Face\Off Page #23

The old ship's hold has been converted into a laboratory.

At a work table, a sealed ISOLATION TANK is filled with

healthy RATS ... one-by-one, they convulse, then drop dead.

DIETRICH (o.s.)

Mother nature at her finest.

One part per trillion of this

stuff will kill you faster

than a mailman with a grudge.

PULL BACK to reveal ARCHER with DIETRICH HASSLER (45) -- an

illicit chemist recognizable from Castor's dossier.

He holds up the steel TUBE Archer found on the roof.

ARCHER:

And this thing can grow it?

DIETRICH:

Yes. Pollux bought one

along with the original

batch. Obviously, he

found a way to make more.

ARCHER:

Why would he need more?

DIETRICH:

He's your brother, you

figure it out. Maybe he

made another bomb.

ARCHER:

(realizes)

Or reactivated the first one.

DIETRICH:

Right ... like Jon Archer

would ever let that happen.

INT. ARCHER'S NSA OFFICE -- DAY

CASTOR is alone -- staring blankly at POLLUX'S image on his

computer monitor. Ironically, he has been encoded as

"Castor's" latest victim. LAZARRO pops her head in the door.

LAZARRO:

I just heard about Castor's

fratricide -- rather poetic,

don't you think?

CASTOR:

What is it, Admiral?

I'm under the gun here.

LAZARRO:

I just thought that --

under the circumstances

-- you might want to

postpone the meeting

with the station chiefs.

CASTOR:

No. Most of them are in

transit by now. I'm heading

over to the hotel to

personally oversee security.

LAZARRO:

Okay, then. I leave

it in your able hands.

Lazarro exits. CASTOR picks up the framed photo of EVE and

JAMIE -- staring at it with unbridled hatred.

CASTOR:

My able hands.

Fury rising, he crumples the frame -- and the photo -- in

his clenching grip. He hurls it, choking back his rage.

EXT. NEW ST. MARKS -- DAY (ESTABLISHING)

A tower with a dramatic REVOLVING RESTAURANT on its roof.

INT. SERVICE ROOM -- DAY

CASTOR wires the BIO-BOMB into the climate control system.

CASTOR:

For you, bro.

He hits the ACTIVATION switch. The bomb WHIRS to life.

INT. CAR WASH -- DAY

Two SFPD COPS watch from the PICTURE-WINDOW as their car is

pulled through. It disappears into SOAP CYCLE.

SOAP sprays everywhere -- coating the observation windows,

obscuring the Cops' view of their car.

COP:

Crap, I wanted hot wax.

The soap ceases. The Cops gawk -- their car is GONE.

EXT. COP CAR -- MOVING -- DAY

The squad car's windshield wipers whisk away the beaded

water -- revealing ARCHER behind the wheel.

INSIDE:

ARCHER hits a switch -- the car's tinted windows DARKEN

automatically, obscuring him from the outside.

EXT. STREET -- DAY

ARCHER slows the squad car.

UP AHEAD:
Parked cop cars block both lanes of the main road

-- a ROAD-BLOCK check-point for all traffic.

ARCHER pulls off the road, out of sight. He flips open the

portacomp and starts to type rapidly.

ON SCREEN -- the computer registers a PRIORITY ALERT from

Commander Jon Archer.

INT. NSA -- DAY

A Dispatcher's SCANNER clicks to life.

DISPATCHER:

All units. I have a confirmed

code zero-zero priority alert.

Proceed at once to Army Street

Terminal. That's Army at Third.

QUICK SHOTS:

NSA MOTORPOOL -- TAC SQUADS pile into armored jeeps.

HELIPORT -- CHOPPERS lift off and veer east.

ARCHER'S HOUSE -- The surveillance cars roar away.

EXT. ROADBLOCK -- DAY

ARCHER watches as the checkpoint of COP CARS pulls apart and

screams east on the main road -- passing Archer. Once the

armada is gone, he pulls out and heads west.

INT. NSA -- DAY

CASTOR arrives. He bumps into Wanda -- she's shocked.

WANDA:

Commander, what are you

doing here?

CASTOR:

Where should I be?

(looks around)

Where's everyone else?

WANDA:

Backing you up! Didn't

you track Castor to the

Army Street Terminal?

CASTOR:

What?

WANDA:

It was confirmed by your

personal security code.

Nobody knows that code

but you!

CASTOR:

Obviously someone else

knows it! Get everybody

back to their posts -- NOW!

INT. ARCHER HOME -- SUNSET

ARCHER tiptoes through the house -- listening. He hears

WATER RUNNING upstairs.

MASTER BEDROOM -- CONTINUOUS

ARCHER walks in and steps toward the bathroom -- passing the

bed. He stops. On top of the rumpled covers: Eve's

nightgown and a pair of Castor's black mesh briefs.

Overwhelmed, he sits down -- not noticing the water has

stopped. Eve steps in from the bathroom.

ARCHER:

Eve ...

The look of horror on her face snaps him back to reality.

She runs, but Archer grabs her. She struggles -- fighting

and kicking him -- but somehow he keeps her mouth covered.

ARCHER (cont'd)

I'm not going to hurt you.

Just don't scream, okay?

(no response)

Okay?

She finally nods and he eases off her. Her face betrays her

utter fear -- and her building anger.

EVE:

I know you -- you're the

one who called. You're

Castor Troy. You killed

my son --

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