Tower Prep (2010) s01e07 Episode Script
Election
Previously on Tower Prep Most of us are what you call special.
We can do something really weird in a really awesome way.
Back when this used to be a laboratory, they must've manufactured all kinds of freaky stuff.
Those aren't students.
They're guinea pigs.
Are they still doing it? I mean, now? To us? Emerson Poencet has a natural microscopy.
He can see at the macro level without a microscope.
Congratulations, Ray.
10 reps and at 225 pounds.
You sure about that? In front of you is your midterm exam.
Each specimen before you has been given a specific and controlled cause of termination.
None are the same, so don't bother looking at the team beside you.
You are to examine the specimen, identify all abnormalities, determine the cause of death, and complete a written report.
You have one hour.
Who wants the honors? Oh, you want me to.
Uh, yeah, Ian would love to, I'm sure.
Ian.
Fenton, you're running for school president against Emily, right? Emily Wright.
Correct.
She's running for re-election.
That's That's a tough opponent.
She's perfect.
Yeah, maybe.
Listen, what do you say you cut that thing open, and Gabe and I will vote for you? Will you wear my button? Only if Congress went this smooth, huh? Rather a good deal for me.
I have received the two votes while my father is a surgeon, so none of this dissection business disturbs me at all.
Whoa.
Fenton, are you all right? Dude, you okay? Going going gone.
Biology, we need the nurse.
Hey, hey.
Medical assistance needed, Biology lab.
Did you see what happened? Let's raise him up.
That's fine.
You okay? Okay, let's roll.
We'll come see you, man.
You'll be okay, man.
That was, uh That was pretty weird today, huh? Yeah.
Hope he's okay.
Yeah, me, too.
You know what's even weirder is now that Fenton's out of the election, no one's running against Emily.
No one was going to beat her anyway, man.
What if I did? But why, Gabe? I mean, you and me, Ceej and Suki, we're making plans to escape.
Why spend the energy on an election and getting in deeper here? It's all part of the escape plan.
How? Well, for starters, the student president must be able to get some sort of information about the school, we could use.
I don't know.
School government was always such a joke at my old school.
Well, it's better than nothing, just sitting here.
We're not sitting.
Maybe not you.
Look, Ian, it's always you.
And it's not a bad thing.
It's just I don't know.
You've always got a plan.
You do all this stuff to try to discover what you can the gnomes, the Rooks.
This is something I can do for all of us.
Me.
And look.
I understand it's not much I know but it's something.
Emily Wright, though, Gabe? - Dude, you picked a tough one.
- I know.
And that campaign-manager friend of hers, Ross she's ruthless.
Indeed, but I thought this one out.
I should be able to persuade everyone into voting for me.
But she's so popular.
It would be like running against Abraham Lincoln or something.
Oh, my G.
Gaberaham yeah, I know.
Gaberaham Lincoln.
Gaberaham Lincoln.
Why didn't I think of that? Vote for honest Gabe.
I'm writing that down.
That's too good to be true.
Emily has a huge head start over you.
Huge head start.
And everyone knows her because she's president.
But I think you can catch her in the candidates' presentation.
Yes, that's the most important focus of our campaign.
The two candidates each make a presentation to the school.
Mm-hm.
At the presentation look, they'll see your charm, your personality, what you stand for.
Dude, we're going to change that.
You'll blow her away at the candidates' presentation, in front of an audience of students.
Oh, snap.
Guys, I would just not bother with this whole thing, but if I can get just one piece of information that'll help us with it'll all be worth it.
Oh, God, here we go.
- Is it true? - What? The rumors? You're running against us? "Us"? Emily Wright is running for president, not you, Ross.
You're a politician, Forrest.
Let other people not answer your questions for you.
No, you know what? Yes, Ross, the rumors are true, very true.
- Gabe Forrest is - You're going to get crushed.
Keep talking to my friend like that, and the only thing that'll get crushed around here is your face.
Don't get all worked up.
It's nothing personal, just business.
As Emily Wright's campaign manager, I take care of business.
So do we.
It's too bad our first opponent got sick, but it's allowed us to jump to a huge jump start, almost impossible to catch us.
Well, we will.
Don't you worry your pretty, little head.
Whatever.
I'd like to offer you one of our campaign buttons.
But that's against you.
I mean, why would you want me to wear that? It's the level of my confidence.
It should be a reminder to how badly you'll be beaten.
It's for him, not you.
The only thing he wants from you is a congratulations when he wins.
Crushed.
Where'd she get the button from? It's not like you can just call up 1-800 Buttons and get them delivered up to Tower Prep.
Good campaign starts with buttons.
I need buttons.
Ray, no head shots.
Yeah, yeah.
What are What are you doing? Man.
Archer! Time! Ray, I said no shots to the head in rushball.
Sorry, coach.
Must've gotten away from me.
Yeah.
Ian, you okay? Yeah.
All right, that's game.
Wrap it up.
That's the first time you've ever been hit in rushball.
Yeah, just dropped my head looking for the ball.
Still, you don't need your eyes to know something's about to happen.
I don't know, Coach.
Just one of those things, I guess.
Are you sure you're okay? Yeah, yeah.
You know, midterms, stress, and all that.
All right.
Guys, check it out.
Article 10, Section 2 clearly states that there's a supply of campaign buttons that are to be recycled each election, divided evenly between candidates.
Boom, toasted.
Gabe, focus.
You should be preparing for your candidate's presentation.
Done.
I'm done with the campaign poster.
It's just as you ordered.
I feel like I've seen it somewhere before.
It's just what Gabe said to do.
Only better.
Nice job, Ceej.
Gold star.
I'm telling you.
Can't place where I've seen it before.
You know what? This little puppy is going to look great.
It's great.
It's great.
Now all we need is those campaign buttons.
Dude, move on from the buttons.
Move on from the whole thing already.
Instead of getting further involved with the school, all our available time should be spent on how to get out of here.
That's what this is about, Ian.
But you know what? Obviously you have an issue with it, so we could talk about it because you know we don't keep anything from each other, and if you do, let's hear it.
There's got to be something more to Fenton's illness.
I mean, have any of you heard what happened to Fenton, how he is, where he is, anything? His roommate says he's in the infirmary.
Look, I don't mean to take away anything that you're trying to do here, Gabe.
I really don't, but if Fenton is at the infirmary, then that's where we're going to find our answers, not here.
Hey, Ceej, please tell me you got a read on that.
I had the weirdest read.
At least you got a read.
What is it? It was nothing.
I couldn't do it.
Fenton? Fenton.
Nurse.
Feeling under the weather? I was just looking for Fenton.
I wanted to see how he was doing.
He's under medical supervision.
Where? Can I see him? What was wrong with him? You look tired.
No, I feel okay.
Sit.
Really, I was just wondering what was wrong with Fenton, and you're probably busy, so I always have time for patients.
He's under medical supervision, testing.
As soon as we have a diagnosis, I'll disclose the results.
Stressed? Midterms.
Fatigued? Midterms.
You feel warm.
Could you raise your hand and hold it out for me, like this? Huh.
I guess I'm more fatigued than I thought.
We should take some blood.
- Blood? - Just to be safe.
Safe about what? You're a recent arrival here, Ian.
Your immune system hasn't had time to adapt to the foreign pathogens found in this region.
I'd hate for you to have caught something your system isn't prepared to fight.
Tower Prep wants you to feel your best.
Okay, so I researched it.
The most foot traffic happens in this hallway, so we're going to put it somewhere What is this? That's where I've seen it.
Come on.
No, you know what? We're going to put them up anyway.
- It shows we won't back down.
- Are you sure? Yeah, we're going to put it there.
Yes, right there.
Come on.
Let's do this.
A little left, little left, little down.
Why you hanging it there? Everyone's going to think they're Emily's posters.
It's the high-traffic area.
It's how campaigns work.
It's a rip-off of Emily's poster.
Ray, so you're on first-name basis with Emily.
That is adorable.
Yeah, well, it's a rip-off, so I should rip it down.
Let me ask you something.
Are you, like, Emily's goon? Get your hands off it.
Go get it.
Go get it.
Come on, Ian.
You got it! - Watch out.
- Come on, Ian.
Nice.
Nice.
You're stronger than him.
You know you are.
Come on.
Come on, Ian, get up.
Get up.
Monitor alert.
Monitor alert.
- Get up! - Main building.
- Headmaster, now.
- Okay, okay.
All right, you two.
Break it up.
Take your best shot.
I've been waiting to do this since the first day you came to Tower Prep.
Oh.
Wait, wha He's hurt.
What happened? I don't know.
Get the nurse.
- Come on.
He did it to himself.
- Get the nurse.
Ceej, go.
Go, go, go.
You know the other day in Biology when Fenton said, "Going, going, gone"? Now I know what he meant.
Ian, why didn't you tell us you had symptoms? You know how it is.
You get sick.
You don't want to tell your parents, hoping it will go away.
Whatever.
I'm not sure what to tell or who to tell it to.
Wait, you, too? It's not, like, gone, but it feels like my abilities are being blocked.
We should tell the nurse.
I think they already know.
Are you thinking they're the ones doing this? I have a hard time believing that.
Why? Guys, we said this a million times before that we think they're using us as experiments, so why not this? Yeah, the nurse did take a sample of my blood, like she was suspicious something might be going on.
You think maybe they heard about our plans to escape? Maybe they're trying to stop us.
Ray and Fenton have it.
They're not part of our plan.
Is this a virus? Is it being spread through air or contact? Maybe some virus that got in through the forest, beyond the wall, something we're not immune to.
How long till we have no choice but to go to the nurse? I mean, I wouldn't even be able to tell if the Headmaster or nurse were afraid or hiding anything.
Even if they bring the entire school into the nurse for an exam, it might give them answers, but not us.
We need to find our own.
Ian.
You can't go alone.
I'm going to check in on Headmaster, and there's only room for one of us.
Besides, you're showing symptoms.
I don't want Gabe or Suki to come down with it.
If it's spread through the air, it's too late.
If it was through the air, I think more of us would be showing symptoms.
Uh, Ian, what if you know, when you're down in the tunnels, what happened to Fenton happens to you, and I'm only asking this because dude, we won't even know.
I've got nothing for that but we can't just do nothing.
Gabe, while I'm poking around, you've got to keep your campaign running full blast so the faculty doesn't get suspicious.
You're going to have to nail this candidate's presentation if you have any chance of beating Emily.
Thanks for the support.
I know, I know.
You're right.
Ian.
Not this time.
It might be spreading through contact.
Yeah.
All right.
Is this going to be like 1971 all over again? - No.
- How can you be sure? I was there.
I was there, too.
You were just a student.
I was faculty.
Student faculty, of course, but involved.
You still haven't answered my question, Nurse.
No, that was controlled.
The Headmaster 40 years ago was careful.
That Headmaster nearly destroyed the very purpose of this school.
Spare me the lecture.
We were on the same side and won.
I'm not saying he was right or even justified, but he was careful.
What's happening now this is reckless.
Let's confirm that it is Chemica Desin.
I'm waiting for the centrifuge plasma separation results.
My assistant should have the tests completed by now.
Trying to hide it.
What are you doing here? Me? What are you doing here? Ray is a friend of mine, and Fenton was my opponent, but I don't want him to be sick.
No one will tell me what made them sick.
What do you think it is? Why don't you tell me? You say that like you think I know.
I'm here to find out what she knows.
You think she's involved, the nurse? Well, I'm about 80% sure she is, and Headmaster, too, but zero percent on understanding why.
Look, I just offered up some of what I think is going on, and, frankly, I don't have much reason to trust you, so I'm just saying.
I'm just looking for any information on something I think is called "Chemica Desin.
" Chemica Desin? What do you know about it? I was in here the other day when my campaign manager Ross was doing her work-study, and I tried to look at Nurse's computer, and I saw it, but and she came back, and this place is so busy, I planned to come here at night when I thought well, I thought no one would be here.
Hm.
So you really think it's the nurse? Who else could it be? Well, I think there are rumors that there are outsiders trying to infiltrate the school.
Outsiders? I mean, I heard that there were different people who ran the school a long time ago.
You think it's them trying to take the school back? I don't know who they are, but do you think they might be using this Desin to bring down the school? Come on.
Come on, let's go.
What? What do you want, Forrest? Ross, as a representative of an elected official, I'm sure you're very familiar and, more importantly, respectful of the rules and guidelines of an election? And? And, well, you see I'm sure you would wish to do what is both right and fair when it comes to the buttons? Buttons.
The candidates' presentations are at 3:00, and when I'm done with mine, I am going to throw these puppies out into the crowd.
All right.
Oh, before I forget, Suki found the button that Fenton gave you.
What, you're not going to put them on? Uh, I don't know, man.
I mean, Emily's all right.
I kind of like her.
She's almost one of us, you know.
Um, Ian, I recall you saying that I was doing this for all of us.
Okay, the least you could do is wear the lousy buttons.
Good.
All right, all right.
- Happy? - Thank you.
You guys holding up? The incubation period is different in each of us.
The more the symptoms don't get worse, the more worried I get, you know? It's the waiting that's tough.
No more waiting.
I tested positive for this Chemica Desin.
We could be giving it to the entire school.
I'll go to the nurse and see how they treat whoever has this.
If there wasn't a deadly outbreak in 1971, then they must've developed a vaccine or some way to arrest it, or else there wouldn't be any kids here.
Unless it's mutated.
Yeah, but what can we do? We don't even know what this thing is.
There's no way for us to study it.
To start, we need a microscope.
Emerson, we need you to take a look at my blood and tell us what you see.
There's, like, stuff on it.
- Okay.
- What kind of stuff is in it? Not in it.
On it.
It's like nothing I've ever seen before, like a film.
It's like this blood cells and the enzymes and these things like this.
Inhibitors.
Enzyme inhibitors.
Remember in Biology? Yeah, they're molecules that bind to an enzyme to prohibit its function.
That's why the skills are going away.
Chemica Desin is a chemical designed to block them.
Hello, my fellow students.
Hello, my fellow Tower Prep academics.
No, no.
My skilled friends.
All right, no more interruptions.
I have to practice.
This is an irreversible emical bond.
There's only a little bit of time before it becomes permanent.
So it is possible to reverse the symptoms and effects.
If we catch it in time and contain it.
Maybe the nurse has a vaccine in her office.
We have to get back in there.
Well, at least it's contained.
Fenton, Ray, me, Suki, and C.
J.
- As far as we know.
- Yeah.
Thanks, Emerson.
- There.
- What? Chemica Desin is on that button.
And fingerprints, six different sets.
Fenton, Ray, you, C.
J.
, Suki Gabe.
He gave it back to me a while ago.
That's how it's spreading.
All right.
Are you okay? Yeah.
It's Gabe.
He doesn't know he spread the Chemica Desin to all those buttons, like, a hundred of them.
He's going to throw them out into the audience.
They'll all be exposed.
I've got to get a hold of him.
He's not answering.
Ow.
Something stuck me.
Um, my presentation's in, like, 10 minutes.
Who am I kidding? - I can't go.
- Go.
No, guys, forget the election, okay? I don't want to leave you guys.
Ian will be back soon.
- We'll go with him.
- Are you sure? - Mm-hm.
- Okay.
I'll find Gabe and see if I can secure those buttons.
I'm on my way to the presentation, so if I see him first, I'll tell him.
Okay, good.
Gabe.
Gabe! Where is he? He went to the candidates' presentations.
We were waiting for you.
Oh, no.
- Did he take those buttons? - Yeah.
Okay, you think you guys can walk? You need medical attention.
We have no choice but the nurse.
Come on.
I'm taking you there now.
Come on.
Ian.
Are you okay? Yeah.
Yeah, I'm fine.
Come on.
Come on.
Come on.
Come on, Gabe.
Answer me.
You okay? Give me a hand.
- Give me a hand.
- You got it.
Candidate presentation will begin in 15 minutes in the assembly room.
Where's Emily? Locked doors? What kind of hospital is this? One where objects and information that belong to the hospital get stolen.
Yeah, well, they need to be looked at.
You need to get to Gabe.
Emily's there.
She'll tell him.
You, too, Ian? You know I do.
All right, quiet down, take our seats.
Well, as this presentation was meant to begin 15 minutes ago, I can only assume that Emily Wright has elected to skip the event.
Is this true, Ross? In that case, let's proceed with the candidate who is here Mr.
Gabriel Forrest.
Oh, sir, would you like a button? I think it's best if I maintain my neutrality.
Honorable, sir.
Thank you, Headmaster.
Quite an honor.
Good afternoon, my fellow uh, uh - He looks like Shrek.
- Well, um I mean, are we students? Are we citizens? What does it mean to be at Tower Prep? Most of the time we don't have any choice but to put up with the secrets around here, but not now.
You tell me about Chemica Desin.
I seek a new era of transparency with the administration of Tower Prep.
Yeah, right.
And, of course, I look forward to working with the Headmaster in the coming term.
Although its purpose remains the same, Tower Prep often assumes the personality of the Headmaster.
In 1971 the sixth Headmaster came to believe if students could be freed of their skills, if that could be done, the school would no longer be necessary.
In the school's research labs, Chemica Desin was designed and administered.
And the results? Look at them.
Look in the mirror.
Are they going to be okay? The seventh Headmaster stopped the experiments.
A reversible inhibitor was created, but this current version of Desin someone has modified it.
It's different.
The old reversible isn't working.
If it's only made at Tower Prep, how could anyone get it unless they live here? You know the world has the technology to eradicate smallpox, but the World Health Organization keeps two vials one in Russia, one in the U.
S for study, to develop new vaccines just in case.
A vial of Chemica Desin was refrigerated in this office since the '70s for that reason.
It disappeared two months ago.
Don't ask what Tower Prep can do for you.
Ask what you can do for Tower Prep.
Get her here.
The outbreak is active.
I need all my work-study technicians here immediately Jed Bynum, Morty Bumbel, Ross Anderson Wait, Ross Anderson.
Emily's campaign manager works for you.
She had access to the Chemica Desin, and it started with Fenton's campaign button.
Emily Emily, did you get to Gabe? No.
And there is nothing to fear but fear itself.
and that a government of students by the students and for the students shall not perish from Tower Prep.
Thank you.
I love you guys.
Who wants buttons? Don't hog.
Don't hog.
Hey, watch it.
You? You want buttons? Gabe, don't! Ross is trying to infect all of Emily's opponents by blocking their abilities.
It's way out of her control.
You, me, those buttons in your hands they're all infected, Gabe.
Everyone, move.
Everyone, move.
It's all right, buddy.
Medical assistance needed.
Medical assistance needed.
Assembly room.
Get the nurse! What the science faculty at Tower Prep created was a reversible enzyme inhibitor, and with the aid of several students, including our former class president and her campaign manager, prior to sentencing to the West Campus, a reversible inhibitor to Chemica Desin 2010 was quickly manufactured and administered to the student population.
- Yes, Gabe.
- Yes.
Thus ushering in the first success of my new administration.
What? What? Oh, come on, why so mean? Anything further to declare, Mr.
President? You know what? If we have time, that would be lovely I just want to make my people happy.
Um, got it.
You know what? I declare no homework tonight.
I knew that would change your mind.
You know what? Wait, wait.
Calm down.
Go outside, have a good time, get some sun, not too much, though.
It's not safe for you.
Put on some sunscreen.
And you know what? Grab a juice box.
Let's have a good time.
Just be cool.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I love you guys.
I love you.
And your homework tonight is, offer a 10-page explanation as to how the universal inhibitor worked and why it was effective.
Thanks.
So much for my platform of a change you can believe in.
Am I to believe that while you were performing your work-study duties in Nurse's office, you not only discovered the history of Chemica Desin, but you stole the last remaining vial of it, modified it using information you learned in biology classes about inhibitors, and that you did it all with Tower Prep equipment? Yes.
I did it to weaken the abilities of Emily's opponents so she would win.
Yes.
I'm impressed.
Could you show us how? Yes, Ross, all will be forgiven if you just show us how.
We can do something really weird in a really awesome way.
Back when this used to be a laboratory, they must've manufactured all kinds of freaky stuff.
Those aren't students.
They're guinea pigs.
Are they still doing it? I mean, now? To us? Emerson Poencet has a natural microscopy.
He can see at the macro level without a microscope.
Congratulations, Ray.
10 reps and at 225 pounds.
You sure about that? In front of you is your midterm exam.
Each specimen before you has been given a specific and controlled cause of termination.
None are the same, so don't bother looking at the team beside you.
You are to examine the specimen, identify all abnormalities, determine the cause of death, and complete a written report.
You have one hour.
Who wants the honors? Oh, you want me to.
Uh, yeah, Ian would love to, I'm sure.
Ian.
Fenton, you're running for school president against Emily, right? Emily Wright.
Correct.
She's running for re-election.
That's That's a tough opponent.
She's perfect.
Yeah, maybe.
Listen, what do you say you cut that thing open, and Gabe and I will vote for you? Will you wear my button? Only if Congress went this smooth, huh? Rather a good deal for me.
I have received the two votes while my father is a surgeon, so none of this dissection business disturbs me at all.
Whoa.
Fenton, are you all right? Dude, you okay? Going going gone.
Biology, we need the nurse.
Hey, hey.
Medical assistance needed, Biology lab.
Did you see what happened? Let's raise him up.
That's fine.
You okay? Okay, let's roll.
We'll come see you, man.
You'll be okay, man.
That was, uh That was pretty weird today, huh? Yeah.
Hope he's okay.
Yeah, me, too.
You know what's even weirder is now that Fenton's out of the election, no one's running against Emily.
No one was going to beat her anyway, man.
What if I did? But why, Gabe? I mean, you and me, Ceej and Suki, we're making plans to escape.
Why spend the energy on an election and getting in deeper here? It's all part of the escape plan.
How? Well, for starters, the student president must be able to get some sort of information about the school, we could use.
I don't know.
School government was always such a joke at my old school.
Well, it's better than nothing, just sitting here.
We're not sitting.
Maybe not you.
Look, Ian, it's always you.
And it's not a bad thing.
It's just I don't know.
You've always got a plan.
You do all this stuff to try to discover what you can the gnomes, the Rooks.
This is something I can do for all of us.
Me.
And look.
I understand it's not much I know but it's something.
Emily Wright, though, Gabe? - Dude, you picked a tough one.
- I know.
And that campaign-manager friend of hers, Ross she's ruthless.
Indeed, but I thought this one out.
I should be able to persuade everyone into voting for me.
But she's so popular.
It would be like running against Abraham Lincoln or something.
Oh, my G.
Gaberaham yeah, I know.
Gaberaham Lincoln.
Gaberaham Lincoln.
Why didn't I think of that? Vote for honest Gabe.
I'm writing that down.
That's too good to be true.
Emily has a huge head start over you.
Huge head start.
And everyone knows her because she's president.
But I think you can catch her in the candidates' presentation.
Yes, that's the most important focus of our campaign.
The two candidates each make a presentation to the school.
Mm-hm.
At the presentation look, they'll see your charm, your personality, what you stand for.
Dude, we're going to change that.
You'll blow her away at the candidates' presentation, in front of an audience of students.
Oh, snap.
Guys, I would just not bother with this whole thing, but if I can get just one piece of information that'll help us with it'll all be worth it.
Oh, God, here we go.
- Is it true? - What? The rumors? You're running against us? "Us"? Emily Wright is running for president, not you, Ross.
You're a politician, Forrest.
Let other people not answer your questions for you.
No, you know what? Yes, Ross, the rumors are true, very true.
- Gabe Forrest is - You're going to get crushed.
Keep talking to my friend like that, and the only thing that'll get crushed around here is your face.
Don't get all worked up.
It's nothing personal, just business.
As Emily Wright's campaign manager, I take care of business.
So do we.
It's too bad our first opponent got sick, but it's allowed us to jump to a huge jump start, almost impossible to catch us.
Well, we will.
Don't you worry your pretty, little head.
Whatever.
I'd like to offer you one of our campaign buttons.
But that's against you.
I mean, why would you want me to wear that? It's the level of my confidence.
It should be a reminder to how badly you'll be beaten.
It's for him, not you.
The only thing he wants from you is a congratulations when he wins.
Crushed.
Where'd she get the button from? It's not like you can just call up 1-800 Buttons and get them delivered up to Tower Prep.
Good campaign starts with buttons.
I need buttons.
Ray, no head shots.
Yeah, yeah.
What are What are you doing? Man.
Archer! Time! Ray, I said no shots to the head in rushball.
Sorry, coach.
Must've gotten away from me.
Yeah.
Ian, you okay? Yeah.
All right, that's game.
Wrap it up.
That's the first time you've ever been hit in rushball.
Yeah, just dropped my head looking for the ball.
Still, you don't need your eyes to know something's about to happen.
I don't know, Coach.
Just one of those things, I guess.
Are you sure you're okay? Yeah, yeah.
You know, midterms, stress, and all that.
All right.
Guys, check it out.
Article 10, Section 2 clearly states that there's a supply of campaign buttons that are to be recycled each election, divided evenly between candidates.
Boom, toasted.
Gabe, focus.
You should be preparing for your candidate's presentation.
Done.
I'm done with the campaign poster.
It's just as you ordered.
I feel like I've seen it somewhere before.
It's just what Gabe said to do.
Only better.
Nice job, Ceej.
Gold star.
I'm telling you.
Can't place where I've seen it before.
You know what? This little puppy is going to look great.
It's great.
It's great.
Now all we need is those campaign buttons.
Dude, move on from the buttons.
Move on from the whole thing already.
Instead of getting further involved with the school, all our available time should be spent on how to get out of here.
That's what this is about, Ian.
But you know what? Obviously you have an issue with it, so we could talk about it because you know we don't keep anything from each other, and if you do, let's hear it.
There's got to be something more to Fenton's illness.
I mean, have any of you heard what happened to Fenton, how he is, where he is, anything? His roommate says he's in the infirmary.
Look, I don't mean to take away anything that you're trying to do here, Gabe.
I really don't, but if Fenton is at the infirmary, then that's where we're going to find our answers, not here.
Hey, Ceej, please tell me you got a read on that.
I had the weirdest read.
At least you got a read.
What is it? It was nothing.
I couldn't do it.
Fenton? Fenton.
Nurse.
Feeling under the weather? I was just looking for Fenton.
I wanted to see how he was doing.
He's under medical supervision.
Where? Can I see him? What was wrong with him? You look tired.
No, I feel okay.
Sit.
Really, I was just wondering what was wrong with Fenton, and you're probably busy, so I always have time for patients.
He's under medical supervision, testing.
As soon as we have a diagnosis, I'll disclose the results.
Stressed? Midterms.
Fatigued? Midterms.
You feel warm.
Could you raise your hand and hold it out for me, like this? Huh.
I guess I'm more fatigued than I thought.
We should take some blood.
- Blood? - Just to be safe.
Safe about what? You're a recent arrival here, Ian.
Your immune system hasn't had time to adapt to the foreign pathogens found in this region.
I'd hate for you to have caught something your system isn't prepared to fight.
Tower Prep wants you to feel your best.
Okay, so I researched it.
The most foot traffic happens in this hallway, so we're going to put it somewhere What is this? That's where I've seen it.
Come on.
No, you know what? We're going to put them up anyway.
- It shows we won't back down.
- Are you sure? Yeah, we're going to put it there.
Yes, right there.
Come on.
Let's do this.
A little left, little left, little down.
Why you hanging it there? Everyone's going to think they're Emily's posters.
It's the high-traffic area.
It's how campaigns work.
It's a rip-off of Emily's poster.
Ray, so you're on first-name basis with Emily.
That is adorable.
Yeah, well, it's a rip-off, so I should rip it down.
Let me ask you something.
Are you, like, Emily's goon? Get your hands off it.
Go get it.
Go get it.
Come on, Ian.
You got it! - Watch out.
- Come on, Ian.
Nice.
Nice.
You're stronger than him.
You know you are.
Come on.
Come on, Ian, get up.
Get up.
Monitor alert.
Monitor alert.
- Get up! - Main building.
- Headmaster, now.
- Okay, okay.
All right, you two.
Break it up.
Take your best shot.
I've been waiting to do this since the first day you came to Tower Prep.
Oh.
Wait, wha He's hurt.
What happened? I don't know.
Get the nurse.
- Come on.
He did it to himself.
- Get the nurse.
Ceej, go.
Go, go, go.
You know the other day in Biology when Fenton said, "Going, going, gone"? Now I know what he meant.
Ian, why didn't you tell us you had symptoms? You know how it is.
You get sick.
You don't want to tell your parents, hoping it will go away.
Whatever.
I'm not sure what to tell or who to tell it to.
Wait, you, too? It's not, like, gone, but it feels like my abilities are being blocked.
We should tell the nurse.
I think they already know.
Are you thinking they're the ones doing this? I have a hard time believing that.
Why? Guys, we said this a million times before that we think they're using us as experiments, so why not this? Yeah, the nurse did take a sample of my blood, like she was suspicious something might be going on.
You think maybe they heard about our plans to escape? Maybe they're trying to stop us.
Ray and Fenton have it.
They're not part of our plan.
Is this a virus? Is it being spread through air or contact? Maybe some virus that got in through the forest, beyond the wall, something we're not immune to.
How long till we have no choice but to go to the nurse? I mean, I wouldn't even be able to tell if the Headmaster or nurse were afraid or hiding anything.
Even if they bring the entire school into the nurse for an exam, it might give them answers, but not us.
We need to find our own.
Ian.
You can't go alone.
I'm going to check in on Headmaster, and there's only room for one of us.
Besides, you're showing symptoms.
I don't want Gabe or Suki to come down with it.
If it's spread through the air, it's too late.
If it was through the air, I think more of us would be showing symptoms.
Uh, Ian, what if you know, when you're down in the tunnels, what happened to Fenton happens to you, and I'm only asking this because dude, we won't even know.
I've got nothing for that but we can't just do nothing.
Gabe, while I'm poking around, you've got to keep your campaign running full blast so the faculty doesn't get suspicious.
You're going to have to nail this candidate's presentation if you have any chance of beating Emily.
Thanks for the support.
I know, I know.
You're right.
Ian.
Not this time.
It might be spreading through contact.
Yeah.
All right.
Is this going to be like 1971 all over again? - No.
- How can you be sure? I was there.
I was there, too.
You were just a student.
I was faculty.
Student faculty, of course, but involved.
You still haven't answered my question, Nurse.
No, that was controlled.
The Headmaster 40 years ago was careful.
That Headmaster nearly destroyed the very purpose of this school.
Spare me the lecture.
We were on the same side and won.
I'm not saying he was right or even justified, but he was careful.
What's happening now this is reckless.
Let's confirm that it is Chemica Desin.
I'm waiting for the centrifuge plasma separation results.
My assistant should have the tests completed by now.
Trying to hide it.
What are you doing here? Me? What are you doing here? Ray is a friend of mine, and Fenton was my opponent, but I don't want him to be sick.
No one will tell me what made them sick.
What do you think it is? Why don't you tell me? You say that like you think I know.
I'm here to find out what she knows.
You think she's involved, the nurse? Well, I'm about 80% sure she is, and Headmaster, too, but zero percent on understanding why.
Look, I just offered up some of what I think is going on, and, frankly, I don't have much reason to trust you, so I'm just saying.
I'm just looking for any information on something I think is called "Chemica Desin.
" Chemica Desin? What do you know about it? I was in here the other day when my campaign manager Ross was doing her work-study, and I tried to look at Nurse's computer, and I saw it, but and she came back, and this place is so busy, I planned to come here at night when I thought well, I thought no one would be here.
Hm.
So you really think it's the nurse? Who else could it be? Well, I think there are rumors that there are outsiders trying to infiltrate the school.
Outsiders? I mean, I heard that there were different people who ran the school a long time ago.
You think it's them trying to take the school back? I don't know who they are, but do you think they might be using this Desin to bring down the school? Come on.
Come on, let's go.
What? What do you want, Forrest? Ross, as a representative of an elected official, I'm sure you're very familiar and, more importantly, respectful of the rules and guidelines of an election? And? And, well, you see I'm sure you would wish to do what is both right and fair when it comes to the buttons? Buttons.
The candidates' presentations are at 3:00, and when I'm done with mine, I am going to throw these puppies out into the crowd.
All right.
Oh, before I forget, Suki found the button that Fenton gave you.
What, you're not going to put them on? Uh, I don't know, man.
I mean, Emily's all right.
I kind of like her.
She's almost one of us, you know.
Um, Ian, I recall you saying that I was doing this for all of us.
Okay, the least you could do is wear the lousy buttons.
Good.
All right, all right.
- Happy? - Thank you.
You guys holding up? The incubation period is different in each of us.
The more the symptoms don't get worse, the more worried I get, you know? It's the waiting that's tough.
No more waiting.
I tested positive for this Chemica Desin.
We could be giving it to the entire school.
I'll go to the nurse and see how they treat whoever has this.
If there wasn't a deadly outbreak in 1971, then they must've developed a vaccine or some way to arrest it, or else there wouldn't be any kids here.
Unless it's mutated.
Yeah, but what can we do? We don't even know what this thing is.
There's no way for us to study it.
To start, we need a microscope.
Emerson, we need you to take a look at my blood and tell us what you see.
There's, like, stuff on it.
- Okay.
- What kind of stuff is in it? Not in it.
On it.
It's like nothing I've ever seen before, like a film.
It's like this blood cells and the enzymes and these things like this.
Inhibitors.
Enzyme inhibitors.
Remember in Biology? Yeah, they're molecules that bind to an enzyme to prohibit its function.
That's why the skills are going away.
Chemica Desin is a chemical designed to block them.
Hello, my fellow students.
Hello, my fellow Tower Prep academics.
No, no.
My skilled friends.
All right, no more interruptions.
I have to practice.
This is an irreversible emical bond.
There's only a little bit of time before it becomes permanent.
So it is possible to reverse the symptoms and effects.
If we catch it in time and contain it.
Maybe the nurse has a vaccine in her office.
We have to get back in there.
Well, at least it's contained.
Fenton, Ray, me, Suki, and C.
J.
- As far as we know.
- Yeah.
Thanks, Emerson.
- There.
- What? Chemica Desin is on that button.
And fingerprints, six different sets.
Fenton, Ray, you, C.
J.
, Suki Gabe.
He gave it back to me a while ago.
That's how it's spreading.
All right.
Are you okay? Yeah.
It's Gabe.
He doesn't know he spread the Chemica Desin to all those buttons, like, a hundred of them.
He's going to throw them out into the audience.
They'll all be exposed.
I've got to get a hold of him.
He's not answering.
Ow.
Something stuck me.
Um, my presentation's in, like, 10 minutes.
Who am I kidding? - I can't go.
- Go.
No, guys, forget the election, okay? I don't want to leave you guys.
Ian will be back soon.
- We'll go with him.
- Are you sure? - Mm-hm.
- Okay.
I'll find Gabe and see if I can secure those buttons.
I'm on my way to the presentation, so if I see him first, I'll tell him.
Okay, good.
Gabe.
Gabe! Where is he? He went to the candidates' presentations.
We were waiting for you.
Oh, no.
- Did he take those buttons? - Yeah.
Okay, you think you guys can walk? You need medical attention.
We have no choice but the nurse.
Come on.
I'm taking you there now.
Come on.
Ian.
Are you okay? Yeah.
Yeah, I'm fine.
Come on.
Come on.
Come on.
Come on, Gabe.
Answer me.
You okay? Give me a hand.
- Give me a hand.
- You got it.
Candidate presentation will begin in 15 minutes in the assembly room.
Where's Emily? Locked doors? What kind of hospital is this? One where objects and information that belong to the hospital get stolen.
Yeah, well, they need to be looked at.
You need to get to Gabe.
Emily's there.
She'll tell him.
You, too, Ian? You know I do.
All right, quiet down, take our seats.
Well, as this presentation was meant to begin 15 minutes ago, I can only assume that Emily Wright has elected to skip the event.
Is this true, Ross? In that case, let's proceed with the candidate who is here Mr.
Gabriel Forrest.
Oh, sir, would you like a button? I think it's best if I maintain my neutrality.
Honorable, sir.
Thank you, Headmaster.
Quite an honor.
Good afternoon, my fellow uh, uh - He looks like Shrek.
- Well, um I mean, are we students? Are we citizens? What does it mean to be at Tower Prep? Most of the time we don't have any choice but to put up with the secrets around here, but not now.
You tell me about Chemica Desin.
I seek a new era of transparency with the administration of Tower Prep.
Yeah, right.
And, of course, I look forward to working with the Headmaster in the coming term.
Although its purpose remains the same, Tower Prep often assumes the personality of the Headmaster.
In 1971 the sixth Headmaster came to believe if students could be freed of their skills, if that could be done, the school would no longer be necessary.
In the school's research labs, Chemica Desin was designed and administered.
And the results? Look at them.
Look in the mirror.
Are they going to be okay? The seventh Headmaster stopped the experiments.
A reversible inhibitor was created, but this current version of Desin someone has modified it.
It's different.
The old reversible isn't working.
If it's only made at Tower Prep, how could anyone get it unless they live here? You know the world has the technology to eradicate smallpox, but the World Health Organization keeps two vials one in Russia, one in the U.
S for study, to develop new vaccines just in case.
A vial of Chemica Desin was refrigerated in this office since the '70s for that reason.
It disappeared two months ago.
Don't ask what Tower Prep can do for you.
Ask what you can do for Tower Prep.
Get her here.
The outbreak is active.
I need all my work-study technicians here immediately Jed Bynum, Morty Bumbel, Ross Anderson Wait, Ross Anderson.
Emily's campaign manager works for you.
She had access to the Chemica Desin, and it started with Fenton's campaign button.
Emily Emily, did you get to Gabe? No.
And there is nothing to fear but fear itself.
and that a government of students by the students and for the students shall not perish from Tower Prep.
Thank you.
I love you guys.
Who wants buttons? Don't hog.
Don't hog.
Hey, watch it.
You? You want buttons? Gabe, don't! Ross is trying to infect all of Emily's opponents by blocking their abilities.
It's way out of her control.
You, me, those buttons in your hands they're all infected, Gabe.
Everyone, move.
Everyone, move.
It's all right, buddy.
Medical assistance needed.
Medical assistance needed.
Assembly room.
Get the nurse! What the science faculty at Tower Prep created was a reversible enzyme inhibitor, and with the aid of several students, including our former class president and her campaign manager, prior to sentencing to the West Campus, a reversible inhibitor to Chemica Desin 2010 was quickly manufactured and administered to the student population.
- Yes, Gabe.
- Yes.
Thus ushering in the first success of my new administration.
What? What? Oh, come on, why so mean? Anything further to declare, Mr.
President? You know what? If we have time, that would be lovely I just want to make my people happy.
Um, got it.
You know what? I declare no homework tonight.
I knew that would change your mind.
You know what? Wait, wait.
Calm down.
Go outside, have a good time, get some sun, not too much, though.
It's not safe for you.
Put on some sunscreen.
And you know what? Grab a juice box.
Let's have a good time.
Just be cool.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I love you guys.
I love you.
And your homework tonight is, offer a 10-page explanation as to how the universal inhibitor worked and why it was effective.
Thanks.
So much for my platform of a change you can believe in.
Am I to believe that while you were performing your work-study duties in Nurse's office, you not only discovered the history of Chemica Desin, but you stole the last remaining vial of it, modified it using information you learned in biology classes about inhibitors, and that you did it all with Tower Prep equipment? Yes.
I did it to weaken the abilities of Emily's opponents so she would win.
Yes.
I'm impressed.
Could you show us how? Yes, Ross, all will be forgiven if you just show us how.