INT. RECOVERY CHAMBER - NIGHT
Linda enters to find Sebastian reading the collected
works of T.S. Elliot.
LINDA
Want to talk about it?
SEBASTIAN
No.
Linda looks over his shoulder.
LINDA
“We are the hollow men, the stuffed
men, headpieces filled with straw.”
SEBASTIAN
Funny, huh? I’ve become a literal
metaphor.
He puts the books down.
LINDA
I don’t want to fight you. I just want
what’s best for the program.
SEBASTIAN
I know. And you being right doesn’t
make it any easier for me.
LINDA
You can be scared. That’s okay.
SEBASTIAN
I’m not scared of being stuck this
way. With a little more make-up and
practice, I could...
(he motions to his face)
... pass. Y’know, get by in the world.
But the testing...
LINDA
You’re talking like you’ve given up.
It’s only been a few months.
SEBASTIAN
What if it’s years? I don’t know how
much more testing I can take.
INT. RECOVERY CHAMBER - LATER
Sebastian paces back and forth, glancing at the camera.
INT. LABORATORY - DAY
Linda, Matt and Sebastian, in latex and scrubs, stare at
an electron microscope’s video display. On the screen in
a sparse colony of blood calls but every second more and
more cells appear, filling the gap.
MATT
60% reversion. 70% ... 75% ... 80% ...
85 ...
The others in the lab listen. They start to get excited.
Janice and Carter leave their research and come over to
watch the screen.
SEBASTIAN
We’ve got it. We’ve got it.
MATT
93% ... 95%... 95%
They wait. Linda points to a blank patch on the screen.
LINDA
That’s all we need.
SEBASTIAN
Come on, baby. Come on.
But the blood cells nearest the blank patch twinkle out
existence, and then those around them also blink away
until after a beat, the screen is empty.
MATT
Full quantum cascade at 95%.
(beat)
I’m sorry.
SEBASTIAN
You’re sorry? You’re fucking sorry?
Sebastian picks up a glass beaker and hurls it against
the wall. It shatters.
SEBASTIAN (cont’d)
Six weeks of this shit and you’re
sorry!
He grabs more equipment and begins tossing it in a rage.
Carter and Janice grab him and restrain him. After
struggling against them a beat or two, Sebastian calms
down and pushes away from them and heads out the door.
JANICE
I don’t blame him.
LINDA
I’ll go talk to him.
MATT
Leave him alone. He just needs to blow
off some steam.
INT. RECOVERY CHAMBER - NIGHT
CUT TO:
Sebastian lies in his bed, staring at the security
camera. The camera stares back at him.
As if from a dream, we hear the Brunette’s muffled scream
and cries for help. As we push in on Sebastian’s cold
eyes, we can barely make out her face thrashing back in
forth in panic and confusion.
Sebastian suddenly rises.
He crosses to the video camera and examines a small panel
on the underneath of the camera.
He reaches into a box of twinkies and pulls out one of
the sponge cakes and begins munching. He hits the
intercom button on the phone.
FRANK (V.0.)
Yeah?
SEBASTIAN
I’m going to the lab.
FRANK (V.0.)
Don’t you sleep?
SEBASTIAN
Waste of time. Da Vinci never slept.
INT. OBSERVATION ROOM - NIGHT
Frank eyes Sebastian in the monitor.
FRANK
Okay. I’m here if you need me.
He watches as Sebastian’s heat signature moves toward the
door.
INT. LABORATORY - NIGHT
In the dark deserted lab, Sebastian pulls together a
circuit board, a computer chip and some wiring. He seems
be assembling something.
INT. RECOVERY CHAMBER - NIGHT
Sebastian crosses underneath the camera... just out of
its range... reaches up and using a screwdriver, unscrews
the access panel. He scans the electronics and attaches
two alligator clips to wires on the circuit board.
Trailing a long length of wire, Sebastian crosses back to
his bed and lies down. He holds a black project box with
a button on it. He lies perfectly still and press the
button.
INT. OBSERVATION ROOM - NIGHT
The video image of the Recovery Chamber flickers
slightly, before returning to normal.
INT. RECOVERY CHAMBER - NIGHT
Sebastian rises and begins to peel off his latex.
INT. HALLWAY OF HABITATS - NIGHT
Sebastian’s POV - Various animals stir restlessly. A DOG,
visible, leaps against the Plexiglas, barking wildly. We
push further down the corridor.
INT. OBSERVATION ROOM - NIGHT
Again, Sebastian’s POV as he pushes through the open door
of the observation room. We see Frank sorting through
various computer readouts, highlighting certain coding
sequences.
We push in until we are looking over Frank’s shoulder at
the video monitor. According to the video, Sebastian is
sleeping soundly in his room.
INT. RECOVERY CHAMBER - NIGHT
The rewired security camera stares down at the empty bed.
INT. OBSERVATION ROOM - NIGHT
Frank glances over at the video monitor. He can see
Sebastian’s heat signature lying in the bed.
Frank feels something on his neck. He flicks whatever it
is away with his hand and goes back to work.
INT. WAREHOUSE - NIGHT
The elevator door opens. The Guard turns around. The
elevator is empty.
INT. METRO STATION, WASHINGTON D.C. - NIGHT
A Metro Subway train draws to a halt. With a cautionary
“BING BONG” its doors slide open. A handful of people
exit and enter. One man bumps shoulders. He turns round
to apologize, but there’s no one there. The doors close
and the train pulls out of the station.
EXT. DOWNTOWN D.C. - NIGHT
A couple of pretty girls exit a bar and stumble to their
apartments.
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
One of the girls enters her apartment. The door half
closes behind her and then reopens and closes again.
INT. OBSERVATION ROOM - MORNING
Frank’s reading a book when Linda and Matt enter.
MATT
How’d it go?
FRANK
Quiet. He worked in the lab till about
10:30 and then went to sleep.
INT. RECOVERY CHAMBER - DAY
Close on the security camera. The wires have been removed
and the access panel replaced.
Sebastian whistles a cheerful tune as he finishes
applying his makeup. The door opens and Linda and Matt
enter.
SEBASTIAN
Ah, my two favorite people. Good
morning.
LINDA
Good morning.
MATT
Why so cheery this morning?
SEBASTIAN
You know some days you just wake up
feeling the world is full of
potential. Like your eyes have been
opened.
MATT
I’m happy if I make it to my coffee
machine.
Linda hands Sebastian a disk.
LINDA
I restructured the third genome on
your radiated protein strand. Thought
you might want to take look.
SEBASTIAN
Cook up a batch and let’s see where we
go.
LINDA
I thought you’d want to take a look at
it.
SEBASTIAN
I trust you. Now if you’ll excuse me,
I need to have my head examined.
INT. STORAGE FREEZER - DAY
Linda pulls bags of frozen plasma from the shelves in the
walk-in storage freezer.
LINDA
I’m telling you, I know him.
Something’s going on.
MATT
Think he knows about us.
LINDA
If he knew about us, he’d be angry and
that wasn’t angry.
INT. CORRIDOR - DAY
Janice heads up one of the corridors when something on
the floor catches her eye. She bends down and takes a
look at it. Barely visible on the floor is a fragment of
a BAREFOOT FOOTPRINT.
She runs her finger along the dried mud. It turns to
dust.
INT. LABORATORY - DAY
Sebastian holds his latex head on his lap, while EEG
leads hang suspended in mid-air, outlining his real head.
Carter analyzes the results.
SEBASTIAN’S VOICE
When you were a kid, you ever dream
about being invisible?
CARTER
Sure... all the time.
SEBASTIAN’S VOICE
What did you imagine you’d do?
CARTER
The usual.
SEBASTIAN’S VOICE
What’s the usual?
CARTER
Hanging out in the girl’s locker room.
Kicking Jimmy Margiani’s ass.
SEBASTIAN’S VOICE
Jimmy Margiani?
CARTER
School asshole. Drove a red Trans Am.
Back then, I was the size of a small
planet and made a rather large target.
SEBASTIAN’S VOICE
Ever think up anything along the grand
scale?
CARTER
Sure. World domination. Manipulating
stock markets, consolidating a
political power base. But those are
more recent fantasies.
Carter pulls off the electrodes and Sebastian slides on
his latex facemask.
SEBASTIAN
And what if it weren’t fantasy? What
if you were out there in the world and
could do whatever you wanted with no
consequences whatsoever. How far would
go? I mean... if it were real?
CARTER
I don’t know, man. Out in the real
world... I mean, there’s a
responsibility...
SEBASTIAN
Let’s say you saw a woman with amazing
tits. Would you brush against them?
CARTER
Hell, I try and do that now.
SEBASTIAN
Human nature. So if you could get away
with more, would you do more?
CARTER
I read that in a survey at a major
university they asked college students
“Would you steal if you were
guaranteed to get away with it?” 82%
said yes.
SEBASTIAN
Eighty two percent? Makes you wonder
if the world’s ready for what we’re
doing.
CARTER
So, Doc what did you do?
SEBASTIAN
What do you mean?
CARTER
When you were out.
SEBASTIAN
I just walked around. Y’know.
CARTER
Aw, you just walked around? Come on.
There’s more, right?
SEBASTIAN
Like what?
CARTER
Man, I’d be walking up to people
saying shit like “This is God, go,get
a haircut.” Or hanging out in the
changing room at Victoria’s Secret.
SEBASTIAN
Kind of sophomoric, don’t you think.
Besides, it was late and I wasn’t out
that long.
CARTER
Well, did you see anybody?
SEBASTIAN
There was this one girl.
CARTER
Yeah? And did you mess with her?
SEBASTIAN
Naw...
Sebastian gives Carter a sly grin.
SEBASTIAN (cont’d)
Well maybe a little.
(beat)
I tell you though, a man could get
used to it.
INT. LABORATORY - NIGHT
Alone, Linda packs up her stuff for the evening.
Slowly we push in on her and hear quiet breathing. We
realize we are in...
SEBASTIAN’S POV
Then ...
SEBASTIAN’S VOICE
Goodnight.
Linda-jumps.
SEBASTIAN’S VOICE (cont’d)
Sorry, didn’t mean to frighten you.
LINDA
It’s fine. I just didn’t know you were
there. Goodnight.
As she leaves the Lab, he follows her down the hallway.
EXT. LINDA’S APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT
Linda passes through the revolving doors of her apartment
building. A few beats later, as if caught by a gust of
wind, the revolving door slowly turns on its own.
INT. APARTMENT’S HALLWAY - NIGHT
Linda slips into her apartment and the door closes behind
her. A moment later we see the doorknob turn back and
forth. It’s locked.
EXT. ALLEY - NIGHT
On a fire escape, we see the ladder shake and descend to
the ground. The metal rattles back and forth as if
something were climbing it.
We slowly crane up the fire escape and hold on a window.
Through the wispy curtains and dirty glass we can see
Linda enter the room. The panel of glass fogs from
Sebastian’s breath. The fog wipes away, seemingly by
itself.
But then through the window we see Matt walk into the
living room and put his arms around Linda’s waist. We
hear a shocked intake of air.
He kisses her neck and then slowly unzips her dress. Her
dress falls to the floor. Matt takes off his sport coat
and drapes it over a chair, while Linda unfastens the
buttons of his shirt. They’re laughing now, exchanging
kisses.
Matt reaches behind Linda and unhooks her bra. He kisses
his way down her neck to her breasts. Linda pulls him to
her.
Suddenly the window shatters. Startled, both Matt and
Linda jump back covering themselves.
We hear Sebastian’s footsteps as he retreats down the
fire escape.
A moment later Matt reaches the window and peers out. He
sees the fire escape ladder slowly rise back up down
below.
LINDA
What was it?
MATT
I don’t know. I don’t see anything.
Matt picks up a piece of glass and examines it.
MATT (cont’d)
It’s like something hit it.
Linda picks up the phone and dials.
INT. OBSERVATION ROOM - NIGHT
Carter picks up the phone.
CARTER
Hello?
Carter looks at the security monitor of the recovery
room. Sebastian’s heat signature lies still on the bed.
CARTER (cont’d)
No. No. He’s here No, I’m staring at
him. He’s right there in his room.
INT. LINDA’S APARTMENT - NIGHT
Linda breathes a sigh of relief.
LINDA
Thanks. No, just checking. ‘Kay, bye.
(hangs up phone)
Phew.
Matt pulls her into him.
MATT
Relax... it’s nothing. Where were we?
INT. RECOVERY CHAMBER - NIGHT
BARKING can be heard in the background. That horrible
repetitive barking that grates the soul like Chinese
water torture.
SEBASTIAN’S VOICE
Be quiet!
A photograph of Linda drifts through the air and settles
atop a flaming candle. It ignites into fire, twisting and
turning in mid-air, then falling on the floor as ash. A
beat later water runs from the sink faucet. It forms in
the shape of hands and splashes against his face,
dripping away.
SEBASTIAN’S VOICE (cont’d)
And the cyclops screamed out, “Who is
it who blinds me?” and Odysseus
replied “Nobody is my name”. And the
Cyclops raged to his friends “Nobody
is killing me. Nobody”.
The barking continues. A moment later the chamber door
slides open. We push down the...
HALLWAY OF THE HABITATS
... until we are face-to-face with the unhappy barking
dog.
SEBASTIAN’S VOICE
Shhhh. It’s Nobody-It’s nothing.
The Plexiglas door to the doggie’s cage swings open and
some invisible force grabs little doggie around the neck.
The force squeezes its little fur ball throat until the
barking stops.
SEBASTIAN’S VOICE (cont’d)
Nobody’s gonna hurt you.
The force keeps squeezing until the little doggie goes
limp. Then the dog smashes against the Plexiglas over and
over until blood spills out its mouth. The Plexiglas door
swings closed again and moments later the door to
Sebastian’s cubicle closes as well. The water runs in
Sebastian’s sink washing the blood away from his now half
visible hands.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. HABITAT’S CORRIDOR - NEXT MORNING
Sarah sees the dead dog lying prone on its bedding. She
eyes it curiously and opens the cage door.
INT. RECOVERY CHAMBER - LATER
Sarah stares at the empty chamber.
SARAH
You awake?
SEBASTIAN’S VOICE
I am now.
The sheets raise and drape off of him.
SARAH
Notice anything unusual last night.
SEBASTIAN’S VOICE
No. Why?
SARAH
Franklin Three. He’s dead.
Sebastian pulls a sheet around him. He moves across the
dimly lit room like a ghost.
SEBASTIAN
What of?
SARAH
His neck was broken and his windpipe
collapsed.
SEBASTIAN’S VOICE
How’d that happen?
SARAH
I thought maybe you could tell me.
SEBASTIAN’S VOICE
Sarah... You saying I had something to
do with it?
SARAH
He was alive last night when I left
and he was dead this morning. And you
were the only one down here.
SEBASTIAN’S VOICE
I was in my room all night.
INT. OBSERVATION ROOM - DAY
Sarah sits with Carter as they run through the security
video tape. Matt and Linda look over their shoulder.
CARTER
That’s all twelve hours.
LINDA
He never left the room.
SARAH
A windpipe doesn’t just suddenly
collapse. Someone or something killed
it.
MATT
You saw the tape. The man was in his
chamber.
SARAH
Then we have a problem, because I the
cage was locked from the outside. That
means it was opened, the dog was
killed and the cage was closed and
locked again. Only a human could do
that.
CARTER
Well, it wasn’t me.
MATT
And it wasn’t him.
LINDA
Are we sure?
INT. RECOVERY CHAMBER - NIGHT
Linda passes Sebastian’s chamber. Sebastian’s in latex.
SEBASTIAN
Any big plans for tonight?
LINDA
Quiet night at home. Maybe a book.
SEBASTIAN
Really? Whatever happened to that guy
your were seeing?
LINDA
He’s still in the picture. Why?
SEBASTIAN
Being locked down here, I’m forced to
live vicariously. Someday you’ll have
to tell me what he’s like.
LINDA
Maybe someday I will. See you in the
morning.
SEBASTIAN
Au domain.
Sebastian watches Linda walk away. He glances at the
camera and starts to peel off his face.
INT. WAREHOUSE - NIGHT
The elevator door opens. It’s empty.
SEBASTIAN’S POV - as we push past the guard and down onto
the street.
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
Empty street. We hear whistling. Splashes of water splat
out from shallow puddles,,as Sebastian walks through
them.
SEBASTIAN’S POV - A car approaches. As it drives by we
see Matt and Linda inside, heading back to the warehouse.
The footsteps stop.
SEBASTIAN’S VOICE
Hmmm.
We see the footsteps start to head back toward the
warehouse.
INT. WAREHOUSE - NIGHT
Linda and Matt exit their car and cross toward the
elevator.
LINDA
(to Marine Guard)
Forgot something.
INT. STREET IN FRONT OF WAREHOUSE - NIGHT
As we watch the footsteps head back through the puddles
toward the warehouse, we see Frank pass us in his car.
SEBASTIAN’S VOICE
What the hell?
He breaks into a run. Feet splash water and he races back
toward the warehouse.
INT. ELEVATOR - NIGHT
Empty. The elevator door opens and we push out into the
hallway. Sebastian’s POV
INT. HALLWAY OF HABITATS - NIGHT
We follow Sebastian down the hallway to his cubicle. But
as he rounds the corner, he quickly ducks back. The
entire research team is in his cubicle. Sebastian slowly
approaches and watches as Frank takes down his video
board.
FRANK
Pretty clever really. All it does is
recycle the signal. He flips this
switch, it takes a snapshot and that’s
all we see.
LINDA
Asshole.
JANICE
And you think he’s violent?
SARAH
He killed a dog with his bare hands.
FRANK
Dogs aren’t people. Are we in any
danger?
Linda doesn’t know.
LINDA
Either way, we aren’t equipped to
handle this. We have to inform the
committee.
Everybody murmurs in agreement.
JANICE
What if he doesn’t come back?
LINDA
They’ll go after him.
(beat)
Who has tonight’s shift?
JANICE
I do.
LINDA
Pretend nothing’s wrong. Everyone just
do what you’re doing so he doesn’t
become suspicious. Okay? Matt and I’ll
go tell Doctor Kramer and we’ll lot
the committee deal with it.
Sebastian’s POV - He backs away and races down the hall.
EXT. DR. KRAMER’S HOUSE - POTOMAC MD - NIGHT
The stately stone house sits on a finely manicured lawn
in one of the nicest neighborhoods in town. Linda’s car
is parked on the curb in front.
We break from a typical establishing shot and as the
CAMERA tracks closer to the house, we realize that we are
SEBASTIAN’S POV
We hear breathing and footsteps as we push through some
bushes and head toward a bay window which looks into the
Kramer living room.
Through the glass we see LINDA and MATT seated across
from DR. KRAMER. We can’t hear what they’re saying but it
certainly looks serious. Kramer puffs on a pipe and
strokes his beard, shaking his head.
Kramer rises and shakes hands with Linda and Matt, and
the three of them head toward the front door.
We move away from the window and track toward the front
door. As the door opens we begin to hear the tail end of
the conversation.
KRAMER
I’ll call General Caster right now and
convene the oversight committee
tomorrow.
LINDA
Thank you, sir.
MATT
What do we do in the meantime?
KRAMER
Just sit tight
