I WANT
A FACE-TO-FACE.
WE'LL GET BACK TO YOU.
I HELD HIM IN MY ARMS
WHEN HE WAS A BABY.
CAN I ASSUME
YOU CALLED WITH GOOD NEWS
IN REGARD TO MY PROPOSAL?
I HAVE AN INFORMANT WHO'LL LEAD
YOU TO A FAMILY OF NEW MUTANTS.
BUT I DON'T
WANT THEM DEAD.
THAT DEVICE INSERTS
A SUBDERMAL GOVERNOR,
SO THAT YOU'LL BE
ABLE TO CONTROL THESE NEW
MUTANTS WHEN YOU FIND THEM.
BUT THIS WON'T BE NECESSARY.
WE HAVE THE PUSHKA.
OH, YES, OF COURSE.
PUSHKA.
ISN'T THAT RUSSIAN FOR
"COLOSSAL ERROR IN JUDGMENT?"
I'VE SOLVED
THE PUSHKA'S PROBLEMS.
THAT'S WONDERFUL.
TAKE IT ANYWAY, JUST FOR ME.
THE BOUNTY?
TWENTY THOUSAND
EACH, AS WE DISCUSSED,
PROVIDING THAT YOU BRING THEM
TO ME NEUTRALIZED AND ALIVE.
THEN WE'LL DISCUSS A CONTRACT.
OF COURSE, I FULLY
EXPECT TO BE DISAPPOINTED.
SINCE, AS I RECALL, THE PUSHKA
NEUTRALIZES NEW MUTANTS AND
THEN DISINTEGRATES THEIR
INTERNAL ORGANS CELL BY CELL,
UNTIL THEY'RE DEAD.I'VE BEEN
WAITING FOR OVER AN HOUR.
IF I SAID YES TO HALF THE GUYS
WHO WANTED TO BUY ME A DRINK,
YOU'D BE POURING
ME OUT OF THIS MEAT RACK.
ALL IN THE LINE
OF DUTY, SHALIMAR.
YEAH BUT WHY HERE?
WELL,
DONNA'S STILL RELUCTANT,
I WANTED TO LET HER
CHOOSE THE RENDEZ-VOUS SPOT.
THIS SEEMS
MORE LIKE BRENNAN'S KIND
OF ASSIGNMENT IF YOU ASK ME.
SHE SEEMED MORE COMFORTABLE
MEETING YOU, MAYBE BECAUSE
YOU'RE BOTH MEMBERS
OF THE FERAL SISTERHOOD.
SO I'M THE LUCKY SISTER WHO
GETS TO EASE HER TRANSITION
INTO THE UNDERGROUND.
WELL, YOU KNEW THE JOB WAS
DANGEROUS WHEN YOU TOOK IT.
WELL, I GUESS
I MISSED THE BABYSITTING
PART OF THE JOB DESCRIPTION.
YOU SAID NINE O'CLOCK.
I'M SORRY I'M LATE.
BAG IN THE CAR?
I DIDN'T PACK MY BAG.
I CHANGED MY MIND.
I DON'T
NEED TO GO INTO
THE UNDERGROUND.
DONNA,
WE'RE PRETTY SURE THE GSA
HAS YOU IN THEIR SIGHTS.
YEAH.
THEY'RE ONLY LOOKING
FOR NEW MUTANTS, RIGHT?
WHICH YOU CLEARLY ARE.
LISTEN, I'VE GOT TO GO.
MY DATE'S WAITING.
HEY, YOU'VE
GOT A DATE, WITH ME.
ADAM TOLD ME
ENTERING THE UNDERGROUND
WAS COMPLETELY VOLUNTARY.
SO?
SO, YOU TELL ADAM THAT I
SAID THANKS FOR EVERYTHING,
BUT NO THANKS.
WHOA, HEY, SUGAR.
DO YOU BELIEVE
IN LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT
OR SHOULD I WALK BY AGAIN?
YEAH, ONLY
THIS TIME, DON'T STOP.
I MAY APPEAR DRUNK, BUT
I'M JUST INTOXICATED BY YOU.
HEY, SEE A TALL
BRUNETTE PASS BY HERE?
YEAH.
SHE TOOK OFF
IN A BLACK BEEMER.
THANKS.
SO HOW BIG ARE
YOU TALKING, JACK?
WELL, SIXTY-THREE
INCHES, WIDE SCREEN.
UH-HUH.
TEN THOUSAND DOLLAR
SURROUND SOUND SYSTEM.
IT'S BETTER THAN A MULTIPLEX.
WOW.
SOMETHING TELLS
ME I'M NOT THE FIRST
GIRL WHO'S GOT TO CHECK
OUT YOUR HOME
ENTERTAINMENT UNIT.
MAYBE NOT BUT
YOU'D BE THE BEST.
YOU OKAY, DONNA?
I DON'T THINK SO.
IF YOU'RE SICK, I CAN
GET YOU TO THE HOSPITAL.
THERE'S
ONE RIGHT OVER...
WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?
I WARNED HER THERE'S A GOOD
CHANCE THE GSA HAS HER TARGETED.
AND SHE REFUSED TO ACCEPT
THE GRAVITY OF THE SITUATION?
I MEAN, IT WAS LIKE
SHE FELT LIKE SHE DIDN'T
NEED TO WORRY ABOUT IT.
IT'S CLASSICAL DENIAL.
IT'S A MIND THAT
CAN'T DEAL WITH THE FACTS
JUST WILLING
THEM OUT OF EXISTENCE.
ADAM?
ADAM, DONNA'S NAME CAME
UP IN THE GENOMEX SCAN AGAIN.
RIGHT, SEE, THEY'RE
AFTER HER FOR SOMETHING.
I SHOULD'VE NEVER
HAVE LET HER LEAVE.
NO, WE CAN'T FORCE
SOMEBODY INTO THE UNDERGROUND
AGAINST THEIR WILL.
I THOUGHT WE HAD HER CONVINCED.
SO DID I. YOU GO SEE
HER AGAIN AND MAYBE IN THE
COLD LIGHT OF
DAY, SHE'LL SEE REASON.
I'LL GIVE IT A SHOT.
MS BELL.
MR. ECKHART.
YOU WORK IN AUDITING,
IS THAT RIGHT?
YES, SIR.
WELL, I HAVE TO SAY YOU'RE
QUITE THE LITTLE GO-GETTER.
WELL, IF YOU LOOK AT
MY EMPLOYEE PROGRESS REPORT,
YOU'LL SEE VERY
HIGH MARKS FOR INITIATIVE.
YES, I'M NOT SURPRISED,
SEEING AS HOW YOU
ACCESSED MY PRIVATE E-MAIL.
I FELT THAT WHAT I UNCOVERED
WARRANTED THE RISK OF BYPASSING
MY IMMEDIATE SUPERIORS.
AND WHAT EXACTLY
DID YOU UNCOVER?
DURING AN INTERNAL AUDIT,
I STUMBLED ACROSS SEVERAL
ANOMALIES: INCONSISTENT