Scene 01
[SFX]: Papers hitting a desk.
SEAN: That’s not coffee.
HARRISON: Is this level of astute observation the kind of thing I should be learning from this internship?
SEAN: What is all of this?
HARRISON: It’s every news story, blog post, and tweet that might be connected to super powered people.
SEAN: Some of these articles are from decades ago.
HARRISON: Yeah. I went to the library to do some research — did you know they actually keep copies of all the old newspapers in there? Like, there’s stuff from before I was born in there, not digitized or searchable at all, totally inefficient.
SEAN: People didn’t start talking about super people until last year, Harrison, what is all of this supposed to do?
HARRISON: What if there’s been people out there for ages? Affected by whatever it is that is making Anika blow stuff up, or Jen blip in and out of the visible universe, or Aiden –
SEAN: These packages and this story isn’t about that – it’s about the person who caused pain and destruction to innocent people for the past year.
HARRISON: Yeah, and understanding her! Don’t you think there’s something a little bigger out there than whatever personal drama you’re harboring against her attack on the city?
SEAN: We’re not trying to humanize her –
HARRISON: Aren’t we?
SEAN: We’re trying to tell a true, honest story. It might not be favorable. You get that, right?
HARRISON: And you get that it could be, right?
SEAN: This is my story, Harrison.
HARRISON: I thought it was hers.
SEAN: Of course it is, I just – did you kill all these trees to make a point?
HARRISON: I’m just saying, this kind of stuff has been out in the open for way longer than any of us were paying attention. What if there’s a link between them all? And if there is, there might be a pattern that –
SEAN: You’re reaching, kid.
HARRISON: If you’d just let me show you –
SEAN: Let’s focus on the tapes for now, okay? Give me the envelope, I know you have one. You gonna take a seat?
[SFX]: An office chair rolling against the ground as Harrison sits.
SEAN: God, haven’t these kids ever heard of email?
HARRISON: I think it’s cute. Very Deep Throat.
SEAN: Were you even alive for Watergate? Actually, you know what, don’t answer that. I feel old enough already.
Scene 02
BAILEY: There’s no way Anika’s the only one who’s experiencing this kind of thing. She’s not good with the observational schtick, but that’s kind of my thing, you know? God, no one ever talks about how the sidekick definitely goes crazy in the end. I am talking to my phone in an empty room. Who do I think I am? Captain Kirk? Captain’s log: we’ve officially ventured into territory that is beyond the land of anything normal. I am going to lose my mind trying to figure out how to keep my best friend safe. If only we could figure out how to get her a little of that vulcan-like, cold, emotionless demeanor… Oh my God, that’s it. She’s been way better at controlling it all once she started feeling grounded by Cole, but… if we can figure out how to get her to cut off a little bit from her emotions, we should be able to –
[SFX]: Static starts to fill Bailey’s recording.
BAILEY: What the –
[SFX]: Anika tumbles into the room, breathing heavily.
BAILEY: Anika? Hey, what’s going on? I thought you were at Cole’s – oh, no. Okay, that’s okay, guys are dicks, I’ll kill him for you if you want. Or, I don’t know, hire someone to, maybe? I am real good at the internet, I’m sure I could find a guy. Have you ever heard of the Dark Web? There we go, that’s my girl. What happened?
ANIKA: I told him. I told him everything.
BAILEY: And?
ANIKA: And he was totally cool with it, he thinks it would be way cool to maybe never have sex and spend his life with someone who can’t keep her shit together, and who puts literally everyone around her in danger every time she so much as breathes. That’s why I’m busting into your room in the middle of the night, having an attack –
BAILEY: Okay! Jesus, a “not so good” would have sufficed, dude. Just, tell me what happened.
Scene 03
[SFX]: A car rumbles as it drives slowly through a quiet night.
COLE: Quit that.
ANIKA: What?
COLE: Staring at me.
ANIKA: Sorry.
COLE: You’re doing it again. I can literally feel you.
ANIKA: Sorry, just… I wanna tell you something, okay? But I don’t want you to freak out.
COLE: Sure.
ANIKA: I’m serious, Cole. Like, I totally get why you would freak out, because this is, you know, it’s a big deal. But I want you to know, because I love you.
COLE: I love you too, babe.
ANIKA: You make me… nervous.
COLE: Yeah? You make me nervous too, babe. Remember the first time I asked you out? I was so worried you’d like, want to shake my hand or something, because my palms were sweating buckets. And then you were going to be like, great, this guy’s got swamp hands, no way am I going out with him.
ANIKA: Swamp hands?
COLE: You know. Hot and sweaty. Clammy.
ANIKA: God, you’re such a dork. This isn’t going to come out right. You make me nervous, but like, the good kind of nervous. The kind that makes you feel happy, and alive, and super real, you know?
COLE: Anika, if this is about what happened at the party, you know I would never… I’d never pressure you to do anything you aren’t comfortable with. We can totally wait.
ANIKA: No, no that’s not what this is about. Or, well. It kind of is, but not the way you’re thinking?
COLE: Okay?
ANIKA: I get nervous sometimes. The good kind with you, but other times it’s… Sometimes I’ll be somewhere, and something will happen, and suddenly it’s all just too much. It’s crazy overwhelming and – it doesn’t even have to be a big deal, sometimes it’s so tiny it doesn’t even make any sense. Like a change in the weather, or even just a stop sign I didn’t realize was coming up, or a pop quiz. And then suddenly I’m so nervous I can’t even think straight.
COLE: You’re not totally making sense.
ANIKA: I knew this wouldn’t come out the right way. I’m just – I get nervous, okay, and sometimes that sucks –
COLE: Everyone get’s nervous, Anika. We’re in high school, it’s not abnormal to get nervous about stuff. It’s practically required.
ANIKA: You aren’t getting it.
COLE: Then explain it to me.
ANIKA: Sometimes I get so nervous I can’t breathe, okay? Something will happen, and then it’s like, whatever it is that’s going on is like a huge, ridiculous elephant on my chest.
COLE: Great, that’s what every boyfriend wants to hear, that they’re their girlfriend’s elephant.
ANIKA: No! I mean, sometimes, you could be there if it happened, it’s not an exact science, but it’s usually better if you’re there, actually.
COLE: Okay?
ANIKA: Look, can you – I think it would be better if I just show you what I’m talking about. Could you pull over?
COLE: Yeah. Yeah, sure.
[SFX]: The car pulls off the road, parks, and turns off.
ANIKA: Okay. This is nothing, I do this with Bailey all the time. And you’re in love with me, so. So it’s no big deal.
COLE: You’re kind of freaking me out.
ANIKA: Sorry. Don’t freak out, this isn’t even the part you’re supposed to freak out about.
COLE: There’s a part I’m supposed to freak out about?
ANIKA: There’s a part I’m hoping you won’t freak out about. Um. Okay, let’s just… dive right in.
[SFX]: Anika hands Cole a small object.
ANIKA: Bailey designed this for me. It’s… It’s kind of like, a really special Rubik’s Cube.
COLE: Made out of metal?
ANIKA: Uh, yeah.
COLE: Okay?
ANIKA: Um, just, watch, okay? And don’t freak out.
COLE: Oh my God.
ANIKA: Are you freaking out?
COLE: Are you doing that?
ANIKA: Um, yeah. Yes. This is all me.
COLE: Are you… you’re like those people on the news. The ones causing freak accidents.
ANIKA: I don’t – I haven’t caused any –
COLE: Saturday night, at the party, that was you? The… the shaking, and the speakers blowing up?
ANIKA: Cole –
COLE: People were hurt, Anika!
ANIKA: I know that! You think I don’t know that?
COLE: And you didn’t say anything? You just let this blow up in everyone’s faces.
ANIKA: It’s none of their business.
COLE: You spent that whole night with me!
ANIKA: And I was – I was freaking out, okay? You were nervous –
COLE: So, what, I made you blow up Trevor’s sound system and put all my friends in danger?
ANIKA: I didn’t say that.
COLE: You sure as hell implied it.
ANIKA: I need to get out of here, can you, can you crack a window, or something?
COLE: Seriously, you’re telling me you could… you could probably crush me in half a second, and you’re worried about the heat level in the car? It’s snowing, Anika, I’m not opening the windows.
ANIKA: Cole, for real, I can’t, I can’t breathe –
COLE: Are you gonna, Anika, please don’t hurt me, I –
ANIKA: Hurt you?
COLE: I can’t do this, okay? Let me just drop you at home.
ANIKA: Cole, I would never…
[SFX]: Keys fumbling.
COLE: Come on, you hunk of rust just start.
ANIKA: You have to know I wouldn’t hurt you, not on purpose.
COLE: This car is never going to survive the winter, Jesus Christ.
ANIKA: Are you listening to me?
COLE: Come on!
ANIKA: Cole!
[SFX]: The car roars to life.
COLE: Did you do that?
ANIKA: What?
COLE: I didn’t turn the key, Anika, and now the car is just… just working? Was it you?
ANIKA: I don’t know, Cole, maybe? It’s not an exact science, stuff just happens, okay?
COLE: I can’t do this.
ANIKA: I get that you might need some time, but we can –
COLE: No, I mean… Anika, I’m gonna drop you off, and I think… I don’t think this is a good idea. Trevor was… he was seriously hurt at that party, okay? There are scorch marks on his ceiling. Allison ended up with second-degree burns. Kelly’s probably going to have a wicked scar on her leg forever. And if all that happened just because we got… we ran a few bases at a party, I don’t think – If I caused you to do that, I can’t…
[SFX]: Anika struggles to get the car door open.
ANIKA: No, I get it. That’s cool, I’m just going to walk, okay?
COLE: Anika, don’t be crazy, it’s like ten degrees out there.
ANIKA: It’s just a few blocks, it’s fine.
COLE: We’re like a mile from your place, just –
[SFX]: The car door opens.
ANIKA: Seriously, it’s all good, I’ll see you at school, okay?
COLE: Anika, wait.
[SFX]: Anika gets out of the car and runs off.
COLE: Anika!
Scene 04
BAILEY: Fuck him.
ANIKA: Bailey –
BAILEY: No, seriously, fuck him. If he can’t accept you for who you are, all of you, then he doesn’t deserve even the smallest part of you, okay?
ANIKA: You didn’t see his face, B. He looked like… like he was terrified of me.
BAILEY: Do you think he’d… I don’t want to freak you out, but do you think he’d tell anyone? About you?
ANIKA: I don’t know.
BAILEY: Okay. That’s… we can fix this. I can fix this.
ANIKA: What are you doing?
BAILEY: Packing. And then we’re gonna go back to your place, and you’ll do the same.
ANIKA: B, what are you talking about? Where are we going to go?
BAILEY: I’ve been, I don’t know, keeping tabs on things. On people who might be like you. Who might be able to help.
ANIKA: You think… you think there’s other people out there like me? Causing so much damage?
BAILEY: I know there’s people out there like you, dude. And I think… I know they can help.
ANIKA: This is crazy, we can’t just run –
BAILEY: Look at me. Just because I can’t do what you can doesn’t mean you’re alone in this. You’ve got me, till the end of time, okay? We’re going to figure this out. We’re not running away. We’re running to something, someone who can help us. Okay? I’m not – I’m never going to run away from you, Anika.
ANIKA: Okay. Okay, let’s do it. Let’s go.
Scene 05
SEAN: Harrison?
HARRISON: I’ve gotta go, big school thing, totally forgot, I’ll catch you later?
SEAN: Harrison, are you –
[SFX]: The door shuts behind her.
SEAN: Okay? Killing this mentor thing, Sean. Really killing it.
Scene 06
SEAN: Heather?
HEATHER: Yeah?
SEAN: Do you think I’m… would you say I’m difficult to work with?
HEATHER: Are you serious?
SEAN: Yes, I’m serious.
HEATHER: You are, without a doubt, the biggest pain in my ass any reporter has ever been.
SEAN: But?
HEATHER: But what? You asked if you were difficult to work with. The answer is yes. There’s no but.
[SFX]: Sheets rustle as they shift in bed.
SEAN: But do you think – I just mean, would someone learn from me? Would I be good at teaching a kid –
HEATHER: Sean…
SEAN: No, not… I didn’t mean like that.
HEATHER: I don’t want to talk about this right now.
SEAN: Are you ever going to?
HEATHER: Why do you want to?
SEAN: Heather, it’s been a year – we’re still in this apartment, we’re still coming home like strangers every night. Why are we still doing this dance if we’re never going to try?
HEATHER: Sean…
[SFX]: A cell phone rings.
SEAN: Hang on, let me just turn that – shit. Shit, I have to take this. Give me one second. Harrison? Are you okay?
HARRISON(on the phone): Sean? I know it’s late, I’m sorry, but – I think I know where she is. Was, I mean.
SEAN: Harrison, what are you talking about?
HARRISON(on the phone): Anika and Bailey! I figured out where they’re from! I’m going to text you the details, okay?
SEAN: Okay, but –
HARRISON(on the phone): Bye! Text me when you get it!
HEATHER: Why is one of our interns calling you at two AM?
SEAN: It’s about a story, I swear. I’m so sorry, but I – I’ve gotta go, okay? I’ll be back as soon as I can.
He pockets his phone, his wallet, pulls on his shoes.
HEATHER: Sean –
SEAN: I’ll only be gone for a day or two, okay?
[SFX]: He exits, and the door closes sharply behind him.
HEATHER: Why are we still doing this dance, indeed.
END OF EPISODE 7