The Game Page #6

NICHOLAS:

What is this... ?

BERNARD SHAW (v.o.)

This is your game, Nicholas, and

welcome to it. I'm here to let you

in on a few ground rules...

Bernard Shaw's FACE RIPPLES and GLITCHES occasionally,

revealing its true, computer-generated nature.

BERNARD SHAW (v.o.)

You've received the first key and

others will follow. You never know

where you'll find them, or when or

how you'll need to use them, so keep

your eyes open.

NICHOLAS:

(waves his hand)

How do you... ? You can see me?

BERNARD SHAW (v.o.)

I see you, I hear you. Why don't we

save the questions till...

NICHOLAS:

How does this work?

BERNARD SHAW (v.o.)

There's a tiny camera looking at you

right now.

NICHOLAS:

That's impossible.

BERNARD SHAW (v.o.)

You're right. Impossible. You're

having a conversation with your

television.

Nicholas touches the TV, feeling the seams.

BERNARD SHAW (v.o.)

It's miniaturized.

Nicholas begins poking his butter knife between slots of the

television's speaker, stabbing, poking...

BERNARD SHAW (v.o.)

Do you know how dangerous that is?

Nicholas pries at the plastic speaker cover. It's not easy,

but he's determined, cracking the plastic...

ILSA (o.s.)

Mister Van Orton... ?

The speaker cover breaks off with a SNAP! and Nicholas

spins, holding the broken piece.

NICHOLAS:

Yes... Ilsa, what is it?

ON T.V., Bernard Shaw grabs up pages, resumes...

BERNARD SHAW (v.o.)

... and in other news, auto workers

vowed to remain on picket lines...

Ilsa's in the doorway, wondering.

ILSA:

Is everything alright?

NICHOLAS:

Fine.

ILSA:

I've finished for the evening. Will

you be needing anything else?

NICHOLAS:

No, thank you. Goodnight.

ILSA:

Goodnight then.

She leaves. Nicholas throws the piece of television away.

Bernard Shaw stops reading now that the coast is clear.

BERNARD SHAW (v.o.)

Who was that?

NICHOLAS:

Never mind who that was.

BERNARD SHAW (v.o.)

You're uncomfortable. You want to

know how a camera got into your home,

don't you?

NICHOLAS:

Yes, I do.

ON TELEVISION:
Bernard Shaw is REPLACED by a FISH-EYED IMAGE

of NICHOLAS' DEN. It shows Nicholas from behind.

The P.O.V. is not from the TV. Nicholas crosses the

room, keeps his eye on the TV as a guide...

BERNARD SHAW (v.o.)

(from t.v., o.s.)

... cold... cold... warmer...

warmer...

ON TELEVISION:
Nicholas gets bigger as he gets closer to...

The Harlequin. Nicholas leans, looks at the clown's eyes...

ON TELEVISION:
Nicholas' face is huge, distorted.

Nicholas pries one of the Harlequin's glass eyes with his

knife, pulling it out and examining it.

ON TELEVISION:
The Harlequin's P.O.V. turns to STATIC.

Bernard Shaw returns with a PHONE NUMBER SUPERIMPOSED.

BERNARD SHAW (v.o.)

Write this number down. It's a

24-hour Consumer Recreation Services

hotline, for emergencies only.

BERNARD SHAW (v.o.)

But, don't call asking what the

object of the game is; figuring that

out is the object of the game.

Nicholas feels his pockets, finds the C.R.S. pen. He comes

up with a VALET PARKING TICKET to scrawl the number on.

BERNARD SHAW (v.o.)

Good luck and congratulations on

choosing C.R.S. We now return you to

your regularly scheduled program...

STATIC and SNOW, then CNN's Bernard Shaw is back for real,

newscasting. Nicholas reads the number he wrote.

CUT TO:

EXT. VAN ORTON MANSION -- NIGHT

Nicholas crouches at a coaxial CABLE LINE at the side of the

house. He fingers a BOX with a miniature LOOP and RABBIT

EAR ANTENNA that's been spliced into the line.

He starts to unscrew it... then thinks twice. He leaves it.

INT. VAN ORTON MANSION, KITCHEN -- NIGHT

Nicholas enters thru the back door. He pauses, looking out

at the night. He closes the door and locks it. He PUNCHES

the ALARM CODE into a KEYPAD.

Nicholas takes his Bentley key chain from its hook, takes

out the gold, "C.R.S." key... adding it to the keychain.

CUT TO:

INT. SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT -- DAY

Nicholas enters the vast, busy terminal, briefcase in hand.

He walks with purpose, but is extra-aware of the world

around him. He notices...

A MAN and WOMAN engaged in a SIGN LANGUAGE conversation.

A MAN reading a newspaper peers from behind the pages.

A JANITOR opens a door with a big KEY CHAIN full of keys.

A MAN on a payphone seems to be staring at Nicholas...

Nicholas turns his head to keep an eye on the man,

practically bumping into a grimy HOMELESS BUM...

HOMELESS BUM:

Help me out there? Used to be an

affluent fella, till some folks did

this to me...

Nicholas moves away, leaving the homeless man behind.

HOMELESS BUM:

Don't ignore me. I got screwed.

INT. AIRPORT, RED CARPET LOUNGE -- DAY

Quiet MUSIC. Rich people's lounge. Nicholas sits with a

cup of coffee, considering magazines on a coffee table. Two

seats down, a BUSINESSMAN coughs and rises, leaving his

newspaper on the empty seat between Nicholas and himself.

Nicholas glances down, curious when he sees...

A smiling-clown-face INFANT'S RATTLE on the seat beside,

sticking out from under the paper.

Nicholas catches only a glimpse of the exiting businessman.

Nicholas looks around, picks up the rattle.

He rattles it, studies it, rattles it in his ear. He tries

to see thru it by holding it up to the light. He doesn't

notice the MOTHER who enters with a baby, watching him.

MOTHER:

Excuse me...

Nicholas looks up, realizes, awkward, offering the rattle.

She takes it and exits.

There's a BESPECTACLED MAN watching Nicholas.

Nicholas notices, tries to ignore.

But, bespectacled man is really staring.

NICHOLAS:

(sits forward, fed up)

May I help you... ?

Nicholas' tone has turned other heads. Bespectacled man

seems embarrassed, shy, taps his chest.

NICHOLAS:

What... ? What is it?

Bespectacled man taps his chest again, points at Nicholas.

Nicholas looks down. Inside his suit jacket -- a huge blue

INK STAIN across his shirt. Nicholas stands, aghast, taking

out the offending pen.

It's the "C.R.S." pen, dripping ink.

INT. AIRPORT, BATHROOM -- DAY

Running water. Nicholas tries to clean his shirt, blotting

it ineffectually with wet paper towels. he looks in the

mirror, crestfallen. The stain's worse.

DEEP VOICE (o.s.)

Hey, buddy... you still out there?

Nicholas looks around. He's alone, except for a MAN in a

TOILET STALL. All we see are the man's brown shoes.

DEEP VOICE (o.s.)

(from toilet stall)

I'm in a little bit of trouble...

The man's hairy hand motions from below the stall. Nicholas

backs away, nervous, grabs his briefcase.

DEEP VOICE (o.s.)

I need paper. There's none in here.

Come on, help a guy out...

Nicholas considers, then hurries to exit.

DEEP VOICE (o.s.)

Hello?! Anybody? Hello?

INT. AIRPORT, METAL DETECTORS -- DAY

Nicholas' briefcase rides into the x-ray machine.

Nicholas drops his keys, cellular phone and Rolex in a tray.

He passes thru the metal detector. A SECURITY GUARD brings

the tray to him.

SECURITY GUARD:

Nice watch.

Nicholas smiles tolerantly, collects his belongings. He

waits at the x-ray conveyor belt, which is stopped. A

FEMALE GUARD studies the x-ray monitor.

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