X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes Page #3

- Jim.

- Diane.

- You've got to get away from here.

- You're coming with us.

Yes, I'm very tired.

L, T, N,

U, E,

X.

James. James.

Yes, it persists.

The effect is cumulative.

I see veins, organs,

the blood rushing through your heart.

I look at Diane,

and she appears

a perfect, breathing dissection.

But, Jim,

there must be some way to control it.

Of course.

Ask your foundation

for the money to discover it.

We don't need the foundation,

any of them.

- We'll work together. We'll find a reversal.

- No.

That's just what I don't want.

I'm going on.

You can't. I won't permit it.

The drug works upon the eyes.

- They're the direct route into the brain.

- I don't care.

What is happening is beyond my hopes.

A cumulative effect.

Soon, I'll be able to see

what no man has ever seen.

And, Sam, I want you with me.

With new eyes, we'll explore

all the mysteries of creation.

With knowledge there is power.

The power to learn, to create, to do.

I proved it today.

Jim, who knows what other parts

of your mind are affected by this thing.

Sam.

Jim, it's the only way.

Someone has to care for you.

Now, push up your sleeve.

No!

You killed him.

- Yes.

- Jim.

- He was my friend.

- You've got to get away.

But you saw what happened.

They won't believe me,

not after the operation.

They'll think you're insane.

Insane?

Insane?

Diane, do you...

The police.

Jim, you've got no time.

They'll blame you no matter what we say.

One of the most fantastic performances

ever to appear here in the carnival show.

And you'll enjoy the fabulous things

he can do with his fantastic eyes and mind.

Hey, you boys over there.

You two fellows, step right over here,

you're embarrassing the girls.

Come on over here and see a show.

We're gonna present to you

one of the finest shows on earth.

Big deal.

Hey, buddy, how would you like it

if I step on your hands?

Nobody likes a wise guy.

This man, ladies and gentlemen,

he can read your mind.

Tell you what you're thinking.

Can he tell me where my wife is?

Yeah, buddy, on a broom

flying around the pier.

That's where your wife is.

I need guys like you.

Come on, you people,

he's ready to begin.

The man they call Mentallo.

The Mentallo,

the man with the miraculous mind.

Step right up, folks.

You're in for one of the greatest,

exciting evenings of your life.

Good crowd.

Yes, I know.

All right, everybody. All right, gang.

Here he is, Mentallo.

Write your thoughts down here

and he will read them to you

just by pressing them

against his forehead.

Anything you wanted to write,

anything at all.

How about my mother-in-law's will?

I hope she leaves a picture

of your wife, smart guy.

Ask him where you get those clothes.

The same Army & Navy store

you bought yours. Okay?

Here's a pencil. Come on, gang.

He's a fake. I know how they do this.

The first paper he gets is a phony.

When he opens the second one to check

on it, he's really reading the first.

He's one ahead the whole time. Smart.

Smart? I heard that, too.

Everybody, let's feed the monkeys,

so we can go on with the show.

All right, pal?

You got a thought, or do you wanna

sit there and play with your blocks?

I could play with your blocks.

Here, give him this.

Real smart kid.

I love those kind of guys.

We meet them every time here,

but doesn't phase Mentallo.

He'll answer every one of them.

Here we go. Here you are.

This is from a lady who wants to know if

I wear this outfit to pin tails on donkeys.

See? That's the ringer.

That's the ringer, smart guy?

What are you, Dick Tracy?

How about that, folks?

That's exactly what the young lady said.

That's right.

If the lady will step forward,

I will demonstrate.

This is from a man who wants to know

how much money he has in his pocket.

- There it is.

- I spent it all to get in here.

If the gentleman will stand up,

I will tell him.

Judging from your appearance,

I would say a quarter.

This is from a young man

who says I am a fake.

Would you like a further demonstration

of my powers?

- It's a trick.

- Is it?

Your name is John Trask.

You've come from Phoenix.

You're 27 years of age,

you're unmarried.

Your social security number is

6-0-9-1-0-6-6-1-4.

You have a watch on your person,

a gift from your father.

How do you know that?

You also have a letter in your pocket

from a girl you deserted.

A girl who loves you.

Shut up.

This is your trick, ain't it?

I have no trick.

You gotta. Everybody does.

It's in the mask.

Can you see through it?

No.

There's a switch or something.

No switch.

Then, how?

Look, you can trust me.

You've been on the pier a month now,

and nobody's caught on.

You've got something great here. Great.

Thank you.

In fact, it's so great,

I sometimes wonder what you're doing here

on the small-time hustle.

What do you mean?

I didn't mean nothing.

Except, I wonder,

what do you want, Mr. Mentallo?

Please leave.

I didn't mean nothing.

Come on, get out.

September 19th,

the fluid is almost gone.

I use only the smallest amounts now,

but the effect seems to be cumulative.

But how can I work without a laboratory,

without equipment,

without money to buy what I need?

There's so much undone,

so much I don't understand.

He drove them off today

like they were scared.

I saw them run from his show.

Said he saw too much.

He's all right, does his job.

He keeps to himself.

Why not? He's got a right.

Does he? We all live and work together.

He gives me the creeps.

Maybe we give him the creeps.

Did you ever see his eyes?

He always wears those glasses

and that mask.

Now, Crane hustles for him.

Crane, he thinks he's real.

Real? What do you think, he's a ghost?

Well, what he does is real. No tricks.

- Coffee?

- Sure, you bet.

Two coffees.

He sees

not through your mind,

but through things like paper and cloth.

- He's got a good act, that's all.

- No.

Yeah, an act. What else could it be?

A man that could really see through things,

he wouldn't be here. No, he wouldn't.

He'd be something big, powerful.

He'd be something special.

What would he be?

He'd know secrets. Secrets he could use.

A hold on people,

that's what he would have.

Something to make them listen to him.

That what you think?

I never think. I eat.

Maybe he could help

keep people from hurting each other.

How?

By telling everybody everything.

No secrets,

what's anybody got to fight about?

Same things they've always fought about.

Ideas, thoughts, differences.

I'd stop them.

If I had your power, I'd stop them.

I'd make them do things my way

or I'd hurt them all, if I had your trick.

Trick? I thought you said it was real.

Man was real, he wouldn't be here.

Maybe this is all he could be.

This, and nothing more.

Nothing more than just a man.

Fake. Cheap fake.

Don't pay them no mind.

Me, I know what you got is real.

And you, what do you want to see?

All the undressed women

my poor eyes could stand.

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