Sphere Page #3

As they head down a hallway, Barnes pulls the ULF REPORT out from

under his arm, hands it to Norman.

Norman looks at it, almost embarrassed to be holding it.

BARNES:

Your report's become our bible down

here, Dr. Johnson. We've been

carrying out each of your

recommendations -- one by one -- to

the smallest detail.

NORMAN:

But sir, I don't understand. This

report -- these recommendations...

they're for an encounter with extra-

terrestrial life.

INT. BRIEFING ROOM

ON A VIDEO SCREEN - sonar video of the spacecraft.

BETH (O.S.)

How big is this spacecraft?

BARNES (O.S.)

Of what we're able to measure,

roughly twenty-six hundred feet.

TED (O.S.)

A half a mile long?

BARNES:

The wing dimension alone is larger

that any aircraft we've seen.

The team members sit around the conference table:

TED FIELDING, 41, geologist, boyish and happy to be here. BETH

HALPERIN, 36, biochemist, mother of three who's never worn an apron.

ARTHUR LEVINE, 54, marine biologist, pudgy and quiet. HARRY ADAMS, 32,

mathamatician, African-American, wire-glasses, no bullshit.

HARRY:

How much damage?

BARNES:

To the craft? None. Not a scratch.

HARRY:

Right. So you're saying it survived

a high speed impact with water

without a scratch?

BARNES:

I'm not saying anything, Harry, I'm

just stating the facts.

(continuing)

The outer metal is made of a

titanium alloy, built into an epoxy-

resin honeycomb. The necessary

technology to bond this type of

metal has never been invented.

TED:

Never invented?

ON NORMAN, watching the team...

BETH:

In basic English, what does all this

mean?

BARNES:

Basic English? There's no way this

spacecraft was constructed on our

planet.

A LOUD MECHANICAL WHIRR

INT. TESTING ROOM - LATER

A large, X-Ray APPARATUS moves to the side, revealing Norman's FACE.

ON BETH - standing next to him.

BETH:

Five years. No phone calls. What am

I -- a leper?

Norman sits up...

NORMAN:

Beth, look, can I trust you with a

little secret?

BETH:

I love secrets.

NORMAN:

That ULF report everybody's patting

me on the back about?

BETH:

I've read it twice, Norman. It's

brilliant.

NORMAN:

It's bullshit. The report's a joke.

BETH:

(beat)

That's quite a secret.

NORMAN:

I spent a week reading Sagan and

watching re-runs of the Twilight

Zone. Seriously. I was just trying

to pay the mortgage on my house -- I

had no idea --

ANGLE ON TWO NAVY CORPSMEN, standing behind glass in the next room,

monitoring Beth and Norman.

BETH:

Do yourself a favor, Norman. Are you

listening? Don't tell anyone what

you just told me.

NORMAN:

C'mon, Beth -- that report's like

the blind leading the blind.

BETH:

Because when we get down there --

NORMAN:

Wait -- down where?

BETH:

To the spacecraft. To investigate.

NORMAN:

Underwater?

BETH:

What do you expect? For them to

bring it up here?

NORMAN:

We can't go down there. We're not

prepared. That deep? That takes

years of training, Beth. We're just

scientists. Lab scietists. We wear

ties and lab coats to work -- not

oxygen tanks.

BETH:

Well, you must have realized the

chances an encounter like this would

happen here. In the ocean.

(off his look)

70 percent of the earth's surface is

water, Norman. That's first grade

geography.

NORMAN:

It never occurred to me.

BETH:

Well, let's pray that's the only

mistake you made. Have you said

anything to Barnes about this?

NORMAN:

The timing has never seemed quite

right.

BETH:

Just keep your mouth shut, alright?

This could mean everything to our

careers, you know that? Don't

jeopardize this.

NORMAN:

(nervous laughter)

What -- are you threatening me?

EXT. SHIP - LATE AT NIGHT

THE SKY - clouds looming on the horizon.

ANGLE ON ARTHUR LEVINE, leaning against the railing, looking out at

the water.

ON NORMAN, approaching him. Arthur never looks at Norman, he just

stares out at the water.

ARTHUR:

I don't know you, but I'll be honest

with you. I don't like this. I don't

like any of this. Especially, the

water.

NORMAN:

Seasick? A marine biologist?

ARTHUR:

I don't belong here. None of us

belong here. Look at that.

ANGLE ON THE WATER, an ocean of seemingly endless, choppy waves.

NORMAN:

Makes you feel pretty small, doesn't

it?

ARTHUR:

It scares the sh*t out of me.

CUT TO:

CLOSE ON NORMAN, lying on a cot. It is dark. His eyes are open. He

stares at the ceiling.

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