Prodigy Page #4

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.

[Heavy breathing]

Another game.

No.

Afraid you might not be

so lucky this time?

[Door buzzes]

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 b*tch 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.

[Laughing]

- 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. [Chuckles]

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.

[Door opens, closes]

Olivia, she's lost.

And she's angry.

But she is in there.

[Sighs]

Give me time. I'll find her.

[Door buzzes, opens]

Feeling better?

We made quite a mess, didn't we?

[Exhales deeply]

A bit off the top,

but no harm done.

Can't say the same

for your file.

[Exhales sharply]

[Exhales sharply]

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.

[Ellie] 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.

[Paper ripping]

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,

lt'll wash away your own pain.

It's pathetic.

Inn:

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

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