Outbreak Page #19

INTERCUT the Command Center.

Ford is angry and frustrated.

FORD:

You're Gillespie, you don't trust

the C.D.C., you don't trust

anybody... you'd want to look at

all the data yourself.

Ford turns to an aide, Lieutenant Richardson:

FORD:

Issue an all-points bulletin to

every police department on the

West Coast. Start with San Jose.

Colonel Gillespie and Captain Salt

are armed, and assumed to be

contaminated until proven

otherwise...

CUT TO:

FAX MACHINE:

Photos of Gillespie and Salt roll into the reader,

then -

CUT TO:

EXT. BIOTEST ANIMAL FACILITY (SAN JOSE)

It is pouring RAIN. At first, everything looks normal.

Until we realize there aren't any people on the sidewalks.

And no moving cars on the streets.

Snipers with .22 rifles and telescopic sights straddle

the rooftops.

SMASH CUT TO:

FEDERAL BUILDING - MAIN OFFICE - DAY (12:05PM)

A long line of people wait for a single clerk; it's lunch

hour.

(CONTINUED)

109.

CONTINUED:

Gillespie storms in and goes right to the front of the

line. The others glare. The clerk, ARMISTEAD, a 50-ish

man with long grey hair tied in a pony tail, continues to

help the lady in the front of the line.

GILLESPIE:

(sharply)

Excuse me.

ARMISTEAD:

Just a minute, soldier.

He continues helping the lady.

GILLESPIE:

I am Warrant Officer Deterich of

the United States Army -

The NEXT PERSON in line reacts:

NEXT PERSON:

Hey -- end of the line, a**hole -

GILLESPIE:

I just came from the site of the

virus epidemic in Oregon and you

will help me now!

Armistead's supervisor, MRS. PANAMIDES, comes out of her

office as the other persons waiting in line, fearful of

the dreaded Motaba Virus, edge away from Gillespie

rapidly.

MRS. PANAMIDES

What do you need?

GILLESPIE:

Bills of lading for all ships which

arrived from Africa during the last

six months.

MRS. PANAMIDES

What are you looking for?

GILLESPIE:

An animal.

MRS. PANAMIDES

What kind of animal.

Beat.

GILLESPIE:

I don't know.

CUT TO:

110.

INT. RECORD ROOM

A shaggy, sloppily dressed COMPUTER JOCK types.

COMPUTER JOCK:

Biotest is very methodical about

their paper work.

The printer spits out pages of animals. Gillespie crosschecks

them against the fax pages from Lisa. They match

perfectly.

COMPUTER JOCK:

That's it. Sorry.

Gillespie leans back: In despair. Not sure what to do

next.

A long beat. The Computer Jock walks over to the printer.

COMPUTER JOCK:

Damn! Jammed again!

He hits a reset button. One more page prints out.

At the top of the page: An entry that Lisa's list doesn't

have. Gillespie circles it in red.

GILLESPIE:

That's it. The Apeldoorn, a Dutch

freighter. One monkey. But what

kind of monkey?

COMPUTER JOCK:

There's no way to tell.

CUT TO:

GILLESPIE:

climbing into the Black Hawk. The RAIN is much heavier

now.

CUT TO:

INT. BLACK HAWK

as it rises off the rooftop of the Federal Building.

From this vantage, Gillespie and Salt can see a threat

ening rain storm sweeping in over the San Francisco Bay.

(CONTINUED)

111.

CONTINUED:

GILLESPIE:

I tried to radio. All static.

'Cause of the storm.

SALT:

So 'cause of the storm, you want

me to fly twenty miles through a

gale and hover while I drop you on

board a ship at sea?

GILLESPIE:

Yes.

SALT:

Sir, with all respect -- no f***in'

chance.

Beat. Gillespie is dead serious.

GILLESPIE:

The storm won't break 'til

tomorrow.

Salt is torn.

GILLESPIE:

If you want, I could try to hover

and drop you on board.

SALT:

No way.

CUT TO:

PACIFIC OCEAN:

The chopper fighting the gale, trying to find the ship in

the storm. The sky is so dark it's like night. RAIN

POUNDS the windshield; the wipers can't keep up.

SALT:

Colonel, I couldn't find my

umbrella in this rain.

Despair. A long beat. Then: In the distance through

the mist, a red light flashes.

CUT TO:

BLACK HAWK:

hovering above the Apeldoorn, riding rough on twenty-

foot swells. The winds rock the chopper.

(CONTINUED)

112.

CONTINUED:

Wally fights to hold it steady.

SALT:

Ready for drop.

GILLESPIE:

Speak for yourself.

On the deck of the Apeldoorn: Four crewmen hold tight

onto their lifelines and wait for --

Gillespie, who emerges from the belly of the chopper.

He hangs tight onto the winch, which strains in the wind,

thrusting Gillespie over the waves. One breaks on top

of him.

A crewman grabs the line with a hook and reels Gillespie

in.

SHOCK CUT TO:

FREEZER DOOR:

opening. Gillespie isn't ready for this:

Frozen on a shelf, is Seaman Dieter Jans. Even under a

layer of ice, the yellow skin, blood streaking from his

nipples, and other signs of Motaba are all too clear.

GILLESPIE:

How long has it been since the

monkey was on the ship?

One of the seamen translates Gillespie's question to

the CAPTAIN in Dutch. The Captain answers in halting

English:

DUTCH CAPTAIN:

How long? Six days.

GILLESPIE:

When did Seaman Jans first get

sick?

DUTCH CAPTAIN:

Yesterday -- he is sick yesterday

night. He is dead early this

morning.

CLOSE ON GILLESPIE

alarmed. This is ominous information.

(CONTINUED)

113.

CONTINUED:

GILLESPIE:

Captain, your ship will have to be

quarantined at sea. No one is to

go near this freezer. Do you

understand?

The Captain nods, overwhelmed by sudden fear.

GILLESPIE:

Someone else must have seen the

monkey -

The First Mate steps forward. As he begins to jabber in

Dutch...

SHOCK CUT TO:

BLACK HAWK:

racing back to shore. Gillespie's on the cellular PHONE.

The storm fills the line with STATIC.

GILLESPIE:

The monkey was small, black and

white...

COMPUTER KEYS POUND: KINSHASA NATIONAL HOSPITAL, ZAIRE.

INTERCUT WITH:

INT. HOSPITAL WARD - DR. IWABI

DR. IWABI

(into phone)

A colobos monkey. The highways

have chased them deeper and

deeper into the jungle. But

there are still a few left.

GILLESPIE:

Find as many as you can.

SMASH CUT TO:

INT. CDC WAR ROOM - DREW REYNOLDS

On the phone. Drew Reynolds listens with rapt attention.

GILLESPIE (V.O.)

(into phone)

-- But you have to help me -

(CONTINUED)

114.

CONTINUED:

REYNOLDS:

(into phone)

-- I will do whatever they let me

do...

GILLESPIE (V.O.)

(desperately)

If they implement the containment

plan -

Reynolds is angry, flustered -- terrified his worst

nightmare has come a reality.

REYNOLDS:

It's out of my hands!

GILLESPIE (V.O.)

If we can find the host, we can

obtain an effective antibody

against the virus, and reproduce

it. We can present them with a

credible alternative...

Reynolds squeezes his tennis ball.

REYNOLDS:

My people have been doing

everything humanly possible

to help.

GILLESPIE (V.O.)

Drew, Robby's infected.

Reynolds squeezes his tennis ball tighter.

COMPUTER KEYS POUND: MOLALLA, OREGON - 14:45

EXT. PRE-SCHOOL

Four and five-year-olds play happily in a sandbox outside

their pre-school which borders the Columbia National

Forest. Their teacher, MRS. JEFFRIES, carefully watches

over them.

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