12 Monkeys Page #3

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As the POET reads, we STUDY the audience, mostly YUPPIE CULTURE

JUNKIES or BOHEMIANS. Among them, a light-haired woman of twenty-

eight, soberly dressed, wearing glasses. She's KATHRYN RAILLY. And

it's her beeper that suddenly BEEPS. BEEP! BEEP!

POET'S VOICE (o.s.)

"The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,

Moves on:
nor all your Piety nor Wit

Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,

Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it."

BEEP! BEEP! Scowling at the outrageous interruption, the POET

looks up from the text just as RAILLY, tumbling, shuts off the

beeper and rises, embarrassed. As she makes her way to an exit,

the glaring POET continues...

POET:

"Yesterday This Day's Madness did prepare;

Tomorrow's Silence, Triumph or Despair:

Drink! for you know not whence you came, nor why:

Drink! for you know not why you go, nor where."

INT. CORRIDOR/POLICE STATION - NIGHT

DETECTIVE FRANKI leads RAILLY past crowded holding cells.

FRANKI:

-- so they get there and they ask the guy

real nice for some kind of i.d., and he gets

agitated, starts screaming about viruses.

Totally irrational, totally disoriented,

doesn't know where he is, what day it is,

alla that stuff. All they got was his

name. They figure he's stoned out of

his mind, it's some kinda psychotic

episode, so they're gonna bring him...

RAILLY:

He's been tested for drugs?

FRANKI:

Negative for drugs. But he took on

five cops like he was dusted to the

eyeballs. No drugs. You believe that?

FRANKI pauses, indicating a tiny observation window of thick meshed

glass in an otherwise solid door, and RAILLY looks through it.

RAILLY'S POV THROUGH THE WINDOW: a MAN, his back to her, in

strait-jacket and prison denims, examining the wall of the padded

cell with the distorted intensity of a "mental case".

RAILLY:

You have him in restraints.

FRANKI:

Were you listening? We got two officers in

the hospital. Yeah, he's in restraints, plus

the medic gave him enough stellazine to kill

a horse. Look at him! Still on his feet.

RAILLY'S POV THROUGH THE WINDOW: the MAN in the cell turns, looks

right at her. In spite of the cuts and welts, it's clearly COLE.

RAILLY:

That would explain the bruises, I

guess. The struggle.

FRANKI:

You want to go in? Examine him?

RAILLY:

Yes, please. You said he gave a name...

FRANKI:

(unlocking the door)

James Cole. That's everything we got. None

of the James Coles on the computer match him.

No license, no prints, no warrants. Nothing.

You want me to go in with you?

RAILLY:

(entering)

No, thank you.

FRANKI:

I'll be right here...just in case.

INT. ISOLATION CELL

COLE stares at RAILLY. The environment is intensely real...vivid

colors...each sound, however slight, very distinct, almost loud...

and yet she appears to him almost like a vision.

RAILLY:

Mr. Cole? My name is Doctor Railly.

I'm a psychiatrist. I work for the

County -- I don't work for the police.

My only concern is your well being --

do you understand that?

COLE:

I need to go now.

RAILLY:

I'm going to be completely honest. I'm

not going to lie to you. I can't make

the police let you go...but I do want

to help you. And I want you to trust

me. Can you do that, James? May I

call you "James"?

COLE:

"James"! Nobody ever calls me that.

RAILLY:

(frowns, studies him)

Have you been a patient at County?

Have I seen you someplace?

COLE:

No, not possible. Listen, I have to

get out of here. I'm supposed to be

getting information.

RAILLY:

What kind of information?

COLE:

It won't help you. You can't do anything

about it. You can't change anything.

RAILLY:

Change what?

COLE:

I need to go.

RAILLY:

Do you know why you're here, James.

COLE:

Because I'm a good observer. Because I

have a tough mind.

RAILLY:

I see. You don't remember assaulting a

police officer...several officers?

COLE:

They wanted identification. I don't have

any identification. I wasn't trying to

hurt them.

RAILLY:

You don't have a driver's license,

James? Or a Social Security card?

COLE:

No.

RAILLY:

Why not? Most people have some ID.

COLE:

You wouldn't understand.

RAILLY:

You've been in an institution, haven't

you, James? A hospital?

COLE:

I have to go.

RAILLY:

A jail? Prison?

COLE:

Underground.

RAILLY:

Hiding?

COLE:

I love this air. This is wonderful air.

RAILLY:

What's wonderful about the air, James?

COLE:

It's so clean. No germs.

RAILLY:

You're afraid of germs?

COLE:

I have to go.

RAILLY:

Why do you think there aren't any germs

in the air, James?

COLE:

This is April, right?

RAILLY:

July.

COLE:

(sudden panic)

July?!

RAILLY:

Do you know what year it is?

COLE:

What year is it?

RAILLY:

What year do you think it is?

COLE:

1995?

RAILLY:

You think it's July of 1995? That's

the future, James. Do you think you're

living in the future?

COLE:

(slightly confused)

No, 1995 is the past.

RAILLY:

1995 is the future, James. This is 1989.

COLE looks stunned.

INT. POLICE STATION CORRIDOR - MORNING

COLE, bound tightly by the strait-jacket, heavy manacles on his

ankles, is being escorted down the corridor by two surly POLICEMEN.

COLE:

Where are you taking me?

POLICEMAN #1

South of France, buddy. Fancy hotel.

You're gonna love it.

COLE:

South of France?! I don't want to go

to the South of France. I want to make

a telephone call.

POLICEMAN #2 smirks as he unlocks a heavy steel door.

POLICEMAN #2

Zip it, scumbag -- you fooled the shrink

with your act, but you don't fool us.

Then, POLICEMAN #2 swings the steel door open and sunlight

overwhelms COLE, blinding him in a dazzling fury of white light.

EXT. CITY STREET/MINI-VAN - DAY

A Mini-van, the kind of vehicle used to transport a half dozen

prisoners, crawls through a busy street. The Police Department

logo is prominent on the side of the van beneath barred windows.

INT. COUNTY HOSPITAL/SHOWERS - AN HOUR LATER (MORNING)

Fierce spray recalls the decontamination in the future. COLE

stands stark naked under the shower while two muscular attendants,

PALMER and BILLINGS, supervise.

As PALMER shuts off the water, BILLINGS hands COLE a towel and

starts inspecting his scalp...

BILLINGS:

Lemme see your head, Jimbo, see if you

got any creepy crawlies.

COLE:

I need to make a telephone call.

BILLINGS:

(pulling Cole's head)

Gotta work that out with a doctor, Jimbo.

Can't make no calls 'til the doctor says.

COLE:

It's very important.

BILLINGS:

What chew gotta do, Jimbo, is take it

easy, relax into things. We all gonna

get along fine if you just relax.

COLE gets the hint of menace in the message and submits to the

lice inspection, only his eyes revealing his frustration.

INT. HOSPITAL/DAYROOM - HALF AN HOUR LATER (DAY)

COLE stands in the doorway, stunned by his first sight of the

large room. His eyes go to the heavily-grilled windows where

light pours in from outside. Then, to the TV, where a CARTOON

COMMERCIAL makes raucous noises.

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