Real Genius Page #5

KENT:

He didn't bother to come in today.

BODIE:

He said he didn't feel like it; and then I said 'you better'; and then he said ' or what?'; and then I said ' or he'd get the heck,' and then he said 'jam it, it's Sunday' and he looks for God on Sundays; so I said 'okay, but I'm telling.'

ATHERTON:

Thank you Bodie. I notice you've stopped stuttering.

BODIE:

Yes, I've been giving myself some sock treatment and it's working.

ATHERTON:

Good.

(to Mitch)

I'm sorry he isn't here. I wanted you to meet your hero.

CARTER:

Hero? That clown? Look at this.

He points to a table full of laser equipment comprised of various angled mirrors and gas cambers and drib units. The others gather around it.

CARTER (Cont'd)

We heard he wasn't coming in. Kent and I figured we'd go ahead and run his section without him. And we started getting picosecond ratings that aren't even in the ballpark.

KENT:

It looks like it'll take at least a week to re-do all this and start again.

Mitch is carefully studying the equipment and checking some notes that were on the table.

KENT (CONT'D)

Another costly mistake.

ATHERTON:

Are you sure?

CARTER:

Positive.

KENT:

Positive.

MITCH:

(reading from notes)

Negative.

(innocently, to Carter and Kent)

There's a mistake all right, but I think you guys made it. Look, you inverted the last two steps.

CARTER:

(grabbing the notes)

I don't make mistakes...

(reading)

...Usually.

ATHERTON:

Damnit, don't touch other people's things.

MITCH:

(adjusting the equipment)

This shouldn't take too long to fix.

ATHERTON:

I'm glad that you were here, Mitch.

KENT:

Yes, thanks for pointing out Carter's mistake, Mitch.

ATHERTON:

Don't bother with that now. I'm sure you want to go get settled.

MITCH:

(relieved)

Well, it has been kind of a long day.

Atherton starts to leave.

ATHERTON:

Oh, I forgot Kent, I need your help.

KENT:

Anything, Jerry.

ATHERTON:

Stop it.

KENT:

What?

ATHERTON:

Get copies made of everything so young Mitch here can get started checking everything tomorrow.

KENT:

My pleasure.

ATHERTON:

And then, on your way back, stop at my cleaners.

KENT:

Don't give it a thought. I enjoy it.

ATHERTON:

(to Mitch)

Shall we?

MITCH:

Sure.

Atherton exits, followed by Mitch.

BODIE:

I guess it goes from God to Jerry to you to the cleaners, right Kent?

EXT. DORM HALL- LATE AFTERNOON

Mitch enters the arched column portico of this dormitory building.

INT. ROOM

The room is small, cramped, and more than a little disheveled. PEI, NASA and science fiction posters hang on the ceiling and wall, over and around one of the two beds. Junk food and soft drink containers are littered everywhere. In one corner is a fully-stocked Frito Lay Chip display.

Mitch crosses to his bed and sits. He is exhausted and depressed. The door opens and Mitch see a strange, tall, bulkily- built, hermit-looking kind of a guy enter. He is carrying a McDonald's bag. He stops when he see Mitch and stares at him in a quirky way for a second, then crosses to the closet, opens the door and exits into it.

MITCH:

Hello?

Getting no response, Mitch rises, goes to the closet, opens it and looks in.

MITCH:

Hello?

There is no one there.

MITCH:

What kind of place is this?

Mitch crosses to his luggage. he opens a bag and, to his surprise, he finds it empty. he then looks in the other bag and find they've all been cleaned out. Puzzled, he shuts the bags.

Suddenly, the door swings open and CHRIS KINSLEY , who we saw earlier at PEI, ENTERS. He's dragging a large piece of mechanical equipment. it is, in fact, a baseball pitching machine.

CHRIS:

Hi.

Mitch stares.

CHRIS (CONT'D)

Hey, you just gonna sit there admiring the room or are you going to help me with this?

MITCH:

What is this thing?

CHRIS:

It's a penis stretcher. You want to try it out?

MITCH:

No!

CHRIS:

Oh really? Well, congratulations, then, No, It's an Iron Mike.

MITCH:

What?

CHRIS:

A baseball pitching machine.

Chris is setting it up.

MITCH:

I was here for a second this morning...

CHRIS:

(frightened)

You didn't straighten the place up, did you?

MITCH:

(looks around at the mess)

No.

CHRIS:

Good. 'Cause all my filth's in alphabetical order.

Chris puts on a baseball cap and grabs a bat.

MITCH:

Anyway, I dropped off my luggage and now all my bags are empty.

A ball is pitched. Chris connects and the ball smashes through the window.

CHRIS:

I put your stuff away for you.

Another pitch. He smashes a ball into a wall.

CHRIS (CONT'D)

It's all in the bottom drawer. Shirts, pants, underwear, shoes. I had a little trouble with your sport jacket, so I threw it out. Nah, only kidding. This one's for you, little Johnny.

He whacks another pitch. He does a crowd cheer and circles the bases.

CHRIS:

What a game. I'm Chris Kinsley.

MITCH:

Oh, no.

INT. MOVING CAR- SAME TIME

Dr. Atherton is riding in a rental car with DON CARMICHAEL, a government contract monitor. These two guys are part of an old boy network involved with research and development.

CARMICHAEL:

We're falling way behind, Jer.

ATHERTON:

Well, we're not making cheese sandwiches here, you know, Don.

CARMICHAEL:

That's a good one. I'll have to remember to use that, Jer.

ATHERTON:

The new boy is quick.

CARMICHAEL:

He better be because the company needs a practical working model within four months.

ATHERTON:

You can't dictate innovation.

CARMICHAEL:

Let me put this another way, Jer. You know all that money we've been spending for development?

ATHERTON:

Yes

CARMICHAEL:

Well, when a project gets cut off, the finance boys always run an audit.

ATHERTON:

I see.

The car pulls up to Atherton's house, where there is a great deal of construction going on. Once the work is completed, this is going to be beautifully restored, rather large Victorian home.

CARMICHAEL:

(looking out)

Having a little work done on the old place, are you? Looks nice.

INT. MITCH'S ROOM-THAT NIGHT

Mitch is gathering up some books. He looks at a chart on the wall.

MITCH:

Library... library...205.

The door to the room opens while Mitch is looking the other way. We catch a glimpse of the same tall, bulkily-built man opening Mitch's closet door and disappearing inside. Mitch turns just in time to see the door close. he goes into it, opens it and looks inside. Nothing. he goes to the door of his room. Mitch opens the door, steps into the hall and slips, landing on his ass. His books go flying.

INT. HALLWAY

The hall floor is covered with ice wall-to-wall. Skating MUSIC is playing on a cassette somewhere. A few students, dressed for winter, are skating. Chris skates over and helps Mitch to his feet.

CHRIS:

Welcome to Pacific Tech's "Smart People On Ice."

He whirls away, leaping from wall to wall, sliding quickly down the ice. He stops in front of a short, roly-poly kid of Japanese descent, MARK ICKAGAMI, better know as ICK. Ick is a bio-chemist who spends a great deal of time in his lab experimenting with various fun compounds that do things ranging from making artificial ice to increasing memory.

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