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+PHONE BOOTH by Larry Cohen FADE IN: NEW YORK CITY - AERIAL VIEW OF DOWNTOWN MANHATTAN - DAY MULTIPLE STREET SCENES - DAY The sidewalks crowded as usual. A sea of humanity. People come and go -- always in a hurry. Oblivious of one another. A TRAFFIC JAM -- A STREET being torn up by construction workers; A SANITATION TRUCK loading up refuse; VENDORS PEDDLING nuts and salted pretzels; PANHANDLERS blocking a passerby. Intimidating. Demanding. Almost mocking. We're surrounded by the teeming life of the city as we've come to expect it -- complete with a cacophony of sound. MULTIPLE CUTS -- Phone kiosks and phone booths on the East Side and West Side -- uptown and down. One frustrated caller has lost his money in the slot and he takes it out on the equipment -- smashing the receiver violently against the coin box until the instrument splinters into a dozen pieces. NARRATOR There are 237,911 pay telephones in the five burroughs of the city of New York. Many of them are still in working order. DOZENS OF QUICK CUTS -- NEW YORKERS on the phone in extreme close up. We don't hear the words. Only the facial expressions inform us that these are human beings under tremendous pressure. Life in the city is wearing them down. MULTIPLE SHOTS - JUST MOUTHS Lips jabbering into receivers. Cross-cut against one another. NARRATOR Despite increased usage of cellular devices, an estimated four and a half million New Yorkers and two million visitors still utilize pay telephones on a regular basis. At thirty-five cents a pop... for the first three minutes. ANGLE ON CORNER IN MID-MANHATTAN - DAY There's a phone booth situated on the southeast side of the street. NARRATOR You're looking at the telephone booth at the corner of 45th Street and 8th Avenue in the heart of the Manhattan theatrical district. It has been scheduled to be removed and replaced by a kiosk. It's one of the few remaining phone booths left in the city. CAMERA MOVES IN on the irate caller in the booth -- a very well-dressed gray-haired lady -- totally conservative in appearance. WOMAN IN BOOTH (into receiver) You have lied to me for the last time, you lowlife prick bastard! I don't ever want to hear the sound of your fucking voice again. (listens) Yes, well fuck you, too! She slams down the receiver and exits. The booth remains vacant for a brief interval. NARRATOR At least three hundred calls daily originate from this booth. The coins are collected twice a day. This booth has been burglarized forty-one times in the last six months. Someone is approaching the booth, fishing in his pocket for coins. This is STUART SHEPARD, snappily dressed, his hair styled and his nails manicured. Here is a man who clearly takes excellent care of himself. He sports a Donna Karen suit and silk Armani tie. He's about to step into the booth when he's accosted by a middle-aged man in a soiled apron who's run out of a nearby restaurant and has finally caught up with him. MARIO Stu, we got to talk. STU Wish I could accommodate you, Mario, but this is my busy time of day. MARIO How come you cross the street every time you go past the restaurant? STU Why don't I stop in later for some lunch? MARIO There's no more drinks or free meals until the restaurant starts showing up in the columns like you said. STU I'm doing my level best for you people. MARIO One lousy mention in the Post and you expect to eat for six months! STU I got the food critic from the Village Voice all lined up to give you a review. MARIO That's what you tell me last July. And he never shows. STU I was allowing you time to expand the menu. Wallpaper the bathrooms, for God sakes. You get only one shot with these fucking critics and I don't want you to blow a rare opportunity. MARIO You the one blowing it. How long you think you can fuck everybody? STU Hold on right there. I've got a very excellent reputation around this town. MARIO So how come you take two nice suits of clothes from Harry and never get his daughter on David Letterman? STU Hell, I'm not an agent. I'm a publicist. MARIO Mister, you're nothing! STU Believe me, Valerie's on the waiting list to audition. Harry's got no complaints. He just let me pick out this tie the other day. MARIO That Harry's a damn fool! STU Mario, please let me make this up to you. How about I arrange for the opening night party for this new off-Broadway show I'm handling -- to be held at your place with local TV coverage on nine and eleven? I mean I had it promised to another client -- who actually pays me money. But it isn't firmed up yet. And I could throw it your way. Maybe. MARIO What is involved? STU You'd toss in the buffet for say seventy or eighty. The producers would supply their own vino, of course. I'd deliver you a truckload of celebrities. And if they like the food, they'll all come back, naturally. MARIO What celebrities? STU You want Liza Minelli? An Oscar winner. Or Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.? MARIO Is he still alive? STU I saw him last night going into the Four Seasons. I'll bring you over a whole VIP list when we come by for dinner. MARIO How come everybody wants to eat but nobody wants to pay? STU You can't think small like that. Hey, you still feature musicians Fridays and Saturdays? MARIO At least they work for their meals. STU What about Harry's daughter as an extra added attraction? She'll belt out five or six showtunes -- two sets a night -- and it won't cost you a fucking nickel. MARIO How come? STU Star Showcase! Let me handle setting that up. And when she eventually goes on Letterman, she'll announce I'm currently appearing over at Mario's fine supper club. Right over CBS she'll say that, Mario. MARIO You're full of shit. You know that? All bullshit! STU That's just a vulgar word for PR. (placing an arm around him) Mario, you can't hurt my feelings. Even when I was a kid and they hurled certain invectives my way, it never bothered me. Other kids would fall apart if anybody called them a fucking name. Me, I just loved the attention! 'Shit-for- brains' -- that's what the bigger kids named me. And I answered to it. Hey, 'shit-for brains' reporting for duty. Everybody loved me for that. I could take abuse. After a while, I kind of wore them down. There was nothing more they could say to me. So they stopped. I kind of missed it. MARIO I'm sorry I even talked to you. STU I'll bet your loving wife put you up to this. She saw me pass by and she sent you out in the street. But I don't hold it against you personally -- you still serve up superior veal chop. (entering phone booth) Now I got urgent business to conduct, Mario. He slides the booth closed in Mario's face. The frustrated restaurateur glares at him through the glass before giving up and walking off -- talking to himself as he goes up the block. INSIDE THE BOOTH, Stu inserts his thirty-five cents and dials. STU Hello, Mavis, sweet creature. MAVIS' VOICE Where have you been? Do you think I have nothing to do but wait around for you to call? STU I'm only a few minutes late, loveliest individual on earth. MAVIS' VOICE Stu, I'm so lonely. When can I see you? STU Good news in that arena. Kelly goes into rehearsal as of Monday. You know how dedicated she is. By the time she gets back from dancing her ass off, she goes right to sleep. We'll have both our days and certain nights. Not to mention when they take the show on the road. MAVIS' VOICE How long is that for? STU Four to five weeks -- minimum. MAVIS' VOICE Maybe I should quit my job so we can be together full time. STU I wouldn't do that. MAVIS' VOICE Sometimes I think if I have to give one more fucking manicure... STU That's how you met me. MAVIS' VOICE I never saw a worse set of nails. Bit right down to the quick. STU I'm much better groomed since you've been looking after me. MAVIS' VOICE I'm glad you admit it. STU Even Kelly remarked on it when I first met her. MAVIS' VOICE She could care less how you look. She's only interested in pushing her own career. Some wife you're stuck with! STU The marriage is not without its compensations. Do you imagine I could afford that apartment on what I'm earning? Not with everybody cutting back on the publicity. Not to mention a million college graduates coming into the profession trying to cut me out. And one thing you can't expect from your clients is loyalty. They get a couple of bad notices, they dump you. Goodbye. MAVIS' VOICE Don't go. STU I wasn't saying goodbye to you. I was saying how the clients try to give you the wave off without even a month's notice. A conservative businessman now stands outside the booth waiting to use it. He deliberately glances at his watch a few times to demonstrate his impatience. This bothers Stu who slides the booth open a crack. STU (yelling) What? Is your watch busted? It's twenty after eleven and I'm gonna be occupied indefinitely with my transaction. So get out of my face! He closes the booth up again and turns his back to the gentleman who gives up and departs. STU Sorry, honey. There will be no further interruption. MAVIS' VOICE Why must you always be calling me from some booth? STU On account of that phone records are regularly subpoenaed in divorce proceedings. And I don't want some entry showing up on my cellular bill either. She gets the mail. She looks these items over. Sometimes she even dials up a strange number to see who it is. MAVIS' VOICE Then she suspects something. STU It's only because her last husband, the choreographer, ran around on her. She can't get that out of her head. That's how she caught onto him. The phone bills. MAVIS' VOICE She hasn't developed much skill at holding a man. STU You know what a self-fulfilling prophecy is? She was so sure I was going to find me a woman that she finally drove me back to you. I thought I'd feel all guilty about it -- but I guess it hasn't kicked in yet. (beat) Still, I wouldn't do anything to hurt her. Basically, Kelly's a decent individual. MAVIS' VOICE What about hurting me? Like last time? STU Hurt? You were glad to be rid of me. MAVIS' VOICE For a while I was, 'til I took stock of what was around. You're the lesser of many evils. STU That's about the nicest thing you ever said. MAVIS' VOICE I'll have it engraved. STU We've been up front with each other from the beginning. Let's keep it that way. How about a drink? Say seven o'clock? The Monkey Bar? MAVIS' VOICE Meet me in front. I don't like walking in there unescorted. STU Yeah, you're great enough looking to be mistaken for one of those thousand dollar a night girls. MAVIS' VOICE It happens all the time lately. STU And wear that short black number I bought you from Bendel's. MAVIS' VOICE Again? I don't know if it's me or that dress you like. STU Have a good day. Make plenty of tips. And leave the whole evening open. She thinks I've got Knicks tickets. He hangs up. Then whips a tiny cellular phone out of his jacket pocket, flips it open and dials. Someone answers on the first ring. COLUMNIST (V.O.) Speak! STU (into cellular) It's your boy Stuart. When was the last time I called you for a favor? COLUMNIST (V.O.) The column is already full. STU I just need one line. Anybody you wanna say was seen dining out at Mario's Stromboli restaurant. COLUMNIST (V.O.) Maybe you don't hear so good? I got no space for you. STU Who's asking any favors? I'm offering reciprocal information. COLUMNIST (V.O.) Since when were you ever a reliable source? STU Check it out. Tony award-winning producer Willie Beagle tossed his wife back into rehab again following her third attempt at diving off the terrace at their plush eighteen room residence at the San Remo. I got it from the doorman. COLUMNIST (V.O.) I got it from their maid yesterday. It's in the paper today. Or don't you bother to read my shit? STU Louis, my intentions were entirely honorable. COLUMNIST (V.O.) I'll drop your item in sometime next week. If you promise not to call me for a month. He hangs up. Stu looks pleased as he folds the cell phone and tucks it away. Then he starts to vacate the booth. The phone rings. And rings. Curious, he picks up the receiver. There's a voice on the other end of the line. A DISTINCTIVE MALE VOICE. VOICE Don't even think about leaving that booth. STU What? VOICE Stay exactly where you are and listen carefully. STU I've got a heavy day, mister. VOICE You know better than to disobey me. STU I don't know you at all. VOICE Are you absolutely sure? STU Who is this? VOICE Someone who's watching you. STU Get lost! VOICE Love the gray suit. That red and black tie makes a nice combination. Stu is taken back by the accurate description of his apparel. He looks around nervously. STU Where? Where are you? VOICE Closer than you think. STU I don't see you. VOICE There are any number of windows. Check them out. Indeed that street corner is surrounded by high rise buildings and hotels. STU Okay, you had your little joke. VOICE I'm not sufficiently amused. Not yet. We have more to talk about. Stu knows he should simply hang up but something tells him not to. Perhaps it's the strange tone of the man's voice. STU Do me a favor. Call up somebody else. VOICE But it's you I'm interested in. You know how many people use that booth every day? STU Why don't you tell me? VOICE Better than two-hundred people on average. STU Is that what you do? Count them? VOICE What else do I have to do? It's interesting watching people. Trying to guess who they are. And what they're up to. STU What are you -- a shut-in of some kind? VOICE You might say that. I can't go out. I might be seen. STU Somebody's looking for you? VOICE Desperately. STU The cops? VOICE Not yet. STU The ex-wife. What'd you do -- run out on child support? VOICE What kind of man do you think I am? STU Frankly, I could care less. You had your fun. Now goodbye. VOICE It's not in your best interests to hang up on me. That would make me angry. STU Isn't that just too bad? VOICE For you. STU There's ten million names in the phonebook. Pester somebody else. VOICE I never talk to people I can't see. I need to study their reactions. STU Alright, bullshit artist, what am I doing right now? VOICE Scratching your forehead with your left hand. Now you're brushing your hair back. STU Okay, okay, you got me in your scrutiny. So what? VOICE So let's talk. STU Only I got nothing to say. VOICE Oh, you will. You'll do a lot of talking before this conversation is over. And it'll only end when I want it to. STU Is that a fact? Well if you watch closely, you will see me hang up. VOICE I don't think you will. STU Why not? VOICE I interest you. STU Why should I be interested in some creep who gets his jollies spying on strangers in phone booths? VOICE But you're not a stranger, Stu. The sound of his own name sends a chill through him. STU Who put you up to this? VOICE You were my very own selection. STU Why me in particular? VOICE Because you're so afraid. STU Ha! What've I got to be afraid of? STU Just about everything. You have so much to hide. STU How do you figure that? VOICE Why else would a man with a perfectly good cellular bother to make calls from a pay booth? STU That's my business. VOICE I've made it mine. STU All of a sudden I'm required to give explanations to you? VOICE In explicit detail. STU What is this? Some kind of candid camera gag? Or like that thing on HBO where the cab driver is taping what goes on in the back seat? VOICE This is not showbusiness, my friend. This is reality. STU Your reality. Not mine, you lowlife fuck. VOICE Stu, you'll be made to suffer for your attitude, so let's dispense with the vulgarities. STU Now you're threatening me! Fuck you. Could that be any clearer? VOICE You're only making it easier for me to do you harm. STU Oh yeah. Right. Can you see how I'm trembling? VOICE You will be. STU Shit, this is a new one. Fucking threatening calls in a goddam phone booth. When are you going to start with the heavy breathing. VOICE I'm not the degenerate. You are, Stu. STU You don't know anything about me. VOICE Infinitely more than you know about me. STU Like what? VOICE Like the number you dialed when you first entered the booth. STU How would you know that? VOICE I'm watching through a scope and I could clearly read the buttons you pushed. I have another extension here by the window. Shall I dial that same number back for you? Would that convince you? Stu nervously cranes his neck, looking around at all the tall buildings that surround the street corner. STU'S POV PANNING up at thousands of windows. The Voice could be coming from anywhere. BACK TO STU IN THE BOOTH VOICE Let's see who's on the other end of the line. STU Don't. VOICE Too late. (beat) It's already ringing. I'll hold the receiver up so you can listen in. Stu can hear the beeping as the other line rings. Then Mavis' voice can be heard answering. Stu listens helplessly. MAVIS' VOICE Hello? VOICE Well, hello. MAVIS' VOICE Who is this? VOICE Someone who's really tight with your boyfriend -- who just called you from his favorite phone booth. MAVIS' VOICE You know Stu? VOICE Stu? Oh, I know him better than anyone. What he does -- how he thinks. How he lies. MAVIS' VOICE Who the hell is this? VOICE Stu is listening in. He knows what we're both saying. MAVIS' VOICE Stu? Is that true? Are you there? VOICE He doesn't feel like talking. STU (shouts) Mavis! Just hang up the goddam phone. VOICE She can't hear you, Stu. Only me. (a pause) Mavis, I'm afraid Stu hasn't been totally honest with you. But then he can't be honest with anyone, can he? MAVIS' VOICE What's your name? To whom am I speaking? VOICE You've never heard of me, Mavis. He doesn't want you to know I exist. He wishes I didn't exist. But there isn't anything he can do about that. (beat) Still there, Stu? All you can do is listen. STU Mavis -- the guy is a fucking nutcase! Hang the fuck up. VOICE She doesn't want to. She wants to know all about us. Don't you, Mavis? MAVIS' VOICE Did his wife put you up to this? That bitch, Kelly? VOICE Oh yes, the bitch wife, Kelly. My very next call. STU (yells) He doesn't know my wife! Don't tell him anything else. Outside the booth, a huge, heavy-set black woman in a too tight dress, now appears with the clear desire to use the phone. Her name is FELICIA. She taps on the glass. FELICIA Could you hurry it along? Stu ignores her and Felicia glares at him through the glass with hostility. Stu has no inclination to deal with anybody else. He's too distracted by the madness happening over the telephone. STU Can you hear me, Mavis? Keep your big mouth shut. VOICE Is that any way to talk to a woman you love? (beat) Mavis, is he always that abusive to you? MAVIS' VOICE You're getting me all upset. I don't know who you are or how you know all this -- VOICE I find out things -- from watching people and listening to them. MAVIS' VOICE Just what is your relationship to Stu? That's all I want to know. VOICE Well, what do you think? MAVIS' VOICE Answer me, goddam it! VOICE Well alright. Stu and I are -- longtime companions. A pair. Two of a kind. Closer than close. Peas in a pod. Spoons in a drawer. MAVIS' VOICE You pervert! VOICE That, too. STU Don't believe a word of it. It's all lies. VOICE Too late, Stu. She already believes it. MAVIS' VOICE You can tell that scumbag never to bother me again. VOICE He won't care. He'll still have me. STU It's not true. I do care. From outside the booth, there's a louder rapping on the glass. Felicia really wants in. FELICIA Get done in there, mister. I got me an important call. STU Go away. FELICIA Shit I will! Finish up! She continues to rap on the glass as Stu tries to focus on the two-way phone call. VOICE Why don't you tell me what you think of us? MAVIS' VOICE You're both disgusting. VOICE That's what he said about you. Well, if Stu didn't have the balls to come out and tell you the truth, I felt it was my responsibility to clear the air. Goodbye now, Mavis. Thanks for your time. (the phone clicks off; we hear only a dial tone) Back to you again, Stu. STU You total asshole! How could you do that? VOICE Speaking of females, that woman hovering outside the booth -- may as well tell her that you'll be on the line forever. STU Like hell I will. VOICE I'm ready for you to take out your cellular and phone home. And this time, I'll listen in. STU There's no chance of that. VOICE Or should I call Kelly and make up something totally outrageous? You must realize by now I have a vivid imagination. STU You don't know our phone number! VOICE Are you absolutely sure? I may have been watching you on a regular basis. Keeping track of all the numbers I see you dial. STU And I'm supposed to believe that? VOICE I've put a great deal of preparation into this -- prior to actually saying hello. Now do you want to dial 832-7165 -- or should I? The sound of the actual number being spoken shocks him even more than the earlier mention of his name. STU What are you going to tell her? VOICE You'll do the talking. STU What am I supposed to say? VOICE Try telling her the truth. STU Look, I don't want to hurt Kelly. She's always there for me. It's just my nature to have a little 'strange' on the side. It doesn't mean shit. VOICE But you still find it necessary? STU Kind of like having a beautiful home. With everything you ever dreamed of. But you still need that vacation now and then. Some nice hotel room with a great view. Maybe a pool. Only you wouldn't want to spend more than a few days in any hotel. Eventually, you want to go back to your home and all your stuff. You're real glad to check out. VOICE Kelly is home and Mavis is a hotel? I'm sure they'll both appreciate that explanation. STU You're ruining my fucking life, you sonofabitch. VOICE Didn't I warn you about calling me names? It makes me vindictive. STU What else can you do to me? VOICE We haven't even begun. STU She's not home. She went out. VOICE I'll bet she's back. Now hold the cellular up where I can see it -- so I can be certain you don't misdial on me. (pause) A little higher and to your left. Now I have it in perfect view. Dial slowly. More violent rapping on the glass from the persistent black lady outside. FELICIA If you got you a cell phone, how come you taking up the whole fucking booth! This here's an emergency! STU There's another booth on the next block. FELICIA It's busted. Every damn phone on Eighth Avenue is busted but this one. STU Well, I'm not through! Go in a restaurant or someplace, but get away from me! FELICIA I'm gonna pull you out of that booth and snatch you ballheaded! She tries to pull open the sliding door to the booth but Stu jams it shut, right on her hand. FELICIA You assaulted my person. STU Let me hear from your lawyer! FELICIA You're hear alright. I'm coming back. And your ass better not be around. She stalks off obviously in search of assistance. VOICE Good work, Stu. Now let me see you dial. Tuck the receiver under your chin and dial your remote. STU I'm doing it. He punches in the digits. The phone rings -- and rings. STU I told you she was out. VOICE Let it ring. Then a girl's voice is heard. KELLY'S VOICE Shepard residence. VOICE Hold it close to the receiver so I can hear. KELLY'S VOICE Hello? STU Honey, it's me. KELLY'S VOICE What's taking you so long? I thought we were having some lunch at Mario's? STU Change of plan. We're not eating in that dump any more. KELLY'S VOICE How come? STU The Health Department gave them a 'C' rating -- that's how come. Here I'm trying to put the place on the map and he fucks it all up with a major roach problem. KELLY'S VOICE That's disgusting. Okay, I'll fix us a sandwich. Where are you now? STU Just in a phone booth. KELLY'S VOICE How come? The caller ID says you're on your cellular. STU Oh yeah, I am. KELLY'S VOICE But you're also in some phone booth? VOICE Explain that one, Stu. STU I only stepped in because the traffic was so loud outside. KELLY'S VOICE Well just hurry on back. VOICE Tell her you can't. STU Not for a few minutes. KELLY'S VOICE Are you sure you're alone? I hear somebody in the background. STU The guy in the next booth. He's got a bad connection and he's hollering his fool head off. VOICE You've got an answer for everything. STU I love you, baby. KELLY'S VOICE Do you? STU You know that. KELLY'S VOICE Stu -- who was that man? STU What man? KELLY'S VOICE Some person who phoned fifteen minutes ago -- just after you went out. STU I don't understand... KELLY'S VOICE This total stranger rang up and told me to wait by the phone -- because you'd be calling me in a few minutes -- from a booth. And I said what would he be doing in any phone booth? STU And what did this guy say? KELLY'S VOICE He said you'd be making phone calls. What else? STU Making calls is part of my business. KELLY'S VOICE To whom? STU Clients. People. Planting items like I do. KELLY'S VOICE Women? STU Once in a while one of them could be a woman. I just called "Elaine's" and talked to her to see who was in there last night. KELLY'S VOICE You know exactly what I mean. STU You're not going to start that shit again? KELLY'S VOICE I just feel something is wrong. STU What could be wrong? KELLY'S VOICE The way you sound. You don't sound like yourself. STU Yeah? Who do I sound like? KELLY'S VOICE Someone who's scared. There's fear in your voice like I've never heard before. VOICE See, Stu? Kelly agrees with me. KELLY'S VOICE I want you to come back home. Now! STU I told you. In a while. KELLY'S VOICE No. I want you here now. In case he calls back, I don't want to answer again. STU Why should he call back? KELLY'S VOICE I feel like he's going to. STU You're the one that sounds frightened. And of nobody. KELLY'S VOICE He's not a nobody. He knows about us. STU You're not telling me all he said. What are you holding back? KELLY'S VOICE I can't discuss it on the phone. Just get over here! CLICK! She hangs up. STU (into pay phone) Why did you do that to her? She never did you any harm. VOICE How would you know? Everybody does harm to somebody. And then they try their best to forget it. STU Maybe me -- but not her. Whatever I've done, there's no reason to take it out on her. VOICE Suppose that's the only way I can get to you? You claim you love her. STU Yeah, I do. VOICE You don't even love yourself. STU But Kelly... I would never hurt. VOICE Still you have to uphold your status as an honorary asshole. STU Listen, I've treated all my women decent. I never laid a hand on any of them, even when provoked. And I always let them down easy. (beat) I'm not ready to let Kelly go. Maybe I never will be. VOICE What if she dumps you first? What's the odds she's already taken up with somebody? One day soon you'll come home and find her gone along with the CD player and the VCR. STU I'm not gonna let you mind-fuck me all day! That's it. This call is ended. VOICE Not until I say it is. STU What happens if I hang up? VOICE You don't really want to find out. STU I'm dying to hear this!!! What the fuck can you do about it -- up in your fucking high window with your goddam binoculars? VOICE I never indicated I had binoculars. I said I had a highly magnified telescopic image of you that brought you up so close I could see where you nicked yourself under the chin shaving this morning. STU Oh -- while you're at it, have a look up my ass. VOICE I may very well do that, Stu. In the meantime, think about what kind of device has a telescopic sight mounted on it. STU What? You mean... like a rifle? VOICE A high-powered .30 calibre bolt action Remington 700 with a carbon one modification and a state of the art Henzholdt tactical sniperscope. And you're in the cross hairs, Stu. STU I'm supposed to believe that? VOICE There's only one way I can prove it to you. Hang up the receiver and find out. At this range, the exit wound ought to be about the size of a small tangerine. STU And you're just going to kill me for no reason? VOICE For plenty of reasons! Because you hung up. For years I hated people hanging up on me. Ex-girlfriends. Women I didn't even know. Prospective employers. STU I get hung up on all the time. You get used to it. VOICE Or else you don't. I worked for months getting people to switch to MCI -- being insulted at and being hung up on hundreds of times a day. The ones that cursed me out for invading their privacy never bothered me as much as those that clicked off without even bothering to reply. STU Then why didn't you go after one of them? VOICE Maybe you are one of them. STU Hey, I have worked in a boiler room myself peddling "Term Life." I Would never be rude to a fellow salesperson. VOICE Can you feel it on you now? The heat of it. I'm moving the strike zone down to your stomach area. Now I'm raising it up again. Directly above the chest cavity -- sliding up to the forehead just above the left ear. STU Shit -- I do feel it. VOICE Tell me where I'm going with it now. STU Across my forehead -- now back where it was before. VOICE I'm amazed how you can do that. You're amazingly accurate. (beat) Now I know what you're thinking. If I drop down on the floor of the booth and flatten myself out... STU No, I'm not thinking that. VOICE Oh yes you are. Can I crawl out using the booth as a shield? Can I crawl to that Chrysler illegally parked only three or four feet away? The shattering glass may cut me, but it'll only be superficial. Otherwise, this lunatic will never let me out alive. STU No. You will. I know you will. If I just cooperate. VOICE Where is it now? Think and feel for the warm spot. STU Below the shoulder? VOICE Which one? STU The right shoulder. VOICE Remarkable how we're in tune. You're doing far better than the others. STU What others? What do you mean? (no reply) You said 'others!' VOICE (finally) I'm sure you read about the Italian tourist shot dead ten days ago at the corner of Forty-fifth and Eighth? STU I saw it on the news. VOICE And where are we now? STU Oh, God. Forty-fifth and Eighth. VOICE What else do you remember about that killing? STU I don't know. VOICE Try. STU He was gunned down. And nobody was caught. And they didn't even bother to take his wallet or his watch... or anything. VOICE Now you know why. It wasn't a robbery. STU What did he do? VOICE He hung up -- so I disconnected him permanently. STU Please -- don't do it to me. You got no reason to do it to me. VOICE Don't give me reason. STU I'm not looking to. Tell me what you want! VOICE Tell me about your job. STU What's to tell? I'm in Public Relations. They used to call us "flacks." Now we're media consultants. VOICE What do you do, exactly? STU Plant items in the paper and on the tube. More important sometimes, keep stuff out. VOICE What've you kept out? STU One of my people got nailed for indecent exposure. I managed for the cops to use his real name instead of his stage name so nobody picked up on it. VOICE You saved the little deviate's ass, didn't you? STU He's in major therapy now. I swear he is. VOICE You must hang with some major celebrities. Journalists, newscasters -- those types. STU I'm real close with Larry King. And the "Hard Copy" people. VOICE Could you get him down here? Larry King? STU Why would he want to come here? VOICE Because you asked him to. STU He comes from Atlanta. VOICE Well, who could you get? STU I don't know. VOICE Wolf Blitzer? VOICE Probably not. VOICE Regis? STU Definitely no chance. VOICE You'd be offering them an exclusive newsbreak. I'm talking about more than one homicide. STU How many? VOICE I don't answer questions. I ask them. STU I gotta have the facts. They might not believe me. My record isn't too good when it comes to hard news. VOICE You're not considered a reliable source? STU On a divorce or separation, maybe. Or who's gay, or who isn't gay any more. I kind of specialize in that kind of material. I mean I could probably get you Joe Franklin. VOICE How about Cindy Adams? STU I might have a shot. Are you familiar with Liz Smith? VOICE Do you know her number? STU Want I should call her? How much can I say? VOICE Tell her you're in direct touch with a killer who's willing to speak honestly if she shows up here alone and without notifying the authorities. STU She usually likes to have a celebrity involved. If you had an actor or a sports figure held prisoner instead of me, there'd be better odds she's come. VOICE Then lie. Pick a celebrity and put them in the booth. STU Let's see. Who does she like? Who couldn't be reached to deny it? VOICE I'm anxious to see you in action. Don't keep me waiting. Stu uses his cellular again. STU (dialing) Sometimes you only get her service. (into cellular) Hi -- Stu Shepard. Put me through. I've got hard news for her. I can only talk to her directly. But say it regards -- Liza. VOICE Liza? That was imaginative. STU (into cellular) No, I can't call back. I'll have to lay in on somebody else. Alright, but I can't hang on long. (to pay phone) She's coming on. (to cellular) Liz, hello. Sure I'll make it brief. Killing two weeks ago in the theatre district? Turn out a sniper did the job. Yeah, a sniper with a rifle. Now he's got another victim lined up. Not just your anonymous New Yorker, but Liza. Now you can't call anybody or Ms. Minelli's dead meat and so am I. She's hostage in a phone booth right in the sniper's sights. But he says he'll talk to you and let her walk. I know it'll take balls to do this, but you're a fine and courageous newspaper woman... There's a click. Silence. STU Hello? Hello? (to pay phone) Either she's on her way over or she doesn't believe me. VOICE You weren't particularly convincing. STU I didn't really believe in what I was saying. VOICE Because you don't really believe my Remington is pointed at you? STU I do. VOICE You're ninety percent sure. STU At least ninety-five percent, easy. VOICE Let me erase all doubt. STU No. Don't shoot. VOICE Control yourself, Stu. Glance down at your chest. What do you see. STU Oh, my God. A dot. A fucking red dot. A tiny red dot now moves across Stu's chest. VOICE Like you've seen in the movies? STU The laser dot. Just before some poor bastard always gets blown away. VOICE Usually a supporting player. That lovely but by now generic special effect of the bullet piercing the forehead. The tiny red laser dot dances around Stu's chest and stomach -- the jumps up and remains between his eyes. VOICE This takes all the guesswork out of it. You know exactly where to expect it before I even tighten my finger on the trigger. STU Don't tighten. Don't even tickle that fucking finger. VOICE How about Geraldo? He's run his ass off to get in on this. STU You're talking about the old Geraldo. Look, I can try and reach cable NBC. They're hungry. VOICE I'm disappointed. I wanted to go first class. STU They do a great job. They'll haul a whole crew over to cover your surrender "live." VOICE I never expressed interest in giving myself up. There are so many other phone booths in the city. I'm just getting warmed up. STU That's entirely up to you. Your choice. I'm just trying to set you up with the proper communicator. (beat) I suppose Liza wasn't strong enough. I should've said Madonna. VOICE Now you're being creative. Outside the booth, the angry black woman has returned, bringing with her a gaudily dressed pimp named LEON who looks like he means business. He slams his fist against the glass, nearly shattering it. LEON Drag your baggy butt out of that booth. We got business to conduct out of there. FELICIA He been in there all day. STU I'm not through. LEON Hang up that receiver or I'll make you eat the fucking thing! STU Fuck off or I'll call a cop. LEON Do you see one around here? What you think I'm gonna be doing while you're waiting for a prowl car to get assigned? I'm about to cut you a second asshole if you don't vacate those premises. STU I can't. FELICIA He's got him a fucking cellular. What's he need to be on our booth for? STU I can't explain it. LEON I'm not interested in your explanations even if you had any. He withdraws a switchblade knife from his pocket but doesn't open it -- yet. LEON If I flick this, I use it. STU I'll make it worth your while to go away. How much do you want? LEON Make me an offer. STU Thirty dollars. It's all I've got in cash. Take it and go. LEON You're offering to rent my phone booth? For how long? STU I don't know. For as long as it takes. LEON What's so special in there? STU Do you want the money? LEON Is that a genuine Rolex you've got on? STU Come on, man. That's my good watch. LEON That's what it's gonna take. STU Then here. Take the damn thing. LEON And the thirty! STU Take it all. The pimp pockets the watch and the money. But doesn't go away. LEON Now I'm satisfied. But you still got to deal with Felicia here. I believe you spoke harshly to her. STU I apologize. LEON And did her some injury. STU An accident. I'm sorry about that, too. FELICIA The man don't sound like he means it. LEON I agree. (to Stu) Why don't you hang up a minute so we can discuss this matter at length. STU It's long distance. I can't lose the call -- I might not get them back. LEON Do I have to rip that fucking phone out of there? STU That wouldn't be a good idea. (into pay phone) Would it? VOICE Not at all. STU I gave you everything I've got. LEON That pinky ring looks attractive. Felicia might like that. FELICIA It might fit. STU You want the ring, you've got the ring. If I can get it off. LEON I can get it off you. Leon reaches in and grabs Stu's ring hand. STU Let go of me! It's coming loose. There. (he tosses it) Okay, Felicia, with my deepest apologies. Goodbye now. LEON What's really going on in that booth -- that escapes the naked eye? STU Nothing. Talk. That's all. LEON That your connection on the end of the line? Or are you dealing? STU This has nothing to do with drugs. LEON You gotta be high on something to willingly divest yourself of your valuables -- just to maintain occupancy of a fucking phone booth that the local bums piss in every night. STU I knew it smelled for some reason. LEON You look like you're ready to piss yourself. STU Because I am. LEON Maybe if the city provided decent public toilets, folks wouldn't relieve themselves in the subway stations and phone booths! STU I'll take it up with the mayor. LEON Next thing you know you're gonna claim we mugged you -- took your billfold and watch. STU No, you didn't. It was a fair and equitable deal. You had territorial rights to this booth and I paid a license fee. Fair is fair. Now leave me in peace. LEON You sure you're alright? (to Felicia) He don't look well. FELICIA Kind of pale. Even for a white man. LEON Jaundice they calls it. Probably advanced liver trouble. (to Stu) If it's cirrhosis, you better find yourself a twelve step program and quick. STU Thanks for your interest but I'm in perfect health. FELICIA So how come his hand is shaking? LEON The man is cracking up. FELICIA Lookit the sweat pouring off the sonofabitch. That's one sick mother you started up with, Leon! LEON Me? You're the one that brought me over and exposed me to all his germs. STU I'm terminal, okay? Now can I close the booth and continue my conversation? LEON I'm worried now it might be catching. All that money out of your sweaty pocket is probably crawling with some rare and incurable disease. STU Fine. Give it back. LEON What good's that? We done touched it. STU Well go wash your hands. LEON Come on now. Own up to what you're carrying. Is it some of that sexually transmitted shit? Cause in that case, we can relax. STU I'm sick of you. Now get out of my face. LEON Here we's being solicitous as to your health and you respond by heaping abuse! FELICIA Whip his arrogant ass. Leon reaches into the booth and grabs Stu's jacket. STU Touch me and I'll throw up on you. At the suggestion, Leon lets go quickly. It looks like a stalemate. Stu isn't vacating the booth and Leon and his lady are reluctant to touch him further. He does indeed look sick. STU (into pay phone) You can see what I'm up against here. VOICE Want me to get rid of him for you? STU What do you have in mind? VOICE I'll think of something. Suddenly the red dot reappears on the forehead of the pimp. Leon doesn't realize it's there. The hooker behind him has no way of seeing it. But to Stu, there's no way to miss it. He reacts. STU God -- no. (into pay phone) Don't. It's not necessary. VOICE You asked for my help. STU I'll handle it myself. VOICE You're not doing too well. I can settle it in a fraction of a second. Shall I demonstrate? STU No. (to Leon) For your own safety, mister, just walk away. LEON Now the man is turning aggressive... issuing threats upon my person. STU You're making this happen. LEON If you don't hang up and step out, I'm about to topple this booth into the gutter with you inside it. Reluctant to touch Stu again, Leon assaults the booth itself. He begins shaking it violently -- trying to rip it from its foundation. And the rickety booth is not too sturdy. It starts rocking back and forth. Stu is thrown around inside it, barely keeping his footing. STU (into pay phone) This isn't my fault. (shouts) Stop that! But Leon continues rocking the booth. It won't come loose -- so in frustration, he punches in a side pane of glass. The glass shatters all around Stu, who does his best to shield himself from the slivers. STU (into pay phone) The guy's insane! VOICE Only one way to stop a mad dog. Give me permission. STU I can't. VOICE If he forces you out of that booth, I've told you what to expect. You or him, Stu. Leon is smashing other panes of glass now -- one after another -- as Stu cowers inside. FELICIA Don't cut yourself, honey. A crowd of derelicts and street people are now gathering to watch the out of control pimp take out his wrath on the booth and its occupant. DERELICT Looks like the fucker is comin' loose. STREET PERSON Shove it out into the oncoming traffic. DERELICT What'll you bet the bus could knock that fifty feet? The booth is being decimated but Stu hangs onto the phone. STU (into pay phone) Hello? Hello? VOICE (with heavy static) You're breaking up. We're about to be cut off. STU I can't help it! VOICE That counts as a hang-up. STU No. It can't. That's not fair. VOICE I can still make him stop. Say the word. Can you hear me? STU Yes. Stu sees the red dot reappear on Leon's chest as he continues to barrage the booth with punches and kicks. Then Leon recoils, staggers a step backward. He doesn't realize he's been shot. There's been no sound of gunfire. Perhaps a silencer was used -- or the downtown traffic drowned out the solitary discharge. Leon looks confused at first. His ladyfriend has no idea he's wounded -- neither do the derelicts and street people who've assembled on the corner. Even Stu isn't sure -- until the blood starts oozing from the wound on the pimp's chest -- staining his yellow vest. He isn't assaulting the booth anymore. He's trying to keep his balance. He slumps forward, hanging onto the booth for support -- only a few inches from Stu's face. The blood runs down the side of the booth. STU (into pay phone) You did it! VOICE You said 'yes.' STU I said 'Yes, I can hear you.' Not 'Yes -- kill the motherfucker!' VOICE Don't try to renege on it. I was following orders. STU You're twisting it all around. I didn't do this! Meanwhile, Leon leans upright against the booth. Then his legs cave in and he begins to slide to his knees. Felicia runs up beside him. She sees the blood. FELICIA I warned you not to cut yourself. (to crowd) Look at all that blood. He must've hit an artery. She screams as Leon topples backwards onto the pavement. Now his chest wound is evident. FELICIA Oh, Jesus. What is that? Talk to me! What happened? The crowd tightens around the fallen body. Street people who are fascinated but not shocked. DERELICT Gunshot! STREET PERSON Yeah. Sucking chest wound right over the heart. FELICIA Somebody call an ambulance. STREET PERSON Call the meatwagon. He's fucked up. FELICIA You shut the fuck up! Her focus turns to Stu in the battered phone booth. FELICIA Why did you do that to him? STU I didn't. FELICIA (to crowd) You all saw it! He shot my man without no provocation! DERELICT Yeah. Pumped one right into him at close range. STU How could I? I don't even have a gun. Look! STREET PERSON Everybody get the fuck back! They shoot one -- then they shoot everybody in sight! Kill all the fucking witnesses! The crowd disperses to doorways and around the corner -- out of immediate range. STU Come back. You've got to see -- I'm not armed. Only Felicia remains, leaning over the pimp's body, staring helplessly. FELICIA Hang up and dial 911. Get a doctor! STU I can't hang up. That's what this is all about. FELICIA You're gonna stand there and let him die? STU (takes out cellular) I can use this. (he dials) Emergency. Yes. There's been a shooting at Forty-fifth and Eighth -- on the corner. A man is down. What's the difference who I am? I don't want to be involved. FELICIA (shouts) That's bullshit. He's the shooter. You're talking to the shooter. Stu quickly disconnects the cellular. STU That wasn't nice. FELICIA Go ahead -- make a fucking run for it. I hope they gun you down -- like you did him! STU I'm not going anyplace. I'm staying right here in this booth. (into pay phone) Unless you give me permission. VOICE You're attracting a lot of attention. I suppose when the police get there, you'll accuse me. STU What do you expect me to say? VOICE That's up to you. But any mention of me will not be appreciated. STU You mean...? VOICE You won't even get to finish your sentence. Oh look, that little red dot is dancing around all over you again. You saw how quickly it can happen. And how accurate I can be. STU They can't blame me -- I'm not armed. VOICE Who's going to believe that? With all those witnesses to the contrary. STU They can see with their own eyes. Not far away, we hear the BLAST of POLICE SIRENS drawing closer. VOICE Remember to leave me out of it. STU How can I? VOICE You'll put the proper spin on it. Isn't that your specialty? Feeding the public a story that may not have a shred of truth -- and making it totally believable? STU This isn't a story. This is real. This is murder. VOICE If you'd only dealt with the man reasonably, shown him some respect, this might not have been necessary. STU I gave him my money, my watch... VOICE But not your respect. Which is what he required of you. STU He was a fucking thief. VOICE And now he's a fucking dead thief. Do you feel better about that? STU I don't feel a bit guilty. This is all your doing! VOICE Now you're being disrespectful of me. You never learn. Your job is to deal with people -- but you're not good at it. STU Hey, I'm not taking any more criticism from some lunatic sniper who gets his kicks killing strangers. VOICE You keep insisting I'm a stranger. Probably because you don't recognize the voice. But there are cheap electronic devices available that disguise the voice. I might not even be a man. I might be one of those many women you've almost totally forgotten. One who doesn't forgive easily. One who wants to watch you squirm. STU You're a man. I know you're a man. Women don't kill with telescopic rifles. They stab you. VOICE You sound so sure of that. But you've never provoked any man as much as have the women in your life. And so many of them, Stu. (a beat) Do you even remember their names? STU I've got no time to rehash my whole life. Oh my God! The cops are here. Police cars are pulling up on all sides of Eighth Avenue. Traffic has suddenly been shut down. Prowl cars have now blocked the streets. PRODUCTION NOTE: Everything is seen from Stu's perspective without intercuts. Half a dozen cops now emerge and approach with drawn guns. FELICIA (pointing) That's him -- in the booth. He's got a gun! As she hurls accusations, she's lugging Leon's lifeless body out into the gutter into the center of Eighth Avenue. It's a bright afternoon. In the distance, we hear the maddening HONKING of uptown traffic that is now being rerouted, creating a huge bottleneck and raising the anger of irate motorists and bus drivers whose horns provide their simplest form of protest. It's a discordant concert that echoes the confusion and frustration which Stu now feels... As the cops surround the booth -- at a distance. SERGEANT (into bullhorn) Throw down your weapon and come out with your hands raised. STU (into phone) They're ordering me to come out. VOICE I can see that. Ignore them. STU What if they open fire? VOICE They probably won't. Look across on the east side of the street. Do you see the tourist with the home video camera? STU'S POV A distant crowd gathering on the opposite west side corner behind the police cars. Some tourist is capturing the event on video. BACK TO STU STU What about him? VOICE He's going to keep the police on their best behavior. So long as you don't take what could be interpreted as hostile action, you'll be safe. STU You call this safe? Six cops with guns pointed my way? VOICE You want me to reduce them to three -- or two? STU Absolutely no more shooting. Now is that clear? VOICE You can always change your mind. SERGEANT (with bullhorn) You know the drill. Hands clasped behind the back of your neck -- moving slowly -- step out of the booth. If we see any sign of a weapon, we will respond. STU (shouts) You won't, because there isn't any. SERGEANT (bullhorn) I repeat. Raise your hands. STU I can't. I'm on a phone call. Now a black POLICE CAPTAIN arrives and takes full command of the situation. CAPTAIN RAMEY You have thirty seconds to comply. STU I told you. I'm busy. Come back later. VOICE Very good, Stu. The cops take cover behind parked cars, keeping Stu clearly in their sights. He has no place to hide. He's in the battered phone booth in plain view from all sides. RAMEY You've been given an order. The Sergeant slides up beside the Captain to confer. PRODUCTION NOTE: We remain in LONG SHOT of the cops -- always from Stu's POV. But we can hear their voices and all that is said as if they were in close up. It has an odd, unreal and distancing effect. SERGEANT We're dealing with a mental case. He's looking for us to kill him. RAMEY Well he's not getting his wish. In the center of the street, an ambulance pulls up and a team of medics jump out. They rush to Leon's body. (Again we hear their voices close, even though visually they are far off.) FELICIA Tell me he's gonna be alright. MEDIC Step aside. Let us look at him. The medics push her aside -- then examine the victim. He's DOA. MEDIC Nothing we can do. Don't touch the body. They'll need it to mark the crime scene. Far across the street, the Captain confers with his subordinates. They are small figures on the screen but we hear them sharply. SERGEANT Same corner as two weeks ago. RAMEY Maybe it's more than a coincidence. Cover me. I need to talk to him. SERGEANT You've got your vest on? RAMEY What do you think? The Captain steps out of cover and boldly approaches the phone booth. He stops cautiously about fifteen feet away. RAMEY I'm not armed. STU Neither am I. RAMEY Yeah, sure. I need to know what happened. STU Can't talk about it. RAMEY Sure you can. My name's Ramey. Captain Ed Ramey. What's yours? STU Look, I don't want to be friends. RAMEY You look like you need a friend. VOICE Tell him you've already got a friend. STU (yells) I've got a friend, okay. RAMEY Is that who you're talking to on the phone? STU None of your business. RAMEY When somebody gets shot, it becomes my business. Let's not have anybody else killed. I want to hear your side of it. STU I've got no side of it. VOICE Don't worry, Stu. I've got him fixed right in my sights. I won't let him hurt you. RAMEY Has this happened to you before? The need to hurt someone? To put a bullet in them? STU You won't believe anything I say. RAMEY Try me. STU I couldn't shoot anybody. I'm not armed. RAMEY You're right. I don't believe you. What's that bulge in your pants pocket? STU That? That's my cellular. RAMEY A cellular? Then what are you doing in a phone booth making calls? STU Do you want to see it? RAMEY Don't reach for it, mister. STU Then how can I show it to you? RAMEY I don't need to see it. I know what's there. All these witnesses saw you use it on him. From behind a parked car, a HOMELESS PERSON calls out. STREET PERSON (hollers) Damn straight! Another DERELICT, crouched in a doorway, joins in. DERELICT (shouts) Yeah! Shot him down like a dog! STU They're all lying. Nobody saw it because it didn't happen. RAMEY A man is dead but it didn't happen. STU Not on account of me! This is like some bad dream. RAMEY You're walking through a bad dream and you can't wake up. Do you want to wake up? STU I'm trying. RAMEY And in this dream, you killed that man. He was bothering you so you iced him. STU No. RAMEY Then who did? VOICE Don't tell him, Stu. Or it'll be the last thing he ever hears. His blood will be on your hands. STU (to Ramey) I don't know. RAMEY But you saw it happen? STU Yes. RAMEY You were the closest one to him. You must've seen who did it. STU No. RAMEY We're trying to be honest with each other, aren't we? STU Not necessarily. VOICE I'm losing patience with this cop. STU (into phone) I'm handling this. RAMEY Who do you keep talking to on the phone? STU Nobody. My psychiatrist. VOICE Excellent, Stu. You're getting good at this. RAMEY What's this doctor's name? It's important we know. STU He says not to tell you. It's privileged information. VOICE Damn good reply. Now you're having fun. Admit it. STU Whatever you say. VOICE Playing it so close to the edge. I'll bet you've never felt so alive. That's how I feel when I look through the sight and select somebody. The Captain begins advancing a few steps closer. RAMEY I respect your right to privacy. I've been to therapy myself. The department provides it. I know it's not good form for a cop to be admitting that, but... VOICE Tell him not to come any closer. STU Stop right there. Back up a few steps. Back where you were. RAMEY If it makes you more comfortable. VOICE Tell him to read you your rights. STU I want you to read me my rights and stop asking questions. RAMEY Al least tell me your first name. STU It's my right not to have any name. RAMEY No gun and no name. You're a highly underprivileged person. VOICE Demand a lawyer. STU And get me a lawyer, too. I want a lawyer brought down here to negotiate my surrender. VOICE Brilliant, Stu. Keep winging it. RAMEY It'll be hard to find a lawyer willing to risk his life. But if you hand over the gun... STU How can I when you won't let me take it out? RAMEY We'll take it out for you -- as soon as you exit the booth with your hands raised and... STU (interrupts) Now we're back to that again. It's always "Get out of the booth.' 'You can't stay in the booth.' Well, I like it in the fucking booth. It's my whole world now. It's my booth and I'm never coming out. RAMEY We're not about to force you because there could be a miscalculation and then we'd never find out why this happened. STU Why is it so important to know? The guy is dead. Isn't that enough? Knowing isn't going to make him alive again. So who gives a fuck! RAMEY It's what makes the job interesting. Finding out why. Something drove you to do this. You didn't go out today expecting this to happen. It was a nice day. You were out for a walk. And then suddenly it all changed. STU All I wanted was to make a phone call. One lousy phone call for thirty-five fucking cents. VOICE Careful, Stu. Don't volunteer too much. RAMEY You got some bad news on that call. STU The worst. RAMEY Something that pushed you over the edge? STU And I've been falling ever since. RAMEY Time to land. STU When you hit bottom, you die. RAMEY I'm your safety net. STU If I tell you what you want to know -- you'll die, too. Something about the implied threat sends a chill through Captain Ramey. INSERT SHOT The Captain's head as seen through a telescopic sight. Ramey could be dead in an instant. PRODUCTION NOTE: The only time we deviate from Stu's perspective is when we see the sniper's POV through his scope. ANGLE BACK ON STU IN THE BOOTH, the detective fifteen feet away. Ramey decides to back off momentarily. RAMEY I'll go see about that lawyer. STU Now that's a good idea. The Captain withdraws back across the street. VOICE He's lucky. I had him centered in my cross hairs. I really had to restrain myself. We hear the approach of a helicopter. Stu peers up ward as not one but two choppers appear above the tall buildings. VOICE It's not the police. It's the media. You're news, Stuart. The helicopters circle above. VOICE You've never gotten this much press for any of your clients. I'm making you a famous person. STU They're just hoping for coverage of me dying in the gutter. VOICE Their presence is putting the police on their continued best behavior. STU Those cops are just looking for any excuse. VOICE Then don't give them one. Then, as if on cue, Stu's cellular phone in his pocket starts ringing. But he can't allows himself to reach for it. To do so might cause the police to believe he was trying to draw his gun. It rings quietly -- virtually inaudible outside the booth. Drowned out by the traffic horns, the static from the police radios and the newly introduced sound of television helicopters circling over Eighth Avenue taking video coverage of the event below. VOICE Who could it be? STU Kelly. She was worried about me. Stu is afraid to reach in his pocket lest the cops think he's going for a gun. VOICE Maybe she's seen this on television. It must be on every channel by now. Breaking news. STU She doesn't watch daytime TV. VOICE One of the neighbors could've alerted her. The cell phone keeps ringing, almost drowned out by the sound of helicopters circling overhead. STU Why are you saying this? You want me to reach in my pocket so you can see them open fire? VOICE That's an unwarranted accusation and very unbecoming in light of the good advice I've given in the past. Have I ever steered you wrong? STU God -- how I'd love to hear her voice. VOICE It might even be worth it. She's insistent, isn't she? The cellular won't stop ringing. STU If she knows I'm in trouble, she won't give up. VOICE Probably glued to the TV by now. I'm watching coverage on two stations now. Channel surfing. (pause) Well, there you are on two and four and five. Not any decent angles on you, though, stuck inside there. The cell phone continues beeping until the sound of it is maddening. Stu is still afraid to reach for it and provide the cops with an excuse to open fire. VOICE But if you'd take one or two steps outside and look up, I think they could get a clear picture of you. STU You said I'm not allowed to leave the booth. Finally the cell phone stops ringing. VOICE I might be willing to bend the rules and let you enjoy your moment of fame. Set the phone down without hanging up... and take a step or two outside. Just for a minute. Then come straight back in or I'll be forced to provide 'live' coverage that should rival the historic Zapruder footage. (beat) Nothing like an exploding head to excite viewer interest. STU No, thanks. I'll stay where I am. VOICE It was only a suggestion. Since you're convinced I'm going to plug you anyway, it can't matter much. STU If you shoot me, you give yourself away. VOICE Even without a muffler, they'd never hear the report with all this noise. Afterwards, it'd take them a good ten minutes to realize you weren't plugged by some overzealous officer. Then they'll blame the media for inciting a crackpot vigilante to come down here and do the SWAT team's job for them. STU You expected them to come. You had this all worked out. VOICE I write the scenario and you all play your parts -- as directed. The damned cell phone starts beeping again. Stu fights the temptation to grab for it and hear Kelly's voice for one last time. STU Poor Kelly. What she must be going through. VOICE Why don't you tell her how you feel about her? STU I'd never get the words out. Not with fifteen or twenty rounds in me. VOICE You can't be certain they'd fire. They'd see it was only a phone. STU They wouldn't wait to see. The cellular ringing continues jangling Stu's nerves. STU Why doesn't she hang up? Then Stu notices something in the crowd gathering far across the street behind the police barricades. Countless faces rubbernecking, probably hoping to see some display of violence that would end with him face down dead on the pavement. And in the midst of them -- one face familiar to him. A female, quite pretty... even in tears. It's Kelly. (We see her only in LONG SHOT -- a distant figure in bright green jacket that makes her stand out from the crowd.) STU It's her! She's not calling me. She's over there. VOICE Is she? STU The blonde girl in the green jacket. VOICE Can't miss her. Very attractive, isn't she? STU She must've heard all the commotion and come downstairs. The cellular is still ringing. STU It's somebody else who knows my cell number. (beat) It's you! VOICE You continue to impress. STU Why is it so important that they kill me? VOICE Because that's how I win. STU This time you won't. If you want me dead, you'll have to do it yourself. VOICE Either way I can't lose. STU It's all a game to you -- because you're incapable of feelings. You're not even human. VOICE I pride myself on that. What's so great about being human? It's the lowest form of life on this planet and I've taken it upon myself to thin the herd. STU I quit. I'm not answering back any more. I won't hang up but I'm not playing. There's silence now between them. VOICE Stu? Stu, don't be that way. You're taking the pleasure out of it. Stu doesn't take the bait. He remains absolutely silent. A stalemate has been reached. WE RACK FOCUS ACROSS THE STREET TO THE POLICE clustered behind an emergency vehicle. The Sergeant brings a civilian to meet Captain Ramey of the SWAT unit. The newcomer wears coveralls stenciled "AT&T." (Although they are very far away, we hear their voices close up as they come into sharper focus.) SERGEANT This here's Helfand, of New York Telephone. HELFAND Glad to help out. RAMEY Have you got the number of that booth? HELFAND Sure do. RAMEY Can you tap into that call? HELFAND It can be done. SERGEANT But not without a warrant. You could be violating this psycho's civil rights. Especially if he's on the line with his fucking psychiatrist. RAMEY Shit. I don't want to blow this on a technicality. Tracing the call isn't any violation, is it? SERGEANT As long as we don't listen in. We remain in LONG SHOT of the POLICE as they continue in heated conversation. RAMEY (to Helfand) Okay, we've got to know who he's talking to and their current location. HELFAND That I can handle. As long as they keep the circuit open. RAMEY I need the number and an address to go with it. Helfand rushes off. At the corner, we can glimpse him entering a phone company utility truck parked on Forty-Fifth Street. RACK FOCUS BACK TO PHONE BOOTH Stu remains tight lipped and silent, refusing to give his tormentor the conversation he so craves. VOICE Stuart, my friend. Do you want to see how close I can come without actually hitting you? Stu resists pleading because he knows his silence is more powerful. There's no glass in the left side of the booth since the late Leon smashed it all out. Nothing to shatter when the sniper squeezes off his shot. VOICE May I call attention to the yellow pages? The frayed yellow phonebook dangling from a chain under the telephone shudders under the impact of a direct hit. There's been no sound of a gunshot, but the damage is there to behold. Stu reaches for the phonebook. There's a bullet hole straight through it. Pieces of the .30 calibre slug have shattered into many tiny fragments and are imbedded between the pages, half-way through the thick volume. Stu pries pieces out of the pages of the directory. He looks at them in the palm of his hand. VOICE Hollow points are designed to break up on impact. It would've behaved differently if it had pierced your soft flesh. The pieces would've bounced around looking for a way out. That's where the real damage occurs -- finding an exit -- deflecting off all that bone... Stu wants to shout "STOP," but restrains himself. Not talking gives him some degree of power. VOICE Still the silent treatment? My father used to dish that out when he chose to punish me. Not a word spoken -- one time for over a month. I'd try and goad him to acknowledge I existed, but he stared right through me. You're bringing back unhappy childhood, Stu. That's not wise. Stu still declines to answer. His silence seems his only weapon. He tosses the bullet fragments out of the booth onto the pavement. VOICE Since you're ignoring me, I'll focus on someone else. (a beat) There she is -- nice and sharp. I can see the two little punctures in each earlobe and my God, what kind of a girl would have her nostril pierced? Stu realizes the sniper now has Kelly in his sights. STU No! VOICE What was that? Louder, Stu. We must have a bad connection. STU Leave her out of it. VOICE I didn't expect her to show up here. But since she has -- I'll improvise. STU Don't. Please don't. I'm sorry. I'm talking to you again. I'll talk all you want! VOICE It's a bad dye job. The black roots are growing in and it makes her look cheap. STU I've screwed up her life enough already. Please don't hurt her. VOICE I don't necessarily have to kill her. I could be persuaded to settle for a reasonable mutilation. Which part of her displeases you most? If she turns a bit more in profile, I'm accurate enough to remove the tip of her unpleasantly protruding nose. It's just cartilage. Any decent cosmetic surgeon will have her looking better than ever. STU'S POV - FOCUS SHIFTS TO KELLY in the crowd. Distant yet distinct amongst the curious onlookers. JUMP CUT CLOSER ON KELLY -- OBLIVIOUS TO HER DANGER. AS SEEN THROUGH CROSS HAIRS OF TELESCOPIC SIGHT following her as she forces her way through the crowd toward the police officers. Her face virtually fills the screen. PRODUCTION NOTE: The only time we deviate from Stu and his POV is when we see the sniper's own POV through his telescopic sight. VOICE You can see her talking to the police now. She's identifying herself as your wife. They're very interested in who you are. They're taking her over to see the officer in charge. What was his name? SNIPER'S POV Through the cross hairs of the sniperscope, we can see Kelly conversing with Captain Ramey. She's in a state of complete agitation. ANGLE ON STU half leaning out of the booth, staring at his wife and the cops in the distance. RACK FOCUS TO THEM -- and suddenly we can hear them clearly in spite of the distance. KELLY What do you mean psychiatrist? He doesn't see any psychiatrist. RAMEY Then who'd your husband be talking to? KELLY There was some guy that called the house this morning and said weird stuff to me. RAMEY Stu seems to be checking things out with this person. KELLY He hasn't got many friends -- I can tell you that. RAMEY Remain here, please. We may need you later. KELLY You won't hurt him? RAMEY We'll do our best not to. Kelly is left alone as the Captain returns to their command center. Kelly is once again a solitary target. She could be picked off without attracting undue attention. VOICE She won't even feel it when it happens. BACK TO PHONE BOOTH STU Take me instead. VOICE Don't distract me. Now's the time to be absolutely still. I have to hold my breath as I squeeze gently -- STU No! I'm hanging up. That's it. Stu hangs up the receiver. He disconnects. RACK FOCUS TO LONG SHOT -- The police as they react. We see a flurry of activity across the street. Voices become clear as focus shifts. RAMEY Shit. He hung up. SERGEANT Maybe they already traced it. Anyhow, it doesn't matter. Looks like he's coming out. RACK FOCUS BACK TO STU -- slowly stepping out of the booth. His hands are raised. STU (shouts) I've giving myself up. Take me! SWAT OFFICER (distant) First the gun. We want to see you toss away your weapon! STU Shit. I can't. SWAT OFFICER (distant) Freeze where you are! Turn around and keep those hands clasped. (signals the others) Take him. The SWAT OFFICERS in protective gear now step out of cover and fan out as they approach the booth. TIGHTER ON STU He's just outside the booth -- expecting to feel the sniper's bullet go through him at any moment. Then the pay phone starts ringing. The sniper is calling back. RACK FOCUS AGAIN to the police. All the cops react. Particularly the Captain and the Sergeant. Their voices seem close up when they sharpen in focus. SERGEANT What is going on with these fucking phone calls? RAMEY (shouts) Hold your fire. Let him answer it. The SWAT team backs up but maintain their aim. SERGEANT Are you nuts? RAMEY Let them talk. He's not going anywhere. (shouts) He's going back inside the booth. Indeed we see Stu re-enter the battered phone booth and pick up the receiver. FOCUS RETURNS TO STU STU (into pay phone) Yeah? A strange voice begins chattering away in Spanish. Totally unintelligible to Stu. STU (into pay phone) You got the wrong number. Hang up. The voice, probably a Puerto Rican gentleman, rattles on in Spanish. STU Wrong number. Wrong number. Then the voice on the phone suddenly alters the Hispanic accent. It is the now familiar tone of his tormentor. VOICE Aw, relax, Stu. Only yanking your chain. Now can we start over? STU Those cops won't wait much longer. VOICE What else can they do? They can't afford to just shoot you like I can. Not with so much media coverage. Not unless you make some stupid aggressive move. (beat) The ABC Mobile Unit just rolled up. Across the street, Stu can see various TV units from local stations setting up cameras on roofs of trucks. STU Will you look at that? I must be going out over the network. Bet they're pre-empting usual programming. VOICE And just think -- if you survive this, your trial will be televised. And you can try and make the world believe I ever existed. I'd be your only defense. STU How are they gonna prove that I killed anybody when there's no gun? VOICE They'll plant one. The police aren't above that -- when they're desperate to convict. STU No, sir. No gun and I walk. VOICE Don't you think I took that into account? Am I a fool? STU What do you mean? VOICE Haven't I considered every eventuality? I knew they'd come and cordon off the block. (beat) And that there'd have to be a gun someplace. STU Where? VOICE It's a small booth, Stu. Have you checked every inch of it? STU (looking up and down) It's not on the floor. VOICE Then what's left? STU Up above. VOICE Could be. Why don't you reach up there and lift the plastic sheet -- and feel around. STU If they see me reach for something, they could open fire. VOICE They could. But you have to know if it's there. Don't you? STU I totally don't give a shit. VOICE In a narrow space, tucked just to the left of the fluorescent bulb. You can almost see it outlined if you look closely. Stu peers upward at the clouded plastic, now stained and dirty. There are shadows of objects above in the shallows area around the light fixture that automatically goes on when the door to the phone booth is tightly closed. Stu opens and closes the door a few times, watching the light click on -- watching the shadows around the light. Could that be an accumulation of dirt, dust, or dead insects? Or could something be stashed up there? STU It doesn't matter. I know about ballistics. The slug in that dead guy came from your rifle, not any handgun. VOICE You saw how hollow points splinter on impact. There's nothing much for ballistics to match to. The same make .30 calibre bullets are in that handgun. The prosecution rests. STU There's no gun up there. I don't see a damn thing. VOICE Slide your finger up under the plastic and you'll feel the cold metal surface. There are four rounds left in it. Should you decide to shoot your way out. STU I could never shoot anybody. VOICE You could shoot me, Stu. You'd do that in a minute if you could. STU And I'd fucking love it! VOICE Now you're speaking from the heart. Come on, just lift the partition a few inches and feel what's there for you. STU I'm not getting my fingerprints on your fucking weapon. What about powder residue? How are they going to explain that to a jury? VOICE Do you think that'll matter with so many eye witnesses? (beat) Do it... or should I re-focus my attention on Kelly? STU No. VOICE You carefully distracted me from her before and I let you get away with it. But if you're not going to play fairly -- (a pause) There she is again. So close I feel like I could touch her. STU Get off her! VOICE Then mind me when I speak. STU Look! I'm reaching up with my left hand. I'm pushing against the partition. It's giving. I'm feeling around with my fingertips. It's filthy up there. TIGHT SHOT - STU'S FINGERS feel about inside the shallow space. The shriveled remains of dead flies -- a layer of dust -- and then a .30 handgun. STU I'm -- touching something. VOICE One of the finest handguns Remington makes. Lightweight, efficient and highly accurate. STU I'm not picking it up. VOICE Not right now. But eventually... Stu lowers his hand, still empty. STU I wouldn't have a chance. VOICE I never said you would. STU I'm not insane. VOICE But you're getting there. It wouldn't take much. STU That won't happen. VOICE You could pull the gun down, shove it in your own mouth and jerk the trigger. That's another option. STU Why would I do that? VOICE To please me. And ensure that nothing happens to Kelly. I don't necessarily have to deal with her today in the midst of a crowd of cops. I can take her out any time I like. When she goes to pull down her blinds at night or when she walks the dog first thing in the morning. What is it -- a Jack Russell? STU Okay. I know you can do it. But don't talk about that. Please. VOICE I'd rather see you remembered as the gallant gunman who tried to shoot his way past an army of police -- than as a coward who sucked the barrel. I'm doing your PR for you. Creating a final image that'll endure. The outraged New Yorker who was pushed too far. When some lowlife street person tries to invade his territory, he retaliated. And when the forces of the law closed in, he was defiant... to the end. STU Like that nerdy sonofabitch who blew those three wiseass kids away on the subway? VOICE Exactly. Nobody minded that he was a sicko. He was living out a New Yorker's pet fantasy. Can you remember that movie where Peter Finch started screaming 'I'm not taking it anymore!' And everybody picked up on it. STU 'I'm mad as hell and I'm not taking it anymore.' VOICE That was it. Poor Finch got himself an Oscar for that. But he was dead by then. I mean he really died. Maybe playing that part took too much out of him. STU (softly to himself) 'I'm not taking it anymore.' 'I'm not taking it anymore.' VOICE That's the way! Psyche yourself up. Everybody respects a man who fights back, even if he goes a little berserk in the process. STU Fighting back. That's what it's about. VOICE Exactly! We all understand the poor schmuck that gets laid off and comes back and shoots all his bosses. We all thought of doing that. But only he had the balls. The terminally ill husband who gets his policy canceled and machine guns the insurance company offices. Maybe somebody will finally get the message. You can fuck human beings over only for so long before they come back at you. I'm still holding on Kelly and she looks very concerned. I could relieve all that anguish in a fraction of a second. Shall I? Stu is hearing these words but thinking only of what the man on the line has done to him. His turn has come to fight back. He has an idea. If the sniper is focused on Kelly, he can't be watching Stu. Turning his back to the police, Stu slowly sinks to his knees. STU I'm on my knees begging you. VOICE Stand up, Stu. You're embarrassing yourself. TIGHT ANGLE -- Stu now down on his knees in the booth. He's curled up almost into a fetal position. By doing so, he hopes to hide the fact that he's reaching into his pants pocket and pulling out his cellular phone. He half expects to hear a shot ring out either from the sniper or the cops. But nothing happens. VOICE Stu -- I want you back on your feet facing me. So you can see what I'm going to do to her. Stu ignores the command. He's quickly dialing. 911. He's calling police emergency. SNIPER'S POV Stu seen through the cross hairs of the sniperscope, crouched, doubled up at the foot of the booth. But the cell phone is hidden in front of him. VOICE Be a man, Stuart. Don't let them see you like this. You're an embarrassment to me. WIDER SHOT - THE BOOTH with Stu still kneeling. RACK FOCUS to police across the street as their voices become clear -- SERGEANT (listening to transmission) Officer on east side of the street reports subject removed a dark metallic object from his pocket. We better move. RAMEY Hold all fire until you actually identify a weapon. We're doing this on fucking TV! RACK FOCUS BACK TO -- STU IN THE BOOTH crouched forward. The pay phone receiver dangles just above his head. The cellular remains cupped in his hand. Stu never lifts the cell phone. He keeps the palm of his hand over the speaker of the phone to muffle any sound from the other end. It rings and finally someone answers. EMERGENCY OPERATOR (faint) Police. Is this an emergency? Hello? Is someone on the line? But Stu addresses himself loudly to the pay phone which he now grips in his other hand. Hoping that his words will be picked up by the emergency operator listening via the cellular. To help in this regard, he reaches back and slides the door to the booth tightly closed. He pretends to be talking to the sniper but his words are meant for the 911 operator to hear. STU (loud) You've made your point. Who's going to believe I've got a sniper with a telescopic sight holding me in a fucking phone booth at 45th and 8th? VOICE It took you a while to believe it yourself. STU If you'd put a bullet in that Captain Ramey, it would've been a different story -- but you were too wise to do that. VOICE Why don't you do it for me? Wave the old captain back over and get him nice and close and then use the handgun on him. STU (talking loud) Why me? You could pick off any of those cops from your window up there. Like you did that pimp. And that tourist last week. But this time you want me to do your killing for you. VOICE And you will! To save Kelly. EXTREME TIGHT SHOT - CELL PHONE cupped in Stu's hand and held low. Can they hear him on the other end? EMERGENCY OPERATOR (muffled, almost inaudible) Can you speak up, sir? What is your name? Stu is concerned that the sniper might hear the voice of the emergency operator. He sets the cell phone down flat on the floor of the booth facing upward. He puts his foot over the receiving end to muffle the incoming voice. Then he stands up. VOICE That's better, Stu. Now turn around so I can see you. Stu talks close into the pay phone receiver now. But keeps his voice raised. STU This booth. It's my whole world -- shrunk down to four feet by three feet. Not much bigger than the size of a coffin. VOICE They can put handles on the booth and bury you in it. STU (loudly into pay phone) When I saw you put that bullet into that black dude, I knew you'd never let me out of this phone booth alive. VOICE You're wasting my time. Reach up and take the gun. STU (peering upward, squinting) Let me see you first. What harm can that do you? You're in one of those windows. I've got to know which one. VOICE No need for that. STU Being so far, I could never identify you. I don't even want to. VOICE What is it then? STU Don't worry that I'd try to point you out. You'd shut me up with one of your .30 calibre hollow points before I could even raise a finger. VOICE Why does it matter so much? STU I want to see that you exist. Like God exists. It's not enough to believe. You want to see him -- just once -- even at a distance. VOICE And then you'd take the gun down. And use it. We have a deal on that? STU Show yourself to me and I'll take the gun down. I swear. There's a pause as the sniper mulls it over. VOICE I don't have to make deals. And you're irritating me by trying to negotiate. God doesn't have to prove anything. He just strikes you down when he gets in the mood. STU Stop! I won't ask to see you anymore. VOICE I'm glad that's settled. But look who else has showed up? STU Who? VOICE I guess she saw the coverage on TV and just couldn't keep away. STU What are you talking about? VOICE The 'hotel' just arrived. And a very beautiful little hotel she is. Actually, I'd classify her as more of a motel. STU Mavis? I don't see her. VOICE She's too far back behind the police line. But I've got a fine shot at her from up here. STU You don't even know what she looks like. VOICE You're in an enviable position now, Stu. You get to choose between them. Tell me which one. STU I can't. VOICE Which will it be? Kelly or Mavis? Or should I simply select one? INSERT SHOT - THE CELL PHONE lying face up on the floor of the booth. Is anybody listening? BACK TO STU Stu looks down at the cellular. He has no way of knowing if the police operator can hear any of his words. STU I need time to think... VOICE You've got to be more in touch with your feelings. You said you love Kelly. STU I do. VOICE Then I'm doing you a favor putting you out of the way of temptation. STU It wasn't Mavis' fault. It was all my fault. VOICE Then take the third option. Reach above you and pick up the gun. STU You'll leave them both alone? VOICE There won't be much point in harming them without you around to impress. STU I'll do it. VOICE Let me see you do it. STU I need one minute. One last minute, please. Can you give me that? VOICE Don't tell me you're going to say your prayers? STU Something like that. WE RACK FOCUS AWAY TO LONG SHOT - THE POLICE assembled on the opposite side of the street. RAMEY They should've traced the fucking call by now. SERGEANT (listening on transmitter) There's something else coming in. A 911 operator says your name was mentioned by somebody that's still on the line. Somebody talking about a phone booth. And a sniper. RAMEY Patch me through. Hello, this is Captain Edward Ramey. What about that call? EMERGENCY OPERATOR The line is still open. It's originating from a booth at 45th and 8th. RAMEY We're there! Can you play me back your recording of the entire call? EMERGENCY OPERATOR I can't replay the tape while it's still running. RAMEY Then switch to another machine and play back what you've got. EMERGENCY OPERATOR It's awful faint. He's not talking directly into the receiver. Ramey begins to listen. We hear snatches of Stu's call picking up words which are at times incomprehensible. STU'S VOICE (faint) 'Who's going to believe I've got a sniper with a telescopic sight holding me in some fucking phone booth...' The uniformed TELEPHONE TECHNICIAN now joins Ramey and the Sergeant. TELEPHONE TECHNICIAN Got what you wanted. The call's coming from up the street. The Hotel Broadway. RAMEY Have you got the room? TELEPHONE TECHNICIAN It's not that easy. Electronic switchboard. RAMEY (to Sergeant) Move your SWAT units to the hotel. No... wait. Any movement will alert the sniper. If he sees any of us withdraw, he may panic. SERGEANT There's another SWAT unit on the way. RAMEY Intercept them. Divert them to the hotel. SERGEANT It's done. RAMEY Send them in from the Forty-third Street side. I don't want any activity the sniper might catch sight of. He's probably high up and facing that booth. He's got to continue to believe our full attention is focused on the man inside -- whoever the hell that poor bastard is. (to emergency operator) Hello 911 operator, I missed some of that. Run it halfway back and repeat it. STU'S VOICE (REPLAY) (faint) '... Like you did that pimp. And that tourist last week. But this time you want me to do the killing for you...' RAMEY (listening) Jesus... he's a dead man. BACK INSIDE PHONE BOOTH VOICE The police seem all excited about something, Stu. STU Are they? I wasn't looking. VOICE I can't wait any longer. Say amen, then reach up for the gun. When your hand comes down, I want to see it. STU I'm too afraid. VOICE For once, be brave. Surprise yourself. STU I'm shaking all over. VOICE Guys in combat situations even shit their pants. But they follow orders. STU As soon as the cops see a gun, they'll open fire. VOICE Then I'd advise you to fire first. Stu's arm goes up in a supreme act of willpower. His fingers run along the two clouded plastic sheets that cover the roof of the booth. It raises up easily at the middle where two sheets join. TIGHT INSERT SHOT The space between the roof of the booth and the sheets of clouded plastic. We see the fluorescent lighting fixture covered with dust. The solitary object -- a cruel-looking weapon. Now Stu's fingertips protrude into the small space. He touches the gun, brushes back and forth, feeling the roughness of the grip. TIGHT SHOT - STU'S FACE as below he continues to hesitate -- it's agony -- The sweat pours down his forehead and his eyes are squeezed tightly shut. He can already imagine the police bullets tearing into him. A POLICE SNIPER IS MOVING INTO POSITION. POLICE SNIPER (into transmitter) Give me the word. RACK BACK TO STU - IN THE BOOTH His arm still raised. He hasn't brought it down with the gun in it. Not yet. He holds the pay phone receiver jammed up against his mouth. VOICE Hard part's over. Drop your arm and point it like you'd point your finger and squeeze. STU No. You do it. If you want me dead, then fucking murder me! VOICE Why must I keep invoking some poor girl's name every time we come to an impasse? I'm focused back on Kelly again. You're obviously not willing to trade your life for hers. STU I am! I'm doing it! He pulls the handgun down into full view. Curiously, the police do not open fire. STU There! You see it? They all see it. He waves the gun so nobody can miss it. STU Where are you? Damn you!! He drops the receiver and steps halfway out of the booth. Still the cops do not open fire. Then Stu starts shooting. Not at the police, but at the high rise buildings across the street. At the thousands of windows that look down upon him. He gets off two shots before a solitary rifle shot rings out in response. RACK FOCUS TO THE POLICE SNIPER He has fired. ANGLE ON STU The remaining glass on the south side of the booth shatters. Stu tumbles forward, sprawling out of the booth onto the pavement. RACK FOCUS TO KELLY She screams, tries to break through but cops restrain her. INT. PHONE BOOTH ANGLE ON DANGLING RECEIVER as it sways back and forth. From it, we hear the voice. VOICE Thanks for such an interesting afternoon. THEN THERE ARE OTHER SOUNDS EMANATING FROM THE DANGLING SWAYING PHONE. A wooden door being battered open. A few incomprehensible shouts as a SWAT TEAM dashes in. Stu's stalling for time has paid off. THE SOUND OF A BARRAGE OF GUNFIRE. THE SOUND OF A MUFFLED SCREAM. The police have broken in on Stu's tormentor and there has been a rapid exchange of shots. A HAND reaches into the booth and grabs the receiver. ANGLE WIDENS as Ramey places it to his ear. RAMEY Hello? This is Captain Ramey. Somebody talk to me. SWAT OFFICER'S VOICE Yeah. We took him out, Captain. Nobody else got hurt. RAMEY What's his condition? SWAT OFFICER'S VOICE Critical. The sonofabitch took two. Probably won't survive the ride. RAMEY Get a statement from him. I'll be right over. He drops the receiver so that it dangles again. CAMERA FOLLOWS RAMEY to where Stu lies surrounded by cops and medics. He's stunned, but very much alive. MEDIC Don't try to sit up. STU What was that? RAMEY (kneeling) Rubber bullet. MEDIC You'll have one hell of a nasty welt. Busted rib. Maybe a permanent scar there. STU It couldn't hurt much more if you really shot me. RAMEY Somebody was going to and we thought it may as well be us. STU Did you get him? RAMEY Sure as hell did. Thanks to you. STU Still alive? RAMEY Barely. MEDIC We'll be giving him a hypo for the pain. It'll put him out for a while. Kelly is now brought over by a female cop. She drops to her knees beside Stu and tries to embrace him. The medics restrain her. STU It's okay. I'm not really shot. KELLY I was so afraid. I thought... STU I thought so, too. But we're going to be alright. Both of us. KELLY Remember how you swore up and down you'd get me on TV? Well, you did. I already got interviewed on Fox and Channel Eleven and they even want me on A.M. America tomorrow morning. STU Bet you didn't think I could deliver on that. MEDIC Will you please let go of him, Miss? A gurney is wheeled over from a police ambulance. The medic is about to administer the hypo but Stu pushes him away. STU No. No hypo. I want to see him first. The medics are now ready to lift Stu onto the gurney and cart him off. But Stu struggles against them. RAMEY Relax. The guy's dying. STU That's why I've gotta talk to him. Please! RAMEY We'll see. MEDIC (to Kelly) You can ride with him in the ambulance. The woman cop escorts Kelly to the waiting ambulance. Ramey meanwhile tries to resume contact with the SWAT team inside the hotel. RAMEY This is Ramey. Over. This is Ramey. Ten-Four. There's nothing but static, mixed up feedback and multiple garbled voices on the other end of the line. RAMEY Shit. Get everybody off this wavelength. He crosses back to the phone booth -- picks up the dangling receiver. RAMEY Hello. Hello! Pick up! Yeah, it's Ramey again. Can you hold the phone close enough so the perp can listen? COP'S VOICE He's not saying a word, Captain. RAMEY He's not about to talk to us. Maybe to him. Ramey looks back to where the medics are still trying to lift Stu onto the gurney. RAMEY Forget that. Stand him up. (to Stu) Can you stand? STU I can try. RAMEY Help him over here. The medics support Stu and inch him back to the booth. It's painful, but Stu ignores it. Ramey holds the phone up so Stu can both listen and speak. RAMEY Here. Speak up. STU (into pay phone) It's me. Do you hear me? Answer me. VOICE (wheezing) Had to have the last word, Stu. STU I finally beat your ass. Admit it, you fuck. VOICE But you'll never forget me. I gave you the most thrilling day of your life. Say thanks. STU Now you're gonna die, you bastard. VOICE I lost a lot of blood. Don't you want to donate some for me? Then we'd really be part of each other. STU Hang on. I can't wait to see you at the hospital. So I can yank your fucking air tube out. VOICE Wish I could give you that pleasure. You deserve it. (coughing) ... Only I'm out of time. STU What's your name? At least tell me who you are. There's more violent coughing, then silence. Then a cop's voice is heard. COP'S VOICE He's gone. Stu stares at the receiver. RAMEY Don't worry. We'll find out who he is. And why he picked you. STU No. You won't. (a beat) What do you want to bet you won't? Stu reaches over and hangs up the receiver. CLICK. STU I'll spend my whole life trying to figure that out. Then he sinks into the arms of the medics who lower him onto the waiting gurney. The hypo is finally administered. It kicks in immediately, relieving the pain. He's wheeled away from the booth to the waiting ambulance. Kelly is already inside waiting to accompany Stu to the hospital. STU'S POV - BEING WHEELED AWAY FROM THE EMPTY BOOTH pulling away in LOW ANGLE. CAMERA SLIDES BACK inside the ambulance with Stu. The doors shut, obliterating our view of the phone booth that was his entire world until moments ago. STU (groggy) Gotta sleep now. No phone calls... Kelly smiles down at him as the image blurs. Stu passes out -- into a deep sleep he much deserves. A SIREN BLARES. CUT TO BLACK.

unformated_scripts/Script_Pi.txt

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+Pi by Darren Aranofsky Originally featured at: Screensource Shooting Script September, 1996 TITLES EXPLODE TO WHITE SLOW FADE TO: EXTREME CLOSE-UP of MAXIMILIAN COHEN'S eyes popping open. INT. MAX'S APARTMENT -CHINATOWN FLAT – NEW YORK CITY - NIGHT Max jolts his head from his desk and tries to orient him-self in the darkness. He has intelligent eyes set in an exhausted, good-looking face. Then he notices the blood dripping from his nose. Max wipes it. Max's voiceover begins: MAX (V.O.) Monday, September first. Six-fifteen. INT. BATHROOM - DAWN A pull-string light flips on. Max examines his bloody nose in the mirror. MAX (V.O.) The alchemist awakes. (Imitating) "Turn lead into gold, Max, lead into gold." Today, I find it. TIGHT ON Max's hand as three unmarked, circular pills hit his palm. Then, he slams the pills into the back of his mouth. Max replaces the cap on a plastic bottle of unmarked prescription drugs. He drinks from the sink and splashes a generous amount of water onto his head and face, cleaning his nose. He wipes his nose and examines the last remnants of blood on his fingertip. Then, he dips his finger under the tap. INT. MAX'S APARTMENT - MAIN ROOM - DAY Max's room is constantly dark because the windows are blacked out. He flips on his desk lamp. A tiny ANT crawls across his desk. He looks at it for a moment before getting angry and squashing it. Sitting on the desk are three computer monitors, which Max flips on. Then he pops on more lights and more switches. We pull back revealing that Max's apartment looks more like the inside of a computer than a human's home. The room is knee-high in computer parts of all shapes and sizes. The walls are covered with circuit boards. Cables hang from the ceiling like vines in a Brazilian rain forest. They all seem to be wired together forming a monstrous homemade computer. This is EUCLID, Max's creation. The computer is alive with sounds and lights. Max works on Euclid with his solder and drill. He cares for the machine as if it were his dream car MAX (V.O.) Heat's been getting to Euclid. Feel it most in the afternoon when I run the set. Have to keep the fans on all night from now on. Otherwise, everything is running topnotch. The stack of 286's is now faster than Columbia's computer science department. I spent a couple hundred dollars. Columbia's cost? Half a million? (Small snicker) Ha... Max checks the peephole on His front door. No one is there. He unbolts the five lock and slides into the hall. INT. APARTMENJ HALLWAY - DAY As he secures his apartment, a Young girl named JENNA runs up to him. Her MOM, down the hall, looks apologetic. Jenna's eyes light up and she pulls out her Fisher Price calculator. JENNA Max, Max! Can we do one? MOM (Over and over again) Jenna! Jenna! MAX Oh, no. JENNA What's three hundred and twenty-two times four hundred and ninety-one. Jenna types it into her calculator. Max finishes locking his door. MAX (instantly) One hundred fifty-eight thousand, a hundred two. Right? JENNA (Eyes light up) Right. Max heads down the staircase. MOM Jenna... Jenna screams after him. JENNA Okay, seventy-three divided by twenty-two. MAX (instantly again) Three point three one eight one eight one eight... EXT. CHINATOWN - DAY Max watches people bustle through the busy intersections of Chinatown. The streets are clogged with people. MAX (V.O.) Somewhere in there. Somewhere. I know it's right in front of me. The pattern. They say it's chaos, it can't be understood, too much complexity. EXT. ELECTRONIC MEGADUMP - DAY Max scavenges electronic parts as he carefully navigates an endless dump for old and rotting computers. MAX (V.O.) History it's there. Lurking, shaping. structuring, hiding, right beneath the surface. He unscrews a random IBM Board from a keyboard and slides it into his pocket. EXT PLAYGROUND – DAY MOVE IN on Max looking up at something as he reclines on a public bench. MAX (V.0.) The cycling of disease epidemics, the wax and wane of Caribou populations in the Arctic, sunspot cycles, the rise and fall of the Nile and yes! the New York Stock Exchange, they are all the same. MOVE IN on a tree branch - shaking gently in the wind. SLOW DISSOLVE TO EXTREME CLOSE-UP OF STOCK TICKER Bright stock quotes drift across the screen. MAX (V.O.) I'll find this structure, this order, this perfection. INT. MAX'S APARTMENT - DAY Max stares intensely at the ticker on the small TV that sits next to his monitors. MAX (V.O.) Turn lead into gold. The first. Right here. Right here. With math. The numbers of the stock market are my lead. When I find the pattern, then I will find gold. Max watches the right edge of the screen where the numbers appear. He wants to see what's before that edge... Max slaps the RETURN button on his computer. The phone starts ringing. Max eyes it suspiciously. Just then, Euclid starts printing results on an old dot- matrix printer. Max suspiciously answers The phone. MAX Hello? WOMAN'S VOICE Maximilian Cohen, please. MAX Yeah? WOMAN'S VOICE Mr. Cohen? MAX Who's this? WOMAN'S VOICE Hi. my name is Marcy Dawson. I'm a partner with the predictive strategy firm Lancet-Percy. Can I speak with Mr. Cohen, please? MAX I told you... The printer finishes printing. MARCY DAWSON Mr. Cohen! How are you? It's been a long time. Sorry I haven't been in touch. But I was hoping you would allow me to take you to lunch tomorrow, say one o'clock? MAX Sorry, I can't. MARCY DAWSON We're very anxious to talk with you, sir MAX I can't. MARCY DAWSON I'm prepared to make you a generous... Max hurries to wrap up the conversation. MAX I don't take offers for my research. You know that. Sorry, I Couldn't help you. MARCY DAWSON Mr. Cohen, give me a moment... But before Marcy finishes, Max hangs up. He rips off the printout and heads to the front door. He checks the peephole, His landlady. MRS. OVADIA, is sweeping the hallway stairs humming a turn-of-the century (the last one, not this one) tune. Max waits a moment. He tousles his hair. Then he checks again. She's gone. He opens his locks and releases several bolts. INT.MAX'S BUILDING HALLWAY - DAY Max locks his front door. Meanwhile, his next-door neighbor, DEVI MINSTRY, a sexy young Indian woman, is just getting home. Max looks away and tries to get his door locked. She's weighted down by a bunch of bags filled with food. DEVI Max, good! MAX Hi, Devi. DEV1 I grabbed you some somosas. MAX Great. Devi heads over to Max with her bags of food. She looks up at Max. DEVI Your hair. Devi hands the bags to Max. Then she goes to pat down his Hair. Max retreats. MAX What are you doing? DEVI Your hair, you can't go out like that. Don't worry. MAX It's fine. It's fine. Devi pats down his hair. Max is humiliated. DEVI You need a mom. Max hands back the bags and heads quickly for the stairs. MAX I have to go. DEVI Your somosas! An embarrassed Max takes the bag. MAX Thanks. INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY At the counter, Max stirs cream into his coffee. Then he takes three pills from the plastic bottle and drops them in his coffee. Max flips past a full-page ad in the paper that reads LANCET-PERCY 86% ACCURACY (ONLY GOD IS PERFECT). Max flips the page before he or we can absorb it. He compares stock quotes in the Wall Street Journal against his printout. MAX (V.O.) Sixteen, twenty-seven. Results: Euclid shows tomorrow's Dow closing up by four points. Anomalies include PRONET at sixty-fire and a quarter, a career high. Possible explanations, either A, an error in the June fifth algorithm, or B, Euclid's main processor is running a recursion... Max marks up the paper with lines and diagrams as he ponders his bits and misses. Then a puff of cigarette smoke drifts by and succeeds in bothering Max. He fans it away when— VOICE FROM OFFSCREEN Oh sorry, am I bothering you? Max shrugs and looks over. The voice belongs to LENNY MEYER—a bearded man in his late 20s sucking on a cigarette. On closer inspection, something is off. It seems that Lenny is an Orthodox Jew. His yarmulke sticks out Slightly from his wide-brimmed hat and the fringes from his tsi-tsis hang out from the bottom of his untucked shirt. LENNY MEYER I'll put it out. (Which he does) The name's Lenny Meyer Lenny sticks out his hand. Max responds with a small nod. LENNY MEYER And you are? MAX Max. LENNY MEYER Max? MAX Max Cohen. LENNY MEYER Cohen! (Judging) Jewish? Max shrugs and turns back to his work. LENNY MEYER It's okay. (Joking) I'm a Jew, too. (Serious) Do you practice? MAX No, I'm not interested in religion. LENNY MEYER Have you ever heard of Kabbalah? MAX No. LENNY MEYER Jewish mysticism. MAX I'm sorry, I'm very busy. LENNY MEYER I understand...it's just that it's a very exciting time in our history. Right now is a critical moment in time. MAX (Sarcastic) Really? LENNY MEYER Yes, it's very exciting. Have you ever put on Tefillin? Max has no idea what Lenny's talking about. Lenny pulls a leather box with black leather straps from his pocket. LENNY MEYER Tefillin. You know Tefillin. I know it looks strange. But it's an amazing tradition that has a tremendous amount of power. It's a mitzvah for all Jewish men to do. Mitzvahs, good deeds, are spiritual food for our hearts and our heads. And then Max notices that his thumb is twitching He grabs it self-consciously. LENNY MEYER They purify us and bring us closer to God. You want to try it? Just then, Max pays his bill and prepares to leave. MAX I gotta go... LENNY MEYER Are you okay? Max? Max? MAX I'm sorry, bye. LENNY MEYER Well, maybe some other time. INT. MAX'S BATHROOM - NIGHT Max splashes water on his face. MAX Please God, Let it be a small one. He pulls a metal vaccinating gun out of the medicine cabinet. Then be loads it with a small bottle of medicine. He rolls up his sleeve, dabs alcohol on his arm, and fires the gun into his arm. MAX (V.O.) Sixteen thirty-five. Second headache in under twenty-four hours. They're getting more frequent now...more painful, too. Drugs don't work, just take the edge off of it. Just gotta wait for the nosebleed. Relief comes from my nose. Next door, he hears Devi and her boyfriend talking. FARROUHK (O.S.) So I gotta make this drop off in Harlem and on the way down there's these three kids hailing me. Max slaps himself in the face a few times. DEVI (O.S.) You stopped? FARROUHK (O.S.) I was tight, so... Max watches his thumb twitch. And then pain shoots through him. He grabs the right side of his head, massages it, and pushes it in with his fingers. In the mirror, he examines the right side of his scalp. He sees nothing MAX Ahh... Max walks back into the MAIN ROOM and sits down in a chair. The lamp is blinding so he snaps it off. Only the bathroom light lights the room. He takes a few breaths. MAX Leave me alone. His neighbors conversation begins to build in volume and distortion. FARROUHK (O.S.) So I drop them off in the Village and they dart. DEVI (O.S.) Oh God... Max gags and rubs his head. FARROUHK (O.S.) I get out, grab my bat and start running. One of the kids, maybe sixteen, I catch a block later he's cursing at me, calling me a Paki bastard. So I whacked him, right in the head. DEVI (O.S.) Farrouhk! The pain seems to disappear. Max looks at his hand that was rubbing his bead. Then he looks at the front door. The doorknob seems to move. Something begins knocking on Max's door. The knocking gets louder and louder then the locks begin to unlock. FARROUHK's words begin to overpower Max. FARROUHK (O.S.) I'm kicking the bastard in the ribs banging his ass, knocking his head against the curb, harder and harder, I fucking lost it. A hot dog guy starts screaming "You're cracking his skull, you're cracking his skull." So they pulled me off of him and calmed me down. Cops said he had it coming to him. Then something starts pounding the door. The doorknob quivers, the locks unbolt. The chains are the only thing keeping out the intruder. The door shakes and the chains are strained. MAX is paralyzed with terror. MAX No! No! And then the door smashes open. Blinding light fills the room and we crash into the BLINDING WHITE VOID A moment of silence, then we CUT TO INT. BATHROOM - DAWN A phone rings incessantly. Max's eyes pop open. He's scrunched up in a corner of the room, squashed beneath the sink. His nose is bleeding. Max, crawls into the MAIN ROOM and picks up the phone. He pinches his nose and tilts his head back. MARCY DAWSON Mr. Cohen. Marcy Dawson here again I was just looking over my schedule and I realized I'll be in your neighborhood tomorrow around three. Max heads to the FRONT DOOR and checks the locks. He is barely listening to Marcy MAX (Groggy) Who is... The locks seem secure. MARCY DAWSON Marcy Dawson from Lancet-Percy I'm so anxious to meet you. It will be worth it—for both of us I promise. See you at your house at three, okay? MAX My house...how do... MARCY DAWSON Oh, don't worry, I got your address from Columbia. So three it is. Looking forward to it. Max tries to stop her but, before he can Marcy hangs up. A bewildered Max slowly hangs up. MAX Damn. Max checks the peephole - all clear. Then, he opens his - CLOSET which is filled with random computer parts and boxes. He pulls a thick neuroscience book from a shelf in the back of the closet. He almost knocks over an old dusty brass microscope on the shelf. Max flips through the book. It contains old plates illustrating the brain. Max examines some of the diagrams. EXT. S0L'S HALLWAY - DAY Max rings the bell on an apartment door. A few moments pass, and then SOL ROBESON opens the door. Sol is a wise-looking man in his early 70's. He walks with difficulty, leaning out of breath on a wooden cane. His arms are covered with faded Russian prison tattoos and he speaks with a thick Eastern European accent, He's happy to see Max. S0L Max! How are you7 Max is happy to see Sol, but he's a bit bashful and intimidated. MAX Okay. EXT. SOL'S STUDY - MOMENTS LATER TIGHT ON the Japanese game of Go being played. Sol is white and Max is black. Sol's moves are secure and controlled while Max is hesitant. SOL Stop thinking, Max, just feel. Use your intuition. It's the only way to get into the flow. (Beat) What did you think of Hamlet? MAX I didn't get to it. SOL It's been a month. (Knowingly) You haven't taken a single break. MAX I'm so close, Sol. I'm so close but I just can't grab it. Sol changes the subject. He feeds his goldfish and points to one of them. SOL Have you met the new fish my niece bought me? I named her Icarus. After you. My renegade pupil. You fly too high, you'll get burned. Max looks up at Sol. SOL The more I see you, the more I see myself thirty years ago. My greatest pupil. Published at 16, Ph.D. at 20. MAX We'll see. SOL But life isn't just mathematics. I spent forty years looking for patterns in Pi, I found nothing. MAX You found things... SOL I found things, but not a pattern. INT. MOVING TRAIL - DAY Max sits in the corner of a rickety New York City subway car. The train is almost completely deserted. Max looks down at his hand. He opens his palm and reveals a black Go chip. MAX (V.O.) Tuesday, September second, eighteen twelve. If Sol hadn't gotten sick who knows where math would be. He spent years in the numbers of Pi. Searching for meaning, for order. Max notices a SKINNY MAN in a business suit staring at him. The man catches Max's eye and looks away, but then he quickly looks back, making Max turn away. He looks down at his Wall Street journal and draws a circle with its diameter then he writes "A=pir2" and "C=2pir." Next he writes "pi=3.14159..." MAX (V.O.) Three point one four...off into infinity and maybe insanity. Somewhere in there he wanted sanity. Sanity like he found in the circles Pi represented. Simple, sane circles. If only the stock market had circles. Some type of sanity. Some type of form, of shape. Suddenly, Max hears someone singing. Max looks up. It is the Skinny Man and he's singing with passion. It's all very strange to Max, who nervously looks away. And then the singing stops— mid-verse Max looks up and the man is gone. Vanished. Max looks around—no one in Sight. INT. APARTMENT STAIRCASE - DAY Max heads up the stairs to his apartment. Just then, a toy SLINKY appears from nowhere marching down the stairs. Max stops and waits until the Slinky hits his foot. He picks it up and looks at it. He looks around wondering what's going on. Then Jenna leans out over a railing and starts laughing at Max. INT. COFFEE SHOP-DAY Max sits at the counter frantically looking at the Wall Street Journal. He plops three pills into his coffee. He draws circles and other shapes across the page. Max is interrupted by a puff of smoke. At the same time, someone touches his shoulder and says: LENNY MEYER Hey, Max, how you doing? MAX Oh, okay. LENNY MEYER Lenny Meyer. (Motioning to the cigarette) I'll put it out. (Which be does) So, what do you do? MAX Um, I work with computers ...math. LENNY MEYER Really? What type of math? MAX Number theory. Mostly research. LENNY MEYER Number theory? No way, I work in theory, too. Not traditional, though... (Points to his yarmulke) I work with the Torah. (Awed by the coincidence) Amazing. MAX (Passing it of as a coincidence) Yeah... LENNY MEYER Yeah. You know Hebrew is all numbers. It's all math. MAX Hm. Lenny pulls out a worn' dog-eared Bible from his pocket. There are paper slips marking what seems like every other page. When he opens it up, Max sees that the pages are marked up by highlighter pens, notes and diagrams. Lenny points to the text. EXTREME CLOSE-UP of Hebrew letters. LENNY MEYER Here, look...the ancient Jews used Hebrew as their numerical system. Each letter is a number. Lenny pulls out a pen and grabs Max's Journal. He writes on it as he talks. LENNY MEYER You see...The Hebrew "A," the number 1. The Hebrew "B," Bet, is two. You can take any Hebrew text and turn them into a long string of numbers. The waitress refills Max's coffee. LENNY MEYER The Torah is just a long string of numbers. Some say that it's a long code sent to us from God. Satisfied, Lenny lights up a cigarette and takes a drag. MAX (Mildly impressed) Kind of interesting. LENNY MEYER (Proud of himself) Yeah, like take the Hebrew word for, say, the Garden of Eden, Kadem. Kuf, Dalei Mem...Kuf is a hundred. Daled, four Mem, forty. They equal one hundred and forty-four. Then take the tree of knowledge...in the garden, Aat Ha Haim, it equals two hundred and thirty-three. Now you can take that number and... MAX They're Fibonacci numbers. LENNY MEYER Huh? MAX The Fibonacci sequence. Italian mathematician, thirteenth century. If you divide a hundred and forty-four into two hundred and thirty-three, it approaches theta. LENNY MEYER Theta? MAX The Greek symbol for the golden ratio. The golden spiral. Lenny exhales the smoke. Max quickly graphs the number on his Wall Street Journal. LENNY MEYER You're right, I never saw that before. That's the series you find in nature. Like the face of a sunflower. MAX Wherever there's spirals. LENNY MEYER You see, there's math everywhere. Lenny's smoke drifts by Max's eyes. SLOW MOTION: MAX'S POV of smoke spirals spinning in front of him. MAX Math everywhere... SLOW MOTION: Max looks down at his coffee cup. He pours cream into his coffee. It shoots up and mixes with the black coffee forming spirals in the mug. MAX (Serious) Everywhere... SLOW MOTION: Max looks at the spiral he just drew on the Wall Street Journal. NORMAL SPEED Suddenly, Max stands up. MAX Oh my God... INT. MAX'S APARTMENT - DAY Max draws spirals all over his Wall Street Journal. Then he takes a thick black marker and draws a giant spiral across the entire page. Max is ecstatic as he pounds code into the computer takes moments to wake up, drops pills, and drinks a Ginseng soda. MAX (V.O.) Simple shapes! Tuesday, September second. Twenty-twenty-two. Sol! Sol! Sol! Shapes in the market. Why not? And they're spirals! Spirals! Max traces a big circle on the journal. Then, he cuts it out with an X-acto blade. He cuts out the middle of the circle so that be has a thin loop like one of those futuristic frisbees. He tears part of the loop and stretches the circle out in front of him into a spiral. MAX (V.O.) A circle spread out overtime. It's open-ended. It has a beginning and it grows and changes through time. If I can find where it fits, if I can spin it and lock it into a group of numbers, then I can calculate the future. Lead into gold. Chaos into order Madness into sanity. Pain into bliss. Perfection. Max is about to slap RETURN but he stops himself—he's nervous. Next door, Devi and her boyfriend are making love. He looks at the wall with disdain. Then he looks back at the screen, shrugs and confidently slaps RETURN on his keyboard. Stock prices float across the screen. Max can't believe his eyes—the quotes are absurd. MAX What the... And then, Euclid crashes. The electricity in Max's room flips off. The numbers on Max's screen fade to black. In near (minus streetlights) darkness: MAX Shit! TIGHT ON A FUSE BOX Max removes a fuse. He replaces it with a penny. MAX'S ROOM Max tries to reboot Euclid, but nothing happens. He tries a second time, but nothing happens. Devi and Farrouhk are still at it. Max puts on a pair of latex gloves. He dons a surgical mask. He climbs up to a loft above his monitors. A glass case, fed cool air by a vent tube, encases some computer parts. He carefully removes the front glass cover. Then he gets it off he's stunned. Not only have the chips melted down, but a strange flaky substance covers the board. MAX What the... Max grabs his face, frustrated. Deri and Farroakk are giggling, having a great time. Max stares at the wall. Then he angrily throws Euclid's mainframe onto the ground It lands with a SMASH! Under the mainframe is a small city of ANTS. They scramble for cover. Max furiously attacks them, stomping them out with his bands. Then he jumps on the smashed mainframe. He slides to the ground and covers his face. DISSOLVE TO EXT. PLAYGROUND - DAY TIGHT ON a tree branch shaking manically in the wind. Max sits on a park bench watching the branch shake. It terrifies him. He pulls out the printout of his picks and examines them. MAX (V.0.) Wednesday, September third, seven-fifteen. Results: AAR at fourteen and a half—low, very low. ABR at six and a half—jeez. Six and a half, ABR hasn't been beneath twenty in ten years. Conclusion: Simple. There is no pattern. No pattern. Chaos, chaos, all chaos. He crumples up his picks and tosses them into a public trash can. INT. SOL'S STUDY - DAY Sol and Max play Go. Sol is peaceful while Max is distant. Max plays a piece absently. Sol counters with a deafening atari. Max whispers: MAX Euclid crashed. I lost all my data, my hardware. SOL Your mainframe? MAX Burnt... SOL What happened? MAX I don't know, first I got these horrible picks. Then Euclid spits out some numbers. Never saw anything like it and then it fries. The whole machine just crashed. SOL You have a printout? MAX Of? SOL The picks, the number? MAX I threw it out. SOL What was the number it spit out? MAX I don't know, just a long string of digits. SOL How many? MAX I don't know. SOL (Intense) What was it, a hundred and fifty, a thousand, two hundred sixteen!? How many? MAX I don't know. Probably around two hundred. (Wondering) Why? SOL (Beat)... I dealt with some bugs back in my Pi days. I was wondering if it was similar to one I ran into. Sol begins to feed his fish. He points to one. SOL Have you met Archimedes. The one with the black spot. You see? MAX Yeah. SOL Remember Archimedes of Syracuse? The King asks Archimedes to determine if a present he's received was actually solid gold. Unsolved problem at the time. It tortures the great Greek mathematician for weeks. Insomnia haunts him and he twists and turns on his bed for nights on end. Finally, his equally exhausted wife, she's forced to share a bed with this genius, convinces him to take a bath, to relax. While stepping into the tub he observes the bathwater rise as he enters. Displacement. A way to determine volume. And thus, a way to determine density, weight over volume. And thus, Archimedes solves the problem. He screams "Eureka!"—Greek for "I found it!"—and is so overwhelmed he runs dripping naked through the streets to the King's castle to report his discovery. Now, what's the moral of the story. MAX That a breakthrough will come... SOL Wrong. The point of the story is the wife. Listen to your wife, she will give you perspective. Meaning, you need a break, Max, you have to take a bath, otherwise you'll get nowhere. There will be no order, only chaos. Go home and take a bath. PUBLIC BENCH - MOMENTS LATER Max waits for his train on an empty platform. Just then, he hears a DRIPPING sound. Max looks up and notices something across the tracks on the other platform. He can't quite make it out because his vision is blocked by columns. He gets up and spots a Young Hasidic Man standing at him. Blood drips from the Man's hand. Max doesn't know what to make of it A TRAIN SWISHES BY - INT. MOVING TRAIN - LATER Max reads an ad that says In big block letters 'MOSHIAC IS COMING!' He checks out a few of the other passengers. Then he notices a man reading a newspaper across from him. The headline reads: 'MARKET TAKES NOSE-DIVE. Max jumps up and approaches the man. MAX Hey, excuse me, can I see that? The man hands Max the paper. Max scans the article. Then He quickly turns to the listings. His finger barrels down a column. It stops at ABR. MAX Six and a half. Max looks up the column for AAR. MAX Fourteen and a half. Oh, my... Max stumbles toward the doors. He looks out the window: into the darkness of the tunnel. MAX (Out of breath) My God. My God. (Gets pumped to himself) Yes! Yes! SKINNY MAN (V.O.) Hey, paper, please! Max hands the paper back and looks at the man for the first time. It is the Skinny Man he saw earlier. Max gets suspicious and moves into the next car. AT GRAND STREET Max exits. He notices that the Skinny Man gets off - one car down - as well. He hustles toward the exit. As he's about to turn a corner he looks back. The man seems to be following him. He dodges around a corner and heads up a staircase. EXT. TRAIN STATION - DAY He seems to have lost him, when he notices a business-woman with a pretty face heading right toward him. It is MARCY DAWSON. MARCY DAWSON Mr. Cohen! Perfect timing. Marcy sticks out her hand. Max, not knowing what else to do, shakes it. MARCY DAWSON I was just waiting for you. I thought you stood me up, so I was going to head home. MAX Who are you? MARCY DAWSON Oh...Marcy Dawson. From Lancet Percy. We were supposed to meet at three. MAX I'm sorry, I don't... Marcy hasn't let go of Max's hand. She guides him toward a large black street limo that's just pulled up. MARCY DAWSON I can't tell you what a pleasure it is to finally meet you. I've studied your papers for years. MARCY DAWSON I have something you won't be able to say no to. Why don't we take a spin in the limo? MAX No, no, no, really, I can't. MARCY DAWSON We're excited by your work. We can't wait to discuss... Max attempts to pull away but Marcy is firm on leading him to the car. Meanwhile, the Shinny man is heading right at them. The CHAUFFEUR reaches out to him. Max yanks his arm free and runs away. He whips around a corner. INT. BODEGA - DAY Max barrels into the grocery store and buys a Journal. He heads to the back of the store and lays the paper across the juice section. He checks the listing. MAX On the nose. On the damn nose. Max turns the page on the Journal and sees the Lancet-Percy ad. Then he notices one of the bodega owners staring at him. EXT. MAX'S APARTMENT - DAY Max scouts his front door. The coast is clear. INT. MAX'S APARTMENT - DAY Max examines the smashed Euclid mainframe. He uncovers some of the strange filo-like substance. He carefully touches it. Then he grabs a small pinch of it. He examines it near a light bulb. He can't guess what it is. He sniffs it. He carefully tastes it with the very tip of his tongue. He still doesn't have a clue. Max opens his closet. He pulls out his dusty brass microscope. He dusts it off. Next, he pulls out a slide Kit. Max places the instrument on the windowsill. He grabs an old glass slide and puts some of the flaky stuff on it. He slides it under the microscope. He looks into the lens, but doesn't see anything. He gets up quickly and heads for the HALLWAY where he looks at Devi's door, nervously. He gathers his courage and knocks on her door. Through the door hears. DEVI (O.S.) Farrouhk? MAX Um, no, it's Max from next door. Devi opens the door wearing a sexy nightshirt. DEVI Max, is everything all right? MAX Do you have any iodine? DEVI (concerned, she reaches for Max's hands) Iodine...did you cut yourself? MAX (Pulling his hands away) No. I just need it to stain a slide. DEVI Ah, science, the pursuit of knowledge. One second. She heads to her bathroom. Max waits impatiently. DEVI (O.S.) Here we are. What are you examining— (At the door) a potato!? She hands Max a bottle of iodine. MAX Just something with my computer. MAX'S ROOM - MOMENTS LATER Max uses his pinky to drip a drop of iodine on the slide. Through the wall he hears Farrouhk arriving home. DEVI (0.S.) The neighbor's up to his old science... FARROUHK (O.S.) What neighbor? DEVI (O.S.) Next door. Max listens to the conversation for a few moments. FARROUHK (O.S.) Why are you talking to that dork! DEVI (O.S.) Shh! I just helped ... FARROUHK (O.S.) Pounds on wall. Hey, dork, leave my girlfriend alone! DEVI (0.S.) Farrouhk! Max shakes his bead. Then he finishes preparing the slide and slips the glass under the turret. Max catches the low-hanging sun in the microscope's mirror and reflects it through the sample and up the turret into his eye. MAX'S POV DOWN THE TURRET of some strange Substance. Max pulls out the slide and looks at it. FARROUHK (0.S.) I don't give a shit. DEVI (0.S.) (Laughing) Shh! C'mon, Farrouhk. FARROUHK (0.S.) I'll kill the dork. (Exploding again) You hear me! I'll kill you. I'll fucking kill you! Then an idea comes to him. He takes out his brain book. He looks through it until he finds a picture of neurons. He compares the image to the view through the turret. They look different but there are similarities. DEVI (O.S) Shh! Baby! Come here, baby! Max rushes out. EXT. PLAYGROUND - LATE AFTERNOON Max sifts through the trash can where he threw his picks from yesterday. Frustrated, he dumps the trash onto the sidewalk and starts looking through it Mrs. Ovadia watches him. Max sees her and is embarrassed for a moment. MAX I just threw out something. I didn't realize I needed it. MRS. OVADIA Humph. MAX Just a printout. I, uh, lost my data... Max looks back at the trash And forgets about Mrs. Ovadia. Soon, Max gets up and kicks the trashcan. He heads home. IN FRONT OF MAX'S APARTMENT BUILDING Max watches Marcy get out of the limo and call to Mrs. Ovadia. Max backs away when he smacks into someone. It's Lenny Meyer - the young Jewish man. Max jumps back in fear. LENNY MEYER Max! How you doing? Lenny Meyer. MAX Oh, hey... Max tries to quickly pass him. LENNY MEYER Hey, where you going? You got a few moments to do Tefillin? Max turns around and notices Marcy talking to Mrs. Ovadia. Mrs. Ovadia points up the street toward him. LENNY MEYER I gotta car, we can cruise over to my... MAX You gotta car? LENNY MEYER Yeah, right there. That's Ephraim, my friend. We swing around with Max and see a station wagon. EPHRAIM sits in the passenger Seat. He's a big-boned, bearded, Orthodox Jew. MAX All tight, lets go. LENNY MEYER Great... They head for the station wagon. INT. BASEMENT SHUL - NIGHT The synagogue is a claustrophobic, fluorescent-lit room in general disarray. Two rows of imitation-wooden pews face a makeshift altar and Ark. Young Hasidic Men study texts. Some work alone, reading and dovening. Others are in small groups sharing in heated discussions. Lenny wraps the Tefillin around Max's arm. Max just wants to get out of there. Ephraim prays in the background. MAX Lenny, I don't really want to do... LENNY MEYER Do it for me? It means a lot, having someone of your stature performing a mitzvah in my presence. (Beat) When you told me your name was Max Cohen, I didn't realize you were the Max Cohen. Maximilian Cohen. MAX You know me? LENNY MEYER 0f course, I've followed your research since your Columbia days. It's revolutionary. You've inspired the work we do. MAX I have? LENNY MEYER Yes, very much so. The only difference is, we're not looking at stocks. We're searching for a pattern in Torah. Lenny finishes wrapping Max's arm. He reaches for another box and strap. MAX What kind of pattern? LENNY MEYER We're not really sure. Our calculations have shown us that there is a number encoded in the text. MAX What sort of number? LENNY MEYER We don't know. All we know is that it's two hundred and sixteen digits long. Max, stunned looks at Lenny. LENNY MEYER Don't worry. This one just goes over your head. Lenny places the other Teffilin over Max's head. Max collects himself. MAX (Coolly) Two sixteen? LENNY MEYER Yes. Now we have to say a small prayer, repeat after me. Bewildered, Max does. After the prayer... LENNY MEYER That's it. Wasn't so bad, was it? You feel anything? Lenny starts removing the Teffillin from Max. MAX What is it? LENNY MEYER It's a prayer about our dedication to our one and only God. MAX (Attempting calmness) No, I mean the number, the two sixteen number? What is it? LENNY MEYER Oh. We don't know. We just know that it's the most common number encoded in the text. It might be some type of linguistic pattern. If we could figure out what the number is we could maybe answer that. MAX Tell me more. EXT. SOL'S APARTMENT - DAWN Max firmly rings SOL's bell. In a few moments, Sol answers the door in his pajamas. SOL Max? MAX What's going on, Sol!? SOL Relax, it's early. INT. SOL'S KITCHEN - MOMENTS LATER Max sits at the kitchen table while Sol heats up a pot of tea. Max is shaking. SOL Now, what's up? MAX What's the two hundred and sixteen number, Sol? SOL Excuse me? MAX You asked me if I had seen a two hundred and sixteen digit number, right? SOL Oh, you mean the bug. I found it working on Pi. MAX What do you mean by "found it"? SOL What's this all about, Max? MAX Well, there's these religious Jews who have... SOL Religious Jews? MAX Well, you know, Hassidim. I met one in the coffee shop. The guy's a number theorist. The Torah is their data set. The thing is, they're searching for a two hundred and sixteen digit number in the Torah. SOL Really? What's it mean to them? MAX They say they don't know, but that's crazy. I mean what are the odds... SOL It's just a coincidence. MAX But hold on, there's something else. You remember those strange picks I got. SOL Yesterday's stock picks? MAX Right. Well, it turns out that they were correct. I hit two picks on the nose. Smack on the nose. SOL (Surprised) Hmmm. MAX Something's going on, and it has to do with that number. The answer is there. SOL Max, it's a bug. MAX No. it's a pattern. A pattern is in that number SOL Come with me. INT. SOL'S STUDY - MOMENTS LATER Sol and Max sit on either side of a half-played Go board. SOL Listen to me. The Ancient Japanese considered the Go board to be a microcosm of the universe. Although when it is empty it appears to be simple and ordered, in fact, the possibilities of game play are endless. They say that no two Go games have ever been alike. Just like snowflakes. So, the Go board actually represents an extremely complex and chaotic universe. That is the truth of our world, Max. It can't be easily summed up with math. There is no simple pattern. MAX But as a Go game progresses, the possibilities become smaller and smaller. The board does take on order. Soon, all moves are predictable. SOL So? MAX So, maybe, even though we're not sophisticated enough to be aware of it, there is an underlying order...a pattern, beneath every Go game. Maybe that pattern is like the pattern in the market, in the Torah. The two sixteen number. SOL That is insanity, Max. MAX Or maybe it's genius. I have to get that number. SOL Hold on, you have to slow down. You're losing it, you have to take a breath. Listen to yourself. You're connecting a computer bug I had, a computer bug you might have had, and some religious hogwash. If you want to find the number two sixteen in the world, you'll be able to pull it out of anywhere. Two hundred and sixteen steps from your street comer to your front door. Two hundred and sixteen seconds you spend riding on the elevator. When your mind becomes obsessed with anything, it will filter everything else out and find examples of that thing everywhere. Three hundred and twenty, four hundred and fifty, twenty-three. Whatever! You've chosen two sixteen and you'll find it everywhere in nature. But Max, as soon as you discard scientific rigor, you are no longer a mathematician. You become a numerologist. What you need to do is take a break from your research. You need it. You deserve it Here's a hundred dollars, I want you to take it. If ,you won't take it, borrow it. Either way, take a break. Spend it however you like as long as it falls in the category of vacation. Real world stuff, okay. No math. Max looks at his bands. SOL Just try it. In a week you'll laugh about this. C'mon, Max. Think about it! Max gives a half nod. EXT. SOL'S APARTMENT - MORNING Max rushes to the subway when a honking horn stops him. A limo pulls up next to him. Marcy Dawson jumps out of the car MARCY DAWSON Mr. Cohen? Mr. Cohen? Please stop for a second Mr. Cohen? Max stops and faces Marcy. MAX Damn it already! Stop following me. I'm not interested in your money. I'm searching for a way to understand our world. I'm searching for perfection. I don't deal with mediocre materialistic people like you! MARCY DAWSON I'm sorry. I'm very sorry. I admit I've been a bit too aggressive. But all I ask is for five minutes of your time. Here... Marcy hands Max a metal stopwatch. MARCY DAWSON ...a stopwatch. Already ticking. Allow me the four and a half minutes left Let me tell you what I want. Let me tell you what I can offer you. Afterwards, if you don't want to talk to me, then fine, we part as friends and I promise that you will never see me again. That's fair, isn't it? MAX (After a moment, he looks at the stopwatch) Go. MARCY DAWSON Good. It's funny, even though we have different aims and different goals we're actually incredibly alike. We both seek the same thing—perfection. I know... clearly we're seeking different types of perfection, but that is what makes us perfect candidates for a fruitful partnership. If you let me, I can be your greatest ally. Take the acacia tree...in East Africa. It is the most prevalent plant in all of Kenya because it has managed to secure its niche by defeating its major predator, the giraffe. To accomplish this, the tree has made a contract with a highly specialized red ant. The tree has evolved giant spores which act as housing for the ants In return for shelter, the ants supply defense. When a giraffe starts to eat the tree's leaves, the shaking branch acts like an alarm. The ants charge out and secrete an acid onto the giraffe's tongue. The giraffe learns its lesson and never returns. Without each other, the tree would be picked dry and the ants would have no shade from the brutal African sun Both would die. But with each other, they succeed, they survive, they surpass. They have different aims, different goals but they work together. Max, we would like to establish a mutually benefiting alliance with you. MAX (handing back the stopwatch) I'm not interested. MARCY DAWSON Allow me to dose. The chauffeur pulls a black suitcase out of the limo and brings it over. MARCY DAWSON As a sign of good faith we wish to offer you this. MAX I told you I don't want money. MARCY DAWSON The suitcase isn't filled with fifties or gold or diamonds. Just silicon. A Ming Mecca chip. MAX (Yeah right!) Ming Mecca. They're not declassified. Max starts to move away. MARCY DAWSON You're right. They're not. But Lancet-Percy has many friends. Come here, take a look. MAX (Stuttering) What do...do... But then, Max notices that his thumb is twitching. MARCY DAWSON Beautiful, isn't it? You know how rare...are you okay? MAX Yeah, I got to go. MARCY DAWSON But what about... MAX Let me think about it... Max trots off. MARCY DAWSON What? Mr. Cohen!? INT. SUBWAY STATION - PUBLIC BENCH - NIGHT The station is strangely silent. It is also extremely rundown. The tracks are rusted and fucked up. All we hear is the sound of DRIPPING WATER. The sound is warped and grows and morphs until it's downright scary. Max sits on a bench sucking down pills. His head begins to hurt. He touches the right side of his scalp and nubs it. As the blood surges through his head it brings him waves of pain. He gags several times. Then the pain lets loose and all Max wants to do is die. He smashes the side of his head with his fist. Across the tracks on the far platform he sees someone. For a moment Max's pain dissipates. His view is obscured by the columns. Max gets up and sees the Young Hasidic Man - from earlier - staring at him. The Man stares at Max without any emotion. Max notices blood dropping from the Man's right hand. Max looks at the Man's face and sees for a split second his own face staring back. MAX Hey! Max charges up a flight of stairs. He crosses a passage over the tracks and flies down the stairs to the other side of the platform. The Man is gone. A pool of blood sits where the Man was. Max touches it with his toe. It's sticky. He notices a trail of blood leading off from the pool. He follows it around a corner where it leads into a corner. He notices something strange in the shadows. He carefully advances on it. Hiding in the shadows is what looks like a small piece of brain. It seems to be moving slightly. Max uses a pen in his jacket to carefully touch it. Suddenly, Max hears a train's HONK HONK behind him. Max spins around. Nothing is there but silence. He turns back to the gray matter. He touches it again. Once again, he hears the deafening HONK HONK. Max spins around, but nothing is there. Frustrated, he pushes his pen deep into the brain - fiber ripping apart. Suddenly, a TRAIN is barreling down on Max. Seconds from impact, Max SCREAMS!!! DISSOLVE TO BLINDING WHITE VOID We hear two deep, long sleep-filled breaths and then we CUT TO: INT. SUBWAY TRAIN - DAY Max's eyes pop open. A TRANSIT COP is sticking him with a nightstick. TRANSIT COP Up, buddy Coney Island, last stop. Max sits up. His nose is bleeding. The cop hands him a tissue. TRANSIT COP Your nose. Max wipes his nose and looks around nervously. He sees the rides of Coney Island in the distance. EXT. CONEY ISLAND BEACH - DAY Max sits on a boulder on a Coney Island jetty. He watches the sea. Then Max sees an old man dressed like KING NEPTUNE scanning the shore with a rusty metal detector. The old man picks up something. He admires it for a moment before gently setting it back on the ground. Then Neptune continues his search. Max wanders over to the place where the old man exam INT. MAX'S APARTMENT - NIGHT MAX'S POV through the microscope. Max sees the brain structures. Just then, there's a KNOCK on the door. The knock startles him and his hand bumps the turret of the microscope. The lens moves and he realizes that the magnification can be changed. A KNOCK again. Max looks out the peephole and sees nothing. Confused, Looks down at his thumb. It's not shaking. He heads back to his microscope. There's a knock again. Max angrily unlocks the door and whips it open. IN THE HALLWAY is Jenna with her calculator. JENNA Max, Max, can we do one. MAX Jenna. I can't now, Jenna. JENNA Please, Max. MAX I'm working now, later okay? Max shuts the door and returns to the microscope. He changes the magnification. At a weaker magnification, the mathematician sees that the cells are grouped in spirals. Max is stunned, He grabs the phone and pulls a business card out of his pocket He quickly dials a number. Someone answers with a "Shalom" on the other end of the line. Max asks for Lenny Meyer and is put on hold. LENNY MEYER Hello, this is Lenny? MAX Lenny, it's Max Cohen. LENNY MEYER Max! How are you? You want to come down? MAX I've been thinking about our conversation earlier. Max looks into the microscope. He stares at the spirals. LENNY MEYER That's good... MAX I want to help. LENNY MEYER Excellent. MAX Do you have the Torah in digital form? DISSOLVE FROM TURRET TO: SATELLITE IMAGE OF SPINNING TORNADO Start in tight on the epicenter and pull out to reveal the entire storm. MAX (V.O.) Thursday, September fourth, sixteen forty-five. The alchemist awakes. All of my ideas, work and dreams are spinning together It all has to do with spirals. It began with spirals and the answers are thee. INT. MAX'S APARTMENT – DAY EUCLID'S INNARDS Max uses a drill to rip out some old parts. He lays new wire and does a bunch of soldering. He rips down a bunch of old papers and does a general housecleaning. He also goes to school on the ant population in his apartment. He plants some ant motels and sprays the room with. a pest killer. MAX (V.0.) The most I can remember about their significance is from Schneider's class. That bullshit core for majors. Schneider's fascination with mystical geometry made him a bit of a quack...but...then again, look at Kepler. He was really into Pythagoras. The leader of an ancient sect which believed the entire universe could be represented by numbers. Pythagoras' greatest contribution was the golden ratio, which ended up influencing art and science for thousands of years, arguably all the way up to today. TIGHT ON MAX writing a : b : : b : a + b. He draws it over a copy of Leonardo Da Vinci's famous drawing of man s anatomy. MAX (V.0.) The golden ratio, if I recall, is this unique relationship between the length and width of a special rectangle called the golden rectangle. TIGHT ON MAX carefully measuring out a golden rectangle. The rectangle fits perfectly over Leonardo Da Vinci's Man. MAX (V.O.) If you take the width of this rectangle and use it to form a square within the rectangle, the part left over is a rectangle that has the same ratio as the original rectangle. au can continue squaring the rectangle, over and over again, making the rectangles smaller and smaller to infinity. TIGHT ON MAX squaring rectangle after rectangle. Then he draws the golden spiral through the rectangles. MAX (V.0.) Then, if you connect a curve through these rectangles you get the golden spiral. The Pythagoreans loved this shape because they found it everywhere in nature. MONTAGE OF IMAGES The images mirror what Max talks about. We see NAUTILUS SHELLS, SUNFLOWERS, PLANTS, RAM HORNS, HUMAN FINGERPRINTS, THE MILKY WAY, and DNA STRANDS. MAX (V.0.) It really is amazing. In the sea, on land, in air, our basic building block DNA and even our home. EXT. CHINATOWN - DAY Max wanders through the crowded streets of Chinatown. MAX (V.O.) If we're built from spirals, while living within a giant spiral, is it possible that all of human behavior, if it could be quantified, is in the form of a spiral. Then, maybe, extensions of our behavior like the stock market. maybe even the writing of The Torah, is infused with the spiral pattern. DISSOLVE TO PAN ACROSS NEW EUCLID We start on the stock ticker and pull out to reveal a leaner, meaner and more exciting machine. MAX (V.O.) Friday, September fifth. Seven twelve. It's fair to say, I'm stepping out onto a limb. But I'm on the edge and that's where it happens. He holds two wires apart from each other as he contemplates what will connect them. EXT. ELECTRONIC MEGADUMP - DAY Max wanders helplessly through the dump. There's nothing but junk and more junk. EXT. PUBLIC PAY PHONE - DAY Max eyes Marcy Dawson's business card, suspiciously He dials the number. A man answers on the other line. MAN'S VOICE (OS.) Three, eight, two. MAX Marcy Dawson. MAN'S VOICE (O.S.) Who's calling? MAX Max Cohen. MAN'S VOICE (O.S.) Hold on. Max is put on hold. He notices a man in a business suit watching him. Max turns away. MARCY DAWSON Mr. Cohen? I'm so Happy... MAX Look what do you want for the chip? MARCY DAWSON You tech guys. I think you know what we want. MAX No, I don't. MARCY DAWSON C'mon, Mr. Cohen. We can work together We can both profit from this information. We both need each other to get it, so why not work with us? MAX I don't know if I'll find anything useful. MARCY DAWSON We're willing to take the risk. MAX Okay. First, I want you to call off the surveillance. MARCY DAWSON (Beat) Done. Anything else? MAX Yeah, I'm a very private person. Knock on my door and leave the suitcase outside. I don't want to talk to Anyone. MARCY DAWSON How do I know you're home? MAX I'll knock back. MARCY DAWSON Fair enough. INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY Max sits at the counter. The POST headline in front of him reads MARKET DOOMED. PRESIDENT IN PANIC, WORLD LEADERS MEET. Max flips to the stock quotes. He can't believe how far things have dovetailed. He shakes his head in disbelief when an envelope appears in front of him. It belongs to Lenny Meyer. LENNY MEYER The Torah. MAX What is it? LENNY MEYER In Hebrew characters and numbers. MAX No, what is it? The two hundred and sixteen digits. LENNY MEYER I don't know. (Beat) If you get it, maybe we can figure it out. (Changing subject) Can you really find it? MAX If the number's in there, I'll find it. EXT. MAX'S APARTMENT - DUSK Max marches into his foyer when he's suddenly ambushed by Devi's boyfriend, Farrouhk. Farrouhk is a little guy with a big sadistic smile. He grabs Max by the collar and slams him against the wall. His fist butts up against Max's chin. FARROUHK There you go, dork. Been thinking about my girlfriend. Haven't you? MAX Wha... FARROUHK You want to fuck her, don't you? MAX No, no.. FARROUHK You calling my girlfriend ugly!? Why don't you want to fuck her? You think she's ugly? MAX No, no, I just. It's that she's your girl... FARROUHK So you do want to fuck her. You think about fucking her in the mouth, don't you? MAX No, no, sir, please. I've never touched Devi...I never will. FARROUHK Give the fucking genius a Mars bar. Stay away, or I'll slice off your balls. Farrouhk tosses Max against the wall. Max whimpers off to his apartment. Farrouhk has enjoyed this and to end his game be gives Max a small slap on the butt. INSIDE HIS APARTMENT Max bolts the front door. At his desk he rips open the envelope Lenny Meyer gave him. He pulls out a BLACK DISK and eyes it expectantly. Next door, he hears Farrouhk and Devi talking. FARROUHK (O.S.) Damn dork. DEVI (O.S.) He's just a bit unique. FARROUHK(0.S.) Unique?! Unique?! He's a dork! Then, Max carefully slips the DISK into Euclid's drive. Hebrew characters pop onto Euclid's screen. Max pounds in several strings of code lightning fast. The Hebrew letters suddenly switch to their numerical counterparts. Max toggles between Hebrew and numbers a few times—impressed. Max nods. Then there's a knock at the door. MAX (To himself) Okay. Max peeks through the peephole. Two well-dressed large men, BRAD and ABE THE BABE, wait for the signal. MAX knocks and the suits leave. Then Max shyly opens up his front door and quickly grabs the black attaché case in front of his door Donning a surgical mask and latex gloves, Max opens the black attaché case. Sitting in foam is a tiny but beautiful chip. Max studies it with awe. MAX (V.O.) Friday, September fifth? Lots of work to be done. But I'm close, so close. Today is the day Might have cost me my soul, but down the line I'll work it out. Just keep them in the dark, let them beg. A damn Ming Mecca chip. It's like giving a desperate junkie a syringe filled with junk. Defense uses them to nun nuclear sub reactors. Me? I'm going to dissect the market. Max carefully carries the chip over to the new leaner Euclid. He welds it into Euclid's waiting wires. MAX Happy birthday, Euclid. Then he lifts his hand to slap the RETURN button, but a sudden wave of fear stops him. He gets up and grabs a Ginseng soda from the fridge He drops eight pills in the can. He calmly takes a sip from the soda and places it on the counter. Max can hear Devi and Farrouhk starting to make love. Their gentle sounds drift through the wall. MAX (V.O.) Eighteen thirty. Press return... Max darts over and smacks the RETURN. Moments later we see what Max sees ON THE SCREEN is a long string of zeros. At the bottom of the screen Euclid's cursor blinks, waiting for instructions. He smacks RETURN again Max gets the same empty result. Euclid's cursor blinks, waiting. Max starts to laugh. He laughs and laughs and laughs. MAX Oh God. Damn religious freaks. (Sarcastic) The holy Torah... But then he notices his thumb twitching. He rubs his scar. MAX Ah God... His neighbor's love sounds start to get rough. They're having fun. Max almost throws up. THE BATHROOM Max dry heaves in the sink. Then he forces himself to stand in front of the mirror. MAX Too much...too soon. He grabs the gun and tries to roll up his sleeve. He can't get it to roll up. Suddenly he's overwhelmed by pain. He quickly rips his shirt and fires the gun into his arm. Nothing happens. He checks the barrel—its empty MAX Ohh... He grabs a bottle of medicine but knocks them an into the sink. He cuts his finger as be grabs one of the broken bottles. He loads the gun and fires the medicine into his arm. A wave of pain and nausea floods in. He grabs another bottle and fires it into his arm. Then he fires another and another. Frustrated he collapses into the mirror. MAX Stop, please, stop. Slightly sobbing he examines his scalp pulling his hair apart. He sees something. MAX What the? So he takes out a scissors and starts removing some hair. Meanwhile his neighbors' lovemaking gets more intense. Their screams carry into Max's head. Max finishes removing a patch of hair from the right side of his head. He has uncovered a light scar on his head. He examines it in the mirror. MAX What is it!? What is it!? Then his neighbors' lovemaking turns outright evil. It sounds like Sodom and Gomorrah next door and Max can barely stand it. A jolt of pain surges into his head. He grabs his scar as he vomits blood into the sink. He starts banging his head against the mirror. He bangs his head again and again until the mirror CRACKS! His neighbors are cumming and their cries of joy are twisted and agonizing. The mathematician looks at himself and begins to sob. He reloads the gun and fires it right into the scar on his head, where the pain is coming from. Max collapses to the ground in complete agony until the bare bulb in the bathroom starts blinking on and off. Suddenly the pain is gone. Then he hears something. It's Euclid, buzzing with life. He gets to his feet and head's into Euclid. The main monitor is screaming with numbers. The lights in the room flicker on and off like on a disco dance floor. A filo substance billows out of Euclid. And then a number pops onto the screen. Max estimates how many digits are on the screen. MAX Two...two hundred. That's it! That's it! Max grabs a piece of paper and a pencil. He starts writing down the number. He mumbles each digit as he sees it. But then be stops writing. Power surge! He stares at the number. Something clicks in his head. His eyes go wide. He barely musters a— MAX Oh... We move closer and closer into the number, deeper and deeper into the screen. Until finally a single pixel fills the screen and we're in the BLINDING WHITE VOID where we hear several deep peaceful breaths. Then, a fuse blows and we cut to: BLACK A phone ringing...once... twice...then we hear MRS. OVADIA(O.S.) He's alive. His eyes are moving. DEVI (0.S.) Yes, hello? FADE BACK INTO THE MAIN ROOM Max's eyes slowly open. DEVI (0.S) (On the phone) He's busy right now I'm sorry. Max is sprawled out in front of Euclid. A large amount of blood, from his nose, is semi-dried on his chin and chest. Devi hangs up the phone. The landlady, Mrs. Ovadia, and Farrouhk, brandishing a crowbar, stand over him. MAX What happened? DEVI You were screaming... MRS. OVADIA Who told you you can put extra locks on the door. FARROUHK (To Mrs. OVADIA) Shhh! MAX (Suddenly jolting up and remembering) The number, the number. Max looks at Euclid. The screen is blank. He looks at the mainframe. It is covered with the filo substance. Then be looks at the piece of paper he wrote the number on. Only a few dozen numbers are on the page. The last number be wrote is barely a scribble. MRS. OVADIA You're out, you hear me, you're out. I've had enough of you. Look at all this junk. He starts reciting the numbers. Then Max suddenly realizes something. He continues reciting the numbers from memory. MAX Four...zero... seven...It's in my head, it's in my head. Somehow I memorized it. I got it up here! He points to his head. MAX But what is it? Mrs. Ovadia starts looking at all the junk in the room. DEVI Are you okay? MRS. OVADIA What is this stuff? What does it do? Max finally realizes that all these strangers are in his womb. He flips. MAX 0ut, out, you have to get out. Get out, get out it's my room! FARROUHK (To Devi) Let's go. The phone starts ringing again. MRS. OVADIA That's it, no way. You're the one out of here, mister. MAX Out! 0utt The three neighbors retreat to the front door. DEVI Are you okay? MAX Out! Get out! Max slams the door in their faces. Max rubs his chin and looks around the room. He starts saying the number to himself He gets more and more excited as he reads each digit. INT. COFFEE SHOP - NIGHT Max stirs cream into his coffee. Then he pulls out the Journal. A phone continues to RING. In the clouds of the Lancet-Percy ad - in The Journal Max writes down the two hundred and sixteen digit number. He studies it, examines it, draws on it, tries to figure out what it is. MAX (V.O.) Saturday? Dark outside. There was a moment there...when, I don't know...when I didn't exist. What? What? We hear a phone being picked up. The ringing stops. Silence, then: MARCY DAWSON (O.S.) Max, is that you? Max? (Pleading) Max, just talk to me. Things are a bit out of hand down here. People are getting desperate. (Suddenly firm) We had a deal, Max. A deal. Talk to us, Max. We hear the sound of a phone hanging up. At the coffee counter, Max pops a handful of pills and crumples the paper. INT. MAX'S BATHROOM - LATER Max stares at his BALD head in the mirror. All of his hair has been removed. A fleshy scar sits on his scalp above his right ear. Max ignores the incessantly RINGING phone. Max flips through an old neuroscience book. He examines a few illustrations and finds the part of his brain that's killing him. MAX (V.0.) Must be an explanation, must be a reason. Must. With a thick black marker, he carefully outlines the part of his head that is causing the pain. INT. MAX'S APARTMENT-LATER Max sits in his chair staring at the stock market monitor. The phone continues to RING. Numbers drift by. A single beam of sunlight leaks through the window and shines on the edge of the screen. Walking along the edge in the sunlight is a tiny ant. MAX Bastard. Max gets up to squash it. But as he gets closer he suddenly feels mercy. He looks at the ant in awe. And then, his attention switches to the ticker. MAX Two and a quarter, twelve and an eighth, six and two eighths. Max states the numbers right before they enter onto the screen. MAX I know these...Seven and a quarter. Two and a half ...oh...oh... Max strains to figure out what is going an. Suddenly, he's overwhelmed with fear. MAX My God. It's gonna crash, it's gonna fucking crash. INT. SOL'S APARTMENT - DUSK Max charges into the room. Sot is looking at his Go board. Sol looks up when Max comes in. SOL You're early. I was just studying our... (Noticing ,Max's head) What did you do to yourself? MAX You lied to me. SOL I thought you were going to take a break. MAX You found the two sixteen number in Pi, didn't you? You saw it. Sol doesn't respond. MAX I saw it, Sol. I don't know what happened, but I know things. The market is going to crash. It's going to crash. It hasn't yet, but I know it will. I saw it, Sol. What is it, Sol? What's the number? Sol sighs. He looks down at the board and collects himself. SOL You have it? MAX It's in my head! SOL (Leveling with Max) Okay, sit down. Max does. SOL I gave up before I pinpointed it. But my guess is that certain problems cause computers to get stuck in a particular loop. The loop leads to meltdown, but right before they crash they... they become "aware" of their own structure. The computer has a sense of its own silicon nature and it prints out its ingredients. MAX The computer becomes conscious? SOL In some ways...I guess... MAX (To himself) Studying the pattern made Euclid conscious of itself. Before it died it spit out the number That consciousness is the number. SOL No, Max, it's only a nasty bug. SOL A door in front of a cliff. You're driving yourself over the edge. You need to stop. MAX Stop? How can I stop? I'm this close. SOL The bug doesn't only destroy computers. MAX What are you saying? SOL Look what it did to your computer. Look what it's doing to you. Max doesn't respond. SOL It's killing you. Leave it unknown. MAX (Clarity) You were afraid of it. That's why you quit. SOL Max, I got burnt. MAX C'mon, Sol. SOL It caused my stroke. MAX That's bullshit. It's math, numbers, ideas. Mathematicians are suppose to be out on the edge. You taught me that! SOL Max, there's more than math! There's a whole world... MAX That's where discoveries happen. We have to go out there alone, all alone, no one can accompany us. We have to search the edge. We have to risk it all. But you ran from it. You're a coward. SOL Max, it's death! Max stands up and screams down at Sol. MAX You can't tell me what it is. You don't know You've retreated to your goldfish, to your books, to your Go, but you're not satisfied. Sol grabs his cane and whacks the Go board. SOL Get out! Max, get out! MAX I want to understand it. I want to know! Sol swings his cane as Max heads for the door. SOL Out! INT. SUBWAY - PORT AUTHORITY - NIGHT Max paces on a downtown train as it pulls into 42nd Street. Through the open doors, Max notices a YOUNG PHOTOGRAPHER in jeans and a leather jacket photographing him from the uptown platform. Max is enraged and screams at him. The man ducks behind a column, but a few moments later he's back snapping pictures. The doors start to shut, but Max uses his body to get off the train. The Photographer sees him coming and flees. Max follows the man's movement on his platform. When the young man shoots up the exit stairs, Max does so as well. Max catches a glimpse of his foe entering the catacombs heading toward Times Square. Max pursues. Max chases him down a looooong passage. But he loses him at an underground five-way fork in the road. One staircase is Uptown and Queens... another is Brooklyn...one other is unlabeled. Still enraged, Max marches forward Just then, he catches a glimpse of the Photographer exiting the station. SMASH TO EXT. TIMES SQUARE - NEON NIGHT In the heart of New York, Max spins around searching for his foe. His frustration mounts until out of the comer of his eye he sees a strange reflection. Not knowing what it's of, he turns around to see the source The reflection is from a giant, brilliant stock ticker - 50 yards long and luminous. Max stares at the quotes They are hypnotizing and Max is suddenly calm. Then, Max has a premonition. He turns and spots the Photographer in front of a porn shop on Eighth and 42nd. EXT. PORN SHOP - 42ND STREET - NIGHT Max whacks the Photographer against a back-lit image of a Hustler Centerfold. The man screams. MAX Who are you working for? PHOTOGRAPHER Here, here. The photographer hands Max his wallet. MAX I don't want your wallet. Who sent you? Max grabs the kid's camera. MAX Who the hell sent you!? PHOTOGRAPHER Wha...I'm sorry... MAX Who are you?! PHOTOGRAPHER I'm...a...student I've got an assignment for class. The Photographer pulls out his student ID. Max looks at it. Then he rips out the film-exposing it. MAX Leave me alone, damn it. Leave me alone. Max hands the man back his camera and leaves. EXT. MAX'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Max heads home in a furious state. Suddenly, he sees two of Marcy's men blocking his path. It's Brad and Jake, yet another tough guy, and they don't look happy. Max spins around and sees Marcy Dawson blocking his exit. MAX Marcy? What's up? Max retreats. MARCY DAWSON Let's take a ride, Max. MAX I can't, I got work... Max looks back at the tough guys who are almost on top of him. MARCY DAWSON We had a deal! NOW get in the limo! Marcy releases a vicious slap that nearly knocks Max down. Max whimpers. MAX Don't ever hit... He pushes Marcy aside and darts. EXT. CITY STREETS - NIGHT Max flees. Jake and Brad charge after him. They're right on him - he has a meter or so on them. He scurries through a construction site and over a footbridge. Then, he runs into an all-night BODEGA The tough guys chase after him and he gets a bit of a lead in the narrow aisles. He pleads with the owners for help - nothing doing. Jake heads him off and uses his body to block the aisle. But Max grabs a can of beans and slams it down on the tough guy's nose. The guy goes down and Max shoots out the exit. EXT. UNDERNEATH CAR - NIGHT Max dives under a car and crawls for terror. He sees two sets of feet nun by. Max starts to relax when he notices a pair of heels on the other side of the car. Marcy bends down and looks at him. MARCY DAWSON Enough, Max, c'mon out. MAX Leave me alone. I don't know anything. Max retreats in the opposite direction. Suddenly Jake and Brad grab him and drag him out. MAX Hey! Hey! Hey! They search him, taking his wallet, keys, everything. Marcy looks at the guys, who shake their heads. She walks over to Max and shows Max the front page of the Wall Street Journal. It reads, "MARKET CRACHES" MARCY DAWSON You're responsible for this. MAX I didn't do anything. I didn't play the market. MARCY DAWSON But we did. Marcy pulls out a folded, worn piece of paper. She opens it. It's Max's stock pick that he threw out. Part of THE number is on the page MARCY DAWSON You have to be careful where you throw out your trash. MAX How could you do that? MARCY DAWSON You gave us faulty information. You gave us the carrot, the right picks, but then you only gave us part of the code. MAX You selfish, irresponsible cretins. How could you be so stupid!? Marcy jabs Max in his stomach. Max falls to the ground. The tough guys sit on him. MARCY DAWSON C'mon, Max. This isn't a game anymore. We're playing on a global scale. We used your code. Foolish...I admit. But we can fix things if we make some careful picks. Give us the rest of the code so we can set things right. MAX C'mon! I know who you are. You're not gonna save the world. MARCY DAWSON Look, Max... Marcy nods to Jake, who pulls out a gun and points it at Max's head. MAX My God, what are you doing? MARCY DAWSON Information is the private language of Capital. We tried to establish a symbiotic relationship but if you choose to compete and enter our niche we are forced to comply with the laws of nature. Max thinks for a second. Max thinks hard. He realizes be can't give them the number. MAX You can't kill me! MARCY DAWSON C'mon, Max. You don't get it. I don't give a shit about you. I only care about what's in your fucking head. If you won't help us help yourself, then I'll have only one choice. Destroy the competition. I'll take you out of the game. Survival of the fittest, Max. And we've got the gun. Jake cocks the gun. Max starts to cry. MAX You bastards! You stupid bastards! Suddenly, Jake is whacked with a sawed-off baseball bat. He smashes into the sidewalk. It is Farrouhk, Max's neighbor, who's just pulled up in his taxicab. MAX (Spotting his savior) Farrouhk! Farroukh threatens Marcy and the other tough guy, who retreat in fear. Farroubk is afraid as well, so he doesn't quite leap on them. He just keeps swinging the bat. FARROUHK He's sick! He's sick! Max gets to his feet and runs behind Farrouhk. Just then a station wagon screeches up to the curb. Lenny Meyer, Ephraim, and a bunch of other his burly Jews jump out. LENNY MEYER Max! Max looks at Farrouhk and then he looks at Lenny. Ephraim grabs Max and pulls him toward the station wagon. MAX (To Farrouhk) C'mon... Farrouhk heads for his cab. Ephraim helps Max into the backseat of the wagon and climbs in after him. Lenny Meyer jumps into the passenger seat and the gray-bearded YISRAEL slams on the gas Pedal. Farrouhk jumps into his cab. INT. LENNY MEYER'S CAR - MOVING - NIGHT Yisrael yanks the steering wheel to the left, the old station wagon skids around a corner. MAX Farrouhk what about Farrouhk!? LENNY MEYER Stay down! Ephraim pushes Max's head down. Yisrael takes another corner sharp. MAX Go back! LENNY MEYER He's okay, he got in his cab. We've been looking for you. MAX What's going on? LENNY MEYER Do you have the number? MAX What's going on? LENNY MEYER Do you have the number? MAX Yeah, I have it! LENNY MEYER You have it. Where is it? You have it written down? MAX What is it? Lenny nods to Ephraim, who starts scanning through Max's pockets. Max resists. The other guys hold him down. MAX What are you doing!? What the hell are you doing!? LENNY MEYER We're not joking around, Max? Where's the number? MAX (Pushing Ephraim away) It's not on me. It's in my head. LENNY MEYER You memorized it? Did you give it to them? MAX Who? LENNY MEYER Who!? Those Wall Street bastards. MAX Why do you care? LENNY MEYER Just answer me! MAX Screw you! LENNY MEYER (In Hebrew) Hit him! Yisrael screeches the car to a halt. He spins around in his seat and looks Max in the face. LENNY MEYER You're dealing with something really big now, Max. I don't want to hurt you, so answer me. Did you give it to them? MAX They've got part of it Now get off me! LENNY MEYER Damn it! Damn it! They're using it. MAX Using what? LENNY MEYER Shut up! MAX Let go! Max chews into Ephraim's hand which is pinning him. Ephraim screams and lets loose a punch to Max's jaw. LENNY MEYER No, don't! But Lenny is late, and Max's world - as well as ours goes black. INT. MAX'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Max stares suspiciously at the bathroom. He slowly picks up his drill. Wielding it like a hammer, he carefully advances into the BATHROOM where he looks into the sink. He almost vomits when he sees a piece of human brain sitting above the drain. Ants swarm across its surface. Max becomes furious. He whacks it with the drill. Blood flies up into his face. In a wild rage, he smashes it and punches it. Then he drops the drill and uses his bare hands to shove it down the drain. Screaming like a madman, he jams it until it is gone. INT. BASEMENT SHUL - DAY A wise-looking, bearded Hasidic man with benevolent, piercing eyes stands tenderly over Max. He wears traditional black clothes. Lenny Meyer paces nervously in the background. As Max comes through, RAV COHEN speaks. RAV COHEN Max, Max. You're okay I'm Rabbi Cohen. Cohen like you. I'm sorry for what Lenny did, he's been reprimanded. It is not our way Are you okay? MAX Yeah, yeah RAV COHEN Everything will be fine, Max. You need to give us the number. Do you have it? MAX What is it? LENNY MEYER (Charging over) I told you we don't know MAX You wouldn't be so flipped out if you didn't know. What's happening to me? LENNY MEYER Give us the number! MAX Screw you! RAV COHEN Okay, okay! Lenny, easy! Max, I'll tell you what's going on. Just calm down. (Deep breath, then) The Talmud tells us it began two thousand years ago, when the Romans destroyed the second temple. MAX What are you... RAV COHEN Just give me a chance. You'll understand everything if you listen. Max takes out his pills and starts feeding himself some. RAV COHEN The Romans also murdered all of our priest- hood—the Cohanim—the Cohens, and with their deaths they destroyed our greatest secret. In the center of the great temple was the holy of holies which was the heart of Jewish life. This was the earthly residence for our God. The one God. It contained the ark of the Tabernacle which stored the original Ten Commandments that God gave to Moses. Only one man could enter this space once a year on the holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur On the Day of Atonement, all of Israel would descend upon Jerusalem to witness the High Cohen's trip into the holy of holies. If the holy man was pure he would reemerge a few moments later and Israel was secured a prosperous year. It meant that we were one yea r closer to the messianic age. Closer to the return of the Garden of Eden. But if he was impure, he would die instantly and it meant that we were doomed. The High Cohen had a single ritual to perform in the holy of holies. He had to intone a single word. Rav Cohen takes a dramatic pause. Max is anxious to hear the end of the story. MAX So? RAV COHEN That word was the true name of God. MAX Yeah... RAV COHEN The true name, which only the Cohanim knew, was two hundred and sixteen letters long. A long beat. MAX (Incredulous) You're telling me that the number in my head is the name of God!? Wondrously, Max rubs the scar on his head. RAV COHEN (Passion building) Yes...it's The key into the messianic age. As the Romans burned the temple, the Talmud says, the High Cohen walked into the flames. He took his secret to the top of the burning building. The heavens opened up and took the key from the priest's outstretched hand. We've been searching for the key ever since. And you may have found it. Now let us find out. MAX That's what happened. I saw God. RAV COHEN No, no, Max. You're not pure. You can't see God unless you're pure. MAX It's more than God... it s everything. It's math and science and nature... the universe. I saw the Universe's DNA RAV COHEN You saw nothing. MAX I saw everything. RAV COHEN There's much more. We can unlock the door with the key. It will show God that we are pure again. He will return us to The Garden. MAX Garden? You're not pure. I'm the one who has the number RAV COHEN Who do you think you are? You are a vessel from our God. You are carrying a delivery that needs to be made to us. MAX It was given to me. It's part of me. It's changing me. RAV COHEN It's killing you. Because you are impure. LENNY MEYER It will kill you! MAX And what will it do to you? LENNY MEYER We're pure. Give us the number! MAX The number is nothing. You know that! RAV COHEN We can use it. We can wield it. MAX It's just a number. I'm sure you've written down every two hundred sixteen number. You've translated all of them. You've intoned them all. Haven't you? But what's it gotten you? It's not the number! It's the meaning. It's the syntax. It's what's between the numbers. If you could understand you would. But it's not for you! I've got it. I understand it. I'm going to see it! (Whispers to Rav Cohen) Rabbi...I was chosen. EXT. CITY STREETS - DAY Max races through the streets of New York. He is wide-eyed. MAX (V.0.) Suddenly, it's all there. It all makes sense. I can crack it. I can know it. I know what it is. Sol knows, too. I need to tell him. I need to show him. I need to bring him with me. People fly by. Max in a spiraling whirlwind. EXT. SOL'S APARTMENT - NIGHT A pumped and excited Max paces the hall as he rings the bell. The door opens. But it isn't Sol. It's a young, beautiful woman wearing a simple black dress. Her name is JENNY ROBESON and she is Sol's niece. JENNY ROBESON Can I help you? MAX (Confused) Sol? JENNY ROBESON Were you a friend? MAX What do you mean? JENNY ROBESON He had a second stroke. MAX Where is he? Jenny's eyes drop. MAX No. Max rushes into Sol s study. The room is covered with Sol's P, research books. It seems Sol had recently come out of retirement. Max looks at a few of Sol's books. Then he finds a piece of paper with Sol's handwriting on it. On the paper is THE number. Max slides it into his pocket. Max looks at the Go board. The pieces are arranged in a giant spiral across the board. DISSOLVE TO INT. MAX'S APARTMENT - DAY Max sits on his bed staring at Sol's handwritten number. Then he notices that his thumb is twitching. He drops Sol's note. MAX Stop it, please! He dumps the contents of the bottle of pills into his hand. Max stops as he prepares to shove the pills down his throat. He looks at the pills. Then he looks at Euclid around him. He throws the pills and the bottle to the floor. They fall to earth in SLOW MOTION. The room rushes in on Max and so does the pain. It throws him to the ground and he bashes his head against the floor. MAX (Courageously) No. No. I'm ready. I'm ready! Show me! Max recites THE number and uses it to get to his feet. The pain rips apart his voice. Max's pain and anger transform into violence. He attacks Euclid furiously. He recites the number with rage in his voice. MAX Three, seven, two... He smashes the old computer apart. He tosses his step stool through the mainframe. Then he goes to the window and tries to rip off the cardboard covering the glass panes. Nothing doing, so he yanks the entire window wide open. Sunlight floods the room and throws Max into the BLINDING WHITE VOID where Max looks around starry-eyed. The pain is gone. Everything is new to Max - even his hands. The stress leases from his brow and his shoulders sag. Max continues to recite the number His voice becomes tender and peaceful. As he starts to become part of the void, his voice turns into a whisper and his eyes start to close. Then he hears Devi. DEVI (O.S.) Max. Max! Are you okay!? Oh my God, Max! Her voice reaches into the void. DEVI (O.S) Max! Breathe, Max. Breathe! Max looks toward her voice. DEVI (O.S.) Yes, Max. Listen to me... We cut back to ...THE MAIN ROOM where Devi leans over Max. Max's eyes are open while he continues to recite the number. DEVI Breathe, Max! Breathe. Focus. Max turns away from Devi and we return to the BLINDING WHITE VOID where Max continues to recite the number. DEVI (O.S.) No, Max. No. Stay with me Max. Stay with me. And then we cut back to THE MAIN ROOM where Devi grabs Max's palm. Max's fingers wrap around her hand. We return to THE BLINDING WHITE VOID where Max stops reciting the number. He suddenly opens his fear filled eyes. MAX Where am I? What is this? This is wrong, Sol. Sol! Max lets out a 'SOL!, and reaches out into the void. We match cut back to THE MAIN ROOM where Max grabs Devi and hugs her. He gasps for air as he collapses into her arms, sobbing. MAX Sol! You were right Sol! He was right. DEVI That's right Max. That's Right. Breathe. Breathe. MAX He was right. I want to breathe. Breathe. DEVI Yes, breathe, Max. Breathe... Max sobs. He holds onto her for dear life And then be realizes that Devi is not in his arms. He is holding onto himself. Then Max notices Sol's note on the ground. He looks at the number. He collects himself and catches his breath. INT. MAX'S BATHROOM – DAY Max looks at Sol's note. He lights a match and burns it. Next, he prepares something in the sink. We hear the WHINE of a motor. Then it stops, Max looks at himself in the mirror, He smiles. Then he gets solemn. He takes a deep breath. Then we hear the motor again. Max lifts up his arm. He's holding a drill. He places the bit against the math section of his scalp. He applies pressure and drills into his brain. Max collapses as we quickly CUT TO EXT. CITY PLAYGROUND - DAY TIGHT ON a tree branch gently blowing in the wind. Max watches it with peaceful, understanding eyes. He wears a hat on his head. He listens to the wind in the trees. Just then, Jenna surprises him with her Fisher Price calculator on hand. JEHNA Max, Max! Max smiles at Jenna. He's glad to see her. JENNA Can we do one, Max, can we? Max shrugs, not able to say no. JENNA How about two hundred and fifty-five times a hundred and eighty-three. Jenna types m the number. Max is about to say "no" to Jenna, but then be decides to give it a shot. Max thinks, he really thinks. Jenna presses the EQUALS button. JENNA I got it! I got it! What's the answer? MAX (Smiling and then laughing) I don't know. I really don't know. What is it, Jenna? JENNA Forty-six thousand six hundred and sixty-five. MAX Oh. The trees blow gently in the wind as we slowly FADE TO WHITE which brings us to THE END

unformated_scripts/Script_Pokemon_ Mewtwo Returns.txt

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+Movie: MewTwo Strikes Back ***This is not an official manuscript. This is a translation of an untranslated episode and is only released as a reference material to the pokÈmon series and games. All copyrights belong to Nintendo, Game Freaks, and all creators of the movie***	(Opens when the camera is underwater.)VoiceWho am I? I've been dreaming about this world which doesn't exist in my memory. 	(Mew swims by)Who are you? Wait! Am I apart of you...? Or not...?	(Camera goes into a darker place with orange bubbles then it shows someone's eye open. Human figures are seen outside where he is.)Where is this? Who am I? Who brought me here?		(We now see who the voice belongs to, it's Mewtwo.)MewtwoWho am I and why am I here? I just appeared here. I haven't even been born to this world yet. Who am I?	(Mewtwo opens his eyes completely and shatters the glass and all the wires fall of him!)ScientistIt has awakened!MewtwoDid he do this? ScientistWonderful! Mewtwo has been completed.   MewtwoMewtwo?ScientistThat's you. We created you from a Mew the rarest pokÈmon in the world! Yes, that's the pokÈmon which is said to be the most rare of all pokÈmon. Mew.MewtwoMew? Is that my parent? My father? My mother?ScientistYou can say that, but not really. You've been made stronger based on a Mew.MewtwoWho is this? If neither my father nor mother. Then was it god? Did God create me?ScientistIn the world the only ones that can create new life is man and god.MewtwoWho did this? Humans made me?ScientistThis is truly a victory for science.Another scientistWith this we've proven our theory correct. We can continue the study.Third scientistThis place will become the new Mecca.Scientist	(all shaking hands)I'm going to contact the other offices.MewtwoWho am I? Where is this place? What was I born for?	(Mewtwo floats up and starts destroying the whole lab. Then tons of little metal hand like things come down to stop him but he just blows them up. Soon the whole lab is in flames.)ScientistTo make the strongest pokÈmon ever.. that was our dream...	(The whole lab blows up. Giovanni, the leader of Team Rocket comes down in a chopper and confronts Mewtwo.)MewtwoIs this my power? I'm the strongest pokÈmon in the world. Mew. Am I stronger then you?GiovanniYou surly are the strongest pokÈmon in the world. But there is another that would be the strongest.MewtwoThe humans?Giovanni	(nods)If you and a human were to cooperate then the world would be ours.  MewtwoThe world would be ours?GiovanniIf your power is set free the world would be ruined. You must control your power.MewtwoControl?GiovanniAre you okay with destroying the world as it is with that power?MewtwoWhat should I do? 	(Giovanni smiles. Mewtwo is at TRHQ getting loads of armor put on.)MewtwoControl myself with the armor that protects me? What are you going to make me do?GiovanniIt's simple. All you have to do are the things everyone else has been doing...Mewtwoand that is?GiovanniFighting, destruction, and plunder. The stronger will win.--------------------------------------------------------Mewtwo is sent into an arena to fight pokÈmon first an Onix which Mewtwo throws into a wall with his mind. Then it shows Mewtwo out in a field with a lot of wild Tauros. He raises them up with his mind control and TR throws pokÈballs out and catches them all. Then it shows Mewtwo in the gym again fighting Alakazam, Mewtwo does just what he did to Onix. Then came Electron and he used an electric attack and Mewtwo reflected it back at him. Next came Gary's Arcanine and Nidoking... he took care of them easily. Next scene, back in Giovanni's lab.--------------------------------------------------------MewtwoWhat am I fighting for? What am I living for?GiovanniYou are a pokÈmon. PokÈmon made by humans, what else are you worth?MewtwoMy worth? Who am I? What do I live for?	(Mewtwo starts breaking free of the wires)GiovanniWhat are you doing?MewtwoI was made by humans. But I, who was created by humans, am not even a pokÈmon.	(Mewtwo blows up the place and flies off while all his armor slowly falls of into the sea. He lands on a rock.)Who am I? Where is this place? Who asked to make me? Who wished to make me? I hate everything that made me! So this is neither an attack not a declaration of war but revenge on you who made me!----------------------------------------------------Introduction----------------------------------------------------	(Brock is cooking lunch for everyone.)NarratorAsh and the others are on a journey training to be pokÈmon masters. It's a beautiful day so they take a break in a field.AshIs it ready yet?MistyAsh you can help too.AshI can't I can't even move one millimeter because I'm so starved.BrockStew well and raise slowly. You mustn't be in a rush with both soup or pokÈmon.	(Pikachu and Togepy spot someone coming)PirateHey you! The boy over there! Are you Ash from Pallet Town?AshThat's right.PirateCan I have a PokÈmon battle with you?Ash	(runs over to him)Okay! I must have a solid fight!MistyI thought you couldn't move one millimeter?AshJust one or two pokÈmon fights before breakfast.BrockThis is lunch, so that would be before lunch.Pikachupika..chu...	(Has the Japanese PokÈmon intro music through this battle the whole time. Ash pulls out a pokÈball and throws out Bulbasaur. Then the pirate throws out Donfan. Bulbasaur charges and Donfan rolls into a ball and hits Bulbasaur, then turns around and hits him again! Then he tries it again but Bulbasaur uses Solar Beam and Donfan faints. The Pirate then sends out Machamp. Ash sends out Squirtle. Machamp kicks Squirtle down and then goes to kick him again but Squirtle dodges it and bubbles him till Machamp faints. The pirate gets mad and throws 3 pokÈballs down. one is a Venomoth another is a Golem and the other is a Pinsir. Pikachu jumps off ashes shoulder and does Thundershock and all 3 faint.)   PirateOh My God! 	(this was possibly the funniest part of the entire movie :)AshI did it!MistyIt was just because your opponent was weak.BrockHe didn't even raise them well	(flash to Team Rocket who is on a cliff watching our heroes.)JamesPikachu gets stronger and stronger.JessieBeautifulMeowthWe couldn't beat him even once. But the word surrender isn't in our dictionary.JessieI will get that Pikachu.JamesBut look at that. 	(looks at them all eating)MeowthI'm so hungry.JessieI got a frying pan...MeowthWhat good is such a thing without meat and vegetables? It's just an iron board.---------------------------------------------A Fearow with a camera flies over head then it shows inside some place where you can see Ash and Pikachu on the screens.---------------------------------------------     LadyAre you sending them an invitation?MewtwoCertainly.	(Dragonite flies out of the control center with a purse. It flies over the sees and then over Team Rocket and they fall then it flies over Ash and everyone's head knocking them all over then she lands.)AshWhat are you? 	(Dragonite hands Ash an invitation)This? For me?	(He hits a button and a hologram of the lady is displayed)LadyPlease forgive me for the abrupt letter.BrockWhat a beautiful lady...LadySince you are a promising pokÈmon trainer of the future, we'd like to invite you to a party of my master who is the strongest pokÈmon trainer in the world. The place is the New Island, PokÈmon Castle. Please check the reply card for whether your coming or not. Please accept the invitation for the strongest trainer in the world.BrockBeautiful Lady...MistyWhat do we do?BrockLets go for it. We should go for it.AshI don't feel uncomfortable with being told I'm a promising future trainer.MistyWell then check yes on the card.	(They check yes, and hand the invitation back to Dragonite. Dragonite takes the card and flies off but Jessie, James and Meowth take out a net in an attempt to steal this rare pokÈmon. Ash's invitation falls out of Dragonites purse.)JessieDon't say Goodbye without saying hello.Meowtha post card?---------------------------------------------Scene change. We see Mewtwo waving his hand back and forth moving the clouds, causing a big storm to start. We then see mew sleeping in a bubble underwater as the bubble floats to the top and pops, Mew wakes up and flies off. Ash and everyone run out of the storm and into a ocean side house that has all the other trainers who were invited.---------------------------------------------A TrainerCalm down Kingler! Cut it out!	(Our heroes run inside wet.)AshIt was a beautiful day!BrockThe weather along this beach can change easily.	(we notice a big crowd of trainers by the door and Officer Jenny standing with a woman talking to them all)CrowdHuh? The ferry has been canceled?SweetWe can't go to the New Island?!CrowdOh No! We were invited to go!Officer JennyBe quiet everyone. Here is the Pier Master.BoijerI'm Boijer. If you want to know about the sea ask the seagulls on the pier. No need to bother. Just look at the flaw of the clouds. I've never seen such a hurricane in all my years.Officer JennyIs it that terrible?BoijerI grew up on a port and I've never experienced such a storm. Besides the storm is above New Island offshore of this pier. I can't let you be placed in danger. That's my wish as the one who guards this pier.Officer JennyAs you heard the ferry has been cancelled.UmioIts okay with my pokÈmon. My pokÈmon are stronger in water. I can cross the sea.BoijerWait. I'm the one who knows the sea and I say no!Officer JennyShe's right! Besides if the pokÈmon were to get hurt now they wouldn't be able to get treatment at a PokÈmon Center.AshWhat do you mean?Officer JennyNurse Joy at the PokÈmon Center is missing. PokÈmon can't receive treatment without Nurse Joy. The poster over there is the missing person report	(Brock looks at it)BrockBeautiful... Who? I've seen her somewhere before...	(Some of the trainers go outside in the storm wanting to cross the ocean. Soroa gets onto his Pidgeot and flies off. Umio gets on his Gyarados and swims across.)Officer JennyStop! Stop or I'll arrest you!	(Sweet gets on her Dewgong and starts swimming away.)BoijerThere's no use trying to stop them. After all they're pokÈmon trainers. If they were children who would stop after being told to, they wouldn't have gathered here. Let's just pray for there safety.	(Ash, Brock, Misty and Pikachu run outside and see everyone leaving.)AshAcross the sea lives the strongest trainer in the world. I can't cop out now.MistyBut we can't cross this sea using our pokÈmon.AshRight.	(A Small wooden ship pulls up with 2 people in it. Guess who?)JessieWant a ride? Not saying that it's free but depending on the situation. I might allow you onboard. 	(They get on and start going and Meowth is dressed like a girl in front of the boat, then a huge wave and Team Rocket's costumes fall off. then the waves start getting really rough.)AshYou guys! You guys again?!BrockYou guys appear at the very worst times!AshWhat do you want?JessieIf we're asked what we want...JamesThe answer to that is..MeowthThere's no time for saying that!	(A huge wave flips the boat. Misty shoots out Staryu and swims to the surface.)BrockAsh! Misty!	(Misty comes up and he grabs onto Staryu.)MistyWhere is Ash and Pikachu?!(A big wave comes again, and they go back under and see As h swimming up with Squirtle.)  AshHold on tight everyone!	(Squirtle and Staryu keep swimming under the waves until they see light. Then it shows Mew flying above the clouds. Ash and everyone get to the castle and climb out of the water, and the mysterious lady is standing there.LadyWelcome to the New Island. Please show me your invitation.AshHow's this?	(He shows her).B rockThat was you just as I thought!LadyYes?BrockThat picture of Nurse Joy I saw in the missing person report at the pier was you.MistyThat reminds me, she looks like her.LadyI don't know what your talking about. I've been serving this castle ever since I was born. Come this way. The other guests are already waiting.---------------------------------------------They go inside and Team Rocket floats up from the water on top of Weezing. Then it shows Mew playing with the windmill on top of the castle. MEANWHILE Ash and everyone are inside the castle.---------------------------------------------LadyThose are the trainers who have already arrived.AshOnly 3?LadyThe trainers who couldn't cross that storm aren't worth inviting.BrockSo then you tested us?LadyPlease take out the pokÈmon from the pokÈballs and be seated. You are the chosen trainers.James	(outside and the front door shuts)Well then, let's sneak into this castle...JessieThe only way is to use the exit.MeowthWhere's the exit?JessieOver there...MeowthThe s..s..sewer!? I'm not a brown rat!JessieDon't complain!	(All of a sudden Mew comes down from behind TR and looks at them. Jessie turns her head but Mew disappeared.)JamesWhat's wrong Jessie?JessieNothing lets go.---------------------------------------------Meanwhile...---------------------------------------------SoraoYou came too?AshYou?SoraoI flew here. My Pidgeot can cross such a hurricane in one flight. Everyone greet them! 	(all his pokÈmon say their names Then they see a Gyarados.)UmioThat's my Gyarados. I rode him across the sea. Those kind of waves are nothing for it. AshGyarados is a brutal pokÈmon isn't it?UmioYeah, but if you can handle it, no one is more reliable.SweetMy pokÈmon are just the same over there. 	(points to her Blastoise, Wigglytuff, and more. Then all the lights turn off, there is a bright beam of light coming down the center of a huge spiral staircase.)LadyThat you for waiting everyone. The strongest pokÈmon trainer is coming. 	(All of a sudden Mewtwo starts floating down and all the pokÈmon get worried.)LadyYes, this is the strongest pokÈmon trainer and strongest pokÈmon. Mr. Mewtwo.	(The lights come back on and everyone can see him clearly.)AshMewtwo?UmioA PokÈmon is a pokÈmon trainer? It can't be. 	(It becomes apparent that MewTwo is telepathically controlling Joy...)MewtwoI've decided my own rules.MistyThat voice!BrockTelepathy!	(Mewtwo raises Umio up in the air and throws him into a pool 	(using his mind)UmioDarn it! Go Gyarados!	(Gyarados attacks with Hyper Beam, it goes to Mewtwo and Mewtwo stops it and turns it around and it hits Gyarados causing it to faint.)MewtwoThat was easy. 	(looks at Joy)I no longer have any need for you anymore.	(Joy faints into Brock's arms)BrockNurse Joy.Nurse JoyWhere is this place? Why am I here?MewtwoTo make you take care of me, I took you from the PokÈmon Center. A doctor who is familiar with pokÈmon is convenient. You were quite useful. You don't remember anything though.BrockWhat did you say?MewtwoHumans can be manipulated in any way with my power.MistyWith what power?PikachuPIKA!	(Meanwhile TR are in the castle and they find a strange room and they enter it.)MeowthWhat is this place? 	(They look and see a Charizard, Venusaur and a Blastoise in Big Glass Test Tubes sleeping.)MeowthCute!JamesIs it really?JessieThese aren't like any treasures I've seen.	(Jessie walks away and sits on some button and a computer turns on with a very fuzzy screen.)Computer...our study... to continue in our research ... we would have to collect samples from our test subjects...	(All of a sudden something grabs Meowth and throws him in a machine)MeowthHELP! HELP!JessieMeowth!	(Both Jessie and James start pull to get Meowth out and they do get him out but not before the machine got 3 hairs from off of his tail.)MeowthOUCH! My hair!	(on the computer screen a figure of a Meowth shows up and the computer starts saying some weird stuff then in an empty test tube next to Team Rocket, a Meowth falls down from a pipe into it)All of TRMEOWTH?!MeowthI am Meowth.JamesThen this is.... Meowth's copy? 	(Mew appears behind Team Rocket again.)ComputerBut the copy we created is more than we've imaged. The pokÈmon which we found.... in the depths... it's name is Mew... We succeeded in finding fossilized eye lashes of a mew. From the gathered components we created Mewtwo with this machine. The goal was to make the strongest pokÈmon with our own hands. That was our dream. But soon Mewtwo displayed unmeasurable violence. Its all over. The research office will be destroyed. The only way left to abandon this place and escape. 	(the computer shuts off)JessieThis is the research office?JamesI think so.MeowthYeahJamesBut there's nothing wrong with it.JessieOr maybe something created it again.JamesBut who?MewtwoI thought of working with humans once. But I was disappointed. Humans are the worst creatures inferior to pokÈmon. If creatures that are weak and cruel like humans control this world, this planet will come to ruin. BrockAre you saying like your gonna rule it?Mewtwo	(shakes his head)PokÈmon are no good either because this planet is ruled by humans our pokÈmon... pokÈmon who lived for humans.PikachuPika..pika pika!MewtwoWhat did you say? You're not being controlled? You're with the humans because you want to be? To be with them by itself is wrong.	(Mewtwo lifts Pikachu up with his mind and throws him but Ash jumps back and catches him!)Pikachupika!AshPikachu!MewtwoWeak pokÈmon rely on humans.MistyAsh! Are you ok?AshYeah. How dare you attack Pikachu?!SoroaWe can get him no matter what kind of pokÈmon he is, as long as he's a pokÈmon, GO RYHORN!	(Ryhorn charges at Mewtwo and is 1 inch from him and Mewtwo stops him and raises him into the air, and shoots Ryhorn across the room!) SoroaRyhorn!MewtwoIt's no use. I was born as the strongest of any pokÈmon in the world.AshYou don't know that before we try.MewtwoYou wan to try?AshWe can ask for nothing better.--------------------------------------------------------Mewtwo eyes start glowing then it shows in the lab with Team Rocket in it Charizard, Venusaur, and Blastoise come out of there test tubes and walk out the door. then Mew flies out with them.--------------------------------------------------------JamesWas that a..?JessieMew?MewtwoAny human who are aiming to be pokÈmon trainers go first. Charizard, Blastoise, Venusaur.	(The 3 copies raise up from the ground.)These are the evolved forms of the copies I've made. SweetCopies?SoroaThey are...?	(Everything starts shaking and a huge door opens and inside is a pokÈmon battle field.)BrockA battle field? Is he going to have a pokÈmon battle?SoroaI've got Venusaur for that copy one!SweetI've got Blastoise for that copy one!AshI've got Charizard too. Charizard I chose you!	(Charizard comes out and gives Mewtwo and evil look then shoots fire out at him but Mewtwo makes a force field around him so it doesn't even touch him.)Charizard, that's a surprise attack. 	(Mewtwo shoots up water and the fire goes out.)MewtwoWhat a bad tempered Charizard. So who's first?	(Soroa's Venusaur walks out.)SoroaI was careless before, but it won't go that way this time.	(The copied Venusaur walks out.)SoroaVenusaur! Razorleaf!MewtwoVine Whip.	(Copied Venusaur's vines chop up the razor leafs then his vines wrap around Venusaur and tosses him across the room!)SoroaVenusaur!SweetI'm next! Go Blastoise!	(Mewtwo points for copied Blastoise to go.)SweetBlastoise, Hydro Pump!	(Copied Blastoise spins right threw the water and hits Blastoise causes him to go crashing hard into the wall.)SweetBlastoise! MistyBe careful Ash! His skills are strong!AshI know.	(Mewtwo signals Copied Charizard to go.)AshCharizard! Lets fight with speed not power! Okay go!	(Both Charizard fly up. Ashes Charizard keeps using Flame-thrower but copied Charizard dodges them all and keeps hitting Charizard in the stomach.)MistyWhere are the speed attacks?BrockThe enemy is to fast!	(Copied Charizard grabs Charizard and starts flying down to the ground!)AshCharizard!MewtwoDive Bomb Slam!Charizard hits into the ground then gets up.. roars loudly.. then faints.Ash	(Runs out to Charizard)Hold on Charizard! Are you okay?MewtwoBoth speed and power are lacking.	(Mewtwo then throws his hands up and 3 black pokÈballs appear he shoots them all out and captures Sweet's Blastoise another gets Soroa's Venusaur and the other captures ashes Charizard! A small gold statue lifts up and the 3 balls shoot down into the hole.)AshSTOP!MistyAre you taking the other's pokÈmon?!MewtwoTaking them? No. I'm going to make stronger copies than the pokÈmon you are so proud of.	(Mewtwo raises his arms again and hundreds of Black pokÈballs appear!)It's suitable enough for me.BrockCopies?AshStop! That's a violation of the rules!MewtwoDon't tell me what to do. 	(Mewtwo looks at Ash and throws him into Brock)I've decided my own rules.	(Mewtwo drops his arms and all the black pokÈballs start flying everywhere)BrockThey're Coming!AshRun everyone!--------------------------------------------------------The pokÈballs are everywhere catching the trainers pokÈmon, the Gyarados was caught then the Golduck, then Seaking, then Scyther, then Hitmonlee, then Sandslash the trainers are trying to protect there pokÈmon but there is nothing they can do! then Dewgong was caught, then Rapidash, then Vileplume. Then Bulbasaur and Squirtle are fighting them off, then Wigglytuff was caught, then Pidgeot and when they get caught the pokÈballs fly back into the whole under the statue lifted up in the air.--------------------------------------------------------AshI've got it! Take your own pokÈmon back to your own pokÈballs! Return Squirtle and Bulbasaur! 	(they both go back into their pokÈballs)  MewtwoIt's no use.	(2 black pokÈballs go to Ash, open, and capture the pokÈballs Bulbasaur and Squirtle are in!)Nothing is impossible with the black pokÈballs I have made. 	(Misty puts Togepy in her bag and shuts it tight while Brock holds Vulpix close.)Nurse JoyThis place is no good. Let's run outside!	(Nurse Joy, Psyduck, Misty and Brock start running but then a black ball catches Psyduck)MistyMy Psyduck!	(A black ball catches Vulpix.)BrockVulpix!	(Pikachu is being hunted down by tons of black pokÈballs! Then Pikachu falls and is about to be caught! But Ash jumps in front of him and the pokÈballs hit him.)AshRun Pikachu! 	(Pikachu is running and starts climbing the spiral stairs with ash running after him. Pikachu keeps using Thundershock to blow up all the pokÈballs around him but more keep coming! Ash starts running up the stairs a little behind Pikachu)Don't give up Pikachu! 	(Pikachu gets tired and he accidentally falls of the stairs! Ash jumps after him and is about to grab him but then a black pokÈballs snatches Pikachu! But Ash catches the pokÈball and then falls into some water but when he does the pokÈballs slips out of his hands and goes into the hole. Since it was the last pokÈmon the statue starts to drop but Ash just barely makes it and jumps down into the hole after the Pikachu in the ball! Team Rocket is still in the Lab, which is where all the copies are going. They are amazed at all the copies dropping into all the test tubes everywhere but then Ash falls down chasing after Pikachu!)JessieBrat?AshI'm sorry, I don't have time to deal with you today!	(Ash jumps and grabs Pikachu's pokÈball but right when he does about 25 little metal mini hand like things come down trying to keep Pikachu, Ash is fighting off the mini hands.)Let it go! Darn it! Let him go! Let go of my Pikachu! Let go! 	(All the hands break and the whole copy machine starts blowing up and Pikachu comes out of his ball.)Pikachu!PikachuPika!But then all the Copy pokÈmon start coming out of there tubes because the whole copy machine is all blown up. All the copies start walking out of the room.JessieOh no! There coming out!MeowthMy copy to!AshThose are all copies?JessieWhere are they all going?All of a sudden there's an explosion and all the black pokÈballs come out and all the original pokÈmon come out!JamesThe real ones have come out to!2 of the black balls open and 2 normal pokÈballs come out, then those open and Squirtle and Bulbasaur come out! Ash and Pikachu runs over and starts laughing and hugging each other then ash stops and looks up and looks angry!Meanwhile up stairs...MewtwoHumans, I won't take your lives too. Leave here.The doors open to the exit.MewtwoThat is if you an make it out in that storm.Then there is an explosion and all the copied pokÈmon come walking out.MewtwoWhat happened here?From the smoke, Ash and all the original pokÈmon come walking out.AshI can not forgive...! I will not forgive you!Misty/BrockAsh!Misty	(sees Psyduck)Psyduck!Brock	(sees Vulpix)Vulpix!MewtwoDid you set them free?AshI will protect my pokÈmon, my friends.	(Ash charges at Mewtwo and goes to punch him but Mewtwo throws him down to the ground. Ash gets up and tries again and Mewtwo lifts him up.)MistyAsh!BrockStop!	(Mewtwo throws Ash into a huge statue but just as he's about to hit it -which we know would really hurta pink bubble stops him and Ash bounces a few times on that.)MewtwoWhat?	(Mew flies up to Ash and stares at him, Ash then looks at Mew and Mew pops the bubble and Ash falls -only like a foot then Mew starts giggling.)You're... 	(Mew makes another bubble and starts jumping up and own on it giggling and having a good time, then Mewtwo makes a black electric ball and shoots it up and it pops mew bubble. Mew turns around and looks at Mewtwo confused. Mewtwo makes another and blows up when it hits Mew. Mewtwo makes 3 more and throws them all up at Mew, Mew dodges them all and starts giggling again.)BrockThat's...MistyPokÈmon?Mew flies down and looks at MewtwoMewtwoMew. The pokÈmon that's supposed to be the rarest pokÈmon in the world.BrockMew? 	(Mew looks around at everyone... I love this guy!)MewtwoI was made from you. But I am the stronger one...I am the true one.	(Mew is still looking around acting like its paying no attention to Mewtwo.)BrockMew and Mewtwo.SweetMewtwo was made from Mew.Mewtwo	(starts glowing)I am the only one who will survive. 	(Mewtwo starts chasing mew everywhere shooting tons of those black electric balls at him. But Mew keeps running away dodging everything.)MewtwoWho don't you want to fight? The reason why you avoid fighting is because your afraid of me? 	(Mewtwo makes another black electric ball and shoots it at Mew and knocks Mew right in the face and mew goes flying in the distance. Everyone is then shocked, but then the same type of ball only blue comes back and hits Mewtwo and he goes into a wall. Mew flies back down. and Mewtwo floats up from the fire and rubble. TR Enters the room.)MewtwoYour attacks are ineffective against me. Now is the time to decide which one of us is the true one, you the copy... which is the stronger? We were made stronger than the real ones.Mewmew, mew..mew mew mew...mew, mew..mew mew mewMeowthI see.JessieWhat is it saying?MeowthThe real one is real. If they fight only using bodies without skills. The true ones will not be beaten by their copiesMewtwoThe real one is real?.... Fine! 	(Mewtwo shoots another black electric ball at Mew but Mew dodges it and just barely misses Ash! Ash then starts climbing down the statue.)Lets decide which is the real one without skills. You're the stronger ones, GO! 	(All the copies start attacking their originals. The copies are winning. Mewtwo makes a visible blue force field around himself. Mew does the same except its pink and they fly up high in the air and keep ramming into each other. Then Pikachu is looking around at the big copy war then he sees his copy standing there ready to fight him! Pikachu can't believe it.)Nurse JoyWhat is this fighting? Both the real ones and copies are alive now.SweetEveryone is a living thingBrockThough they were created, there are living beings that live in this world.MistyThe real ones and the copies... But both of them are the same living things. There's no such thing as a win and losing.JamesIf we were asked that, I wouldn't know what to sayJessieI feel so sorryJamesThey're bullying themselves.JessieIts like seeing what we used to be.JamesIts like seeing what we are now.BothFeels Bad! 	(Meowth's copy walks up to Meowth.)MeowthIts you! 	(they take out there claws and are ready fight)This is gonna hurt. But every pokÈmon is fighting each other, you're unfair.Copy MeowthMeow meow...MeowthWhat? I'm more unfair? It's because I'm not fighting with you? Your nails would hurt more wouldn't they?Copy Meowthmeow meow meowMeowthYou said tonight's moon would be round? You're right, it must be a full moon.Copy Meowthmeow meowMeowthTalking about the moon at a time like this is tasteful. Its philosophical.	(Meanwhile Mew and Mewtwo are still bouncing around fighting. And Ash finally makes it back to the ground.)Ash	(looks at everyone fighting and getting so tired)That's Enough! Stop!BrockAsh!AshI've got to stop them.BrockNo. The battle will continue unless Mew and Mewtwo stop fighting.Nurse JoyAnimals don't hand over there territory to the same type of animal.Mistyoh no.Nurse JoyThey will fight until they drive their opponents away. That is the way of living beings.BrockThat may be for living beings but Mewtwo was made by humans.MistyBut now he's a living being. AshNow they are all living beings. Mew and Mewtwo, Pikachu and that other Pikachu. 	(Mew and Mewtwo's fight finally goes on ground and they both take off there force field. Mew and Mewtwo both shoots a beam out at each other and starts to run between them not seeing the 2 beams coming!)Stop!BrockAsh! 	(Both beams hit Ash and he falls to the ground and turns to stone.)MewtwoIt can't be. A human tried to stop our fight. 	(Pikachu runs out to Ash and starts shaking Ash. Then he thunder shocks him many times and Ash still doesn't move. Pikachu begins to cry. Then all the other pokÈmon look at Pikachu -including the copiesand they start crying. All there tears float over and land on ash then last, Pikachu's tears fall onto Ash and Ash regains his hold on life, and turns back to flesh from rock)AshPikachu!PikachuPika pi!!MewtwoActually, both you and I are pokÈmon that already exist.Mewmew.MewtwoIt might be better if no one knows about us, or any of this...Mewmew...	(Mew and Mewtwo start flying away and then all the copies pokÈmon lift up into the air and fly with them!)AshWhy are you going everyone?Mewtwo	(flying away with all the copies)We were born and alive. We will continue to live somewhere in this world. 	(All of a sudden the whole castle fills up with bright light and everyone disappears......... Now we are back where all the trainers what to go on the ferry.)Officer JennyThe ferry has been canceled! There's a hurricane coming!Nurse Joy	(walks through the crowd)Don't worry everyone. I'm going to open the PokÈmon Center as a shelter. Follow me those who need it.BrockNurse Joy, the officer, and Ms. Boijer. Even more beautiful than usual when they are wet by the rain.AshBut why are we here?MistyI don't know. We're here because we're here.AshIt doesn't matter. Well... Huh? 	(Everyone runs outside)It can't be...Officer JennyThe hurricane... it's as if it never existed.BoijerI can run the ferry for again tomorrow.Ash	(looks up and sees a mew in the sky)Look.MistyWhat? I can't see anything.BrockBesides the clouds.AshOn the day I left to become a pokÈmon trainer, I saw a phantom pokÈmon... and now.. I've seen it again.BrockPhantom PokÈmon.AshYes, someday I will 	(Meanwhile, TR is still on the New Island except now the castle is gone.)JessieWell if its this empty...JamesClean and clear...MeowthAnd different than it usually is. Jessie/James/MeowthFEELS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!------------------------------------------End theme------------------------------------------Where do I keep walking too? I stop, asked by the wind. Efforts to celebrate your birthday increase, You left the one and only home town for a journey Still seeking something even now. Big Eyes Are Shining There not with your but with someone else. Many hellos and Many Good-byes. A Bit of memory like an illusion. Where do you keep walking to? Asked by the wind as you look over the sky Where am I going to keep walking? Lets start walking with the wind! Standing Firmly on the ground lets go on forever... Until catching the dream we're aiming for. Standing Firmly on the ground lets go on forever... Until catching the dream we're aiming for. La La La La La La La La La La La La La La La...

unformated_scripts/Script_Quantum Project.txt

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+1 INT. A BIOCHEMICAL LANDSCAPE 1 A violent electrical storm. Veins of light pulse outward, branching off into a spidery network of GLOWING INTERCONNECTEDNESS We are inside a human brain. A pack of neurons FIRE OFF to the left, and rocket their way across synapses to the optic nerve. Passing the eye socket, they speed toward a silky, curvilinear membrane (the retina) on which we see an image projected: AN UPSIDE DOWN COMPUTER SCREEN Neurons PING into the membrane: the picture suddenly FLIPS RIGHT SIDE UP and we follow the light, flashing in a blur through the iris and cornea until, exiting the eye we reverse POV and 2 EXT. THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT - DAY 2 CLOSE ON A PAIR OF EYES Deep deep blue. Radiating more intelligence than wisdom. Inside each pupil is the reflection of a COMPUTER SCREEN. A deferential VOICE sounds from off camera. VOICE Professor Pentcho? 3 INT. ATOMIC LABORATORIES (PROFESSOR PAUL PENTCHO) - DAY3 Twenty-nine, athletic, owlishly handsome. VOICE (ARLETTE) Multi-tasking again? Pentcho raises his blue eyes from the computer screen and up at ARLETTE (50's), his mannish Swiss assistant. ARLETTE We can start the descent now. 4 INT. THE LABORATORIES (MOVING) - DAY 4 A SERIES OF SHOTS as Pentcho and Arlette stride through the facility. They pass a group of green-tagged VISITORS and their Swiss-accented GUIDE. GUIDE Two hundred feet below us is the world's largest particle accelerator... His VOICE continues on overlap as they reach a hallway. GUIDE (OC) (CONT'D) 27 kilometers in circumference, the beam pipe actually runs beneath the borders of Switzerland and France... PENTCHO Did you get that data off to Braverman at Cal Tech? They are facing the CAPSULE/ELEVATOR that leads to the tunnel. ARLETTE Done. Next to the elevator, two plants are dying in their pots, their growing lamps off. Pentcho looks around, finds the plug, pushes it into the socket. The lights glow. He peers at a leaf: a tiny bug crawls across... GUIDE (OC) ...at the moment of impact the electrons inside the pipe are travelling six hundred sixty six million miles per -- ARLETTE We need to progress. He breaks out of it, swipes his I.D. card. The capsule doors WHOOSH open. Pentcho nods at the man inside. This is JACQUE, his accent heavily Italian. JACQUE Hey, it is 3-P-O! P, P, P! Professore Paulo Pentcho! PENTCHO That's not an official nickname, Jacque. Pentcho looks from Jacque to Arlette, who blushes. Pentcho sits down in the heavily consoled captain's chair. JACQUE Beh! Eets just tun-nel humor. The giant lab disappears from sight as they DROP twenty stories below the earth. PENTCHO Did they recalibrate the 3k turn? Jacque nods. They hit bottom. Pentcho keys in data on the console computer as the capsule moves LATERALLY on a track parallel to the beam pipe, stopping in front of the RF CAVITY, bursting with a billion dollars worth of nanotechnology. PENTCHO (CONT'D) Give me more angle-control on the bounce. JACQUE Benissimo, Professore. ON PENTCHO: a little bored, manning the console. PENTCHO Fifteen seconds Arlette... 5 INT. PENTCHO'S BRAIN FIELD - DAY 5 The camera surges forward into Pentcho's eyes: DOUBLE CLICK We see an image draw itself on the empty 'page' of the field: A BLACK DOT LOOPING INTO A STRING accompanied by the following thought text: "...two spatially separated particles will irresistibly attract..." MOUSE CLICK - A WOMAN'S FACE wide-set brown eyes brimming with emotion. A hint of a SONG playing somewhere in the BG. MOUSE CLICK to the previous 'page' where the LOOP has formed into a sheet moving through space, followed by the floating thought text: "...until the force of the collision fuses them into..." PENTCHO'S VOICE Ten, nine, eight... MOUSE CLICK - POV: LOOKING STRAIGHT DOWN AT the BROWN-EYED WOMAN, her face dreamy, her body naked beneath silk sheets. PULL BACK: she's floating on an enormous Renaissance mural - a wedding scene - that is a bedroom floor. Off in the corner, PENTCHO sits hunched over a clunky laptop, his fingers dancing, dervish-like, across the keyboard. PENTCHO'S VOICE (CONT'D) Four, three, two... WOMAN Then goodbye... CRACK! Suddenly, the woman drifts away. Pentcho looks up: THEIR EYES LOCK WITH LONGING AS: 6 INT. THE CAPSULE CONSOLE - SAME TIME 6 Pentcho's FINGER depresses the START button. 7 INT. PARTICLE ACCELERATOR - DAY 7 as we follow the PULSE SIGNAL from the keyboard to the CPU, across the LOCAL AREA NETWORK to the MAINFRAME in the RF cavity, sending its own signal into the BEAM PIPE, where two soon-to-be accelerated ELECTRONS are released, like horses bolting from the same starting gate, but in opposite directions. THE ROLLER-COASTER RIDE BEGINS. POV - ONE LIGHT INFUSED ELECTRON BLASTING through the beam pipe like a COMET, fused inside of a looping, twenty seven kilometer single lane race track. WHOOOSH! As the electron accelerates, so too does the sound, rushing to GUT SPLITTING, EAR WRENCHING DB'S. Heading around the turn, it barrels STRAIGHT INTO THE PATH OF THE SECOND ELECTRON on its own speed-of light power surge. HERE COMES THE IMPACT POINT... but SCREEEEECH! What disc brakes might sound like, slammed to the floor of a vehicle travelling six hundred sixty six million miles per hour. SUDDENLY THE ELECTRON HAS STOPPED, SUSPENDED, its phosphorescent glow trained like a spotlight on: PENTCHO - EXTREME CLOSE UP the dual computer screens reflecting out of his pupils, again. A VOICE speaks from nowhere, sonorous and packed with reverb: FEMALE VOICE WHAT DO YOU WANT? The camera SURGES into Pentcho's eyes as the brain field opens to the sounds of a nine alarm fire. DING DING DING DING DING! The thought text marches by in giant, attention-getting letters: "ELECTRONS DON'T TALK!" FEMALE VOICE (CONT) (CONT'D) WHAT DO YOU WANT, PAUL? More thought text scrolls by on the field, now in RED LETTERS: "I'm having a psychotic episode." The field collapses back into PENTCHO, ashen-faced, watching his computer screen, and seeing: the cursor (electron) blinking. JACQUE'S VOICE Impact! Suddenly, we are back inside the pipe, HURTLING toward KABLOOM! THE SUB-ATOMIC EXPLOSION A particle meteor shower of magnificent proportions. They glow and charge off and disappear, as the laws of E=mc2 take visual flight inside this billion dollar kaleidoscope. 8 INT. AIRPLANE IN 1ST CLASS (ON PENTCHO) - DAY 8 staring out the window, not really seeing the clouds as we SURGE into his eyes and CLICK 9 INT. THE BRAIN FIELD (POPPING OPEN) - DAY 9 stacking up windowlike flashbacks with startling ferocity. The glowing electron - CLICK - Arlette: "multi-tasking again?" CLICK - the capsule doors closing - CLICK - "you're having a psychotic episode" - CLICK - the echo of the electron's voice: "WHAT DO YOU WANT, PAUL?" 10 INT. THE AIRPLANE (PENTCHO) - DAY 10 puts down a drink glass on the tray table of the seat next to him. Places headphones onto his ears. Fiddles with the music channels: country, stand-up, classical... Stays put on a Mozart concerto. He gazes back out at the clouds, fails to notice that HIS DRINK GLASS IS MOVING sliding slowly across the tray table. It stops near the edge and waits, as Pentcho looks up from the window. As his head drifts back toward the clouds outside THE GLASS MOVES ACROSS THE TRAY TABLE IN THE OTHER DIRECTION 11 EXT. SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT - DAY 11 Pentcho's plane touches down. 12 INT. A RED VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE - DRIVING 12 On the freeway, heading for Berkeley, in eternal rush hour. Stop, go, sixty miles per hour, then five, then thirty. Pentcho drives, distracted, stares at his own eyes reflected in the rear view mirror. The camera SURGES in: CLICK 13 INT. FLASHBACK - AIRPLANE - DAY 13 It's Pentcho himself, on the airplane, listening to Mozart. In the foreground, the tray table and glass. In the BG, his eyes fixed aimlessly on the clouds outside. Suddenly, Pentcho's face SPLITS INTO TWO DIMENSIONS One stays focused forward, while the SECOND ONE turns to the side and watches in amazement as THE GLASS SLIDES ACROSS THE OPEN TRAY TABLE Suddenly a horn BLARES, and CRASH! 14 INT/EXT. THE BEETLE (PENTCHO) - DAY 14 SLAMS into the car in front of him, triggering SLOW MOTION EFFECT A three car COLLISION with Pentcho in the middle, an object lesson in physics seen from ten different camera angles: SCREECH CRUNCH CRUNCH Bumpers crumple, metal tears, human molecules SNAP forward. POP POP POP! Like gunfire, bullet AIRBAGS clamp the drivers' heads back against their headrests. 15 INT. PENTCHO'S BRAIN - DAY 15 The field ROCKS SIDEWAYS, in total OVERLOAD, so flooded with messages that each one is undecipherable. 16 EXT. THE FREEWAY ACCIDENT SITE - DAY 16 The three cars form a tangled metal sculpture. Incredibly, as Pentcho himself sees, they are all RED VW BEETLES. He sits in a daze. A man's voice interrupts, scaling up into a SHOUT. VOICE What the hell were you thinking? What? I want to know! WHAT?!! This is WILL (30's), a scratch over one eye, peering in at Pentcho, still behind the air bag/steering wheel, craning his stiffening neck forward and back at the crumpled row of red automobiles. He blinks, then answers in an eerie voice. PENTCHO Probability of this happening, same make, model, color and year is less likely than the proof for the existence of God. WILL (seething) Sorry I asked. (beat) You got insurance? 17 EXT. THE FREEWAY SITE (LIGHT RAIN IS FALLING) - DAY 17 A tow truck backs up to Pentcho's car. He stands, dazed, off on the shoulder, luggage next to him. His eyes drift toward Will, giving instructions into his cell phone. WILL Up the ramp. Yeah... I'll -- (he turns) There you are! See me? See? They won't let you in? Just walk... Here I am. He waves at a red Dodge Durango on the street below. PENTCHO stares idly at the Durango as we 18 INT. PENTCHO'S BRAIN - (MUSIC ON OVERLAP) 18 The picture is blurry but the song clear. SINGER'S VOICE I know this world is kil...ling you... CLICK - THE PICTURE SHARPENS on a man and a woman, MAKING LOVE on a big brocade couch. Their bodies rock in unison, faces unseen. SINGER'S VOICE (CONT'D) My aim is true-ooooh. The field collapses closed upon: 19 EXT. THE FREEWAY ACCIDENT SITE - DAY 19 A woman from the Durango is approaching, as Will, back on the phone, argues with his boss. WILL I'll be there, Trent. Yes. 20 minutes -- Click. Will reddens, sees the sunglassed face of the woman, looking past him and over to PENTCHO, signing the tow truck papers. The battered front end of his Beetle CRANKS upward. WILL (CONT'D) Son-of-a-bitch. As if it was my fault I got rear-ended by... The woman stares, curiously, at Pentcho. WILL (CONT'D) ...some schmuck dreaming about God. Mia? She doesn't hear him. Takes off her sunglasses, slowly. Wide-set brown eyes. WOMAN Paul...? Finished now with the tow truck driver. His head turns. She moves closer. Will's voice protests from the BG. WILL'S VOICE Mia... ON PENTCHO - SEEING HER, REALLY, FOR THE FIRST TIME 20 INT. PENTCHO'S BRAIN - (PRESENT DAY MIA) 20 overlapped by another photograph that slowly comes into focus - top third, middle third, bottom - like a downloading Internet image from his personal files. IT'S MIA, YOUNGER, THE SAME WIDE-SET DARK EYES Pentcho's heartbeat pounds LOUDER, drowning out the whisper: MIA Then goodbye... 21 EXT. THE FREEWAY ACCIDENT SITE (BACK TO REALITY) - DAY 21 They lock into a stare, the molecules around them swirling with emotion. Barely audible: PENTCHO Less likely than the existence of God. Mia brushes back a strand of hair. Bites her lip. PENTCHO (CONT'D) I've been dreaming about you. MIA Day or night? Pentcho loses himself in her brown eyes. PENTCHO Both. Atoms are vibrating, interchanging by the billions. Another voice gets in the way. WILL'S VOICE Mi. PENTCHO Is that your... MIA No. (beat) Not yet. She shifts her weight from one slim leg to the other. PENTCHO Could we go somewhere? MIA I'm heading out of town. PENTCHO (deep breath) Okay. Mia does a tiny double-take. It's very sexy. MIA What? PENTCHO I could go out of town. Mia laughs. This is so preposterous. MIA Could you? PENTCHO (nodding) Where to? MIA A place you've never been. PENTCHO That's the physicist's playground. 22 EXT. ADVENTURE WILDERNESS STORE - DAY 22 Will SLAMS the Durango door shut and stalks into the store. 23 EXT. HEADING TO XANADU (A SERIES OF INTERCUTS) - DAY 23 as the Durango motors into the alpine landscape. Mia turns, looks at her former lover. He stares back, smiles. MIA Why am I doing this? PENTCHO It's an experiment. Mia turns onto a private road. A MANSION appears in the distance, cresting the hill. 23a EXT/INT. XANADU - NIGHT 23a A massive wooden door. Mia holds a flashlight, slips an oversized key into the lock and turns. POV: THROUGH THE DOORWAY An enormous hall. Scaffolding rises from the stone floor. Forty foot high walls are draped in thick sheets of plastic. They enter like thieves. 23b INT. XANADU - A SHORT TIME LATER 23b Mia stands on top of an eight foot riser. Pentcho passes up harnesses and rope to her outstretched hands. MIA We flopped the first time out. PENTCHO At the sub-atomic level, particles obey their own logic. They connect in unimaginable ways. Mia slings the gear over her shoulder. Looks very much in her element. MIA And you think this is relevant to our relationship? Pentcho starts his own climb up the scaffolding. Reaches the first plank. PENTCHO Could be. MIA (wryly) What universe are you in, Paul? PENTCHO A quantum one. 23c INT. A HIGHER SCAFFOLDING - A SHORT TIME LATER 23c Pentcho clips a safety line to his belt. The two of them wear yellow hardhats and climbing harnesses. They suddenly KICK OFF the scaffold and DANGLE twenty five feet above the stone floor. Hand over fist, they start to ascend, hoisting themselves up the tug ropes. PENTCHO The shorthand is, when you send electrons through space, it's impossible to say precisely what they are: particles or waves. They spin around slowly like tops as they hoist themselves up. PENTCHO (CONT'D) They come into being as one or the other at the moment we observe them. His words echo off the giant walls. PENTCHO (CONT'D) Nothing is real until it's perceived. MIA The Buddhists have been saying that for a millennium. PENTCHO How? Mia reaches an electric box, hanging a yard below the ceiling. MIA Baby, reality is what you choose to make it. She flips the switch. A set of lights FLARE ON. Pentcho swallows a breath. In awe. PENTCHO God. WE SEE WHAT HE SEES: A GIANT RENAISSANCE-STYLE FRESCO COVERS THE ENTIRE CEILING. Flocks of ANGELS fly above a GODDESS. Cherubs. Heralds. Pentcho's face flushes. He's exhilarated. She takes note: MIA But only if you live your life that way. If you experience every moment as discovery. Pentcho's already there. He kicks his legs out. Joyrides on the tug rope, arcing back and forth like a mad pendulum. PENTCHO Mia! You're restoring heaven with dabs of paint. You're bringing new order to the universe. She beams from his excitement. MIA I always said we were in the same business... His wayward motion swings him STRAIGHT INTO HER. They lock arms. The ropes shudder. PENTCHO If you're right, we have a chance. (beat) To be together. Pentcho reaches out to kiss her. Doesn't see that their collision has jogged the clutch on his harness rope. Now it opens all the way. WHOOSH! In an instant, he's gripping air, FALLING at the speed of Newton's discovery. He hurtles downward in slow motion. There's a SOUND rushing in behind him, the RUMBLE OF A MEGA-EARTHQUAKE. Pentcho catches a glimpse up over his shoulder: the angels, the goddess, Mia, all of it has been SUCKED OUT OF EXISTENCE... as Pentcho's eyes stare for a millisecond at THE VOID. NOTHINGNESS. NADA. And then he's FALLING again, accelerating toward his own last particle collision, when a VOICE murmurs from somewhere. VOICE (OC) I'm not done. THWACK! The safety line holds, dangling Pentcho a meter above the stone floor. 23d INT. XANADU - SOME TIME LATER 23d They camp on old couch cushions, side by side, staring up at the illuminated fresco. Pentcho is bruised, battered, vulnerable. PENTCHO When I was a kid I used to snap my head back like a gunfighter on the draw, hoping to catch a glimpse behind me. Mia props her head up on one elbow. MIA Of what? ON THE FRESCO: A CHORUS OF ANGELS PENTCHO God. I dunno. The eternal nothingness. Mia. It's a plea. She turns, stares directly into his eyes. PENTCHO (CONT'D) The universe is snapping my head back. I'm losing my focus. Mia's face fills with light. Her best smile. MIA Welcome, Paul. Welcome. She traces a line from his forehead to the bridge of his nose, quoting Yeats (from "The Second Coming") as a celebration: MIA (CONT'D) "Things fall apart; the center will not hold. Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world." He pulls her close to him. They lie, spooned together, breathing in unison, gazing up at the painted heaven. A firefly enters from outside, flutters in the air above them, blushing a trace line of yellow light. PENTCHO An electron spoke to me yesterday. (beat) I swear. Mia tries to suppress a giggle. Can't. MIA What did it want? PENTCHO That's what it asked me. "What do you want?" I didn't answer. I was in the middle of an experiment. MIA Like now? He hesitates, then surrenders to the fact. PENTCHO Yes. The firefly dances above them. Pentcho sits up (and away from her). Mock serious: PENTCHO (CONT'D) Did you know electrons have lovers? Mia notes his distance. Faces him, cross-legged. MIA No. I didn't. (dryly) I'm listening. PENTCHO Inside every semi-conductor... you have two particles, with opposite charges, separated by an impassable barrier... She looks, sees him disappear into his head. PENTCHO (CONT'D) A strip of silicon, which for you and me would be like... The vulnerability is gone. And Mia, with it. MIA She's in L.A., he's in the Bay area -- PENTCHO (plowing ahead) A five hundred foot thick steel wall. But the connection between these two electrons is so -- MIA Dysfunctional -- PENTCHO That they tunnel, magically, through any obstacle, defying the practical laws of physics, in order to end up together -- MIA And glow happily ever after. Silence. The story hangs between them like a fog. MIA (CONT'D) Don't science me Paul. (beat) What do you want? ON PENTCHO'S FACE: It's blank. MIA looks up at the angels, closes her eyes, TURNS AWAY. (OMIT SCENES 24, 25, 26, 27, 28) 29 EXT. CITY STREET - EARLY MORNING 29 The Durango pulls up, stops. Pentcho gets deposited on the curb. Barely closes the door before the car SPEEDS away. He looks up. Sees the sign on the bus stop bench: "LOVE NEVER FAILS" Corinthians 13:8 30 EXT. THE BAY AREA - DAY 30 Storm clouds gather over the ocean. 31 EXT. THE BERKELEY HILLS - POURING RAIN 31 A taxi stops in front of a two story cottage, looking abandoned in the wet weather. Pentcho walks out, passing his dented VW BEETLE in the driveway. Ascends a flight of brick steps to the: 32 INT. PENTCHO'S COTTAGE - ENTERING 32 An alternately stark and cluttered space, less lived in than occupied by a man on the run between his office and his mind. Rivulets of water run from an open window, across a large desk, and down onto the wood floor. Pentcho scans around, unfazed. Locates a towel. Mops up. Dries off the computer and keyboard. Bag still on his shoulder, he fires up the machine and logs ON THE COMPUTER SCREEN E-mail. Lots of it. Hundreds and hundreds of messages scrolling by on the screen. He turns away, sees his own rain soaked clothes forming a puddle on the floor. LIGHTNING cascades across the sky, visible through the large bay window behind the desk. Pentcho's eyes stray back to the screen STILL SCROLLING E-MAIL MESSAGES as the thunder follows almost immediately. CRACK! He looks up: Veins of light pulse outward, branching into a spidery network OF GLOWING INTERCONNECTEDNESS A voice SOUNDS from somewhere non-local: VOICE (OC) Paul? Pauly? Pentcho leans toward the glass, looking out as we reverse POV: A SINGLE LIGHTNING BOLT descends from the heavens on its own speed-of light path straight at... WHOMP! It strikes the BEETLE dead on -- (SLOW MOTION) -- scorching the roof. Reverse POV: ON PENTCHO - pupils dilated as we surge inward to 33 INT. PENTCHO'S BRAIN - (OPENING ON) NIGHT 33 AN OLDER MAN wild, white Einstein hair. He CLUTCHES suddenly at his chest, like a heart attack victim. His lips call out, but no voice follows. He fades, ominously, to black at the sound of 34 EXT. THE SKY - (ROARING THUNDER) DAY 34 Pentcho blinks once, his face illuminated by a dozen flashes of lightning. He touches his fingers to the glass: A SECOND LIGHTNING BOLT DESCENDS on the exact same path toward... KABOOM! THE RED BEETLE. A plume of smoke rises out of the punctured roof. 35 (OMIT) 35 36 (OMIT) 36 37 INT. THE AIRPLANE - NIGHT 37 Pentcho sits in his window seat, staring at the open tray table next to him. There's a glass. It doesn't move. 37a EXT. STOCK SHOT - LANDING IN LAX 37a The plane touches down. We see the landmark spider-restaurant. 38 EXT. CAR RENTAL FACILITY - NIGHT 38 Pentcho crosses the lot with the rent-a-car EMPLOYEE. EMPLOYEE Rented every last ve-hicle. 'Cept one. PENTCHO I'll take it. It's a red 2000 BEETLE. 39 EXT. THE 110 FREEWAY - NIGHT 39 The sign says: "Hollywood - North. Long Beach, San Pedro - South." 40 EXT. SAN PEDRO/HOUSE - NIGHT 40 The rain has stopped. The red bug parks in front of a GRAND HOUSE GONE TO SEED. Ditto the neighborhood. A 7-Eleven sign blinks on the corner. Pentcho walks up the cracked sidewalk to a sagging wooden porch. Looks for signs of life. A light. Something. He pushes on the front door. Locked. Rummages through his key ring in the dark. Slides one into the top lock. Won't turn. Tries another key. Gets stuck. He pulls it out. Presses his face close against the window. TIRES SCREECH. POLICE SIRENS BLARE. Pentcho turns, his EYES lit by the flashing bubble lights. 41 INT. THE BRAIN FIELD - POPPING OPEN ON 41 THE EINSTEIN MAN Crumpled on the floor, hands still clutching his chest. The screen COLLAPSES at the sound of 42 EXT. HOUSE (VOICES SHOUTING FROM THE CORNER) - NIGHT 42 Foreign voices, jabbering at high speed. Policemen BARK BACK on loudspeakers. Walkie-talkies. Pentcho RAPS ON THE GLASS. He's frantic. Harder now. A THUNK sounds from inside. Or was it? He picks one last key out in the glare of the blue lights. Jams it in the lock. Twists and 43 INT. THE HOUSE - PENTCHO 43 bursts into the darkened foyer. His foot catches on a thick doormat. He SPRAWLS forward as A GUNSHOT ERUPTS ABOVE HIS HEAD He drops, convulsed with fear. Snaps his head back to see: THE EINSTEIN MAN (ALEXANDER) in bathrobe and slippers, hands shaking around a shotgun. ALEXANDER Paul... Pauly... Pentcho struggles to breathe. Staccato: PENTCHO I... I thought you were dead. Alexander drops the gun. In shock, a whisper: ALEXANDER I must be. 44 INT. BAR AREA (A TEA KETTLE WHISTLES) - NIGHT 44 Alexander, recomposed, marches to the burners. There's anger in his every movement. Restlessness. This is no feeble old man. He pours tea like he was filling shot glasses. Doubles. ALEXANDER Look at me. Pentcho stirs in a lump of sugar first. Raises his eyes. ALEXANDER (CONT'D) (contemptuous) "Alexander the Great." He lifts a kitchen chair, spins it around, straddles the back. ALEXANDER (CONT'D) 22 I built the first machine to transfer digital bits over a land line. I wrote the TCP/IP protocol before thirty. This mind (tapping his temples), the one and only, was OBGYN at the birth of the Internet. And where has it taken me? He shoots upright. Peers out the row of double sash windows, covered by impenetrable iron grates. ALEXANDER (CONT'D) To isolation. To an armed camp. To a biblical spoof of a crazed father firing a gun at his only son. PENTCHO You taking any medication? Alexander's eyes FLARE in anger. ALEXANDER Don't waste it Pauly. This is not an everyday talk. Just input the information and ask relevant questions. One: how did a celebrated life of the mind bring me (pulling the gun out) to this particular switching station? PENTCHO Dad... He shoves the shotgun into an open trash can. ALEXANDER Two: what if I didn't miss? PENTCHO You did. ALEXANDER Spare me your classical answer. Measurements in. Results taken. What if I didn't miss? PENTCHO You did miss -- ALEXANDER -- What if your seven and a half precious liters were downloading over the parquet floor? What then? (softer) What did your life mean? (beat) Who did you nurture, Pauly? Who did you love? Pentcho shifts, uncomfortably, in his seat. Ditto Alexander's mood. He does a startling one-eighty into nonchalance. ALEXANDER (CONT'D) What was her name? PENTCHO Excuse me??? ALEXANDER What was her name? The one I met. Alexander reaches out a finger, touches the dab of paint on Pentcho's forehead. PENTCHO Mia...? ALEXANDER Yes.... He rubs the paint between his fingers. ALEXANDER (CONT'D) The restorer... Now he wanders off, disappears into the dark. ON PENTCHO: wired, incredulous, heart thump thump thumping. He calls out after his father. PENTCHO I need some air. (beat) Don't shoot me. ALEXANDER'S VOICE (OC) Good night. INT. ALEXANDER'S HOUSE - A SHORT TIME LATER Pentcho paces in front of the open window, stops. He turns to walk out, is surprised by ALEXANDER Standing in the dark. ALEXANDER We've been kidding ourselves, Pauly. Until you look for it, it doesn't even exist. 45 EXT. SAN PEDRO WHARF - NIGHT 45 Pentcho slogs down the wharf. Running from it. Looking for it. Past homeless people slipping in and out of the shadows. He snaps his head back over his shoulder, sees an OLD WOMAN playing the accordian. She stops. Her eyes bore in on his own. OLD WOMAN You would have a son with me... Pentcho blinks. The woman is suddenly FIFTY YEARS YOUNGER: YOUNG OLD WOMAN ...and his name would be Hope. 46 INT. PENTCHO'S BRAIN - (A MATHEMATICAL FORMULA) 46 Numbers fly up on the field, are inscribed, erased, considered and measured. Pentcho's own VOICE is heard on overlap: PENTCHO'S VOICE "If you could look back fast enough, at near to the speed of light, then there would be no reality behind you, because it hadn't yet been created -- 47 EXT. THE WHARF - (A FOGHORN) NIGHT 47 BELLOWS in the dark. Pentcho twists his head forward, spots: A PINK NEON HEART blinking above a tatto parlor. His eyes lock on, see the heart GLOWING BIGGER AND BIGGER, its electric pulse mimicing the beating of a real organ. CLOSER STILL - ON PENTCHO Running from it. Looking for it. He stops dead in his tracks, tries one last time to play gunfighter with the quantum reality: HE SNAPS HIS HEAD BACK OVER HIS SHOULDER and we see him, making the same move, from four different camera angles: from his LEFT, his RIGHT, from the TOP OF HIS HEAD, and looking up FROM GROUND ZERO as HE FINALLY WINS THE DRAW. The RUMBLE OF A MEGA-EARTHQUAKE is unleashed. Here it comes, rolling in with a giant WHOOSHING SOUND... POV PENTCHO: WATCHING REALITY SUCKED OUT OF EXISTENCE The ships, the dock, the harbor OBLITERATED by an onrushing, transparent cloud of NOTHINGNESS, EMPTINESS, a tabula rasa superimposed upon the disappeared wharf. ON PENTCHO, FALLING TO HIS KNEES hammered by his own victory, numb from shock and ecstasy, staring into the void as we surge forward 48 INT. THE BRAIN FIELD 48 It's completely blank, just like the void. The VITALS are flatlined. A single piece of thought text floats across the emptiness, almost like a screen saver: Say Uncle.... Say Uncle... 49 EXT. THE WHARF - (A VOICE) - NIGHT 49 VOICE Uncle, hey... A face, peering down at Pentcho. The face belongs to the MAGIC MAN, in a mad hatter hat, and a potpourri of found item clothing. Like a Baptist preacher on his sidewalk pulpit: MAGIC MAN Can you feel it, uncle? Can you feel it right down to your bones?! ON PENTCHO: EXTREME CLOSE UP Inside each pupil is the reflection of the NEON HEART. We pull back on Pentcho's face. Calm. Serene. PENTCHO Yes. (beat) Yes I can. 50 EXT. ALEXANDER'S HOUSE - NIGHT 50 Pentcho turns the key, effortlessly opens the front door. INT. UPSTAIRS HOUSE - AN ORNATE TILE SHOWER - NIGHT He stands beneath the stream of hot water, cleansing himself of a day that began a very long time ago. INT. THE GUEST BEDROOM - NIGHT Pentcho dresses, taking in the smell and texture of fresh clothes against his body. He sits down on the bed. Sees a clock. 5:00 a.m. TUGS UP one of the double sash windows that faces the 7-Eleven. VOICES rise from the parking lot. Pentcho stretches out on the musty bedspread, eyes on the carved plaster ceiling. Suddenly, floating up through the open window: WOMAN'S VOICE What do you want?! Pentcho cranes his head. WOMAN'S VOICE (CONT'D) Tell me! Now! Now! The old sash falls shut. BOOM. It's like a dam bursting inside him, only the flood is LAUGHTER that starts deep in his belly, as a giggle, then a chuckle that cascades upward and out into enormous GUFFAWS. The sound rocks the house. Pentcho's smile is a mile wide. His eyes sparkle, then tear up as the FRONT DOORBELL RINGS He jumps off the bed, and bounds down the stairs. 53 INT. THE FRONT HALL - NIGHT 53 Alexander's already there, ushering MIA inside to: 54 INT. THE LIVING ROOM - AT THE MOMENT THAT 54 Pentcho arrives. He stops, incredulous, at the sight of her. ALEXANDER Guess who's coming to dinner. Mia jumps right in. To Pentcho: MIA I didn't want to leave things the way we did. Not this time. PENTCHO Wait. I want to tell you something. He takes her arm, steering her away from Alexander, into the living room. She stops cold at the sight of the MURAL. MIA I've been dreaming about this. PENTCHO (excited) Then you get it. You'll understand. MIA What? His face has the look of the little boy who has just stumbled upon the pirate's treasure. PENTCHO I know what I want. I let go, and a second later you materialized at the door. You see? CLOSE ON PENTCHO feeling the feelings. PENTCHO (CONT'D) Mia. I can create reality. (beat) I can choose to love you with all my heart. Tears pool along the rims of her eyes. She stares straight at him, hiding nothing. MIA You know those people who won't be photographed because they're afraid you're stealing their souls...? (long beat) I came to take back my picture. The one I keep leaving with you. His heart deflates. His voice follows. Barely audible: PENTCHO Why? MIA So I can move on. You too. A horn blares from outside. MIA (CONT'D) Be who you are, Paul. I love who you are. I do. She turns and runs out the front door. 55 EXT. ALEXANDER'S HOUSE - SECONDS LATER - NIGHT 55 Mia runs down to the curb where where boyfriend WILL holds open the passenger door of the red Durango. MIA'S VOICE I'll drive. She circles the car, disappears behind the wheel. Will gets in his side. ON THE FRONT PORCH Pentcho, agitated, pushes open the door. Alexander's already outside, watching Mia motor off. He turns, stares at his son. ALEXANDER Do you want to think about it some more? PENTCHO SPRINTS DOWN TO THE CURB. Jumps into the Beetle. The headlights FLASH ON in the pre-dawn night. 56 INT. THE DURANGO (DRIVING) - NIGHT 56 Mia grips the wheel with two hands. Will feigns nonchalance. WILL You okay? She nods. Barely. They merge onto the highway. 57 INT. THE BEETLE (DRIVING) - NIGHT 57 Pentcho grips the wheel. Eyes focused. We surge into 58 INT. PENTCHO'S BRAIN FIELD - OPENING ON 58 PEARLS, PLAYING OUT, LOOPING INTO A STRING whose shape recalls the original brain field. Thought text scrolls below, accompanied now by Pentcho's own inner voice. VOICE AND TEXT Each part of physical reality is constructed of all the other parts... EXTREME CLOSE-UP, ON A SINGLE PEARL inside of which, the entire strand is reflected. VOICE AND TEXT (CONT'D) A web of connections created by the interdependence of all things... The field collapses back into: 59 INT. MIA IN THE DURANGO (DRIVING) - NIGHT 59 eyes on the rear view mirror, as a horn BLARES from the entrance to the Long Beach bridge. She re-checks the mirror, filled with bobbing headlight beams. One beam LOCKS ON, straight into the center of the glass, blinding her for a split second. She blinks. Gasps to herself as the beam seems to LIFT OUT OF HER MIRROR and train its phosphorescent glow on: MIA - EXTREME CLOSE UP the point of light reflecting out of her pupils. PENTCHO'S VOICE speaks from nowhere, sonorous and packed with reverb: PENTCHO'S VOICE What do you want? Mia blinks again. The beam is gone. She looks over at WILL, oblivious, checking his watch. BACK ON MIA the understanding flooding her eyes as SHE SNAPS HER HEAD BACK (JUST LIKE PENTCHO THE GUNFIGHTER) And we see her making her move from FOUR DIFFERENT CAMERA ANGLES, from her left, right, up above, and from the back seat of the car as the RUMBLE OF A MEGA-EARTHQUAKE WHOOSHES BY... POV MIA: THE BRIDGE, THE CARS, THE BAY all sucked out of existence until nothing remains but THE VOID. NOTHINGNESS. NADA. CRASH! 60 INT. THE DURANGO (SLAMMING INTO THE CAR AHEAD) - NIGHT 60 triggering a chain reaction of vehicles fish-tailing across the bridge. In quick succession come a STREAM OF IMAGES: The pearls colliding... Mia and Will exchanging a LOOK... Traffic HALTING on the bridge... Will getting SCORCHED by the MAN they plowed into... Mia, exiting her side, looking BACK BEHIND HER... PENTCHO, ditching his Beetle, ten car lengths south... HE RUNS FORWARD, straight down the path of a tunnel-like headlight beam. MIA PICKS UP SPEED, churning from the other direction. PULL BACK: FROM THE BRIDGE as the two of them move toward the same point. Suddenly, tiny sparks of light GLOW and JUMP from portions of the bridge cable. SLOW MOTION: PENTCHO AND MIA gliding still closer. A VOICE sounds: VOICE Impact! Their bodies CONNECT, arms intertwine, lips touch lips... PULL BACK - HIGHER It's like a plug in the socket of the physical landscape LIGHTING THE ENTIRE ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM Every cell line, radio wave, satellite feed, fiber-optic cable, all stretching in every possible direction FROM BRIDGE TO SEA TO SKY pulsing outward into a spidery network of GLOWING INTERCONNECTEDNESS. THE END