Skulls 3, The (2004) Movie Script
1
[ Gasps ]
Taylor, it's me.
Sam.
No.
Taylor, stop!
It's all right!
You don't have to be afraid.
You cannot be here.
Why are you here?
Why, Sam? Why?
Dad misses you.
So do I.
It's okay.
I'm right here.
[ Screaming ]
Aaah!
[ Footsteps ]
Taylor?
Is there a point
to any of this?
A point?
Yeah.
What do you mean?
[ Scoffs ]
Come on. We're talking
about dreams here.
I know.
I'm trying to explain.
Let me explain
something to you.
As fascinating
and, well,
maybe relevant
as it is,
the fact that you had some
scary dream last month--
We are dealing with
a real-life homicide here.
So I would appreciate it if
you would indulge me and--
And just
stick to the facts...
and stop playing these
stupid little games, all right?
I'm not playing games.
I'm not
playing games.
I don't have to be here,
you know. I know my rights.
I got a dead college kid downstairs
who's got twice as many rights as you.
And I need some answers
and I need them now.
Tell it your way then.
Why is this dream so
important? I'd had it before.
Maybe a dozen times
in the past four years.
It was at
my father's house.
It's only a few miles
from campus,
so I stay there sometimes
when he's in town.
It was the anniversary
of Sam's death.
Sam was your brother?
He killed himself four years
ago. You found the body.
What were you,
a senior in high school?
Junior.
So if you've had this dream
a dozen times before,
why was that night
so important?
Because he never took
his hood off before.
I'd forgotten how terrible
it was when I found him.
[ Taylor] My dad and I had never
really discussed it before then.
Dad?
Hmm?
Do you remember the last thing
you and Sam talked about?
I mean,
did he say anything?
I know he was worried.
He wanted you
to be proud of him.
I was proud of him.
He was my son.
The last thing
we talked about was you.
About that watch you wear.
Taylor--
You wanted him
to be a Skull so badly.
Taylor,
this is inappropriate.
I only...
wanted him to experience
the same things I had.
When he didn't make it
through the initiation,
he thought he'd failed you.
He was a legacy.
If he had just...
tried a little harder.
He did try, Dad.
But I'm a legacy too.
Aren't 1?
Taylor, you know
what I meant.
I never loved you any less.
You know that.
I do know that.
I do.
But it was always different
with us. Wasn't it?
I'm sorry
if it seemed that way.
I just wish you could be the same
father to me that you were to him.
I wanna be.
Look.
I know you're flying back to
Washington tomorrow night,
but I've got a swim meet
in the afternoon...
if you're interested.
[ Air Horn Blows ]
[ Cheering ]
[ Starter Gun Fires ]
Great race.
Thank you, guys.
Thank you.
Congratulations.
Mmm. Glad somebody
cared enough to show up.
I wouldn't miss it.
Unless, of course,
you started losing.
I couldn't be seen hanging
out with a loser, right?
Ohh. Lucky I'm on
a winning streak then.
Mmm.
I know I'm lucky.
[ Man ]
Mr. Rawlings.
Roger--
I mean, Mr. Lloyd.
Roger's fine.
Do you have a moment?
Absolutely.
Great.
I'll be right back.
Okay?
Right. Don't let me
get in the way.
Come on, Taylor. He's a Skull.
They make their selections this week.
You know
how big this is?
Oh, yes. I know.
[ Cheering Continues ]
[ No Audible Dialogue ]
Hey, Roger.
I'm wondering, how many women
are you planning on tapping?
Excuse me?
I'm serious.
Are the Skulls actually going to
pick the best candidates this year,
or are you gonna go with the
same old batch of spoiled rich boys?
I wouldn't know
anything about it.
Although
from what I understand,
that particular organization
would really be...
none of your concern.
I'm just saying
it is the 21st century.
Maybe it's time you step into it, because
I'd certainly like to be considered.
Like I said, I have no idea
what you're talking about.
Well, perhaps we can finish
this conversation some other time.
[ Female Officer ]
Wait a minute.
This is the first time
you met Roger Lloyd?
No, it was the first time
I'd talked to him.
I'd seen him before--
in class, on campus.
And you didn't like him?
I didn't know him.
So you decided to get into a
confrontation with a guy you didn't know...
in front of
your boyfriend?
It was not a confrontation. But you were
upset that Roger and Ethan had excluded you.
I was upset that Ethan was
so desperate to impress Roger.
So he'd get picked
for the Skulls. Yes.
But he thought I'd
screwed things up for him.
What the hell was that about?
Just letting him know that I'm
interested in becoming a member.
Well, how about letting me know
first? Are you trying to ruin this for me?
No, Ethan.
Maybe I'm trying to
do something for myself.
Maybe I'm tired of being treated like a
second-class citizen just because I'm a woman.
What are you talking about?
The Skulls do not accept women.
End of story.
Join a sorority
if that's what you want.
Oh, gee.
Why didn't I think of that?
[ Sighs ] You cannot
be serious about this.
I thought you of all people
would want to support me.
I do support you
in everything.
But there's no way in hell you're
gonna get tapped by the Skulls,
so I don't know why
we're talking about this.
Neither do I.
I got a paper to write.
See you later.
[ Starter Gun Fires ]
[ Door Opens ]
I-I thought we agreed
we were gonna cut back...
on the whole, you know,
throwing-wet-bags-around thing.
So, do we have to play,
like, 20 Questions,
or can we skip right to the part
where you tell me what's wrong?
What else? Men.
Oh, I knew it.
Well, sounds like
a cookie-dough moment.
Bowls, or straight
from the container?
So you think
I should join a sorority?
Well, I just think it would be so
much fun if you pledged for me.
What? Oh, come on.
I'm this year's pledge chair.
We could have so much fun.
And I would totally take it easy on
you with the whole initiation thing.
I'm sorry,
but it's not the same.
Sororities are all about having
fun while you're in school.
And that's fine. I just
don't have time for that.
The Skulls are more about what
you do once you get out of here.
The Skulls?
Mm-hmm.
You're not serious.
Why does everybody say that?
Because it's true!
And why on Earth
would you even want to?
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't
envious of what they represent.
The money, the power.
If it weren't for them,
my father never would--
No way.
Your dad's a Skull?
Veronica, I did not say that.
You did not hear me say that.
Really. This isn't something
you can talk about.
So you're saying they got
him elected to Congress.
It didn't hurt.
Mm-hmm.
It's not just about that.
It's about the way he sees me.
He wanted it so badly
for my brother.
I mean--
Anyway, I thought if I could
make it happen for me,
if there was any way
I could become a Skull,
maybe it'd help him
get over Sam.
Maybe he'd finally see me as
more than just his fragile daughter.
Well, unless you plan
on growing a penis,
you're not getting in.
It's just so wrong that
they can get away with that.
There ought a be a law.
You know what?
You're right.
Hi. Can you tell me where
the Title 9 legislation books are?
Third aisle, center
shelf. Okay. Thanks.
[ Woman ] I might
bend, but I won't break
Mm-hmm
Spinning 'round
I hit the ground
I look back up to see
Well, nothing's changed
It's all the same
Why can't we all
Just be happy
Can't you see I'm tryin'
We should just
Take it all away
Before it is too late
Ohh
I will try
I might lose,
but I will try
'Cause at least I said
I did it
When you see
the price you pay
Then maybe we might change
Ohh
Why can't we all
Just be happy
Can't you see I'm tryin'
Dean Lawton?
Dean Lawton?
Sorry to bother you,
but I'd like to file a discrimination
complaint against a campus organization.
That's a serious charge,
Ms.--
Brooks.
Taylor Brooks.
You father is Congressman
Martin Brooks? Yes, sir.
Then I'll trust you have
a legitimate grievance.
Yes, sir, I do.
This particular group has been allowed
to operate on campus for far too long...
without being held accountable
for its gender-bias policies.
They're about to
select new members,
and I'd like to challenge
that selection process.
- And who did you say this group is?
- The Skulls.
[ Chuckles ]
At this point,
I'm hoping this is a joke.
No, sir, it's not.
I've written down my arguments.
Come to my office
at noon tomorrow.
Yes, sir.
Thank you!
Hey!
You mind if I join you?
Not exactly dressed for it.
Yeah, I know.
Can we stop?
I just had a water break.
How about
an apology break?
[ Sighs ]
Look, Taylor,
the other day with Roger--
I was a jerk.
I'm sorry.
Well, I appreciate
the apology.
But I'm not gonna just pretend
like it didn't happen.
Plan on doing
a lot of groveling.
[ Chuckles ]
[ Sighs ]
I filed a complaint
with the dean.
- You did what?
- Yeah.
You're gonna try
and force them to tap you?
Or other
equally-qualified women.
Equal-- [ Chuckles ] I can't
believe I'm hearing this.
Forgot about that apology
pretty quickly.
Look, I know you have this thing with your dad
and you want to prove something to him. Fine.
Why does it have to be
this? Why shouldn't it be this?
Because you're gonna mess it
up for other people. You mean you.
Yes, I mean me.
Look, Taylor, Roger Lloyd
all but promised me a spot.
If you piss him off,
I can forget about it.
I'm meeting with the dean
at noon tomorrow.
[ Sighs ] I'll call you, let
you know how it goes.
This is bullshit.
- Let go of me.
- Look--
Let go of my arm, Ethan.
I'm not doing this to hurt you.
But I'm not gonna back down.
[ Scoffs ]
I'm sorry.
Miss Brooks,
have a seat.
Thank you.
Why don't we get right
down to it? You have the floor.
As of last year, every other
male-only society on campus...
had opened its doors
to women.
I think it's time
the Skulls do the same.
But if the Skulls were like every other
society, we wouldn't be here, would we?
After all, isn't it our very uniqueness
that makes membership so valuable?
Yes. Yes, it is, but--
"Our" uniqueness?
[ Sighs ]
Then why have this meeting?
[ Sighs ]
Why even waste your time?
Because I'm interested
in what you have to say.
Your statement claims that
we're in violation of federal law.
But since we neither receive
funding from the university...
nor utilize its facilities,
what compels us
to obey its rules?
Actually,
an argument could be made...
that the Skulls headquarters
is a campus facility,
and therefore
the organization must comply...
with all
gender-equality legislation.
The tomb is built by the Skulls and is maintained
by the Skulls, entirely at our own expense.
That may be.
But as these documents show,
the tomb is built
on university property.
The land was leased
to the Skulls in 1793...
for the sum
of one dollar per year.
The lease was prepaid
for 250 years,
which means that the land belongs
to the school until the year 2043.
Fine. We'll buy the
land. The lease is binding.
It cannot be broken,
not even for a sale.
That building is
on school property.
Any organization using it and
any activities taking place within it...
must be open
to both men and women.
This can't be legitimate.
Well played, Miss Brooks.
Your time in the library
paid off.
I warned the council
that you might find this.
I also told them
if you did,
I would have no choice
but to extend my hand...
and grant your wish.
What?
You can't do this.
The decision has
already been made.
Miss Brooks will be tapped.
After all,
she is a legacy.
Thank you.
Hey!
A word to the wise,
Miss Brooks.
You should savor
this little moment of victory,
because your life's
about to become a living hell.
As long as I'm around,
you'll never become a Skull.
Now that's
an interesting offer.
Are you saying
you threatened him?
No. It was a comeback.
It didn't mean anything.
Really?
What do you want me to do, lie and
pretend that Roger was my friend?
I'm telling you the truth.
I want this solved
as much as you do.
Then why don't you give us
something we can use, huh?
I'm trying to. Well, then try
a little harder, Miss Brooks.
What does this club
have to do with this murder?
Everything.
So this was about
three weeks ago, right?
What happened next?
[ Taylor ] I felt badly
that Ethan wasn't selected.
I knew he was angry, but...
I wanted to see if our
relationship was worth salvaging.
I didn't know that you could
cook. A girl has other means.
Looks delicious.
You didn't
have to do all this.
Just wanted a chance for us
to spend some time together...
alone.
I thought we were
losing this.
I think we need to figure
out where we stand,
but I don't wanna lose this.
I don't wanna lose us.
[ Knocking ]
[ Sighs ]
[ Groans ]
Okay. I'll be right back. Yeah.
Mr. Lloyd.
Miss Brooks.
Your attendance
is requested at the tomb.
Is this a problem for you? No.
Taylor, what's going on?
- Hey, Roger.
- Ethan.
Well, Miss Brooks?
Ethan--
Yeah, sure.
I do apologize, Ethan.
After all, I should be having
this conversation with you.
Yeah.
We're leaving now.
Let me say good-bye.
I said now.
When you're called,
you drop everything.
A Skull above any other.
A Skull above any other.
[ Man ] Miss Brooks, please join
the others in the center of the room.
- [ Softly ] Hey, guys.
- Silence!
[ Softly ] He yelled at me
too. I'm Brian, by the way.
Gentlemen,
kneel down before us.
It's time to go down
the rabbit hole, gentlemen,
if you're ready.
I'm Nathan Lloyd,
class of 1975.
On behalf of
the Order of the Skulls,
I welcome you.
But before we can trust you
with our secrets,
you must first
show your trust in us.
Each of you will drink from the glass
that has been placed in front of you.
With this drink,
you will die.
Your soul will be cleansed,
and you will be reborn.
Faith, gentlemen.
Give us yours,
and you will forever
have ours.
[ Loud Thud ]
Stand up and shed the
last symbols of your old life.
Remove your clothes.
Stand up!
Hesitate and you'll never
see this place again.
All right, boys.
You heard the man.
No time to be shy.
Now or never, guys.
[ Candidates Groaning ]
- Whoa.
- You okay? You all right?
[ Nathan ] You have
all been found worthy...
and have accepted
our invitation.
You all come
from different backgrounds,
but you will all be equal
in our order.
This is just the beginning of
what we call the revealing process.
Over the next 14 days, you
will undergo a series of trials...
to prove your worthiness.
Prepare to be tested.
Sleep tight.
[ Wind Whistling ]
[ Pounding ]
[ Panting ]
[ Gasps ]
Where the hell are we?
Is everyone okay? You
all right? Yeah. You?
Oh. I'm freezing.
You okay?
Let's get these robes on.
Everybody all right?
[ Beeping ]
Here's something. Look at this.
We got a note.
Check it out, man.
And some kind of timer.
What's it say?
"You have all now
been reborn.
This is your first step toward
becoming members of the society."
Whoo! Yeah!
"Your next step
is to find your way home.
Do so before time runs out
or your journey will end here.
You must come as one
or do not come at all."
- Where the hell are we, anyway?
- We need to find a road or a river or something.
Something we can follow to
guide us. What do you say?
Let's go. Wait. Taylor.
Wh-Where's Taylor?
Taylor.
She's not here. Good.
Maybe they had her cremated.
[ All Chuckling ]
Hey, geniuses, don't you get it? We're
supposed to do everything together as a team.
This must be
part of the test.
Help me find her. You two check
back there, the rest of you spread out.
Taylor!
Taylor!
Taylor, where are you?
Come on, Taylor.
Let's go.
Taylor, are you out there?
Come on!
Let me out! Hey.
Let me out! Taylor?
Let me out!
[ Grunting ]
Hey, guys, let me out!
I'm down here!
Hey. See anything?
Nothing. Damn it!
We're running out of time.
Gather everyone back at the clearing.
I'm gonna circle around one more time.
Okay.
[ Grunts ]
Okay. Calm down, Taylor.
This is just a test.
Calm down. Think.
Yeah. Yeah.
You can do this.
[ Grunting ]
[ Coffin Lid Creaking ]
Guys, I'm in here!
Taylor! All right.
Come on back, guys!
[ Grunting ]
[ Loud Grunt ]
Taylor?
Brian! Over here.
You okay?
Yeah.
You?
Yeah.
Where's everybody else? They're
waiting for us. Here. Put this on.
Thanks.
Can we just
get the hell outta here?
You know we're gonna
end up baby-sitting her.
Who cares? It's not like she stands a chance
of surviving the revealing process anyway.
I really wish you guys would stop
talking about me behind my back.
Hey, don't worry about it.
Anybody know what's next?
We've got 20 minutes
to get back to the tomb,
and the problem is
we don't know where we are.
Sure we do.
This is East Rock Park.
No, actually, we're on
the other side of town.
This is West Rock Park.
How do you know that?
Different trees.
Plus, I don't hear a river,
and East Rock has a river.
- Different trees?
- She's a botanist.
[ Men Chuckling ] I
run here all the time.
If I'm right, there's a cemetery
about a quarter mile down that way.
These woods run all the way into the
city. They connect with Edgewood Park.
[ Scoffs ] Are you
kidding me? Come on.
Which leads us right back
to campus. Yeah. Let's go.
We're gonna listen to her?
Yeah, let's go.
Come on! Hustle! Let's go!
Come on, guys! We're gonna
make it. Hey! Open up! We made it!
And with two minutes
to spare.
Glad to see
you found your way.
All of you.
Don't sound
so disappointed, Roger.
We chose you because we
expect you to succeed.
We expect you
to pass every test.
And as my son said,
all of you.
Please, join us inside.
Let's get in there.
All right. Let's go.
Hey. I, uh-- I just wanted to say I
was really impressed back there.
Thanks. You're the only one who
seems willing to give me a chance.
The other guys
will come around.
Oh, I'm not so sure
about that.
You're gonna make 'em
come around.
That's some pretty sick shit,
them burying you alive like that.
I mean,
somebody could get hurt.
That's the point.
They wanna test your loyalties,
make sure you understand.
Understand what?
That they were in control
of your lives now?
Is that what
you were going to say?
Something like that.
[ Taylor] They make you give
them control. Take your mark.
They demand your trust.
[ Starter Gun Fires ]
[Pop]
[ Woman ]
Everything
Seems to be changing
[ Speaking, Indistinct ]
Uh, points that
we'll be covering, um--
[ Continues ]
What goes through
your mind
[ Taylor] And for those two
weeks, you don't have a choice.
[ Continues ]
But they also make sure to show
you what kind of rewards are waiting.
Of course, not all the
rewards were equal.
Everything
Seems to be changing
[ Fades ]
[ Yawns ]
[ Groans ]
[ Speakers: Loud Rock ]
Veronica!
[ Groans ]
[ Volume Decreases ]
Hey. You're already up?
Mmm.
I never got to sleep.
Oh.
Secret Skulls activities?
Details.
Come on, V. You know
I can't talk about that.
Well, I hope whatever
they put you through...
wasn't half as bad
as what we did to our girls.
Mmm. I'm sure it was horrible.
You have no idea.
Anyways,
I'm gonna get some coffee.
Don't forget you gotta meet your
dad for breakfast this morning.
Oh, no.
[ Exhales Deeply ]
Morning, Dad.
You're late.
Sorry.
We were out all night. Is that
supposed to be an excuse?
I thought you'd understand. I
mean, you know how hard this is.
When we talked last week--
That was before the general membership
started calling me at all hours of the night.
Well, don't worry, Dad.
I don't expect you to defend me.
In fact, I don't expect
anything from you.
Don't make me out
to be the bad guy.
I admire
your initiative, Taylor,
but this isn't the local country
club we're talking about.
Our rules have always superseded
those of the outside world.
And there--
A lot of very powerful men do not want
to see those rules challenged or changed.
Wasn't it you that taught me never
to back down from a challenge?
You listen to me,
young lady.
You're just lucky that Nathan
Lloyd is head of the council.
He's the one who told Dean Law ton
to tap you, and only as a courtesy to me.
Well, I don't really care
who made the decision or why.
I'm the one
who chose to do this.
And I'll do it
with or without your support.
I just assumed I'd have it.
Taylor--
I'm gonna go get some sleep...
before I say something
we'll both regret.
Sit down, Miss Brooks.
[ Sighs ]
You can go home
when I tell you to.
- I need a break.
- Look, you've got to keep going, Taylor.
You gotta help me here.
Yeah, come on, Taylor.
Help us out here.
'Cause right now...
I got a kid downstairs
with his head bashed in...
and we'd like to know
how that happened.
So maybe you can
get to that part, huh?
You've gotta understand
how it was.
That's what you want,
isn't it? Of course it is.
Listen, it sounds like you
were under a lot of pressure.
Having just gone through
initiation, your relationship shaky.
Your dad not
supporting you, it...
must've been hard.
I was handling it.
[ Brian ]
Hey, Taylor.
Hey. Taylor.
It's been a crazy
couple of weeks, huh?
That's one way to put it. I
can barely stay awake in class.
I stopped trying. This morning I
passed out in Latin American Fiction.
Who do you have? Cooper?
Uh-huh. Mr. Excitement.
I think he took it personally.
At least you got some rest.
Hey, you wanna grab a coffee?
Only if it's a really big cup.
I'm kinda like you, in a way.
I wasn't supposed to
get tapped by the Skulls.
What do you mean?
Well, let's call it
a conspicuous lack of breeding,
at least by the Skulls'
lofty standards.
Lower middle-class family,
raised by my mom.
Don't ask about my dad,
'cause I don't know.
Mmm. I'm sorry.
No, uh, my mom was great.
I'm not ashamed of where I came from.
Not at all. Its just, um-- [ Chuckles ]
It's just a little different
from the Skulls.
Nathan Lloyd
kinda helped me along.
Seriously? Yeah. My
mom works for his company.
I interned in his office
last summer.
Wow.
You must've impressed him.
[ Laughs ]
Yeah. I don't know.
I got the impression that Roger and he didn't
really have the best relationship, you know?
Anyways, I've never had anyone
like a father figure looking out for me.
It's Kinda cool.
What about you? After everything
you've been through, is it still worth it?
I don't know yet.
[ Chuckles ]
I started this to prove
something to my father.
I guess we're all
looking for that approval.
But now-- now I think I'm
trying to prove it to myself.
Hmm. Yeah.
I know what you mean.
So how's Ethan?
I mean, uh, you two are--
are together, right?
I'm not sure anymore.
He's pretty angry,
and I can't blame him.
That's too bad.
Well, when this is over,
we'll see what happens.
Right now, I'm more
concerned about tonight.
Should be an adventure,
whatever it is.
You've all come a long way
in the last two weeks.
Here it is, gentlemen.
Your final test.
"A key to the tomb
has been lost,
swallowed by the great blue
serpent and hidden within its bowels.
Look for the sign which impales
its back and you will find the key,
but it will take
all of you to lift it."
What the hell does
that mean? A riddle.
- Actually, it's pretty easy.
- Oh, well, please do enlighten us.
[ Chattering ]
Bingo.
[ Brian ] The river's the blue
serpent. The buoy impales the river.
And the key
is in its bowels.
So this thing's
underwater?
Come on. Check it out.
Come on.
Six levers.
Plus someone needs to
go in and retrieve the key.
- I'll do it, if you'll pull me out.
- Deal.
Let's get the guys.
[ Grunting ]
- [ Grunts ]
- [ Grunting ]
[ Grunting ]
[ Grunting ]
- [ Gasps ]
- We wait up here?
[ Grunts ]
[ Gasps ]
Got the key?
We need the key.
Where's Taylor?
Taylor!
I gotta go back down and get
her. Well, let's go back down.
[ Gasps ]
She got it!
She got the key!
[ Men Cheering ]
[ Nathan ]
Congratulations, gentlemen.
And to you, Miss Brooks.
This is the end
of the revealing process.
You will now receive
your own key to this tomb.
You will also receive
a rule book.
Study it.
It is the key to a successful and
rewarding life within our order.
We live by the rules.
[ All ]
We die by the rules.
Trust no one with these secrets
but a member of the Order.
Tell no one what you see
and hear within these walls.
No outsider shall ever know
the work of the Order...
or the composition
of our membership.
Always remember,
a Skull above any other.
Now,
if you will all present
your left wrist,
there is one final ordeal.
The pain you're about
to feel is temporary.
But the mark is forever...
and you will bear it as has
every Skull before you...
and as will
every Skull to come.
Be silent as you endure.
[ Sizzles ]
[ Grunts Softly ]
[ Knocking ]
Dad.
Can I come in?
Something wrong?
No.
I'm here to deliver
this, and, uh,
I wanted to see
how you were doing.
Oh. Well, it's still sore,
but it'll be all right.
Listen, Taylor, when you
told me what you were doing,
I-- I misunderstood.
Nathan Lloyd says you handled
the revealing process admirably.
[ Chuckles ]
And you're surprised?
I know I shouldn't be.
Taylor, I don't know
when or--
Or why I turned away
from you.
I certainly
never meant to.
Sam's death just--
I know. Dad--
There were things I just--
I didn't want to admit.
I pushed him to do something
he didn't wanna do,
to be something
that he wasn't.
And when I found out
what you were trying to do,
it brought everything back.
Made me look at some things
that I did not want to see.
I have been
so unfair to you.
Dad--
I wanna fix that.
Start again.
Well, I'd like that too.
Besides, if, um--
If anyone's daughter is gonna be the first
woman in the Skulls, it better be mine.
This is for you.
I'll see you tonight.
Tonight?
What's tonight?
Well, I guess you'll just
have to show up and find out.
[ Female Officer ]
This was yesterday?
Yes.
So why don't you just
tell us what happened.
I mean, what the hell
is this all about?
[ Female Officer ]
Taylor.
I think I should talk to
my father. Excuse me?
From this point on,
it gets confusing.
I just need to see him.
Taylor, we've got to know what
happened. You can tell us. But I can't.
Not exactly.
Bullshit, you can't.
You won't.
- Either you killed this kid or you know who did.
- No.
- Either way, It comes back to you.
- It's not true!
It's not true.
Then what is true?
I don't know.
I think you do know, but we can't help
you unless you tell us what's going on.
Goddamn it, I am sick of
this little dance, Miss Brooks.
We know he didn't die
in the alley.
We also know that his body was placed
there to make it look like a mugging.
You were with him
last night, weren't you?
Weren't you?
No.
No! Please!
[ Door Opens ]
Wrap it up, guys.
[ Male Officer ] What are
you talkin' about, Captain?
These gentlemen represent Miss Brooks,
and since we have no reason to hold her--
No reason?
That's right, Detective.
Thank you for your cooperation,
Miss Brooks. You're free to leave.
Who called the lawyers?
Does it matter?
Goddamn it.
[ Door Closes ]
Taylor!
Hey.
Sorry it took so long.
I trust you didn't...
reveal too much.
About the Skulls,
you mean? Yeah.
Don't worry. Hey, come
on. I'll give you a lift.
No. Thanks.
I gather your father's
pretty distraught.
It's understandable,
isn't it?
Dad?
Dad?
[ Phone Beeps ]
Sweetheart.
Dad, you have to believe
I had nothing to do with this.
I do.
Of course I do.
But what did happen?
I'm still not sure.
[ Taylor] After you dropped
off the invitation yesterday,
we were all taken
to Nathan Lloyd's estate.
Okay, now we're talkin'.
We have arrived.
We have arrived.
Wow. This place is
fantastic. [ Men Laughing ]
Gentlemen, if you'll head
inside, the staff will get you settled.
Miss Brooks, we have other
accommodations for you.
Follow me.
I hope you don't mind
staying out here by yourself.
This really
isn't necessary.
Yes, well--
Actually, it is.
I figured you spent
the last two weeks...
proving that you could, uh,
compete in our male world.
The least we can do is show you
that we still know how to treat a lady.
Now, the boys are sharing
rooms in the main house,
and we just wanted to offer you
a little privacy. Well, thank you.
I've got some work to take
care of up at the house.
The government bid? Is
there anything I can do to help?
No, thanks.
I've got somebody on it.
But you could make sure that
the caterer gets his check this time.
I'd appreciate that.
Of course.
See you later.
The reception starts in
one hour. I'll see you then.
Formal?
[ Soft Jazz ]
[ Man ]
Some say the stars
Are out tonight
So we can dance all night
It's feeling right
To get to know you
[ No Audible Dialogue ]
The moonlight dwells on
Sunny days
You know the way it glows
Just goes to show
That life adores you
Though it seems
We're dancing on rainbows
Like a firefly
That love cannot hide
And though we feel
We're dancing in sin
We're just dancing alone
I Continues |
Ethan.
I'm over here.
Ethan, what
are you doing here?
I got your message.
What are you talking about?
Your e-mail. You told me
to meet you here.
Taylor,
are you out here?
There's a coach house out front.
Wait for me, but stay out of sight.
I'll be there
as soon as I can.
What are you doing out here?
Just getting some fresh air.
Is that a problem? My father
wanted to see you inside.
I Continues |
The sun is out
It shines on you
It's not a secret now
No more than it was
The day I met
You
The day I met
You
Ethan?
I'm right here.
What's going on?
You tell me. I can't believe
you'd come here like this.
Hey, you're the one
who asked me, remember?
What is this, some
bullshit Skulls prank?
Invite Ethan here
and rub his face in it?
No. I never sent any--
[ Clears Throat ]
What's wrong?
I don't know. I don't--
I don't feel too good.
Great. You have
too much to drink?
Come on. You need to
lie down. I'll help you.
[ Moans |
[ Coughs ]
Ethan?
Ethan?
Ethan?
Ethan, this isn't funny.
Where are you?
Who are you looking for?
What's going on, Taylor?
Someone else here?
No.
Yes. It's Ethan.
He was here last night.
I can't believe this.
You brought him here?
This is supposed to be a private
event. Goddamn it, Taylor, it's sacred!
I didn't invite him.
He just showed up.
Yeah, well, I guess you didn't
make him leave either. Where is he?
I'm not sure.
There was blood.
What? Where?
In the coach house,
on the door.
[ Door Hinge Creaking ]
You okay?
I don't know what happened. I-I can't
remember anything from last night.
My head is pounding. I just--
I don't know. Oh, my God.
What is it?
Ethan?
Ethan? Ethan?
No, don't touch him.
Oh, my God.
We have to call 9-1-1.
We-We have to do something.
No, it's too late.
Take her to the house.
[ Sobs ]
Ethan.
[ Chattering ]
[ Sobbing ]
Martin, clearly the Rawlings boy
must have come on too strong.
Taylor, I'm sure, was
merely defending herself.
Is that what it was?
Was it self-defense?
No, it wasn't
self-defense.
I didn't do this.
It's the only thing
that makes sense.
Because if it was self-defense,
then we can go to the police.
Of course.
Of course, the other side is,
it'd be very difficult to prove.
And, Martin, you're looking
at a run for the Senate.
The press will be
all over this thing...
before Taylor could even
put up a defense.
How can we, uh,
make this go away?
This is why we belong
to the Order.
I can have this taken care
of, if that's what you want.
Yes. That's what I want.
No. No.
I-I didn't do this.
I didn't do this.
Don't you understand?
I mean, we have to
find out who did.
Taylor, you don't
even remember.
We have to protect you.
We have to
protect ourselves.
Take her home.
I'll handle it.
[ Female Officer ]
We're looking for Taylor Brooks.
[ Taylor Narrating ] After you
took me home this morning,
didn't take long before
the detectives showed up.
[ No Audible Dialogue ]
I wanted
to tell them everything.
I started to. But when it came time
to talk about last night, I couldn't do it.
Then the lawyers were there.
And Roger Lloyd.
What is it?
- Nathan called.
- When?
About 20 minutes ago,
just before you got home.
I saw the news coverage,
finding his body in an alley.
You're sure there's no way the
police can connect this with her?
There's nothing to worry about. She says
she didn't do it, Nathan, and I believe her.
Isn't there some way that
we can-- Think about it, Martin.
There was no forced entry.
You saw how hung over she was this morning,
and she can't even remember what happened.
And the blood.
I know.
I know.
I'm gonna go all the way on this
for you and your daughter, Martin.
But I need
something in return.
What is it?
My company has submitted
a bid under seal to Congress.
It's being considered
by the military.
The procurement subcommittee, the committee
that you chair. Nathan, we've been through this.
Martin, you know that I want--
I deserve to be
the sole provider...
of cellular and wireless
technology to the military.
How can you take advantage
of this situation?
You owe me at least
this much, Congressman!
A Skull above any other.
Remember that?
Because you seem to have forgotten it
last month when I first submitted this bid!
We can't just blindly support each other
and ignore the potential consequences.
Isn't that exactly
what I've been doing?
One way or another, your
daughter is responsible for this mess,
and I have taken care
of it for you.
Now, can I count on your
support when I need it?
You'll have my support.
[ Beeps ]
[ Taylor ]
How much is the contract worth?
[ Father ]
Billions.
Billions.
Dad, don't you see?
This is all a setup.
They want you to think I'm
guilty so that you'll cooperate.
- We have to go back to the police.
- And tell them what?
Don't you see?
Whether or not you did this
doesn't matter.
All that matters is they can sure
as hell make it look as if you did.
Your life will be ruined and so will
mine. What are we gonna do then?
- Just let 'em get away with it?
- I don't know, Taylor!
I don't know.
For now, just go back to school.
Go back to swimming.
We will carry on with our normal
routines. We will put this behind us.
I have to fly out tonight.
There's a vote in Washington.
Taylor, let the Skulls
handle this.
It is the only way.
Okay, everybody out!
Richardson,
go pee in a cup.
That's you, McCauley.
What's going on?
That time of the month.
N.C.A.A. testing.
- Hey, Taylor?
- Yeah.
Come into my office
when you're done.
Hi. Come on in.
Have a seat.
What's going on? This is
Dr. Franks from the N.C.A.A.
She's in charge of drug testing.
Yeah, we met. We know you're
dealing with a personal tragedy.
Frankly, I was surprised
to see you today.
Sometimes, swimming is the
best way for me to deal with stress.
Have you taken anything?
Xanax? Valium?
Some kind of sedative you
didn't report on the questionnaire?
You know,
maybe help you sleep.
No, I haven't
taken anything.
I'm not lying.
Why would I?
That's the thing, Taylor.
We believe you.
Sometimes
with female athletes,
we find something
that raises a flag.
You had traces of a drug class known
as Benzodiazepine in your system.
Now, if it's not from medication,
then this particular drug signature,
it could be indicative
of Rohypnol.
That's the "date rape" drug,
Taylor.
I appreciate the concern,
but nothing like that happened.
There's been no time
over the last few days...
where you went out drinking, woke up disoriented,
couldn't remember the previous night?
Anything like that?
No.
Do you need
to take some time off?
Sure.
Maybe a couple days.
Taylor.
You have to speak out
to protect yourself.
You don't have
to be a victim.
Yeah. Thanks.
We are gathered here today
to mourn the passing...
and to celebrate the life
of Ethan Rawlings.
[ Man ] I've never noticed the ceilings
were so low [ Continues, Indistinct ]
I never saw
the cracks on the window
I never saw myself
as sentimental
But here I go
Without you
I've been standing
round you like a statue
Laying on the floor
thinking about you
Talk to myself
like the crazies do
Otherwise, I'm great
What about you
What about you
What about you
That was a lovely service,
wasn't it?
Look, if there's anything
you need, we're here for you.
I'd just like
to be left alone.
Don't make us
your enemy, Taylor.
Is that a threat, Roger?
It's a strong suggestion.
Well, I have a suggestion for
you. Stay the hell away from me.
Look, you wanna find out what
we can really do, keep pushing.
You want a threat?
Try this.
We have the dress
and the murder weapon.
That's right-- the glass
sculpture from the coach house.
And guess what, Taylor? It
has your fingerprints all over it.
So unless you want
the police to find it,
you better step your ass
back in line.
You're either with us or you're
against us. There is no middle ground.
Hey.
Is everything okay?
Everything's fine.
I thought you might need
a ride home.
Thank you.
Brian, I just want you to
know how much I appreciate--
I mean, with
everything that's happened--
You don't have to say anything.
I'm glad I could be here.
Brian?
It's you.
Oh, my God.
They've been watching
me all this time. Taylor.
They set me up.
This picture at the track with Ethan?
That was before we were even tapped.
They knew he was at the party.
How could they know?
They probably have
pictures of all of us.
How can you make
excuses for them?
They drugged me, Brian.
Ethan's dead.
And they're threatening to pin it on me
unless my father gives Lloyd what he wants.
These pictures are just
to make sure I get the point.
Look, I'm not making excuses.
It's just if you challenge them--
I can't just walk through life
and pretend this never happened.
It's better than spending
the rest of your life in jail.
I don't see any difference.
[ Camera Shutter Clicking ]
[ Taylor ] Hey!
Hey, you! Stop!
Who the hell was that?
I don't know.
But I'm pretty sure
I know who sent him.
I can't believe Nathan
Lloyd's involved in this.
Taylor, who's this?
Oh, no.
Let's go!
Veronica!
[ Door Closes ]
Veronica?
[ Teakettle Whistling ]
Veronica?
[ Screams ] What? [ Screams ]
[ Rock On Headphones ]
[ Sighs ]
- Are you okay?
- I'm fine. Why?
There's something we need
to talk about.
I'll get the kettle.
Poor Ethan.
I can't believe this.
Listen, V. Starting tomorrow, you should
go stay with someone else for a while.
Just-Just in case,
you know?
I don't see anyone out front.
You think
I might be in danger?
I think everyone around me
is in danger.
What are you gonna do?
I need to find some proof that
Roger and his father are behind all this.
I don't even know
where to start.
Well, what about the
e-mail? What about it?
Ethan told you
he got an e-mail, didn't he?
Yeah. Yeah, but I never
sent an e-mail.
Well, somebody did.
Obviously whoever took these pictures
knew he was gonna be at the party.
And they must've accessed your student
e-mail account to make it look authentic.
I'm not sure
how this helps.
If they used
your campus account,
we must be able to access the
message from the university server.
It's worth a try.
The library terminals are connected
directly to the campus server.
Lucky for you, not lucky for
me, I used to go out with a guy...
who worked in the
Computer Services office.
Anyway, it's good for a
free dinner now and then,
and things like the
university server's password.
Okay, here we go.
All e-mails sent using your account, no
matter what computer it was sent from.
There. That's the day of the
party. It's addressed to Ethan.
[ Taylor ] "Dear Ethan, So
sorry for the last two weeks.
We really need to talk. I can't deal with
the pressure from the Skulls anymore.
Please meet me tonight
at the Lloyd estate.
Wait for me at the back patio, and
be careful not to let anyone see you."
So Ethan thought
it was really from you.
But who sent it?
We don't know who, but we know
the address of their computer.
What do you mean
by address?
Well, every computer has a unique address
embedded into every outgoing e-mail.
It's called
an Internet protocol address.
So all you have to do is find the
computer that matches this number...
and you'll find out
who sent you the e-mail.
Here, I'll write it
down for you.
You're a genius, V.
Yeah, imagine that.
A sorority girl with a brain.
But the one thing I can't tell
you is where to find that computer.
We'll have to wait
until the morning,
but I have a pretty good idea
where to start looking.
But first, we have to stop
Lloyd from getting what he wants.
Taylor, the vote
is in an hour.
I've already called in
every favor I could...
to make sure that Lloyd's
company does get the contract.
Dad, if we don't stop them now,
neither one of us will ever be free.
Honey, I don't care
about myself anymore.
All I care about
is you, your future.
Don't worry about that.
I'm gonna find
the truth... somehow.
Look, if this hadn't happened, would
you be giving Lloyd this contract?
No, I wouldn't.
Why not?
Last month we lost an aircraft.
It was outfitted with communications
equipment from Lloyd's company.
There was no solid evidence,
but there was speculation...
that his components conflicted
with the guidance system...
and caused the plane
to crash.
Dad, if you give him this now,
what will he ask for next time?
Just make the right vote.
I'll deal with the consequences.
And just to be safe, we're
staying at the house tonight.
Taylor?
I'll talk to you later.
[ Dial Tone ]
[ Beeps ]
[ Chattering ]
[ Nathan ] It appears that Martin Brooks and
his daughter have decided to challenge us.
Gentlemen, slight change of
plans. Good evening, Martin.
It's time to give the police
what they're looking for.
[ Beeps ]
[ Sirens Wailing ]
Taylor!
Taylor, wake up.
What's going on? It's
the police. They're here.
Shit.
Something's happened.
- What do you wanna do?
- We have to get out of here.
If they take me now,
I'll never get to the truth.
Veronica, stall them
as long as you can.
[ Pounding On Door ] [ Male
Officer ] Open the door, now!
Uh, who is it?
Police. Open up.
Hang on. I'm not dressed.
[ Knocking ]
Hi. Can I help you?
Where's Taylor Brooks?
Oh, um, I haven't seen
her since last night.
And you are?
I'm Veronica Bell.
I'm her roommate.
Well, Veronica Bell, do you make a habit of
staying at her father's house without her?
Oh, he's out of town, so, you know, I
help out with various things and whatnot.
[ Male Officer ]
Valdez!
Looks like
we just missed her.
But our phone call's
legit.
Any idea why your roommate would
be hiding this in her closet, Miss Bell?
Slow down!
Taylor, hey!
You just ran away from the
police. You're a fugitive now.
I know.
I'm sorry for getting you into this.
If you wanna leave, I'll understand.
I'm in way too deep
to walk away now.
Thank you.
Let's go find
that computer.
Heads up.
[ Man Over Walkie-Talkie ] The
boss is on his way back. Copy that.
Okay, let's go.
We need to
distract her somehow.
[ Cell Phone Beeping ]
[ Phone Ringing ]
[ Maid ]
Hello? Lloyd residence.
Hello?
[ Roger ]
Okay, I got the computer now.
I won't let
anything happen to it.
Just get here
as fast as you can, okay?
We have to get
the computer.
I'll get it.
Be careful.
Brian. What are you doing?
I got it!
Hey!
Hold it!
Hold it, lady.
What the hell are you doing?
[ Groans ]
Give me the bag!
Okay!
- You okay?
- Yeah, fine. Come on. Let's go.
Oh, no, it's Lloyd.
Let's hide in here.
We need to get
the police now.
Well, we don't even know
if we have the right computer.
We will in a minute.
Anyway, it doesn't matter.
We're running out of time.
I think we should wait.
[ Cell Phone Ringing ]
Don't answer that.
[ Nathan ] Brian, I just
pulled in. Where are you?
Brian?
That was Nathan Lloyd.
And how did you know
about the key?
You're helping Lloyd.
You brought me here
on purpose.
[ Door Opens ]
Brian, what happened? You were supposed
to get her here without any major incident.
And I find Roger
on the dining room floor...
and my security man spitting
his teeth into a sink.
Well, Roger got here
first. He was taking-- I see.
Well, none of that
will matter now.
What are you going to do?
Kill me?
No. You're going
to kill yourself.
Tragically, in the same place
where you killed your boyfriend.
How could you do this?
You planned this
from the beginning.
It was all about getting
to my father, wasn't it?
[ Dialing ]
He forgot the first rule.
A Skull above any other.
And when he rejected
my initial bid,
I couldn't believe
the delicious irony...
of having his daughter
challenging us for a place.
You and your father
brought this on yourselves.
Why Ethan?
He didn't have anything
to do with this.
He was convenient.
Who did this?
I wanna know.
Was it you, Brian?
Was that your price? Did you
kill Ethan to get into the Skulls?
Actually, when it comes to important
matters, I prefer not to delegate.
[ Nathan ] Brian didn't have any
idea what he was getting himself into.
Whoa!
[ Groans ]
Oh, my God. No!
Help me! Brian!
Brian!
[ Blows Landing ]
[ Ethan Groaning ]
[ Nathan ] But Brian's a good and
loyal associate, and I appreciate that.
He's willing to do
whatever is necessary.
[ Roger ]
Unlike your son?
That's what you wanted
to say, isn't it?
You couldn't get me to go along with setting up
Taylor's father, so you asked Brian to do it?
Roger, I told you
to stay back at the house.
Yeah, well, I'm through
listening to you.
I'm sorry, Taylor.
I didn't know.
But we're getting out of here. I already called
the police. They're on their way right now.
The police will believe
what I tell them to believe.
Actually, you've already
told them quite a bit. Here.
Catch.
She dialed 9-1-1.
You stupid bitch.
Do you know who I am?
- Do you think I can't walk right out of this?
- No, you can't.
- [ Sirens Wailing ] - Mr. Lloyd,
we have to get out of here.
No, you stay put, Brian. We're
gonna walk away from this. Trust me.
Go ahead, Taylor.
Come on, go.
I'm not gonna let you
get away with this, Dad.
[ Sirens
Continue Wailing ]
- Brian, come back here!
- Hold it!
Hands on your head!
Walk towards me!
No!
[ Groaning ]
Oh, my God. Roger!
- Freeze!
- Detective, please, you have to listen to me!
Step aside, Taylor!
Get behind the car!
Put the gun down, Mr. Lloyd.
There's no need for you people.
This is an internal matter, and
I have it perfectly under control.
We can discuss this later, Mr. Lloyd.
I want you to drop the gun right now.
Oh, fine. Then I'll just
call your supervisors.
Taylor, come back inside.
- Come on.
- Drop the gun!
How dare you--
- Hold your fire!
- Hold your fire!
You all right, Miss Brooks? It
was all Lloyd. He killed Ethan.
I know. Roger called us. We
were already on our way over.
He's the one
who filled us in.
He's dead.
[ Male Officer,
Indistinct ]
[ Male Officer ]
I need an ambulance.
[ Male Officer ]
Shots fired.
Send me a forensics team.
[ Woman Over Radio ] 10-4.
[ Officer ]
Get in the car, kid.
Taylor.
Someone to see you.
Thank you
for what you did.
I don't deserve any thanks.
I came to apologize.
I'll leave
you two alone.
Uh, Taylor--
It wasn't your fault,
Roger.
I know that now.
You did the right thing
in the end.
If it wasn't for you--
I can't believe I waited my
entire life to become a Skull...
just to please
my father.
I never wanted to believe he could
be involved in something like this,
but I guess
I always knew.
And then he gave the
murder weapon to the police.
And when I overheard him
call Brian about the e-mail--
That's why I took the computer.
I knew he would destroy it.
Brian.
[ Chuckles ]
I still can't believe it.
I completely trusted him.
I guess he'll spend the rest
of his life in jail. For what?
The Skulls?
I also want you to know,
I actually admire the way
you fought your way in.
And especially the way
you fought your way out.
I could never
tell you that before.
I was too busy trying to play
the part my father expected.
I kinda know
how that works.
Is there any chance we
might end up being friends?
Are you still a Skull?
Then I'd say we're off
to a pretty good start.
How are you doing anyway?
I'm good. I'm good.
Do you wanna stay a while? I'm
sure we have a lot to talk about.
Yeah, that'd be nice.
Come on over.
How's your arm?
[ Woman Singing ] So
goes the best of us dreamers
I've got a map, got a road
without any signals
Make 'em as I go
Some never know what a
storm's like until you're in it
Some only stare
from a window
I wanna feel what it's
like when I stand in the rain
And it pours
To hear my very own sound
of my heart beating
That's what the thrill
really is
It's to never really know
Sometimes just to look
and never own
That's what the thrill
really is
It's a place
you've never gone
Sometimes it's a love
that went wrong
Maybe this world's gonna
throw me the good intentions
Whoever said it was easy
I'll take the wind in my face
and the consequences
And everything that goes
What's there to lose
In the end
I never want to regret
'cause you realize
That's what the thrill
really is
It's to never really know
Sometimes just to look
and never own
That's what the thrill
really is
It's a place
you've never gone
Sometimes it's a love
that went wrong
That's what the thrill
really is
It's the passion
of the heart
It's about everything
you've got
Got, got, got, got
There goes that part of me
Part of me, part of me
There goes that part of me
Part of me, part of me
That's what the thrill
really is
That's what the thrill
really is
That's what the thrill
really is
That's what the thrill
really is
That's what the thrill
really is
It's to never really know
Sometimes just to look
and never own
That's what the thrill
really is
It's a place
you've never gone
Sometimes it's a love
that went wrong
That's what the thrill
really is
It's the passion
of the heart
It's about everything
you've got
Got, got, got, got
There goes that part of me
Part of me, part of me
There goes that part of me
Part of me, part of me
That's what the thrill
really is
It's to never really know
Sometimes just to look
and never own
That's what the thrill
really is
It's the passion
of the heart
It's about everything
you've got
I got a map, got a road
without any signals
Make 'em as you go
[ Gasps ]
Taylor, it's me.
Sam.
No.
Taylor, stop!
It's all right!
You don't have to be afraid.
You cannot be here.
Why are you here?
Why, Sam? Why?
Dad misses you.
So do I.
It's okay.
I'm right here.
[ Screaming ]
Aaah!
[ Footsteps ]
Taylor?
Is there a point
to any of this?
A point?
Yeah.
What do you mean?
[ Scoffs ]
Come on. We're talking
about dreams here.
I know.
I'm trying to explain.
Let me explain
something to you.
As fascinating
and, well,
maybe relevant
as it is,
the fact that you had some
scary dream last month--
We are dealing with
a real-life homicide here.
So I would appreciate it if
you would indulge me and--
And just
stick to the facts...
and stop playing these
stupid little games, all right?
I'm not playing games.
I'm not
playing games.
I don't have to be here,
you know. I know my rights.
I got a dead college kid downstairs
who's got twice as many rights as you.
And I need some answers
and I need them now.
Tell it your way then.
Why is this dream so
important? I'd had it before.
Maybe a dozen times
in the past four years.
It was at
my father's house.
It's only a few miles
from campus,
so I stay there sometimes
when he's in town.
It was the anniversary
of Sam's death.
Sam was your brother?
He killed himself four years
ago. You found the body.
What were you,
a senior in high school?
Junior.
So if you've had this dream
a dozen times before,
why was that night
so important?
Because he never took
his hood off before.
I'd forgotten how terrible
it was when I found him.
[ Taylor] My dad and I had never
really discussed it before then.
Dad?
Hmm?
Do you remember the last thing
you and Sam talked about?
I mean,
did he say anything?
I know he was worried.
He wanted you
to be proud of him.
I was proud of him.
He was my son.
The last thing
we talked about was you.
About that watch you wear.
Taylor--
You wanted him
to be a Skull so badly.
Taylor,
this is inappropriate.
I only...
wanted him to experience
the same things I had.
When he didn't make it
through the initiation,
he thought he'd failed you.
He was a legacy.
If he had just...
tried a little harder.
He did try, Dad.
But I'm a legacy too.
Aren't 1?
Taylor, you know
what I meant.
I never loved you any less.
You know that.
I do know that.
I do.
But it was always different
with us. Wasn't it?
I'm sorry
if it seemed that way.
I just wish you could be the same
father to me that you were to him.
I wanna be.
Look.
I know you're flying back to
Washington tomorrow night,
but I've got a swim meet
in the afternoon...
if you're interested.
[ Air Horn Blows ]
[ Cheering ]
[ Starter Gun Fires ]
Great race.
Thank you, guys.
Thank you.
Congratulations.
Mmm. Glad somebody
cared enough to show up.
I wouldn't miss it.
Unless, of course,
you started losing.
I couldn't be seen hanging
out with a loser, right?
Ohh. Lucky I'm on
a winning streak then.
Mmm.
I know I'm lucky.
[ Man ]
Mr. Rawlings.
Roger--
I mean, Mr. Lloyd.
Roger's fine.
Do you have a moment?
Absolutely.
Great.
I'll be right back.
Okay?
Right. Don't let me
get in the way.
Come on, Taylor. He's a Skull.
They make their selections this week.
You know
how big this is?
Oh, yes. I know.
[ Cheering Continues ]
[ No Audible Dialogue ]
Hey, Roger.
I'm wondering, how many women
are you planning on tapping?
Excuse me?
I'm serious.
Are the Skulls actually going to
pick the best candidates this year,
or are you gonna go with the
same old batch of spoiled rich boys?
I wouldn't know
anything about it.
Although
from what I understand,
that particular organization
would really be...
none of your concern.
I'm just saying
it is the 21st century.
Maybe it's time you step into it, because
I'd certainly like to be considered.
Like I said, I have no idea
what you're talking about.
Well, perhaps we can finish
this conversation some other time.
[ Female Officer ]
Wait a minute.
This is the first time
you met Roger Lloyd?
No, it was the first time
I'd talked to him.
I'd seen him before--
in class, on campus.
And you didn't like him?
I didn't know him.
So you decided to get into a
confrontation with a guy you didn't know...
in front of
your boyfriend?
It was not a confrontation. But you were
upset that Roger and Ethan had excluded you.
I was upset that Ethan was
so desperate to impress Roger.
So he'd get picked
for the Skulls. Yes.
But he thought I'd
screwed things up for him.
What the hell was that about?
Just letting him know that I'm
interested in becoming a member.
Well, how about letting me know
first? Are you trying to ruin this for me?
No, Ethan.
Maybe I'm trying to
do something for myself.
Maybe I'm tired of being treated like a
second-class citizen just because I'm a woman.
What are you talking about?
The Skulls do not accept women.
End of story.
Join a sorority
if that's what you want.
Oh, gee.
Why didn't I think of that?
[ Sighs ] You cannot
be serious about this.
I thought you of all people
would want to support me.
I do support you
in everything.
But there's no way in hell you're
gonna get tapped by the Skulls,
so I don't know why
we're talking about this.
Neither do I.
I got a paper to write.
See you later.
[ Starter Gun Fires ]
[ Door Opens ]
I-I thought we agreed
we were gonna cut back...
on the whole, you know,
throwing-wet-bags-around thing.
So, do we have to play,
like, 20 Questions,
or can we skip right to the part
where you tell me what's wrong?
What else? Men.
Oh, I knew it.
Well, sounds like
a cookie-dough moment.
Bowls, or straight
from the container?
So you think
I should join a sorority?
Well, I just think it would be so
much fun if you pledged for me.
What? Oh, come on.
I'm this year's pledge chair.
We could have so much fun.
And I would totally take it easy on
you with the whole initiation thing.
I'm sorry,
but it's not the same.
Sororities are all about having
fun while you're in school.
And that's fine. I just
don't have time for that.
The Skulls are more about what
you do once you get out of here.
The Skulls?
Mm-hmm.
You're not serious.
Why does everybody say that?
Because it's true!
And why on Earth
would you even want to?
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't
envious of what they represent.
The money, the power.
If it weren't for them,
my father never would--
No way.
Your dad's a Skull?
Veronica, I did not say that.
You did not hear me say that.
Really. This isn't something
you can talk about.
So you're saying they got
him elected to Congress.
It didn't hurt.
Mm-hmm.
It's not just about that.
It's about the way he sees me.
He wanted it so badly
for my brother.
I mean--
Anyway, I thought if I could
make it happen for me,
if there was any way
I could become a Skull,
maybe it'd help him
get over Sam.
Maybe he'd finally see me as
more than just his fragile daughter.
Well, unless you plan
on growing a penis,
you're not getting in.
It's just so wrong that
they can get away with that.
There ought a be a law.
You know what?
You're right.
Hi. Can you tell me where
the Title 9 legislation books are?
Third aisle, center
shelf. Okay. Thanks.
[ Woman ] I might
bend, but I won't break
Mm-hmm
Spinning 'round
I hit the ground
I look back up to see
Well, nothing's changed
It's all the same
Why can't we all
Just be happy
Can't you see I'm tryin'
We should just
Take it all away
Before it is too late
Ohh
I will try
I might lose,
but I will try
'Cause at least I said
I did it
When you see
the price you pay
Then maybe we might change
Ohh
Why can't we all
Just be happy
Can't you see I'm tryin'
Dean Lawton?
Dean Lawton?
Sorry to bother you,
but I'd like to file a discrimination
complaint against a campus organization.
That's a serious charge,
Ms.--
Brooks.
Taylor Brooks.
You father is Congressman
Martin Brooks? Yes, sir.
Then I'll trust you have
a legitimate grievance.
Yes, sir, I do.
This particular group has been allowed
to operate on campus for far too long...
without being held accountable
for its gender-bias policies.
They're about to
select new members,
and I'd like to challenge
that selection process.
- And who did you say this group is?
- The Skulls.
[ Chuckles ]
At this point,
I'm hoping this is a joke.
No, sir, it's not.
I've written down my arguments.
Come to my office
at noon tomorrow.
Yes, sir.
Thank you!
Hey!
You mind if I join you?
Not exactly dressed for it.
Yeah, I know.
Can we stop?
I just had a water break.
How about
an apology break?
[ Sighs ]
Look, Taylor,
the other day with Roger--
I was a jerk.
I'm sorry.
Well, I appreciate
the apology.
But I'm not gonna just pretend
like it didn't happen.
Plan on doing
a lot of groveling.
[ Chuckles ]
[ Sighs ]
I filed a complaint
with the dean.
- You did what?
- Yeah.
You're gonna try
and force them to tap you?
Or other
equally-qualified women.
Equal-- [ Chuckles ] I can't
believe I'm hearing this.
Forgot about that apology
pretty quickly.
Look, I know you have this thing with your dad
and you want to prove something to him. Fine.
Why does it have to be
this? Why shouldn't it be this?
Because you're gonna mess it
up for other people. You mean you.
Yes, I mean me.
Look, Taylor, Roger Lloyd
all but promised me a spot.
If you piss him off,
I can forget about it.
I'm meeting with the dean
at noon tomorrow.
[ Sighs ] I'll call you, let
you know how it goes.
This is bullshit.
- Let go of me.
- Look--
Let go of my arm, Ethan.
I'm not doing this to hurt you.
But I'm not gonna back down.
[ Scoffs ]
I'm sorry.
Miss Brooks,
have a seat.
Thank you.
Why don't we get right
down to it? You have the floor.
As of last year, every other
male-only society on campus...
had opened its doors
to women.
I think it's time
the Skulls do the same.
But if the Skulls were like every other
society, we wouldn't be here, would we?
After all, isn't it our very uniqueness
that makes membership so valuable?
Yes. Yes, it is, but--
"Our" uniqueness?
[ Sighs ]
Then why have this meeting?
[ Sighs ]
Why even waste your time?
Because I'm interested
in what you have to say.
Your statement claims that
we're in violation of federal law.
But since we neither receive
funding from the university...
nor utilize its facilities,
what compels us
to obey its rules?
Actually,
an argument could be made...
that the Skulls headquarters
is a campus facility,
and therefore
the organization must comply...
with all
gender-equality legislation.
The tomb is built by the Skulls and is maintained
by the Skulls, entirely at our own expense.
That may be.
But as these documents show,
the tomb is built
on university property.
The land was leased
to the Skulls in 1793...
for the sum
of one dollar per year.
The lease was prepaid
for 250 years,
which means that the land belongs
to the school until the year 2043.
Fine. We'll buy the
land. The lease is binding.
It cannot be broken,
not even for a sale.
That building is
on school property.
Any organization using it and
any activities taking place within it...
must be open
to both men and women.
This can't be legitimate.
Well played, Miss Brooks.
Your time in the library
paid off.
I warned the council
that you might find this.
I also told them
if you did,
I would have no choice
but to extend my hand...
and grant your wish.
What?
You can't do this.
The decision has
already been made.
Miss Brooks will be tapped.
After all,
she is a legacy.
Thank you.
Hey!
A word to the wise,
Miss Brooks.
You should savor
this little moment of victory,
because your life's
about to become a living hell.
As long as I'm around,
you'll never become a Skull.
Now that's
an interesting offer.
Are you saying
you threatened him?
No. It was a comeback.
It didn't mean anything.
Really?
What do you want me to do, lie and
pretend that Roger was my friend?
I'm telling you the truth.
I want this solved
as much as you do.
Then why don't you give us
something we can use, huh?
I'm trying to. Well, then try
a little harder, Miss Brooks.
What does this club
have to do with this murder?
Everything.
So this was about
three weeks ago, right?
What happened next?
[ Taylor ] I felt badly
that Ethan wasn't selected.
I knew he was angry, but...
I wanted to see if our
relationship was worth salvaging.
I didn't know that you could
cook. A girl has other means.
Looks delicious.
You didn't
have to do all this.
Just wanted a chance for us
to spend some time together...
alone.
I thought we were
losing this.
I think we need to figure
out where we stand,
but I don't wanna lose this.
I don't wanna lose us.
[ Knocking ]
[ Sighs ]
[ Groans ]
Okay. I'll be right back. Yeah.
Mr. Lloyd.
Miss Brooks.
Your attendance
is requested at the tomb.
Is this a problem for you? No.
Taylor, what's going on?
- Hey, Roger.
- Ethan.
Well, Miss Brooks?
Ethan--
Yeah, sure.
I do apologize, Ethan.
After all, I should be having
this conversation with you.
Yeah.
We're leaving now.
Let me say good-bye.
I said now.
When you're called,
you drop everything.
A Skull above any other.
A Skull above any other.
[ Man ] Miss Brooks, please join
the others in the center of the room.
- [ Softly ] Hey, guys.
- Silence!
[ Softly ] He yelled at me
too. I'm Brian, by the way.
Gentlemen,
kneel down before us.
It's time to go down
the rabbit hole, gentlemen,
if you're ready.
I'm Nathan Lloyd,
class of 1975.
On behalf of
the Order of the Skulls,
I welcome you.
But before we can trust you
with our secrets,
you must first
show your trust in us.
Each of you will drink from the glass
that has been placed in front of you.
With this drink,
you will die.
Your soul will be cleansed,
and you will be reborn.
Faith, gentlemen.
Give us yours,
and you will forever
have ours.
[ Loud Thud ]
Stand up and shed the
last symbols of your old life.
Remove your clothes.
Stand up!
Hesitate and you'll never
see this place again.
All right, boys.
You heard the man.
No time to be shy.
Now or never, guys.
[ Candidates Groaning ]
- Whoa.
- You okay? You all right?
[ Nathan ] You have
all been found worthy...
and have accepted
our invitation.
You all come
from different backgrounds,
but you will all be equal
in our order.
This is just the beginning of
what we call the revealing process.
Over the next 14 days, you
will undergo a series of trials...
to prove your worthiness.
Prepare to be tested.
Sleep tight.
[ Wind Whistling ]
[ Pounding ]
[ Panting ]
[ Gasps ]
Where the hell are we?
Is everyone okay? You
all right? Yeah. You?
Oh. I'm freezing.
You okay?
Let's get these robes on.
Everybody all right?
[ Beeping ]
Here's something. Look at this.
We got a note.
Check it out, man.
And some kind of timer.
What's it say?
"You have all now
been reborn.
This is your first step toward
becoming members of the society."
Whoo! Yeah!
"Your next step
is to find your way home.
Do so before time runs out
or your journey will end here.
You must come as one
or do not come at all."
- Where the hell are we, anyway?
- We need to find a road or a river or something.
Something we can follow to
guide us. What do you say?
Let's go. Wait. Taylor.
Wh-Where's Taylor?
Taylor.
She's not here. Good.
Maybe they had her cremated.
[ All Chuckling ]
Hey, geniuses, don't you get it? We're
supposed to do everything together as a team.
This must be
part of the test.
Help me find her. You two check
back there, the rest of you spread out.
Taylor!
Taylor!
Taylor, where are you?
Come on, Taylor.
Let's go.
Taylor, are you out there?
Come on!
Let me out! Hey.
Let me out! Taylor?
Let me out!
[ Grunting ]
Hey, guys, let me out!
I'm down here!
Hey. See anything?
Nothing. Damn it!
We're running out of time.
Gather everyone back at the clearing.
I'm gonna circle around one more time.
Okay.
[ Grunts ]
Okay. Calm down, Taylor.
This is just a test.
Calm down. Think.
Yeah. Yeah.
You can do this.
[ Grunting ]
[ Coffin Lid Creaking ]
Guys, I'm in here!
Taylor! All right.
Come on back, guys!
[ Grunting ]
[ Loud Grunt ]
Taylor?
Brian! Over here.
You okay?
Yeah.
You?
Yeah.
Where's everybody else? They're
waiting for us. Here. Put this on.
Thanks.
Can we just
get the hell outta here?
You know we're gonna
end up baby-sitting her.
Who cares? It's not like she stands a chance
of surviving the revealing process anyway.
I really wish you guys would stop
talking about me behind my back.
Hey, don't worry about it.
Anybody know what's next?
We've got 20 minutes
to get back to the tomb,
and the problem is
we don't know where we are.
Sure we do.
This is East Rock Park.
No, actually, we're on
the other side of town.
This is West Rock Park.
How do you know that?
Different trees.
Plus, I don't hear a river,
and East Rock has a river.
- Different trees?
- She's a botanist.
[ Men Chuckling ] I
run here all the time.
If I'm right, there's a cemetery
about a quarter mile down that way.
These woods run all the way into the
city. They connect with Edgewood Park.
[ Scoffs ] Are you
kidding me? Come on.
Which leads us right back
to campus. Yeah. Let's go.
We're gonna listen to her?
Yeah, let's go.
Come on! Hustle! Let's go!
Come on, guys! We're gonna
make it. Hey! Open up! We made it!
And with two minutes
to spare.
Glad to see
you found your way.
All of you.
Don't sound
so disappointed, Roger.
We chose you because we
expect you to succeed.
We expect you
to pass every test.
And as my son said,
all of you.
Please, join us inside.
Let's get in there.
All right. Let's go.
Hey. I, uh-- I just wanted to say I
was really impressed back there.
Thanks. You're the only one who
seems willing to give me a chance.
The other guys
will come around.
Oh, I'm not so sure
about that.
You're gonna make 'em
come around.
That's some pretty sick shit,
them burying you alive like that.
I mean,
somebody could get hurt.
That's the point.
They wanna test your loyalties,
make sure you understand.
Understand what?
That they were in control
of your lives now?
Is that what
you were going to say?
Something like that.
[ Taylor] They make you give
them control. Take your mark.
They demand your trust.
[ Starter Gun Fires ]
[Pop]
[ Woman ]
Everything
Seems to be changing
[ Speaking, Indistinct ]
Uh, points that
we'll be covering, um--
[ Continues ]
What goes through
your mind
[ Taylor] And for those two
weeks, you don't have a choice.
[ Continues ]
But they also make sure to show
you what kind of rewards are waiting.
Of course, not all the
rewards were equal.
Everything
Seems to be changing
[ Fades ]
[ Yawns ]
[ Groans ]
[ Speakers: Loud Rock ]
Veronica!
[ Groans ]
[ Volume Decreases ]
Hey. You're already up?
Mmm.
I never got to sleep.
Oh.
Secret Skulls activities?
Details.
Come on, V. You know
I can't talk about that.
Well, I hope whatever
they put you through...
wasn't half as bad
as what we did to our girls.
Mmm. I'm sure it was horrible.
You have no idea.
Anyways,
I'm gonna get some coffee.
Don't forget you gotta meet your
dad for breakfast this morning.
Oh, no.
[ Exhales Deeply ]
Morning, Dad.
You're late.
Sorry.
We were out all night. Is that
supposed to be an excuse?
I thought you'd understand. I
mean, you know how hard this is.
When we talked last week--
That was before the general membership
started calling me at all hours of the night.
Well, don't worry, Dad.
I don't expect you to defend me.
In fact, I don't expect
anything from you.
Don't make me out
to be the bad guy.
I admire
your initiative, Taylor,
but this isn't the local country
club we're talking about.
Our rules have always superseded
those of the outside world.
And there--
A lot of very powerful men do not want
to see those rules challenged or changed.
Wasn't it you that taught me never
to back down from a challenge?
You listen to me,
young lady.
You're just lucky that Nathan
Lloyd is head of the council.
He's the one who told Dean Law ton
to tap you, and only as a courtesy to me.
Well, I don't really care
who made the decision or why.
I'm the one
who chose to do this.
And I'll do it
with or without your support.
I just assumed I'd have it.
Taylor--
I'm gonna go get some sleep...
before I say something
we'll both regret.
Sit down, Miss Brooks.
[ Sighs ]
You can go home
when I tell you to.
- I need a break.
- Look, you've got to keep going, Taylor.
You gotta help me here.
Yeah, come on, Taylor.
Help us out here.
'Cause right now...
I got a kid downstairs
with his head bashed in...
and we'd like to know
how that happened.
So maybe you can
get to that part, huh?
You've gotta understand
how it was.
That's what you want,
isn't it? Of course it is.
Listen, it sounds like you
were under a lot of pressure.
Having just gone through
initiation, your relationship shaky.
Your dad not
supporting you, it...
must've been hard.
I was handling it.
[ Brian ]
Hey, Taylor.
Hey. Taylor.
It's been a crazy
couple of weeks, huh?
That's one way to put it. I
can barely stay awake in class.
I stopped trying. This morning I
passed out in Latin American Fiction.
Who do you have? Cooper?
Uh-huh. Mr. Excitement.
I think he took it personally.
At least you got some rest.
Hey, you wanna grab a coffee?
Only if it's a really big cup.
I'm kinda like you, in a way.
I wasn't supposed to
get tapped by the Skulls.
What do you mean?
Well, let's call it
a conspicuous lack of breeding,
at least by the Skulls'
lofty standards.
Lower middle-class family,
raised by my mom.
Don't ask about my dad,
'cause I don't know.
Mmm. I'm sorry.
No, uh, my mom was great.
I'm not ashamed of where I came from.
Not at all. Its just, um-- [ Chuckles ]
It's just a little different
from the Skulls.
Nathan Lloyd
kinda helped me along.
Seriously? Yeah. My
mom works for his company.
I interned in his office
last summer.
Wow.
You must've impressed him.
[ Laughs ]
Yeah. I don't know.
I got the impression that Roger and he didn't
really have the best relationship, you know?
Anyways, I've never had anyone
like a father figure looking out for me.
It's Kinda cool.
What about you? After everything
you've been through, is it still worth it?
I don't know yet.
[ Chuckles ]
I started this to prove
something to my father.
I guess we're all
looking for that approval.
But now-- now I think I'm
trying to prove it to myself.
Hmm. Yeah.
I know what you mean.
So how's Ethan?
I mean, uh, you two are--
are together, right?
I'm not sure anymore.
He's pretty angry,
and I can't blame him.
That's too bad.
Well, when this is over,
we'll see what happens.
Right now, I'm more
concerned about tonight.
Should be an adventure,
whatever it is.
You've all come a long way
in the last two weeks.
Here it is, gentlemen.
Your final test.
"A key to the tomb
has been lost,
swallowed by the great blue
serpent and hidden within its bowels.
Look for the sign which impales
its back and you will find the key,
but it will take
all of you to lift it."
What the hell does
that mean? A riddle.
- Actually, it's pretty easy.
- Oh, well, please do enlighten us.
[ Chattering ]
Bingo.
[ Brian ] The river's the blue
serpent. The buoy impales the river.
And the key
is in its bowels.
So this thing's
underwater?
Come on. Check it out.
Come on.
Six levers.
Plus someone needs to
go in and retrieve the key.
- I'll do it, if you'll pull me out.
- Deal.
Let's get the guys.
[ Grunting ]
- [ Grunts ]
- [ Grunting ]
[ Grunting ]
[ Grunting ]
- [ Gasps ]
- We wait up here?
[ Grunts ]
[ Gasps ]
Got the key?
We need the key.
Where's Taylor?
Taylor!
I gotta go back down and get
her. Well, let's go back down.
[ Gasps ]
She got it!
She got the key!
[ Men Cheering ]
[ Nathan ]
Congratulations, gentlemen.
And to you, Miss Brooks.
This is the end
of the revealing process.
You will now receive
your own key to this tomb.
You will also receive
a rule book.
Study it.
It is the key to a successful and
rewarding life within our order.
We live by the rules.
[ All ]
We die by the rules.
Trust no one with these secrets
but a member of the Order.
Tell no one what you see
and hear within these walls.
No outsider shall ever know
the work of the Order...
or the composition
of our membership.
Always remember,
a Skull above any other.
Now,
if you will all present
your left wrist,
there is one final ordeal.
The pain you're about
to feel is temporary.
But the mark is forever...
and you will bear it as has
every Skull before you...
and as will
every Skull to come.
Be silent as you endure.
[ Sizzles ]
[ Grunts Softly ]
[ Knocking ]
Dad.
Can I come in?
Something wrong?
No.
I'm here to deliver
this, and, uh,
I wanted to see
how you were doing.
Oh. Well, it's still sore,
but it'll be all right.
Listen, Taylor, when you
told me what you were doing,
I-- I misunderstood.
Nathan Lloyd says you handled
the revealing process admirably.
[ Chuckles ]
And you're surprised?
I know I shouldn't be.
Taylor, I don't know
when or--
Or why I turned away
from you.
I certainly
never meant to.
Sam's death just--
I know. Dad--
There were things I just--
I didn't want to admit.
I pushed him to do something
he didn't wanna do,
to be something
that he wasn't.
And when I found out
what you were trying to do,
it brought everything back.
Made me look at some things
that I did not want to see.
I have been
so unfair to you.
Dad--
I wanna fix that.
Start again.
Well, I'd like that too.
Besides, if, um--
If anyone's daughter is gonna be the first
woman in the Skulls, it better be mine.
This is for you.
I'll see you tonight.
Tonight?
What's tonight?
Well, I guess you'll just
have to show up and find out.
[ Female Officer ]
This was yesterday?
Yes.
So why don't you just
tell us what happened.
I mean, what the hell
is this all about?
[ Female Officer ]
Taylor.
I think I should talk to
my father. Excuse me?
From this point on,
it gets confusing.
I just need to see him.
Taylor, we've got to know what
happened. You can tell us. But I can't.
Not exactly.
Bullshit, you can't.
You won't.
- Either you killed this kid or you know who did.
- No.
- Either way, It comes back to you.
- It's not true!
It's not true.
Then what is true?
I don't know.
I think you do know, but we can't help
you unless you tell us what's going on.
Goddamn it, I am sick of
this little dance, Miss Brooks.
We know he didn't die
in the alley.
We also know that his body was placed
there to make it look like a mugging.
You were with him
last night, weren't you?
Weren't you?
No.
No! Please!
[ Door Opens ]
Wrap it up, guys.
[ Male Officer ] What are
you talkin' about, Captain?
These gentlemen represent Miss Brooks,
and since we have no reason to hold her--
No reason?
That's right, Detective.
Thank you for your cooperation,
Miss Brooks. You're free to leave.
Who called the lawyers?
Does it matter?
Goddamn it.
[ Door Closes ]
Taylor!
Hey.
Sorry it took so long.
I trust you didn't...
reveal too much.
About the Skulls,
you mean? Yeah.
Don't worry. Hey, come
on. I'll give you a lift.
No. Thanks.
I gather your father's
pretty distraught.
It's understandable,
isn't it?
Dad?
Dad?
[ Phone Beeps ]
Sweetheart.
Dad, you have to believe
I had nothing to do with this.
I do.
Of course I do.
But what did happen?
I'm still not sure.
[ Taylor] After you dropped
off the invitation yesterday,
we were all taken
to Nathan Lloyd's estate.
Okay, now we're talkin'.
We have arrived.
We have arrived.
Wow. This place is
fantastic. [ Men Laughing ]
Gentlemen, if you'll head
inside, the staff will get you settled.
Miss Brooks, we have other
accommodations for you.
Follow me.
I hope you don't mind
staying out here by yourself.
This really
isn't necessary.
Yes, well--
Actually, it is.
I figured you spent
the last two weeks...
proving that you could, uh,
compete in our male world.
The least we can do is show you
that we still know how to treat a lady.
Now, the boys are sharing
rooms in the main house,
and we just wanted to offer you
a little privacy. Well, thank you.
I've got some work to take
care of up at the house.
The government bid? Is
there anything I can do to help?
No, thanks.
I've got somebody on it.
But you could make sure that
the caterer gets his check this time.
I'd appreciate that.
Of course.
See you later.
The reception starts in
one hour. I'll see you then.
Formal?
[ Soft Jazz ]
[ Man ]
Some say the stars
Are out tonight
So we can dance all night
It's feeling right
To get to know you
[ No Audible Dialogue ]
The moonlight dwells on
Sunny days
You know the way it glows
Just goes to show
That life adores you
Though it seems
We're dancing on rainbows
Like a firefly
That love cannot hide
And though we feel
We're dancing in sin
We're just dancing alone
I Continues |
Ethan.
I'm over here.
Ethan, what
are you doing here?
I got your message.
What are you talking about?
Your e-mail. You told me
to meet you here.
Taylor,
are you out here?
There's a coach house out front.
Wait for me, but stay out of sight.
I'll be there
as soon as I can.
What are you doing out here?
Just getting some fresh air.
Is that a problem? My father
wanted to see you inside.
I Continues |
The sun is out
It shines on you
It's not a secret now
No more than it was
The day I met
You
The day I met
You
Ethan?
I'm right here.
What's going on?
You tell me. I can't believe
you'd come here like this.
Hey, you're the one
who asked me, remember?
What is this, some
bullshit Skulls prank?
Invite Ethan here
and rub his face in it?
No. I never sent any--
[ Clears Throat ]
What's wrong?
I don't know. I don't--
I don't feel too good.
Great. You have
too much to drink?
Come on. You need to
lie down. I'll help you.
[ Moans |
[ Coughs ]
Ethan?
Ethan?
Ethan?
Ethan, this isn't funny.
Where are you?
Who are you looking for?
What's going on, Taylor?
Someone else here?
No.
Yes. It's Ethan.
He was here last night.
I can't believe this.
You brought him here?
This is supposed to be a private
event. Goddamn it, Taylor, it's sacred!
I didn't invite him.
He just showed up.
Yeah, well, I guess you didn't
make him leave either. Where is he?
I'm not sure.
There was blood.
What? Where?
In the coach house,
on the door.
[ Door Hinge Creaking ]
You okay?
I don't know what happened. I-I can't
remember anything from last night.
My head is pounding. I just--
I don't know. Oh, my God.
What is it?
Ethan?
Ethan? Ethan?
No, don't touch him.
Oh, my God.
We have to call 9-1-1.
We-We have to do something.
No, it's too late.
Take her to the house.
[ Sobs ]
Ethan.
[ Chattering ]
[ Sobbing ]
Martin, clearly the Rawlings boy
must have come on too strong.
Taylor, I'm sure, was
merely defending herself.
Is that what it was?
Was it self-defense?
No, it wasn't
self-defense.
I didn't do this.
It's the only thing
that makes sense.
Because if it was self-defense,
then we can go to the police.
Of course.
Of course, the other side is,
it'd be very difficult to prove.
And, Martin, you're looking
at a run for the Senate.
The press will be
all over this thing...
before Taylor could even
put up a defense.
How can we, uh,
make this go away?
This is why we belong
to the Order.
I can have this taken care
of, if that's what you want.
Yes. That's what I want.
No. No.
I-I didn't do this.
I didn't do this.
Don't you understand?
I mean, we have to
find out who did.
Taylor, you don't
even remember.
We have to protect you.
We have to
protect ourselves.
Take her home.
I'll handle it.
[ Female Officer ]
We're looking for Taylor Brooks.
[ Taylor Narrating ] After you
took me home this morning,
didn't take long before
the detectives showed up.
[ No Audible Dialogue ]
I wanted
to tell them everything.
I started to. But when it came time
to talk about last night, I couldn't do it.
Then the lawyers were there.
And Roger Lloyd.
What is it?
- Nathan called.
- When?
About 20 minutes ago,
just before you got home.
I saw the news coverage,
finding his body in an alley.
You're sure there's no way the
police can connect this with her?
There's nothing to worry about. She says
she didn't do it, Nathan, and I believe her.
Isn't there some way that
we can-- Think about it, Martin.
There was no forced entry.
You saw how hung over she was this morning,
and she can't even remember what happened.
And the blood.
I know.
I know.
I'm gonna go all the way on this
for you and your daughter, Martin.
But I need
something in return.
What is it?
My company has submitted
a bid under seal to Congress.
It's being considered
by the military.
The procurement subcommittee, the committee
that you chair. Nathan, we've been through this.
Martin, you know that I want--
I deserve to be
the sole provider...
of cellular and wireless
technology to the military.
How can you take advantage
of this situation?
You owe me at least
this much, Congressman!
A Skull above any other.
Remember that?
Because you seem to have forgotten it
last month when I first submitted this bid!
We can't just blindly support each other
and ignore the potential consequences.
Isn't that exactly
what I've been doing?
One way or another, your
daughter is responsible for this mess,
and I have taken care
of it for you.
Now, can I count on your
support when I need it?
You'll have my support.
[ Beeps ]
[ Taylor ]
How much is the contract worth?
[ Father ]
Billions.
Billions.
Dad, don't you see?
This is all a setup.
They want you to think I'm
guilty so that you'll cooperate.
- We have to go back to the police.
- And tell them what?
Don't you see?
Whether or not you did this
doesn't matter.
All that matters is they can sure
as hell make it look as if you did.
Your life will be ruined and so will
mine. What are we gonna do then?
- Just let 'em get away with it?
- I don't know, Taylor!
I don't know.
For now, just go back to school.
Go back to swimming.
We will carry on with our normal
routines. We will put this behind us.
I have to fly out tonight.
There's a vote in Washington.
Taylor, let the Skulls
handle this.
It is the only way.
Okay, everybody out!
Richardson,
go pee in a cup.
That's you, McCauley.
What's going on?
That time of the month.
N.C.A.A. testing.
- Hey, Taylor?
- Yeah.
Come into my office
when you're done.
Hi. Come on in.
Have a seat.
What's going on? This is
Dr. Franks from the N.C.A.A.
She's in charge of drug testing.
Yeah, we met. We know you're
dealing with a personal tragedy.
Frankly, I was surprised
to see you today.
Sometimes, swimming is the
best way for me to deal with stress.
Have you taken anything?
Xanax? Valium?
Some kind of sedative you
didn't report on the questionnaire?
You know,
maybe help you sleep.
No, I haven't
taken anything.
I'm not lying.
Why would I?
That's the thing, Taylor.
We believe you.
Sometimes
with female athletes,
we find something
that raises a flag.
You had traces of a drug class known
as Benzodiazepine in your system.
Now, if it's not from medication,
then this particular drug signature,
it could be indicative
of Rohypnol.
That's the "date rape" drug,
Taylor.
I appreciate the concern,
but nothing like that happened.
There's been no time
over the last few days...
where you went out drinking, woke up disoriented,
couldn't remember the previous night?
Anything like that?
No.
Do you need
to take some time off?
Sure.
Maybe a couple days.
Taylor.
You have to speak out
to protect yourself.
You don't have
to be a victim.
Yeah. Thanks.
We are gathered here today
to mourn the passing...
and to celebrate the life
of Ethan Rawlings.
[ Man ] I've never noticed the ceilings
were so low [ Continues, Indistinct ]
I never saw
the cracks on the window
I never saw myself
as sentimental
But here I go
Without you
I've been standing
round you like a statue
Laying on the floor
thinking about you
Talk to myself
like the crazies do
Otherwise, I'm great
What about you
What about you
What about you
That was a lovely service,
wasn't it?
Look, if there's anything
you need, we're here for you.
I'd just like
to be left alone.
Don't make us
your enemy, Taylor.
Is that a threat, Roger?
It's a strong suggestion.
Well, I have a suggestion for
you. Stay the hell away from me.
Look, you wanna find out what
we can really do, keep pushing.
You want a threat?
Try this.
We have the dress
and the murder weapon.
That's right-- the glass
sculpture from the coach house.
And guess what, Taylor? It
has your fingerprints all over it.
So unless you want
the police to find it,
you better step your ass
back in line.
You're either with us or you're
against us. There is no middle ground.
Hey.
Is everything okay?
Everything's fine.
I thought you might need
a ride home.
Thank you.
Brian, I just want you to
know how much I appreciate--
I mean, with
everything that's happened--
You don't have to say anything.
I'm glad I could be here.
Brian?
It's you.
Oh, my God.
They've been watching
me all this time. Taylor.
They set me up.
This picture at the track with Ethan?
That was before we were even tapped.
They knew he was at the party.
How could they know?
They probably have
pictures of all of us.
How can you make
excuses for them?
They drugged me, Brian.
Ethan's dead.
And they're threatening to pin it on me
unless my father gives Lloyd what he wants.
These pictures are just
to make sure I get the point.
Look, I'm not making excuses.
It's just if you challenge them--
I can't just walk through life
and pretend this never happened.
It's better than spending
the rest of your life in jail.
I don't see any difference.
[ Camera Shutter Clicking ]
[ Taylor ] Hey!
Hey, you! Stop!
Who the hell was that?
I don't know.
But I'm pretty sure
I know who sent him.
I can't believe Nathan
Lloyd's involved in this.
Taylor, who's this?
Oh, no.
Let's go!
Veronica!
[ Door Closes ]
Veronica?
[ Teakettle Whistling ]
Veronica?
[ Screams ] What? [ Screams ]
[ Rock On Headphones ]
[ Sighs ]
- Are you okay?
- I'm fine. Why?
There's something we need
to talk about.
I'll get the kettle.
Poor Ethan.
I can't believe this.
Listen, V. Starting tomorrow, you should
go stay with someone else for a while.
Just-Just in case,
you know?
I don't see anyone out front.
You think
I might be in danger?
I think everyone around me
is in danger.
What are you gonna do?
I need to find some proof that
Roger and his father are behind all this.
I don't even know
where to start.
Well, what about the
e-mail? What about it?
Ethan told you
he got an e-mail, didn't he?
Yeah. Yeah, but I never
sent an e-mail.
Well, somebody did.
Obviously whoever took these pictures
knew he was gonna be at the party.
And they must've accessed your student
e-mail account to make it look authentic.
I'm not sure
how this helps.
If they used
your campus account,
we must be able to access the
message from the university server.
It's worth a try.
The library terminals are connected
directly to the campus server.
Lucky for you, not lucky for
me, I used to go out with a guy...
who worked in the
Computer Services office.
Anyway, it's good for a
free dinner now and then,
and things like the
university server's password.
Okay, here we go.
All e-mails sent using your account, no
matter what computer it was sent from.
There. That's the day of the
party. It's addressed to Ethan.
[ Taylor ] "Dear Ethan, So
sorry for the last two weeks.
We really need to talk. I can't deal with
the pressure from the Skulls anymore.
Please meet me tonight
at the Lloyd estate.
Wait for me at the back patio, and
be careful not to let anyone see you."
So Ethan thought
it was really from you.
But who sent it?
We don't know who, but we know
the address of their computer.
What do you mean
by address?
Well, every computer has a unique address
embedded into every outgoing e-mail.
It's called
an Internet protocol address.
So all you have to do is find the
computer that matches this number...
and you'll find out
who sent you the e-mail.
Here, I'll write it
down for you.
You're a genius, V.
Yeah, imagine that.
A sorority girl with a brain.
But the one thing I can't tell
you is where to find that computer.
We'll have to wait
until the morning,
but I have a pretty good idea
where to start looking.
But first, we have to stop
Lloyd from getting what he wants.
Taylor, the vote
is in an hour.
I've already called in
every favor I could...
to make sure that Lloyd's
company does get the contract.
Dad, if we don't stop them now,
neither one of us will ever be free.
Honey, I don't care
about myself anymore.
All I care about
is you, your future.
Don't worry about that.
I'm gonna find
the truth... somehow.
Look, if this hadn't happened, would
you be giving Lloyd this contract?
No, I wouldn't.
Why not?
Last month we lost an aircraft.
It was outfitted with communications
equipment from Lloyd's company.
There was no solid evidence,
but there was speculation...
that his components conflicted
with the guidance system...
and caused the plane
to crash.
Dad, if you give him this now,
what will he ask for next time?
Just make the right vote.
I'll deal with the consequences.
And just to be safe, we're
staying at the house tonight.
Taylor?
I'll talk to you later.
[ Dial Tone ]
[ Beeps ]
[ Chattering ]
[ Nathan ] It appears that Martin Brooks and
his daughter have decided to challenge us.
Gentlemen, slight change of
plans. Good evening, Martin.
It's time to give the police
what they're looking for.
[ Beeps ]
[ Sirens Wailing ]
Taylor!
Taylor, wake up.
What's going on? It's
the police. They're here.
Shit.
Something's happened.
- What do you wanna do?
- We have to get out of here.
If they take me now,
I'll never get to the truth.
Veronica, stall them
as long as you can.
[ Pounding On Door ] [ Male
Officer ] Open the door, now!
Uh, who is it?
Police. Open up.
Hang on. I'm not dressed.
[ Knocking ]
Hi. Can I help you?
Where's Taylor Brooks?
Oh, um, I haven't seen
her since last night.
And you are?
I'm Veronica Bell.
I'm her roommate.
Well, Veronica Bell, do you make a habit of
staying at her father's house without her?
Oh, he's out of town, so, you know, I
help out with various things and whatnot.
[ Male Officer ]
Valdez!
Looks like
we just missed her.
But our phone call's
legit.
Any idea why your roommate would
be hiding this in her closet, Miss Bell?
Slow down!
Taylor, hey!
You just ran away from the
police. You're a fugitive now.
I know.
I'm sorry for getting you into this.
If you wanna leave, I'll understand.
I'm in way too deep
to walk away now.
Thank you.
Let's go find
that computer.
Heads up.
[ Man Over Walkie-Talkie ] The
boss is on his way back. Copy that.
Okay, let's go.
We need to
distract her somehow.
[ Cell Phone Beeping ]
[ Phone Ringing ]
[ Maid ]
Hello? Lloyd residence.
Hello?
[ Roger ]
Okay, I got the computer now.
I won't let
anything happen to it.
Just get here
as fast as you can, okay?
We have to get
the computer.
I'll get it.
Be careful.
Brian. What are you doing?
I got it!
Hey!
Hold it!
Hold it, lady.
What the hell are you doing?
[ Groans ]
Give me the bag!
Okay!
- You okay?
- Yeah, fine. Come on. Let's go.
Oh, no, it's Lloyd.
Let's hide in here.
We need to get
the police now.
Well, we don't even know
if we have the right computer.
We will in a minute.
Anyway, it doesn't matter.
We're running out of time.
I think we should wait.
[ Cell Phone Ringing ]
Don't answer that.
[ Nathan ] Brian, I just
pulled in. Where are you?
Brian?
That was Nathan Lloyd.
And how did you know
about the key?
You're helping Lloyd.
You brought me here
on purpose.
[ Door Opens ]
Brian, what happened? You were supposed
to get her here without any major incident.
And I find Roger
on the dining room floor...
and my security man spitting
his teeth into a sink.
Well, Roger got here
first. He was taking-- I see.
Well, none of that
will matter now.
What are you going to do?
Kill me?
No. You're going
to kill yourself.
Tragically, in the same place
where you killed your boyfriend.
How could you do this?
You planned this
from the beginning.
It was all about getting
to my father, wasn't it?
[ Dialing ]
He forgot the first rule.
A Skull above any other.
And when he rejected
my initial bid,
I couldn't believe
the delicious irony...
of having his daughter
challenging us for a place.
You and your father
brought this on yourselves.
Why Ethan?
He didn't have anything
to do with this.
He was convenient.
Who did this?
I wanna know.
Was it you, Brian?
Was that your price? Did you
kill Ethan to get into the Skulls?
Actually, when it comes to important
matters, I prefer not to delegate.
[ Nathan ] Brian didn't have any
idea what he was getting himself into.
Whoa!
[ Groans ]
Oh, my God. No!
Help me! Brian!
Brian!
[ Blows Landing ]
[ Ethan Groaning ]
[ Nathan ] But Brian's a good and
loyal associate, and I appreciate that.
He's willing to do
whatever is necessary.
[ Roger ]
Unlike your son?
That's what you wanted
to say, isn't it?
You couldn't get me to go along with setting up
Taylor's father, so you asked Brian to do it?
Roger, I told you
to stay back at the house.
Yeah, well, I'm through
listening to you.
I'm sorry, Taylor.
I didn't know.
But we're getting out of here. I already called
the police. They're on their way right now.
The police will believe
what I tell them to believe.
Actually, you've already
told them quite a bit. Here.
Catch.
She dialed 9-1-1.
You stupid bitch.
Do you know who I am?
- Do you think I can't walk right out of this?
- No, you can't.
- [ Sirens Wailing ] - Mr. Lloyd,
we have to get out of here.
No, you stay put, Brian. We're
gonna walk away from this. Trust me.
Go ahead, Taylor.
Come on, go.
I'm not gonna let you
get away with this, Dad.
[ Sirens
Continue Wailing ]
- Brian, come back here!
- Hold it!
Hands on your head!
Walk towards me!
No!
[ Groaning ]
Oh, my God. Roger!
- Freeze!
- Detective, please, you have to listen to me!
Step aside, Taylor!
Get behind the car!
Put the gun down, Mr. Lloyd.
There's no need for you people.
This is an internal matter, and
I have it perfectly under control.
We can discuss this later, Mr. Lloyd.
I want you to drop the gun right now.
Oh, fine. Then I'll just
call your supervisors.
Taylor, come back inside.
- Come on.
- Drop the gun!
How dare you--
- Hold your fire!
- Hold your fire!
You all right, Miss Brooks? It
was all Lloyd. He killed Ethan.
I know. Roger called us. We
were already on our way over.
He's the one
who filled us in.
He's dead.
[ Male Officer,
Indistinct ]
[ Male Officer ]
I need an ambulance.
[ Male Officer ]
Shots fired.
Send me a forensics team.
[ Woman Over Radio ] 10-4.
[ Officer ]
Get in the car, kid.
Taylor.
Someone to see you.
Thank you
for what you did.
I don't deserve any thanks.
I came to apologize.
I'll leave
you two alone.
Uh, Taylor--
It wasn't your fault,
Roger.
I know that now.
You did the right thing
in the end.
If it wasn't for you--
I can't believe I waited my
entire life to become a Skull...
just to please
my father.
I never wanted to believe he could
be involved in something like this,
but I guess
I always knew.
And then he gave the
murder weapon to the police.
And when I overheard him
call Brian about the e-mail--
That's why I took the computer.
I knew he would destroy it.
Brian.
[ Chuckles ]
I still can't believe it.
I completely trusted him.
I guess he'll spend the rest
of his life in jail. For what?
The Skulls?
I also want you to know,
I actually admire the way
you fought your way in.
And especially the way
you fought your way out.
I could never
tell you that before.
I was too busy trying to play
the part my father expected.
I kinda know
how that works.
Is there any chance we
might end up being friends?
Are you still a Skull?
Then I'd say we're off
to a pretty good start.
How are you doing anyway?
I'm good. I'm good.
Do you wanna stay a while? I'm
sure we have a lot to talk about.
Yeah, that'd be nice.
Come on over.
How's your arm?
[ Woman Singing ] So
goes the best of us dreamers
I've got a map, got a road
without any signals
Make 'em as I go
Some never know what a
storm's like until you're in it
Some only stare
from a window
I wanna feel what it's
like when I stand in the rain
And it pours
To hear my very own sound
of my heart beating
That's what the thrill
really is
It's to never really know
Sometimes just to look
and never own
That's what the thrill
really is
It's a place
you've never gone
Sometimes it's a love
that went wrong
Maybe this world's gonna
throw me the good intentions
Whoever said it was easy
I'll take the wind in my face
and the consequences
And everything that goes
What's there to lose
In the end
I never want to regret
'cause you realize
That's what the thrill
really is
It's to never really know
Sometimes just to look
and never own
That's what the thrill
really is
It's a place
you've never gone
Sometimes it's a love
that went wrong
That's what the thrill
really is
It's the passion
of the heart
It's about everything
you've got
Got, got, got, got
There goes that part of me
Part of me, part of me
There goes that part of me
Part of me, part of me
That's what the thrill
really is
That's what the thrill
really is
That's what the thrill
really is
That's what the thrill
really is
That's what the thrill
really is
It's to never really know
Sometimes just to look
and never own
That's what the thrill
really is
It's a place
you've never gone
Sometimes it's a love
that went wrong
That's what the thrill
really is
It's the passion
of the heart
It's about everything
you've got
Got, got, got, got
There goes that part of me
Part of me, part of me
There goes that part of me
Part of me, part of me
That's what the thrill
really is
It's to never really know
Sometimes just to look
and never own
That's what the thrill
really is
It's the passion
of the heart
It's about everything
you've got
I got a map, got a road
without any signals
Make 'em as you go