Total Recall Page #10

QUAIL What do you know about the Sphinx?

BENNIE I don't know nothin'. Not about the Sphinx. That's out of the

ball park.

QUAIL I have to get there. Can't you help me?

BENNIE No can do, mon. You want women, cigarettes, red-market money,

booze, even air or water... Bennie's your man. But the Sphinx... that's

E.I.O. --

80AINT. CITY UNDER THE DOME - NIGHT

The solar car is moving through the crowd, when suddenly SIRENS

approach on a cross street. Bennie brakes and stops. He and Quail

watch as POLICE MOTORCYCLES clear a path for a huge, GAS-POWERED LIMO.

MINERS on the sidewalks shout CURSES, OBSCENITIES --

BENNIE Well... look at that one, eh?

QUAIL What?

BENNIE Big cheese in town. Big smelly cheese.

QUAIL Cohaagen? But isn't he often here?

BENNIE No way. That cat just cheat the Martian workers without ever

leavin' his place in Beverly Hills. Somethin' must be cookin'.

Quail keeps his face in shadow and watches Cohaagen with curiosity as

he passes. Cohaagen is lit up briefly by a street lamp. His face makes

an impression on Quail, who perhaps faintly remembers him in the past.

82INT. QUAIL'S HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT

Quail enters, turns on the lights, locks the door. He checks all the

rooms. Then he crosses to the dresser, studies himself in the mirror.

He looks haggard. Quail opens a drawer, takes out his "emergency

case," sets it on top and opens it. He removes a shoulder holster and

pistol, sets them aside. He takes out a tape recorder.

He sets the recorder down gingerly, as if somewhere in there were

contained the answers to all his questions. He's just about to activate

it, when he hears a KNOCK at the door.

Quail freezes. Another KNOCK.

VOICE (O.S.) (through door) Mr. Hauser...

QUAIL Who is it?

VOICE (O.S.) Mr. Hauser, I want to talk to you... about Douglas Quail.

Quail ditches the recorder and the "emergency case" into the drawer --

everything except the PISTOL.

Quail approaches the door very cautiously (from the side -- out of the

line of fire).

QUAIL (tensely) Who are you?

VOICE (O.S.) My name is George Edgemar. I work for Rekall,

Incorporated.

QUAIL (stunned; incredulous) Rekall??

VOICE (O.S.) Yes. It's difficult to explain... Could you open the door,

please? I'm not armed.

Quail opens it carefully, his gun at the ready, but out of view of the

person at the door.

A dignified-looking GENTLEMAN stands there, calm and pleasant, wearing

an

Earth-style business suit.

EDGEMAR Hello, Mr. Quail. May I come in? I won't be offended if you

prefer to keep the gun you're holding trained on me.

He can't see the gun, but somehow knows.

QUAIL All right... come in.

Quail does keep his gun trained on the man. The man enters, holding in

his outstretched hand -- a business card.

EDGEMAR My card, Mr. Quail.

Quail frisks him, then takes the card, glances at it.

QUAIL Okay -- so you're Doctor George Edgemar of 'Rekall, Inc.' So?

EDGEMAR As I said... this is going to be very difficult -- for both of

us.

QUAIL I'm listening.

EDGEMAR Mr. Quail... I'm afraid you're not really standing here at this

moment.

QUAIL Sat that again.

EDGEMAR I said, you're not really here. Neither am I. We're both in the

Memory Studio -- in the offices of Rekall, Inc. On Earth.

Long pause.

QUAIL Are you trying to tell me that this is all part of some...

artificially injected fantasy? That I never really left Earth?

EDGEMAR No, not quite. We didn't give you this. You're creating it

yourself -- (pauses, choosing his words) Remember the option we offered

you? Intelligence agent? Something inside you liked that idea,

fastened on it. What you're experiencing now is a free-form delusion

that you yourself are fabricating.

QUAIL What is this sh*t you're giving me?

EDGEMAR This is not -- sh*t, Mr. Quail. It's the truth. (beat) I know

it's very hard for you to accept, but you're having a schizophrenic

reaction... we can't snap you out of the Narkadine. You're in a world

of your own fantasy.

QUAIL Then how the hell can you be in my dream -- if you know it's just

a dream?

EDGEMAR I've been artificially implanted -- like the first part of your

fantasy. I'm actually monitoring your dream at a psychoprobe console.

This is a last resort. When somebody gets stuck in their own fantasy,

we send in someone after them. A specialist, like myself.

QUAIL I don't believe a word you're saying.

EDGEMAR I was afraid you'd think that. I'm sorry to have to do this,

but you really are stuck. (calls out) Doctor Noel, would you come in

now please?

The door starts to open. Quail pivots and points his gun at the opening

door.

MELINA walks in, carrying a CLIPBOARD. She looks at Quail with

professional detachment.

MELINA Yes, Mr. Quail, I'm afraid it's all true.

Quail is staggered.

MELINA (continuing) I tried to break through to you earlier, but you

just molded me into your fantasy. Sometimes it takes Dr. Edgemar to

get through to a client as tough as you.

QUAIL (wavering) So what's supposed to happen now?

EDGEMAR Just do exactly as we tell you.

QUAIL (stares at him coldly) Somehow that doesn't appeal to me.

MELINA Please, Mr. Quail... try to cooperate. You're having a

schizophrenic embolism.

EDGEMAR If we can't get you out now... you may never come out of it.

Your wife calls every day --

CLOSE - QUAIL

Even more suspicious.

TWO SHOT - QUAIL AND EDGEMAR

QUAIL If this is a fantasy, there'll be no real consequences when I

pull this trigger.

EDGEMAR But there will by consequences inside your mind. Consequences

that won't hurt me... but could be fatal to you. (beat) If you shoot

me, you'll wipe me out of your fantasy -- I can't come back again.

Because to you, I'll be dead. I can't help you get back to reality.

You'll be stuck in permanent psychosis.

CLOSE - QUAIL

Trembling, holding the gun point blank in Edgemar's face.

CLOSE - EDGEMAR

Showing no fear of tension whatever.

EDGEMAR You're going to lower the gun, Mr. Quail. You're going to hand

it to me --

CLOSE - QUAILStraining desperately to find the true "reality."

EXTREME CLOSEUP - TRIGGER OF GUN

Quail's finger on it.

TWO SHOT - QUAIL AND EDGEMAR

EDGEMAR You're going to do exactly what I tell you --

Quail PULLS THE TRIGGER!

REVERSE ANGLE - BACK OF EDGEMAR'S HEAD

We SEE the results of the gunshot from this angle only, and so BRIEFLY

as to produce an almost SUBLIMINAL effect: the back of Edgemar's head

blows off --

He collapses to the floor.

Melina LEAPS at Edgemar's falling form and CLAMPS HER HANDS over

Edgemar's RIGHT HAND!

MELINA Watch out, Charles! There's more of them in the hall!

Quail spins toward the door just as it BURSTS OPEN. A man enters,

firing, but Quail has fallen to the floor and returns the fire. He

staggers back out into the corridor and slams against the wall, dead.

VOICE (O.S.) (from hall) You've had it, Hauser! Throw out your weapon

if you want a past!

Melina is still crouched by Edgemar's body, holding his HAND for some

reason. Her CLIPBOARD dangles by her side.

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