Arcade Page #10

ACROSS THE LAB,

Albert is oblivious to their conversation.

Alex backs towards the lab doors, turns, and opens them.

CUT TO:

INT. SLIP-STREAM HALLWAY - DAY

Alex makes her way quickly down the hall, turning a corner and passing a

SECURITY GUARD. She waves at him, her smile fading as soon as she's

passed.

CUT TO:

INT. R&D LAB - DAY

Albert is just pulling the last printed copy of the schematics from a

laser printer. He turns and hands them to Nick.

ALBERT:

Here you go. Happy hunting.

Nick takes the schematics and tucks them inside his jacket.

NICK:

Thanks again.

And with that, Nick pulls back his fist and punches Albert square in the

face.

Albert goes down, more stunned than hurt, and Nick springs into action.

He scoops up the CyberHelmet in his free hand, kicks open the doors, and

tosses his skateboard into the hallway...

INT. SLIP-STREAM HALLWAY - DAY

Nick leaps on the board and starts pumping his foot like a bandit, picking

up speed like mad...

He's racing down the hallway, maneuvering between startled EMPLOYEES. And

here comes a MAN with a mail cart...

WHOOSH! Nick zips by him. And now an ALARM is ringing.

NICK:

Sh*t...

INT. ANOTHER HALLWAY - DAY

Nick comes SCREECHING around the corner, narrowly missing a collision with

two SECURITY GUARDS.

GUARD #1

That's him!

But Nick's already past them. He puts his foot down again, pushing for

more momentum...

THE GUARDS:

are after him now, CHARGING down the hallway.

UP AHEAD,

A set of double doors labeled "EMERGENCY EXIT" blocks his way.

Nick spins out, sweeping the back of the board forward and SCREAMS to a

stop just before the doors. He kicks the board up into his free hand

and...

WHAM! He hits the doors running. Now the FIRE ALARM is blaring in

addition to the other alarm. A VOICE is squawking over the P.A. and it's

a hell of a racket.

VOICE:

(on P.A.)

SECURITY BREACH IN R&D. SUBJECT HEADING

TOWARDS EASTERN EXIT...

INT. STAIRWELL -- DAY

Nick is charging down the stairs four and a time... One level, two...

Now he's reached ground floor...

INT. GROUND FLOOR HALLWAY - DAY

BOOM! Nick tumbles out of the stairwell only to see a trio of GUARDS

heading straight for him.

Nick drops his board to the ground and heads right, pumping his foot...

One of the GUARDS leaps at him and...

...misses by a foot or so, CRASHING to the tile floor.

NICK:

SCREECHES to another stop, TWISTS, and starts pumping down another

hallway...

INT. LOADING AREA -- DAY

Nick plows into the loading area like a bullet, whipping around stacks of

boxes and lumbering forklifts. A few WORKERS attempt to stop him, but

he's moving too fast.

AHEAD,

is a loading dock, raised four feet from the ground to accommodate semis.

Nick's heading for it. The loading door is open, and outside is freedom.

JUST THEN,

the steel loading door begins to GRIND and lower. Some genius has hit the

controls.

NICK:

pumps like mad, and he's really moving now. Either he'll make it, or he's

going to hit that steel door at about forty miles and hour...

THE DOOR:

is quickly closing off Nick's escape route. He's only got about four feet

to negotiate...

Nick ducks low and clears it!

EXT. LOADING DOCK -- DAY

Nick ROCKETS off the loading dock, through the air and down, hitting the

concrete driveway. The driveway peels off to the left and slopes

downward.

Nick hangs tight, hugs the curve, and picks up more speed.

BELOW,

the driveway splits off. To the left, SLIP-STREAM's main building, and to

the right, the parking lot.

GUARDS:

are piled into an electric cart, SPEEDING up from the left to cut Nick

off. It's going to be close...

Nick forks off to the right dust before they reach him.

It's clear sailing now, and up ahead, Nick can see Alex pulling up to the

end of the driveway...

WHOOSH! Nick scrapes the board forward, grinding the wheels sideways in

order to slow his speed...

He leaps. picking the board up with him. and dunks himself smack-dab in

the back seat of the Skylark.

ALEX:

guns the engine and tears away in a cloud of exhaust.

EXT. COUNTRY ROAD -- DAY

Nick is in the back seat, LAUGHING. The sun is beginning its descent and

the sky is taking on a reddish tint.

NICK:

Jesus Christ!

ALEX:

I can't believe you made it!

Nick climbs into the front seat next to Alex, and for a second, he's

pretty close to her. He kisses her on the cheek...caught up in the

moment. Then he sinks back, catching his breath.

ALEX:

You got the schematics?

NICK:

Everything.

Neither one speaks for a moment as the mood dampens once again. Driving.

Wind whipping Alex's hair around. She stares at the road ahead.

ALEX:

So where do we play the game, Nick?

Nick doesn't answer at first. For a second there, he'd managed to forget

everything.

NICK:

I've been thinking about that.

(beat)

ARCADE's like a virus, so it seems like the

place to hit him would be where the virus

started. You know, like his point of origin?

ALEX:

(grim)

Dante's Inferno.

NICK:

Yeah.

(deep breath)

The Inferno.

OVERHEAD,

as we watch Alex's Skylark speed away from us. Shadows are creeping

across the landscape now. Streetlights are flickering, sputtering on.

And night is falling.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. DANTE'S INFERNO -- NIGHT

Sweeping down from the sky, we follow The Skylark. As Alex and Nick near

The Inferno, streetlights blink off in succession... progressive darkness

working its way towards their destination.

DANTE'S INFERNO

We move past the painted walls, the various demons illuminated by

moonlight.

Alex and Nick rush to the front door. It's gated. Inside, The Inferno is

totally dark. Shadows.

ALEX:

The windows are barred...

(thinking)

There's a skylight. We can get in through

the roof.

CUT TO:

EXT. DANTE'S INFERNO ROOF - NIGHT

Alex and Nick creep over the roof, and sure enough, there's a skylight in

the center, caked with grime.

Nick stands and plants his foot through the skylight. It SHATTERS,

raining down glass into the darkness below.

Nick pulls off his belt and hooks it around one of the iron sash bars.

Gripping the belt, he lowers himself down. After a moment, he disappears

from view.

Alex leans over the skylight. She can't see a thing.

ALEX:

Nick...

(beat)

Nick!

For the longest moment there's no response. Then...

NICK (O.S.)

(from below)

Okay, your turn.

Alex climbs over and grasps the belt tightly, lowering herself down into

The Inferno.

INT. DANTE'S INFERNO -- NIGHT

Alex dangles from the skylight, a good eight feet from the floor.

ALEX:

(warily)

Are you there?

HER P.O.V.

The Inferno is a world of threatening shapes and shadows. And Nick is

nowhere to be seen.

Alex steels herself and drops to the floor.

She stands, a bit shaky, and cautiously moves around a cluster of video

games.

NICK:

is standing on the other side, staring at a game screen which pulses with

a DIM LIGHT.

Alex approaches, putting a hand on his shoulder. He turns.

NICK:

Alex...

ALEX:

You didn't hear me?

Nick shakes his head. Alex leans forward to see what he's looking at.

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