Outbreak Page #6

The space-suited figure working under the hood. The

figure turns and smiles; it's Salt. Gillespie's

surprised. Salt salutes.

SALT:

Good afternoon, Colonel, sir.

GILLESPIE:

I thought you were doing your

thesis at Walter Reede.

SALT:

A lot's been published on Herpes B

but nothing on this new virus.

GILLESPIE:

So you were hoping to change

subjects and get your name on my

research papers?

IZZY:

Our research papers.

SALT:

I would do my share of the work,

sir. More.

IZZY:

And you wouldn't have to worry

about anybody publishing the same

thing cause there ain't nobody

else crazy enough to work with

this dangerous a virus.

Salt hesitates, then beams.

(CONTINUED)

31.

CONTINUED:

SALT:

Yes, sir! Have you given the

virus a name, sir?

GILLESPIE:

Motaba... after the valley where

we found it.

SALT:

I like it, sir.

IZZY:

Like it? Listen to the way it

rolls off your tongue. Mo-ta-ba.

Like a perfume.

He lifts up a vial labeled MOTABA and puts it close to

his body as if he's putting on perfume.

Salt watches with horror. In spite of their BL-4 suits,

you just don't play with these things. Salt checks

Gillespie, expecting the same reaction, but...

Gillespie's enjoying the moment. He expects these things

from Berman.

Izzy rubs the vial against his chest, savoring the

experience.

IZZY:

One drop and you feel... so

different... Your lover will never

recognize you again.

(shoving the vial

at Salt)

Have some, Captain.

Izzy tosses the vial of Motaba to Wally, who, terrified,

doesn't know whether to catch it or not. But he does.

IZZY:

Good hands... That's important for

working with level 4 viruses.

Salt, trembling, notes that the vial is made of plastic.

SALT:

This plastic is unbreakable,

right?

IZZY:

So far.

(CONTINUED)

32.

CONTINUED:

A short, husky SPACE-SUITED FIGURE pushing a cart of test-

tubes round the corner. The name Owigatsuyama is emblazoned

above his breast, Sergeant Major stripes on his arm.

THROUGH his visor we see the face of a Japanese-American

man in his early 60's with a warm friendly grin. We'll

know him as Owi.

OWI (SPACE-SUITED FIGURE)

(saluting Gillespie)

Sir.

(gesturing to Salt)

He's here early. No coffee breaks.

GILLESPIE:

Should we let this guy horn in on

our new virus, Owi?

Owi hesitates.

OWI:

I don't think so.

GILLESPIE:

Well, that's that.

Salt nervously eyes Izzy: "Is this a joke?"

IZZY:

Captain, Sergeant Owigatsuyama

here not only looks after

everything in this lab, but since

he knows the birthday of every

great tenor and soprano who ever

lived, Dr. Gillespie looks to him

for supreme guidance on all

matters.

SALT:

Just a minute! I could've changed

the radio to jazz. I love jazz.

But I didn't. Whaddya haveta do

to get on here?

GILLESPIE:

Get me a blood test for the Motaba

Virus.

SALT:

With a PCR catalyst I should be

able to have a crude -- and I

underscore crude -- screening test

in a few weeks.

(CONTINUED)

33.

CONTINUED:

IZZY:

Excellent. But nobody's asking

you to work a hundred and fifty

hours a week...

GILLESPIE:

A hundred and twenty will be

plenty.

IZZY:

Welcome aboard, Captain.

CUT TO:

INT. FORD'S OFFICE - LATER THAT NIGHT

Ford feeds flies to the Gila Monster. He looks out the

office window at the BL-4 lab where Salt is working late.

Ford moves on to the frog cages and feeds them too. He

looks back at the BL-4 lab: sees Salt exiting. The

lights go out.

CUT TO:

INT. FORD'S OFFICE - MOMENTS LATER

Ford watches the bank of video monitors behind his desk:

one shows Salt in the parking lot, getting into his old

Fiat and leaving.

CUT TO:

INT. BL-4 LOCKER ROOM

Ford, naked, slips on his suit with the ease of Joe

Montana pulling on his helmet. He buckles the suit without

even looking, as if he's done it five thousand times.

FADE UP the sound of RUSHING AIR and...

CUT TO:

GILLESPIE'S BL-4 LAB

Ford steps out of the air lock, disconnects his red hose

and reconnects. He moves quickly across the room. Suddenly,

his air tube snags on the side of the lab bench.

Ford stops, freaked. Quickly checks his hose. Indented,

but not broken. He breathes again.

(CONTINUED)

34.

CONTINUED:

FORD:

The world is round, Gillespie.

Didn't anybody f***ing teach you?

He grabs a metal file off the tool board and files down

the side of the bench until it's perfectly smooth and

round. Then moves on to...

One of the huge circular freezers in the center of the

lab. He punches in a seven-digit code on the keypad and

the LOCK SNAPS OPEN. He lifts the heavy lid. VAPOR

RUSHES OUT. He looks inside, sees the 65 aluminum test

tubes labeled "Motaba."

CUT TO:

NEGATIVE PRESSURE HOOD - FORD - MINUTES LATER

opening one test tube after another, expertly withdrawing

from each only a tiny sample of the virus, then putting it

into a large test tube. Suddenly -

The air lock opens and three BL-4 figures approach Ford.

We recognize the tall lean figure although he's 35 years

older:
McClintock, now a Lieutenant General. Ford hands

him the large test tube.

FORD:

Tell the boys the Old Man wants

the answer tonight.

McCLINTOCK

Yes, sir.

McClintock places the test tube into a clear plexiglass

container which is contained within a large plexiglass

container, each with its own combination lock. He twirls

the tumblers. The LOCKS SNAP into place.

CUT TO:

GILA MONSTER:

Its eyes darting back and forth, ever watchful, trusting

nothing.

EXT. BALCONY - FORD'S OFFICE - NIGHT

Ford leans on the bannister oblivious to the Gila Monster

beside him. He's depressed and worried. In the distant

sky,, traces of orange and pink announce the new day.

From inside the office, a BEEP. Ford rushes...

35.

INT. FORD'S OFFICE

to his computer terminal. A message ratchets across the

screen:
"ANALYSIS FINISHED"

He punches a computer key and swivels around in his

chair to see the huge video screen on the wall. It shows

two viral structures that look like DNA double helices.

One is labelled "CD-40 1960 (Motaba Valley)"; the other

is labelled "Motaba Virus - Gillespie - 1994."

Letters flash across the screen.

Ford puts on his horn-rimmed glasses and stares at the

screen. He doesn't breathe. A long beat.

FORD:

You f***er, why couldn't you stay

dead?

CUT TO:

MOTABA RIVER VALLEY - DAY (AUGUST 24)

Deep in the rain forest, a trapper wheels a cage containing

a baboon to a clearing where other trappers and

Government Health workers have lunch. Scattered around

them are cages filled with other animals they've caught

for Motaba Virus testing.

The DRONE of approaching PLANES builds. The animals hear

it first and grow restless. The Army troops guarding the

workers scan the sky but can't see the planes because of

the treetops. They scream into their walkie-talkies.

On the river, the Machine Gunner on the Army Patrol-Boat,

hears their reports and swivels his cannon around, scanning

the sky. But he can't see the planes either. The

DRONE becomes DEAFENING. Suddenly:

Rate this script:3.0 / 1 vote