Fantastic Voyage Page #23

GRANT:

The ship's good as finished. We'll

have to get out on our own! Is there

a quick way out?

DUVAL:

We could follow the Optic Nerve to

the corner of the Eye.

CORA:

It's beginning to grow...

They stop, treading water as they see:

600AEXT. PROTEUS

Growing visibly before their eyes.

600AAINT. BUBBLE

Michaels reacts as he sees the dendrites outside growing ,

which indicates the sub and he are growing larger.

600BEXT. EDGE OF FOREST OF DENDRITES

DUVAL:

We've got to get them out.

As he starts toward the sub, Grant stops him.

GRANT:

Hold it...

They follow his look, see:

601WHITE CORPUSCLES - IN FOREST OF DENDRITES

Huge monster-like blobs are starting to ooze through the nerves toward

the Proteus, which is now about a quarter as large as when last seen,

and growing rapidly.

CORA'S VOICE

(o.s., horrified)

White Corpuscles!

602EXT. EDGE OF FOREST OF DENDRITES

DUVAL:

They'll ingest the ship and

everything in it!

GRANT:

Stay here, both of you. Hold them

off, if you can.

He hands the laser to Duval and starts swimming toward:

602AEXT. PROTEUS - IN FOREST OF DENDRITES

The White Corpuscles are slithering through the interlaced dendrites.

They are still some distance from the disabled sub.

602MICHAELS - IN BUBBLE

He is horrified to see the White Corpuscles slide into his view,

though still removed from the sub. He renews his frantic effort to

break loose from the steel grip of the sprung arm.

602BBEXT. DAMAGED HULL

Grant swims the hole through into:

602CCINT. LAB AND STORAGE SECTION

Quickly he makes his way through the narrow flooded area, picking up

two Breather Packs en route.

602DDINT. PROTEUS

Grant emerges into the air-filled portion, pushes up his swim mask. He

takes in the prone Owens and Michaels pinned in the Bubble as:

MICHAELS:

(frantically)

Grant! Help!

For a moment Grant stands between the unconscious man and the one

trapped in the Bubble. Then he hurriedly unzips Owens' jumper,

revealing the swim suit beneath. Owens regains consciousness. During

the above:

GRANT:

What happened?

OWENS:

(in a daze)

Dr. Michaels... He went berserk...

GRANT:

(with realization)

Berserk nothing. He's the one who's

been sabotaging the mission...

(handing him Breather

Pack)

Get this on. Hurry!

MICHAELS' VOICE

(from Bubble;

frantically)

Grant!

602EEINT. BUBBLE

A monster-like cell is slithering toward the Bubble. Michaels is

tearing at the steel arm that holds him to the chair.

MICHAELS:

(with growing terror)

Macrophages!

Moving against the extreme tilt, Grant appears. Responding to the

oncoming White Corpuscle, Grant pulls at the steel arm with all his

strength.

MICHAELS:

(during above)

Get me out of here. Get me out!!

For all his effort, Grant is unable to free Michaels.

602FFWHITE CORPUSCLE

Gradually oozes over the entire Bubble, covering it.

602GGINT. BUBBLE

Grant makes a last desperate effort to free Michaels as he sees the

Bubble begin to dissolve beneath the body of the adhering White

Corpuscle. As the fluid body begins flowing over Michaels:

MICHAELS:

(in terror)

No...no...

His scream is cut off by the White Corpuscle engulfing him. Grant

jumps back into:

602HHINT. PROTEUS

OWENS:

Come on -- it's no use!

GRANT:

We can get out through the Lab

Section.

Both pull down their swim masks. Owens moves off, followed by Grant.

602IIINT. LAB SECTION

Owens is swimming through the hole. Grant follows through the cramped

area.

602JJEXT. PROTEUS

Owens appears, swims off toward Duval and Cora. The two are working

the laser and power unit. Duval is hitting the White Corpuscles and

dissolving them in an attempt to keep them off the sub, but without

avail. The monster cells are swarming in greater numbers.

602KKEXT. DAMAGED RUDDER

A monster White Corpuscle is flowing along it, down toward the hole.

As Grant now emerges, the White Corpuscle grasps him in its tentacles.

602B-

602D

602EGRANT AND WHITE CORPUSCLE

He struggles, unable to break out of the fluid mass which engulfs him.

602FEXT. EDGE OF FOREST OF DENDRITES

Duval and Cora swim up. Duval aims the laser, presses the trigger. The

beam shoots out with surgical precision, making a direct hit on:

602GVACUOLE OF WHITE CORPUSCLE

The nucleus of the monster cell disintegrates, releasing Grant. He

swims quickly toward:

602HEXT. FOREST OF DENDRITES

The three see another White Corpuscle moving after Grant. Duval

dissolves it just as the laser goes dead. As Grant reaches them:

GRANT:

You said there was a quick way out!

DUVAL:

What about Dr. Michaels?

GRANT:

It's too late!

Duval drops the laser, turns and starts to swim off. Cora drops the

power unit. With Duval in the lead, they swim as fast as they can

through:

602IEXT. FOREST OF DENDRITES

The dendrites are now in relat1on to the four as they keep

on through the Cranial Region of flashing lights.

603EXT. PROTEUS

White Corpuscles are now festooned all over the sub and flowing in

through the Bubble and damaged portion of the hull.

604-

606

607EXT. EDGE OF FOREST OF DENDRITES

The swimmers look back and respond to:

607AEXT. PROTEUS

It is crumbling like the Hindenburg Zeppelin. The White Corpuscles are

swarming over the remains, ingesting every particle.

607BTHE GROUP

Reacting to the destructive power of these internal defenders. They

swim off.

608-

616

616AINT. OPERATING ROOM

The Chief Surgeon's gloves are on. Now all start to take their places

around the Operating Table. The operating beams are switched on. The

Chief Surgeon holds out one hand. A Surgical Nurse slaps a scalpel

into it.

616BINT. CONTROL TOWER

Standing at the window overlooking the OPERATING ROOM, Carter and Reid

can see the Chief Surgeon bending down over Benes' head, about to make

an incision. Carter suddenly gets an idea, presses button.

CARTER:

Hold it, Doctor!

616CBENES' HEAD AND SCALPEL

The cutting edge is a fraction of an inch from the shaved head. It

stops just in time. The Chief Surgeon and the Surgical Team around the

table look up toward the window.

617

618INT. CONTROL TOWER

Reid looks tensely at Carter.

REID:

What is it?

CARTER:

That blip we're picking up might

only be the radio-active particle.

The Proteus may already be

destroyed...

REID:

What're you getting at?

CARTER:

(thoughtfully)

If I were in their place and I'd run

out of time, I'd abandon the ship

before I grew to dangerous size...

and use the few extra minutes to get

out the quickest way possible, on my

own...

REID:

(with quick realization)

Along the Optic Nerve to the Eye.

Swiftly, Reid crosses to the window overlooking the OPERATING ROOM. He

presses button.

619INT. OPERATING ROOM

The Chief Surgeon and the others exchange tense looks as they hear:

REID'S VOICE

(o.s.)

Wait thirty seconds...

He rushes through the door leading down to the Operating Room.

620

621EXT. ARACHNOID CORRIDOR - RIGHT OPTIC NERVE

Composed of a cobweb of fibers. Sausage-like links, pinched in the

center, compose the walls of the winding passage. These are the Nodes

of Ranvier. Intermittent flashes leap across the Nodes, of varying

intensity and duration.

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