The Relic Page #21

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KAWAKITA:

Lieutenant! It's me.

D'AGOSTA

What is it?

KAWAKITA:

Dr. Green has to see you!

D'AGOSTA

Got my hands full here.

KAWAKITA:

It's important. Please. You have to

come! Pendergast, too. She's found

out something.

D'Agosta pulls out his walkie talkie.

D'AGOSTA

McNitt? D'Agosta here.

INT. SECURITY COMMAND CENTER - MUSEUM - NIGHT

Officer McNitt stands in the corner of the computer room, bathed in

neon light. Running the security system is GEORGE, your basic computer

nerd. Multiple screens all over show various rooms in the museum. Most

are empty with the exception of those showing the exhibition. On

these, the crowds can be seen entering the various rooms. McNitt holds

his walkie talkie.

MCNITT:

Yeah Lieutenant? I'm here.

D'AGOSTA (ON RADIO)

I'm heading to the Evolutionary Bio

labs. Any sign of Pendergast?

MCNITT:

Not yet.

At this moment a NOISE comes from the adjoining room. McNitt's head

SWIVELS. It's a LOUD THUMP.

MCNITT:

Hold on Lieutenant.

(to George)

What was that?

GEORGE:

Probably just something wrong with

the air conditioning. There's a sh*t

load of electrical rooms back there.

George is playing an elaborate computer game and not paying attention.

McNitt returns to his walkie talkie as the THUMP comes again. Now he

looks distinctly nervous.

MCNITT:

Lieutenant? There's something wrong

in the computer room.

D'AGOSTA (ON RADIO)

Goddamn it. I'll get Ippolito and

send him up.

George rises.

GEORGE:

You're over-reacting. Sounds like

the air conditioning to me.

McNitt watches uneasily as George opens the door, disappears into the

next room.

INT. ENTRANCE - SUPERSTITION EXIBIT - NIGHT

D'Agosta turns to Kawakita who waits, shifting from foot to foot.

D'AGOSTA

Damn. There's some kind of problem

in the computer room. I have to go

get Ippolito. You wait here.

D'Agosta heads into the exhibit before Kawakita can protest.

INT. SUPERSTITION EXHIBIT - NIGHT

We see various cuts of people as they move into the different rooms. A

TEENAGE GIRL (LAUREN) and her FATHER (DAVID) examine a lidless,

rotting European style coffin, complete with corpse. A white haired

gentleman (DR. POUND), leans on his cane as he looks at a display on

primitive medicine practiced with implements that look like torture

tools.

Cuthbert and Ippolito are at the head of a press of people, giving the

MAYOR and HIS WIFE a guided tour.

CUTHBERT:

Here we have a very rare sacrificial

table from Mesoamerica. The priests

would kill the victim on this slab,

cut out the heart and eat it while

it was still beating.

MAYOR:

I could use one of these things in

City Hall.

Cuthbert laughs right on cue. They pass a Congo power figure with its

bulging eye sockets and torso riddled with sharp nails. Several people

recoil from it, looking repulsed. The MAYOR's WIFE sees it and looks

distressed.

MAYOR'S WIFE

You're letting kids see this? I

should think they'd have nightmares.

CUTHBERT:

Kid will love it. They're our target

audience. Nothing here is as violent

as what they see on T.V.

They pass a MUMMY dripping in BLOOD. The Mayor gestures to it.

MAYOR:

I don't know. That could be a little

over the top. It's not even

scientific. Mummies don't bleed.

Cuthbert's smile fades as he sees the mummy.

CLOSE ON... the MAYOR'S WHITE CUFF as he extends his hand to point at

the mummy. The pristine white of his cuff is suddenly colored by a

falling RED DROP OF BLOOD.

Cuthbert sees it. So does the Mayor and Ippolito. They look up as

another DROP OF BLOOD falls right on Cuthbert's face. And yet another

droplet falls on THE MAYOR'S WIFE'S white bosom, exposed by her low

cut dress!

CUTHBERT:

Oh... my... God...

THEIR POV... above the mummy's head, the top of the case is cut away,

exposing a ceiling crawling with steam pipes and ductwork. A hand, a

watch, and the cuff of a blue shirt protrude over the edge of the

case. A small icicle of blood hangs from the middle finger. And

another drop FALLS.

CUTHBERT SCREAMS AT THE TOP OF HIS LUNGS! Conscious of the panic

factor, Ippolito yells.

IPPOLITO:

Quiet everyone!

But it's too late. The room is packed with people. And D'Agosta

himself is just pushing through the door as another woman cries out...

WOMAN:

There's a body up there!

A ripple of fear goes over the faces in the room, titters as people

wonder if it's a joke. At that moment from the darkness above, the

ceiling buckles and something FALLS!

It's OFFICER DOYLE'S HEADLESS TORSO, dripping blood!

UTTER PANDEMONIUM breaks loose! The close space ECHOES with screams

and shouts. People claw at each other, stumbling desperately trying to

get to the door. A YOUNG WOMAN falls and D'Agosta runs to her to keep

her from being trampled in the stampede.

INT. COMPUTER ROOM - NIGHT

McNitt is staring in horror at the remote camera images showing the

chaos in the exhibition, the faces registering blind fear. Alarms

start going off all over the place. McNitt calls out... panicked...

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