The Cell Page #14

A SENSOR ALARM SOUNDS on the computer. Henry and Miriam

express shock at the sight of the monitor peaking in the red

and move to the "map" of Catherine's mind. As it becomes

"cool," Stargher's becomes "hot."

MIRIAM:

Son of a b*tch!

IN THE PROCEDURE ROOM, VALENTINE BARKS! Startling everyone.

The dog GROWLS and backs away. As if he senses something

horribly wrong within his master.

IN THE CONTROL ROOM, Novak questions the scientists.

NOVAK:

When we got here, you just topped and

pulled her out.

MIRIAM:

That was with Edward. She's accustomed

to his world. Stargher's mind is

unfamiliar territory. She's "lost."

(looks at the third suit)

Someone has to go in.

Remind her what's really happening. And

get her out. Until then, she's at his

mercy.

Mercy. Novak's mind reels.

NOVAK:

Into Stargher. Inside...

MIRIAM:

Yes.

Novak knows who that person will be.

INT. CELL - DAY

Fueling herself with candy and juice, Julia examines the cell

for a way out, but finds tight seals everywhere. THE SHOWER

ERUPTS WITH WATER! She counts until thirty, it stops.

Shivering, Julia stars at the drain as the water spirals

down.

JULIA:

(trying to remember the words)

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed

be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will

be done.

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE GLASS, we watch her through one-way

glass from the video camera's point-of-view. She looks right

at "us," in the mirror, saddened by the dark circles under

her bloodshot eyes.

JULIA (CONT'D)

...on Earth as it is in Heaven.

We drift to the right and see the l.e.d. counters CLICKING

AWAY. 01:
44:54, 01:44:53, 01:44:52... Less than TWO HOURS to

live and she has no idea.

INT. CAMPBELL CENTER - LABORATORY

IN THE PROCEDURE ROOM, Novak lies in a hastily-rigged THIRD

APPARATUS/SUSPENSION DEVICE. Miriam connects him to the IV

cylinder and tubes.

MIRIAM:

I have done this, you know. Been

inside.

NOVAK:

No.

Miriam nods, knowing he won't accept an opposing argument.

MIRIAM:

(instructs him)

Deep breaths.

IN THE OBSERVATION ROOM, Henry adjusts monitors showing

Novak's vital signs.

HENRY:

Pulse is rapid, pressure's a little

high...

IN THE PROCEDURE ROOM, Miriam asks:

MIRIAM:

Nervous?

NOVAK:

Absolutely.

She loads a MICROCHIP SENSOR into a high-pressure injection

gun and IMPLANTS it in NOVAK's HAND. He winces from the

brief pain as she loads the chemical cartridges.

MIRIAM:

I have to ask you some things... Are you

taking any prescription drugs?

NOVAK:

Prevacid. For my stomach.

MIRIAM:

Any psychiatric medication?

NOVAK:

No.

MIRIAM:

What about narcotics?

NOVAK:

No.

MIRIAM:

I know your partner's here, but it's

very important that you're honest.

NOVAK:

I am. I'm a pretty boring guy.

MIRIAM:

I doubt that.

Henry checks the "maps," Catherine's vitals and reports.

HENRY:

We should hurry.

Miriam walks Novak through what's about to happen.

MIRIAM:

The first five minutes will be

disorienting. Give yourself time. Let

the drugs do the work. If you can see,

smell, feel, hear, taste things - you're

on the right track. Once you've

acclimated, try to get a feeling for

Catherine. Instinct plays a huge role

in this. Trust it.

She gives him a supportive touch on the shoulder, exits and

shuts the door. IN THE OBSERVATION ROOM, Miriam continues

via intercom.

MIRIAM (CONT'D)

You can control how you see yourself -

clothes, shoes, that kind of thing - but

the rest of it is up to him. Use only

what he provides. Don't try to change

anything. Or introduce something of

your own. It'll only upset him.

IN THE PROCEDURE ROOM, Novak flexes his fingers and sees the

little bump beneath his flesh.

HENRY (O.S.)

Agent Novak? Press the sensor.

Novak does and the red light comes on. As Novak is LIFTED,

he looks at Catherine, then Stargher. Valentine YIPS and

settles beneath Novak. The suspension device clicks into

place and the MASK descends.

MIRIAM (O.S.)

No matter what happens, Peter, remember

one thing:
It's not real.

Novak's eyes fix on the clear liquid contained in the IV-like

cylinder. A liquid cloud of his blood grows within.

Preparing the mixture for injection.

The viscosity of the fluid starts to thicken and the CAMERA

MOVES INTO THE MIXTURE. As blood and chemical swirls take

shape, we MOVE FAST. Deeper into the fluid at a molecular

level. We feel like we're SOARING over some kind of liquid

landscape.

NOVAK HYPERVENTILATES. He's having difficulty making the 98

transition.

Flying faster, faster, faster. Through an entire universe.

Novak is in the procedure room. Alone. His face contorted

as if feeling the effects of tremendous G-FORCE.

ENTRANCE THREE:

INT. STARGHER'S WORLD

CLOUDS hover above a dark, gloomy landscape dotted with

hills. THREE IDENTICAL WOMEN sit on black earth, their

bodies positioned in a uniform pattern. PULL BACK TO REVEAL

NOVAK at their feet, in a kneeling fetal position, face down

in the gritty soil, a piece of cloth draped over his head.

With difficulty, practically inhaling black grit, Novak

breathes deeply and rises to his knees. His hand moves to

his face and he's briefly astounded by the texture of the

gravel, the sharpness of it against his face. Removing the

shroud-like cloth, he looks at the soil, smells it, tastes

it.

MOTHER ONE (O.S.)

Have you seen him?

Novak finds the first of the three - VISIONS OF STARGHER'S

MOTHER - addressing him. She, like the other two, speaks in

a ghostly monotone, nearly devoid of emotion.

MOTHER ONE (CONT'D)

My boy, my little one. His father took

him from me. Have you seen him?

As she continues, almost mantra-like, WOMAN TWO BEGINS:

MOTHER TWO:

(similar monotone)

My child is an abomination. He is

damned. He has no soul.

The women's repetitive "monologues" overlap. Aurual layers

now added by THREE.

MOTHER THREE:

Me god me boy. Me god good son.

Novak takes a moment to absorb his surroundings. The sights,

sounds and feel of the place. Like being within a dream. As

he backs away from the odd quartet, SHIMMERING LIGHT dances

across his face. Shading his eyes. Novak searches for the

source.

Opposite him, across the valley, is a SHEER ROCK WALL. A

massive cliff face pockmarked with rough "windows." Like a

star, the LIGHT sparkles inside one of them, a fragment of

MIRROR reflecting a beam away from Novak's face to a PATH

cutting across the valley floor to the base of the wall.

The light guiding him, Novak follows the path and starts to

CLIMB, finding stairs or ladders, passing deep, seemingly

infinite passages. Like tombs, or the "drawers" of a

mausoleum. Deep within one of them, THE LIGHT FLICKERS.

Fades. And Novak crawls into darkness.

INT. STARGHER'S WORLD - THE DEN

Novak emerges in a cavernous room dripping with decadence.

The place reeks of sex, pain, lust, and cruelty. As he moves

deeper into the chamber, Novak sees YOUNG STARGHER perched

atop some kind of pedestal, crouching, fingering his mirror

LOCKET, bouncing sparkles of light into the dark corners of

the room

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