INNERSPACE Original Screenplay by Chip Proser May 20, 1984 First Draft A STRANGE LANDSCAPE. Like the surface of some alien planet. CELESTIAL FORMS spin in the distance. DROP DOWN over a topography of rolling hills. ALVIN 5 - THE POD A titanium alloy sphere; the strongest form to withstand great pressures. A streamlined mantle houses propellers, batteries, articulated arms - one containing a carbon-dioxide laser. Maneuvering thrusters protrude next to antennae. WEIRD SUBMARINE FORMS glow in artificial light. We float over undulating undersea hills. Tendrils of beautiful growths wave in the currents. AL (VO) ...one small schlep for mankind... INT. - ALVIN 5 THE MAN INSIDE is Al Viola, 35, ex-Marine, ex-astronaut. He holds a doctorate in Medieval Languages from the Sorbonne. He is worldly, highly trained. Right now he's elated as well. AL ...but it means money in the bank to me. A VOICE cuts in - The Mission Control Officer - COLIN COLIN - VO Could you to stop counting your profits long enough for a systems check... AL This is a small breakthrough. I've a right to make a statement. A LAB SOMEWHERE Technicians cluster around VIDEO SCREENS showing feeds from LVIN'S MULTIPLE CAMERAS. One shot from the housing faces forward. Another is of Al at the controls. Exotic equipment surrounds him. A CLOCK is prominent. It reads: ELAPSED MISSION TIME - 1 hour, 14 minutes. A third camera fixed to a long extension arm, articulates 360% and shoots back to show the POD. COLIN What a pain in the...Where did we get this prima donna?...(into mike) Then do try to keep it dignified. Puns are a sign of oxygen deprivation of the brain. Now give us bank three, if you would. AL Alright, alright! Air filtration, 88; battery load, 76;... Reception is perfect. Al reports full success. He reads off instrument readings rapidly. His voice is clipped and precise...a test pilot. Behind him, packed into every corner of the tiny cockpit, are computers and scientific instruments. THE LAB TECHNICIANS are taut, organized and highly disciplined. There is a sense of purpose, of very important business. THE SUBMERSIBLE swoops through valleys lined with stranger growths. The craft is perfectly balanced, responsive to the pilot's lightest touch. END TITLES SILICON VALLEY - DAWN A peaceful setting; flowers on low, rolling hills, a high-tech building complex - UNITED SYNERGISTIC TECHNOLOGIES. TWO MEN ON A HILL OVERLOOKING UST. They are fooling with something. It goes off. A rocket flares out in the direction of the building, The rocketeer guides the flight of the Remotely Piloted Vehicle on a video monitor. ABOVE THE BUILDING, retro jets slow the craft. A small braking chute blooms. It settles, braking jets fire briefly as it lands softly on the rooftop air duct. THE ROCKETEER hits a button; blue flame shoots out the underside of the vehicle. It burns a tiny pinpoint through the duct. INT. UNITED SYNERGISTIC TECHNOLOGIES - A HIGH-TECH LAB THE SAME ONE, SAME TIME - A TECH turns from the video monitors and looks through a window into the main experimental area...A maze of equipment. Some bizarre, tension-filled procedure is going on. Techs in the control room smoke like fiends. Others in the clean-room are enclosed head to foot in sterile coveralls. CONTROL ROOM Engineers note and dismiss a READING... ENG 1 Air temp just went up. ENG 2 We're drawing lots of power. INT. UST FRONT OFFICE Salesmen, job seekers crowd the busy lobby. One applicant, Joe Doakes, 30, has a air of desperation. His tie is too tight. His hair won't behave. He's nicked himself shaving. The surveillance cameras make him nervous. He checks his watch impatiently, rises and crosses to the receptionist. JOE Remember me? She barely looks up...a 40 watt smile. JOE Joe Doakes? It's quarter to 10... RECEPTIONIST. I'm sorry. We're running behind. So many applicants...so few jobs... If you'll just have a seat. JOE I have a seat. I've had it since nine. RECEPTIONIST. ...Mr. Athol will be with you as soon as possible. Will you be able to wait? JOE (he turns) You're just lucky I need this job. RECEPTIONIST. Is there anything else? JOE A drink... RECEPTIONIST. Water fountain's through that door, down the hall. JOE Thanks. THE ROOF The landing craft withdraws its torch, deploys a nozzle-arm. PSSSSCCCHHHT. A colorless gas is emitted. - A hallucinogen; debilitating but not fatal...not even unpleasant. t makes people highly suggestible, pliable, complacent. INT. LAB AND CONTROL ROOM- Slowly, almost imperceptibly, the hubbub and chatter die off. People stand and sit as before, but slowly slow down...Cigarettes slow halfway to the mouth...Coffee cups stop in mid-sip. In the lab, procedures just...slow. A man at a control board looks down as if, suddenly, it's all Greek...the lights and buttons suddenly foreign to him. Others seem bemused, daydreaming...They smile at each other and try to think of something to say. Some of them giggle. EXT. THE VALLEY A CHOPPER glides through the pass and settles on the UST landing pad. Five figures exit the chopper, all dressed alike; dark coveralls and boots, motorcycle helmets with reflectored visors...A PRECISION ATTACK. THE INTRUDERS - walk to the access door. They are armed, disciplined, well drilled. Movement is unhurried but efficient. They carry submachine guns. A GUARD eyes them placidly. Their LEADER speaks through a radio directly into the UST intercom. He is assured and calm. The GUARD is bemused... drugged. LEADER Hello. GUARD Hello LEADER We'd like to come in. The guard is lethargic. The gas has sapped his will. One part of his brain cannot accept what he is about to do. He giggles softly at the thought of it, even as he is compelled to obey. GUARD (giggling) You'd like...to come in... LEADER Open the door please. GUARD (still giggling) Open the door?... Certainly. The door pops open. They enter and pass the bemused guard. LEADER Thank you. GUARD My pleasure. INT. LAB AREA Everyone is smiling...stoned. The LEADER speaks to them like children, not to be funny, but because low-key orders are the most efficient. They are completely suggestible. LEADER Hello. TECH Hello. LEADER We've come for the PEM114. Where is it? TECH 2 Right there. LEADER Thank you. The INTRUDERS step up to the lab equipment. Another tech...steps forward...He is struggling against the effects of the drug. TECH 3 Wait. LEADER Why? TECH 3 You can't take that. LEADER Why not? TECH 3 The experiment. The danger... THE VOICE is soothing, calming, hypnotic, but the submachine guns are always in position. LEADER It's alright. TECH 3 It is? LEADER It will be fine. You have another. TECH 3 Just one. The back up. LEADER Could I have it, please. TECH 3 I can't get it out. It would take hours. LEADER That's alright. Just tear it apart. TECH 3 Tear it apart? LEADER Yes. TECH 3 Ahhh...Okay?!!! He tears into a complex web of electronic circuitry, ripping wires and circuit boards apart. With a POP, the circuits go out. The lights dip, the OVERHEAD VIDEO SCREENS go out as the TECH comes up with the MAIN CIRCUIT BOARD. THE SHRIEK of an ALARM SIREN. Suddenly a door swings open. The LEADER'S gun swings on the figure in the doorway...Joe Doakes. Joe stands in shock, looks at the gun, swings the door shut behind him. The ALARM CUTS OUT. Everyone in the room stares at him. he stands there rumpled and bemused, blinking at them; Dustin Hoffman on drugs. Finally, the LEADER sees he's no threat, relaxes his grip on the gun. The LEADER snaps out: LEADER What do you want? JOE (stoned innocent) Drink of water...? A beat, then the LEADER relaxes...He waves Joe away... LEADER Go get a drink. This has the force of suggestion...Joe turns and walks through and out of the room...looking for a drink. The LEADER motions to INTRUDER 2 to continue. INTRUDER 2 The PEM114? TECH 2 Yes, that's it. LEADER Give it to me. He does. Another tech offers the Leader the spare. He holds the tiny circuit board in his palm, removes one chip. LEADER This the only spare? TECH 2 Yes. LEADER The other working. TECH 2 Perfectly. The Leader has something in his hand, a CLICK, a WHOOSH. A butane lighter melts the circuit board to microscopic slag. The Tech looks at his scorched hand, the destroyed silicon bead. is voice is still slightly amused. TECH 2 Ow?... LEADER It'l be alright. TECH 2 It will. LEADER It doesn't hurt. TECH 2 No? The Leader pauses for a moment, amused by their sheep-like acquiescence. His next suggestion is droll. LEADER It tickles. The tech looks at his smoking hand in dismay...then incredibly finds something amusing in his second degree burn. He starts to laugh...it tickles...The other techs look confused, then it's contagious. They start to laugh too. INTRUDER 5, steps into the room full of laughing idiots. He moves to the LEADER. They speak quickly and both leave. INT. HIGH TECH EXPERIMENT AREA The LEADER is surprised. LEADER What's this? INT 5 They're further along than we thought. CU - an empty beaker on a pad surrounded by exotic equipment. INT 5 ...Looks almost ready to go. A WALKIE-TALKIE SQUAWKS. W/T (V.O.) ...response to door alarm... LEADER Time to go...(looks at the beaker) It doesn't matter. We have the PEM. They turn and exit the room. As they do, the LEADER notices Joe aimlessly examining the wall of equipment nearby. Joe is really stoned...He's fooling with a control panel, flicking switches on and off. He notices the INTRUDERS. Caught, he tries to make the best of it. He smooths his hair, spins and comes to a half-assed kind of attention. As he turns, he knocks some wildly expensive piece of equipment to the floor. Joe grimaces and straightens his tie, making it much worse. The LEADER comes close to him, stares at him, thoughtfully. Joe blinks back, trying to clear his head in case speaking is required...The leader looks at the smashed equipment. Joe looks at it guiltily. The Radio SQUAWKS. The Leader decides. Abruptly, he kicks the equipment out of his way. It smashes against the back wall. Joe winces...the Leader turns and stalks out of the room. Joe holds his attention position for a moment, like a good scout, then seems to find himself lost and alone in a room full of strange equipment. MAIN ROOM OTHER INTRUDERS finish taking apart the equipment. The LEADER addresses the crowd, a James Mason-ish air about him. LEADER We must be off. Goodbye. TECHS Goodbye...Goodbye... They all wish them goodbye...smiles and laughter all around. The one who struggled steps forward. He struggles again... TECH 3 Who....are...you? INTRUDER 5 just laughs, but the LEADER turns back to TECH 3. LEADER I'm ...your mother. CLOSE UP - TECH 3 Stunned and confused...He shakes his head and blinks rapidly. He rubs his eyes. TECH 3'S POV Before his eyes, the IMAGE OF THE LEADER shrinks down and transforms itself into that of a grey haired old lady. TECH 3 - can't believe it. TECH 3 Mom...what are you doing here? LEADER Leaving, now go to sleep. ...all of you. Some of them do. The INTRUDERS step back through the door. The TECHS look at each other blankly. Then they look at the ceiling ...the walls...their shoes, anything. In the video monitoring section, others watch the INTRUDERS leave on SCREENS...Their faces register nothing. The LEADER pauses...A final command... LEADER Give me the surveillance<<<<<<<<< camera videotapes. The video tech does. INT LAB - HOURS LATER FRANTIC - Crawling with security people. The scene of the crime. No clues. No leads. A Security Man, FINNEGAN, interrogates the techs... FINNEGAN ...Well who did it look like? Tech 3 squirms in his seat...embarrassed...humiliated. He doesn't answer..The interrogator stands over him, intimidating. Finally, defiantly, the tech states the ludicrous. TECH 2 My mother. INT. CONTROL ROOM COLIN walks up to the CHIEF DETECTIVE. He shrugs. In B.G. through a glass partition...and on TV monitors, other security men question other techs. FINNEGAN Who'd it look like to you? TECH 1 My dog. COLIN turns to the detective. FINNEGAN Mass hypnosis. Short term memory loss. Some kind of hallucinogenic gas... MYER Kind of stuff the army's been working on. COLIN Surveillance Cameras? FINNEGAN They took the tapes. COLIN You have nothing... FINNEGAN We don't even know where to start. What about these people? What do we do with them? He indicates glass wall through which they can see the bystanders, including Joe, being questioned one at a time.. Joe looks a little queasy. He burps...an uneasy stomach. COLIN We'll have to let them go. FINNEGAN Surveilliance on them all. COLIN looks uncomfortable at the thought. Tech 2 steps through a door and catches his eye. He excuses himself as the FINNEGAN turns back to study his suspects in the window. INT. LAB. - TECH 2 is panicked. He speaks quietly, intensely. TECH 2 The P.E.M. It's gone... They must have it. COLIN How did they know? No one knew. TECH 2 Whoever has it, can leapfrog generations of technology. We gotta get it back. TECH 3 Screw the PEM...What about Al... TECH 2 Poor bastard. AL - IN THE POD fighting for his life. The pod is slammed and buffeted. Al struggles with the controls as the POD tumbles.. AL Come in, control...Do you read me? Come in...damn! He flips frantically through the controls. AL Okay guys, what's going on? Who turned out the lights? He tries one system, then the other. AL This wasn't in the plan. Then it dawns on him: he may be in big trouble. AL (resigned, professional) Damn...10:03...Something's gone wrong. Experiencing extreme turbulence. Unable to control the capsule.. Appear to be tumbling. Exterior envirnment dark. Lost radio contact. Cause...unknown. Power failure?.. maybe...an earthquake. HE THROWS A SWITCH: SUCCESS! LIGHT FLICKERS ACROSS HIS FACE. AL Wait a minute...Got power...Going to external floods....Holy...Shit!!! THE POD - A different LAND...Turbulent, convulsive ...alive. THE POD seems to drop through an enormous tunnel...like a marble in a sewer. It churns in a mass of liquid. Semi-solid forms SLAM against the housing and rush on. They are enormous forms... balls, discs, rods...chains...They swirl in the ebb, then drop away before us...WE TUMBLE, GLANCE OFF A WALL, SPIN TO SEE A NEW WAVE DESCEND UPON US... AND . Al sets his thrusters at full forward for maximum manoueverability in the flow and powers through the vortexes...His voice is tight with effort, concern. AL Where in the....YEAOOOW!!! THE BOTTOM DROPS AWAY. An abyss opens up before him. THE POD - plunges through the hole and FALLS...FALLS...FALLS INTO a smoking churning cavern. It hits the surface of something, plunges through into the darker depths...of a ROARING, GROANING, BUBBLING INFERNO.... INSIDE - AL has browned out from the impact. He now comes around...dazed. He is once more in darkness...The dark masses block his floodlights, throwing weird shadows...He switches over to infrared imaging... Infrared imaging displays THE ENVIRNMENT on his cockpit glass in a HEADS-UP-DISPLAY. AL CHRIS, if this is one of your jokes.... SAN FRANCISCO. EXT. STREET - A WORKING-CLASS NEIGHBORHOOD - A UNITED SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY VAN pulls up. INT. VAN - THE FINNEGAN DRIVES. JOE SITS CONFUSED in the passenger seat. FINNEGAN Now remember, your short term memory may have been affected. JOE What? FINNEGAN Your memory. JOE What about it? FINNEGAN It may have been affected. JOE Oh. FINNEGAN You may not remember things. JOE What things? FINNEGAN I don't know...the last couple of hours...last few days. JOE Oh...that's okay. FINNEGAN When you do... JOE Do what? FINNEGAN When you remember... JOE Remember what? FINNEGAN Anything....You call us right away. You got that? JOE Yeah. If I remember anything... I call ...you FINNEGAN Right. JOE Who...are you? FINNEGAN Sergeant Finnegan. Name's right there on the card. Are you sure you're alright? JOE How do I look? FINNEGAN Fine. You look fine. JOE Thanks. FINNEGAN Well... JOE Well what? FINNEGAN We're here. JOE Here? FINNEGAN Home. Your home. The address on your form. JOE Oh. FINNEGAN Don't you want to get out? JOE Oh....Sure. FINNEGAN Why don't you lie down until you feel better. JOE I feel fine. FINNEGAN You'll feel better JOE I will? FINNEGAN Look, we'll bring your car home. just take it easy until the effects wear off. You need anything, just call this number. He offers him a card. Joe turns away. FINNEGAN Joe. JOE What? FINNEGAN Take the card. JOE Oh yeah, thanks... The van pulls away. Joe turns, looks up at his apartment house, seems to forget what he's doing...and wanders off down the street. He acts strangely. There's an odd whistling in his ear. INT. AL IN THE POD - INFRARED IMAGING - shows where he is...A vast submarine cavern. He moves forward, swinging the POD in an arc through the churning waters. He turns to his computers and sensors for an answer. MONITORS. - A diagram appears. A wire-frame representation of Al's envirnment... AL What the hell is this? He programs the computer to manipulate the image. The computer program turns it inside out; gives it an external, omniscient POV and we understand: It's a man. The pinpoint representing the POD is in the stomach. AL - ALMOST - SHOCKED INTO SILENCE. AL Alright guys, the joke's gone far enough. MOLLOYS BAR - A NEIGHBORHOOD HANG-OUT. Dazed, Joe enters and sits at the bar. He's greeted like a regular. MOLLOY. Joe. How's it going? How'd it go with that job? JOE What job? MOLLOY (A beat) Hey...look...this one's on me. He sets a beer in front of Joe, moves off down the bar. On the TV at the end of the bar...a NEWS REPORT. Joe stares at the TV. TV - A REPORTER does a STAND-UP in front of U.S.T. MAIN GATE. REPORTER All we know, is that something has gone wrong here, but so far...no one is talking about it. Ron Golloway, with the ACTIONCAM... INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL checks his envirnmental analysers. AL Stomach acid! This stuff's caustic. SUDDENLY, THE STOMACH CHURNS...A NEW WAVE OF FOAMY LIQUID ROARS DOWN THE ESOPHAGUS AND ENGULFS THE POD. INSIDE - AL - ON THE ANALYSERS - A READOUT: ALCOHOL. AL You guy's are...DRUNK! (FURIOUS) Okay, buster, I don't know who you are, but if I ever get out of you, you're in big trouble. INSIDE THE STOMACH - THE POD SPEEDS TOWARD THE STOMACH WALL...THE CARBON-DIOXIDE LASER FIRES OPENING A HOLE IN THE STOMACH WALL. THE POD BLASTS THROUGH. INSIDE A CAPILLARY - THE POD BREAKS THROUGH THE WALL AND IS CARRIED AWAY IN THE BLOOD FLOW. INT. POD - A WIRE-FRAME REPRESENTATION OF THE BODY guides Al as he powers the POD ahead. The capillary branches into larger and larger vessels...The pressure and speed builds with every branch...Al has to fly like crazy to avoid collision with solid particles. On the monitors he watchs the sonar/ computer imaging to guide his navigation. EXT. POD He enters a main artery. The walls bulge with each pump of the heart...then up ahead, the heart. he tries to back down, reverse his thrust but it's no good; He is being sucked in. Nowhere to turn...no way to escape...He decides and THRUSTS FULL FORWARD into the heart. WHOOSH. He is pulled into a VENTRICAL, spun....THE WORLD BLURRS as he is expelled in a surge of blood and pushed up the artery. Spinning wildly, he fights for control, swings into a vein. THE TUNNEL gets smaller. He checks his navigation aids...It branches..Al cuts into the --- artery and up the neck into the base of the head...before him...a barrier...a membrane appears... INSIDE - INT. THE POD AL pulls up in an eddy and aims the laser at the membrane... It slices a neat hole through it. The FLOW bursts through the breach and carries the POD with it. OTHER SIDE OF THE MEMBRANE - Al swings the pod around...He is in another...region...where the water is still. He swings the laser around again and spot welds the tear in the membrane....before he can complete the job...a treelike thing is swept into the hole by the flood. Other debris collect behind it until the hole is sealed shut...Slowly the current dies. INSIDE - EXT. THE POD Al has just slipped through the BLOOD/BRAIN barrier and has taken up residence in the left VENTRICLE - A FLUID FILLED CAVITY in the brain. INSIDE - INT. THE POD AL stations himself near a nerve bundle. AL You'll wish you never thought of this. He sets a contact arm of the POD for high-voltage electrical charge...picks a nerve at random...an hits the trigger. ZZZZAAAPPP! A charge hits the nerve. OUTSIDE - INT. THE BAR JOE flies off the barstool and hits the floor with a thud. He looks around, dazed...then slowly climbs back up. Molloy rushes over, concerned, but says nothing. INSIDE - INT. THE POD Al's envirnment has been agitated a little, but not much. He takes up position again at the nerve bundle, selects another nerve...hits the charge trigger. OUTSIDE - INT. THE BAR - JOE shakes his head...He is seeing the weirdest shit on television... then all over the walls...VISIONS. All of a sudden it's amusing...very funny. Very very funny. He falls off the stool again in convulsive laughter. INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL Is getting shaken all over the place. He cuts the circuit. OUTSIDE - INT. THE BAR JOE, on the floor again, stops laughing as suddenly as he began. He crawls back up on the barstool, more confused than ever. JOE Well, think I'll go home. MOLLOY Are you okay? JOE Fine...fine. No problem. Just tired, that's all... INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL hits another nerve bundle with the probe. Now he gets DISTORTED SOUNDS... TV REPORTER (VO) ...accident site at UNITED SYSTEMS LABS... AL Oh, shit. A STRANGE LANDSCAPE - THE SAME AS SCENE ONE. THE SAME SCENE; THE SAME SHOTS. Suddenly time RUSHES FORWARD. Al's voice squeaks, the action accellerates. LEADER (VO) Run past this stuff. THE VISUALS SPEED EVEN FASTER. SOMEBODY is running the tapes of the EXPERIMENT right before the attack...FAST FORWARD. INTRUDER You won't believe this. INT. LAB - The INTRUDERS SLOW the tape and watch with interest. CU.- THE BEAKER on the pedestal surrounded by EXOTIC EQUIPMENT. LEADER What's the hell is this? INTRUDER (AMAZED) They've gone ahead. They did it. SURVEILLANCE CAMERA POV - THE ATTACK. The INTRUDERS - TAPE WINDS FAST FORWARD - Someone in authority speaks with a Scottish Burr. BURR The craft, that man.... INTRUDER When we got there, it was gone... CONTROL ROOM - ANGLE ON COLIN and TECHS. They look ...drugged. LEADER What happened? INT. LAB - PEDESTAL - Just then, a door in the B.G. opens. Joe, dizzily enters, looks around, grabs the first liquid he sees and drinks it down... The BEAKER. MONITOR - THE IMAGE of Al in the POD breaks up, goes off. LEADER (VO) That Idiot! BURR (VO) Who is that? LEADER (VO) Nobody..just wanted a drink. BURR (VO) Someone is the idiot... TECH 2 (VO) What about the pilot? BURR (VO) How long could his power last? TECH 2 (VO) In that envirnment, I don't think it matters. INT 3 (VO) What a way to go! BURR (VO) Dead or alive, there's a lot that machine could tell us. INT 3 (VO) We better get to him fast. INT 2 (VO) Yeah, one pepperoni pizza, it might be too late. EXT. STREET. JOE STOPS AT A BUS STOP - WAITS. INSIDE - INT. THE POD AL hears the STREETSOUNDS - Is reprogramming the computer...To transmit. AL Hello, Hello. Can you hear me? He throws a few more switches... AL Hello...Hello. Come in... Whoever you are...Hello! EXT. STREET - A BUS pulls up, JOE gets on it. INT. BUS- EMPTY EXCEPT FOR A WOMAN IN THE BACK. Joe sits a few seats from her, holding his head. As he watches the passing street scenes through the window, the SOUND gets louder...then distorted...enhanced...The SOUNDS FOLD BACK, REVERBERATE on themselves...AN ACID FLASHBACK, is Joe's first thought...The SOUND is getting very weird. It slows up, speeds down...Filters chop the highs, the lows off...He's definitely HEARING THINGS. A VOICE OVER Can you hear me? Joe looks around...No one in the bus but him and the woman. He turns to her. JOE Of course, I can. Her eyes flick to him, nervously...Then her face becomes a mask. She stares straight ahead, gripping her bag, tightly. INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL celebrates. AL Yahooo! It works!!!... Excitedly, he hits the transmit button again. OUTSIDE - ON THE BUS - JOE stares at his hands...blinking... AL (VO) You can hear me! Joe looks up at the woman. JOE You don't have to yell. She moves a seat away. Joe is confused and insulted. He turns back to the window, mumbling. AL (VO) Then, answer me... Joe turns to the woman, exasperated...She looks up, worried. JOE I did. I said I can hear you just fine. What do you want? She turns to him and confronts the problem directly. WOMAN Who, me? Joe looks around...yep, there's no one else there. JOE Yes...What is it? WOMAN What's what? JOE What do you want? WOMAN Nothing. JOE What did you say? WOMAN Nothing. JOE What? WOMAN I said...I didn't say..anything! JOE Then who did? WOMAN You did. JOE No I didn't. You said something first. AL (VO) I said something. JOE I know you did! Joe is confused now, because, although she responded to him, her mouth didn't seem to move. And now, she does it again! AL (VO) No, not her. Me. JOE (SHOUTING. FRUSTRATED) Who's you? The woman's now terrified. She locks eyes with Joe as she slowing rises and backs away. He shouts after her. AL (VO) My name is AL. JOE Al ???!!! He looks wildly around the bus...under the seats. The woman scurries to the front of the bus. She has a quick word with the bus driver. The driver looks up at Joe in the rear view mirror. JOE - A stupid grin on his face. He knows someone is fucking with him. Maybe this whole thing is a joke. He baits the voice. JOE Where are you,...Al? AL (VO) You're not gonna believe this... JOE Try me. AL (VO) I'm...inside you. A LONG PAUSE WHILE JOE THINKS ABOUT THIS. FRONT OF THE BUS - The DRIVER and WOMAN stare at this lunatic. JOE - SUDDENLY, HE JUMPS UP. SCREAMING AND POINTING AT THEM. JOE Okay...which one of you guy's the ventriloquist???!!! The driver's mouth drops open...He glances back at traffic. He's about to rear-end a car. He SLAMS the brakes and swerves to the side...the woman SCREAMS as she's thrown down the stairs. JOE - swings from a pole as the bus SWERVES... HORNS BLAST as the driver SWINGS back into his lane, barely avoiding a head-on. Joe rushes up the isle, irate. JOE You trying to kill us? Cut the shit and concentrate on your driving! INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL is getting bounced all over. AL Calm down! Don't worry! OUTSIDE Joe talks at the driver...who thinks he's got a madman on his hands. JOE Either drive or talk. Don't do both. Then I won't worry. The driver pulls the bus over to the curb. Sets the brake. The woman painfully pulls herself up. AL (VO) It's not him. Joe turns to the woman. JOE Oh...and who is it!? WOMAN I didn't say anything. JOE (answering Al) Why not? DRIVER Are you alright? AL (VO) You'll find this hard to accept. JOE Try me. The driver thinks this is a challenge. DRIVER Alright, get off the bus. JOE (indignant) It's not my stop. DRIVER You'll have to leave. JOE What for? DRIVER ...creating a disturbance. JOE Me?...! You created it. I'm the one that's being disturbed. WOMAN You can say that again. Joe looks at her, innocent and hurt. He turns back to the driver. He's gotten up from his seat. He's big and mean. EXT. BUS JOE flys out the door, lands hard on his knees and skids into a bush. JOE Hey!!! He jumps up, shakes his fist at the bus as it pulls away. JOE I'm reporting you to the .....transit authority!!! INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL What's going on? OUTSIDE - EXT. STREET Joe, points at the retreating bus... JOE (furious) That fucker...he's...he's... He stops in mid-sentence as he realizes...THE VOICE...He glances around furtively...at the voice. Now he's starting to feel that he may be talking to himself...He mumbles self-consciously. JOE ...reporting....him... ventriloquism...On a bus AL (VO) Don't do that. JOE Why not. He stops in his tracks, spins around...Nobody near him. He groans, puts his head in his hands. JOE Arrrgh! AL (VO) It wasn't him. JOE Who was it? AL (VO) Me. JOE Who? AL (VO) Al. JOE (looks around him.) Where are you, Al? INSIDE - INT. THE POD- AL struggles to find the right words. OUTSIDE - JOE goes rustling through the bushes...Passers-by look at him queerly. He passes a mailbox...stops. Looks at it. JOE Al. AL (VO) Yes? JOE This candid camera? He peers into the mailbox. Pedestrians look at him strangely. One man comes up to mail a letter...hesitates. INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL hesitates, not quite sure how to tell him. Finally, he just blurts it out. AL (VO) I'm in your head. Joe's reply is flat, toneless. JOE You're in my head... AL (VO) Yes. JOE Your name is Al... AL (VO) Yes. JOE I see... Joe turns to see the letter-mailer staring a him. JOE No...no...it's nothing.. Rehearsing a play... (STALKS OFF) What light through yonder window breaks...It is Al... and he's in my head. AL (VO) What is your name? JOE You're in my head? You don't know my name? AL (VO) I just got here. JOE What??? You lose your lease on a condo? AL (VO) Where are we? JOE Where are we? We're on the street. We're walking down the street. We're talking to ourselves. People are staring at us. AL (VO) What street? JOE What street?! We're walking down QUEER STREET. We coming to Dopey Drive. We're about to be put somewhere quiet where they won't mind that we talk to ourselves. AL (VO) Why don't we go home? JOE Go home. Good idea. Get some rest. AL (VO) ...I need to make a phone call. JOE Do me a favor, Al. AL (VO) Yeah? JOE Shut up! INT. JOE'S APARTMENT ... that of a semi-impoverished single man. Pictures of Baseball players taped to the walls. Half broken electronic gear all over the place. Joe wanders/rushes in, stands confused amidst the debris. JOE Somebody's been here. AL (VO) Where are we now? JOE My place, can't you see? AL (VO) No. JOE You're in my head, you can talk to me and hear what I say, but you can't see anything. AL (VO) Right. JOE Kind of an oversight, wouldn't you say. AL (VO) I'm working on it. Soon as I find the right nerve bundle. JOE Nerve bundle! What are you doing? You just leave the nerve bundles right where they are. INSIDE - THE POD - AL The POD moves slightly in the intercranial fluid. Al senses movement. AL What are you doing? JOE'S APARTMENT Joe roots through his goods which are strewn all over the floor. JOE Wait a minute, they didn't take anything...I'm not even worth robbing...This...they just messed it up (HE THINKS)... Maybe I did it. He turns, goes into the bedroom and roots around in the closet. A secret hiding hole behind a board, he brings out a small object wrapped in a cloth. He opens it up...a pistol and shells. AL Who are you? JOE Who am I? AL Yeah...Who? JOE Well...If you're in my head... to you, I'm...GOD! Unloads clip, checks it. AL Quit screwing around, this is important. JOE It's my head, I'll be the judge of that. Anyway, who are you? AL I told you, my name is Al. JOE What are you doing in my head, Al? Slams clip in. AL I'm a test pilot... JOE (patronizing) ...Test pilot. Uh huh. What do you test? AL You've heard of the PEM114... JOE That a new Datsun? INSIDE - THE POD - AL Worried frantic, he jumps to conclusions. AL Don't screw with me, Buster. I don't know how you got into U.S.T. or where you got this crazy idea, but you get me back to the lab right now. Joe grabs his head in frustration. JOE Are you threatening me? AL I'm trying to get you to listen to reason. Flips off safety. JOE (condescending) Reason...Ah hah... AL (VO) Look! I didn't ask to be in you. Don't blame me for it. You did it. JOE Me? What'd I do? AL (VO) Yeah. What did you do? You explain it. ...why I'm not at the lab right now, in my tube, with my crew. Explain that! JOE I don't know what you're talking about. AL (VO) The Nicholson Node. I suppose you haven't heard of that either. JOE No. AL (VO) You've heard of U.S.T.? JOE I just went there for a job. AL (VO) Then how'd I get here? Joes thinks he's nuts but finally gets mad, yells at the VOICE. JOE I don't know. Now Fuck Off! Strangely, that calms Al down... AL (VO) I know...it sounds insane. JOE You said it. Joe chambers a round...Al HEARS, he senses something. AL (VO) What are you doing? JOE Loading a gun. AL What for? JOE Kill myself. AL Are you crazy? JOE Yep. AL Don't do it. (thinks a second) Don't aim at the head. JOE Used to be, things were bad. No job...no money...no girl. Now I got all that and I'm crazy too. AL You're not crazy. JOE Hear voices don't I. AL Of course you do! JOE Then I'm crazy. He cocks the gun. AL You're not crazy. Don't...wait a minute, just let me explain. JOE You're gonna explain. AL Yeah JOE Why there's a little man in my head? AL Yeah. JOE Why he's argumentative? AL Yes...Yes...I'll explain it all. Just put the gun down. JOE (hesitates) What's in it for me? AL You'll be alive. JOE With a man in my head... AL Yeah. JOE (slowly considers) Well...Okay, But this better be good! INSIDE - THE POD - AL AL Okay, Now, The Photon Echo Memory Chip...You've heard of that? OUTSIDE - INT. APARTMENT - JOE just sits there...gun in hand, staring ahead in disbelief. He nod's slightly in response. INSIDE - THE POD Al lays it all on him: the EXPERIMENT. AL The Photon Echo Memory chip - the PEM114. It's the key. It's magical... It focuses massive computing power on one event: the creation of a mathematically induced real- life simulacrum encoded and synthesized on the molecular level with properties of the real model...and the transfer of a certain imponderable which might be called the life- force between the two in direct symbiosis. The effect is that man and machine are living on the molecular level...Now that's where we were when things went wrong. You understand... (NO RESPONSE)... Are you listening? OUTSIDE- Joe, exhausted, mesmerized, has dozed off, gun in hand. INSIDE - THE POD - AL AL I am real, Goddamn it. Hello?!! No response. Frustrated, he hits the charge button...an electric pulse from a POD arm shoots to a nearby nerve bundle. JOE'S APARTMENT. Joe's limbs shudder. His muscles spasm... ENORMOUS ROAR - THE GUN GOES OFF. The shell tears through the window, raining glass and plaster... From outside the window...a STARTLED YELL...Someone falls away from the porch. INSIDE - THE POD - AL - Is buffetted by the ROAR - AL What was that? JOE'S APARTMENT - JOE ON THE COUCH...GETS UP, CROSSES TO WINDOW. JOE Who was that? Somebody out there? HIS POV - OUT THE WINDOW. Movement in the bushes. AL You weren't listening! JOE Sorry...all this...buzzing in my head. (resigned...He just wants it over) Why don't I just take you back to UST? AL (VO) Why don't you? JOE (rhetorically) Because they'll think I'm nuts. AL (VO) No they won't. JOE Why not? AL (VO) I'll talk to them. JOE Oh...Gooood! AL (VO) I'll tell you what to say. JOE If I get you back to the lab, will you get out of my head? AL (VO) If I'm real, they'll get me out. If I'm not, they'll treat you. Either way you'll be better off than you are now. You'll get a reward. Joe looks out the front. Movement in the bushes. JOE Let's get out of here. EXT. APARTMENT. Joe sneaks out the side window, through the bushes, around to the front. EXT. STREET Sitting at the curb. A well-worn old Ford. He cracks the door, sneaks in...puts the key in, releases the brake. The car starts to roll down the hill...Faster....Joe swings into driving position, pops the clutch. The car roars away. As he cuts the corner, Joe looks back... No one. AL (VO) Anyone there? JOE No one. Maybe I dreamed it all up. EXT. DESERTED ROAD - U.S.T LAB COMPLEX - in the distance. AL (VO) Behind us? JOE Still clear. Just a motorcycle. POV - A LONE MOTORCYCLE RIDER TRAILS THEM . Joe speeds up. The cycle accellerates, overtaking them. The cyclist is dressed in black; dark visored helmet. An INTRUDER. Joe doesn't recognize him. The cyclist glances at Joe, then pulls ahead. AL (VO) What's that? JOE Nothing. Just the cyclist. He's passed us. THE CYCLE - The rider reaches for something in his saddlebag. JOE'S CAR - IN THE REAR VIEW MIRROR A lone van appears behind them. It quickly catches up. AL (VO) What'd he look like? JOE He's not the problem. It's the van in the back. Just as he says that... CYCLE - The cyclist has a cellophane bag. He tosses it behind him in a sweeping motion. THE BAG - breaks open as it hits the road spewing 4 point spikes across the tarmac. JOE - sees the spikes, hits the brakes. JOE I take that back. BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! BLAM! Joe's car runs over the spikes. All four tires blow. Joe fights the swerve as the car threatens to go off the road. The VAN rushes up to meet them. THE CYCLE - in front, is joined by another...an ambush. AL (VO) What's happening? Joe fights the car down to 30. The van pulls off on the shoulder, around the spikes and pulls up in back of Joe. JOE What do I do? AL (VO) Outrun them. JOE This is a Fiesta! UP AHEAD - another VAN cuts them off. JOE Now what? AL (VO) Whatever you do, just...don't stop. Shredding his tires, he heads for a small gap between the van and the guard rail. He shoots through it, tearing off both side mirrors. Shots fly. The windshield SHATTERS. The car rolls down an embankment...pastured countryside...a GOLF COURSE. THE VAN AND CYCLES follow them at high speed through the trees. INSIDE - INT. THE POD AL is slammed around. THE VAN PULLS UP right behind...Slams into their bumper. Joe cuts left, the van tries to follow. SPRANG! It catches, wedged between two trees. A rider flies through the windshield. JOE HITS SOMETHING. It rolls to a stop. Joe sits there, dazed. AL (VO) Are we safe? As the engine dies...HEAR motorcycles. JOE I wouldn't say that. AL (VO) Then what are you stopping for? JOE IS OUT - running through the dark fields. Cycles, headlights off...pursue. They circle him. He sneaks along a ridge. A ROAR! - A cycle BLASTS out of the trees, headlight impaling him. Terrified, Joe jumps over the ridge.. The cycle leaps over him. BLAAAT! It hits the ground, stops dead. The rider is thrown over the handlebars. The cycle dies, mired in a sand trap. JOE - runs through the woods. It grows quieter. AL (VO) Get your breathing down. You sound like a cement mixer. JOE Can't see a Goddamn thi.. He turns...BLAM! Something knocks him down. A man. Joe rolls away. The man comes at him again. Joe tries to back away. The man tackles him, driving him back into the bushes. JOE Help! INSIDE - INT. THE POD AL's helpless. OUTSIDE JOE - his arms are pinned. Under his helmet, the man's neck is bare. Joe bites him. The man SCREAMS. He slugs Joe hard in the face. Joe grabs for him again. The man kicks Joe in the side of the head. Joe spins away. The man comes at him again but slips. Joe catches him in the nuts with a boot. He groans and sinks to the ground. Joe escapes. Running full bore, he turns to look behind, stumbles, turns back around, hits something. JOE Ooofff! SIRENS - LIGHTS - he's caught on a chain link fence. Figures run up, hard to see in the GLARE. A badge...UST SECURITY. SECURITY Stand where you are. Joe turns, looks behind. The pursuers melt back into the trees. JOE I'm not going anywhere. GOLF COURSE - NIGHT The PURSUERS regroup. INTRUDER 1 (indicates UST) He's in there. LEADER (turns to 2) Call it off. Sterilize this area... INTRUDER 2 That's it? We pull out? LEADER Let him go. We've got the PEM. INT. UST COLIN, OTHER TECHS seen through a lab window, confer intently. Joe bursts in, scared, whispering frantically to Al. JOE I want out. AL (VO) Too late...They want you. JOE Why? AL (VO) You know too much. JOE I don't know anything. I just want to go home. AL (VO) You have no choice, you're involved. Will you help? JOE (yells) No! Security people move in quickly. AL (VO) Calm Down! Act rational. JOE How do you act when someone trys to kill you? The guards think he means the TECHS tried to kill him. FINNEGAN recognises Joe. He pulls him away. FINNEGAN Now, Joe, you know it was all a mistake, don't you? JOE No, it wasn't, It was intentional. FINNEGAN Why would we want to hurt you? JOE Not you. Them. FINNEGAN Who? JOE I don't know Who. FINNEGAN (condescending) Do you know why? JOE I don't know...To get Al. INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL AL (VO) No. Don't tell the guards. OUTSIDE - THE LAB FINNEGAN Al? JOE The little man in my... (sees he's in trouble.) ...head... INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL AL Oh shit. OUTSIDE - THE LAB - The guards exchange looks: another nut case! AL (VO) He doesn't know about the experiment. He'll just think you're nuts. COLIN enters, glances at Joe, OTHER TECHS COME UP TO COLIN. TECH 3 The Emergency committe... INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL AL The Emergency Committee! OUTSIDE - THE LAB TECH 3 ...will meet at Four. AL (VO) Four! Why not wait till Spring! I have to talk to them. Joe tries to approach them, but the guard prevents him from getting close. COLIN glances at Joe, pulls FINNEGAN aside. JOE I have to talk to them. COLIN What is it., Sergeant? FINNEGAN Must be delayed effects of the drug... I'll get him out of here. COLIN He work for us? FINNEGAN Ah...no sir. He was here for a job interview. COLIN (thinks for a moment) Give him a job. FINNEGAN What Job? COLIN Doesn't matter. Then put him away. FINNEGAN Sir? COLIN Private clinic. Best of care. Total privacy. We'll pay all costs. FINNEGAN Bit expensive, sir. COLIN It's the least we can do. After all, it's our responsibility. Finnegan sits Joe at a desk as he fills out forms. INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL AL (VO) Did you hear that? OUTSIDE - THE LAB - JOE JOE Yeah. (to them) Al wants to talk to you! THE TECHS, exhausted, look more worried...They speak furtively. TECH 2 What'd he say, how's he know about Al? TECH 3 What does he know? TECH 2 Too much. COLIN ignores it, continues his discussion. COLIN ...You know the implications for the lab. TECH 2 (sarcastic) You mean that we lost the PEM and the POD and Al right out of the lab? Try to get a security clearance after that. The next government contract we get will be for urinal handles. TECH 3 Look, nobody knows we did it. TECH 2 Whoever took it does. COLIN They're not gonna tell. INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL AL (VO) Hey, wait a minute. They don't have a clue who led the attack. Or who has the PEM. I don't like the sound of this. OUTSIDE COLIN notices Joe evesdropping and moves the TECHS into the next room. Joe can see them through a window, but cannot hear them. JOE I get the idea they're writing you off. INSIDE - THE POD - AL goes crazy...Flipping dials, cutting in amplifiers and filters...no good. He cannot pick them up. AL What is it? What happened? THE LAB - The guard watches Joe closely. He can't respond. He sees the TECHS SPEAKING: Vital stuff, but we cannot hear it. INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL thinks frantically, mumbling to himself. He cranks up the main thrusters... AL I'll be out of touch for a bit. INT. THE LAB JOE shows surprise and confusion in as restrained a manner as possible. The guard looks over, shifts his weight. JOE Going somewhere? The guard just looks at him, curiously. INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL AL I'll be right back. Don't go away. INT. THE LAB JOE - wants to respond, but can't. INSIDE - EXT. - THE POD Moves through a GIANT, FLUID FILLED CAVERN - THE INNER EAR. The SOUND is louder now...it rattles the POD. Al manouvers to the ORGAN OF CORTI, a ledge resting against a set of hairs sticking out of nerve cells. This is the organ where fluid vibrations are converted to electrical signals to the brain. INSIDE - INT. THE POD AL triggers the SONOBUOY RELEASE. INSIDE - EXT. THE POD - A SONOBUOY releases from a hatch. INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL programs...trying to pick up better sound. He INCREASES THE GAIN and starts to HEAR THE TECHS. TECH 3 It'l take months. TECH 2 So we better get started. OUTSIDE - THE LAB - THE TECHS SPEAK SOFTLY, BUT NOW WE CAN HEAR. TECH 3 What about Al... COLIN ...If he was right here, what would we do? What would we tell him? TECH 3 You're glad to get rid of him! COLIN (ignores that) We tell him we don't have the PEM, we can't get you back to size...? TECH 2 We can build another. COLIN Look at this mess. That would take months. JOE - He's amazed, Al's enhancement lets him HEAR it too. AL (VO) It can't take that long. JOE Why? JOE'S POV TECH 3- TECH3 We have to get the PEM and reverse the process...before... JOE AL (VO) ...the POD looses power and can no longer maintain life support. JOE'S POV - COLIN - COLIN How soon? TECH 2 WITHIN 92 HOURS... JOE JOE Or what? AL I don't know. I don't want to find out. COLIN looks over in Joe's direction. AL (VO) They'll find a way. COLIN (dismissive) Forget it...Al's dead. It's better...in a way. INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL AL (indignant scream) BETTER! You son of a bitch! COLIN (coldly) Beyond our control...an accident. Nothing we can do. In a way, you might say...Al was lost ...at Sea. Joe HEARS a gasp of frustration from Al. He tries to make the best of it, tries to put the best face on it, to calm Al down. JOE They could put you back in the tube.. AL (VO) I'd be helpless and useless. They don't have the PEM. Without that...there's no chance. JOE Well...they sure as hell aren't gonna get it for you. AL (VO) They're busy covering their asses. They're not the type of people we need." JOE Yeah...Who is? AL (VO) I am. You are. JOE You are CRAZY! AL (VO) You're the one talking to a little guy in your head. (JOE SULKS) ...We'll have to do it on our own. JOE What do you mean we. AL (VO) You gotta help. JOE I did. I brought you back here. AL (VO) We're a team...My...talent. Your... mobility. JOE Thanks. AL (VO) Think of the scientific data we'll gain. Come on, lets get out of here. JOE I'm not leaving until you do. FINNEGAN steps in. FINNEGAN Nobody asked you to. AL (VO) You tell them about me, they'll put us both away for sure. Get out...now. JOE I'm not going anywhere until you get this guy out of my head. FINNEGAN Of course you're not. We'll take good care of you. The guard grins at him. Joe doesn't like the way he grins. AL (VO) Ever think of what they might have to do to find me? JOE Find You? AL (VO) I'm not gonna make it easy. JOE looks away. The guard slowly pulls out his cuffs. AL (VO) They'll have to take you apart. ...piece by piece. JOE Why don't you just get out, leave me alone. The guards think he means them. They turn and laugh at him. AL (VO) I got nowhere to go. Neither do you. You're either crazy, or... you got a little man in your head. Either way, they're gonna hold on to you. Joe looks worried. The guard moves on him, he backs away. AL (VO) Do these guys look like they've got your best interests at heart. As this thought settles into Joe's brain, one of the TECHS takes an interest in him. He moves to Joe. TECH 3 What seems to be the problem. AL (VO) Now's your chance. You want out, just tell him. JOE Ahhh...nothing. FINNEGAN Been complaning of hallucinations. JOE Not...complaining, actually. FINNEGAN Been hearing voices. TECH 3 What kind of voices? JOE Oh...quiet ones...you would'nt be interested, actually. FINNEGAN Was quite excited, when he came in... JOE Much better now, thank you. Just sit here quietly...see there's nothing to worry about...just be my old self again....soon... TECH 3 The gas did that FINNEGAN nods yes. TECH 3 shakes his head... TECH 3 Better keep an eye on him... JOE I'll be fine...fine.. FINNEGAN What about all that stuff about a man in your head? TECH 3 Aftereffects of the gas? AL (VO) Sue them. JOE I'll sue. FINNEGAN Sue who? JOE You...him...UST. TECH 3 Look...don't worry. You're upset. There's no need to sue. We'll see that you don't leave here until you're perfectly okay. JOE Great!? They leave, the door locks behind them, Joe sits alone. JOE I don't like the sound of that. AL (VO) (VO) We have to get out of here. JOE Door's locked. AL (VO) (VO) See the codelock? Punch this in. 26993 Joe tries it. The door clicks open. JOE Now what. AL (VO) Go out, take your first left. JOE Just walk down the hall? AL (VO) With Authority! THE HALL - Joe steps out of the room and strides purposefully down the hall. There are people in sight, but they don't seem to notice him. He comes to a junction. JOE Which way do I go? AL (VO) What does it say. JOE Corridor A. AL (VO) Take a left and your next right. JOE Where are we going? ANOTHER CODELOCK - JOE'S HAND PUNCHES IN. THE DOOR CLICKS OPEN. JOE SLIDES THROUGH. INT. ANTEROOM. THE BACK WAY INTO THE LAB. JOE snakes through equipment. through a window we can see the MICROLAB, THE PEDESTAL AND EMPTY BEACON. THROUGH AN OPPOSITE GLASS WINDOW, MORE TECHS IN THE CONTROL ROOM. TV MONITORS SHOW CLOSEUPS OF EMPTY BEAKER. AL (VO) What do you see? JOE A lab and equipment. AL (VO) Is it familiar? Have you been here before. JOE I was thirsty. He told me to get a drink. AL (VO) Who did? JOE The man. He looks at the monitors. Suddenly it comes to him. JOE Oh my God. INSIDE - INT. THE POD AL echoes Joe. AL (VO) Oh my God...What did he look like, the man? JOE I can't remember.. INSIDE - INT. THE POD AL triggers an electrical charge. JOE STARTS TO FLASH BACK. AL (VO) Concentrate. What did he look like? Finally, Joe gets an image. JOE Like the guys that attacked us. AL (VO) What do you mean? JOE Black suits and helmets. AL (VO) That's it. They know I'm in here. We've got to find them. JOE That's not a good idea. AL (VO) They think we're safe here. They don't really need us. They're probably long gone. JOE Gone where? AL (VO) Don't know. INT. LAB LOCKER ROOM - A LOCKER - JOE punches in code. The lock snaps open. Joe finds a wallet crammed with ID, credit cards. JOE You need ID in there? AL (VO) You do. To get out of here. You're gonna be me. JOE I don't wanna be you. I wanna go home. AL (VO) You can't go home. When UST finds we're gone, they'll come after you and put us away. GOLF COURSE - DAYBREAK. They wander through the scene of their attack...Everything is gone. Only tire tracks and gashed trees attest to the chase. JOE Hopeless. Nothing here. INSIDE INT. THE POD AL tries to pick up something on his sensors -different patterns of brainwaves - anything! But there is nothing. Desperate, he quizzes Joe, trying to zero in on wispy feelings... to make them into hard data by computer searching. AL Anything...A feeling...a smell..? JOE Nothing! For a moment, we are inside Joe's mind...jumbled images, memories... feelings...vague and disjointed......the lab, the bar, the chase, the attack, then it's gone. AL Wait a minute. The fight. Where did he get you? JOE Just scratched my arm, why? INSIDE - EXT. THE POD - THRUSTERS KICK IN - IT PULLS AWAY FAST. AL (VO) I'll be out of touch for a while. Just get to the airport. OUTSIDE - JOE JOE (VO) The airport! Hey, wait a minute. INSIDE - EXT. THE POD - It pulls into the bloodstream.... Is whisked at HIGH SPEED through the arteries. The trip is not far...He pulls into an area of great activity: A BATTLEFIELD. THE WOUND - White blood cells and antibodies rush past. Invading viral agents are hunted down and destroyed. MICROSCOPIC BITS OF MATTER - dirt carried into the wound - now relatively ENORMOUS - Loom over him as he powers through a FANTASTIC INNERSPACE of organic and inorganic matter. MASSIVE MOUNTAINOUS BOULDER - scene of a RAGING BATTLE between invading viruses and antibodies. It writhes with the ebb and flow of the battle as Al comes in closer... INSIDE - INT. THE POD AL takes videos of the virus. He records the structure of the rock. He hits the rock with his laser and does a spectrum analysis. He analyses on the computers. WHAWMMM. HE is slammed and jostled....as the POD is caught in an ebb. He looks out the windows. Things are rushing madly past. INSIDE - EXT. THE POD Antibodies are trapping the last of the viruses as they try to make a getaway....Suddenly, one of the Antibodies slows...turns...swings back at the POD. INT. AL . He drops everything and turns to escape. INSIDE - EXT. THE POD Al tries to outrun...dodging, getting other particles between himself and his hunters...But it's no good. There's no escape. Other killers bunch to cut the POD off. Al swirls away., swings round a bit of matter. There it is... GIANT ANTIBODY - COMING RIGHT FOR HIM. A rushing sound...like being run down by the Queen Mary. This is it. He closes his eyes and braces. Nothing happens. He looks. It has rushed past. Ignoring him, it hits a mass of toxins and shatters them. It breaks apart, small components attach to the germs and kill them. AL Under the threshold, I'm too small to do damage.to the body ...or they'll get to me later. He looks up, looming over him like a vast tent...is SOMETHING. NEAR THE SKIN SURFACE Diffused light sparkles off of blue veins and red capillaries... A sparkling field of motion.. The THING is a deep GREEN with purple highlights...It once was alive and maybe still is...Tendrils of waving streamers trail out behind it...As antibodies attach to it...Slowly it changes, dies, becomes absorbed. It seems familiar to him... INT. AIRPORT - LATER - JOE sits, uncomfortable. AL (VO) I'm back. JOE I'm at the airport. AL (VO) Good. Get to a phone. Joe is up and moving. AL (VO) Call this number in Washington. He reaches a phone. Dials the number. JOE Who is it? AL (VO) Not who. A data bank. Just keep your ear to the phone and don't make a sound. INSIDE INT. THE POD AL plays the computers. Rapidly punching in, he connects to a Data Bank and downloads some programs. OUTSIDE Joe notices a man waiting for the phone. JOE Al.. INSIDE INT. THE POD The program aborts. He quickly reboots it. AL Don't talk, I told you. You just screwed it up. JOE (VO) What am I supposed to do? AL Nothing. You just do nothing. OUTSIDE The man grows impatient. He looks at his watch, pointedly. Joe points at the phone, helplessly. He does a dumb show of getting berated. Meanwhile, all he HEARS is the high pitched whistle of digital data transmission. INSIDE INT. THE POD AL downloads: INSERT - SCREENS - A BOTANNICAL INDEX ; A GEOGRAPHICAL INDEX. OUTSIDE Joe cups his hand over the phone. Whispers conspiratorially to the impatient man. JOE Sorry. She's out of her mind! MAN (hesitates...then) It's okay. I've got one like that. Joe smiles at him. Hand over the phonespeaker, he mumbles... JOE Yes dear..yes dear... INSIDE - INT. THE POD AL takes a spectrum analysis. This composition data, he feeds into a data bank for corelation. He does some quick and elegant analyzing. JOE What is it? AL (VO) Composition of the sand, ...trace elements..unique... INSERT - THE SCREEN - A STARTLING ANSWER - THE GOTO OUTSIDE - JOE (surprised) Go to, What the Hell does that mean?!! INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL AL GO-TOE. It's some islands. OUTSIDE - JOE What does some island have to do with this? It's a mistake? AL (VO) It's all we've got. JOE What do we do? AL (VO) Send a man there. A secret agent. JOE Who?... (He balks) Wait a minute! I'm no agent, secret or otherwise. And..I'm alone. INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL AL You are not alone. But you are incon- picuous...and, with our abilities... OUTSIDE - JOE What abilities...? AL (VO) Face it, we're the men for the job. Besides, if someone is really chasing you, the best way to avoid them is to keep moving ...and FIND THE GODDAMN PEM. JOE (VO) You mean...just leave. AL (VO) We get on a plane. JOE We get on which plane? INSIDE INT. THE POD AL finds the answer in the GEO-DATA BANK: GOTO are beautiful islands at the southern tip of JAPAN. AL The one for...JAPAN OUTSIDE JOE spots a sign: NORTH/NORTHWEST ORIENT - NONSTOP JOE What about money? AL (VO) What about it? JOE I don't have any. AL (VO) Use my credit cards. JOE I can't do that. AL (VO) Why not? JOE It's illegal. AL (VO) Who cares? JOE I'll get in trouble. AL (VO) You are in trouble. Now do it. INT. PLANE - FIRST CLASS LOUNGE. JOE watches the inflight movie. Someone chases Cary Grant across a cornfield in a cropduster. INSIDE INT. THE POD AL munches trailmix while he rags Joe. AL Thus Joe Doakes, chronic under- achiever, becomes Secret Agent 001.. with a desperate assignment... OUTSIDE - Joe is not in the best of moods. JOE ...and a license to kill... INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL AL Well, if not to kill, then to bother and annoy. OUTSIDE - Suddenly a thought occurs to Joe. He sits up and speaks loudly. JOE Hey...You forgot something. The lady in the seat next to him has forgotten nothing, is startled by Joe, looks at him uneasily...He indicates he was talking to Cary Grant on the screen. Speaks under his breath. JOE They'll know who I am. INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL AL We'll change your appearance. INT. PLANE LAVORATORY - MIRROR - Joe combs his hair differently. JOE It's just not enough. AL (VO) It's attitude...how you carry yourself. JOE What's wrong with how I carry myself. AL (VO) Nothing, but it's yours. Change it. Change your whole persona. JOE Oh yeah, to what? AL (VO) You'll be me. JOE I don't want to be you. I don't even like you, why would I want to be you? AL Because you got my ID. Now brace yourself. I'm gonna try something with your glands. JOE You leave my glands alone! A KNOCK ON THE DOOR - Joe yelps in alarm. STEWARDESS (VO) Are you alright in there? JOE Fine...fine. As he says that, he looks in the mirror: his face starts to change form...the tissues in his cheeks swell just a bit. -- a subtle but startling change...not enough to fool a close friend but enough enough to fool a casual glance. GOTO - KUJUKUSHIMA - An incredibly beautiful tropical island on Japan's South Pacific coast. Joe crashes through the shoreline. JOE Now what? AL (VO) The beach. JOE The beach? AL (VO) How else do you get seaweed under your nails? JOE Eating sushi? AL (VO) Just get there. EXT. DAY Joe emerges from the jungle onto a pristine, lovely beach. Other small, pine covered islands dot the sparkling sea. JOE Holy shit! AL (VO) What is it? JOE ...Just beautiful. He runs down to the shoreline, excited. AL (VO) Do you notice anything. JOE The sky, the sun, the sea... There's no one here. It's deserted. What now? AL (VO) Swim. JOE Good Idea! He tears off his clothes, charges into the surf. He pulls out into the lagoon. INSIDE INT. THE POD AL monitors Joe's exertion. AL (VO) Take it easy, now. Don't want you in over your head. JOE Little late for that. He takes a breath and dives. UNDERWATER - JOE swims through submarine grottos grabbing bunches of seaweed. He surfaces, pulls for the shore. He stumbles up the beach covered with seaweed. JOE Here...all the seaweed you want. Now, what? AL (VO) You eat it. JOE You eat it. You know what this stuff tastes like? INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL AL (VO) I'm living on freeze dried limas and ham. Just eat it. OUTSIDE Chastised, Joe considers the seaweed, then stuffs some of it in his mouth. JOE Now what? AL (VO) The sand. JOE Eat it? AL (VO) Eat it. JOE (VO) I don't want to eat it. AL (VO) Why not? JOE It's sand. AL (VO) For chrissakes, it's only sand. You should see some of the stuff that's floating around in here. That sand's the cleanest thing in you, including me. Now EAT it! OUTSIDE Joe puts some on his tongue, makes a face. AL (VO) Now lie down somewhere quiet and rest, I'll be back in a while. JOE Where are you going? Wait! But Al is gone. INSIDE EXT. THE POD AL powers through the throat region to his palate...He ZOOMS through what look like floating gardens - microscopic bits of seaweed, big as the Hindenberg to Al. INSIDE INT. THE POD AL compares the seaweed and silicon structures. AL It matches. OUTSIDE Joe looks around the deserted beach. JOE Good. Now what? INSIDE INT. THE POD - AL, for once, doesn't know what to say. THE BEACH - SUNSET Joe wakes, finds himself alone. In the distance a figure runs down the beach toward him. He can't make it out too well in the backlight. It gets closer...It becomes clear: an incredibly beautiful girl in a bikini - RENE. JOE Al, are you doing anything in there? AL (VO) What? What do you mean? JOE Are you screwing with any nerves? INSIDE INT. THE POD - AL - busy working at DATABASES, glances nervously at his elapsed time digital clock...44 hours gone. AL (VO) (brusque) What are you talking about? OUTSIDE - Joe shades his eyes. He sees her clearly. She is the most beautiful girl he's ever seen. She notices him. JOE My god...She's real! She flashes a shy smile as she lopes by. He sits up. AL (VO) (exited) Your heartrate went up. What is it? JOE Beautiful! AL (VO) What was? JOE A girl. INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL Al Never mind that. Get back to business. OUTSIDE - Joe is just stunned by the receding image of beauty. JOE This must be business, there's nothing else here. INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL AL Follow it. OUTSIDE - he takes off after her, down the beach. JOE Good idea! THE GIRL - She runs fast and easy. Perfect body in perfect shape. She runs up, over the rocks on the headland. The sun glimmers through pine covered islets across the lagoon. JOE - He starts off fast and quickly slows. INSIDE INT. THE POD AL monitors Joe's body. AL (VO) What is it? OUTSIDE - JOE - straining. Far ahead, she glances back. JOE She's...pretty fast. AL (VO) You're out of shape. Joe is half dead. He may not catch her at all. INSIDE INT. THE POD - AL stimulates his brain, releasing an organic speedlike chemical...His fatigue drops away, oxygen conversion increases... Al Catch up to her. Joe That's what I'm trying.. ...Hey, what's going on? JOE - GOING SO FAST he seems ready to explode. He burns right up to her like she's standing still. Surprised, she stumbles. He slows, matches stride with her. He GASPS: AL (VO) What is it? JOE She's beautiful...! What do I do? INSIDE - INT. THE POD AL ponders... AL Tell her. OUTSIDE - Joe is starting to pant...He looks a little crazed. She's starting to wonder about this guy. She keeps running. JOE You're beautiful.. AL (VO) What's happening? JOE She doesn't seem to understand. AL (VO) Try another language. JOE Which language? INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL AL How should I know? OUTSIDE - She watches Joe curiously. JOE Vous etes tres beau. RENE (she laughs) Thanks, you're handsome too. JOE Now what? She looks at him strangely... Is he some weirdo? JOE Help me out, will you? INSIDE INT. THE POD - AL AL (VO) What can I do? You're on your own. RENE How can I help you? JOE (answers them both) Tell me what to say. She starts to turn away, Joe panics. JOE Wait. Don't go...There's..more! GIRL (turns back, half amused) More? An awkward silence. JOE What do I do? INSIDE INT. THE POD - AL - AL (VO) Don't just stand there, say something. JOE What? AL (VO) Anything. Aw hell...Just tell her the truth. OUTSIDE - RENE RENE What do you do about what? JOE ...I'm looking for someone. INSIDE INT. THE POD - AL AL (VO) Not that truth! OUTSIDE - THE GIRL RENE Aren't we all. JOE Come on...it's going to take two of us to make this work. The girl looks at him curiously. JOE ...at least two. Now she is confused. RENE Is someone else here? JOE No. No one to speak of. RENE I am confused. Or maybe it's you. INSIDE INT. THE POD - AL is ripping through data banks. AL (VO) How about a quotation...? A poet...Blake! OUTSIDE - Joe is babbling. JOE ...Blake RENE Blake? JOE The poet...something he said... RENE Yes? Joe looks at her helplessly. INSIDE INT. THE POD - AL finally finds the quotation... AL (VO) . JOE . RENE Blake said that? JOE Yeah. One of the corniest lines I ever heard. AL (VO) Sorry... RENE It'll remind me of you. INSIDE INT. THE POD - AL AL Works like a charm when I use it. You didn't say it right. OUTSIDE - JOE You won't need to be reminded. RENE Why not? JOE I'll be right there. RENE Where? JOE Dinner...tonight. RENE Oh...I can't. Business. She turns to go. AL (VO) Wait. JOE Wait. She turns back. AL (VO) Where is she staying? JOE Where are you staying? RENE Right here. UP THE BEACH - AN EXCLUSIVE HOTEL - set back among the trees. RENE And you. JOE ...right here too. RENE Haven't seen you around. She's pulling away. JOE I just got here. (to Al) She's getting away. INSIDE INT. THE POD - AL - an idea: AL (VO) Touch her. OUTSIDE - JOE JOE What? AL (VO) Touch some part of her body. Trust me. It works. She slows to a walk. Joe joins her. He looks at her body...Up and down. She sees him looking at her. JOE (confused) What part? AL (VO) Doesn't matter. RENE What part what? INSIDE INT. THE POD - AL AL The best part. She'll love it. OUTSIDE - Her body. Then Joe's face. JOE I can't do that? RENE Do what? JOE Let you leave without it. RENE Without what? He grabs her hand, she is startled, pulls back, He kisses it...her hand. She flinches, then breaks into laughter. RENE I've seen that before. Never had anyone actually do it. INSIDE INT. THE POD - AL AL (VO) Do what? What'd you do? OUTSIDE - JOE JOE I saw it in a movie. AL (VO) Saw what?! RENE What is your name? INSIDE INT. THE POD - AL AL (VO) Don't give her your name. Joe is dumbstruck for a moment. JOE ...Joe. INSIDE INT. THE POD - AL AL (VO) No...you idiot! OUTSIDE - She holds half a crooked smile as she measures him. JOE Or better yet,...Al. She starts giggling. JOE What's so funny? RENE Nothing...Al. Why do you talk that way? JOE What way? RENE Like there's someone else here. Joe has lost it. Al is mumbling hints and encouragements into his ear. Joe starts to babble. It starts off as bullshit, but gradually his sincerity becomes endearing. JOE It's...all the sun...No... its the beach...The light.... and the water... RENE (kidding) I know...the flowers, the air... JOE Naw...It's just you. She smiles, turns, runs up the beach. JOE Wait. What's your name? RENE ...Rene. AL (VO) What happened? JOE ...Rene... INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL'S alarm panel flickers on, then off. AL (excited) What happened? JOE (VO)(alarmed) What is it? AL (sarcastic) I think your heart stopped. NEARBY HOTEL - A little known resort for the cognoscenti. A place of beauty and solitude. Joe starts to follow her. AL Where are you going? JOE To the hotel. To register. AL Without your pants. JOE Maybe they won't stand on ceremony. He stops, turns and heads back up the beach. AL Good thing I'm here to do the thinking. JOE Yeah. Some help. That poetry really killed her. AL It worked. JOE I made it work. AL You stumbled around. Remember, you've got my ID, you've got to be me, not some stumblebum. JOE Rene... JOE I'm not some hot shot test pilot. I'm not some playboy. I don't usually pick up girls. AL Well you did it today. JOE Yeah. I did it. AL (VO) But, you've got to have... sophistication ...savoir faire. JOE (pissed) Here, savor this. Joe goes nuts...He screams, hops around, shakes his head. INSIDE - INT. THE POD AL is being rattled all over the place. OUTSIDE Joe vents his frustration. He howls, punches himself in the head...He runs down the beach, flips, lands in the surf. JOE Now, fuck off. INSIDE - EXT. THE POD Bucked all over the place by Joe's gyrations. It slams into nerve bundles, glances off. INSIDE - INT. THE POD AL fights for control. Consoles are lit up. Relays are sparking. Al is suitably panicked. AL Mayday! Goddamn it. Stop! INSIDE - EXT. THE POD trampolines off a membrane, comes to rest wedged into a nerve bundle. INSIDE - INT. THE POD AL - The Monitors start sparking. He's picking something up. The SCREENS show new, strange information. Al forgets his anger, everything else in his growing excitement. AL What is this? What is this? Joe! Joe, are you there? OUTSIDE - EXT. THE BEACH JOE floats at the shoreline. JOE Now, where would I be? INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL AL What are you looking at? OUTSIDE Joe scans the beautiful inlet. The pine covered islets are silhouetted by the waning sun that glints off the azure sea. JOE - A BEAT JOE Nothing. INSIDE - INT. THE POD AL - mounting excitement. AL But what's it look like? OUTSIDE - JOE JOE What's nothing look like? ...it looks like nothing. AL (VO) Is something glinting? JOE The sun is right in his eyes. He shields them with his hand. He's tired and cranky; more than a little annoyed at Al. JOE Sure something's glinting. AL (VO) (practically shouting) What is it? JOE What is it, it's nothing... It's just the sun. Suddenly it dawns. On Joe. INSIDE INT. THE POD AL squints at: INSERT - THE MONITOR Very low resolution, but it's there. Breaking up; all the wrong colors; but you can make it out. Definitely...an image. JOE (VO) What is it? AL Looks like...the optic nerve. I can see out! OUTSIDE Joe sits on the beautiful, deserted beach. The sun; the rocks; the glinting waves. Suddenly...he's got to share it. It, and everything else. JOE (ruefully) Oh...swell! THE INN - THAT EVENING - EXCLUSIVE MEN'S SHOP Joe's wearing a new sports coat; very expensive. He holds up a tie, regards it in the mirror. A slight facial tick at the intrusive voice: AL (VO) You really like that shirt? JOE This...is not going to work out. SALESMAN Sir? Joe is distracted...He stumbles: JOE Ahh...ahh...ahh...The shirt!... SALESMAN The shirt? AL (VO) Much too blue. JOE Not blue enough. The salesman...a minute hesitation. SALESMAN Not blue enough, sir. Right it is. He zips off toward the shirt racks. Joe turns to the mirror. JOE Mind your own business. AL (VO) It is my business. It's my name. JOE But the rest is me. I'll dress like I want. He notices someone. The salesman has returned carrying blue shirts to find his customer mumbling to himself. SALESMAN How about these, sir? JOE ...just like I want.. He turns back, holds up another tie. AL (VO) Not that tie with that coat. JOE (Exasperated, blurts out.) Why not?! SALESMAN (thinks he's speaking to him) Why not, indeed, Sir! AL (VO) It's much too loud. JOE So are you. JOE (indicates tierack) And all these, too. Salesman turns back. Joe glances up. HIS POV - THROUGH THE WINDOW TO THE LOBBY Rene, another woman, and three men; a slight blond; a tall, powerful, dark-haired man; and a well-dressed Japanese, walk toward the LANAI. JOE turns to salesman, grabs a blank bill. JOE Send it to my room. INT. HOTEL LOBBY Joe exits shop, moves to the LANAI. EXT. LANAI A Bouganvilliaed veranda overlooking the Sea. Joe appears at the door, checks out Rene's party as he waits. AL (VO) What did that cost? JOE You want sophistication, it don't come cheap. AL (VO) Doesn't. INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL/JOE'S POV Both women are pretty. AL Which one is she? JOE (VO) The beautiful one. The Maitre'D approaches, checks out Joe's clothes approvingly. AL (VO) They both look good to me. JOE You have no taste. MAITRE'D Sir? JOE I'd like a place. For one. MAITRE'D Yes Sir. Right this way. AL (VO) Get close to them. JOE That place. By the window. Joe indicates a large table next to Rene's party. MAITRE'D I'm sorry, Sir. That's for four persons. JOE I'll be four persons. MAITRE'D Excuse me, Sir? Joe strides towards his objective. The Maitre'D scurries behind. He stops at the table, pulls out the chair with the best angle on Rene. The Maitre'D is about to object. Joe cuts him off. JOE If they don't show up, charge me for four. Send the bill to my room. A HESITATION. Joe acts assured. The Maitre'D checks his clothes again. Very expensive. He pulls out Joe's chair. MAITRE'D Yes Sir! Four it is! Joe sits with aplomb. Grabs the plum from the bowl of fruit and takes a big, satisfied bite. The Maitre'D bows and backs off. Joe glances at the other table. Rene looks up, sees him, seems surprised. He gives her a big smile, but his words are for Al. JOE How's that for fucking Savoir Fair! WAITER Sir? Joe turns, the waiter looms over him. He thinks fast. JOE How's that Trucklhouser Beer? WAITER We have Henekin, Kirin...(Joe nods) Very good, sir. JOE This sophistication ain't tough. All it takes is a credit card. He smiles a bigger smile over at Rene. AL (VO) Don't overplay it. The waiter comes back with the beer. Joe looks up at him, smiles, delivers a line meant for Al. JOE If it's sophistication you want, I'm the man for it. The waiter's smile freezes in place. He backs off a bit. AL (VO) That's Rene? Rene, turns, sees Joe, flashes him a quick smile of recognition. INSIDE INT. THE POD AL - picks her up on his MONITOR. In that moment, he falls for her; an audible GROAN escapes him. JOE (VO) Now you know what I know. WAITER (VO) Sir? OUTSIDE The waiter. Again Joe's caught mumbling. JOE About cholesterol...You know what I know, you'd have the seafood. WAITER Ahhh. Good choice, sir. He turns away. AL (VO) You're not just after this girl, are you? JOE Who, me? AL (VO) (exasperated) Goddamn it, there are 52 hours gone! JOE You got a better idea, you tell me. Other than her, there's no one here I know. AL (VO) Pan the group, will you. If you're right, at least one of them...is involved. JOE That's a big if. HE pans the group. The second woman talks to the slight, blond man. Rene talks to the Japanese. Joe stops on the ROUGH LOOKING MAN, who sits, silently watching them. AL (VO) Wait. I think I know that guy. INSIDE - INT. THE POD AL enhances Joe's audio input and they hear snatches of conversation... Tech-talk. OUTSIDE Joe's eyes keep straying to the women. They are beautiful. They're talking about perfume in French. AL (VO) Shit. Pay attention! The group goes merrily about their business of coctails and lunch as the Waiter and Captain fuss about them. AL (VO) Who are they? Stay on them, will you. How can we find out...Wait. The glasses. JOE What glasses. AL (VO) The drinks...Stay on them. The busboy clears the drink glasses. AL (VO) Follow that busboy. JOE Are you serious? WAITER About what sir? The waiter has appeared. Hovers... JOE The fresh tuna?.. WAITER Yessir...very good sir. Joe is up, following the busboy...hands the menu to the waiter. JOE I'll have it. HALLWAY He grabs the busboy, spins him, grabs the glasses, and ducks into the men's room. The boy is terrified, then confused. BATHROOM Joe ducks into one of the stalls. JOE I feel like an idiot. AL (VO) Just hold them close and stay still. Mumbling to himself, Joe sits on the toilet holding a cocktail glass to his eye. He feels pretty silly. INSIDE - INT. THE POD AL trains his ARGON LASER, it shows fingerprints refracted off the glass surface. MONITOR SCREEN - LATER - INTERPOL DATA BANK One of the men's pictures comes up...along with a string of aliases and his dossier. A rough character: Jan GRUNER. AL Well, we know one of them's a danger. Joe is on the phone, listening. JOE Will you hurry up, I'm hungry. INSIDE - INT. THE POD AL downloads data bank info. AL One of these guys is on file. OUTSIDE Another patron enters, looks at Joe, at the glass. Joe puts it down. It's one of Rene's party; GRUNER. JOE Which one? AL (VO) The blond...GRUNER. A killer. JOE Killer! GRUNER (threatening) What? JOE That Rene...lovely girl...a killer! GRUNER I noticed you staring. JOE Couldn't help it. No offense. She's not your wife is she...? GRUNER seems to lose interest...He turns away. GRUNER Enjoy your lunch. LANAI Joe reenters. Rene and the others look up at him. JOE (mumbles) I'm out of my league. AL (VO) Just don't show fear. JOE I don't know what's going on. AL (VO) It lends you an air of mystery. As he walks by their table, Rene speaks to him. RENE Thought we lost you. The older man turns around - DIETER - he's friendly. DIETER Who is your friend? RENE We met on the beach. DIETER Join us. JOE I don't want to intrude. DIETER We insist. Seated, he feels all eyes on him; an object of study. JOE Al Viola. DIETER That name's familiar. JOE It is to me too. DIETER You remind me of someone. You from the west coast? AL (VO) He recognises you, throw him off. JOE My coast is Maine, actually. We have a place in Bar Harbor...And a bar in Sutton Place. AL (VO) Don't get too cute. DIETER And what do you do? AL (VO) Let's make 'em nervous. Tell them you're CIA, see what they do. JOE ...Foreign service. DIETER And how do you service foreigners. JOE Well...I try to give them whatever they want. RYUJI Must be a fulfilling occupation. JOE It keeps me busy. Everybody always wants something. DIETER What brings you here? JOE I came for a rest. As, I imagine, you did. To get away with it all. RENE You mean from it. JOE Yes, of course. The Japanese has an air of expectancy...as if he is waiting for someone, but he doesn't know whom.... AL (VO) Could be him. Look at that watch. Joe looks. The man wears a high tech-programmable wrist watch. JOE Look at that watch... Ryuji is pleased, quietly proud of his nation's accomplishments. RYUJI CMOS chips. The latest thing. Ryuji Obe. Pleasure to meet you. INSIDE - INT. THE POD AL runs RYUJI's responses through a Voice Stress Analyzer... RYUJI is hiding quite a lot, AL (VO) High Tech Japanese. Highly Suspect. OUTSIDE Dieter turns from Gruner to introduce him. DIETER And...you know Jan Gruner? JOE I think I've heard of you. RYUJI (laughs) Unsavory reputation. Tech dealer. GRUNER (no sense of humor)) I break no laws. RENE His country has no laws against dealing in strategic technology. GRUNER I provide service to my customers. AL (VO) At least he's telling the truth. Joe turns to Rene. JOE And you? RENE I just work for the travel firm. AL (VO) She's hard to read, but she's hiding something too. Joe's gaze wanders. GRUNER And you, there are many places to get away. Why here? JOE A little voice in my head. AL (VO) Joe, be careful! JOE ...I've lost something. I must get it back. RYUJI What could you find in this place? JOE ...Piece of mind. Gruner's had enough. He gets up abruptly...leaves... GRUNER You may you find all the solitude you want. JOE Thanks, I appreciate that. Then, abruptly, it's over. Gruner, Ryuji get up. RYUJI We have some work.. Please excuse us. He takes the other woman, they depart. Rene smiles at Joe. He grabs his check from the waiter and signs it. Rene has wandered over to the far end of the Veranda. Alone. Joe looks at her in the moonlight, slowly makes his way over to her. AL (VO) They're all in it. JOE How do you know? AL (VO) Voice stress analyzer. JOE Your data must be bad. Everyone can't be lying all the time. Al Where have you been? JOE Even Rene? AL (VO) She's the toughest to read. JOE Maybe she's telling the truth. AL (VO) Can't tell. Every time I try her, you look away. Or you make noises. Maybe you don't want to know. JOE Come on...look at her. Don't you know anything about women?... The data is skewed. We might as well go with instinct... They come up to her, lovely in the moonlight. AL (VO) I know what your instinct is. She turns, she is smiling for him. RENE You again. JOE Me still. They left you alone? RENE I waited for you. JOE Why? RENE ...I...don't know. AL (VO) You believe that, I've got a bridge in Brooklyn for you. This breaks the mood, Joe starts to get pissed. JOE (to Rene) Well...make something up. RENE I guess it's a combination you don't often see. Apparent attraction.. JOE It's not apparent. RENE ...and sort of...disinterest. JOE Disinterest? RENE As if your mind's not all there. JOE I am sort of scattered. RENE Can I help? JOE You are. RENE Are you alright? AL (VO) Yeah, are you? You're talking nonsense. JOE (a pause) I'm fine, never better. I'll get us some drinks... Excuse me. Steps away. AL (VO) What is it, your charm? JOE This just won't work. AL (VO) You're doing great with her. JOE Not her. You! AL (VO) What is it? JOE You can't listen. You can't watch either. AL (VO) (outraged) Why not?. JOE It's embarrassing. AL (VO) What if she says something important? JOE I'll be right here. I'll keep it in mind. I'll get a lot more from her without you butting in. AL (VO) What am I supposed to do? JOE You got any books in there? AL (VO) Oh come on. JOE You shut down your sensors. AL Joe! It's 56 hours! JOE I mean it. You watch old tapes of the ballgame, I'll fill you in... later. I mean it. He(they) look over at her. She is looking in Joe's direction curiously. Al thinks it over. AL (VO) ...Okay...okay. Just...don't take all night! ANGLE - RENE She turns, he's returned with the drinks. RENE Promise me something. JOE Okay, no more poems. She laughs. JOE Promise you what? RENE That you're not crazy. JOE I promise you that. I am not crazy. Course, if I was, I'd be the last to know. Why do you ask? RENE You talk to yourself. JOE But I don't listen...then I'd be crazy. RENE Why do you do it? JOE If I was with you, I wouldn't RENE You did. JOE That was then. This is now. Who am I talking to? RENE You're talking to me. JOE And how'm I doing? RENE You're doing...Okay. JOE Just Okay... All of a sudden, you can see it in her eyes. More than Okay. Joe can't quite believe it, but he's not going to deny it. He is, after all, a secret agent and she's got some wonderful secrets. He moves closer...She eases back into the Bougainvillea. They go through the dialogue, but their minds are on something else. RENE ...Ummm, you really work for the foreign service? JOE ...Naw. Made that up. RENE Who do you work for? JOE No one. No one at all. I'm unemployed. Who do you? RENE Trans Ocean Travel. JOE Is that Ryuji? RENE No. Ryuji just hires us. JOE Hires you for what? RENE To organize things. Meetings and travel...Whenever they come here, I handle details. JOE How often they come here? RENE He likes the quiet. They were here last week. JOE And you, what do you like? RENE That depends... They can't hold out a second longer. Joe cannot believe his good luck...her beauty, his attraction...when they kiss. ON THE BEACH. MORNING JOE WAKES AT A VOICE YELLING IN HIS EAR. AL (VO) Wake up. Time to wake up. Sixty four hours...Shit! Joe sits up, groggy. Looks around, no one. AL (VO) What Happened? JOE I don't know! AL (VO) What she say. What'd you get out of her? Half asleep...pleasantly dazed, he just grins and mumbles to himself. JOE Ahhh...works...Ryuji... travel...just business...She's.. Fine Arts, University of Tokyo.. AL (VO) Is that all? JOE Oh, you were right. They've all been here before... met just last week. INSIDE - INT. THE POD AL is excitedly irate. AL (VO) Anything else! OUTSIDE Joe thinks...finally... JOE She's got the most beautiful...s AL (VO) Shit! You're in love. JOE (not convincing) I'm not in love. INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL pissed. AL And on my time. JOE(VO) It's not your time. I get time off. AL You get time off to sleep. OUTSIDE - JOE That's what I was doing..mostly. INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL The frustration's getting to him. Or is something else? He's starting to rant. AL (VO) I've got twenty hours left. I could die in here. And you're falling in love. OUTSIDE - JOE It's not love. It's like. It's real strong like. And I got your information. Now, get off my back! INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL AL Some friend you are! You know what I hope? JOE (VO) No. What do you hope? AL (VO) I hope. I just hope. That someday, you're real small, and you've got no time. And you got no one to help you. And you depend on me. And you know what I'll do? JOE No. What will you do. AL I...I'll got to the movies. That's what I'll do! Joe just stares ahead. He holds his head. Then he shakes it to clear it. He gets up, and walks up the beach. Joe's in love. Al is disgusted. And RENE is gone. HOTEL DESK - SHORT TIME LATER CLERK Sorry sir, they checked out. JOE Forwarding address? CLERK Sorry, sir. Nothing. INT. JOE'S ROOM Joe enters, stops short. All his clothes have been scrambled... INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL AL You been had. We have. JOE It wasn't like that. LANAI - LATER Joe sits alone. Brooding. Holding a phone to his ear. He winces at the WHISTLE of data transmission. Finally he can speak to Al as if to someone on the phone. AL (VO) Some agent you are. JOE (VO) Why don't you get out of my face. Al runs the data...They get into the airline's computer and find passenger lists leaving GOTO...A name pops out. R. OBE. His destination: Osaka, AL Bingo. JOE (VO) You found her. AL Better. I found Ryuji. OUTSIDE - JOE. JOE That's good. It's not better. Where? AL (VO) Osaka. JOE Osaka? AL (VO) Fountainhead of High-Tech. OSAKA - LATER - MERCANTILE, INDUSTRIAL CENTER Home of Matsushita, Panasonic, Technics, Sharp etc. JOE jogs down the street, listening to his walkman and apparently singing along with it. He towers a foot taller than everyone else. JOE (VO) Don't you think I stand out like this. AL (VO) We are trying to stand out. Right near his address. Easier to get them to come to us, than to try and find them. ..now keep your eyes open, something might present itself. JOE I'm running in circles in the middle of some foreign country. I don't speak their language, they don't speak mine. I don't even know where I am. What's going to present itse........ A Sportscar cuts across his path. The driver is RENE. JOE What do I do? AL (VO) Follow her. JOE On what? AL (VO) Run, stupid! He follows her, running. AL (VO) Come on, she's getting away. JOE I can't keep up. He collapses in exhaustion and she gets away. AL (VO)(disgusted) Your body sucks. You're out of shape. JOE I gotta sit down. Joe collapses into a chair at a sidewalk cafe. AL (VO) I'm putting you on a training regimen...right now. The waiter comes. JOE Beer. And cakes...cookies ..anything bad. AL (VO) That's not funny. The waiter has no idea what Joe wants. JOE Sapporo..(waiter nods, walks off) AL (VO) Just stay here and rest. JOE Where are you going? AL (VO) Down to your heart. I'm gonna clean some fat out before you drop on me. JOE Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Al, you leave my heart alone... Another customer looks over at him...Joe points to his walkman and nods like he's hearing a country song. AL While I'm away, just do something safe and calm.... INSIDE - INT. THE POD - LATER AL blasts some of the fat from the veins around the heart. OUTSIDE Joe sits in the Plaza drinking coffee. He notices suspicious characters...tattood toughs; slicked hair, mean looks. JOE Al...can you hear me, Suspicious characters. Al!!! Shit! They are surrounding him and moving in. The waiter has dis- appeared. He's alone. Joe gets up. He calmly walks away. SIDE STREET - EMPTY. They follow him. JOE Al. Help! The attackers look around. No Al. INSIDE - EXT. THE POD Joe's body reacts. The muscles tense..The blood vessels constrict - the Fight-or-Flight syndrome. The blood flow speeds up... INSIDE - INT. THE POD AL senses something's up. AL Joe, what is it? Hang on. OUTSIDE Joe takes off. They block him. He takes the KUNG FU stance. The attackers take their own stances, each scarier than the other. Joe tries an attack. It is slapped aside with contempt. Joe tries another tack: He runs... INSIDE - INT. THE POD Blood flow drives Al away from the brain. AL Slow your pulse. OUTSIDE Joe being chased down alleys. INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL AL ` I gotta get to a vein taking blood to the brain or I won't be able to help. OUTSIDE Joe trips, crashes into something, cuts himself. INSIDE The skin is broken, Joe's systems go on general alert. Vessels constrict. INSIDE - INT. THE POD AL struggles to escape being drawn to the wound as: INSIDE - EXT. THE POD Antibodies rush into the fight against blood loss and infection. OUTSIDE Wounded, Joe hides from his attackers...They come closer...He holds his breath...as one plants a foot near his face. The thug hesitates, then walks on...Joe tries rise, but dizziness overcomes him and he is spotted. He faints...His head falls lower than his body. INSIDE - EXT. THE POD Blood rushes to his head carrying Al. THE VENTRICAL - THE POD ENTERS. INSIDE - INT. THE POD AL takes charge. He stimulates Joe's brain to produce adrenaline...He gets Joe out of physical shock. OUTSIDE Joe wakes. AL (VO) `Joe. I'm here. You're Okay. JOE (GROGGY) What do I do? AL (VO) Relax. Let me do this. OUTSIDE The attackers are shocked, as Joe MOVES, RISES. They come at him in Kung Fu attitudes. Terrified, Joe turns to run... AL (VO) Relax. Make your mind a blank. JOE It is a blank. This is no time for Zen. One guy attacks; Kung Fu. In a flash, Joe blocks it with a rapid combination. He is as surprised as anybody. Without warning, his arms fly out in Karate blows. Joe looks at his hands - now deadly weapons - He can't believe it. No one is more surprised than Joe when he tears into the middle of the men and takes them apart with rapid kicks...After a while, he starts to really enjoy it...He makes threatening growls and struts around like Toshiro Mifune. Then, he counterattacks viciously. The attackers, shocked by Joe's speed, strength and fighting ability, retreat...they melt back into the alleys. He chases. SIDE STREET - HEAVY NEON Joe stops, finds himself in front of a PUNK CLUB - nearby, he notices a familiar Sportscar. SOME KIDS Come out, look at his bruised and bleeding face, his torn and bloody clothes. A girl nods approvingly. He's perfectly dressed. He enters, bulls his way through the crowd. INT. PUNK CLUB LOUD JAPANESE ROCK MUSIC. Everyone is dancing..including a familiar figure: RENE. AL (VO) What are you doing? Wait a minute. Lets think this through. JOE You think. That's what you're good at. He crosses the floor, grabs Rene. He spins her around. When she sees it is him, she is shocked. RENE Joe! What happened to you? JOE Why'd you run off? She sees someone over his shoulder. RENE I didn't run off. Joe turns, it is Riuji. He is surprised to see Joe. RYUJI Joe! Hey...I like your outfit.. JOE (to Rene) I got into a fight. RYUJI What are you doing here? You shouldn't wander around alone... He looks from Joe to Rene and back. RYUJI Oh, I see. Hey...were going to my place for a late dinner, why don't you join us? EXT. THE CLUB People disperse. Joe pulls Rene aside. JOE Why did you leave? RENE They left. I had to go with them. JOE Why didn't you tell me? RENE (guilty) I hate good-byes. Joe takes her keys, unlocks the door to her car for her. They get in. She drives. Joe turns to her. JOE Why did you stay with me? RENE Wanted to get to know you. JOE Why? RENE You seemed interesting. JOE Who else is interested in me? RENE What do you mean? JOE Your friends, did they ask about me? RENE They kidded me a little. JOE What did you tell them? RENE There's not much to tell. JOE Why did they leave? RENE I don't know, Ryuji said there was a change of plans. JOE You work for Ryuji? RENE Sometimes. I told you I did. JOE Were you working for him last night? RENE Last night? JOE Did he put you up to it? Did he ask you to sleep with me? RENE No, he didn't do that. JOE He didn't. RENE No. JOE Who did? RENE You did. A long beat. She smiles. Inside his head, Al is laughing at him. KYOTO - the Ancient Capital. Palaces and Shrines - LATER INT. - A GEISHA HOUSE A banquet on tatamis. Ryuji and the others drink Sake and speak in Japanese. ANTEROOM Joe's on the phone...apparent long distance. AL (VO) I've run checks, there's nothing on her. That along is suspicous. JOE (angry) Run some checks on me. I'm sure I'm worse. AL (VO) Yeah...You've fallen for her. JOE I told you, I have a feeling... AL (VO) One of your instincts? JOE I know she's not with them. I know something else. What's bothering you isn't her. INSIDE - INT. THE POD Al glances at the clock: 63 hours elapsed. OUTSIDE Rene comes along and pulls Joe away from the phone. JOE Bye Mom.. He hangs up. She escorts him to the dining room. DINING ROOM Joe and Rene sit, talking quietly. Joe is trying to make up with her. He looks over. Dieter is happily stuffing himself. He winks conspiratorially at Joe and Rene. Ryuji, Gruner and others are talking with other Japanese. They smile at Joe whenever their eyes meet, but Al is suspicious. INSIDE - INT. THE POD Al works a JAPANESE LANGUAGE DATA-BASE.. AL I think I've got it. INSERT - MONITOR - JOE'S POV Ryuji and another Japanese speak in Japanese - Al does a simultaneous translation. RYUJI/Al But who does he work for? JAPANESE/Al He may be freelancing. It shouldn't interfere with our business. RYUJI/Al I'll see that it doesn't He calls a servant, speaks in his ear. The servant's glance flicks in our direction, then he is gone. Ryuji smiles at us then laughs at something Dieter says. Joe's gaze swings to Rene. AL Joe, pay attention! OUTSIDE - THE BANQUET JOE and RENE fool around. JOE Now, what? Another course of strange wiggling food. Joe looks alarmed. AL (VO) Don't touch a thing. JOE Don't worry! RENE I'm not worried, I'm not going to eat it. JOE This is a tough place to keep Kosher. A funny SOUND in his head. Al's voice BREAKS UP. JOE What is it? Across the table, Ryuji proudly answers him. RENE Hakasuti! As he slides the wriggling fish down his throat. INSIDE - INT. THE POD Al is tense, momentarily distracted. He is having trouble with the pod. Sixty-four hours on the clock. AL The batteries are dropping. Got to recharge them somehow. OUTSIDE - BANQUET - RYUJI pours the wine. RYUJI In honor of our...unexpected guest. Joe picks up his wineglass. RYUJI pours. INSIDE - INT. THE POD Al looks up, spots a powder on the inside of the glass dissolve in the wine. He tries to warn Joe. AL (VO) No..Don't... OUTSIDE Joe already swallowing it. AL (VO) ...drink it. JOE Too late. RYUJI Excuse me? JOE Could have been drunk a little sooner, but excellent...good character...What is it? INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL AL You just got a Mickey. OUTSIDE - RYUJI Bandaio. Grown near here. JOE What next! AL (VO) Drink lots of water. Joe gulps down lots of water. They look at him strangely. RYUJI What next, Indeed. AL (VO) Now get out of here. JOE I can't... AL (VO) You have to! Quickly! JOE ...imagine a better grape for the region. He reaches for the bottle, spilling it over himself... JOE Oh, no! I'll go wipe this off. Excuse me. INT. JOE'S ROOM Joe rushes in, holding his stomach. JOE What are you doing? INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL AL Trying to analyze this stuff. Now...go to the medicine shelf and take ---- and ----. OUTSIDE - Joe does. JOE Now what? Oh,No? He runs to the bathroom and throws up. INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL AL And after that,lie down for a while. AL biochemically blocks the spread by tightening muscles or rushing antigens to the proper organs. AL (VO) If they wanted us out, they must be up to something. INSIDE - EXT. THE POD - LATER AL TRAVELS TO JOE'S EYE. EXT. NIGHT - KYOTO - JOE'S POV A DARKLY WOODED TRAIL OUTSIDE RIUJI'S HOUSE leads to back alleys and shrines. Stone gargoyles appear out of the mist. SOUNDS ARE ENHANCED...PART OF THE TRAIL SEEMS TO GLOW DIMLY...TO THE LEFT. AL (VO) ...To the left. To the left. INSIDE - INT. THE POD Al studies the MONITOR. INSERT - MONITOR The same wooded scene seen as an infrared scan...Warmer areas show in lighter colors.HE SCANS THE INFRARED SPECTRUM through the clear lens of Joe's eye. AL They passed this way, the trail is warmer...Quietly now. Joe and Al follow the residual heat trail to: A SMALL CABIN A workshop and Communications shack. Inside, RIUJI, GRUNER and other suspicious men. AL (VO) Now, be careful. The window he's leaning on swings in. Off balance, Joe topples after it. He lands with a crash at the feet of the men. He takes the table lamp with him, plunging the room into darkness. SHOUTS and CURSES as everyone CRASHES into EVERYTHING. JOE - on the floor, crawing. AL (VO) To the left, to the left. Joe crashes into the wall. JOE Ow! AL (VO) A hard left. A hard left. INSIDE - INT. THE POD Al tries to guide him by infrared. AL Door to the right. Get up and run. JOE (VO) I can't see a thing. AL Neither can they. OUTSIDE Joe gets up and runs, blind. INSIDE - INT. THE POD Al sees the dim door grow closer. A figure enters and blocks it. AL Shit ! Look out! OUTSIDE At full speed, Joe tucks and hits a giant thug right in the chest. They both go down. The lights go on...RIUJI and The others stand over him. FISTS IN THE GUT - JOE is slugged around. Strangely, it doesn't seem to bother him. JOE What are you doing? The giant thug, an "animal" looks down, smiles. THUG I'm beating the shit out of you. INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL AL Blocking pain impulses with Endo-Morphins. You'll be alright. OUTSIDE - JOE doubles up under another blow. JOE I won't look so good. Another thug takes up the conversation. THUG 1 Hell, when we get through, you'll look like him. He indicates the "Animal". They all laugh...as RIUJI enters. Joe leaps up and nails the Animal with a haymaker. He goes down hard. The others start to close, but Ryuji stops them. He pulls a gun out, holds it on Joe. RIUJI No. Never mind him, Where is GRUNER? THUG 1 No sign of him. RYUJI Keep looking. The thugs depart. RIUJI's mood changes. He crouches close. INSIDE - INT. THE POD Al works on RIUJI's identity. OUTSIDE - RIUJI - RIUJI Now, who do you work for? JOE What can I say? AL (VO) I'm working on it. INSIDE - INT. THE POD Al finds info in a NSA data bank. AL Here it is..(Japanese phrases). OUTSIDE - JOE RYUJI Who are you? What do you want? AL (VO) (Japanese phrase) JOE What? AL (VO) Never mind, just say it. JOE (Japanese phrase) RYUJI is taken aback. RYUJI How do you know that? CIA? INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL AL I think he deals in... OUTSIDE - JOE JOE ...you deal in stolen technology. ...from...Glomsui. RYUJI (Shows him ID) I am GLOMSUI! Corporate Security. AL (VO) (denying it) He was with Gruner! JOE You were with GRUNER! RIUJI (exasperated) And now he's gone! What do you think you're doing, stumbling through this case. I almost had the goods in my hand! JOE You know what he's got? RIUJI Whatever it is, he's still got it. JOE You going after him? RYUJI I can't. He didn't do anything. Thanks to you. JOE Why are you on to him? RYUJI We've had thefts of our new stuff ...GRUNER deals in this... A big deal is going down now. I went to see if GRUNER had anything to sell. But he didn't make any moves...And when you arrived, he backed off. JOE Why'd you invite me here? RYUJI Someone is selling. You followed us. If it's not him, it must be you. If it's not you, it must be him... You scared him off. JOE What about the others. RYUJI I don't know. Ryuji puts the gun away, Joe turns to go. JOE Would you have bought it from him? RYUJI (inscrutable) We don't need to steal anything... EXT. HOUSE -NIGHT RENE appears. There is a disarming dizziness about her. RENE You're leaving. JOE Food doesn't agree with me. RENE I'm leaving too. JOE Why? RENE This business is over. JOE I'm sorry. What will you do? RENE Go back to Tokyo. Try to get another tour....You're following GRUNER? JOE I'm just on vacation. RENE Now, so am I...What's so interesting about him? JOE (blurts it out) Why don't you come and find out? INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL AL No! OUTSIDE - RENE Oh, I can't. AL (VO) Good. JOE I need a guide and you need a client...and $1000. INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL AL No. You can't trust her. OUTSIDE - Joe counts out fistfull of money. JOE You know where he went? RENE What's he done? JOE He stole something. From a friend of mine. RENE He must be a good friend. JOE We're very close. RENE What'd he steal? JOE A chip. Goes in a computer. RENE One chip? JOE The most important one. Can you help me find him? RENE (looks at money) How do you know you can trust me? JOE Got to trust someone. AL (VO) Who says so? RENE is skeptical, but fascinated. RENE I don't know. He mentioned a city. JOE What is it? RENE Hiroshima. JOE Get your things. She runs into the house. INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL AL Hiroshima! She's going, with us? Are you out of your mind. JOE (VO) Probably. AL I don't trust her. JOE Then why let her out of our sight? Besides, she's all we've got... OUTSIDE She reappears, throws her bag in the car, hops in. Joe gets in after her. She laughs at him...As they pull away. JOE You don't believe me. RENE Oh sure. JOE Then why are you smiling like that? RENE Lots of my clients are rich guys... They like danger..like playing with drugs and things...running around, acting mysterious. JOE You think I'm like that? She shruggs. JOE What's Gruner like? RENE They'd never talk in front of me. They'd walk away up the beach. Nervous about something. JOE Who was? RENE Ryuji and Gruner. JOE And Dieter. RENE Friend of Gruner. Just went along for the party. JOE And you? RENE It was a good job. Not many ways for a foreigner to make money here. Ryuji hires me to organize business meetings...take care of things. Up Ahead - a dark Mercedes. A lone figure drives, Gruner. She turns off her headlight, pulls in close behind the moving car. HIROSHIMA - A PORT ON THE INLAND SEA - LATER THAT NIGHT - Gruner's car pulls into a dockside warehouse. A figure emerges and crosses to a gangway. The FIGURE boards a SHIP. Joe(Al) and RENE watch from a distance. RENE I can't even see in this light. How do you know it's him? INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL works the infrared monitor. AL (VO) It's him. OUTSIDE JOE Come on. RENE Where we going? JOE Beats me. INLAND SEA - THE BOAT IS A PLEASURE CRUISER Crowded with tourists taking pictures of everything in sight. TOPSIDE GRUNER sits in the sun, listening to his Walkman as the islands move by. Nearby, wearing a hat and dark glasses, Joe/Al tries to stay close without being recognized. RENE slips into the seat beside them. RENE This boat doesn't go anywhere. Just toots around the Inland Sea. JOE Must be a pick-up, a rendezvous. RENE Then where's the chip. AL (VO) If you were going to smuggle a chip, where would you put it. She looks over to GRUNER, he has stripped to his shorts and digital watch. He applies oil. JOE focuses on the Walkman. AL (VO) Plenty of circuits in a Walkman... INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL AL I've got an idea. OUTSIDE JOE I was afraid of that. RENE What? JOE He plays it all the time. RENE AT THE BAR The waiter brings GRUNER's drink for a refill. Rene loads it with Vodka when the waiter turns away. BELOW DECK LOUNGE Filled with Japanese tourists...Joe stands uneasy...Looking sweaty and fearful. JOE You sure this will work? INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL AL Not sure at all. OUTSIDE JOE Well at least talk it up, then. I feel like an idiot. AL (VO) Just say the words. Just like I told you. Joe gets up his courage and blurts out: JOE (Japanese phrase...) Everyone turns to him with interest. JOE What was it? What'd I say? INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL AL You said 100,000 yen for the right Sony Walkman. The people sit, frozen... AL (VO) haka xuki. OUTSIDE - JOE haka xuki. What's that mean? INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL AL Cash. OUTSIDE They rush him. He is mobbed. Each Japanese waves his walkman...explaining in rapid Japanese the merits of their own model. Walkmans wave before his face like a field of corn. TOPSIDE - AT THE BAR - THE WAITER AND RENE WAITER ...It's Thrirrer, Micaer Jaksin. She hands him a big tip. ANOTHER SLAP of cash in a hand. A CASSETTE OF "THRILLER" is passed back. INT. PASSAGEWAY A teenager takes off with his profit, but Joe's got the Music. DECK - UNDER THE BLAZING SUN GRUNER's nodded off. The walkman plays on the deck beside him...Joe has eased up behind him...lying on the deck, apparently sunning...Rene is with him, in sunglasses and big hat...She covers his actions with erotic sun oil spreading of her own. Joe's got his cassette with the music rolling... and two headsets...He puts his identical walkman next to GRUNER'S. He plugs one headset into his walkman. The other, he eases into the B headset port in GRUNERS... HEAR the two tapes, out of sync. Rapidly jockeying, Joe matches cassettes so the tapes play in sync. He nods to Rene. She gets up, walks to the Bar entrance, knocks over a tray as she exit. AT THE CRASH, Joe switches plugs on the walkmans, rolls over, out of the way and feigns sleep, all in one motion. GRUNER rouses for a moment, looks around: nothing. He grabs (his) walkman, holds it on his belly and slumps down again. INT. SHIP - JOE'S CABIN They stare at the Walkman. RENE Now what? JOE We figure out if it's in here. RENE How? JOE Why don't you get us some food. This may take some time. She's pissed, but she takes some cash and leaves. JOE How? INT. PASSAGEWAY - OUTSIDE THE DOOR RENE listens for a moment, hears nothing, departs. INT. CABIN - LATER The walkman lies in hundreds of pieces. Rene finishes dinner while Joe stares at the main circuit board. INSIDE - INT. THE POD AL's sensors scan a technological terrain; the walkman circuits. He gives Joe instructions. AL Left...The one with the red dot. OUTSIDE - JOE JOE Well...? AL (VO) It's not the one...Wait... there's a label. Joe's eye fixes on a circuit, INSIDE - INT. THE POD Al scans in on it. It looks promising... Then he sees it on the casing... microetching... letters...a message; in Dutch. Al translates: AL So Long, Suckers! OUTSIDE JOE jumps up, darts out the door. Rene follows. JOE We been had. TOPSIDE - NIGHT A speedboats wake fades in the distance. Rene questions a deckhand, turns to Joe. RENE That must be him. Water taxi. JOE Get us one. RENE Too late, they won't come back out till morning. They slump into deck chairs. JOE He hung us up dry. AL (VO) While he makes the run. JOE Where? RENE Where what? JOE Where would you go to sell a chip? AL (VO) We've ruined his market in Japan.. Where's Dieter? RENE Dieter? JOE If Gruner led us away, Who'd he lead us away from? RENE Hong Kong. JOE What? RENE Dieter's gone to shoot a still job. Hong Kong. HONG KONG. DAY Joe and Rene rush up the main street. Suddenly Joe gets a thought. He grabs Rene. JOE Wait a minute! How'd you know Dieter was coming here? RENE I asked him. JOE Oh. AL (VO) See...I don't trust her. Stops her again. JOE Why'd you ask him. RENE He's a client of mine! What's the matter. You can't suspect Dieter. He's a famous photographer. He makes millions. JOE Maybe I'm wrong. Then GRUNER won't be here. STREET They turn the corner into an area blocked off for a still shoot. Lights are set covering a car: the famous BMW M2 prototype, RENE walks in ahead. Joe lurks in the B.G. RENE walks up to Dieter and is greeted and hugged. DIETER What are you doing here, where've you been? RENE I have a new client. DIETER That crazy guy? RENE Yes. Joe. Joe watches her walk away with Dieter. AL (VO) She thinks a lot of you. DIETER Where is he now? RENE Oh...I came on ahead. They set the scene. DIETER Well, I'm glad to see you. Sorry things broke up like that. RENE It's just money. DIETER Hey, sit in the car. I'll get you a fee. Make up for what you lost on the tour. IN THE CROWD Joe spots someone in the B.G. JOE'S POV - GRUNER He scans the scene...Joe pulls back into the shadows, unseen. GRUNER moves to Dieter. They shake hands, say a few things we don't get. Dieter hands him a small package. INSIDE - INT. THE POD AL enhances the audio. We hear one phrase. Sounds like "Chiang Cho". DIETER You know Rene. He moves, revealing Rene in the passengers seat. GRUNER'S surprised. He pulls Dieter away. GRUNER There was a mixup. I got your wristwatch. DIETER I knew it wasn't mine. Must have switched them swimming. They exchange wristwatches. As Dieter straps his on, his assistant approaches him with the camera...He takes it and starts to go to work. Joe watches Gruner back out of the lights. AL (VO) It's in the watch. He lead us on that chase while Dieter brought the chip into Hong Kong. JOE And Dieter? AL (VO) He must not know. GRUNER just made the switch back. Suddenly, GRUNER senses something. He looks directly at them. JOE Then, why'd he lead us here. AL (VO) He didn't. He left us that walkman chip to confuse us. Would have kept most people busy. We were too fast for him. Suddenly, GRUNER's gone...into the shadows. AL (VO) ...Until now. They take off in pursuit. From an alley, a Porsche blasts past - GRUNER. Joe looks around. Nothing to chase it in, just the M2. AL (VO) Do it. JOE I can't handle that thing. AL Don't worry, I can. Joe knocks over the male model, hops in the M2. Starts it up, Blasts it out through the set, through the lights and falling backdrops, and out onto the crowded, narrow street. He careens from side, to side...out of control; Al yelling in his head... INSIDE - INT. THE POD Al working feedback motor controls... AL (VO) Don't fight me. Just relax... OUTSIDE Joe careening down the street...out of control. JOE RELAX?!!! RENE emerges from the pile of haut couture into which she was thrown by his takeoff and adds her screams to his. RENE What? JOE I said just relax. I'm in full control. He loses it on the turn, takes out a peddler's stand. ON THE CORNICHE A Hundred mile-an-hour chase. RENE is terrified. So is Joe, but it's Al's reflexes that are doing the driving. Rene tries to speak calmly through gritted teeth. RENE Done much high-speed driving? JOE (struggling with the controls) A bit. Why do you ask? RENE Oh...nothing....Why do you scream on the turns? A particularly nasty switchback, a truck in the other lane, the rear end breaks loose...He screams again, then looks at her. JOE Oxygen. Good for the brain. She seems to accept that. They almost catch up with GRUNER when an obstruction in their lane forces them off the road...Only great skill and luck enables them to swerve back on. They round a blind corner. The PORSCHE, dead in their track. Both cars SLAM TOGETHER, careen off the road, hit a bank, separate. The PORSCHE rolls, destroying itself, PRANGS into a tree. The M2 goes through a bush, comes to rest upright. RENE - covered with dirt and debris, looks at him, stunned. RENE I'll walk from here. Joe spots GRUNER climbing out of the PORSCHE. AL Are you alright? JOE Just fine. I'll do the driving from now on. RENE Not with me, you won't. He does'nt seem to like you either. GRUNER crawls from his car, homocide on his mind. Joe slams his shoulder into his door. It swings open dumping him in the mud, tangled in his seat belt. JOE'S POV GRUNER stands over him with a gun. Joe struggles to his feet. Rene joins him. GRUNER holds the small package in one hand and the gun in the other. He holds the gun lazily...not really aimed: arrogance and a challenge. JOE (to Al) Do something! RENE Who, me? GRUNER Do nothing. Just give me the keys. AL (VO) Aim just in front of his face. JOE Aim what? GRUNER thinks he means the gun. GRUNER At this distance, there's no aim involved AL (VO) Get ready! JOE Don't do it! GRUNER Just give me the keys. JOE Whatever it is, don't do it. GRUNER (exasperated) I'm just taking your car. JOE (to AL) He's got a gun! It's said with such conviction, that GRUNER goes for it; His gaze flicks to the side, At that moment. AL attacks. Joe springs at him, flips. GRUNER'S POV Joe's boots catch him in the face. BOOM! The gun goes off. They land in a pile. No one can believe it, least of all, Joe. As Joe looks up, stunned, GRUNER slugs him. INSIDE - INT. THE POD Al is stunned by the blow. OUTSIDE A fight through the bushes..GRUNER attacks, fiercely. Joe defends himself, badly at first; Then Al recovers, takes a hand and smashes GRUNER..too hard. RENE He's out. Come on...We don't want to be found here. He takes his watch and wallet. AL (VO) What about the chip? Open the package.. OUTSIDE Joe opens the package... JOE Holy... AL (VO) ...Shit! It's just money. Joe pries the watch open, exposing the innards. He holds it close to his eye... INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL scans the chips... AL Nothing. It isn't here! OUTSIDE - Slowly, it dawns: JOE He aready made the deal.. AL (VO) The man we want has the PEM, and is across the border by now. JOE Dieter! AL (VO) GRUNER switched the chip to him, not from him, then he led us away again...to Chiang Cho. INSIDE - INT. THE POD 72 Hours Elapsed - Al's situation is becoming grave, battery power running low...time is essential. RENE (VO) Chiang Cho? JOE (VO) ...across THE BORDER. Come on! OUTSIDE RENE That's not this direction. It's back the other way. JOE You've been there? RENE I know the territory. JOE You coming along? AL (VO) I'm against it. RENE (VO) I insist. JOE So do I. A SHADY HOTEL ROOM - ON THE BORDER. RENE This going to work? JOE Maybe they're expecting Gruner. I'm gonna be him. RENE He's Dutch. You can't even speak Dutch. JOE (Dutch) Sdkjfls fjslkdjl; INSIDE - INT. THE POD Al looks up, annoyed. AL (VO) Quit showing off. OUTSIDE Rene looks at him with new...(maybe even) respect. JOE There's a lot you don't know. AL (VO) And don't let her know, either. INT. BATHROOM Joe looks in the mirror. INSIDE - INT. THE POD Al works the computer...zapping various...nerves... AL This may hurt. JOE (VO) Well, don't let it. What are you doing? OUTSIDE Joe's face swells until it has the same general configuration as GRUNER's. AL Retention of fluids...The rest is... INT. BEDROOM - A FEW MOMENTS LATER Joe catches her looking at him, in awe at his physical transformation... JOE (lamely) ...Muscle control... INSIDE - INT. THE POD Al is busy downloading GRUNER's Dossier. THE BORDER - LATER - JOE undergoing a skin search. JOE yawns, as if bored by the whole thing. GUARD We know who you are, GRUNER. JOE I've got a permit for the cash. GUARD We'll just make sure. EXT. BORDER POST Free to go, they walk a few meters; unsure . A huge black car SCREECHES UP, DOOR OPENS. RENE pulls back. INT. THE CAR An Oriental man. He squints at the daylight and beckons them in. Joe and Rene enter. The car pulls away. Under his robe, the man has a gun. He looks suspicious. When he speaks we are startled to hear a familiar BURR. BURR You didn't tell us you were coming? JOE Then how did you know? BURR snorts derisively. Rene starts to sweat it... JOE Is something wrong? BURR looks at him oddly, finally speaks his suspicion. BURR (guessing) You've cut your hair? JOE I dyed it. We're all getting old. BURR (unsure, suspicious) Some more than others. BURR accepts RENE's presence at face value. BURR Why are you here? Joe, thinking fast, shows him his watch. He cracks it open, shows him a chip; not the chip, but how is BURR to know? JOE PEM115! BURR **?!! (CHINESE EXCLAMATION) JOE Newer, more powerful design. BURR gets excited. He pats the driver, speaks rapid Cantonese. Joe looks over, smiles broadly at Rene, touches her knee. JOE What's happening? She smiles, but it is Al who answers. INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL AL We're onto something. **?!! is Cantonese for Lab. OUTSIDE - INT. CAR Joe seems to be commenting on Rene's smile. JOE About time. LANDING PAD The car pulls up near a familiar-looking Black Helicopter. EXT. HIGH TECH COMPLEX - LATER The chopper lands. They exit.- INT. RESEARCH LAB Nearly identical to U.S.T. Guards greet them. One speaks to BURR in Chinese as RENE and GRUNER/JOE are escorted to the lab. JOE Pretty advanced, isn't it? AL (VO) Ought to be, they stole everything and reverse-engineered it. Looks like all they need is the chip. INT. LAB A BLACK COVERALLED figure appears. As he moves, we recognize him as the LEADER of the INTRUDERS. He turns to them, it's Dieter. He glances at Gruner/Joe, surprised, He speaks to Joe in rapid Dutch. DIETER (What are you doing here? Where's Joe?) Joe responds: in dialect...Then watches for approval. JOE (He had another chip.) Dieter nods and turns away. He speaks softly and rapidly to another technician in Cantonese. INSIDE - INT. THE POD Al picks the sound up, runs it through a translation program. It starts to read out. OUTSIDE - Joe HEARS the translation. AL (VO) He's up to something. I have the real chip. Slowly, Joe backs away. The chip is inserted, programming starts. The tech speaks to the guards who edge toward Joe...They grab him. JOE (under his breath) Do something. AL (VO) What exactly? JOE I don't know. As Joe is hustled out, he struggles, stalls... JOE (weird Chinese double-talk) Whatever that means, it freezes them for a moment. They look to Dieter. Joe goes BERSERK. HE goes for the chip, but they tackle him. They slam him against the console, immobilizing him. One guard reaches for restraints. INSIDE - EXT. THE POD - IN JOE'S EYE INSIDE - INT. THE POD Al sees his chance. The POD'S LASER swings round... THE CONSOLE open near the PEM114. The laser sweeps over the microcircuitry fusing new connections. INSIDE Al works frantically, surgically...one final sweep. THE CIRCUIT BOARD POP! - An electrical surge BLASTS through. THE LAB SCREAMING AND SHOUTING. Dieter lunges at Joe. An electrical chain reaction sparks. The techs kill the power. IT GOES BLACK - In the confusion, Joe tears the chip from the console. He grabs Rene, slips out. EXT. THE CHOPPER They run across the tarmac, hop in. RENE Can you fly this? AL (VO) Don't worry. JOE Why not? RENE Can you? JOE Sure I can, can't I? AL (VO) Sure. He starts it. The pursuers are coming fast. They lift off just as the pursuers reach them. They swing over the lab and off toward the border. INSIDE - INT. THE POD Al flies, but the laser has drained him, he loses power..THE MISSION CLOCK FLASHES 90 HOURS PLUS... OUTSIDE Suddenly, Joe loses coordination. The chopper plunges...Al's voice is fading. AL (VO) Hang on!.. Joe goes limp. Then recovers, tries to coordinate flight. The chopper swoops all over the sky, out of control. JOE What happened? INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL AL Losing power. The laser drained it. THE CIRCUITS FAIL. OUTSIDE Al no longer controls it; the chopper stalls. RENE What happened? JOE I can't fly it. RENE What'd...you forget? They CRASH within sight of the lab. Joe barely manages to get it down without killing them. RENE is confounded by his Jeckyl/Hyde characteristic. RENE (VO) What is wrong with you? INSIDE - EXT. THE POD Barely under power, Al grapples the POD to a junction in a vein. He turns his rudders to angle the props into the fast flowing blood stream...The props spin in the flow. INSIDE - INT. THE POD - THE MONITOR The batteries charge. OUTSIDE Joe and Rene, struggling to escape the wreckage. INSIDE - EXT. THE POD The physical activity increases the blood flow and aids recharging. But they are easily captured... INT. RESEARCH CENTER Dieter's men separate them and throw Joe in a cell. JOE (VO) I'll tell you nothing. GUARD Who asked? They slam the door, it's dark and scary. Joe calls after them. JOE Don't you want to torture me?. GUARD Later. AL (VO) Be quiet. JOE Where've you been? AL (VO) Never mind that, where are we now. JOE We are in a dungeon. How do we get out? AL (VO) Gimme a minute. JOE Looks like you can have all you want. LATER - Joe sits brooding in the semi-darkness. JOE (VO) I can always flush you down the toilet. AL (VO) Keep thinking. JOE I have been... I think you're right. AL (VO) About what? JOE Dieter asked where I was. He expected me here. Maybe someone was assigned to bring me here. AL (VO) Rene? JOE She works for them. AL Now, you're too suspicious. JOE(VO) You were the one who was always suspicious of her! AL (VO) I was wrong. She tried to help us get away. JOE No. She just stayed with us. Like she did all along. WHANG! The door slams open. They throw RENE in. She hits the floor hard... RENE You let me out of here!! You son of a... WHANG! The door slams shut, cutting her off. She picks herself up, looks at Joe...He glares back at her, suspicious. She's just a bit hurt...expected a bigger reception than this. RENE Well, thanks. Nice to be here too! He tries to be angry with her, then seems to weaken. JOE Are you alright? RENE Yes. No. I'm...okay. They can't do this. They can't hold us here. JOE Looks like they can. What did they do? RENE They asked about you. JOE What did you tell them? RENE That I really don't know. JOE Now what? RENE They'll listen to what we say in here. RENE, lovely in a single shaft from a crack in the casement. AL (VO) She is beautiful. JOE You've changed your mind. She turns to him. RENE What? Oh, about Dieter, Yes. It was him. Gruner works for him. JOE Why? She shrugs but Al answers him. AL (VO) Not really. Truth is...I was ..jealous. Of you. INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL AL Thing is...I think I'm in love with her. OUTSIDE - JOE JOE Oh no! RENE What? She turns, crosses to him. JOE What a mess. RENE You can say that again. What do we do? JOE Nothing we can do. INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL AL I know it's no good. I've no right to be jealous. OUTSIDE AL (VO) She's in love with you. Anyone can see that. OUTSIDE - JOE JOE They can? RENE What? JOE They can hold us here forever. Nobody knows about us. RENE Can't you do something? AL (VO) It's a real mess. I'm sorry I got you into this. Joe - trying to assimilate it all and master the tripartite conversation, just repeats Al's thoughts. JOE I'm sorry I got you into this. RENE It was my choice. AL (VO) You're a lucky man. JOE Yeah, sure. RENE Don't blame yourself, I didn't have to come along. JOE Why did you, then? RENE For you. AL (VO) She's so lovely. It's all my fault...I was wrong. JOE You're lovely. RENE I'm...scared. AL (VO) Look, I don't know how we're gonna get out of this. JOE I don't know how we're gonna get out of this, but we will, somehow. AL (VO) I want you to know how much I appreciate what you've done. JOE I want to thank you for what you've done. RENE I didn't do anything. AL (VO) I know we fight, but I don't mean it. You're quite a guy. No one else could have dealt with this. JOE Awwww... AL (VO) I mean it! No one else would have helped. I take it all back, everything I've said about you. RENE I encouraged you to come here. My fault as much as yours. JOE I was...crazy...desperate. I took it out on you. I didn't mean it. I know what she sees in you. You're kind and you're brave. If I ever get out of you, I'll be glad to call you my friend. JOE I've learned a lot. I don't regret a thing. If it ends here, with you that's okay with me. RENE (holds him) It's okay with me too. AL (VO) Don't worry, I owe you a lot. I'm not gonna let us rot here. I'm gonna find us a way out. JOE I'll get us out of here. AL (VO) Don't worry about me. You take this time for your own, you two..... RENE How? JOE What? INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL AL Take her hand. OUTSIDE - Joe does. JOE Now what? RENE I've never met anyone like you. AL (VO) Kiss her. He does, gently. AL (VO) In a way, we're like brothers... I can't have her. I want you to. JOE That's nice. RENE Nice? AL (VO) In my own way...I want you to know that...I love you. JOE Uh...wonderful. I know I'm strange, but in my own way, I love you RENE (softens) I love you too. She slides into his arms. The kiss. JOE Could we be alone? She looks up and giggles at him. RENE If this isn't alone, I don't know what is. INSIDE - INT. THE POD AL turns off his circuits. OUTSIDE Joe seems just a touch confused; preoccupied. She takes matters in hand. He resists only momentarily when she seduces him. In the dark, they make love. MORNING - The cell door slams open. Guards enter. JOE Don't worry. RENE Why not, what are you going to do? JOE Escape. As they drag him out, he seems to Rene, strangely confident. RENE Just like that? JOE I'll come back for you. RENE Aren't you a little optimistic? EXT. COURTYARD Joe is led through an exercise yard. He is joyed at the sight of a fifteen foot wall. JOE (whispers) Look at that wall! When I say "Now", give me some adrenaline. Give me everything I've got. ....NOW! He breaks from his guards, dashes across the yard and leaps. SMASH...He hits the wall hard...four feet below the top. Slides to the bottom, lies in a crumpled heap, stunned. JOE What happened?..must have slipped... Joe falls back, they chase him around...He is startled by the fact that he's starting to get winded. JOE (Annoyed) Al, come on... They corner him...He turns and takes a Kung Fu stance. They stop apprehensively, then come on. He takes an awkward swing and they beat the crap out of him. He looks up, dazed and bleeding. JOE What happened?..Al, what the hell are you doing? FROM INSIDE - Al'S POV He focuses the Monitors, sees a Room, but another room. People. Dieter and the others...they are congratulating each other. His P.O.V.is that of a willing participant. Dieter turns to (him). DIETER What do you think, Rene? The girl, RENE. Al's now in her. RENE (hesitant) There's...something about him. DIETER What? COURTYARD - JOE struggling with the guards. JOE Come on, Al! Quit fooling around I know you're in there... I haven't so much as spit... The look on his face! He just thought of something else. JOE You son of a bitch! You conned me! OFFICE - RENE RENE You're gonna laugh. DIETER Yes? RENE He's not an ordinary man. DIETER Enough ROmance. RENE He's...more. Somehow, enhanced... He's...zxflbbgt! She blinks. That didn't make any sense. DIETER He's what? She smiles, embarrassed, tries again. RENE He's...sigmmoflbbbwwggpp.... Embarrassed, confused, she sighs... INSIDE - INT. THE POD Al is hitting all triggers; sending all kinds of currents through her brain, releasing chemicals that confuse her... to keep her from talking. OUTSIDE One more time...she tries to continue. INSIDE - INT. THE POD Al lets off a charge in her brain that disrupts her motor reflexes. OUTSIDE She drops like a rag-doll, passes out. DIETER He must have drugged her. INT. LAB - LATER - DIETER AND BURR Rene sleeps on a gurney nearby. Joe is strapped to an Operating table. Techs prep him for an experiment. Tech1 runs a CAT scan on Joe. INSIDE - INT. THE POD Al listens as they speak over her. BURR (Indicates Joe) You knew about him. You used him. OUTSIDE - DIETER I knew he was following us. He diverted attention, exposed Ryuji's trap.. BURR Rene? DIETER She found out what she could ...and delivered him here. INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL listens. They replace the circuit board, insert the chip, and power up. TECH 1 Tests are negative. DIETER He still has the POD. BURR Impossible. DIETER I'll prove it. We'll repeat their procedures...put a man in our POD, bring it down, and then...inject him. They look over at JOE. He knows they're talking about him. INT. LAB - LATER Their POD is heavily armed. DIETER If there is a POD inside him, We'll find it, and bring it out for study. BURR Who's our little man? DIETER Me. BURR No. If anything happened, you'd be stuck in there like he was. DIETER I take the last chip in with me. I use it, to control re-enlargement, from inside. OPERATING TABLE - LATER JOE is given the intravenous shot. INSIDE - INT. THE POD - DIETER makes directly for the brain. LAB - HOURS LATER JOE on the Gurney. The techs are picking something up on the cranial monitors. Joe's leg twitches. then his body leaps into spasm. The techs are alerted...A few rush out of the control room into the lab. They lean over the unconscious form, restraints and syringes at the ready. Suddenly his eyes snap open. His head turns, he fixes them with a riveting stare. They are taken aback. When it finally comes, his voice is amazingly calm, authoritarian, familiar. JOE Well, don't just stand around, let me up. It's Joe's face, but it's Dieter speaking. BURR is amazed. BURR Dieter? JOE/DIETER Who do you think? Now let me up, and I'll show you what this thing can do. The techs are perplexed. They look to BURR for instructions. Amazed and exultant, BURR presses his face against the glass. DIETER/JOE raises his thumb and shakes it at him in a victory sign. Quickly, they turn and releases the restraints on DIETER/ JOE. He gets up. BURR Go ahead. What can it do? Joe hesitates only a moment. Then his face lights up. He says one word: JOE Escape! WHAM WHAM WHAM. Karate blows...The tech's lie on the floor. Joe's out the door. INSIDE - INT. THE POD - DIETER still in the artery. Get's tumbled by the sudden activity. DIETER Hey, what's going on? Answer me...Rupert. OUTSIDE Joe goes berserk, smashes computers and makes an escape. He has been faking it. INSIDE JOE Dieter is trapped in a runaway subject - Joe. Dieter tries to hamper him...slow his breathing, put him to sleep etc. Joe fights him. BACK IN THE LAB ALL is confusion around the sleeping RENE. INSIDE - INT. THE POD Al is trapped as long as RENE is unconscious. He stimulates her. OUTSIDE She wakes, groggy. RENE What happened? BURR Joe's escaped. Dieter's in him. RENE In him? BURR It's a long story. RENE ya hyutn slulptsa? INSIDE - INT. THE POD Al has hit the wrong nerve bundle. He cuts power. OUTSIDE - BURR What? Shakes her head to clear it. RENE I said...He'll head for the border. EXT. WOODS Rene and the others pursue Joe. INSIDE - INT. THE POD Al sows confusion. He stimulates parts of her brain. OUTSIDE She starts to act psychotic, sees everything upside down, right to left...She speaks in Navaho. Then she runs into the bush. They crash into the bush after her. She pulls out in front of the other pursuers. Soon she is alone. Far ahead, she glimpses Joe pulling away. RENE I know you're in there. I'll make you a deal. She slows, breathing hard...stops in a clearing...finally...the answer AL (VO) What kind of a deal? RENE Let us get to the border! AL (VO) Then what? RENE (kidding, sarcasting) I'll give you three wishes. AL (VO) I knew you were trouble. RENE Trouble...is, if we both get stuck here. She leans against the trunk of a tree, exhausted...finally: AL (VO) Deal. A moment's pause, then, new life in her body, she takes off fast. WARNING SIGNS show she is near the border when she spots a stumbling figure ahead. Joe seems dopey and dizzy yet he struggles forward. INSIDE - INT. THE POD DIETER tries to stop him...His blood pressure is down, brain chemicals acting up... OUTSIDE His mind reels. He tries to press on, but instead, staggers around in confusion. He sees a vision, makes for it. JOE Rene! The OTHERS catch up. They bring up their guns. JOE You work for them? BURR comes up to take him. RENE acts funny, an internal struggle of her own. When she speaks, it isn't her. RENE Kiss her you fool. JOE Her? Then, he realizes: Al is in her...Suddenly, he moves on her. He kisses her passionately. She struggles against his embrace but he won't break the kiss. INSIDE Al makes a run for her mouth..too late...as: OUTSIDE BURR moves forward and breaks it up, pulling Joe away from her. Joe slips from his grip, staggers back looking at her. JOE I don't care if you do work for them. I doesn't bother me. RENE looks at Joe for a moment, then laughs. She turns and grins at BURR. She motions BURR forward to take Joe. As he passes in front of her, she turns, clips BURR below the ear, knocking him out. Joe is surprised. She moves to him. She's got a knife...She slashes Joe's wrist. She wants him to bleed to death. No. She slashes her own...presses their wrists together. She understands...and is trying to help. They sink to the ground together. INSIDE - EXT. THE POD In a flash, Al is through...He's into Joe's bloodstream... Chasing down Dieter...A terrific chase through the body... OUTSIDE Joe's on the move...with RENE. INSIDE - EXT. DIETER'S POD Dieter fires his laser. OUTSIDE Joe goes down...Rene grabs him, pulls him up, forward. JOE Who are you? Who do you work for? RENE Doesn't matter. I'm on your side. JOE I knew it. I told him. RENE Now what? JOE We just don't stop. CRASHING THROUGH THE BUSH BEHIND THEM - THE BAD GUYS. INSIDE - EXT. THE PODS Dieter tries to slow Joe down. Al tries to speed him up... OUTSIDE They come upon the DENUDED ZONE near the BORDER - a killing ground laced with minefields, automatic shotguns, infrared scanners, radar, sonar etc...The pursuers draw closer. INSIDE JOE Dieter hunts Al. .. OUTSIDE The pursuers catch up just as they reach the minefield. Just when Joe needs his help the most: INSIDE - EXT. THE POD Al is ambushed by Dieter... A HIGH SPEED DOGFIGHT through the body. Dieter FIRES at Al, misses, hits a nerve and sets off a muscle seizure...not the best thing to have in a minefield... OUTSIDE...Joe can't control his body. JOE Al, Help. INSIDE - INT. THE POD Al's got his hands full. AL Can't help you now. You're on your own. OUTSIDE He turns...he's stuck halfway to freedom with the girl and with no one to save him but himself; HIS OWN ABILITIES... He moves at them. They fall back momentarily...afraid he'll trigger the automatic guns. BURR Give up, save yourself You're in a killing zone. Joe bluffs...buying time. JOE How about a deal? BURR We'll let you go. You leave the pods and the PEM. A STAND OFF - The pursuers hesitate, JOE (under his breath) Do something. Gimme some power. I'm in a minefield. INSIDE - INT. THE POD Al desperately trying to repair the damage, while avoiding Dieter. At the same time, he is analyzing the controls for the border defenses. It doesn't seem there's much he can do, but then he gets it: Al starts to transmit ultrahigh frequency bursts. JOE (VO) What are you doing? AL Sending what we know back to U.S.T. via satellite. INT. DIETER'S POD Dieter sets his own transmitter to the same frequency and blasts forth...jamming Al's transmission. It's a trick. Al adds to the radio chaos, transmitting on other frequencies...a battle of the wavelengths. Then someone hits it, a frequency that: OUTSIDE sets off the automatic shotguns. Everyone dives for the dirt. The air above them EXPLODES - shredding the trees. Joe looks up, sees a lane of guns clicking empty... INSIDE Dieter gets in a lucky shot and Al's POD is damaged. OUTSIDE Joe hears it. JOE Al...you there, Al? Now's the time. Help us. No answer. Maybe Al's dead. Now Joe knows: If they're to be saved, it's his body and his brain that has to save them... The awful truth...It's up to him. JOE He can't help us. RENE Do something! JOE Do what? I don't know. I'm no good at this. RENE You are, I've seen you. JOE It wasn't me. It was him. RENE It was you. JOE He told me what to do. RENE But you did it. It was you. Joe tries to deny it. RENE I know one thing. If it wasn't you...we're in big trouble... She sees them bringing up submachineguns. She turns to Joe. His face takes on a look of resolve. JOE It was me. He just told me how...I wish he could tell me now. RENE If he was able, what would he say. He gathers himself, takes her hand. JOE He'd say..."Don't stop now.." He's up and running for it, with RENE close behind. THROUGH THE MINEFIELD He rips open barbed wire, they come to it: THE FENCE A LIVE WIRE - He's got to think quickly. He takes off his belt, loops the buckle on a conductor and pulls it across until two wires make contact. A BLAST OF SPARKS, the wire grounds out, shorts, overloads and goes dead. ALARMS GO OFF. From the other side, Border Police rush up, but can do nothing to help them. JOE Come on. RENE That's twenty feet high. JOE Like Al says..."Under stress, the human body is capable of impossible feats. WHAM WHAM WHAM WHAM WHAM...Submachinegun fire rattles off the fence above them. JOE This...is stress. Rene agrees. She puts her foot in his hands, he vaults her to the top of the fence. She swings over. He backs off...a BURST OF FIRE spurs him. He runs, leaps for the fence, barely catches the top, tries to pull himself up. He can't. Caught, he hangs there, watching the bad guys move up. JOE Al, this is your last chance.. The bad guys take aim. BURR Three seconds to decide. Then we will shoot. Caught, under their guns...Joe looks at them. INSIDE - EXT. AL'S POD is hit, mortally damaged...losing pressure. INT. DIETER'S POD - DIETER Give up! Tell Joe to give up! INT. AL'S POD Desperation...to get enough power, to aim the laser. As Al swings it around,Dieter fires again. At the same moment, Al fires at Dieter. It misses...but hits a NERVE BUNDLE! OUTSIDE Joe breaks into laughter...The Tickle-Response. INSIDE The paroxysm of laughter spoils Dieter's aim...His POD is drawn into the throat by the convulsions, where it is battered. Desperate, Al brings HIS dying POD alongside, pops the hatch, swims to Dieter's pod, just as Dieter's pod is swept away, out of control. A vortex tries to tear his grip away. He hangs tough against the violent wrenches of the current, as the pod swoops out from under him and spins away. Hand over hand, he reaches a hatch and enters. Dieter, panicked, at the controls, turns on him. They fight. The pod tumbles. They tumble. Dieter grabs a wrench, raises it to slug Al, when the pod hits something solid. Dieter is slammed against the bulkhead, knocked out. Al gains control of the pod, wedges it into a crevice and waits for the paroxyms to die away. OUTSIDE JOE'S ON THE WIRE, laughing at something terribly funny. RENE thinks he's finally gone mad. He may have. The pursuers think so. They are so amazed by his attitude...his courage...HIS HEART in the face of death, that when he tumbles off the fence into the FREE ZONE, they don't even fire. THE FENCE The border police come up and cover them. They are safe and free. Incredibly, Burr shouts through the fence: BURR They have stolen state property. RENE What a nerve! BORDER GUARD What kind of property? RENE (to Joe) Just ignore them. Walk away. BURR I insist. Return the POD. Joe starts to walk away, then turns to BURR. JOE Okay, if you really want it. He hawks and spits through the wire onto the man's shoe. The guards lock their weapons expecting a firefight at this insult. BURR's assistant leans down, scrapes the lunger off BURR's foot. BURR, realizing, scrapes the slime from the other's hand and cups it in his...He turns away, looking for a vessel. The border guards are flabbergasted. They look at Joe, Joe shrugs at them as he and RENE walk away. Toward a familiar Oriental man who waits for them, in front of an idling helicopter. JOE Riuji? RENE I told you, I work for him. INSIDE - INT. THE POD Al is anxious to get home. AL Hurry up...before this guy wakes. OUTSIDE Rene turns to him..He is mumbling. RENE What is it? JOE We're not moving fast enough for him. INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL AL I'll punch up your adrenaline... OUTSIDE Joe walks unsteadily off with RENE...past the guards. He seems insane...arguing with himself. JOE You leave my adrenaline alone. RENE just looks ahead; a crazy-amused smile on her face. It ends as it began, with Al and Joe bitching at each other, but all anyone hears is Joe's side: Joe Who's slow? ...I figured it out... INSIDE - INT. THE POD - AL AL Well, you should have said it in Cantonese... OUTSIDE Joe, outraged, babbles away. The Border guards look worried, like they may have to throw a net over him. Rene starts to giggle at the whole thing. RENE He wants to apologise. RENE He should do it in person ...I mean ex person. JOE Yeah...I have to get away. RENE I know a nice island. JOE (to Al) What? I told you she was allright. Who knew it right away?...and I found the chip. Who figured out it was Dieter?..Alright then. I ran through the minefield, where were you then? AW...will you get out of my face...etc. etc. END INNERSPACE