The Relic Page #33

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Pendergast moves to help the S.W.A.T. team. Margo struggles to her

feet and her hand touches the wall. Beside her is a FIRE HOSE in a

cabinet! In a split second Margo hauls it out, throws a switch and

gets a BLAST OF WATER. She turns it on the beast as it grabs for

Pendergast. The force of the water is enormous. It pushes the monster

out the end of the hall.

Pendergast runs towards her, takes the hose and holds it.

PENDERGAST:

Run!

She takes off blindly in the maze-like room. From somewhere behind her

she hears a horrible HOWL.

ON MARGO... as she twists and turns through the rows of display cases,

tearing blindly in the dark. Ahead is a door. She dives through it and

finds she's in...

INT. MEN'S ROOM - MUSEUM - NIGHT

A row of mirrors and urinals line the wall. It's a huge room, designed

to handle crowds of visitors. Margo ducks into one of the stalls as

MBWUN crashes in. Margo looks through a crack in the door to see...

THE ANIMAL AT FULL STOP. IT'S STARING AT ITSELF IN THE ROW OF MIRRORS!

The sight appalls it and the beast lets out a hideous sound! The claws

lash out, breaking every mirror in the place, littering the floor with

glass!

Then the beast turns and backs up, groaning, as if cornered. Margo

sees now that one limb is dragging, leaving a trail of blood. The

mouth, too, appears to be bleeding. The S.W.A.T. team's bullets had an

affect.

Margo presses back in the stall, bracing as the beast gets closer.

It's just outside. It sniffs the air once and suddenly turns, rears

up, furious and crashes through the bathroom door. Margo screams and

the thing grabs her! It holds Margo up before it and roars. It closes

its massive claws around her as if she is somehow responsible for

everything. The claws tighten! She struggles and fights to no purpose

... but then the beast pauses... it's seen something!

THE NECKLACE WITH TWO ARROWS AROUND HER NECK!

It stops and its grip loosens! A pained look flashes across its

bestial face...

And in that split moment Margo looks down...

A NECKLACE OF SILVER gleams around the beast's throat too! The

necklace is the twin to her own!

ON MARGO... Can it be possible? She stares at the thing...

MARGO:

John's necklace! You killed him!

Incredibly the beast shakes its head. A noise comes from it... a sad

noise, like a groan. And now Margo gets it! She can hardly believe it.

Her eyes widen in astonishment. She whispers...

MARGO:

Oh Jesus. John?

The name is a knife through the monster's heart!

MARGO:

No. It's not possible!

The last piece of the puzzle falls. The monster is John Whittlesley!

Margo, still desperately frightened, tries to keep control.

MARGO:

John? If it is you... I can help.

The monster shakes its head no and releases her. As she watches he

moves away, quickly limps out the door.

INT. HALL OF THE ASIAN PEOPLES - NIGHT

Mbwun now drags himself across the grey carpet, headed for the stairs.

In the darkness of the hall of Asian Peoples, Pendergast is waiting.

He lifts one of the S.W.A.T. team rifles which he holds in his hands.

He aims, is about to fire, but then Margo comes up behind him.

MARGO:

No! Don't kill him! Pendergast, you

were right. It's John!

PENDERGAST:

What?

MARGO:

That thing is John Whittlesley. I

should have seen it before! The

fibers are infected with a virus.

You eat them, and the virus alters

your DNA! He became addicted to them

in South America, followed the

plants back to the states. He

probably entered the country as a

man. It would have taken several

months for the change to take place.

That's how he got from the boat to

the museum!

Pendergast looks over and sees the monster. His eyes show disbelief.

Mbwun looks back at both of them briefly, then it disappears up the

stairs.

PENDERGAST:

I don't believe it.

MARGO:

You have to! Listen! All viruses

pass on their own DNA. Instruct the

cells of the host to make more

viruses! This one was different. It

inserted a whole array of genes into

John. Reptile genes, sixty five

million years old. Those genes

remade him! It's not his fault!

PENDERGAST:

Whatever that thing is, we have to

kill it!

Margo tries to stop him, but he shrugs her off.

EXT. MUSEUM ROOF - NIGHT

A helicopter hovers outside pouring a circle of light down on the

roof. Ippolito watches as the drunk is pulled up through the hall in a

sling. Waters approaches, holding the walkie talkie.

WATERS:

We can't raise the S.W.A.T. team. No

one's answering! What do you want to

do?

Ippolito eyes are fixed on the room below them.

IPPOLITO:

Holy sh*t. Pull him up.

Lightning throws horrible shadows of the hulking dinosaur skeletons

all around as MBWUN LIMPS INTO THE HALL! The men on the roof stare

down astonished. Their mouths hang open at the sight!

IPPOLITO:

Get more guns! Now!

The men get the drunk up and abandon the sling, leaving Jonathan

trapped below.

INT. HALL OF THE DINOSAURS - NIGHT

Jonathan and Hobbes take cover behind one of the dinosaurs and hide.

Mbwun sees Jonathan, lifts both claws, SWINGS at the skeleton, sending

it crashing down! Jonathan SCREAMS, Hobbes is caught and falls. He

scrambles into a corner, whimpering, as Pendergast and Margo appear in

the door. Fifteen more S.W.A.T. team members with rifles now line the

hole in the roof. They all point their guns at Mbwun.

IPPOLITO:

Get back! We're going to shoot!

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