Sphere Page #15

NORMAN:

This is like nursery school.

TED:

Don't you see it? It's a picture of

the creature.

NORMAN:

The creature?

TED:

Inside the sphere. Look, that's the

vertical torso, three legs, two

arms. There's no head, so I'm

guessing the creature's head is

located within the torso itself, you

know?

ON NORMAN - Ted's lost it.

NORMAN:

Well, how about we wait and see what

Harry comes up with?

TED:

Sure, why not. Give him the trophy.

That pretentious son of a b*tch. You

heard him, Norman. All that "someone

went to a lot of trouble, try again"

bullshit. And "impotent". Where does

he get off saying I'm impotent? He's

a f***ing self-righteous, little

prick.

CUT TO:

CLOSE ON MONITOR - spirals now.

HARRY:

...I asked myself, why would the

sphere be using a code? If you're

trying to communicate, why use a

code?

TED:

(to Norman)

See? No code. What'd I say?

HARRY:

Codes are for hiding information. So

it's making a mistake. It's making a

code without intending to. I figured

it's probably substituting numbers

for letters... Then I began to wonder

what an alien intelligence would

make of our keyboard. And since

we're getting spirals, I imagined

the keyboard as a spiral. So I

translated it...

NORMAN:

That's brilliant.

Ted grimaces at Norman.

HARRY:

...spiralling out of the center, you

see:
"G" is one, "B" is two, "H" is

three, and so on...when I got the

message.

BARNES:

What's the message?

HARRY:

I have to tell you. It's strange.

BARNES:

How do you mean, strange?

Harry picks up his yellow pad of paper and reads:

HARRY:

"Hello. How are you? I am fine. What

is your name? My name is Jerry."

CUT TO:

INT. HALLWAY

Barnes walks briskly down the hall, Norman with him...

BARNES:

He translated it wrong. "My name is

Jerry"? It's like "See Spot run."

NORMAN:

The message doesn't show a lack of

intelligence. It's smart. It's

approaching us in a simple way. Like

you would a dog. Holding out your

hand, letting it sniff, get used to

you.

BARNES:

What am I -- a dog, now?

Barnes ducks his head into the Video Feed room...

BARNES:

Edmunds, get in here. I need you for

this.

EDMUNDS:

In a minute, sir.

BACK IN COMMUNICATIONS ROOM -

Barnes storming through the room, the others (minus Edmunds) around

the monitor.

BARNES:

I want a name. A real name. This

thing's full name, rank and serial

number.

TED:

Captain, I personally feel we should

ask much more substantive

questions --

BARNES:

I am not gonna explain in some damn

report that one person died in a

deepsat expedition so we could meet

an alien named Jerry.

HARRY:

(on the keyboard,

typing)

First, we have to see if he'll talk

at all.

ON THE MONITOR - "0032125252632"

The monitor BLINKS, reply:

"0032125252632"

HARRY:

Okay, Jerry's talking.

Harry types -- "0002921 301321 0613182108142232"

TED:

What'd you say?

HARRY:

"We are friends".

BARNES:

Cut the friends crap, get a name.

"004212232"

HARRY:

"Yes". Good. Now let's see if it'll

switch over to English letters.

"0032125252632 = Hello"

Reply:

"0032125252632 = Hello"

BARNES:

It's not talking, it's mimicking.

TED:

Give him a chance. He's speaking our

language, not the other way around.

HARRY:

(typing)

Good idea, Ted.

TED:

(confused)

Thank you.

"0032125252632 = Hello. Hello = 0032125252632"

No reply.

BARNES:

What's he doing?

Reply:

"Hello = 0032125252632. 0032125252632 = Hello."

BARNES:

Ignorant. The thing's ignorant.

HARRY:

It's not ignorant.

TED:

Maybe it's pretending to be

ignorant.

Harry types "==="

Reply:

",,,"

Harry types "=,="

Reply:

"7 & 7"

BARNES:

Are you enjoying yourself, Harry,

because I don't know what the hell

you're doing.

HARRY:

He understands me fine.

Harry types:
"Yes"

Reply:

"0004212232"

Harry types:
"Hello"

A long beat. Reply:

"I am delighted to make your acquaintance. The pleasure is entirely

mine I assure you."

They stare, stunned, at the screen.

NORMAN:

Well, he's polite.

TED:

Unless it's an act.

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