The Cell Page #16

CATHERINE (CONT'D)

I promise.

Novak finds himself standing in front of the idealized cell.

Mounted beneath the glass is a shiny, perfect metal plaque

reading CARVER INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT, with a logo. Novak

recognizes it from the hoist in Stargher's basement.

NOVAK:

Let's go.

He pulls her to her feet. Feeling betrayed and rejected, the

child breaks away from her. THE ROAR OF STARGHER KING shakes

the cell. Terrified, the boy searches for a place to hide.

CATHERINE:

CARL!

Novak feels what's coming.

NOVAK:

COME ON!

CATHERINE:

I can't leave him!

STARGHER KING APPEARS! His throat wounded, bloody mess, he

descends out of dark nothingness, HOWLING with rage. He

reaches for Catherine, but Young Stargher runs in front of

her.

STARGHER KING CLAMPS HIS MASSIVE ARMS AROUND THE CHILD!

Little Carl opens his mouth in a silent scream... Catherine's

arms reach out to him, but Novak clasps her hand and presses.

And she is haunted by the sight of a frightened child in the

arms of a monster...

INT. CAMPBELL CENTER - LABORATORY

Henry notices significant activity on the monitors.

HENRY:

They're back.

Everything happens fast. He and Miriam frantically cease the

procedure.

Novak and Catherine are lowered and Novak startles them by

quickly regaining consciousness. Miriam attempts to inject

him with stabilizing drugs, but he's already trying to tear

himself out of the apparatus.

NOVAK:

Get me out!

Miriam MOVES into the PROCEDURE ROOM.

NOVAK (CONT'D)

GET ME OUT!

Miriam tries to follow protocol, but Novak is moving like a

fish caught in a net, ripping and tearing his way out of the

apparatus and suit. He gets to his feet, but soon falls to

his knees, dizzy and disoriented.

MIRIAM:

Don't move!

Novak is not listening. Fighting off any after-effects- both

physical and mental - he moves for the door.

MIRIAM (CONT'D)

Agent Novak!

Catherine is coming back and Miriam moves to her. Novak

pauses just for a moment.

NOVAK:

Is she alright?

MIRIAM:

Yes. But you're going to sit down right

now. I have to...

Novak is already gone.

INT. CAMPBELL CENTER - CONFERENCE ROOM

Novak speed-dials a number on speaker-phone, hurriedly

dresses, and locates a photograph of Stargher's basement.

When he hears someone pick up the line, he barks:

NOVAK:

This is Novak, who've I got?

A confused Ramsey enters and listens.

INT. STARGHER HOUSE - BASEMENT

A team of FBI AGENTS is meticulously going through every inch

of Stargher's house.

Crisscrossed wooden beams have been laid across the pit

allowing forensics experts to search without disturbing

anything. On the other end of the direct line is COLE...

COLE:

Agent Cole.

(INTERCUT WITH NOVAK AND RAMSEY)

NOVAK:

I need you to find something in the

basement...

COLE:

Already there.

NOVAK:

That hoist, with the winch...

WE FOLLOW Cole as he moves to the machine.

NOVAK (CONT'D)

There's some kind of plaque, a metal

plate, with a logo. On the base.

Cole locates it.

COLE:

(reading)

Carver Industrial Equipment.

INT. CAMPBELL CENTER - CONFERENCE ROOM

Novak instructs him...

NOVAK:

Find out the history of that machine.

Who bought it, used it, sold it. And

check Stargher's pay stubs. I want to

know every contractor he worked for.

I'm calling you from the chopper in ten

minutes.

Dizziness and disorientation again hit Novak. Pale and

sweating, he winces as his stomach agonizingly cramps.

RAMSEY:

Jesus Christ, man, you look like hell.

NOVAK:

Considering where I've been...

Fighting the pain, he gathers together MAPS, slips on his

shoes and grabs gun and holster. Ramsey is apoplectic.

RAMSEY:

Whoa-whoa-whoa. Mind telling me what

the f*** is happening?

Novak points to the photo of Stargher's basement,

specifically the hoist.

RAMSEY (CONT'D)

You're bettin' the farm on something you

saw after they pumped you full of god

knows-what kind of sh*t?

NOVAK:

I saw her. Julia. Alive. I saw

everything.

RAMSEY:

You might've seen Jimmy Hoffa dancing

with Timothy Leary. I don't care.

Novak is not stopping...

INT. CAMPBELL CENTER - LABORATORY

IN THE PROCEDURE ROOM, Miriam shines the penlight into

Catherine's eyes.

CATHERINE:

...a pocketful of rye.

MIRIAM:

Four and twenty blackbirds...

CATHERINE:

Baked in a pie.

AT THE CONSOLE, on a security monitor, Henry can see Novak

and Ramsey exiting down the corridor.

HENRY:

The FBI has left the building.

IN THE PROCEDURE ROOM, Miriam appears concerned.

MIRIAM:

Damn him.

CATHERINE:

What's wrong?

MIRIAM:

Agent Novak. I didn't get a chance to

clear him.

Catherine encourages her.

CATHERINE:

Go. I'm fine. Go.

As Miriam hurries to catch Novak, she tells Henry.

MIRIAM:

Keep an eye on her.

He nods, but isn't really paying attention. Catherine turns

to Stargher's motionless form, still suspended, still

connected to the machinery.

INT. THE CELL - DAY

JULIA:

Do something, Julia.

She looks around the room and runs her hands along the walls,

the tile, looking for a weak spot. She focuses on the

CEILING PANEL and although it's painful because of swollen

fingers, removes her ENGAGEMENT RING.

EXT. CAMPBELL CENTER

A ready-and-waiting HELICOPTER is on the pad. Novak races

out of the Center, Ramsey right behind him, SHOUTING at each

other in order to hear above the chopper noise.

RAMSEY:

Pete, listen to me. What did you really

learn in there? Anything new? You

really think Stargher gave you a save

the-day clue? What if this is all some

kind of trick your head is playing on

you?

He won't consider that. Novak climbs into the helicopter and

buckles himself in. He looks to Ramsey - you coming? -

Ramsey pats the side of the chopper and signals for the pilot

to take off.

INT. CAMPBELL CENTER - LABORATORY

Henry analyzes voluminous print-outs from the last procedure.

Although his eyes are on the data, he converses with

Catherine in the PROCEDURE ROOM via intercom.

HENRY:

...there was a moment when we thought

we'd lost Agent Novak as well.

We see chemicals flow and computer programs initiate the

procedure, but Henry is oblivious.

HENRY (CONT'D)

His post-procedure consciousness

recovery was remarkably quick. Never

saw that before. Hey, remember that one

time...

He JUMPS when the door to the procedure room SEALS SHUT and

mechanisms HUM.

HENRY (CONT'D)

Catherine?

When he looks through the window, Catherine is again

suspended, the procedure under way.

HENRY (CONT'D)

What are you doing?

He types in a command, but nothing happens. He tires again.

On another keyboard, but gets no response. When he looks at

the "map" screens, he sees something odd. It's a small

change, but it makes all the difference in the world.

INT. THE CELL - DAY

Like a rock climber in a crevasse, Julia shimmies up the

walls of the cell by bracing herself in a corner and using

her hands and feet to push up. The tile is slippery and each

movement precarious.

She uses strength and balance to reach a position just below

the Plexiglass, the fluorescent light bathing her in an eerie

intense glow. She sees a gap between the glass and the wall

and uses her ENGAGEMENT RING to dig into it, SCAPE, SCRAPE,

SCRAPING with the diamond.

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