Outbreak Page #5

Finding the host is the only way

to control the spread. Our only

hope is that this is like most

viruses and that it has to live in

a host, an animal, to which it's

adapted over thousands of years.

And that animal host has developed

antibodies to protect itself

against the virus. If we can

identify that animal host, and

harvest its antibodies, we can use

them to fight the disease in

humans.

DR. IWABI

There are a hundred thousand

species of animals and insects in

this rain forest. The

construction worker could have

been in contact with any one of

them. Where do I start?

GILLEPSIE:

General, tell him that our

government will help with money,

personnel supplies, whatever it

takes.

Ford hesitates.

FORD:

Of course, we'll do whatever we

can.

CUT TO:

EXT. OVER MOTABA RIVER VALLEY - DAWN

In a SINGLE-FRAMED TIME LAPSE SHOT, dawn arrives in the

Motaba Valley. FADE UP the hundreds of sounds of the

rain forest ANIMALS. There is something primeval about

this vista; this surely must be what the Garden of Eden

looked like, except for the...

(CONTINUED)

25.

CONTINUED:

Plumes of black smoke which waft up from the blackened,

smoldering huts, each one the home of someone who has now

died from this terrible virus.

Two African orderlies carry a stretcher bearing the dead

body of a villager. They slide it onto a funeral pyre

already burning with bodies.

Gillespie, Ford and Dr. Iwabi make their way to the

choppers where Berman and Salt are loading into the hold

plexiglass cases of blood samples.

ON CLIFF OVERHEAD

The ju-ju man chants. He seems to float above the

funeral pyre like a mirage.

GILLESPIE:

What's he saying?

DR. IWABI

He's asking for forgiveness from

the Gods of the forest. They're

angry because they've been awoken

from their sleep by the men

building the road. These deaths

are their punishment.

FORD:

Why isn't he sick?

DR. IWABI

He stayed in his cave all week and

greeted his visitors with poison

darts.

GILLEPSIE:

(a sense of

foreboding)

It was as if... as if he knew what

was coming.

CUT TO:

INT. C5A COCKPIT

Heading home. Ford reads a hand-written paper Gillespie's

just handed him and gets irate.

(CONTINUED)

26.

CONTINUED:

FORD:

A memo to the CDC to issue a

warning to every physician in the

United States to be on the

look-out for this disease? What

the hell is this?

GILLESPIE:

A safeguard, sir.

FORD:

Are you nuts? Within a week we'll

know if this thing burned itself

out in that village, just like

Iwabi said -

GILLESPIE:

-- And if Iwabi's wrong? American

doctors should be warned so cases

can be quarantined. Sir, this one

is different -

FORD:

-- You're a smart guy, Gillespie,

but you can't write a memo to the

CDC which says the sky is falling.

GILLESPIE:

(sharply)

We should do nothing?

FORD:

Did I say that, Colonel?

(beat)

We will monitor the situation in

Africa, and if this virus

reappears, we will act with all

our resources, not just to protect

the American people but the people

of the world. You will destroy

this memo. That's an order.

Gillespie's frustrated.

GILLESPIE:

Yes, sir.

SMASH CUT TO:

NATIONAL AIRPORT (WASHINGTON) - DELTA GATE - DAY

Robby is moving forward in the boarding line, and Mike is

walking beside her.

(CONTINUED)

27.

CONTINUED:

ROBBY:

You asked for four days and four

days it was... last night.

GILLESPIE:

It was a bad virus... Cut me some

slack.

ROBBY:

I cut you ten years of slack. I'm

not giving you the dogs.

GILLESPIE:

Stop joking. Where are they?

ROBBY:

I shipped them this morning.

GILLESPIE:

You did not.

ON her face:
a triumphant smile.

ROBBY:

It's better for them. And for

you. I'll be there to feed them

and take care of them. You won't

have to feel guilty.

She moves past the gate. Gillespie's stuck behind it.

Screaming after her:

GILLESPIE:

I'm coming to Atlanta... I'm

takin' 'em back.

ROBBY:

Dream on.

HOLD ON Gillespie's dismay as she disappears.

CUT TO:

INT. MAIN CORRIDOR OF M.I.D.U.

Mike walking briskly down the main corridor. Two M-16

toting security guards salute as he passes by. He

reaches six-inch thick metal doors, closed tight. He

slides his ID card into the optical reader.

(CONTINUED)

28.

CONTINUED:

The computer screen above it prints out the words,

"Colonel Michael Gillespie." A digitized voice booms

from the WALL SPEAKER:

WALL SPEAKER (V.O.)

How-are-you-today-Doctor-Gillespie?

GILLESPIE:

Piss ass good. And you?

ON COMPUTER SCREEN

We see Gillespie's voice print.

The doors spring open.

CUT TO:

INT. ELEVATOR

Gillespie going up in the elevator past the four floors of

glassed-in laboratories. At the first level, workers wear

civilian clothes. At the second level, they wear respirators.

At the third level, they wear body suits, and at

the fourth level they wear biosafety suits.

CUT TO:

INT. M.I.D.U. - SMALL LOCKER ROOM OUTSIDE BL-4 LABS STEADI-

CAM SHOT:

Mike and Izzy strip off their clothes.

IZZY:

Admit it, for chrissakes: The dogs

will get better care with her than

they got with you.

GILLESPIE:

That really cheers me up.

IZZY:

You think cause we're friends I

should ignore reality.

GILLESPIE:

I think cause we're friends you

might show some tact.

(CONTINUED)

29.

CONTINUED:

IZZY:

You were gone so often that when

you were home... you spoiled 'em.

Robby keeps an even keel.

GILLESPIE:

Hey, she's available...

IZZY:

Don't think I haven't thought

about it.

GILLESPIE:

You're just what she's looking

for. Mr. Stability. Three wives

in five years.

IZZY:

Two. I never married Sherry. I

liked her too much...

Izzy pulls a red air hose down from the ceiling and inflates

his space suit before he puts it on; this is standard

safety procedure. Mike steps right into his suit.

IZZY:

What are you doing?

GILLESPIE:

What?

IZZY:

You forgot to test your suit.

Look! It's torn.

There is a small tear on the left leg of Gillespie's suit.

They both realize Gillespie's mistake could have cost him

his life.

IZZY:

(beams)

If I let you die, who've I got to

rag on?

FADE UP the sound of furiously RUSHING AIR, then:

CUT TO:

INT. FT. DETRICK MILITARY INFECTUOUS DISEASE UNIT

(M.I.D.U.) - BL-4 LAB - AIR LOCK

Gillespie and Berman, dressed in their BL-3 suits, stand

in the air lock.

(CONTINUED)

30.

CONTINUED:

There's no sound other than the FILTERED AIR RUSHING from

a WALL JET into the long red tubing attached to the back

of their helmets. These red tubes are called umbilical

cords. Gillespie disconnects his, punches the wall plate

and enters...

MAIN ROOM OF LAB

Quickly he connects to another umbilical cord; they hang

from the ceiling at ten foot intervals.

PAVAROTTI and SUTHERLAND singing the duet from "Lucia de

Lamamoore" BLASTS from the SPEAKERS. Whenever

Gillespie's in the lab, he's listening to opera. He

approaches...

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