The Cell

FADE IN:

A SPECK OF DUST:

Grains of sand dance in the wind. As we glide over a VAST

DESERT, the speck of dust becomes a HORSE AND RIDER.

CATHERINE YOUNG straddles the beautiful black animal, her

mesmerizing eyes scanning the horizon. A curious breeze

blows across her exquisite face and she drinks it in, as if

the wind itself were telling something to her...

Catherine sees a FLICKERING LIGHT in the sand. She pulls the

reins and the horse stops moments before the dune drops into

nothingness. She dismounts, affectionately scratches the

horse's neck, and follows the LIGHT. When she looks over her

shoulder, the Arabian is now a child's WOODEN HOBBY HORSE.

Not surprised, Catherine smiles and walks down a dune, sand

sliding beneath her feet...

She finds herself in a valley of dead trees whose decayed,

gnarled limbs appear to form hands. The light dances across

her face. She shades her eyes and pinpoints the source...

A SMALL MIRROR reflecting rays of bright sun, housed within a

locket and chain. It's held by EDWARD, a haunted-looking boy

of seven with a precocious grin and piercing eyes. He sits

on a fallen tree trunk, patiently waiting for her arrival.

CATHERINE:

Thanks for the horse.

He's a shy child, yet comfortable with Catherine.

EDWARD:

You liked him?

CATHERINE:

He's beautiful...

Edward smiles, delighted he made her happy.

CATHERINE (CONT'D)

But I thought we were going sailing.

The boy frowns.

CATHERINE (CONT'D)

You promised.

A devilish glint in his eye, Edward redirects the mirror.

Catherine follows the flicker to a TOY BOAT in the sand.

CATHERINE (CONT'D)

We can't fit into that!

Edward shines light in her eyes, momentarily blinding her,

then snaps the locket shut. When her vision clears,

Catherine sees a GIANT SHIP perched among the dunes. A craft

weighing hundreds of tons just sitting there in the desert.

CATHERINE (CONT'D)

That'll do.

She walks toward it, but Edward doesn't follow.

CATHERINE (CONT'D)

(coaxing him)

Come on, Mister E.

She extends her hand, but he adamantly shakes his head no.

CATHERINE (CONT'D)

What now?

EDWARD:

(nods at the ship)

's broken.

Undaunted, she... finds herself standing on the DECK.

CATHERINE:

(calling to him)

Who says?

EDWARD:

Mocky-Lock.

CATHERINE:

Oh no... No you don't.

EDWARD:

"Mocky-Lock is the bogeyman. Mocky-Lock

wants me where I am."

CATHERINE:

I bet we can fix it.

She opens a rusted iron DOOR. It makes an HORRIFIC

SCREECHING SOUND. Similar to metal-on-metal, but more

piercing, more pained. As if made by a living thing.

CATHERINE (CONT'D)

(familiar with the noise, a

warning to him)

Ed-ward...

The boy's FACE CONTORTS, turning into something half-human,

half-animal. A monster. Mocky-Lock. He SCREECHES, trying

to frighten Catherine, but she c*cks her head...

CATHERINE (CONT'D)

We agreed. No more Mocky-Lock.

The creature sticks its tongue out and DIVES.

CATHERINE (CONT'D)

Edward!

But it's too late! Edward/Mocky Lock slithers into the sand

and disappears. Resigning herself to a failure, she opens

the palm of her left hand, revealing a SMALL BUMP in the

flesh between thumb and forefinger. She presses hard and...

PICTURE AND SOUND DISTORT AND CHANGE

INT. LABORATORY - DAY

We are looking at a large SCREEN showing an electronically

generated three-dimensional view of a human brain featuring

color-coded neurological activity. In a specific section of

the image, cells flash from yellow to red...

PULL BACK TO REVEAL HENRY WEST surrounded by computers,

monitors, electronics, and keyboards. DR. MIRIAM KENT stands

before a peculiar diagnostic machine scrutinizing data and

images. Both wear garb favored by surgeons or microchip

assemblers. The impressive, weird computer system HUMS as it

shifts programs, the unusual brain image changing colors.

THROUGH A LARGE WINDOW, we see into an ADJOINING ROOM within

which a HUMAN FIGURE hangs suspended in mid-air by a series

of cables designed to simulate flotation.

AT THE CONSOLE, Miriam uses a pen to hit specific areas of

the touch-sensitive screen, changing the complex CHEMICAL

SYMBOLS displayed there.

IN THE PROCEDURE ROOM, a series of pharmaceuticals are

injected into an intravenous tube feeding the sleeve/arm of

the figure. A featherweight cloth MASK electronically rises,

revealing the sleeping face of Catherine.

AT THE CONSOLE, Miriam hits a button and speaks into an

intercom microphone.

MIRIAM:

Sing a song of sixpence...

IN THE PROCEDURE ROOM, there is no reaction from Catherine.

MIRIAM (O.S.) (CONT'D)

Sing a song of sixpence...

CATHERINE:

(hoarse, groggy)

A pocketful of rye...

MIRIAM (O.S.)

Four-and-twenty blackbirds.

Catherine's eyes open.

CATHERINE:

Baked in a pie...

IN THE CONTROL ROOM, Henry hits a switch and Catherine is

lowered to the pedestal. Miriam checks Monitors displaying

Catherine's vital signs and continuing what must be a

routine, presses numbers on a keypad to open the PRESSURIZED

AIRTIGHT DOOR separating the two areas.

IN THE PROCEDURE ROOM, lights come on and Miriam eases

Catherine out of the apparatus. She checks her pupil

dilation, pulse, throat, and reflexes. She pokes and prods

with a familiarity that would seem rude to an outside

observer, but is nothing to them. Getting to her feet, we

see that Catherine's BODYSUIT is made of an unusual dark

fabric almost liquid in consistency.

AT THE CONSOLE, Henry moves to another section and for the

first time, we see there are two elaborate neural monitors.

And the "brain" pictured here is smaller. Younger...

HENRY:

"Mister E." is doing fine.

REVEAL A SECOND FIGURE suspended from the ceiling in the

PROCEDURE ROOM. A SMALL BOY is lowered to the pedestal and

as Miriam records data, Catherine removes the child's "mask,"

displaying the haunted face of Edward. Clearly, the boy is

in some kind of catatonic state.

MIRIAM:

Did we go sailing?

CATHERINE:

Almost. Mocky-Lock showed up.

MIRIAM:

"Mocky-Lock is the bogeyman, Mocky-Lock

wants me where I am."

CATHERINE:

Mocky-Lock is a pain in the ass.

Henry communicates with them via the intercom.

HENRY:

Where did that come from again?

Catherine looks annoyed - How could he forget?

CATHERINE:

A nursery rhyme.

Catherine detaches the cables and eases Edward's frail body

into a waiting wheelchair. Miriam takes a penlight and

examines the boy's eyes... An emotionless void, oddly

beautiful.

MIRIAM:

(thinking aloud)

Nursery rhymes, fairy tales, the

bogeyman... All preparation for the

horrors of the real world.

Making certain the child is comfortable, Catherine covers him

with a blanket, rests a teddy bear on his lap, and pushes him

into the CONTROL ROOM, accompanied by Miriam. Henry types in

a command and moves to join them.

HENRY:

Anybody hungry? I'm hungry...

A BUZZER sounds and ANOTHER DOOR HISSES OPEN... A constantly

fretting administrator, BARRY COOPERMAN, is waiting for them

in the corridor.

COOPERMAN:

Edward's parents are here.

We can see it in Catherine's face - this isn't good news.

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