Metropolis Page #8

The jet-copter shuddering through the storm. Lightning

slashing at the night.

Pilot's eyes on the nav-grid. Flashing red.

PILOT:

(to Tanner)

We're right above him.

Search lights pounding the darkness. Glinting off some

large metal object. It looks like a steeple.

EXT. CHURCH - CONTINUOUS

The jet-copter drops through the tempest, landing in the

field across from the church.

INT. CHURCH - CONTINUOUS

Powerful search lights screaming through the stained glass

windows, washing the church in an ethereal mosaic of

color.

The sounds of the storm crashing into the walls.

A flash of lightning revealing the doors and windows have

all been rigged with trip wire booby traps.

EXT. CHURCH - CONTINUOUS

Tanner leads the assault team as they rush across the

field.

INT. CHURCH

The doors crash open as Tanner and the men charge in.

The trip wires broken.

An explosion --

Of sound as organ music suddenly blares out.

Recording of a choir kicking in, heavenly voices blasting

from all directions.

The assault team standing rigid in place, staring up at --

Christoph hanging crucifixion style from the blood-

streaked cross.

He is dead, a wire running from his finger down to a

portable computer on the alter.

CUT TO:

INT. VSI CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS - CONTINUOUS

Halden hurries down the hallway with Emma at his side.

HALDEN:

Have communications contact all

interface centers. Tell them due to

high demand, we're at full capacity

and so temporarily there's no room

for anyone else on the system.

EMMA:

What about the customers with

reservations?

HALDEN:

Have the staff apologize profusely

and issue credit vouchers.

(adamant)

But remember, it's a capacity

problem. That's all.

Emma nods, understands.

HALDEN:

And send someone through the maze.

She stares at him, not sure she heard this right.

EMMA:

The maze has been changed --

HALDEN:

(snaps)

-- He says the maze has been changed.

I need to know for sure.

He turns the corner, disappearing out the door before she

can respond.

CUT TO:

INT. CHURCH - CONTINUOUS

The assault team takes Christoph's corpse off the cross

and lays him out on the alter.

ASSAULT TEAM LEADER

(stares at Tanner)

Thought you were just talking to

this guy?

TANNER:

We were.

ASSAULT TEAM LEADER

Yeah, well feel this f***er's skin.

Ice cold.

(trying to understand)

I guarantee you this sonofabitch's

been dead at least half a day.

A beat for this to sink in. Everybody staring at

Christoph's corpse like they were looking at the Devil.

CUT TO:

INT. NIGHT CITY - NEXUS CENTER

Christoph punches a command into the keyboard. Bodies and

the blood disappear, leaving no sign of the killing.

Sound of clapping. Christoph whirls. It's Dex.

DEX:

Ah, the perks of paradise. So easy

to hide your guilt.

Both men stare at each other.

CHRISTOPH:

Remember, I'm not the one who chose

this.

DEX:

Yes, so which one of us does that

make the coward?

A deadly smile on Christoph's lips as he lets this one go.

He turns and heads down the catwalk.

DEX:

Where the hell are you going?

CHRISTOPH:

Unfinished business.

DEX:

And what about the reconfiguration?

CHRISTOPH:

Perfect opportunity for you to

demonstrate your continued worth.

Christoph disappears down the stairs.

Dex leans over the railing, waiting until Christoph comes

out onto the ground floor, yelling to him --

DEX:

You sure he's going to come?

CHRISTOPH:

(calls back)

It's his nature.

DEX:

But what if he doesn't --

CHRISTOPH:

-- He will.

He heads out through the door.

CUT TO:

INT. VSI CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS - INTERFACE ROOM

Emma watches as an ENGINEER climbs into an interface seat.

EMMA:

You don't have to run the whole

thing. Just probe the first few

seconds.

ENGINEER:

Piece of cake.

He gives her a thumbs-up, no point in showing the fear.

Then sticks his finger into the connect-box.

INT. THE NET - CONTINUOUS

Blackness of the void.

A blink of a light. Colorless. Racing into the maze --

An explosion of color and shapes hurtling all around with

blurring speed --

The engineer navigates around the first corner, cutting a

safe path, the "keys" seeming to be working, only --

Suddenly everything shifting. Get the hell out of there.

Only behind him, the maze morphing --

Dizzying design of color. Breath-taking beauty. Closing

in on him. Nowhere to run --

Flash of bright light.

The sound of a tortured SCREAM.

Then nothing. Silence...

CUT TO:

EXT. CHURCH - CONTINUOUS

The rain has started to slow.

The assault team's outside, smoking cigarettes,

bullshitting with each other, trying to forget what they

saw in there, as --

INT. CHURCH - CONTINUOUS

Tanner probes through Christoph's blood stained computer.

Stops on a program. Complex codes flashing down the

screen.

TANNER:

Voice activate.

SYNTHETIC VOICE (FROM COMPUTER)

Activated.

TANNER:

Program name?

SYNTHETIC VOICE:

Resurrection.

TANNER:

Describe program function.

A soft whir as the machine checks.

SYNTHETIC VOICE:

Resurrection.

Tanner stares at the codes, his face torn with revulsion.

CUT TO:

INT. NIGHT CITY - NEXUS

Dex stands alone in the middle of the Nexus.

He punches a command into the programming panel, causing

the small roll of fat to disappear from his gut.

He smiles in satisfaction, then throws in another command.

His hair thickening, flecks of gray evaporating.

He enters one last command. Last fifteen years of lines

melting from his face.

CUT TO:

INT. CHURCH - CONTINUOUS

The roar of a jet-copter fills the church.

Tanner snaps his eyes out a window. Halden and his men

pouring from the copter.

Tanner whips his attention back to the computer, talking

as fast as he can.

TANNER:

Transmit copy of program via

satellite north uplink.

SYNTHETIC VOICE:

Destination?

TANNER:

Tanner-eighteen-six-two-nine.

SYNTHETIC VOICE:

Checking connection.

CUT TO:

EXT. TANNER'S WAREHOUSE LOFT - CONTINUOUS

The place is dark and empty.

The storm crashing against the windows as the wall monitor

snaps on to the garbled sound of machines talking to each

other.

CUT TO:

INT. CHURCH - CONTINUOUS

Tanner stares out the window, watching as Halden and

company rush toward the church.

SYNTHETIC VOICE:

Connection approved. Ready to

transmit --

TANNER:

-- Transmit now!

CUT TO:

INT. TANNER'S WAREHOUSE LOFT - CONTINUOUS

The program codes racing down the monitor.

CUT TO:

INT. CHURCH - CONTINUOUS

Halden and his men head straight for the alter, staring

down at Christoph's corpse in disgust.

Tanner's eyes burning into Halden.

TANNER:

You had no right!

Halden calmly turns to face him.

HALDEN:

You're jumping to conclusions.

TANNER:

He's not plugged-into the system.

He's in the f***ing system!

Halden doesn't argue.

TANNER:

Who the hell do you think you are --

Halden snaps a silent command for his men to clear out.

He waits until they're out the door before turning back to

Tanner.

HALDEN:

We caught him working on neural map

transfers. We dug through his

system. He was trying to transfer

genetic modules into data-molds.

His employment was instantly

terminated.

(seemingly genuine)

Corporate hands are clean.

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