Metropolis Page #6

Christoph reaches through the holograph, sliding an access

card into an all but invisible slot in the wall.

The map disappears as the wall slides open. Christoph

heads through the opening --

INT. PITCH DARKNESS

Christoph's voice echoing through the blackness.

CHRISTOPH'S VOICE (O.S.)

Lights.

The lights snap on, revealing Christoph standing at the

entrance of a long utility tunnel which snakes down under

the ground.

CUT TO:

INT. VSI CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS - CONTROL ROOM

Halden, Dex, and Tanner watch as Emma plays back the maze

run.

TANNER:

That's the runner's laugh.

Emma plays back the kid's interrogation. The kid

laughing.

TANNER:

That's the kid's laugh.

(beat)

We ran voice-print. It's not the

same person.

Everyone stares at him.

CUT TO:

INT. NIGHT CITY - TUNNEL

Christoph sprints through the tunnel. It winds around

into --

INT. DIGITAL EMPLOYEE STORAGE CENTER

A large room full of reserve employees.

Motionless waiters, bartenders, playmates and bellhops

stacked along long racks, staring out into space with

empty eyes.

Christoph races through the room to the stairs in the

back.

CUT TO:

INT. VSI CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS - CONTROL ROOM

Halden still staring at Tanner, realizing --

HALDEN:

Two maze runners.

TANNER:

(nods)

Someone sends the kid a copy of the

access program, then runs the maze

at the same time the kid does, using

the same codes.

EMMA:

Why?

TANNER:

Because that way, the system only

registers a single runner.

(beat)

We go after the kid, leaving the

other person free and clear to do

whatever the hell they want.

A long terrified beat for this to sink in.

CUT TO:

EXT. NIGHT CITY - STAIRS

Christoph rushes down the stairs and into --

INT. HALLWAY

A pair of GUARDS stand sentry in front of a large door.

GUARD:

Need to see your work orders, sir --

Christoph nods, slamming his fist into the guard's wind-

pipe with deadly force, then spins, snapping the second

guard's neck.

CUT TO:

INT. VSI CORPORATE BUILDING - INTERFACE ROOM

The guard's flesh and blood bodies twitching, then fall

still as the bio-monitors tracking their brain activity

FLATLINES.

An ALARM pounding the room.

Medical technicians rush to the bodies.

CUT TO:

INT. VSI CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS - CONTROL ROOM

A warning light erupting on a console. A stunned engineer

staring at his screen.

ENGINEER:

(calls out)

Two Internals down right outside the

Nexus.

The room spins silent. Everyone staring at the monitor

which shows the two guards laying dead on the floor.

Halden snaps at Emma.

HALDEN:

Pull up the Nexus --

CUT TO:

INT. NIGHT CITY - HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS

Christoph punches numbers into the door's keypad. A

buzzing, then the door opens for him.

He pulls a HOODED MASK from his pocket, throwing it over

his head as he rushes inside --

INT. THE NEXUS CENTER

A large room dominated by a web of catwalks providing

access to the several stories worth of program panels

lining the walls.

CUT TO:

INT. VSI CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS - CONTROL ROOM

Everyone staring at the monitor as the hooded intruder

races down a catwalk and opens a program panel.

Inside is a program keyboard and screen. The intruder

begins typing on the keyboard.

EMMA:

(stunned)

Jesus Christ, he's interfacing.

Tanner spins to Halden.

TANNER:

Eject the system!

DEX:

(jumps in)

Are you crazy?!

TANNER:

You don't have a choice, he's

interfacing with a core program --

DEX:

-- Trying to interface.

Halden nods, siding with Dex.

HALDEN:

He won't get through the security

codes.

DEX:

(to Emma)

Get every cop who's in the area.

Tell them to rip this f***er out of

there.

TANNER:

Won't be time if he gets access --

HALDEN:

-- He won't.

His tone clearly indicating end of discussion.

CUT TO:

INT. NIGHT CITY - NEXUS CENTER

Christoph, still wearing the hooded mask, whistles the

Lord's Hymn as his fingers dance across the keyboard.

EMMA'S VOICE (O.S.)

Internal Police in position --

HALDEN'S VOICE (O.S.)

-- Send 'em in!

Several dozen Internal Cops rush in through the door --

Christoph's up above them on a catwalk --

The cops sprinting up the stairs after him --

Christoph typing as fast as he can, furiously trying to

break through the security codes --

CUT TO:

INT. VSI CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS - CONTINUOUS

Everyone's eyes glued to the monitors. Watching the cops

split into two groups.

Christoph's in the middle of a catwalk.

Cops charge him from either direction.

CUT TO:

INT. NIGHT CITY - NEXUS CENTER - CONTINUOUS

Christoph's fingers blurring over the keyboard --

The cops getting closer and closer --

Christoph typing as fast as he can --

The cops are just heartbeats away --

Nothing Christoph can do --

Suddenly stops typing --

Smallest flicker of a smile.

Spins to face one of the charging groups of cops.

CHRISTOPH:

(genuinely)

I'm sorry.

LASER CANNON materializing in Christoph's hands --

The cop's face frozen in stunned terror.

Laser cannon erupts --

Blasts through the cops --

Sharp screams of pain as bodies drop --

Christoph spins. Fires on the other group --

CUT TO:

INT. VSI CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS - INTERFACE ROOM

The internal cops' real bodies lined up in their interface

seats.

One by one, down the line, twitching, like some grotesque

Rockettes show. Screen monitoring brain activity

flatlining --

ALARMS pounding the room.

Medical technicians rushing to bodies. But nothing can be

done.

The cops suffering full cerebellum arrest. Instant brain

death.

INT. VSI CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS - CONTINUOUS

Everyone watching the massacre in stunned horror. Tanner

the first to react, yelling at the engineer --

TANNER:

Eject the System!

Engineer turns to Halden.

HALDEN:

Do it!

Engineer reaches for his command console.

Dex spins, flash of steel, laser hissing --

Burns a neat hole in the back of the engineer's head,

dropping him dead.

Halden whips around, staring at Dex, shocked.

The control room's security force pulling lasers on Dex,

but he ignores them as he fires into the eject console --

Sparks fly as metal disintegrates. Twisted remains of

circuitry.

Security guards open up fire, lasers carving up Dex's

body --

Dex dies, face frozen in a jeering smile.

INT. NIGHT CITY - NEXUS CENTER

Silence. None of the cops alive to scream.

Christoph's surrounded by twisted bodies, blood pooling at

his feet.

His eyes burning in genuine anguish.

CUT TO:

INT. VSI CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS - CONTROL ROOM

Tanner spins to an engineer, motioning to Christoph's

image on the monitor.

TANNER:

Run a trace.

Engineer nods, begins the trace.

Tanner stares down at Dex's corpse, then up at Halden --

TANNER:

(realizing)

He had access to the keys --

HALDEN:

-- Yes.

Halden moves away, that's all he's going to say.

The engineer looks up at Tanner, shaking his head.

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