Halt and Catch Fire Page #10

MACMILLAN (CONT’D)

I hope you change your mind.

(pause)

If you let me in the room, we will

change your mind, how’s that?

-- Clark writes “SIMPLIFY” on the board and underlines it...

-- Shields and Cameron.

SHIELDS:

Have you ever attempted to reverse

engineer any microchips, microcode,

or other computer hardware

while under the employ of a

business or corporation?

CAMERON:

No. I have not.

-- MacMillan’s calls begin to overlap, faster and faster:

57.

MACMILLAN:

Bottom line is, it’s the difference

between Now and Then...

MACMILLAN (CONT’D)

...You know me, I always bring a

reasonable price to the table...

MACMILLAN (CONT’D)

...I don’t sell things I don’t

believe in, Marie...

MACMILLAN (CONT’D)

...I’m coming to you first because

I trust you to make good

decisions...

-- Clark writes “PERFECTION” on the board.

-- Back to MacMillan, Clark, and Bosworth outside the

conference room.

BOSWORTH:

And I know I can’t fire either of

you, but that also means you can’t

leave. So if I need to stomp your

head into the ground just to feel

better about my morning shave,

you’re gonna have to deal with it.

(pause)

One other thing. In our new org

chart, Al, God love him, has become

completely irrelevant. MacMillan. I

need you to let him go.

CLARK:

I’ll do it.

Clark turns, walks off.

DOWN THE HALLWAY stands Al, watching them uneasily. His eyes

focus on Clark, quickly coming towards him.

CUT TO:

INT. APPLIED DATA OFFICES -- DAY

MacMillan walks in toward the conference room, stops when he

sees Barnes and fellow IBM black suits there, smiling and

shaking the hands of executives we met previously.

BARNES:

MacMillan.

58.

MacMillan shakes a couple of hands as the execs leave.

BARNES (CONT’D)

Trying to win back your systems

account? I think you just lost it.

MACMILLAN:

I’m here to talk about a PC

solution.

BARNES:

You and I both know Cardiff’s ‘preexisting’

PC program is bullshit.

(pause)

I bet Cardiff loves you for that,

too, right? Making him waste

several million so he doesn’t lose

everything? It’s so bold, Joe. Very

bold. I guess it’s because this is

personal for you.

MacMillan says nothing.

BARNES (CONT’D)

It’s okay. It’s personal for me,

too, now.

(closer to MacMillan)

You just became a pet project of

mine. I’ll be surprised if you move

a thousand of whatever Frankenstein

box you end up squeezing out.

MACMILLAN:

I’ve got another 25 calls lined up

in this region and beyond.

Everybody wants a PC, especially

one that’s shaping up to be better

than yours. They’re starting to

call me now.

BARNES:

Good for you. I’m opening up a

satellite office out here.

MACMILLAN:

Then I guess I’ll be seeing more of

you.

BARNES:

Everywhere you look. All those

calls? They’ll gladly pay a million

dollars more just for that Big Blue

logo.

59.

They part, MacMillan headed into the conference room, Barnes

returning to his cadre of black suits.

CUT TO:

INT. MACMILLAN’S CONDO -- LATE NIGHT

He’s up late, like always. A KNOCK. He turns the TV off, goes

to the door and opens it, revealing Cameron standing there.

Pretty worn out, but still guarded in front of him.

CAMERON:

I finished it.

She holds up a small rectangular black chip. Drops it in his

hand. He regards it, stunned. Is it real?

MACMILLAN:

I can’t believe it.

CAMERON:

Believe it. And it’s clocking

faster than the IBM BIOS by almost

a full second.

MACMILLAN:

Do you want to... how are you?

CAMERON:

Dead as disco.

MACMILLAN:

Why don’t you come in?

A beat.

CAMERON:

No. I’m not coming in. Because this

is my shot. I’m here for me. So I’m

never coming in.

(pause)

Understand?

MacMillan can only nod.

CAMERON (CONT’D)

(pointing)

What happened there?

MacMillan looks to where she points. The patio window that he

blasted a baseball through is now horribly patched with a

flat cardboard box and duct tape. He turns back to her.

60.

MACMILLAN:

What do you say we go wake up

Gordon?

CUT TO:

INT. CLARK’S GARAGE -- LATER

Clark, in a bathrobe, sits at his work station. MacMillan and

Cameron stand behind him. Even Donna is there in a bathrobe

of her own, interest piqued. On the table sits...

A CARDIFF GIANT PC PROTOTYPE

Kind of a monstrosity at the moment. Circuitry boards

exposed, a lot of wiring, all hooked up to a bulky old

monitor.

MACMILLAN:

We’re getting a better box for it,

right?

CLARK:

Without a doubt.

DONNA:

Well... boot it up.

Clark, MacMillan exchange looks. Clark reaches over, locks a

floppy disk in the drive. Hits the power switch...

The machine powers on, a series of HARSH ELECTRIC CATCHES,

the exhaust fan WHIRS to life.

They wait.

HALEY (O.S.)

Mommy?

The adults turn around. Haley stands in her pajamas by the

door, holding a stuffed lamb by the arm.

ANGLE ON MacMillan watching the little girl.

MACMILLAN:

(softly)

Should she be up?

Donna is already moving toward the child.

DONNA:

Go back to bed, everything’s fine.

We’re just looking at Daddy’s

secret project, okay?

61.

Haley lingers as Cameron and Gordon direct their attention

back to the computer.

CLARK:

(engrossed)

Night, baby.

MacMillan continues to look at Haley. She finally goes.

Donna turns and as she walks back, she makes eye contact with

MacMillan. A quick moment. He swallows, turns away.

ANGLE ON the monitor screen. A green cursor begins to blink.

CLARK (CONT’D)

Needs a load progress screen.

CAMERON:

Why? A progress screen just masks-

CLARK:

(turning to her)

Here’s the deal. When I tell you

something’s not right. You change

it. Because it’s not right.

The awkward moment is interrupted by a series of LOUD

ELECTRIC SHUDDERS. Particularly long.

MACMILLAN:

What was that?

CLARK:

More kinks to iron out.

ANGLE ON the monitor. BEEP. It loads a preliminary message...

MASTER CONTROL PROGRAM IS ONLINE

MACMILLAN:

(reading)

‘Master Control Program is online.’

CLARK:

What does that mean?

CAMERON:

I just thought it was funny. Guess

you guys didn’t see Tron.

A command prompt finally appears on the screen. Cameron

reaches over Clark. Types a few key strokes.

THE DOT MATRIX PRINTER NEXT TO THEM SCREAMS TO LIFE

62.

Printing the screen.

ANGLE ON Clark, Cameron, MacMillan in the middle. The blue-

green of the screen lighting their faces.

MACMILLAN:

It’s alive.

CUE “SEND ME AN ANGEL” BY REAL LIFE

CUT TO BLACK.

END SHOW:

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