"Infected" By Ben Vanderneck & Ken Vaden INT. upscale living room We see a man, FULMER, dancing to a bossa nova tune, then cut to see a woman, his wife, dancing with him. The man doesn't know how to dance, but is having a good time approximating his wife's movement. She looks pleased with him anyhow. They fall down on a couch next to a table set with candles, laughing, and pick up wine glasses for a toast. Close shots of their faces, eyes, hands- which all tell of a wonderful & happy marriage. VOICEOVER Come on, Fulmer, this crap is gonna make me puke! INT. The Institute The camera slowly backs from the scene we were watching, and suddenly, the scene we just saw is on the other side of a small television or computer monitor. A scientist, TAKI, sits in what looks like a cross between a laboratory and a hospital room. He disapprovingly watches a monitor; on the monitor, we see the man and his wife still carrying on, smiling and chatting. Our view goes past TAKI's face and toward the computer monitor, then to the keyboard, following its connection to the rear of the computer, where a large bundle of wires fall out, onto the floor, the camera follows these along the floor, up the head of a bed, and finally backs out to reveal Fulmer's face, completely relaxed, pale, sunken in, with wires running out of it and his scalp. We now see the bed next to TAKI's desk, FULMER is pale and sickly with wires protruding from his scalp and face as a complete picture. An assortment of machines surrounds the bedside, computer monitors buzz, producing interesting images that expand and contract in a heartbeat/brainwave-like flux. Cuts back to TAKI. Another scientist, GRADY, opens the door and walks in, looking intently at the screen, obviously impressed with what he sees. TAKI Gimme something worth looking at here... GRADY Taki, give him a break- this is fascinating... TAKI Yeah, the first couple times people always tend to say that. Just wait until you turn into a cynical old bastard like me. I've been watching this sort of repetitive junk since you were an undergrad. GRADY How long have you been working on this case? TAKI Almost two years. (Smiles) Only took me a few weeks before I was ready to tear my eyes out watching this. (gestures toward monitor. FULMER smiles a big Truman Show smile and walks out the door of his beautiful house.) GRADY Is Fulmer always this... domestic? TAKI (Grins) Well, no... this isn't as boring as they come. At least he doesn't dream about working here. God, I'm sorry if I'm sucking all the fun out of this for you. (begins typing on a keyboard in front of the monitor, continuing as he talks)You know what my first assignment was? For nine goddamned months I watched this old lady picking strawberries. Dr. Fulmer here's one of the most complex cases we've got. GRADY He's practically recreated his entire world, hasn't he? TAKI No one else even comes close. Fully organic, sophisticated interactions with reality- based as well as fictional characters... The scenery changes. He's continued practicing medicine and researching in his own dream world. On top of all that, his brain activity's off the charts. Hardly what you'd call a berry picker. GRADY I've read his file, y'know, all the highlights – MIT, Johns Hopkins, bam, mental breakdown, he starts talking to himself in the sandbox, and then... TAKI The coma deluxe. GRADY Right. So what I'm missing is how an overeducated, well-connected mind like that just falls into our laps. He shorts out, and the next thing we know, he's the greatest discovery in the history of psychology and medicine... that's some coincidence. TAKI (Laughs) Did you know he actually was in our line before this? That is something you won't see in the file. The case history is just as complex as – wait a minute. (He turns to the monitor. As FULMER walks down the street, a slow-mo quality takes over. He stops for a second and watches a group of Hare Krishna-like figures in white robes and white face paint simulating suffocation. One mime produces a knife and begins swinging it viciously around the others' stomachs and faces. Fulmer looks "at the camera" (directly out at TAKI & GRADY from the monitor), briefly, then continues walking disinterestedly. GRADY looks confusedly at TAKI. TAKI'S eyes light up.) GRADY (points at the screen, staring in terror) Did he just...? TAKI (laughs) Uh, Grady? We're looking at the inside of this guy's head. Kind of a one-way mirror deal. Don't go flaky on me already. However (begins typing much faster), it looks like this particular program just got a whole lot more interesting... INT. Institute – hallway GRADY walks with HOLLOWAY, a fellow young scientist who joined the Institute less than a year ago HOLLOWAY He saw you, huh? Jesus, Grady. Lots of people get uncomfortable the first time they do this, but you gotta settle down. If you ever want Taki to take you seriously -- GRADY Taki knew something was up. For years, Fulmer's been nothing but sunshine and lollipops and then all of a sudden – HOLLOWAY Killer mimes. How pretentious. GRADY Come on, man, Fulmer couldn't just come up with something like that. It didn't belong in his dreamscape. I know I'm new here, but this was really weird. HOLLOWAY Isn't that what dreams are for? GRADY I know a lot of people that have been watching reaaaalllly boring dreams. Besides, this guy's been comatose for twenty-five months. The entire time he's been creating a continuous dream, a replica of his old life with a level of detail down to the silverware in his drawers. Then all of a sudden something like this happens? It just (FEMALE SCIENTIST bumps into him) Hey – FEMALE SCIENTIST Oh, sorry – GRADY No, it's okay, my mind's all over the place right now. (offers hand) Matt Grady. FEMALE SCIENTIST (shakes his hand) Alison Turner, I think I've seen you around. You're working on Fulmer, right? GRADY Just started. ALISON God, I'm dying to get a crack at that. We need to talk about it sometime, but I'm kinda in a rush here. I have to turn in these reports; I had to detail the strawberry picker in 335 and I've got the fire-tender in 338 today. GRADY Oh, yeah, of course, see you around. So, Holloway, where- (She walks away) HOLLOWAY (shouting, pointing at self) Wes Holloway. Talk to you sometime? (the camera follows ALISON momentarily, as she turns her head slightly towards HOLLOWAY) ALISON (Quietly) Jerk. INT.GRADY'S office. A computer monitor sits in front of GRADY, displaying similar pictures to what we saw in FULMER's room. Cross-sections of the brain, with areas highlighted in red and orange, and others with blue and purple highlights flash occasionally. GRADY sits pushing papers around, playing w/ his pen, and generally avoiding the reports he needs to fill out. He opens a large folder with a prominent label: "FULMER," and begins sorting through newspaper clips, letters, and photographs of the formerly prestigious doctor with his wife. He looks at the wife, sadly, then shifts his gaze to FULMER and suddenly looks quite grave. GRADY sets the folder down on his desk, picture of doctor and wife on top of the stack, and stands up. He exits the room. INT. FULMER'S room GRADY sneaks in, looking kind of embarrassed. The room is dark, except for the monitor, casting an eerie strobe-like light on the still figure of FULMER. GRADY glances at the monitor. FULMER talks to his wife. We hear snippets of a conversation, as GRADY's face shows surrender to the "show" before him. FULMER ...don't know. I mean, everything's going great, right? God, you're here, the house is the nicest it's ever been, and I know we're gonna be great parents. The best part is I can start spending a lot more time at home and – (he pauses. For a long moment it appears as though he's staring directly at GRADY through the monitor. GRADY tenses up.) VOICE Grady. GRADY jumps, whirls around, and TAKI has appeared behind him. TAKI cooly flips on the lightswitch, flooding the room with light, forcing GRADY to squint. GRADY Oh, uh... hey. TAKI Trying to get a head start on next week's reports? Or were you just trying to crack the "mystery of Fulmer?" GRADY Uh... TAKI Y'know, since you're the new one here, it's usually a good idea to clear a solo observation with me first. You never know what you're going to see when it gets dark. GRADY Yeah... yes, of course... TAKI But I don't want to squash that incredible thirst for knowledge of yours. Why don't you type up a practice report for me by tomorrow morning, just to keep it legit? TAKI smirks, turns & leaves. GRADY stands there for a while, looking at the door, then turns back to see FULMER "looking" at him, grinning evilly. INT. room Basically the idea behind this scene is to trick the television audience into believing this entire dialogue is taking place inside of FULMER's dreamscape. However, it isn't. When JOANNA talks, all we see is her face, not the surroundings, when FULMER talks, we see his living room. JOANNA FULMER'S (FULMER'S wife's) face is visible, nothing else. JOANNA Jack? Jack, what's going on? Jack, why won't you talk to me? Just say something, please, God. FULMER (sitting on couch, looking confused. His wife stands with her back turned to us in a bathrobe.) I just don't know what's wrong, everything seems to be right now. I've got this wonderful marriage, a great job, this dream house- but something is bothering you. What is wrong? JOANNA Jack, I'll do whatever I can, you know I will. I just wish we could go back- back to the way that things were before.. before you came here. FULMER Of... of course, Joanna. You're what I count on. You know that. I love you, honey (smiles, but looks terribly confused). JOANNA (laugh-crying) I just hate seeing you like this. It's awful. FULMER Hey, it's gonna be okay, the party's going to be great tonight, honey. You've been working so hard... just trust me. I think this is exactly what we need. A chance to celebrate our new life together. Here. (He stands up and walks toward Joanna, smiling, and embraces her as the room goes dark.) Cut back to reveal exactly where JOANNA is; as soon as we zoom out from her close- face shot, it becomes painfully clear that she was talking to a sleeping FULMER. The real-world FULMER is as comatose as ever in his bed, his wife at the bedside watching him hug her replica on the monitor. TAKI, GRADY, and HOLLOWAY stand watching. JOANNA Oh God... I can't stand this. The monitor lights up with a party scene. Well-dressed colleagues, such as TAKI and HOLLOWAY are there, among other friends of FULMER and JOANNA. TAKI C'mon, Mrs. Fulmer, I think that's enough for one day. You heard your husband, he doesn't want you to worry – JOANNA What the hell are you talking about? He's not talking to me, he's in there; he's trapped in there!!! He thinks that's me – TAKI (leading her to the door by her arm) Mrs. Fulmer, I know this isn't easy but -- JOANNA (screaming) GOD-DAMMIT! He's trapped in there!!! You're hurting him! (struggling with TAKI's tough-hold on her arm) Let go of me! I'm not going anywhere! (breaking down) I love my husband. You knew him, you sick bastard! (spitting) How can you watch his mind like some pervert?!! TAKI Okay, easy.... (She fights his attempts to physically restrain her. At that moment ALISON enters the door and shoots them a confused look. She sees GRADY and smiles.) ALISON Christopher Taki? Hi, it's my first day with Fulmer; I'm – JOANNA Dammit, wake up! I know you can hear me...and you can wake up and this'll all be over and... TAKI Show's over, Joanna. (to Alison) Be right back. (He escorts out the increasingly frantic JOANNA. We see a fast clip of FULMER, in the dark, on the monitor, glaring at the screen. A pause as the three stare at each other and exchange "what the hell was that all about?" glances. Suddenly, bossa nova music begins playing in the room) ALISON Uh, guys...? (FULMER'S monitor now shows the party he alluded to earlier – cocktail kind of deal with plenty of sophisticates. FULMER sits in a chair drinking wine. Something clearly bothers him, but the booze seems to be helping. His wife dances over and kisses him. He smiles and watches her head toward the kitchen. She washes out a wine glass and her ring falls into the drain, as in slow-motion. At the same time, Joanna is falling down in the hallway, TAKI is dragging her, and her ring falls on the ground and rolls. In the dreamscape, she puts one hand into the water and absently reaches over to the light switch. She hits the wrong switch, and suddenly the sound of a garbage disposal is heard. The music begins to warp; the entire mindscape begins to take on a nightmarish quality, lights turning on and off, people looking on in pure horror. She screams as the garbage disposal spouts blood into the water around her arm.) HOLLOWAY What the hell's going on, Grady? GRADY I don't know -- ALISON We need to get Taki in here – GRADY No!!! HOLLOWAY What?? Why not? Screams of agony come from the monitor, both FULMER and JOANNA are howling. HOLLOWAY turns the volume down and they look at the door; screams of pain are coming from the hallway too. GRADY Taki – I – look, he's gotta take care of this guy's wife, no way in hell should she be seeing this – HOLLOWAY But don't you think he can stop it?? GRADY No – look, something weird happened with Fulmer last night – HOLLOWAY What are you talking about?? When did you see him last night?? ALISON Grady, what are you talking- TAKI reenters. His arms are coated with human blood from his hands to his elbows; his face is shocked, but he tries to maintain composure. He walks around the others and then towards them, herding them toward the door. TAKI There's been... a problem... you guys need to get out of here now. HOLLOWAY and ALISON begin walking out the door backwards; GRADY more reluctantly. GRADY Taki, I – TAKI Grady, I can have you fired. This is not a good time. TAKI slams the heavy door shut. GRADY quickly tries to open it but it's already locked. He pounds on it repeatedly. HOLLOWAY Give it up! GRADY Did you not see – HOLLOWAY Stay the hell out of it – ALISON Which way is the infirmary? They both turn and look at her. GRADY Upstairs. ALISON Who's coming with me? HOLLOWAY shakes his head, spins, and walks the other way. GRADY and ALISON head up the stairs. INT. FULMER'S ROOM TAKI watches FULMER screaming and cradling his wife on the monitor. FULMER looks directly at TAKI from the monitor and screams "you bastard." TAKI (looks at the readouts) Oh no no no. This is unacceptable. No way in hell are you waking up on me now, Dr. Fulmer. (sticks him with a needle; we see the readings go back down) You're actually getting kinda cool. INT. INFIRMARY A more traditional-looking hospital set-up, where JOANNA lies in bed, heavily bandaged. ALISON sits by her side poring through the Fulmer file; GRADY paces and occasionally looks over Alison's shoulder. GRADY Where the hell is Taki? ALISON The only reason he's not here is because something in Fulmer's room is even more important. As bad as this is, there's something he wants us to see even less. (pause, then recognition begins to dawn on GRADY's face) GRADY Fulmer looked at me. ALISON What? GRADY He's coming back ALISON What do you mean? INT. FULMER'S ROOM. TAKI observes alone. He sings to himself and smirks as he watches FULMER on the monitor. The doctor sits with his head on his kitchen table. He lifts up his head, looking like he hasn't slept in a while, and stares at TAKI from the monitor. FULMER You miserable bastard. TAKI (blinks repeatedly, laughs nervously) Who ya talkin' to, doc? FULMER My wife lost her entire arm... and they said that the blood supply at the Red Cross is so low... they don't know how much they're gonna be able to give her. TAKI (picking up a needle) Doc... this is your head, remember? You're in control here, Doc. Don't do this. FULMER I'm in control? I'm in control? (Laughs) You think I decided to put my wife in a hospital bed, Taki? (TAKI tries not to let his face show how freaked he is) At the party, I felt you inside my head. I heard your voice, clear as a bell -- it was like you were right there watching me. For a second, I lost control, and look what happened to everything I've created. A second, and now my wife is bleeding to death. I want you to turn it off. TAKI What...? FULMER Make it stop. Turn it off. Get out of my head. TAKI Jesus Christ, you're gonna get all self-righteous on me now? "Get out of my head?" You wanted me in your head. You knew the risks. FULMER The situation has changed! TAKI We were doing this together! I put you under and then staked my career covering for you with a b.s. coma story. Now all of a sudden things aren't going your way and you want out? FULMER I'm telling you this is over now. TAKI You can't just -- He gets cut off as his phone rings. He looks nervously at FULMER and picks it up on the first ring. The horrified expression on his face says it all. It's enough to make TAKI pause as he grabs the real FULMER'S arm. On the monitor FULMER screams, a warped, low frequency roar. TAKI'S hand goes limp; he drops the needle. He hits the floor hard with blood pouring out of his eye sockets, mouth, nose, and ears.) EXT. HALLWAY GRADY and ALISON storm down the hall and end up bumping into an equally determined HOLLOWAY as he turns the corner. HOLLOWAY Taki's dead. GRADY What???? HOLLOWAY Congratulations. (sneers, storms away) GRADY (pursuing, shoving him) Just what the hell is that supposed to mean???? HOLLOWAY (up in his face) I don't know. You've just been talking a ton of crap on him lately and – GRADY You better think before you say one more goddamned word -- ALISON Oh, Christ!!! Shut the hell up, both of you! HOLLOWAY No, I think you need to – ALISON Listen, while you ran away, Grady and I have been talking and – HOLLOWAY You're both insane -- ALISON Listen!!!! Fulmer is dangerous, and I think you just gave us a hell of a lot more proof. HOLLOWAY What the hell are you talking about? GRADY When Taki took away Fulmer's wife, something inside him just snapped, and he realized he was being watched. The lapse in concentration ended up seriously screwing with his dream world, and now he's striking back. He's developed some sort of real connection to the outside world that's destroying his mindscape, and now he's going to take it out on reality. (HOLLOWAY stares at him in blank confusion) ALISON He's blowing up people's brains. (HOLLOWAY stares at them both, and without a word starts down the hallway toward FULMER'S room.) ALISON Goddamnit, Wes! GRADY Guys! Wait! Both of you, come here!!! INT. random patient's room. The camera pans from the comatose woman sleeping on the bed there to the monitor. A vision of strawberry picking flickers out, and FULMER appears on his monitor. ALISON Omigod... GRADY How did he – FULMER (stares directly at them from monitor) Turn it off. Get out of my head. (Pause as they all stare in confused horror, then the patient's head explodes like a melon) GRADY Jesus!!!! HOLLOWAY You heard him. I'm disconnecting the son of a bitch. (Storms out again; GRADY & ALISON follow.) INT. FULMER'S ROOM (the real-world room is beginning to take on slight mindscape qualities – slo-mo, warped music, etc.). HOLLOWAY enters, cautiously but determinedly approaching FULMER'S bed. He stands at the vast array of monitors and machines, looking for the proverbial Giant Off Switch. FULMER Wes. HOLLOWAY continues looking. FULMER Wes. Wesley? Wes. (HOLLOWAY blinks repeatedly) HOLLOWAY Who's there? FULMER Behind you. (HOLLOWAY turns and meets FULMER'S gaze from the monitor. FULMER smiles dementedly.) HOLLOWAY No way. No way, this is bulls-- (he's cut off as he vomits up a big stream of blood. Horrified, he falls to his knees. ALISON and GRADY burst in, ALISON screams.) ALISON Wes!!! (GRADY looks at the monitor; FULMER is still staring at HOLLOWAY.) FULMER These people are next, Wes. Turn it off or I start calling their names. (HOLLOWAY writhes on the floor) ALISON I've got an idea... (She walks forward carefully & grabs the monitor) FULMER (from the monitor, staring at her) Alison. (She looks down at the monitor in her hands and meets his gaze for a split second) GRADY Alison, don't listen to him, it's the only way he can kill you -- (ALISON smashes the monitor on the floor) ALISON I know. (Pause. HOLLOWAY stops throwing up.) We gotta help him, Gr-- (Suddenly, ALISON begins to blink repeatedly) Oh my God, Grady -- GRADY What's going on?? ALISON Grady, he's inside my head!! I can hear him!!! (a trickle of blood forms at the corner of her mouth) GRADY Alison, you've gotta fight it!!! (GRADY panics as he looks at his colleagues. Suddenly he sees an assortment of chemicals. He loads up a vial of something clearly different from what TAKI used earlier and plunges it into FULMER's chest. FULMER begins going into spasms; the readings on the monitors fluctuate wildly, and then finally everything settles. GRADY drops to the floor and begins tending to his colleagues, who both clutch their heads. He looks at FULMER with hatred.) INT. room. Two corpses litter the floor beside a weeping GRADY. GRADY Okay, you've killed them. Why haven't you killed me? (looks at the monitor disgustedly) KILL ME! Do it, you goddamned psycho! FULMER (Lips caked with dried saliva open and the first breath that FULMER has taken in nine months escapes them. His eyes flicker and close. The monitor flickers on.) I think you would like that too much. (GRADY begins to sob and punch himself in the head.) I think you should see why I've spared you. You are a scientist, so I am sure you are familiar with natural selection- right Grady? FULMER's dried lips form a smile. GRADY Survival of the fittest?... (looks at the death around him) Don't give me that. Why did you kill them? Why, Fulmer? You could have woken up anytime. FULMER Come on, sport! Do you think this is a game? Do you think I'm crazy? Maybe you would be if you changed your mind the way I did. Taki and I knew we were on to something, but he didn't know how to just let it go, when I was ready to stop. GRADY So why did you kill those patients? Why did you kill your wife? FULMER The patients! Oh, my, that was a tremendous loss, wasn't it! They were mindless vegetables, man. Mush for brains before I got started! As for my wife, you'll understand that soon, Grady. GRADY Why? FULMER Come over to the bedside. (GRADY pauses, then slowly approaches the bed, carefully stepping over the bodies of his colleagues.) Now go to sleep. GRADY What are you talking about? FULMER You'll see. Join me, Grady. You are ready. GRADY closes his eyes, covers his ears and screams to shut it out. A blinding light fills the room, and all we hear is: FULMER You have so far to come, but you are almost there. GRADY It is so wonderful.. FULMER Now you see, don't you? EXT. The Institute, Night. The camera shows a blindingly fast path from the front entrance of the building, into an elevator or staircase, flies down a hallway and pauses near a room. INT. Hospital Room GRADY lays in a bed exactly like FULMER's, a monitor plays out a first date between him and ALISON. They are at a small restaurant, and some peaceful music is piped in from somewhere. In the room, a young scientist is taking notes, looking at print-outs of brain activity, and looks puzzled as he watches ALISON walking out of a door. Before GRADY follows her, he looks at the screen and smiles. VOICE-OVER: FULMER Are you ready to evolve? GRADY Yes. I am. Scenes of blood hitting walls, screams, strobe-lights, and people with cuts all over their bodies flicker with a black background. END