Are you planning to get up?
You know there's no way
Mom's going to let you sleep
Through your first day
Of junior high school.
Alex.
Yes.
Isn't it an exciting day?
You sent for me, miss atron?
Vince, I just got off the phone
With our testing facility.
They'll be ready for the gc-161 transport
Later this afternoon.
That's very good news, miss atron.
It has to go smoothly.
You're the only one I can trust
For this sort of thing.
You won't have to think about it again.
I won't.
Man: Attention, attention, please stand by.
You know what, I'll have to reschedule that lunch.
Can you make sure that I have that market research
On my desk when I get in this morning?
Right, let me talk to judy.
Annie, where is your sister?
Upstairs, trying unsuccessfully
To define herself through fashion.
I should just face it.
I'm boring.
Plain and simple.
Boring.
What are you working on, dad?
You haven't taken your eyes off that screen for days.
This new compound I was telling you about-- gc-161.
There's a real buzz at the plant about it.
Are you on their mechanism or applications end?
Strictly the mechanism.
Everything else about it is very top secret.
I have no idea what they have in mind for it
But it has some extraordinary properties.
Hmm.
Annie!
Annie: It's open!
Hi.
Oh, yes, good morning.
This is barbara mack returning your call.
Uh-huh.
Hold? Sure, I can hold.
Hi, mr. Mack.
Good morning, raymond.
Where's alex?
Going through pre-traumatic stress syndrome.
Barbara: Alex
You've missed breakfast.
That's okay, I'm not really hungry.
I-I-I can eat.
You must be nervous about your first day at school.
Everything is going to be just fine.
Just don't expect me to be the award-winning genius
Like annie.
We don't expect that, sweetie.
Annie: That's true, alex.
In fact, if you just pass on to the next grade
They'll be ecstatic.
Annie, enough.
Alex, I have a surprise for you.
Annie: Trolls!
Very cutting edge, huh, alex?
Thanks, mom.
I'd better get going.
George.
Isn't there something you want to say to alex
Before her first day at school?
Well, alex...
Um, first day...
Well...
Mmm... Good luck.
Raymond.
There's no more monkey bars.
The stakes are bigger
The work's harder
The girls prettier.
And you sink or swim.
And me... I'm a shark.
Teacher: So we'll start with a little review.
You have covered most of this territory
In your sixth-grade math classes.
Class, please, settle down.
Where was I?
Okay.
If ax squared plus bx
Plus c equals zero
Then x equals minus b plus/minus the square root of b squared
Minus 4ac over what?
Okay.
How about alexandra mack?
Vince: You're the best we have?
Maybe.
Mind if I grab some lunch on the way?
The testing facility is expecting the shipment now.
You can get your lunch after you made the delivery.
Okay.
But I'm really pretty hungry.
Hey! This is important.
Your lunch can wait.
And take back roads.
No stopping.
No nothing.
Do you understand?
Yeah... Which part?
Alex: It was worse than I thought it would be.
I got shoved in a locker, I ripped my class schedule
And everyone here hates me.
Raymond: I like you.
No offense, ray
But I'm going to need more than you
To survive here.
I'd say I'm sinking.
Let's just go home.
No can do. Band tryouts.
Band tryouts?
You're going to join the band?
I have to try. You know my dad.
The alvarados always play
In the school band.
I can't break that tradition.
Besides, maybe I'll meet some girls.
Well, I'm a girl.
Girl-type girls, alex.
Oh... Girl-type girls.
I'll come over later.
See you.
Girl: Get out of the way!
Why don't you watch where you're going?
Yo, check out her lunch box.
Hey, what are you guys doing to her?
Scott, relax.
We're just messing around with her.
Chill out, jessica, go back to practice.
First day, huh?
It'll get better.
I hope so.
What's your name?
Alex.
Um, alexandra.
Hey, scott
Ask her about trolls.
She's an expert.
You like trolls?
I, uh...
I used to.
But not now.
I mean, not anymore.
I'm too old to play with troll dolls, any dolls.
Right.
Hey, I'll see you later, okay?
I'm such a geek.
Why don't you watch where you're going?
Hey, kid, get back here!
Annie!
Whoa!
Man: This is a restricted area.
Wow.
Tough first day?
Hey, annie, I was coming home from school
When this plant truck swerved, almost hitting me.
Then it crashed, bam! Right into a hydrant.
Then this barrel of gold stuff
Spilled out all over me.
Hmm.
You're not clever enough to make this up.
And just now, without even doing anything
I think I turned on the saw and the electric train set.
What?!
Vince: Some kid stepped into the road
And he had to swerve to avoid him.
Him?
Or her.
He didn't get a good look.
I've kept the police away from here so far.
This is an absolute disaster!
There's another piece of news you won't like.
He says that when the gc-161 spilled out of the truck
It covered the kid from head to toe.
What?
I'm afraid so.
But we found a handprint in the mud near the accident.
And I'm hoping to match the kid up to it.
Vince
I know nothing about gc-161
I know nothing about this accident
And I know nothing about this kid
Until you find him and bring him to me.
I'll deal with it.
Like you dealt with this?
Your blood pressure and body temperature are normal.
How do you feel?
My arms and legs are all tingly.
What do you think it is?
I don't know, it could be nothing.
So I shouldn't worry?
Of course, you should worry.
For all we know you could have been hit by something
That's seeping into your brain cells at this very minute
And it's attacking your central nervous system
And you're going to turn into
A quivering mass of jelly.
Whoa!
What happened to you?
Alex was involved in a little accident.
An accident?
You mean the one near the school.
You know about that?
I just came from there.
The place is going nuts.
Okay, so we all just need to relax.
Because alex is glowing a little.
No big deal.
No big deal?
No big deal?!
Look at her!
Annette wayne.
Neil kensella.
Johnny yelman.
Aw, come on, pal.
Give me something.
You were the only one who was there.
I told you, vince, I didn't get a good look.
It all happened so fast.
Well, we know the kid was either
From the junior high or the high school.
And was headed home on foot.
When the boys in the lab
Bring down the handprint I.D. Unit
We'll get going door-to-door.
I'll find this kid.
Can we grab a bite before we start?
Annie: I get the feeling
This was not just some minor accident.
Those plant security guys were out there.
This has got to be something big.
It wasn't my fault.
They'll blame you.
Adults always do.
He's right.
We can't tell anyone
Until this whole thing dies down.
I'm really hungry.
Ray, can I have some chips?
How can you think of eating at a time like this?
Wow!
Hi, honey.
Hi.
How was your day?
Good, good.
At the end of the day
They announced some kind of major security alert.
Did the kids mention anything
About a truck accident near school?
I haven't even seen the girls.
Maybe they're out back.
I'll go check.
Well, you're not glowing anymore.
You're starting to look like yourself again.
Maybe it was just a temporary thing, huh?
Yeah, maybe.
Where did alex go?
Annie: Ray?
Uh... I think that's her!
Yeah, right.
Stop it, annie, really.
Alex's voice echoing: What's happening?
Make it stop, annie!
Alex, stop chasing him.
Dad: Kids, are you in there?
Annie: Alex?
Hide!
Go find a place.
Ray... Don't say a word.
Right.
Oh! Hi, dad. What's up?
Hi, annie, am I glad to see you.
Hey, ray.
Have you kids seen alex?
Alex? No.
She stayed late after school
To try out for the basketball team.
Right, ray?
Right.
I didn't know
She liked basketball.
Neither did I.
She's full of surprises lately.
Well, as long as you know where she is.
Uh, what's raymond doing here without her?
Oh, he's helping me with a new science project.
I'm trying to adjust his molecular structure
To change him into a human puddle.
As long as you clean up the mess afterwards.
Okay.
Alex, come out.
Annie!
Bring me my clothes.
I don't know, annie.
Maybe I should tell dad.
He can take me to the plant
And they can give me an antidote.
No, no way.
My guess is that whatever doused you
Is illegal and majorly top secret.
And if you go public, dad could lose his job.
Or worse.
Worse?
I'd say danielle atron and her security guys
Never let you see the light of day again.
They're going to cut you up
Put you under a microscope
And examine you like a frog in biology class.
I bet your brain'll end up in a jar of formaldehyde.
Ray, go back to the accident site
And see what you can find.
Right.
We do this block and then another three.
I want to cover this entire neighborhood by nightfall.
Don't worry, vince.
Even if I don't recognize the kid
He'll probably recognize me.
Vince: All we need is for the kid
To stick his hand in this handprint I.D. Unit
And we'll nail him.
What's wrong?
Plant security is going door-to-door.
They have this thing
You stick your hand in that can identify you.
You're in big trouble.
If they see me like this, I'm dead.
You two, calm down.
We'll make sure they don't find you.
Let's go change your clothes.
Okay.
Well, you can forget that.
They're heading
For your house right now.
Alex...
You're going to have to liquify again.
This time, maybe if you concentrate harder
You can transform your clothes, too.
But what if I can't reform again?
And I'm destined to live the rest of my life
As a... Puddle.
Would that be such a loss?
I'm just kidding.
Look, you did it once, you can do it again.
Ray.
Ray!
Go home and if they come to your house
Just try not to say anything too stupid.
Ready?
Go for it.
Give me a sec, then follow me.
Sorry, alex.
That... Won't work.
Alex's voice echoing: Oh, no, now what am I supposed to do?
You're going to have to go through the plumbing.
The plumbing? No way!
You've got no choice.
Somehow you've got to get
To the upstairs bathroom.
Is that all
You have to say to me?
Good luck!
Oh, mom, I'll get it.
Thanks.
Oh, annie?
This is vince and dave from the plant
And they just want to ask you a couple of questions.
Sweetheart.
Do you know where you were at 3:30 this afternoon?
"sweetheart?"
I don't even know you.
I, uh... Apologize.
I was in my advanced placement chemistry class
Working on a gravity waves experiment.
And your other daughter?
Well, I haven't seen her.
She stayed late at school.
She ought to be home by now.
I saw her, dad.
She said she was going to go upstairs.
Well, why don't we check on that?
W-wait, guys, she's my daughter.
I'll go-- if she's there I'll bring her down.
You do that.
Alex?
Are you there?
Alex?
Well, here you are.
I didn't see you come in.
I said, "hi," I thought you heard me.
Do you know anything about an accident
Near school today?
An accident?
Nope.
Good.
I need you downstairs
To tell a couple of people that.
I was upstairs
Doing my homework.
That should do it, so if you don't mind...
We'd like to eat our dinner.
After the girls
Have their handprints recorded, mr. Mack.
So that we know they've been checked out.
And now the younger one.
Go on.
Oh, no! I'm sorry.
We have another one in the car.
Excuse me?
Is that your vehicle rolling away?
I'm really worried, annie.
The plant won't stop until they find me.
Between my brains and your powers
That won't be too easy.
Everything has changed, alex.
You were just this average kid
Headed for this life of inconsequence and boredom.
And now, look at you.
I can tell you one thing.
My second day of junior high
Will be a lot different than my first.
I bet we make the cover of scientific america one day.
You would have made it by yourself, eventually.
Don't worry, I'll take all the credit.
Goodnight, alex.
Goodnight, annie.
Alex!
Have a good night's sleep, kid.
You won't have many more.
You slipped through my fingers for now.
But tomorrow is another day.