The Relic Page #14

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MCNITT:

Well he's gone.

BAILEY (OS)

Any sign of a green-eyed monster?

MCNITT:

(chuckles)

Nope.

McNitt shuts off the walkie talkie, settles at his post.

INT. SUPERSTITION EXHIBIT - NIGHT

In the blackness a large shape is MOVING QUIETLY, dragging it's prey

across the floor. We move in on the lifeless form of DOYLE. His face

is rigid with terror, his eyes frozen, open wide. The last thing we

hear as the hulking form heads back into the darkness, is the SNAPPING

of Doyle's skull.

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. MUSEUM - DAY

Signs announce that the Superstition Exhibit opens tonight. The museum

is back in business, but not many people are going in. A crowd lingers

at the margins, pointing at the building. Several hold a copy of the

POST with a graphic photo of the bloody floor by the circular stair.

INT. CUTHBERT'S OFFICE - DAY

Cuthbert stands by the window of his palatial office, looking out at

the scene below. His face is pinched with worry. Slumped in a chair is

Lieutenant D'Agosta. Pendergast surveys some paintings on the wall.

PENDERGAST:

I had no idea the Museum had a

complete collection of Piranesi's

Forum sketches.

CUTHBERT:

If you like them, they're for sale.

Another day like yesterday and half

the collection will be on the block.

PENDERGAST:

I've read about the Museum's

financial troubles.

CUTHBERT:

We've been operating in the red for

years. That was the whole idea

behind the Superstition Exhibit. It

was designed to pull people in.

We've spent every penny we have on

advance publicity, betting

everything on the opening's success.

If we postpone at the last minute...

No. I don't want to think about

that.

D'AGOSTA

(chews on his toothpick, mild)

We all love the museum. I come here

myself with my kids. We're trying to

work with you.

CUTHBERT:

I appreciate that.

PENDERGAST:

If the party goes forward, and

that's a big if... I've arranged for

a large police presence.

CUTHBERT:

Do they have to wear uniforms?

PENDERGAST:

Yes.

CUTHBERT:

I don't want to scare people.

PENDERGAST:

I understand. But Mr. Cuthbert,

we've got bigger problems. Depending

on what we find today, we may have

to shut you down.

Cuthbert looks grim.

INT. PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY LAB - DAY

D'Agosta examines the huge centrifuges, autoclaves, electrophoresis

apparati, monitors, computers etc. as Margo and Greg Kawakita look at

the claw.

KAWAKITA:

What do you make of it, Margo?

MARGO:

It's not mammalian, that's for sure.

I think it's reptilian.

PENDERGAST:

That would jive with what we got

from the preliminary DNA read-out.

Here, have a look.

He hands them a computer read-out. Margo checks it quickly as Kawakita

looks on.

MARGO:

According to this, twenty-five

percent of the claw DNA is

unidentifiable, about a third is

homo sapien, and the rest is

Hemidactylus Turcicus.

D'AGOSTA

(looks over)

What's that?

Margo pulls off her glasses.

MARGO:

Turkish Gecko, I believe. A lizard.

KAWAKITA:

Lizard DNA and human DNA on the same

strand? Impossible. The sample must

be contaminated.

MARGO:

There's another possibility. A lot

of repeated base pairs could suggest

a high level of genetic damage.

PENDERGAST:

Genetic damage?

MARGO:

When DNA is defective, it often

uncontrollably replicates long

repeating sequences of the same base

pair. Viruses can damage DNA. So can

radiation, certain chemicals. Even

cancer. Let's let the G.S.E. sort it

out. I have to get started. This

will take several hours.

PENDERGAST:

We need someone to take us to the

secure storage area.

KAWAKITA:

Try Dr. Frock. He's the curator of

Plant Biology. All the curators

have keys. And he knows every inch

of this museum. The rest of us still

get lost.

INT. MUSEUM HALLWAY AREA - DAY

Pendergast, D'Agosta and Dr. Frock get off are in an older, plain

corridor with a long row of locked heavy steel doors. The doors are

numbered up to eight, then the corridor turns.

As the three go forward, the creaking of the wheelchair echoes faintly

in the hall.

PENDERGAST:

Thank you for taking the time to

help us with this, Dr. Frock.

FROCK:

Happy to be useful. It's rare enough

these days. According to security,

Beauregard put the Whittlesley

crates in storage area 1012.

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