Metropolis Page #5

One of the cars loses control, hurtling toward the wall,

but freezes at the last second to allow the driver to

climb out

unhurt --

INT. OUTDOOR GLASS ELEVATOR - CONTINUOUS

Gena turns, catching the flicker of almost child-like awe

in Christoph's eyes as he looks out over Night City.

She smiles, moving a little closer to him. The elevator

glides to a stop. He looks at her.

CHRISTOPH:

You were right.

GENA:

(beat)

About what?

The doors open and he leads her out onto --

EXT. THE TERRACE - ROOF

A brass bed surrounded by unlit candles sits in the midst

of the elegantly designed roof garden.

CHRISTOPH:

Making love in the rain.

She looks from the bed to him, confused.

GENA:

But it doesn't rain here --

The first raindrops beginning to fall as --

Sultry jazz music envelopes them. The candle wicks

crackle to life, flames dancing in the night.

Gena's stunned, shaking her head, insisting.

GENA:

It can't rain here. Not the way

it's programmed.

Her eyes dart out over the roof. It's not raining

anywhere else. Just here on the roof. Just on them.

She stares at him, fascination mixed with fear.

GENA:

Who are you?!

CHRISTOPH:

(quietly)

Someone who believes in miracles.

He pulls her to him, warm rain caressing their bodies.

CUT TO:

EXT. VSI CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS - CONTINUOUS

The jet-copter twists down through the rain for a landing.

INT. HALDEN'S OFFICE - MOMENTS LATER

Halden's office is on the top floor of the building,

windows offering up God's eye view of the storm battered

Manhattan.

Tanner marches in and before Halden can react, slams a

mini-disk into the wall player.

A matrix of data swirls down the wall monitor.

TANNER:

Recognize it?

Halden's silent. Tanner's stare digging into him.

TANNER:

Kid had keys.

(matter-of-fact)

The maze is unrunnable.

Halden is still silent, a sour eye on the monitor.

HALDEN:

Doesn't make sense. How the hell

does some f***ing teenager get to

the keys?

TANNER:

Sorry, I just design the maze.

(tight smile)

Keeping the keys secure is your job.

He turns for the door as the monitor buzzes, now

showing --

INT. INTERROGATION ROOM - CONTINUOUS

The kid sits like a statue in his chair. He doesn't look

up as the VSI LAWYER enters and takes a seat across from

him.

The lawyer stares at the kid as if this could somehow make

him break down and confess. Finally...

LAWYER:

Care to tell us how you came into

possession of an illegal access

program?

KID:

Look, I'm doing mute 'till I have a

mouthpiece here who's on my side.

LAWYER:

You don't need a lawyer.

(holds up the disk)

We found the program on your laptop.

INT. HALDEN'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

Tanner has stopped in the doorway, his eyes on the

monitor --

INT. INTERROGATION ROOM

The kid stares impassively at the lawyer.

KID:

Don't know what you're talking

about.

LAWYER:

Of course you do.

(dead serious)

And the only shot you've got of

keeping your ass from sinking in a

sea of sh*t is to tell me where you

got this program.

The kid shakes his head, laughing.

LAWYER:

What's so funny?

KID:

This. No point to it.

LAWYER:

Why not?

KID:

Because you'll never believe me.

LAWYER:

Try me.

The kid slowly stops laughing, his voice seemingly

genuine.

KID:

It was just there.

LAWYER:

There?

KID:

My uni-net account. I log on. The

program's there.

LAWYER:

Just like that?

KID:

Just like that --

INT. HALDEN'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

Halden is still watching at the monitor, not noticing as

Tanner turns and silently slips out into --

INT. HALLWAY

The voices playing from the monitor are just barely

audible as Tanner heads down the long hallway.

LAWYER'S VOICE (O.S.)

Any idea how the program got there?

KID'S VOICE (O.S.)

How the hell do I know? Maybe it

was a gift from God?

CUT TO:

EXT. NIGHT CITY - THE TERRACE - ROOF

Rain streaming down on Christoph and Gena as they have

sex.

She studies him. His eyes are burning with intensity,

savoring each and every sensation.

GENA:

You don't have much sex up there in

the real world, do you?

CHRISTOPH:

(barely audible)

No...

Hard to tell if it's rain or tears which streak down his

face.

EXT. VSI BUILDING - ROOF - CONTINUOUS

Tanner moves through the dark rain and into the waiting --

INT. JET-COPTER

Tanner climbs in, practically having to yell to be heard

over the storm.

TANNER:

Ninth and Hudson.

The PILOT punches it up on the nav-board. The location

popping-up on the grid.

PILOT:

Hell's Kitchen. Talk about your

sh*t holes. What's there?

TANNER:

My home.

Takes the pilot a full beat to realize Tanner isn't

joking.

PILOT:

(trying to cover)

Cheap rents. Close to the

waterfront. I hear the area's

making a comeback.

He quickly turns his attention to engaging the thrusters.

Tanner stares straight ahead, watching the rain slam into

the windshield.

CUT TO:

EXT. NIGHT CITY - THE TERRACE - ROOF

It has stopped raining. Gena lies asleep on the bed. She

is alone.

CUT TO:

INT. JET-COPTER

Thrusters groaning to life. High-pitched whine, almost

sounding like laughter.

Tanner is watching the blasts of rain battering the

windows.

The jet-copter twisting up into the sky.

A rain drop zig-zags across the windshield, running into

another droplet, making one single, bigger drop racing

down the glass.

Tanner staring at the windshield. Suddenly realizing --

TANNER:

Land it.

PILOT:

Sir?

TANNER:

Take me back down.

Pilot shrugs, floats the copter back down to the roof.

CUT TO:

INT. VSI CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS - CONTROL ROOM

Tanner rushes through the control room to Emma.

TANNER:

I need playback on the kid's run.

She reads the urgency in his voice and pulls it up --

INT. ON THE HIGH-DEF MONITOR

A holographic image of the maze. The glowing blue square

racing through it, accompanied by the unmistakable sound

of laughter.

TANNER'S VOICE (O.S.)

Freeze it.

(she does)

Now pull-up play-back of the kid's

interrogation.

A beat. The maze replaced by VSI'S interrogation room.

KID (ON MONITOR)

Don't know what you're talking

about.

LAWYER (ON MONITOR)

Of course you do. And the only shot

you've got of keeping your ass from

sinking in a sea of sh*t is to tell

me where you got this program.

The kid starts laughing.

TANNER'S VOICE (O.S.)

Freeze it --

The lawyer and the kid suddenly motionless.

INT. CONTROL ROOM

Tanner staring at the kid's frozen image on the monitor.

TANNER:

Can you isolate and voice-print the

last sixty audio-bits of both play-

backs?

Emma punches in the command.

The sound of the kid's laughing, playing alongside the

sound of laughter from the maze run.

Tanner staring at the voice prints on the audio-board.

TANNER:

Better get Halden down here.

CUT TO:

INT. NIGHT CITY - STREET

Christoph hurries down the street, the sound of nearby

partying echoing all around him.

He turns the corner, finding himself in a --

EXT. DEAD-END ALLEY

A holographic map of Night City shimmers in front of him.

DISEMBODIED FRIENDLY VOICE (O.S.)

You are here.

(a red X glows on

the map)

To reach the club district simply

turn around and head east on Crimson

Street.

(dotted lines show

the path)

To reach the Mardi Gras, simply --

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