I, Robot Page #5

31

INT. SUBTERRANEAN LEVEL 5 - CONTINUOUS 31

...Subterranean Level 5. A labyrinth of metal and concrete.

IN THE DISTANCE. A troupe of SECURITY PERSONNEL swarms

around a closed ELEVATOR DOOR...

24.

VICTOR:

The suspect is about to be

apprehended, Detective.

SPOONER:

I.ll believe it when I see it.

Spooner. Cocking his gun. A soft DING! Announcing the

elevator car.s arrival.

SECURITY, all crouching down in unison. Weapons brought

round to position.

Spooner. Weaving through them. Gun pointed at the metal

doors as...

WHOOSH. They slide open. Revealing a ROBOT. Standing

under the LIGHT. Holding a GUN. It steps out as Security

takes aim and...

SPOONER:

Wait!

Spooner pushes past them to the Robot. Looks down at its

leg. UNSCATHED.

SPOONER:

This is not the same robot!

Looking wildly around. Goddammit. Bounds towards an EXIT as

Calvin steps forward to question the robot.

CALVIN:

(to Robot)

What happened to the robot that

ordered you to hold this firearm?

ELEVATOR ROBOT:

This unit is not programmed to obey

an order given by a robot...

CALVIN:

But who gave you this gun?

SPOONER. Running towards the exit. Hears the answer.

Echoing behind him...

ELEVATOR ROBOT:

A metal man.

25.

32 EXT. U.S. ROBOTICS - DAY 32

BAM! He BURSTS out into the PLAZA in front of U.S. Robotics.

Squinting into the light. Then PLUNGING into the crowd...

HUMAN...ROBOT...HUMAN...ROBOT...they all look the same from

behind. Spooner running. Through the sea of MAN and

MACHINE. When someone. Starts to SCREAM. At the sight of

his GUN. The crowd begins SCATTERING. Chaos. Spooner

stops. Near a fountain. Turning 360. Looking everywhere...

The Robot. Gone.

SPOONER (V.O.)

...I want a homicide unit on every

street, sidewalk, alley...

33 INT. POLICE H.Q. - HOMICIDE UNIT - DAY 33

Spooner, standing in front of an assemblage of COPS. Behind

him, an image of the Robot Suspect plays on the screen...

SPOONER:

...junkyard, scrapyard, and salvage

yard, anywhere it could hide.

Behind him, flashing images of the city STREETS and DUMPS...

SPOONER:

It.s got a bullet hole above the

right knee, so be on the look-out

for any malfunctioning NS-2...

Lieutenant Bergin enters the back of the room. Next to him,

ASSISTANT D.A. TOLLER. Not looking happy.

SPOONER:

Check out all retail outlets and

repair shops, especially the

underground ones...

The screen behind him compartmentalises, showing various

dubious SHOP FRONTS...

SPOONER:

I don.t care who you have to get

past to get this done. Just get it

done.

The Cops, begin dispersing. As Bergin catches Spooner.s eye.

Spooner, not pleased to see Toller. Heads over...

26.

TOLLER:

Looking like sh*t, Spooner.

SPOONER:

Well I.m not the one always giving

Press Conferences...

Bergin puts a hand on Spooner.s arm. Knows he.s not going to

like this.

LT. BERGIN

Del, we.re going to have to

reclassify the search. D.A..s

office is seeing this NS-2 as

.missing evidence. -- not a

homicide suspect.

SPOONER:

What?

TOLLER:

Homicide is the murder of a human

being by another human being.

Therefore, a robot cannot be

charged with .homicide..

SPOONER:

This isn.t just any robot...

TOLLER:

It.s malfunctioning.

SPOONER:

It killed someone. That

registering with you?

Spooner. Shakes off Bergin.s arm. Eyeballs Toller.

SPOONER:

How many shares of U.S.R. you

holding in your portfolio, Toller?

TOLLER:

This is a public safety issue.

SPOONER:

That.s convenient.

TOLLER:

You have any idea what would happen

to this city if we went running

around screaming .killer robot?.

It would collapse in on itself.

(MORE)

27.

TOLLER (cont.d)

Wide-spread panic. Until that NS-

2.s found we.re cooperating with

U.S. Robotics and keeping this

investigation under wraps.

LT. BERGIN

Maybe this isn.t the case for you,

Del.

Incensed, Spooner replies a little louder than he intended.

SPOONER:

I.m fine!

Rakes his hand through his hair. Turns to see the other

COPS, looking over at him. Toller smirks. Looks to Bergin.

TOLLER:

I want updated reports every half

hour.

Heads off. Spooner. Watching him.

SPOONER:

This is it, you know. From now on

we.re going to miss the good old

days.

LT. BERGIN

Good old days?

SPOONER:

When people were killed by other

people.

34 INT./EXT. SPOONER.S CAR - CITY STREET - DUSK 34

Spooner. Rolling along in his car. Eyes, bloodshot.

Peering out the window:

An NS-2 model ROBOT laden with shopping bags, following its

owner down the sidewalk...

Another ROBOT, opening the door at a hotel for GUESTS...

A couple HAULING ROBOTS, loading heavy boxes onto the back of

a truck...

Spooner. Rubs his eyes. Turns a corner and spots:

A ROBOT REPAIR SHOP.

28.

The latest models in the window. Shiny. Streamlined.

Spooner watches as a WOMAN leads her faulty NS-2 to the

service entrance.

He stops the car.

35 INT. TAXI (MOVING) - ESTATE STREETS - NIGHT 35

Calvin riding in the back of a DRIVERLESS taxi cab. Staring

out the window, lost in thought. The cab pulls up to a curb.

TAXI VOICE:

We have arrived at your

destination.

Calvin. Takes a beat. Then swipes her card.

36 EXT. CALVIN.S CONDO ESTATE - NIGHT 36

Elegant condos set on prime real estate. Calvin heads down a

tree-lined walk towards her condo entrance.

SPOONER (O.S.)

One of my bullets hit your robot...

Startled. She drops her key card. As Spooner steps out from

behind a tree. The tail of his coat, whipping in the wind.

CALVIN:

Detective!...

SPOONER:

And I think it.s smart enough to

repair itself -- don.t you?

CALVIN:

(studying him)

Yes. I think so.

SPOONER:

Where?

CALVIN:

Any repair shop...

SPOONER:

No. It.s always the owner who

brings the robot in for repair.

Where would a robot without an

owner go?

29.

CALVIN:

I.m not sure what you.re getting

at.

SPOONER:

(stepping closer)

Does U.S. Robotics have a factory

in the city limits?

Calvin. Tucking her hair behind her ears.

CALVIN:

The locations of our factories are

classified.

SPOONER:

I don.t care.

Calvin. Looks up at him. A Mexican stand-off.

CALVIN:

I have several conditions if I show

you.

SPOONER:

I expected that.

CALVIN:

First. I want it brought in

unharmed.

SPOONER:

(doesn.t like it, but)

Agreed.

CALVIN:

Second. I want to talk to it,

alone.

SPOONER:

Too dangerous.

CALVIN:

This model violated the Three Laws.

It also moved and reacted

differently than any robot I.ve

ever seen. There must be some sort

of logical explanation. I want to

find out what that is. No police.

No prosecutors. No you. Just me

and the robot.

Spooner, looks down at this small woman. Narrows his eyes.

30.

SPOONER:

When they told me you were a

psychologist, that wasn.t the whole

truth, was it?

CALVIN:

I never said I treated human

beings.

37 INT./EXT. SPOONER.S CAR (MOVING) - CITY UNDERPASS - NIGHT 37

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