all night.

All night?
Well, pull him out of there.
We don't have time for this.

A pack of chimpanzees
tearing the flesh off
their young and eating it.

Ryan has a point, colonel.

We're moving in circles
with all this.

This is agent price's
little experiment, not mine.

Yeah? Well then,
why doesn't she just adopt
the little antichrist

- and let us off the hook?
- Give it a rest, McCrosky.

Judas hanging himself.
- If I miss this date,

I am going to be
very unpleasant to work with.

His intestines dangle
with him.

- What do you think...
About all this?
Car accident.

The driver has gone
through the windshield.

His heart is pumping blood
onto the hood.

We won't learn anything
significant about the patient
this way.

Actually it resembles
miss Olivia.

- Oh, here we go.
She is bruised and
scarred on her face.

She is moving forward,
but I see blood running down
her legs from under her skirt.

What did I miss?

-[Exhales deeply]
It is you, Jimmy.

You are sinking into a bog
of some kind.

I'm not sure
you are going to make it out.

- Last one?
- Mm-hmm.

My mother's head
split down the middle.

Blood trickling down
over her face.

How did I do?

There was a distinct trend
in your answers.

You don't say?

It's one of the reasons
I still like this test.

Even if the subject is being
purposely disingenuous,

patterns still arise
within their responses,

which shed light on certain
aspects of the psyche.

This should be interesting.

The dark shapelessness
of the blot

often leads people
to their own fears.

I see.

You, uh, specifically used
the term "blood" four times
in ten cards.

It was five times,
actually.

Does blood frighten you?

- No.
- What do you fear?

Only what I don't
understand.

So you understand blood?

- Certainly.
- Do you have experience with it?

- A little.
- Human blood?

Enough to know
it doesn't make me squeamish.

What about
your mother's blood?

That's the obvious
encounter.

Was your mother afraid
of blood?

Not that I'm aware of.

Was she afraid of you?

No.

But she should have been.

She believed
the mundanities of everyday
life could apply to me.

Right, wrong, good, evil.

The inventions
of an inferior breed of man.

You're above all of that?

My existence is elevated,
yes.

How does your, uh,
current situation factor into
that elevation?

My fate ends here,
it always has,

no matter what ideas
of salvation

you or anyone else
may have for me.

What is it you need
salvation from?

Miss Olivia.

Naughty, naughty.

Let me ask you a question,
Jimmy.

What possible reason
could they have

for strapping a nine-year-old
to a chair like this?

What is it people do
when they happen upon
something different?

Something they can't
comprehend?

In there,
they can't comprehend me,

and it terrifies them.

But what if they were able
to get a closer look at me?

Say at my brain chemistry?

They might be able to understand
just how different I am.

And how to control me.

That warm blanket of comfort
comes at a relatively
small cost.

You aren't the first
of your kind miss Olivia
has sent in here

in an ill-fated attempt
to justify my existence.

However,
I am fairly certain

you will be the last.

Is it true?

I thought if you knew,
then you--

is it true?

It's all right, agent price.

Dr. Fonda is a smart man.

I'm sure he can see the logic
in our decision.

You were going
to cut that girl open?

Yes.

I don't believe it.

The patient's assertions
are correct.

This mutation is something
the scientific community

and the world
can't afford to ignore.

The only way to be thorough
in such matters...

Is from the inside out.

That is worth her life?

The threat she poses far
outweighs any potential benefit.

And all of you
condone this?

That's right.

You must understand
none of us are keen
on euthanizing a minor.

Euthanasia is a method reserved
for animals.

Ellie's a child.

No.
My grandkids are children.

That thing in there
is nothing more than
a ticking time bomb.

What is she capable of
that warrants this fear?

That's classified information.

Given the circumstances,
I believe I have a right
to know.

No.
No, you don't.

Eleanor can do things...

That we've never
seen before.

Things that have proven
dangerous.

Dangerous enough
to justify murder?

Ask her mother.

It is an extremely
unfortunate situation.
No one is denying it.

Each of the analysts
I brought in came away
with the same conclusion.

- Which is?
- Social detachment.

Lack of empathy.
Manipulative tendencies.

Girl is a sociopath.

Her intellect only amplifies
her already troubling
behavioral patterns.

With all that intelligence,

you don't find this suspicious
that she is telling us

exactly what we need to hear
to draw that conclusion?

How much time do I have?

The execution is tomorrow.

- Jimmy?
- I need a minute.

Uh, this probably isn't
the best time, but, uh,

I need to leave in, like,
15 minutes, so...

I realize I should have been
upfront with you,

but I don't have time
for long-winded apologies
right now.

You don't have to play
the boss with me.

We have been in that room
day in and day out for the year

trying to figure out
what to make of her.

And this is what
you settled on?

It's been several months
since this...

Autopsy was proposed,
and the others' minds
are made up.

But the decision
has to be unanimous.

Ellie's given me no reason
for my continues support.

I can't hold them off
any more.

I agreed to change my vote

if they gave me one last chance
to get through to her.

Me.

They don't see her
for what she is anymore.

And if we don't make them see,
she dies.

I'm sorry, Jimmy,
but you're the best chance
I had.

The guards took something
from me when I came in.

I need to get it back.

Thought I lost you
for a minute.

I'm not so easy
to get rid of.

Do you know chess?

Are we resorting to such
unorthodox analytical methods
already?

Chess is my favorite game.

I thought
I might teach you.

I doubt there's much of anything
you could teach me.

Then you know how
to play.

I found the game
quite boring.

Within a week,
I set speed records
against a master computer.

Oh, there's your problem.

You played against
a computer.

A game against a person
is much more stimulating.

And I take it your vast
psychological prowess gives you
an advantage.

There's only one way
to find out.

All right,
but I'll need my hands.

Calling out the moves
is easy enough.

I'll help you
with the rank and file, and...

How do you expect your patient
to trust you

if you won't trust her?

Desperate times
call for desperate measures.

Oh, boy.

What does he think
he is doing?

Son of a bitch.

Boom goes the dynamite.

That's it.
I'm shutting him down.

No, you're not.

He's gonna
get himself killed.

Dr. Fonda knows
what he's doing.

- Actually, he doesn't.
- Ryan, ready the pulse.

Colonel, you don't have
the authority--

if this situation
becomes hostile,

I do have the authority
to override your command.

Ryan, the pulse. Now.

Shit just got real.

Are you waiting
for something?

Oh, no.
Sorry.

Here, let me move the board
so we ca--

Your move.

Yes, it would appear so.

I've always found
the early moves to be
the most important,

and they shape the face
of the game.

If you say so.

You know,
the computer moved instantly.

- And?
- And I was led to believe

this would be
a more stimulating experience.

Uh, stimulations lies in
the analysis.

Chess is not a game
of speed.

Not for some, clearly.

So why you? Now?
After all the stiffs?

Is this a reevaluation?

Perhaps I've, uh,
graduated from the, um,

bargain bin
to the sales rack.

You're right.

I shouldn't risk
slowing you down.

No, I think
I can multitask.

You know, agent price and I
were schoolmates at university.
That's where--

you were schoolmates, huh?

Mm-hmm.

And that's why she was keeping
such close tabs on you?

What is it you're implying?

Simply put, miss Olivia is
a reasonably attractive woman

for her age.

I'm sure that at university,
she was quite a dish.

I can only imagine
the canoodling that took place.

Eyes forward,
gentlemen.

Sorry to, uh, disappoint,
Eleanor,

but I don't canoodle
and tell.

And what would your wife
think of this liaison
with an old flame?

I don't think my wife
would think anything of it
any more.

You don't realistically
expect her to return, do you?

No. That, um,
that part of my life is over.

Really?

King without his queen.

Check.

Perhaps you can
answer me this.

Why is it always trinkets
when someone wants to hold on
to the past?

My mother,
she used to wear
this little trinket.

What was it?

It was this inane fox pendant
I made when I was very young.

And, uh,
that bothered you?

It was crude.
Rudimentary.

In spite of my obvious talents,
it was that she insisted on
displaying to the world.

Do you know why she wore it?

She told me
I was very proud of the piece.

It was the only reminder
I was ever just a child.

Physical manifestation
of my being in a lesser from.

I doubt there was
so much analysis involved.

All this ring does for me
is remind me of the joy
I experienced with my family.

I think she wore it
to remind herself how much
she loved you.

You should worry less about love
and more about the hole
you are in.

I don't see what hole
you mean.

You must be blind.
I have complete control
of the board.

Just by nature's defensive game,

to protect what is important,
we build walls.

But I can understand how
and why my opponent builds
their walls up.

It gives me an advantage
when I want to break them down.

At that point,
what matters isn't the quantity
of pieces you take,

but the quality of those
you do.

Check... mate.

No!

Hit the pulse, Ryan.

- Wait.
- If that wasn't hostile,
I don't know--

look.

Another game.

No.

Afraid you might not be
so lucky this time?

I'm not afraid to lose.

But if I did,
I certainly hope I would do it
with a bit more grace.

- What the hell
do you think this is?
- Birch!

Do you think this is a game
or are you too stupid to know
what's good for you, huh?

Colonel,
this is unacceptable.

This son of a bitch
put every single person
in this compound in danger.

You call that acceptable?

This situation called
for extreme action.

Disobeying a direct order
is inexcusable.

- Spare me your orders!
- No, no, no, no.

The colonel is-- is right.

The rules are
in place for a reason,
and I violated them.

For that, I apologize.

We, uh, do, however,
need drastic results,

and I'm not going to get them
with a set of ink blots.

I hope it was worth it.

Do you, um, have access
to Ellie's mother's effects?

Yeah.

I'll need to see them.

You know, doctor,
we all have to thank you.

That little stunt you pulled
in there proved how volatile
the patient is.

I didn't see it that way.

There's no denying
the threatening nature
of that outburst.

I'm sure we've all seen a child
throw a temper tantrum before.

Not one that ripped a steel
table clean off its bolts, no.

You only saw her reaction.

You didn't see how
she played the game.

Oh, this should be good.

Please, enlighten us
on what we missed.

It's small moves that determine
the outcome in chess.

Ellie was in control
and had the opportunity
to finish me,

but it meant sacrificing
her queen.

She didn't make the move.
She chose to protect her queen.

Okay.
So the kid sucks at chess?

I believe that Ellie
subconsciously linked her queen,

that trinket,

to the memory of her mother.

- Wow.
- What a joke.

We don't have to stand here
and listen to this bullshit.
Can we call this?

It was an elementary move.

One that someone with
Ellie's intellectual prowess
wouldn't pass up.

Could be a mistake.

Even geniuses make mistakes.

It wasn't a mistake.

The child made several
counterintuitive moves,

each of which
protected her queen.

Not that it validates
the girl's reaction,

but Dr. Fonda's proposed
attachment to the piece is,

well, not entirely
without merit.

Thank you, doctor.

Fine, the kid loves queens.
Take her to a drag show.

I have to agree.
That proves nothing.

Dr. Keaton, what is the one
thing a sociopath lacks?

Uh, empathy.

Attachments.

Uh-huh.

I gleaned much more
from the way Ellie played
the game

then the way she responded
to losing it.

And we're all thrilled
for you, doctor.

We're talking about a threat
to national security.

The girl's reaction is in line
with all previous data.

That's what I'm talking about.
Let's get the hell out of here.

I need more time.

We're all in agreement.
Your time is up.

Hold on.

I think it's worth giving
Dr. Fonda another chance.

- What?
- You got to be kidding me.

I don't know if it will make
a difference,

but he has progressed
much further than the others.

By risking the security
of this entire compound.

I will not stand idly by
and allow that to happen again.

That is not your call,
colonel.

Oh, you don't think so?

I'd say that last outburst
was contentious enough.

And how contentious
is the situation now?

If you're gonna
play that card,

you better be damn sure
you're able to justify it.

Let's not forget that
that is a killer in there.

I'm starting to think that this
may have to end in blood

for you to acknowledge
her as such.

Olivia, she's lost.

And she's angry.

But she is in there.

Give me time.
I'll find her.

Feeling better?

We made quite a mess,
didn't we?

A bit off the top,
but no harm done.

Can't say the same
for your file.

You know, you could be
a big help if you wanted.

That might constitute
a threat.

I'm beginning to understand
why your wife left you.

You don't say?

Your persistence,
it's intolerable.

Late nights in the slums
instead of dinner at home.

That's the kind of thing
that poisons a marriage.

I'm afraid we don't have time
to discuss--

correction.

You don't have time.

Must we play this game?

Children like games.

If you don't want to play,
the door is right there.

I know where it is.

Hold on.

Do you see that?

It looks different
from before.

It looks like your wife,
yes?

She's at home,
tucked into bed.

With a new man.

If you turn it this way,

it's a bit more abstract.

It's your ideals,
the same persistence
that tore you two apart.

Work wasn't the reason
my wife left.

Tell me more.

We lost a child.

Our daughter.

Several years ago.

And, uh,

my wife didn't cope well
with her death.

Eventually, she left.

Now we are
getting somewhere.

Tell me what happened.

She was playing in the yard
and was hit by a car.

Oof, damn.

Was it quick?

No.
She was very strong.

And you were there,
by her side?

Every day.

But you couldn't save her.

No.

And that was when you started
working with children.

More so, yes.

And consequently,
why you are here now.

I am here to help you,
Ellie.

It isn't really about me,
though.

It's about the return rate.

You think that if you can
save enough of us,

it'll wash away
your own pain.

It's pathetic.

I...

Doubt there's anything
more painful than losing
someone we love.

I remember combing through
the events of that day

a hundred times trying
to make sense of it.

I was so overwhelmed
by the feeling that her death
was my fault.

Rightly so.
She was yours to protect.

Yeah, I believed that
for a long time.

It was easier for me
to punish myself

than to accept that I was
somehow powerless.

Running from that truth...

Is what makes us
believe these things.

Things that... lead us down
a destructive path.

Takes a...

A different kind of courage
to stop running.

To face that truth.

The pain may never
go away completely.

But if you let go
of the guilt,

it does get better.

Did the colonel ever tell you
how he got that nasty scar?

I'm not interested in--

birch really is the epitome
of what I despise in people.

So set in his antiquated ways.

He can't see he's spent
his entire life

marching to the beat
of someone else's drum.

Sticks and stones,
colonel.

When I first arrived,

he was determined to be the one
to access the potential
locked within me.

After dozens
of unsuccessful probes,

his frustration ballooned.

One day,
he unbound me.

Pulled out a pen
just like this one.

He told me
he wasn't afraid.

That he didn't believe
I had any control over my power.

You don't have to do this,
Ellie.

I wonder...

If he is afraid now.

Ellie?

Can you hear me?

Olivia, what's happening?

That's enough.

That was unnecessary.

It was a warning.
The patient knows the rules.

Ellie, can I help you?

No, you can't.
None of you can.

You pushed them, Ellie.

Now you're on their side?

- Here, let-- let's--
- get off me!

- Let me at Lea--
- I said get off!

That's it! 50%.

Holy shit.

I see you, colonel.

75%, McCrosky.

I don't wonder anymore.

I know you are afraid.

- Give her everything.
- No. It'll kill her.

What is it you think
she plans to do to us?

- Crank it, Ryan.
- Don't.

Agent price is no longer
in command.

Now!

You okay?

I'll live.

What happened?

She's been prepped
and is awaiting transport.

Transport?
Where?

But she's still here now.

Fonda--

if I could just get
a few more minutes--

I'm afraid I'm no longer
the authority here.

There must be some way
we can, uh,

appeal to your superiors.

I have poured almost all
of my professional credibility
into that room.

I got to take the little
I have left to walk away.

The facade was crumbling.

Doesn't matter.
Not after that.

Everyone in the control room
must have seen it.

- If-- if we were--
- Jimmy.

It's over.

Her mother's effects.

I'm sorry I got you caught up
in all this.

I heard about your daughter.

Yeah.
That was a very dark time
for me.

Yet, um, every year since,

I've become more convinced
that it's those moments
that define us.

That our struggles are...

Simply questions
life asks.

At the end,
all that matters is
how we answer.

You're just the way
I remember you.

You aren't so different
yourself.

You were the boss then, too.

Why was it you, um,
thought to call me?

I knew you had been working
with kids ever since...

What happened.

Anyway, when all this
came up, I, um...

I...

You found yourself
in a position

to help a little girl.

Yeah.

Anyway, I've spent the last
year of my life

throwing away everything
I've worked for
for nothing.

I don't know.
I couldn't, um...

I couldn't just...
Stand by and, um...

Let that girl die.

Maybe you won't have to.

Would you look who is up
and about.

-[Door opens, closes]
- What the hell does he think
he's doing?

He needs another chance.

Another chance?
What's going on here?

Colonel was clear.
He said nobody goes in,
nobody goes out.

And where is birch now?

Now those were
strict orders.

Yeah, I don't know about you,
but I can't get fired again.

Fired?
We're talking treason.

I'll take
full responsibility.
Tell him I forced you.

Do you really think
he's gonna buy that?

Agent price?

I know this is hard.

Maybe we need to accept
that colonel birch is doing
the right thing.

We all witnessed
how violently Ellie responded.

To provocation.

Does that make her
any less dangerous?

I saw something
before that response.

A crack in the persona
Ellie has spent so much
time building.

And I know both of you
saw it, too.

We are sending that girl
to die.

If there's even
the slightest chance
that she can be saved,

I think it's a chance
worth taking.

I just--
I'm not sure we can.

Thank you.

Well, missed my date anyway.

I hope you're right
about this.

Me, too.

The hour is lit, doctor.

This won't change anything.

It is worth trying.

And if you succeed,

what then?

Ellie gets a chance
at life.

What kind of life?

Life in a cage?

Never knowing any existence
beyond isolation?

Given what humanity
stands to gain,

the solution
is mutually beneficial.

I don't see it
that way.

That's unfortunate.

I'm afraid the colonel does.

It's about time.

Eleanor.

Ever the idealist,
aren't we?

I see now why miss Olivia
was so keen to acquire
your services,

besides her obvious desire
to rekindle an old flame,
that is.

We don't have much time,
Ellie.

Looks to me like
you're already out of time.

I need you to tell me
what happened to your mother.

Read the file, James.
It's all there.

I want to hear it
from you.

Too bad.
I'm far too consumed
with my own execution.

That's a shame.

I'm gonna be in big trouble
for breaking in here.

So leave.

No, I'll just, uh,
wait.

You know, maybe birch
will let me accompany you.

You know he won't.

What is it you want to know?

Just what happened.

I killed her...

In cold blood.

That doesn't seem logical.

She was the person
who cared for you most.

There's your problem.

Your perspective is clouded
by the cumbersome weight
of emotion,

without which,
my logic is perfectly sound.

What the hell
is going on here?

Colonel, it was my call.

I will personally see to it
that you burn for this.

That's fine.
This isn't about me or you.

I need three men
and a ram now.

- Colonel, please just let him
have a chance--
- enough! Sit down.

What do you mean?
- Or what?

Or you will have
a much less comfortable seat

for the remainder
of this demonstration.

I don't think I can get into
your head if I wanted to.

Maybe you think you can change
things around

until you get the results
you seek.

This is over.
Ryan, hit her with a pulse.

- No.
That is just not true.

- Excuse me?

It's still charging
from the power overload.

How long?

- Uh, three minutes.
You still have yet to
tell me what you do think.

I think you're lying, Ellie.

To me,
to everyone else.

To yourself.

Is that your diagnosis?

That I'm a liar?

No. I think you're lying
because you feel guilty.

I think you loved your mother
very much.

Back to love again,
are we?

It must be easy to hide behind
an intellect so powerful.

I'm not hiding.

How did it happen?

I told you.

Was it an accident?

Like with me earlier?

No.
I murdered her.

I meant to do it,
and I'd do it again.

All so you
would end up here?

Correct.

So you killed her

in insure your own death.

My actions simply expedited
the inevitable.

Then why not take care
of it yourself?

Deny them the pleasure
of cutting you open.

You'd prefer I had?

No, but it would have made
more sense given your, uh,

self-destructive agenda.

You must have known
this process

would involve a great deal
of deliberation.

There was no rush.

So you were resolved
to suffer through

the psychological scrutiny.

I wasn't going to deny myself
a last vestige of fun.

Maybe you thought one
of these experts could help you.

I assure you that thought
never crossed my mind.

Were you afraid?

Of what?

Behind all
your understanding,

is there no fear
of your own mortality?

I'm not afraid to die.

I believe you.

I think you're afraid
to live with yourself...

After what happened.

I'm not afraid
of anything.

One minute.

Colonel?

- When it's hot, you fire up.
You can't afford to
keep doing this, Ellie.

Neither of us
have the time.
Finally.
Something we can agree on.

- Time's up.

You have everyone fooled,
Ellie.

But when I look at you,
I still see a scared
little girl.

- Then you are blind.

- This numbness,

this anxiousness
to hurt yourself,

all feelings we experience
in times of trauma.

Like losing someone
you love.

I've heard enough
about love.

You have given in.

You let guilt turn
your wonderful gifts
against you.

I said enough.

Do you miss her?

You still wake up
in the night, don't you?

- Shut up.
- Do you call out to her?

- Shut up!
- You're still expecting
she'll come and hold you.

Shut up!

Do it.

What are you waiting for?

I... can't.

It's her.

What if you can't
tell the time?

After all,

what if my disdain for
humanity's inferior existence

was becoming
too much for me...

- And my self-destruction
was an act of mercy?

What if your provocation
backfires

and convinces me to turn
on both sides?

To become the monster
they would so like me to be?

You decide
what you become.

Where did you get that?

Clear! Move in!

It was my fault.

I didn't mean it.

I know.

I know.
It was an accident.

I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.

It's all right, Ellie.

Everything is gonna be
all right.

Check.

I only have so much time
away from the facility.

I'd prefer to make
the most of it.

Chess is not a game
of speed.

So I've heard.

Perhaps you could benefit
from a little practice
in your free time.

Free time?

Dr. Werner isn't working you
too hard, I hope.

He's having trouble
keeping up.

How's agent price?

Pardon?

I haven't seen her around.

I thought maybe you had.

She's, um,

she's fine.

I'll give her your regards.

Careful, doctor,
you're slipping.

I'm not so sure
about that.

Check.