Gattaca Page #21

Hugo's mouth drops open at the mention of "intravenous".

DETECTIVE HUGO:

(immediately protesting)

You know their workforce. Two-thirds at

least fall into the category. We'll be

closing down their operation for days.

(seeking a compromise)

At least go with a fingertip sample or urine.

INVESTIGATOR:

(shaking his head)

Blood. From the vein.

The Investigator turns on his heel to prevent further protest.

The Detective and his ASSISTANTS exchange looks of exasperation

behind the Investigator's back.

INT. GATTACA. DAY.

JEROME, drinking water, stands in front of a large video

bulletin board. Among other things, it displays the electronic

mugshot of 20-YEAR-OLD VINCENT alongside the recent computer

generated age enhancement of his face.

Some distance away, CAESAR, the elderly janitor, discusses the

mugshots with a YOUNGER JANITOR.

CAESAR:

Look like anybody to you?

YOUNGER JANITOR:

Not to me.

CAESAR:

Ugly sonofabitch though, isn't he?

Jerome half-smiles, realizing that the conversation is for his

benefit. Having made it clear that they do not intend to expose

their former colleague, the two janitors continue their rounds.

Jerome crushes his paper cup. Forgetting himself, he

drops the cup into the wastebasket.

INT. CRAFT. DAY.

JEROME familiarizes himself with the interior of a spacecraft

under the supervision of DIRECTOR JOSEF and the MISSION

COMMANDER. The screen that Jerome sits at is identical to the

one he operates in the computer complex - displaying asteroid

951 Gaspra.

DIRECTOR JOSEF:

--Somewhere in the dust of Gaspra is the key.

(warming to his theme)

Back to the beginning of the book--the life we

became. With the original building blocks who

knows how far we can take "the godding".

MISSION COMMANDER

(wry smile)

Even someone as advanced as Jerome will be

last year's model by the time we're done.

JEROME:

(smiling back)

I wouldn't get your hopes up, Commander.

Irene enters the craft.

IRENE:

Excuse me, Mr Morrow. The investigators have

begun their testing.

DETECTIVE JOSEF:

This is so inconvenient, Irene. They can

make an exception for Jerome.

IRENE:

I'm afraid not.

DIRECTOR JOSEF:

I apologize, Jerome.

JEROME:

It's not yor fault, Director.

(afterthought)

If your predecessor were still around

we may not be going to Gaspra at all.

That's what I would call inconvenient.

Jerome exits the craft with Irene.

INT. GATTACA CORPORATION - CORRIDOR. DAY.

A line of MALE GATTACA EMPLOYEES snakes out the door and down

the corridor. The INVESTIGATOR walks slowly down the line,

trying to eyeball his suspect. Concentrating on the shorter,

dark-haired men in the line, he looks straight past JEROME.

However, as the Investigator ignores him and walks by, we see a

haunted look in Jerome's eyes.

INT. GATTACA - TESTING LAB. DAY.

Every available TECHNICIAN is working to accommodate the testing

of the thousand or so PROGRAMMERS. Twelve testing stations

operate simultaneously. A HOMICIDE DETECTIVE supervises each

station. JEROME reaches the head of the line. He notes an

exiting COLLEAGUE holding a cotton ball to his arm.

A NURSE directs Jerome to LAMAR's testing station. Lamar

deposits the previous patient's labeled vial into a blood

carousel under the watchful eye of a large DETECTIVE, clearly

not relishing his assignment. Jerome rolls up his sleeve.

JEROME:

(referring to the table lined with syringes)

What's with the plungers, Lamar? What are

you doing, opening a blood bank?

The syringes are clearly not Lamar's idea.

LAMAR:

(sarcastic)

The gentlemen of law enforcement are concerned that

my testing methods may have been compromised.

Lamar inserts a fresh syringe into Jerome's arm. As Lamar draws

the blood, Jerome suddenly flinches and flexes his arm

violently, causing the needle to bend and buckle, exiting the

skin from a second puncture point.

JEROME:

Damn!!

Having pulled away from Lamar's grasp, Jerome withdraws the bent

needle himself, blood still squirting from his vein.

LAMAR:

(grabbing a nearby wad of gauze)

Jesus--I'm sorry, Jerome.

The large Homicide Detective winces and turns away from the red

arcing spray, a splash of blood spattering his shoes. In the

midst of the commotion, with his practised sleight-of-hand,

Jerome removes the vial from the syringe and replaces it with

another concealed vial.

JEROME:

(unfazed, putting Lamar at his ease)

You must be out of practise, Lamar.

Lamar hurriedly takes the syringe from Jerome.

LAMAR:

(examining and removing the

switched vial from the bent syringe)

I've got enough here.

JEROME:

(regarding the squimish detective,

as he holds the gauze to his arm)

Need any more, you can always get it off his shoes.

The Detective notices the spatter of blood across his brogues

and, with a look of disdain, wipes it clean. He tosses the

incriminating tissue down a hygenically sealed garbage shoot.

Lamar places Jerome's labelled vial in the carousel where it is

immediately analyzed by the computer. Jerome's "legitimate"

Employee ID code appears on the screen - "VALID". Another

EMPLOYEE enters the testing lab.

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote