INT. OBSERVATION BOOTH
Janice and Frank look over the equipment.
FRANK
Vitals still nominal..
INT. LABORATORY
The glowing liquid turns from gold to red as the complex
webbing of a bloodstream appears.
Spreading out from the bloodstream, soon becomes visible
... the shadow of a skeletal system.
SEBASTIAN
I can’t br... br...
Sebastian begins wheezing.
LINDA
What’s wrong?
SARAH
He’s not breathing.
Muscles are beginning to appear. And eyeballs. Frightened
eyeballs.
MATT
Subject manifesting.
SARAH
Pulse erratic.
Sebastian pulls against his bonds. One set tears off.
LINDA
Carter!
Carter grabs onto the mass of flesh and muscle, trying to
hold it back. But the restraints snap. The half-visible
man is screaming. He grabs Carter and throws him across
the room.
LINDA (cont’d)
Sebastian! Sebastian!
And just for a second, Sebastian is fully visible. And
free. He looks around like a scared animal and rips off
all the wiring.
LINDA (cont’d)
Sebastian!
MATT
Get a tranq. Stat.
Sarah preps a tranquilizer. Sebastian locks eyes with
Linda. He’s lost, he doesn’t know where he is. And
suddenly, he crumbles to the ground. Linda rushes over to
him and puts bar hand on his shoulder. Light bleeds from
his skin and his skin begins to dissolve from sight.
LINDA
He’s reverting. Got him on the table.
Matt, Linda and Sarah pull the shifting body up and onto
an operating table. Carter pulls himself up and heads
back to the group.
LINDA (cont’d)
Get me a I.V. of A.G. seven.
SARAH
I got no pulse. No pulse.
MATT
Start CPR.
Carter locates Sebastian’s heart, not a difficult thing
because we can actually see it. Carter’s hand pushes down
in the air inches above the heart. We see the heart being
pushed and squeezed. Sarah slaps an air bag on Sebastian
and starts pumping air into his lungs. Sebastian’s heart
begins to beat again, beat on its own.
CARTER
Getting a pulse.
MATT
Holy shit. What happened?
LINDA
Sebastian... can you hear me? Can you
hear me? How are his pupils?
MATT
I can’t see his goddamn pupils!
SARAH
I think he’s going into shock.
We slowly FADE OUT to the sights and sounds of our
scientist- doctors working on Sebastian... And the
beeping of Sebastian’s erratic heartbeat.
FADE UP ON:
A HABITAT
The heartbeat continues. In the shadows, two Rhesus
Monkeys defend themselves against an unseen attacker.
Blood splatters against the Plexiglas wall.
We FADE OUT AGAIN...
INT. CORRIDOR - NIGHT
Linda stares through the Plexiglas walls into the
Recovery Chamber. Inside the Chamber, Sarah and Carter-
eye the various screens monitoring Sebastian’s vitals.
Linda watches the hollow pocket underneath the blanket.
She watches the rhythm of its rises and falls as
Sebastian sleeps. Matt comes up behind her.
MATT
Just got the tissue sample results.
Cellular cohesion is stable.
Linda exhales in relief. Matt puts his hands on her
shoulder. Pulls her close to him.
MATT (cont’d)
How bout you? You gonna be okay?
LINDA
Guess so.
(beat)
I was just thinking about the Apollo
missions. Y’know? Grissom, White and
Chaffee... What it was like for them
on that launch pad that day, thinking
they were gonna reach the stars only
to burn to death.
MATT
Sometimes the test pilots make
history. Sometimes the planes crash
and people die.
LINDA
But he didn’t die, did he?
(beat)
What if we can’t bring him back? What
then?
MATT
It’s just a little hitch is all. He’ll
be the first to tell that he’ll crack
it and I’m sure he will. It’ll just
take time.
(beat)
Listen, let’s got out of here. We
could drive up to the old observatory.
We’ll take some wine and go count the
stars and forget all this for awhile.
She pulls away.
LINDA
No. I want to be here for him.
Linda pushes through the door of the recovery chamber and
takes a seat by Sebastian’s bedside. A little hurt, Matt
heads down the corridor.
INT. CONFERENCE ROOM
Frank and Janice are staring into their coffee when Matt
enters. Matt crosses to the coffee machine and pours
himself a cup. He takes a seat at the table. They all
drink their coffee in silent vigil.
INT. RECOVERY CHAMBER - DAY
Linda sits by Sebastian’s bedside, listening to the
constant rhythm of the machines.
The sheets shift.
SEBASTIAN’S VOICE
(weak)
Hey...
LINDA
Hey...
SEBASTIAN
So I guess it didn’t work.
Linda shakes her head.
SEBASTIAN’S VOICE
You look worried. It must’ve been bad.
Sebastian’s voice is weak and strained.
LINDA
You almost died.
SEBASTIAN’S VOICE
Well, remember your Nietchze. Whatever
doesn’t kill me, makes me stronger.
Linda smiles.
LINDA
I should be making you feel better.
Not vice versa.
SEBASTIAN’S VOICE
I guess if I’m going to be stuck this
way for awhile, I’d better make some
adjustments.
INT. RECOVERY CHAMBER - DAY
In a dusty shaft of light...
A cotton swab.
is dipped by a gloved hand into a jar of flesh-colored
cream make-up. We follow the hand as it raises the cotton
swab into the darkness. The swab strokes over the black
and the rich fleshy cream spreads, revealing...
EYE LIDS of a closed eye.
The eyelids part, unveiling...
PITCH BLACK. Blink. Blink.
No eye.
Not even a trace of a eye socket. Just darkness.
A COLORED CONTACT LENS floats through mid-air... hovering
before the eyelids. It turns and fastens itself to the
darkness between the lids.
We PULL BACK slowly as Sebastian lifts a latex FACE MASK
and pulls it over his head.
He checks his reflection in the mirror. He looks almost
human. Almost. A face, eyes, hands ... the rest of him
covered by surgical scrubs.
We pull back and see the rest of the team looking on.
MATT
Not too bad.
SEBASTIAN
The latex’ll limit the amount of light
delivered to my optic nerves.
LINDA
You could almost pass for human.
Sebastian rises. He looks eerily removed from reality
with his cold blank expression.
SEBASTIAN’S VOICE
Well, it gives you a face to talk to
at least, and we can all work in
normal light again.
INT. LABORATORY - DAY
SERIES OF SHOTS
Carter draws blood from Sebastian.
Samples are placed into the cyclotron.
Matt peers through the eyepiece of a microscope. He makes
notes.
Frank and Janice finish a computer simulation on a
protein strand. Matt looks over. They shake their heads,
no.
Sebastian slides into the MRI.
Linda examines a petri dish. She throws her pencil down
in frustration.
Sebastian is hit by the spectral radiation beams.
Matt pulls a vial of orange liquid from the cyclotron.
INT. CORRIDOR - DAY
Sebastian, still in his latex and scrubs, but looking
like he’s been dragged through the nine levels of
purgatory, is escorted back to the recovery chamber by
Linda and Matt.
He crosses to his bed and collapses on it. Closes his
eyes.
SEBASTIAN
The testing’s making me sick.
LINDA
Could be the barium or the radiation.
MATT
You’re physiology has changed and,
well, all bets are off.
SEBASTIAN
I can’t believe I have to spend
another night here.
(to Linda)
Suppose you’re gonna go home now, meet
up with that boyfriend of yours now.
Linda and Matt exchange a glance. Linda quickly covers.
LINDA
Do you want me to stay?
SEBASTIAN
No. That’s okay. It’s just, being a
guinea pig is more work than I
thought. I’ll be fine.
INT. RESEARCH COMPOUND - NIGHT
Various shots of the empty hallways and deserted labs.
INT. OBSERVATION ROOM - NIGHT
Carter kicks back in his chair listening to his walkman
stereo and playing gameboy.
INT. RECOVERY CHAMBER - DAY
Sebastian, in scrubs and make-up, paces back and forth.
He slams the wall in frustration. He crosses to a mirror
and examines himself. He doesn’t look half bad. He pokes
his cheeks. There’s something about him that’s a little
off, but only if you look close.
INT. OBSERVATION ROOM - NIGHT
A shadow falls across Carter’s face. He looks up. It’s
Sebastian wearing street clothes - jeans and a hooded
sweatshirt over his latex mask.
Carter pulls of his earphones.
CARTER
(surprised)
Dr. Caine. What’s up?
SEBASTIAN
Just stopped by to let you know, I’m
going out for a bit.
Sebastian turns back into the hallway.
CARTER
Going out? Hey wait a sec!
Carter scrambles to his feet.
INT. CORRIDOR - NIGHT
Carter catches up with Sebastian.
CARTER
What do you mean going out for a bit?
SEBASTIAN
If I don’t get out of here, I’m gonna
go crazy.
CARTER
But you’re not supposed to leave the
compound.
SEBASTIAN
Why not?
CARTER
That’s the rule.
SEBASTIAN
Yes, but I made that rule. It’s my
rule and I’m changing it.
CARTER
You can’t just change it.
Sebastian hits the elevator button. The doors open.
SEBASTIAN
Carter, I was suppose to be like this
for three days. Three fucking days and
I’ll be damned if I’m going to spend
the rest of my life as a prisoner in
this godforsaken dump. Now I’m going
out. I’ll be back in a couple of
hours. Okay?
The elevator doors close with Sebastian inside. Shit.
CARTER
Shit.
Carter runs down the corridor.
INT OBSERVATION ROOM - NIGHT
Carter picks up the phone and dials.
A beat then.
CARTER
Yeah, it’s Carter. We got a problem.
INT. WAREHOUSE - NIGHT
The elevator doors open and Sebastian pushes past the
Marine Guard.
MARINE GUARD
Hey, Doc. Haven’t seen you for awhile?
Sebastian keeps his face turned away as he crosses to his
Porsche.
SEBASTIAN
Yeah, well. You know how it in
sometimes.
MARINE GUARD
You got that right, sir. I was
beginning to worry ‘cause your car
hadn’t moved.
SEBASTIAN
Thanks, but everything’s cool.
Sebastian starts his car. It chugs a few times before
turning over and speeding out of the warehouse.
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
The door opens and Sebastian switches on the lights.
He looks around his apartment and sighs. It’s good to be
home.
INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT
Sebastian enters the bedroom, clicking on the light. He
looks at the ceiling, “You Should Be Working”, and
smiles.
INT. LINDA’S APARTMENT BUILDING, PARKING GARAGE - NIGHT
Linda and Matt each rush to their respective cars.
MATT
He could be anywhere. Hell he could be
right behind us.
LINDA
I’ll meet you at the lab. I’m gonna
swing by his place, just in case.
MATT
See you there.
Matt tries to give her a quick pack. Linda backs away.
LINDA
(quietly, looking around)
I don’t want him to see.
MATT
(looking around too)
What a mess.
They get in their cars.
INT. SEBASTIAN’S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Sebastian packs up a few personal belongings in an
overnight duffle. He crosses to his bookcase and pulls
out some books and throws them into the bag.
But as he does, he notices a light come on in the window
across the courtyard. Sebastian turns off his bedroom
light and moves toward the window. He peers across the
courtyard into the Brunette’s apartment.
He watches the Brunette as she comes into the living room
from her front hallway. She drops her keys on the table
and begins unbuttoning her blouse as she crosses to the
window. Just as the blouse slips off her shoulder, she
pulls her blinds shut.
SEBASTIAN
Shit.
Frustrated, Sebastian steps away from the window and then
stops. Something has occurred to him.
SEBASTIAN (cont’d)
Don’t even think it...
He looks down and notices his hand is trembling. His
breathing is a little heavy. A little nervous. He catches
a glimpse at himself in the mirror.
SEBASTIAN (cont’d)
(almost whispering)
Once...just once.
The Brunette’s living room light switches off and the
bathroom light switches on. We see him fighting an
internal battle and we see him lose it. He grabs a hold
of his hand and peels the latex skin off.
EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT
Linda drives Sebastian’s apartment. She spots his black
Porsche in the parking lot. She pulls over to the curb,
jumps out of her car and heads into the building.
INT. BRUNETTE’S APARTMENT, BATHROOM - NIGHT
Wearing just a robe, the brunette turns on her shower.
The doorbell rings. With a frustrated sigh, the brunette
rises.
AT THE FRONT DOOR
She peers through the peep hole. No one’s there. But as
she turns she hears the doorbell again. She opens the
door, steps out into the hallway and looks around. Empty.
Puzzled she heads back inside her apartment.
We follow her as she crosses to her bedroom, but a moment
later, the bedroom door closes on its own.
We hear a SCREAM come from the other side. Then another.
Then a muffled struggled. And we...
CUT TO:
INT. HALLWAY, SEBASTIAN BUILDING - NIGHT
Linda exits the elevator and heads down to Sebastian’s
door. She knocks. Waits. No answer. She knocks again.
Waits.
And then she tries the door. It’s unlocked. She pushes
the door open.
LINDA
Sebastian?
INT. SEBASTIAN’S APARTMENT - NIGHT
Linda pushes through the living room, into the bedroom.
LINDA
Sebastian?
She notices that the bathroom light is on.
BATHROOM
On the floor she finds Sebastian’s clothing and on the
vanity she sees his latex face and hands.
LINDA
Oh shit.
She scramble for the bedroom phone and quickly dials.
LINDA (cont’d)
Yeah, Matt, it’s me. He was here. No.
He’s taken his make-up off. I don’t
know...He must be outside somewhere.
I don't know where he went. I'm coming
back to the lab. How? How’m I supposed
to do that? I CAN'T FUCKING SEE HIM!
We're going on alpha call. I want
everyone at the lab now. We're gonna
need thermal visors and we may need
tranqs.
As she hangs up the phone, and heads out. The CAMERA
doesn't follow, but instead pushes through the blinds and
out the window. As we cross the courtyard, we begin to
hear muffled cries of terror. We hold on the Brunette's
window as we...
CUT TO:
INT. BRUNETTE’S APARTMENT - NIGHT
The bedroom door opens and we see the Brunette, nude and
curled up on the bed, sobbing. We follow the sounds of
heavy breathing to the front door of her apartment. The
door opens and we push out into the hallway. We can see
indentations of feet appear on the hallway carpet.
INT. CORRIDOR BY SEBASTIAN’S APARTMENT
The elevator doors open and Linda steps inside. The doors
close shut behind her. A beat later we see the
indentations of footsteps come around the corner. We
follow the breathing and stumbling footfalls back into...
INT. SEBASTIAN’S APARTMENT - NIGHT
We push over to the bathroom sink. The faucet turns on
and the water starts running.
We see the water cup under the faucet and splash against
Sebastian’s face. His face appears briefly in the water.
Then the water slips away.
For second it sounds like he’s crying, but then we hear
something far worse. He’s laughing. Nervous laughter.
INT. CONFERENCE ROOM - NIGHT
Matt hands out thermal goggles, while Frank loads and
passes out tranquilizer guns.
JANICE
What are the tranqs for?
LINDA
Use your imagination.
JANICE
Are you saying he’s dangerous?
MATT
We’re just saying we need to be
cautious.
LINDA
The Metro stops running after midnight
and he’s on foot, so he can’t have
gotten too far.
CARTER
Look, this isn’t a monkey we’re
talking about. It’s Dr. Caine. Don’t
you think you’re over reacting?
LINDA
This program is classified. If he’s
out there it means someone might find
out about him. He could destroy the
whole program.
SEBASTIAN’S VOICE
Relax, Linda. No one’s gonna find out.
They all turn around. At the door is Sebastian, back in
his latex outfit.
MATT
Where the hell have you been?
SEBASTIAN
I got a little stir crazy, so I went
to my apartment to pick up some stuff.
LINDA
Bullshit! I went to your apartment and
I happen to know you did a helluva lot
more than pick some stuff up.
SEBASTIAN
What are you talking about?
LINDA
You, of all people How could you?
Caught dead to rights, Sebastian sinks into his chair. He
thinks she knows.
LINDA (cont’d)
You put yourself and this project at
risk.
SEBASTIAN
Just what did you see in my apartment?
LINDA
I saw your face and your clothes.
MATT
It was bad enough you left without an
escort, but to take off the...
(he motions to his face)
out in public?
Sebastian realizes that they don’t know.
SEBASTIAN
Don’t make a mountain out of molehill.
I didn’t let anyone see me.
LINDA
That’s not good enough. When you’re
outside the lab there are a thousand
variables none of us can control. It’s
just not safe for you to be out there.
SEBASTIAN
Come on, Linda. You don’t expect me to
be some kind of prisoner.
LINDA
You volunteered for this, Sebastian.
You knew going in there could be
consequences.
(beat)
For the security of this project, I’m
gonna have to ask you to confine
yourself to the compound.
SEBASTIAN
I’m still Project Leader, Linda. It’s
my decision to make.
LINDA
You’re right. It’s your decision. But
if you leave the compound again, I’ll
notify the oversight committee. Then
they can make the decision. You
understand?
SEBASTIAN
Matt?
MATT
Sorry, man. You’d do the same if it
were the other way around.
A long beat. Sebastian slowly rises, acknowledges Linda
with a nod and leaves the room. Linda looks around at her
silent co-workers, the goggles and tranqs still on the
table.
LINDA
Pack ‘em up... Everyone go home.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. LABORATORY - DAY
The Lab is buzzing with the usual activity. Linda rolls
up Sebastian’s sleeve, revealing nothing.
LINDA
Hold still.
She wraps a bungee cord around the nothing and pulls it
tight. She then sprays the inside of his elbow with dye.
SEBASTIAN
(contentious)
How much blood do you think you’ve
taken so far?
The surface of his skin sheens in the light as Linda
searches for a vein. She slaps his arm several times,
then plunges a hypodermic needle into his skin.
LINDA
Not enough to worry about.
SEBASTIAN
Every day... feels like you’re sucking
me dry.
Linda presses down on the hypodermic plunger, releasing a
dye into his bloodstream.
SEBASTIAN (cont’d)
It’s funny. All these years I’ve known
you, I never pegged you for a
megalomanic.
LINDA
What are you talking about?
SEBASTIAN
The shoe being on the other foot. You
getting to run things.
LINDA
I didn’t ask for this, Caine. But when
a classified experiment disappears in
the middle of the night, someone’s
gotta run the show.
(tries sympathy)
Look, I know how hard this has been
for you.
He knocks her arm away and pulls the hypo, out of his
arm.
SEBASTIAN
Don’t patronize me.
(beat)
And for the record, you’ve got no idea
what it’s like. I get up every morning
and you people stick needles in me.
You bombard me with radiation until I
vomit. And then at six it’s over for
you. You get to go home. But Sebastian
is still here. Sebastian can’t leave,
or else. That’s the worst part, you
know. Here I have this ... this GIFT
and I can’t even use it.
LINDA
Now it’s a gift?
SEBASTIAN
You’re goddamn right it’s a gift. And
if you weren’t so goddamned short
sighted, I’d be out there right now
trying to master it.
Sebastian looks around at the other scientists staring at
him. He tosses the hypo with the needle onto the
instrument tray and heads toward the door.
LINDA
Where’re you going?
SEBASTIAN
Looks like I’m going nowhere.
MATT
Come on, man. We’ve got a ton of tests
scheduled today.
SEBASTIAN
Do them yourself.
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