Outbreak Page #14

CUT TO:

77.

SOLDIERS:

dressed in chemical warfare gear and carrying M-16s ride

in a Jeep through the center of the town.

The SOLDIER with a megaphone bellows at a group of

townspeople gathered in front of a donut shop:

SOLDIER:

Go home and stay there or you will

be placed under arrest.

The townspeople stare at these terrifying figures, then

quickly disperse.

REVEAL the next street over, and the next. Soldiers blast

out warnings.

CUT TO:

TOMMY HULL, HIS WIFE, DARLA, AND TWO KIDS (06:40)

barreling along a gravel road in their pickup.

In the hazy light, Tommy sees...

Two infantry men in chem-war gear move into position on

the road and raise their guns toward the pickup.

Tommy does not slow down. His wife screams:

DARLA:

They'll shoot us!!

TOMMY:

They won't.

But he can't be certain.

The soldiers take aim.

Tommy brings the PICKUP to a SCREECHING stop, throwing up

gravel on all sides. He whips the vehicle around and

heads back toward town.

A Chinook HELICOPTER THUNDERS overhead.

Tommy scans the horizon for an escape.

TOMMY:

I know one place they won't think

to go.

CUT TO:

78.

RED PICKUP:

bouncing along an overgrown creek bed, splashing water

everywhere, careening into the big rocks which litter the

creek bed. Suddenly -

A helicopter gunship emerges over the tree-tops.

DARLA:

Stop!

But Tommy doesn't stop. The PICKUP keeps going -- SMASHING

and BASHING its way up the creek. The GUNSHIP OPENS

FIRE, shredding the tires. The PICKUP THUMPS to a halt.

Inside, Darla and the children cry, Tommy is shaken. The

helicopter hovers above them as the Hulls climb out and

head back toward town.

CUT TO:

STATE POLICE CAR

coming to a fast stop at the highway checkpoint outside

Bonneville as...

GUNFIRE RINGS OUT from the distance.

Inside, Mike and Robby react with alarm and climb out.

CHOPPERS ROAR by overhead, create a DEAFENING BLAST.

The line of cars trying to get out of town is a quarter

mile long. They're held back by a...

Long line of infantrymen in chem-war gear who look like

futuristic insects. This area will become the front lines

of a war. Robby and Mike race by the soldiers...

To the command where LIEUTENANT COLONEL RONALD BRIGGS is

on the radio, coordinating his units.

ROBBY:

You're using rubber bullets,

aren't you?

Briggs salutes Gillespie. He speaks with a Georgia

accent.

LT. COLONEL BRIGGS

No, ma'am. My orders are that no

one is to get out of this town.

ROBBY:

You're operating under civilian

control in a civilian disater.

(CONTINUED)

79.

CONTINUED:

A monster Chinook comes down, sending up a torrent of

dust.

LT. COLONEL BRIGGS

No, ma'am, we're not.

He turns to...

The figure emerging from under the WHIRLING BLADES:

General Billy Ford.

Gillespie braces himself. Robby's surprised. Billy hands

Robby a sealed document.

FORD:

The Secretary of Defense and the

President have made this a joint

operation between the C.D.C. and

the United States Army. I've been

placed in command.

Ford goes straight over to Gillespie. Briggs intercepts

him halfway there, salutes, and reports:

LT. COLONEL BRIGGS

Sir, since we established our

perimeter at 06:
20, nobody has

penetrated our line. Before that,

I can give no guarantees.

FORD:

There are one thousand two hundred

and eighteen people living in this

town. I want every one of them

accounted for by 09:00.

LT. COLONEL BRIGGS

Yes, sir.

He moves off. Ford and Gillespie square off.

FORD:

You're under arrest. With Major

Berman and Captain Salt -

ROBBY:

-- He was right. We were wrong -

FORD:

-- Stay out of it, Robby.

Gillespie, you violated a direct

order -

(CONTINUED)

80.

CONTINUED:

GILLESPIE:

-- The virus is airborne.

FORD:

Motaba is only spread by direct

fluid contact.

GILLESPIE:

Since it left Africa, it mutated.

FORD:

That's crazy.

GILLESPIE:

Go to the hospital and see for

yourself. Leave your face bare.

Ford starts away from Gillespie.

ROBBY:

You can't put him in jail. I need

him. I need his whole team.

Ford thinks for a moment.

FORD:

Very well. Colonel, you, Major

Berman, Captain Salt... can help

Dr. Keough for the duration of

this crisis, but you cannot leave

this town and as soon as we get

this under control, you'll be

taken into custody.

GILLESPIE:

Major Berman and Captain Salt

were following my orders -- I am

the only one at fault.

FORD:

We'll let the court martial decide

that.

Suddenly Robby's walkie-talkie squawks:

LISA ARONSON (V.O.)

We got the host!

FADE UP the cacophony of SHRIEKING ANIMALS and -

CUT TO:

81.

INT. RUDY'S PET SHOP

The brown rhesus sits in the back of his cage, staring at

Biosafety suited doctors crowded around his cage. The

other ANIMALS SCREECH with hunger.

LISA ARONSON:

I found this note on the desk...

She holds a post-it with the words scribbled across it:

"Scott - Monkey - 8/31."

LISA ARONSON:

This must be the monkey Scott

brought up from Biotest.

SALT:

And if he is the host, his blood

will give us a treatment.

LISA ARONSON:

He's so cute it's hard to believe

he's caused such destruction.

IZZY:

Hitler's girl friend used to say

the same thing.

Ford stands in the back of the room, disinterested, as if

he knows already the brown rhesus is going to lead

nowhere. Robby peers into the rhesus's cage.

ROBBY:

Why is he so quiet?

GILLESPIE:

Monkeys get quiet when they get

hungry...

FORD:

... Or sick.

SMACH CUT TO:

INT. BIO-TEST ANIMAL QUARANTINE FACILITY

COMPUTER KEYS POUND: "BIOTEST ANIMAL QUARANTINE FACILITY

-- SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA"

McClintock hurries down the long aisle filled with monkey

cages stacked two high on both sides. Keeping pace is

FELDER, the president of Bio-Test.

FELDER:

These animals are all healthy.

(CONTINUED)

82.

CONTINUED:

McClintock turns to a dozen biosafety-suited figures,

each carrying a doctor's bag.

McCLINTOCK

Fan out.

They each go off in a separate direction, leaving

McClintock and Felder opposite a cage of African Green

monkeys. McClintock opens his black bag, takes out a

strange looking pistol and feeds in a cartridge containing

a turquoise-blue liquid (amobarbital).

McCLINTOCK

One of these animals may be the

host of the worst virus the world

has ever known.

Felder shudders. McClintock thunders into his walkietalkie.

McCLINTOCK

Make sure the animals are

completey tranquilized before

specimens are drawn. Use all

level four precautions.

Felder squirms as McClintock aims the pistol at the Green

MONKEY, who grabs the bars of the cage and HISSES. As

one GUN after ANOTHER GOES OFF -

SMASH CUT TO:

HOSPITAL PARKING LOT - NEAR PORTABLE BL-4 LAB

ChemWar-suited infantrymen standing with M-16s held

ready. Behind them is a pre-school with a yardful of

toys now abandoned.

Rate this script:3.0 / 1 vote