The Relic Page #17

---

INT. SECURITY COMMAND CENTER - MUSEUM - DAY

The place looks like the control room of a nuclear power plant. Two

SECURITY GUARDS monitor a battery of closed-circuit screens. D'Agosta

is now accompanied by the pompous head of security, IPPOLITO. Clearly

Ippolito feels D'Agosta is pissing on his territory and he's trying to

assert control.

IPPOLITO:

This huge police presence tonight

isn't necessary, Lieutenant. You'll

just scare people off. I can handle

the security behind scenes with this

system. It's state of the art.

D'AGOSTA

The cops are non-negotiable,

Ippolito. Why don't you just tell me

how this space station works.

IPPOLITO:

It's fool proof, basically. I

designed this whole thing myself.

Every valuable object in the Museum

carries a small electronic chip. If

anything's moved so much as an inch,

we get an alarm pinpointing the

exact location of the attempted

theft.

D'AGOSTA

That's great if you're stopping a

burglar. Not our goal here. Are

there motion detectors?

IPPOLITO:

In every exhibition room. The

museum's divided into five cells.

The reception and exhibit are in

cell five. We could arm the motion

detectors in cells one to four, then

seal the perimeter with our fire

doors.

D'AGOSTA

That would leave one exit for

hundreds of people. You'd be

violating every fire regulation on

the books. We'll guard the perimeter

with my men and engage the motion

detectors in the other cells. One

more question. I see a big hole. If

this entire thing is run by

computer, what happens if the power

fails?

IPPOLITO:

(snorts)

You don't know much about computers,

Lieutenant. There are safeguards

built in. We have back-up systems

with redundancies. There's no way

these computers can fail.

INT. PHYSICAL ANTHRO LAB - DAY

Margo, Kawakita and Frock are studying the contents of the crate.

FROCK:

I can't help thinking there's

something that Pendergast

overlooked. If the scratches were

made by whatever killed Beauregard,

it wants something that's in here.

MARGO:

A blow dart. Seed pods. A plant

press. Pretty unimpressive stuff.

FROCK:

Let me see the plant press.

Frock opens the plant press and sees a specimen inside.

MARGO:

What is it?

FROCK:

I'm not sure. As you know, the

Kothoga lived outside civilization

on the tepui for thousands of years.

Species flourished in isolation when

man and pollution rendered them

extinct. This could be one of the

last remaining samples of an unknown

plant.

MARGO:

Whatever it is, it must be common on

the tepui. John used it as packing

material.

FROCK:

You're right.

Kawakita lifts out a bit of the fibers, as does Frock.

FROCK:

They're curiously fleshy.

KAWAKITA:

And they smell delicious.

Kawakita TAKES a NIBBLE.

KAWAKITA:

Taste great.

FROCK:

I wouldn't put that in your mouth

until we do a chemical analysis,

Greg.

KAWAKITA:

I can handle that for you while

we're waiting on the G.S.E.

Kawakita rises and exits with some of the plant.

MARGO:

What about those seed pods? Are they

from the same plant?

Frock takes a moment to study them, looks up.

FROCK:

Margo, these aren't seed pods.

MARGO:

What are they?

FROCK:

They're eggs.

INT. SUB-BASEMENT - DAY

Black as night. The only light comes from the men's flashlights.

They're at a crossroads. Crooked corridors, with arched ceilings

barely the height of a man stretch in several directions. Jonathan is

crouched down, resting with the panting dogs. The deputies are having

a smoke. They all look both uneasy and exhausted except for

Pendergast. He stares at the blueprints.

PENDERGAST:

Hard to read in this light. The ink

is so faded.

JONATHAN:

The dogs have lost the scent, Mr.

Pendergast. Maybe we should head

back.

PENDERGAST:

Not yet. Let's try the fork to the

left.

The men reluctantly shoulder their shotguns and push on. The hounds

walk ahead, carelessly nosing the ground. The flashlight beams

illuminate lime-encrusted, cave-like walls.

DEPUTY TWO:

This place gives me the creeps.

At this the dogs begin to WHINE. The HAIR on their backs rises in a

ridge. Pendergast turns as a BREEZE stirs his clothes.

JONATHAN:

They've got something.

PENDERGAST:

Keep the light up. I can't see.

The dogs strain and pull forward, sniffing the air ahead. The deputies

raise up their shotguns as they all move deeper into the darkness. The

flashlight beams streak crazily in all directions, barely penetrating

the gloom. Suddenly the dogs break into a terrifying BAYING which

bounces off the walls.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes