PROJECTIONS: The Photon Ball
FADE IN:
EXT. PENNSYLVANIA - FACTORY TOWN - DAY THE EIGHTIES
Birds chirp.
The morning sun rises on the backyards of a modest
neighborhood.
YOUNG PETE, an eight-year-old boy, tosses a baseball into
the air. Face up and glove high, Pete awkwardly catches the
ball.
He does another toss and catch. A little better this time.
BOY ONE and BOY TWO, both older than Pete, approach from the
other yards.
BOY ONE
Hey, Pete!
Boy One signals for the ball. Pete tosses it to him - wide.
The older boys throw the ball back and forth - hard - to one
another.
YOUNG PETE
Hey, throw it here.
Boy Two throws the ball - hard - to Pete. Before he can
lift his glove, Pete takes the force of the pitch between
his eyes. His view goes black. His head fills with a low-
pitched HUM of numbness.
When Pete's vision starts to return, it's like he's looking
through starry water. Both older boys look down at Pete on
his back. Boy One holds out the baseball.
BOY ONE
We'll bring it back, okay Pete?
Pete blinks. The boys take off.
Pete gets to his feet and walks the other way across the
yards in a daze.
The HUM in his head morphs into rock music. Pete passes
trees and stone walls.
He stumbles. The music in his head turns back into a HUM.
Pete walks past sheds and vegetable gardens. His HUM
transforms into the voice of a male NEWSCASTER.
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2.
NEWSCASTER (V.O.)
...though it still needs to be proven,
this development could lead to a
better understanding of the way human
life progressed following the most
recent ice age. In addition, these
and other methods may shed light
upon what may happen during...
Pete stumbles again. The voice goes away. The HUM comes
back.
EXT. YOUNG PETE'S BACKYARD - DAY
When he gets to his own backyard, Pete stops. He looks at
the back of his house. The HUM intensifies.
Pete again hits the ground backwards. The HUM fades to
silence. Pete's eyes are open. He looks at peace.
We see the wide sky as Pete would see if he could see. After
a moment, our view rotates to the neighborhood backyards.
EXT. FACTORY TOWN - DAY AERIAL DREAM
Pete - and we - take flight. We float slowly around Pete's
house, then more quickly over Pete's town, past the factory
water tower, down the river towards the --
BIG CITY -- Idealized buildings pass to either side as we
increase speed. Outside the big city, our flight path takes
us to the level of a --
GRASSY FIELD -- As our speed gets faster, our apparent size
gets smaller. The individual blades of grass can no longer
be distinguished. It feels like a --
TUNNEL PASSAGE -- A series of visions from Pete's life impinge
upon our journey through the winding tunnel. A new vision
plays out at every bend. We see:
-- the baseball Boy One holds out.
-- the school bus at a snowy bus stop.
-- the view from a tree branch of some kids looking up.
-- the shiny point of a doctor's needle.
-- Pete's dad whistling as he drives.
-- a misty rainbow over Niagara Falls.
-- his mom's smiling face.
In a tunnel straightaway, the visions stop. The acceleration
builds.
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3.
Suddenly, we are propelled from the tunnel and become centered
within a planet-sized --
EARTH GLOBE -- The continents and oceans display upon a
translucent sphere that looks alive. Continent shapes are
not reversed as would be logical. The Earth is inside-out.
Weightless at the center, we turn to view the whole planet
around the poles. Gradually, we slow and stop.
The Earth Globe changes into the surface of Pete's retina.
The retina rotates back to reveal the original wide view of
the sky where Pete fell.
EXT. YOUNG PETE'S BACKYARD - DAY
Birds chirp.
Two HOODED BEINGS scurry away from Pete and become
incorporeal.
Pete sits up alert, smiling. His face is somewhat scrunched.
YOUNG PETE
Whoa!
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. FACTORY - DAY THE PRESENT
Pete's face is still a little scrunched.
Now he's in his late twenties and has grown fairly tall.
The top of his nose is crooked, but other than that, he's
not bad looking.
Machines pulse and steam lines hiss. Music blasts from canned
music above and cheap radios below.
Pete tends an eighteen-inch, steel, spinner mold. The mold
spins rapidly at the level of his waist.
Pete slams a red button. The mold comes to a stop.
With gloves on, Pete opens the mold's top and removes a
smoking plastic gear. He tosses the gear into a container,
then readies the mold for another spin.
Pete restarts the mold. He grabs the ends of two hanging
hoses and aims them into the spinner's top hole.
Smoking black liquid shoots from one hose. Smoking white
liquid shoots from the other.
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4.
Too much. Overflow spins from the mold. Hot plastic makes
black and white stripes on Pete's shirt and on everything
else nearby.
Pete jumps back and burns his arm on a steam fitting.
PETE
Ouch! Shit.
ROLAND WATTS, a factory mechanic and Pete's best friend,
laughs loud and hard at Pete's goofs. Roland is compact,
wiry, and not much older than Pete.
ROLAND
Hey Pete. You're supposed to count
when you fill 'em. One-I-love-my-
job, two-I-love-my-job...
PETE
I did count.
Pete holds his hot shirt away from his skin.
PETE
My timing was off.
The mold continues to spin. Pete looks at his arm.
ROLAND
Let's see.
Pete shows Roland the new blister in his collection of burn
scars. Roland moves Pete's arm out from a shadow.
ROLAND
Nice one.
EXT. GREEN PARK - DAY
Birds chirp.
Pete sits by a tree. In the distance, he sees a child on a
swing. In his sketchbook, he draws the child as a pendulum
making an arc.
Pete flips a page to make a new sketch of a shorter pendulum
making a wider arc. He extends the arc into a circle. He
shapes the circle into a sphere.
Pete gazes at the sphere. A low-pitched HUM fills his head.
EXT. FACTORY TOWN - DAY
The hum is gone. Pete rides his bike quickly down the road,
past the factory, into the outskirts of town. His ride ends
up a long, stone driveway.
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5.
EXT. PETE'S HOUSE - DAY
Pete's house is small, old, and non-traditional.
Pete drops his bike, takes off his backpack, and heads inside.
INT. PETE'S WORKSHOP - DAY
The room is dim, though a high window beams light onto Pete's
drawing table.
Pete removes the sphere sketch from his pad. He hangs it
with a magnet on a long steel bar.
The back wall holds diagrams, paintings on sheet metal,
snapshots, clippings, and a group of panoramic photographs.
Books are stacked and shelved all over.
Pete jots down notes using very small printing. He stops
and rubs his head in thought. His eyebrows rise.
PETE
Yeah.
Pete scrambles up to --
THE ATTIC -- He rummages through boxes and old cabinets. He
squeezes a beach ball. Too soft. He tosses it aside. He
looks at a flattish oval lid, then he puts it back.
After a little more rummaging, Pete finds a hemispherical,
steel mixing bowl. He holds the bowl to his face and looks
into it.
PETE
Yeah.
THE KITCHEN -- The wooden pantry door is closed.
It's dark inside. Pete lights up a match. With the steel
bowl at his face, he moves the lit match in and out, in and
out, in and --
It's dark again.
PETE
Ouch! Shit.
Pete lights another match. He moves the flame around in the
bowl. Its reflection changes shape and size.
Again we see the closed pantry door.
PETE (O.S.)
Ouch! Shit.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.
INT. PETE'S WORKSHOP - DAY
Pete stands at his drawing table and writes in his journal.
Finger burns have joined his arm burns.
Pete’s girlfriend, ANGELA, quietly walks up to him.
ANGELA
Roland called.
PETE
(startled)
You have to start making some noise
when you come into a room.
ANGELA
You're so high strung. You were
just telling me I make too much noise.
PETE
At my mom's house - you make too
much noise.
Pete grabs back to tickle Angela. She screeches. They laugh
as he tickles her to the floor.
ANGELA
(laughing)
Roland called.
Pete continues to laugh-torture Angela with his fingers.
The tickling gradually turns to caressing.
ANGELA
(laughs calming)
Roland called.
Pete ponders this.
PETE
What he want?
ANGELA
He's coming right over.
Pete stops caressing.
PETE
Oh.
Pete gives a final tickle. Angela shrieks.
ANGELA
You monkey.
Angela heads to the bathroom and slams the door.
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7.
Pete practices drawing spheres and hemispheres. Soon, he
hears bell-ringing and horn-honking. He goes outside to see
what's up.
EXT. PETE'S HOUSE - DAY
Roland rides alone up the driveway on the front seat of a
tandem bike.
PETE
Check that out.
Roland pulls up close to Pete and stops.
PETE
Where'd you get that?
ROLAND
I built it.
PETE
You built that?
ROLAND
Yeah. It's for my kids.
Roland peels out fast and rides some distance. He spins
around in a cloud of dirt. He peels out fast again and speeds
in Pete's direction.
At the last second, Roland brakes and slides the bike
sideways. The wheels kick dirt onto Pete's legs as Roland
jumps off and hits the ground.
Pete stops a spinning tire with his toe.
PETE
You built that?
Roland gets up and brushes off.
ROLAND
Yeah. I welded it from some old
bikes I got from the junkyard.
PETE
Did the boys see it yet?
ROLAND
Yeah. The neighborhood kids are all
fightin' to get on it.
Pete stands the bike upright.
PETE
Looks sturdy.
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8.
The obvious welds add to the bike's uniqueness.
ROLAND
Yo. How 'bout paintin' it?
PETE
Why, man? It looks cool black.
ROLAND
It'll look cooler if you paint it.
Pete gets on the bike and peels out fast.
PETE (O.S.)
Okay.
INT. PETE'S WORKSHOP - DAY
Pete concentrates on the bike with his paintbrush. Roland
and Angela sit at a table. Roland dips salsa and drinks
from a soda bottle.
ANGELA
They're what?
ROLAND
That's what I heard. We'll be lucky
if they're still there in a month.
ANGELA
Pete. Roland says they're shutting
down the plant.
PETE
(painting)
They're always shutting down the
plant. There's another rumor every
six months.
ROLAND
(munching)
This time it's different. I saw
Janet and one of the office ladies
crying in the lunch room. A bunch
of people got their notice. We're
next, buddy.
PETE
I'm not worried about it.
Pete finishes painting.
PETE
Yo, Roland, come 'ere.
Roland and Pete look at the bike. Designs are on there, but
they're hard to see and the colors are muted.
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9.
PETE
How's that? Nice?
ROLAND
Uh, yeah. Well, I thought you might
use some more color.
PETE
Don't you like it?
ROLAND
No, man, it's good - just a little
hard to see.
PETE
It sucks, don't it?
ROLAND
No it don’t suck. It’s good.
Pete strikes a propane torch and aims it at the paint job.
ROLAND
Yo! What are you doing?
The heat from the torch brightens the colors and brings out
intricate, mystical patterns.
ROLAND
Whoa!
Pete laughs and hands Roland the torch.
PETE
Here. Just warm it. Don't burn it.
Roland warms the design into view. At the table, Pete dips
a chip. He munches and watches Roland heat the bike.
PETE
Not too close. Do it slow.
ANGELA
What if they do shut down?
PETE
They won’t shut down. They’re making
money.
On the bike, the word "Patrick" appears. Roland is fascinated
by the artwork and lettering emerging on the bike's frame.
PETE
Yo. Heat the front fender.
A coiled cobra comes into view.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10.
ROLAND
Man, this is...
PETE
The color’s on there good so the
kids can ride the hell out of it.
Roland heats, Pete munches, and Angela sits quietly taking
it in.
INT. PETE'S HOUSE - BEDROOM - DAY
Pete lies alone on his smallish bed in his cramped bedroom.
The alarm clock buzzes at 6:10. Pete smacks the buzzer off.
He rolls over and pulls the sheet over his head. With
reluctance, he drags himself slowly away from his comfort.
BATHROOM -- Pete brushes his teeth.
INT. FACTORY - DAY
SERIES OF SHOTS:
-- Steam pipes hiss and drip hot water.
-- Sodium lamps glare down on work processes.
-- Broken lamps strobe.
-- Loud machines stamp out shapes in rhythmic beats.
-- Employees attend their machines.
-- The faces of workers. Young and bored. Old and worn.
Through the window of the --
FOREMAN’S OFFICE -- The FOREMAN, 50, stern looking, puts
down the phone. He makes a note then taps on a microphone.
The loudspeaker booms the taps through the factory noise.
FOREMAN
This afternoon, there will be a
meeting for all first-shift plant
personnel in the lunch room. The
meeting will begin promptly at three
forty-five. Everyone is expected to
attend.
The microphone clicks off with a boom.
PETE'S WORKSTATION -- Pete sweeps the floor around his area.
Roland runs up pointing to the loudspeaker.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11.
ROLAND
Did ya hear that?
PETE
You think this is it?
ROLAND
Yeah, I do.
PETE
I don't.
INT. FACTORY - LUNCHROOM - DAY
Pete and Roland sit at one of the middle lunch tables. Some
workers find seats and the rest stand.
MIRIAM, the company spokeswoman, prepares to address the
assembled. She looks like a downsized Statue of Liberty
wearing office attire.
MIRIAM
Good afternoon. How's everyone doing?
A long beat.
ROLAND
You tell us.
MIRIAM
We just wanted you to be aware of
what is going on with the company.
You may have heard that a few of our
office people have been laid off.
This is just a temporary measure.
When our cash-flow situation improves --
(smiles)
-- hopefully shortly, they’ll all be
coming back to us.
An old ELECTRICIAN speaks up.
ELECTRICIAN
Is the plant shutting down or not?
MIRIAM
I know there have been rumors that
the plant is going to close. I want
you to put your minds at rest. Many
of you have asked and I want to
reassure you --
(touches nose)
-- there will be no plant shutdown.
Pete grins at Roland.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12.
ROLAND
Yeah. And she says it like she
believes it.
INT. FACTORY - TIME-CLOCK - DAY
An EXIT sign hangs above the door. The end-of-shift signal
sounds. The time-clock bangs. A long line of workers punch
out.
In the line, Roland nudges Pete to look ahead at JUDY - a
tall, pretty girl in loose jeans.
ROLAND
Pete. See that?
PETE
See what?
ROLAND
Judy, in the loose pants.
PETE
Yeah, so?
ROLAND
You know what that means?
PETE
What what means?
Judy clocks out then walks towards the door.
ROLAND
She wears the loose pants when she's
on the - you know. When it's her
time of the month.
PETE
You made a study of this, didn't ya
Roland?
ROLAND
(chuckles)
Yeah. That's what they do.
Two old guys with battered old faces are next to punch the
clock. Pete and Roland advance up the line.
PETE
You been with her?
ROLAND
Judy? Nah. She didn't get to me
yet.
Roland punches his card.
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13.
ROLAND
You?
Pete punches his card and shakes his head, no.
ROLAND
She's gotta be going in alphabetical
order.
They slot their cards. Roland jumps high to smack the EXIT
sign as they head out the factory door.
ROLAND
Weekend!
EXT. PETE'S BACKYARD - DAY
At a barbecue pit, Pete cooks burgers and hot dogs.
Horn-honking and bell-ringing. CHRISTOPHER and PATRICK, two
kids, ride the tandem bike that Roland built.
CHRISTOPHER
Thanks for painting the bike, Pete.
PATRICK
Yeah. Thanks, Pete.
PETE
Glad to do it. You're folks comin'
over?
CHRISTOPHER
Dad is. Mom's not. She's at work.
The kids get off the bike and kickstand it. Christopher
stands about a foot taller than the younger Patrick.
PETE
Ready for some juicy burgers?
CHRISTOPHER
Okay.
Pete puts a burger on a bun.
PETE
Here you go, Christopher. How 'bout
you Patrick?
PATRICK
I'll have a hot dog.
Pete spears a hot dog with a big fork and clamps it into a
roll.
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14.
PETE
One hot dog. Eat 'em up. Plenty
more. There's some ketchup and junk
over there.
The kids take their food to the picnic table.
Pete glances in at Angela through the kitchen window.
INT. PETE'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY
Angela is talking on the phone. She reaches into a cupboard
for a box of instant pudding mix and checks the date.
ANGELA
Yeah, Pete dreams too. He dreams a
lot, I think. I watched him. You
know, that twitching thing they do?
(beat)
Uh huh. Like a dog.
She empties the box into a bowl.
ANGELA
He doesn't talk, damn it. Sometimes
he laughs.
She pours milk into the bowl and whisks.
ANGELA
I stayed here last night.
(laughs)
Uh huh.
(beat)
No, I want to have my own place.
Pete's too much of a slob. They say
that's how creative people are.
She reaches into a cupboard and removes another box.
ANGELA
Van Gogh must've been such a pig.
Ruth, I swear. Right now I'm holding
a box of pancake mix. It's got to
be from the sixties.
(laughs)
He could get a hundred bucks for
this on eBay. I'm not kidding.
(beat)
I don't know. It must've come with
the house. The last renters had to
get out in a hurry.
Angela looks through the window. Pete is with the boys. An
engine rumbles and the driveway crunches. A horn honks.
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15.
ANGELA
Here comes Roland.
Roland pulls up in his borderline-street-legal, big-wheeled,
pick-up truck. He climbs down from the cab.
ANGELA
Uh huh.
(beat)
Aw, me too. It is unfair that they
make you work on Saturday. People
don't care when they get sick, do
they? Don't feel too bad. I'm down
for tomorrow.
EXT. PETE'S BACKYARD - DAY
Roland checks out the food that's warming over the grill.
ROLAND
You guys save me some?
CHRISTOPHER
No.
PATRICK
No.
PETE
Help yourself. Burgers and dogs.
They eat and drink at the picnic table. Angela brings out
pudding. Little Patrick carefully pours iced tea.
Finished eating, Pete and Roland relax in lawn chairs.
ROLAND
You gotta check out this bike I got
from the junkyard this morning.
PETE
You're building another bike?
ROLAND
No, man. This one's a dirt bike.
PETE
Does it work?
ROLAND
Shit no. I'm gonna make it work.
It's an Ossa. This bike's a classic
bike. Know how much I paid for it?
Twenty bucks.
PETE
How old is it?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
16.
ROLAND
Old. They quit making them in the
seventies.
PETE
Where's it at?
ROLAND
In my yard. Wanna see it?
PETE
Yeah.
ROLAND
I'll go get it.
Roland gets up and goes to his truck. Patrick yells from
the field.
PATRICK
Where ya goin', Dad?
ROLAND
I'll be right back, 'ight?
CHRISTOPHER
'ight!
PATRICK
'ight!
Roland climbs into the truck and takes off.
The kids toss a baseball back and forth. Christopher throws
it easy to Patrick. Patrick returns it as hard as he can.
Pete watches the ball go back and forth. His head begins to
HUM.
He looks around the yard. The HUM morphs into rhythmic music.
His gaze returns to the kids. His HUM returns to his head.
Pete's scrunches his face. He blinks and shakes his head.
He shakes his head again. The HUM goes away.
Pete takes a frustrated bite from a hard-boiled egg. That
calms him.
After sitting quietly a while, Pete scrunches his face. He
blinks and scrunches again. He does it until the HUM comes
back.
Pete fixes his gaze upon a tree. The HUM becomes the voice
of a female Spanish NEWSCASTER.
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17.
NEWSCASTER (V.O.)
(in Spanish)
The Chilean fishing industry has
long been aware of this group's trade
in illegally caught merluza negra.
Many of their activities are now
based in Argentina. Efforts to
regulate...
Pete looks away from the tree. The voice fades. No hum
either.
PATRICK
Throw it harder.
CHRISTOPHER
I'm not gonna throw it harder. You
got no glove on.
PETE
Yo! There's some gloves in the garage
if you want.
All three head towards the garage.
CHRISTOPHER
Will they fit?
PETE
My old ones will.
Roland's truck backs up the driveway and parks on the lawn.
PETE
Go ahead and check 'em out. They're
underneath the bench.
Pete and Roland look into the truck's cargo box.
The Ossa dirt bike is on its side, rusty and dented. It's
missing parts. It has no seat and no wheels. The engine is
in pieces. The frame is crushed.
Roland climbs in and grabs what's left of the handlebars.
ROLAND
It's really not in bad shape.
Later, Angela relaxes in a lounge chair dressed to take in
the sun. She sips on her iced tea with contentment.
Pete and Roland stand shirtless in the field, shooting the
breeze.
Christopher runs at the big guys with Patrick riding on his
back. The kids yell like little monster fans. Pete jumps
away as the kids chase Roland out of view.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18.
Angela laughs heartily and catches Pete's eye. He smiles at
her. She smiles at him. They share a moment.
Roland takes a running leap onto Pete's back and nearly knocks
him down. Pete runs at the kids with Roland on his back.
Roland claws his hands at them. The little guys yell. The
big guys growl.
Shirts back on, Pete and Roland sit on lawn chairs looking
out at the sky.
PETE
Think it's gonna rain?
ROLAND
Could be.
In the distance, Christopher and Patrick are silhouetted
against the SUNSET. Patrick presses a shovel into the ground
with his foot.
PETE
What do you s'pose they're diggin'?
ROLAND
Looks like they're diggin' a grave.
Pete and Roland slowly approach the boys.
CHRISTOPHER
He's diggin' a hole to China.
Pete crouches to get face-to-face with Patrick.
PETE
Is that where you're going, Patrick?
PATRICK
Yep.
PETE
Can I tell you something before you
go?
PATRICK
Yes.
PETE
If you dig straight down, you won't
get to China. Straight down is the
Indian Ocean. So if you dig straight
down, you better bring your swim
trunks.
The boys laugh.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
19.
PETE
If you really want to go to China,
you'll have to dig --
Pete stands and points around the horizon.
PETE
The sun sets in the west, so that
way is north.
(points lower)
Through that way is the North Pole.
(points lower)
There's Russia.
(points lower)
And there's China. Dig through that
way and you'll get to China.
ROLAND
Bring your chopsticks.
Christopher laughs.
PATRICK
Dad. How long does it take to get
to China?
ROLAND
How long you got?
EXT. PETE'S BACKYARD - CAMPFIRE - NIGHT
Pete and Roland gaze peacefully into the fire.
ROLAND
The best place is Africa.
PETE
Africa?
ROLAND
Yeah, Africa. You can get land dirt
cheap over there. Something like
twenty bucks an acre.
PETE
Are you sure?
ROLAND
Yeah. So it wouldn't take much to
buy up a mess of land to start the
farm. The labor's cheap. Like, two
bucks an hour.
PETE
Shit. Give 'em four bucks an hour.
You'll be a hero.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
20.
Roland smiles and rubs his chin.
ROLAND
I'll look into it.
PETE
Then after a few weeks, your workers
can buy up some acres, too.
The fire crackles.
PETE
You sure ginseng grows in Africa?
ROLAND
If you plant it, it grows there.
PETE
Sounds good, man.
They ponder a bit. The fire crackles.
ROLAND
Ginseng's expensive. You can get a
lot for ginseng.
PETE
Roland, I can see you in Africa,
layin' back in your hammock, getting
fanned with - giant palm fronds.
ROLAND
Ostrich feathers.
Pete gazes into the fire. In time, his head begins to HUM.
Roland notices Pete's odd gaze. He watches Pete fall forward
and catch himself. Pete blinks and shakes his head to come
out of his zone-out zone.
ROLAND
What was it that time?
PETE
A roller coaster.
INT. PETE'S HOUSE - NIGHT
BATHROOM -- Pete and Angela wash each other in the shower.
ANGELA
Aw. Hurry.
PETE
You're on your own.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21.
Pete hands Angela the soap and grabs a smaller broken piece
from the ledge. They wash themselves with speed and rinse
off quickly in the chilling water. Angela shrieks.
ANGELA
Pete. When are you going to get
that fixed?
BEDROOM -- Pete and Angela sit on the bed. They warm
themselves in blankets.
PETE
I've been wanting to tell you
something, Angela.
(beat)
There's something that happens to
me.
ANGELA
What?
PETE
Well. It's this - it always starts
with a hum - in my head.
ANGELA
Like a ringing in your ears?
PETE
No, not that. This is a very basey,
low pitched - hum.
ANGELA
A loud hum?
PETE
Sometimes I can hear stuff through
it. It can get intense.
ANGELA
How often does it happen?
PETE
Couple times a day - maybe more.
ANGELA
Does it happen at work?
PETE
Not too much. It happens most when
I'm relaxed. The main thing's not
the hum. Sometimes, when the hum
stops, it turns into - something
else.
ANGELA
What?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22.
PETE
Different stuff. Sometimes - voices.
ANGELA
Voices?
(beat)
What are the voices telling you?
PETE
Aw, no. It's not like that. It's
like I'm tuning in on broadcasts or
something. They're not talking to
me. They're just - talking. Random
junk. It's not always English. And
it's not always voices. It can be
pictures or music or concepts or...
Angela looks at Pete with concern.
PETE
But that doesn't make you feel any
better about it, does it?
ANGELA
How do you feel about it?
PETE
I'm okay with it. Really.
(beat)
It's messed up when it happens around
other people. I mean, I can make it
go away. I have to shake myself out
of it.
(beat)
That must look strange.
(beat)
It was hard in school.
ANGELA
Did you see a doctor?
PETE
Yeah. They don't know much. I got
pills from one once.
ANGELA
Did the pills work?
PETE
No.
(beat)
But they made me very - passionate.
Pete pulls Angela down on the bed.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
23.
ANGELA
Come on, Pete. I want to understand.
What did the doctor tell you?
PETE
(beat)
He scanned me and asked if I got hit
in the head when I was a kid.
ANGELA
Did you?
PETE
I don't know. Maybe.
(shrugs)
ANGELA
Did anyone ever punch you in the
face?
PETE
No.
(beat)
Not in the face. Not that I remember.
Angela, it's no big deal.
Angela touches the crooked top of Pete's nose.
ANGELA
Can they fix it?
PETE
An operation might fix it, or it
might make it worse, if it don't
kill me --
(beat)
-- which it might. Figure it's better
to get used to - whatever it is.
ANGELA
(beat)
Hallucinations?
Pete sighs. A long beat.
PETE
Think I might be a nut case?
Angela appreciates the worried kindness in Pete's face.
ANGELA
I never knew a more normal guy.
Pete's eye forms a tear.
They embrace.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
24.
EXT. PETE'S HOUSE - DAY
In the morning light, Angela backs down the driveway in her
old Capri.
INT. PETE'S HOUSE - BEDROOM - DAY
Pete sleeps on. His body twitches like he's dreaming.
EXT. ABOVE AN ASIAN CITY - DAY AERIAL DREAM
Pete flies above an idealized East Asian city.
[In his dreams, Pete's nose is not crooked.]
From over the harbor, Pete sees a high-density housing
district. Homes are stacked dozens high along the side of a
mountain. The overall view is a sight of amazing beauty.
Pete lands gently in a park.
He moves himself down a curving path, powered only by
volition.
The HEAD of an old black man sits happily by a flower bed.
Pete stops and smiles in wonder at the Head.
The Head notices Pete.
In the distance, Pete spots a pretty, bare-topped, POLYNESIAN
GIRL. The Head speaks with an African accent.
HEAD
Some of them look a little shaky.
The Head cocks his head.
HEAD
Fairly high consciousness level.
Pete floats off in the girl's direction.
HEAD
Short attention span.
Pete gets close to the girl. She talks, but he can't hear
her. Pete tries to talk, but his word formation is slow and
delayed. He finally brings forth a word.
PETE
Hi.
The girl doesn't appear to notice that Pete is there. It's
like she's talking to someone he cannot see. Then she becomes
hard to see. The Head is again close to Pete.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
25.
HEAD
Don't feel bad. It's a vibration
thing.
Pete looks at the Head again.
HEAD
Just passing through?
PETE
Been - here - before.
HEAD
Have you? This is a very popular
destination.
PETE
A head.
HEAD
Ahead? Oh.
(laughs)
You see me as a head!
Pete smiles, liking the guy.
HEAD
That's the inside-outing. Here.
I'll show you. Look down.
PETE
Grass.
HEAD
Yes, look closely at the grass.
Pete gets close to the ground. The grass shimmers. Looking
closer, Pete sees that the grass is semitransparent. It's
made up of tiny colored lights.
HEAD
Poke your head in.
Pete sticks his head into the grass. It pops through to
other side. Pete's head is in the same planet-sized --
EARTH GLOBE -- that he entered as a child. Only now he sees
it from the edge, not the center.
Pete gazes in awe at the seas and continents. His eyes follow
around from region to region. Then he sees the body of the
Head he had been talking to.
The body is dressed in comfortable clothing and floats
weightless. Its neck touches the globe's surface - a sea of
tiny, grass-green lights.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
26.
Meanwhile, back in --
THE PARK -- Pete's body floats weightless, feet up, neck in
the grass. He grabs the ground tightly as he turns himself.
The Head with whom Pete had been speaking, flips to join
Pete's head back in the --
EARTH GLOBE -- The two heads float and reflect in the
effervescent lights.
HEAD
Do you see?
They both look at the view with reverence.
HEAD
Wonderful.
PETE
Wonder...
Pete looks down at North America.
HEAD
Your home.
A long beat.
HEAD
Let go.
Pete lets go. His dream body is pulled into the sphere.
Pete flies down towards America, towards Pennsylvania, closer
and closer, towards his home town.
Making a gentle arc, Pete turns to soar like Superman down
over a river and into his idealized town.
He passes over roads and buildings, through the legs of the
factory's water tower, onward, until he reaches his idealized
house.
INT. PETE'S HOUSE - BEDROOM - DAY
Pete wakes. He sits up quickly and remembers.
PETE
Inside-out.
INT. PETE'S WORKSHOP - DAY
Pete takes a well-made Earth globe from its special place on
a table. Continental depictions are made from satellite
imagery.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
27.
Pete removes the globe from its stand. He examines the
openings at the poles. He fingers the plastic skin on which
the world image is printed.
With a knife, Pete slices the skin - from the North Pole,
down through the Pacific, to the South Pole. He peels the
plastic skin away from its rigid plastic base.
Pete finds that he can roll the map skin up like a cigar.
He then unrolls the skin and inverts it by pressing the
printing to the inside.
The skin returns to a spherical shape with the Earth image
inside.
Pete looks through the hole at one of the poles. The sight
is similar to, though not as beautiful as, the one he saw
before he woke.
At his drawing table, Pete makes angles inside circles.
He fingers down a list of almanac longitudes and latitudes.
He pokes at his paper-tape calculator.
KITCHEN -- Pete stands holding the phone.
PETE
Bring your blowtorch.
EXT. PETE'S HOUSE - DAY
SERIES OF SHOTS:
-- Roland pulls up in the truck with his kids.
-- Pete brings a bag of golf clubs from the garage.
-- The kids cut and rip the grips from the clubs.
-- Pete puts a club shaft near a rotary blade.
-- The club makes a shower of sparks.
-- Pete and Roland put on goggles.
-- Roland fires up a welder's torch.
-- Pete clamps the shaft of a 2-iron in a vice with the club
head straight up.
-- Pete holds a 3-iron next to that club head, carefully
measuring its shaft's downward angle.
-- Roland welds the club heads together.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
28.
-- They weld other club heads to the club-head-core with all
shafts pointing down and away from the center.
-- They weld nameplates onto the club shafts.
-- Roland heats the plates with his torch.
-- With the warmth, words appear: London, Sydney, North Pole,
Mecca, Nairobi, South Pole, Hong Kong, and so on.
-- Pete and Roland mount this assembly onto a pole in the
backyard.
-- Using a compass, they point the North Pole's nameplate
northward.
-- Pete holds a laser pointer along the Sydney shaft.
-- Where the beam hits the ground, Roland places a tennis
ball marked SYDNEY. It joins other balls for other locations.
Pete and Roland drink from soda cans. The kids move around
the sculpture like they're planning a dig. Angela drives up
and gets out of her car.
ANGELA
What on Earth is that?
PETE
It's a World Pointer.
Angela walks around the geographical sculpture.
ANGELA
Huh. How 'bout that. Muslims over
here should really pray through the
Earth towards Mecca.
ROLAND
If they want it to get there fast.
INT. PETE'S HOUSE - BEDROOM - DAY
Pete's alarm buzzes at 6:10. He smacks the buzzer off. He
rolls over and puts the pillow over his head. With
reluctance, he drags himself slowly away from where he'd
rather be.
BATHROOM -- Pete washes at the sink.
INT. FACTORY - DAY
A cracked steam line overhead sprays and hisses. Steam water
soaks the insulation. A thin stream of very hot water drops
down to the floor at Pete's work station.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
29.
Pete takes a step in the wrong direction and gets splashed
in the head with the scorching water.
PETE
Ouch! Shit.
Pete slams the red button to stop the spinner. He storms to
the --
FOREMAN'S OFFICE -- Pete goes in and closes the door behind
him.
Through the window, we can't hear as Pete points up and tells
about the problem. He shows the foreman his head.
The foreman signals for Pete to relax. Pete sits down. The
foreman picks up the phone.
MAINTENANCE ROOM -- The phone rings. Roland, covered in
grease, picks it up.
ROLAND
Maintenance - Watts.
(beat)
Yeah, I know where it is. To fix it
right, I'll have to shut off the
main. The line will be down for an
hour or more. Probably more.
FOREMAN'S OFFICE -- Through the window, the foreman shakes
his head no. He slams down the phone looking angry.
Pete stands and argues. The foreman keeps giving him the
"phooey" sign. Before long, the foreman points the way out.
Pete leaves the office disgusted with a HUM in his head. He
slams the door behind him and heads back towards his
workstation.
Roland, drives up next to Pete on a big forklift truck.
ROLAND
Don't worry. The asshole won't shut
it off, but we can rig it.
PETE
What?
Pete shakes his head to lower the HUM.
ROLAND
Damn. You look pissed. You never
look pissed.
PETE
I have to control my anger. It makes
my head pound.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
30.
Pete rubs his forehead.
PETE (CONT'D)
I told the asshole about all the
safety hazards they have to fix.
ROLAND
What he say?
PETE
'People in hell want ice water.'
Roland and Pete walk up to BROWNY, an old machinist.
ROLAND
Hey Browny, how 'bout letting me
borrow your hacksaw a few minutes?
BROWNY
What's wrong with your hacksaw?
ROLAND
Dudley's using it upstairs.
BROWNY
Fuckin' bullshit.
ROLAND
Yeah, Browny. I'm lyin' about that.
Browny scowls as he gets the hacksaw from his toolbox.
BROWNY
All right. Don't fuck it up. Bring
it right back - and clean it off
when you're done with it. I don't
put dirty hacksaws back in my toolbox.
Ya hear?
Roland takes the saw.
ROLAND
Sure. I'll sterilize the fuckin'
thing and spray it with perfume.
BROWNY
(under breath)
Prick.
Pete drives the forklift. Roland rides on the front platform.
PETE
What's Dudley doing upstairs?
Roland laughs and waves the hacksaw.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
31.
ROLAND
Dudley's not upstairs. I didn't
feel like goin' back to get mine.
PETE
I knew you were making it up.
ROLAND
Fuck that. Browny's the biggest
liar on the floor. He's only gettin'
back like he gives.
They get to the site of the leak. The steam-water now flows
onto a hot mold where it re-boils.
Pete pulls a lever and lifts Roland out of view.
ROLAND (O.S.)
Aaah. We can rig this.
Later, Pete squeegees.
Up above - tubes, half-tubes, fittings, and funnels hang
from the ceiling to channel hot water away from the hissing
steam leak and out through a window.
INT. PETE'S HOUSE - DAY
BEDROOM -- The alarm by Pete's bed buzzes at 6:10. He smacks
the buzzer off. He rolls over and pulls the cover over his
head. With reluctance, he drags himself slowly into waking
reality.
BATHROOM -- At the mirror, Pete shaves while swishing
mouthwash. The phone rings. Pete spits.
KITCHEN -- Pete picks up the phone.
PETE
Hello.
(beat)
Huh?
(beat)
So that's it?
Pete hangs up the phone and stares at the coffee pot.
BEDROOM -- Pete is back in bed asleep.
Through the window, summer becomes winter.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
32.
EXT. FACTORY - DAY
Snow drifts against the factory entrance. The gates are
chained and locked. Icicles hang from a sign that reads:
"KEEP OUT."
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. A CITY - DAY
At the end of a city street, two brownstones stand side-by-
side.
INT. EMILY'S BROWNSTONE - DAY
An original, classical piano piece begins.
We never see the UNKNOWN COMPOSER's face. She sits near a
table with her neighbor, EMILY. The two almost elderly ladies
look apprehensively through Emily's front window.
INT. THE COMPOSER'S BROWNSTONE - BASEMENT - DAY
Expert movers prepare an upright piano for transport while
technicians run wires to a new LAN jack.
With great care, the movers attach straps and lift the
instrument onto a dolly. They roll the piano beneath an
open basement entry.
A hoist chain descends from above. The workers lift the
piano up and out.
INT. EMILY'S BROWNSTONE - DAY
The two ladies watch the movers roll the piano past the front
window. The Composer moves just a bit in response.
INT. THE COMPOSER'S BROWNSTONE - BASEMENT - NIGHT
The Composer sits at a refitted piano as she fervently
continues the original piece.
The piano sends impulses through a wire to a control box.
Lights on the box glow with each sound. The box is connected
to the new LAN jack in the wall.
INT. UTIP CAMPUS - MUSIC LAB - NIGHT
A wire from a LAN jack leads to a control box with lights.
This box is connected to an automatic piano that continues
to play the original piece.
A TECHNICIAN monitors a computer screen that graphs the
composition into a musical score.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
33.
INT. A STUDIO IN VIENNA - NIGHT
In a silent room, a silent printer sends forth a page of
musical notation. The sheet falls gently onto a pile.
A white-haired conductor, ALDO CASSINI, reads the notation
and nods with understanding.
ALDO CASSINI
Perfezioni. Assolutamente perfetto.
INT. VIENNA CONCERT HALL - NIGHT
The original piece continues as an orchestral arrangement.
Aldo Cassini conducts the orchestra.
An automatic piano plays itself.
The audience is enraptured.
MR. ALLEN BECK, 55, appreciates the concert from a private
box. He wipes a tear.
INT. PETE'S WORKSHOP - DAY
The orchestra continues. Through a window, winter turns to
spring.
A world map designed by Buckminster Fuller now hangs on Pete's
wall. It is surrounded by panoramic photos made using the
map's sawtooth pattern.
Fuller's portrait is tacked ahead of the drawing table.
Fuller's books are scattered on it. Another of Fuller's
maps is folded to form a twenty-sided, crystal shape.
Pete pulls his sphere sketch down from the iron bar. He
erases away some of the sphere to make it a cross-sectional
drawing.
Within the sphere, Pete draws a horizontal disk, half the
sphere's width, slightly below its center point. The disk
is supported by five diagonal legs that pass through the
shell of the sphere.
Pete carefully prints the title: "The Photon Ball."
INT. VIENNA CONCERT HALL - NIGHT
The orchestral piece finishes triumphantly. Allen Beck claps
like Charles Foster Kane. Only this time, the whole room
matches his enthusiasm with a standing ovation.
Shouts and cheers crescendo when the spotlight falls upon
the player-less piano.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
34.
INT. PETE'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Angela arrives. Pete greets her at the door.
PETE
It's finished. Come on.
PETE'S WORKSHOP -- In the darkened room, Pete flips a switch
to light up the model of the Photon Ball.
The base of what used to be a world globe, now serves as the
screen and structure for the spherical theater. Part of the
shell is cut away to allow a view inside.
Five diagonal legs pass through the shell to support a
circular deck.
The deck is made of see-through, screen material. It's about
half the diameter of the sphere.
Thumbtacks on pegs serve as stools for the audience.
LED lamps simulate projectors inside the sphere.
ANGELA
I see what you're talking about.
The Photon Ball.
INT. TELEVISION STUDIO - NIGHT
Introductory music and graphics begin a classy interview
show hosted by someone much like CHARLIE Rose.
CHARLIE
Good Evening. Our guest tonight
made billions in the world of
communications. Leaving that field,
he became a major motion picture
producer responsible for such works
as 'The Big Saucer,' 'Tesla,' and
'The Two Morons.' Now he's following
a new line of endeavor - that of
philanthropist. Tonight we are
pleased to welcome to the broadcast,
Mr. Allen Beck.
BECK
Thank you. Always a pleasure. You
forgot to mention that I also worked
as a paper boy.
CHARLIE
I'll have a talk with our research
department. And now you're a
philanthropist?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
35.
BECK
Well, Charlie, to have money can be
a real gas, as you well know.
Charlie smiles and shakes his head no.
CHARLIE
But billions?
BECK
I know what you mean. After a point,
how much do you need? That's not
lost on me. I thought I might put
it to use to get some projects
started. To me, there's nothing
more fun to do than that.
INT. PETE'S HOUSE - BEDROOM - NIGHT
Angela and Pete sit in bed watching the Beck interview.
CHARLIE
(on TV)
You just returned from another debut
for the so-called Unknown Composer.
We know what he does, but we don't
know who he is. I won't ask you who
he is, or she is, if that's the case.
I know you won't tell me. But what's
the Composer like?
BECK
Honestly, Charlie, I haven't met
him. Or her.
CHARLIE
Is that right?
BECK
The Composer's a very private person
and when we work with someone, we
try to respect their needs. In this
case, we arranged things through the
Composer's neighbor.
CHARLIE
For those who don't know, the Unknown
Composer spent over thirty years
creating original music without anyone
knowing.
BECK
As of tonight, Charlie, fifty-seven
original pieces have been completed.
Most of these are thought by experts
to stand side-by-side with the best
musical compositions ever written.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
36.
INT. TELEVISION STUDIO - NIGHT
CHARLIE
Except - these weren't written.
BECK
Well that's right. This artist never
had training in music and doesn't
know musical notation. We found an
electronic solution for this. My
satisfaction comes from knowing that
the music now being created will
live on through the ages, long after
this Unknown Composer - and even,
you and I - are done with this world.
CHARLIE
The Composer is part of your project,
your labor of love - U-TIP. Tell us
about it.
BECK
U-TIP stands for the Underground
Talent Identification Project.
Charlie, this is a competitive
society, but not everyone is wired
to be competitive. There are
countless people who have
extraordinary abilities, not just in
music, but in many fields of endeavor.
They're wonderfully gifted --
INT. PETE'S HOUSE - BEDROOM - NIGHT
Pete is sound asleep - head back, mouth open.
BECK
(on TV)
-- they just don't know how to share
what they have with the world. Some
go their whole lives without ever
being noticed.
CHARLIE
Why is that?
BECK
Because of where they don't live, or
who they don't know, or what school
they didn't go to. U-TIP identifies
at least some of these individuals
and we - fill in the blanks for them.
Angela continues to watch the program with great interest.
She moves to get something to write with. Pete slumps over,
still asleep.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
37.
ANGELA
U-T-I-P.
EXT. UTIP CAMPUS - NIGHT
A sign on a gate reads: "UTIP Campus."
INT. MARGARET'S OFFICE - NIGHT
A sign on a glass door reads: "Underground Talent
Identification Project."
MARGARET TULLY, 52, looks over some of Pete's drawings. A
folder on her desk bears the title: "The Photon Ball."
Margaret takes a cover letter from the folder and reads
silently.
She presses an intercom button. Her young assistant, JOHN,
responds.
JOHN
Yes.
MARGARET
John, would you get me Mr. Beck's
voice-mail, then come in here a
minute?
JOHN
Sure.
(beat)
Voice-mail on two.
MARGARET
Thank you.
Margaret pushes two on her phone.
MARGARET
Mr. Beck. This is Margaret. I have
a submission you might consider for
U-TIP. I have a good feeling about
it.
John enters. Margaret hands him a set of drawings and points
to the fax machine.
MARGARET
I'm faxing what was sent. The
accompanying letter reads as follows --
John begins faxing.
INT. BECK'S HOME OFFICE - NIGHT
Beck's answering machine blinks.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
38.
MARGARET
(on speaker)
'Dear Mr. Beck. Please review this
project envisioned by my friend Pete.
I believe he meets your criteria for
acceptance.
As Margaret speaks, a hand-drawn chart emerges from Beck's
color-laser fax machine.
The chart shows an hourglass on its side. One chamber is
labeled "Collection" and the other "Projection." The
drawing's title is "Digital Energy Reflectivity."
MARGARET
'He suffers from mild brain damage
caused by a childhood injury. He
dropped out of a not-so-great college.
He had a job in a factory like his
father did. Now he has no job because
the factory shut down.
'Pete is a genius but he doesn't
have a nickel's worth of common sense
about himself.
Another drawing emerges from the Beck's machine. It depicts
a spherical recording device with many labeled components.
Its title is "The Collector."
MARGARET
'Pete is an artist and he designs
unusual systems. Because of his
background, he is clueless about
presenting himself in a professional
manner.
'I'm sending some information about
one of his projects. It's mostly in
pictures because that's how he thinks.
'I've heard about your work, so I
thought you might like to help Pete
make his visions real.
'Sincerely, Angela Finch for Pete
Tokken.' [rhymes with broken]
Insert Point
EXT. FACTORY TOWN - DAY
Pete rides his bike.
EXT. FAST FOOD PLACE - DAY
Pete secures his bike to a bike rack. Angela drives up and
honks. Pete jumps. Angela gets out and hugs Pete hard.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
39.
ANGELA
I have something for you.
PETE
I hope it's nitro-glycerin tablets.
ANGELA
Nope.
PETE
What choo got, woman?
ANGELA
Inside. Inside.
INT. FAST FOOD PLACE - DAY
At a table, Pete takes a bite from his burger.
PETE
Aw. I told him hold the pickles,
didn't I?
ANGELA
Yeah you did. Just take them off.
Pete takes the pickles off and eats them.
ANGELA
Pete, you know Allen Beck?
PETE
Uh huh. We go bowling every Tuesday.
Pete takes another bite from his burger.
PETE
I can still taste pickle on this.
ANGELA
Pete, I wrote to Allen Beck about
you.
PETE
Huh?
ANGELA
I wrote to Allen Beck because I
thought he might be able to help
with the Photon Ball. I sent him a
copy of your drawings. I got this
back today.
Angela hands Pete an envelope.
PETE
Uh-TIP?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
40.
ANGELA
You-TIP. That's his organization.
They look for underground talent.
Pete takes out a letter.
PETE
'Mr. Beck would like to meet
Mr. Tokken and find out more about
what he has in mind. He will be in
your area the night of June second.'
(mumbles the rest)
Holy cow. Allen Beck is coming here?
ANGELA
Yep. He wants to see your stuff.
PETE
Angela.
Angela giggles.
PETE
You must've wrote some convincing
letter.
ANGELA
I guess. Here's a copy.
Pete reads silently.
PETE
Brain damage?
ANGELA
Well. Mild brain damage.
PETE
Mild brain damage? I'm not sure I
want Allen Beck to think I'm brain
damaged.
ANGELA
But, it's kind of - true.
PETE
Still, to see it written out like
that.
ANGELA
Pete.
She mouths the words, "He's coming." Pete smiles wide.
PETE
You're right.
(MORE)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
41.
PETE (CONT'D)
This here set of words was precisely
exactly the right thing to say.
(continues reading)
Clueless?
ANGELA
I also called you a genius.
Pete touches Angela's face with affection.
PETE
A clueless genius.
(inner eyebrows raise)
Two weeks.
EXT. ABANDONED FACTORY - NIGHT
The factory lies idle beyond a chain link fence. A wooden
sign reads: "KEEP OUT."
Roland uses the sign as a foothold to climb over the fence.
Pete follows. Feral cats watch them slide down a pile of
rubble onto the factory grounds.
Flashlights guide their move past broken barrels of unknown
chemicals. Roland carries a length of thick rope around his
neck.
ROLAND
Don’t worry. Nobody comes back here
anymore.
(beat)
Couple months ago, they chased out
some winos from the front.
(beat)
Now they don’t even have a guard to
watch the place.
They arrive at a high spherical tank.
PETE
The winos never came back?
ROLAND
I haven't seen 'em.
(beat)
Fuck it. It's only winos.
Roland picks up a rock and pounds it on the tank. The cats
jump. The sound resounds. Pete taps the tank in rhythm
with its echoes. The cats settle back to watch some more.
Roland climbs up the tank ladder.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
42.
ROLAND
C’mon.
Pete follows to the top.
ROLAND
Twist off the big wing nuts.
They work on opening the tank's hatch.
ROLAND
Pull up.
It's heavy. They open it together. The hinged lid smashes
back.
Pete whistles in. He hears the reverb. He sniffs.
PETE
It doesn't smell that bad.
Roland aims his flashlight in.
ROLAND
Uh uh. It hasn't been used since
they made us clean it out. Here,
hold this.
Pete takes Roland's flashlight.
Roland ties his rope to a girder above, then winds the rope
around a post on the shell of the tank. Roland tugs the
rope tight and drops the remaining rope through the hatch.
ROLAND
This rope better hold cause if it
don't --
(tugs again)
-- they’ll be findin' our bones in
fifty years and wonderin' who we
were.
Roland climbs down the rope.
PETE
Here. Catch.
Pete drops the flashlights down through the hatch.
INT. SPHERICAL TANK - NIGHT
Roland watches Pete climb down the rope with ease. They aim
their flashlights around at fixtures and openings. Pete
aims his light at a tube above.
PETE
What's that?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
43.
ROLAND
Pressure pop-off valve.
The polished steel tank reflects light beams strangely but
truly like the steel mixing bowl did before.
PETE
This might work.
Pete climbs halfway back up the rope. He sweeps the light
beam back and forth, low, like a pendulum. He drops down a
little and sweeps the same arc from there. Then, he climbs
back down to the bottom.
Pete twists his flashlight to make its beam very wide.
PETE
Hold the light up here, like this.
And aim it down, like that.
Roland holds the light as directed.
Pete climbs part way back up the rope and hangs on.
When he looks down, he is nearly blinded. The light is
concentrated with a parabolic effect. Pete’s face scrunches
in the light.
PETE
Man. Hold the other one up, too.
The light coming at Pete is even brighter. His face scrunches
even more.
PETE
Hey, Roland. This’ll work good.
Pete and Roland sit on the tank bottom. Pete makes shapes
and patterns on the curved tank wall with a pen-laser.
ROLAND
We can get the stuff we need from in
the plant.
PETE
I don't know, man.
ROLAND
Fuck that. How much back pay they
owe you?
PETE
Plenty.
ROLAND
Yeah, that's what they owe me.
(MORE)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
44.
ROLAND (CONT'D)
You know we ain't ever gonna get it.
They abandoned the place. Even if
they don't demolish the building,
they'll still have to get rid of the
junk that's left inside. They already
sold everything that had any value.
They'd have to pay to haul out what's
left.
PETE
We're doing them a favor.
ROLAND
Dude, we're moving junk from one
place to another and changing it a
little.
(beat)
Fuck doing them a favor.
PETE
(beat)
Did they ever find the owners?
ROLAND
They found one. There's a warrant
out for the other two.
EXT. PETE'S HOUSE - DAY
Roland sounds the horn on his big pickup truck. Pete joins
him outside. They look into the truck's cargo box at the
Ossa dirt bike, now restored.
The bike has been modified to hold a support-arm ahead of
the handlebars. A hollow, steel ball is welded to the forward
end of the support-arm.
From the steel ball, twenty steel bars radiate evenly in all
directions, like a dandelion in bloom.
ROLAND
That how you wanted it?
PETE
Yeah. Looks just right.
They lower the bike from the truck.
PETE
Fuckin' heavy.
ROLAND
I mounted batteries on the back as
counterweights.
Roland gets on and starts the engine. They shout.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
45.
ROLAND
It rides funny now but the cameras
will weigh down the front to balance
it out.
PETE
Yo! Put it in the garage till we
get back.
INT. ROLAND'S TRUCK - DAY
The radio blasts. Roland drives. Pete looks at insert ads
from the Sunday paper. They roll up to Transistor Town, a
large retail electronics store.
INT. STORE - DAY
Walls of TV's stand next to banks of components. Shoppers
look confused. Salespeople look helpful.
Pete and Roland go to the video cameras.
Roland takes a tethered display camera and aims it at Pete.
The camera sends its signal to a big-screen television that
shows Pete's face.
ROLAND
Hey! You're on TV.
Roland takes a look at the controls. He aims the camera at
Pete's t-shirt. He zooms in to its pocket. He shoots up
the shirt, to Pete's neck, past his mouth, to his nose.
Then up his nose.
ROLAND
Damn, man. You want me to check you
for polyps?
A SALESMAN walks up.
SALESMAN
Pretty nice, isn't it?
ROLAND
The camera or the nose?
The big-screen shows a green, high-tech, night-vision view
inside Pete's nostril. When Pete sees it, he pushes the
camera away. Roland puts it back where he found it.
SALESMAN
This is the Zornhoffer 720. It's an
excellent camera.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
46.
PETE
Zornhoffer?
SALESMAN
Most people never heard of it.
The salesman picks up the camera with reverence.
SALESMAN
You'll only see them in high-end
video magazines. Zornhoffer is
usually rated the best.
The salesman pushes a lever and slowly zooms across the
voluminous store. As he speaks, he zeros in on two appliance
salesmen eyeing up a customer.
SALESMAN
This camera has three shooting modes,
and a wide-aspect-ratio option.
That's useful if you want to view
your films on an HDTV, like this
one. Programmed auto-exposure.
Automatic focus. Wireless remote.
PETE
What have you got that's cheap?
The salesman looks at Pete's t-shirt, then down at Roland's
dirty sneakers. He returns the Zornhoffer carefully to its
perch.
Pete and Roland follow the salesman down the long display
until they reach the low end.
Here, the cameras are not tethered. The salesman removes a
box from a cardboard dispenser.
SALESMAN
This model's on sale until the end
of the week. This is the Forsheeta.
PETE
Forsheeta?
SALESMAN
Most people never heard of it.
PETE
(beat)
Does the Forsheeta have that - three
CCD thing?
SALESMAN
No, but it does come with a free
wrist strap.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
47.
A sign reads: "It's Forsheeta - Try for 30 Days - Risk Free."
Pete loads Roland up with Forsheeta boxes.
PETE
This'll work. I'll take ten.
EXT. PETE'S HOUSE - DAY
The Ossa dirt bike stands by the garage.
Video cameras are now mounted on the forward bars of the
steel ball. The rear-pointed bars remain camera-less.
Pete affixes a home-made, wide-angle lens to the last of the
cameras.
Ten wired remote controls are mounted, one atop the other,
with a small gap in between each.
Roland tests a contraption that lets him push similar buttons
on the ten remotes at once.
He pushes the record button on the topmost remote. Indicator
lights glow on all of the sub-cameras of the Collector
assembly.
ROLAND
And - ACTION!
Pete grins and stands back.
PETE
Come 'ere, man.
Pete puts his arm around Roland's shoulder. We only see
them mugging for the sub-cameras. We don't yet see the view
from the sub-cameras.
PETE
Roland Watts, ladies and gentlemen.
A genius with a blowtorch.
Pete and Roland lift the Ossa into the truck's cargo box and
face it to the rear. Pete sits on the bike holding the
control box.
They back down the driveway.
EXT. ROLAND'S TRUCK - DAY
Roland drives down back-country roads. Pete shoots rear
views with the Collector's sub-camera assembly.
EXT. DIRT BIKE TRAILS - DAY
Roland rides the modified Ossa down scenic dirt bike trails.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
48.
We only see him riding. We don't yet see what he shoots.
INT. PETE'S WORKSHOP - NIGHT
Ten cheap, five-inch, black-and-white TV's are lined up,
switched on, and aimed at the ceiling. Pete mounts a homemade
lens setup in front of one of the sets yet to be so equipped.
The set's rectangular image becomes triangular.
EXT. ABANDONED FACTORY - SPHERICAL TANK - NIGHT
From overhead, welding lights flash from the tank's hatch
hole. Banging and whistling echo from within.
INT. BECK'S MANSION - DAY
KITCHEN -- Allen Beck's maid, REBECCA, makes breakfast in a
well-equipped kitchen.
LUXURY BATHROOM -- Beck showers in a large, high tech stall.
Water hits him at many angles, much like a car wash would.
KITCHEN -- Beck, dressed in boxer shorts and slippers, enters
the kitchen. The maid, upon seeing him, pours a mug of coffee
and hands it to him.
REBECCA
Good Morning, Mr. Beck.
BECK
(taking mug)
Thank you, Precious.
REBECCA
Will you be having breakfast in the
nook this morning?
BECK
On the...
They hear a rumble that grows to a roar. It gets so loud
that it rattles the chandeliers.
BECK
Maniac.
The noise fades.
BECK
On the back patio will be fine,
Rebecca.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
49.
EXT. BECK'S PATIO - DAY
Beck sips coffee and glances down at a newspaper. The maid
delivers his meal presented expertly on a tray.
REBECCA
Ribs and eggs. And a bowl of oat
meal.
Another rumble. They turn to watch as a private jet touches
down on Beck's backyard landing strip. Beck gnaws on a rib
as the plane loudly taxis across the lawn up to his patio.
The engines shut down.
The pilot, MADAME CHEN, descends from the plane.
MADAME CHEN
Ready to ride, Beck?
Beck takes a gulp of coffee.
MADAME CHEN
Put some pants on, Beck.
Beck bites on another rib, side-eying Madame Chen.
MADAME CHEN
When you gonna sell this dump?
EXT. ABOVE BECK'S MANSION - DAY AERIAL
The jet performs a "U" around Beck's Mansion, then it soars
into the sky.
EXT. ABANDONED FACTORY - NIGHT
A limousine stops under a streetlight. Pete and Roland run
up to it. A darkened window rolls down revealing PEESLEY
HENKLE, a middle-aged, middle executive.
PETE
Hi. I'm Pete. This is Roland.
PEESLEY
Good evening. Peesley Henkle.
PETE
Thanks for coming. Uh. Could you
guys park in the back? Away from
the streetlights?
ROLAND
The cops are down this road all the
time.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
50.
PEESLEY
What is this?
PETE
Just better not to draw too much
attention.
Peesley turns to the back seat.
PEESLEY
There's something wrong with this.
Let's get out of here.
Pete and Roland look at each other with concern. Following
a suspenseful pause, Allen Beck emerges from the vehicle.
BECK
Boys, what have you got to show me?
PEESLEY
Mr. Beck. Please. This is crazy.
You mustn't put yourself at risk.
Beck's face gets close to Peesley's.
BECK
Peesley, where do you get by running
from risk?
PEESLEY
But, Mr. Beck. You don't know who
these guys are. This is insanity.
They can be out to --
(whispers)
-- kidnap you. Or kill you.
BECK
Are you guys planning to kidnap me.
Or kill me?
PETE
No.
Pete looks at, then nudges Roland.
ROLAND
No.
Beck slams the door.
BECK
Sounds like a caper.
Beck taps his pocket.
BECK
I'll call you. Now take off.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
51.
PEESLEY
But...
BECK
Go on.
Peesley nods to the aging CHAUFFEUR and they drive off.
PETE
This way, Mr. Beck.
BECK
Now, you're Pete Tokken?
ROLAND
No, he's Pete Tokken. I'm Roland
Watts.
Beck focuses on Pete's nose.
BECK
Good to know ya both.
They walk into the darkness beyond the streetlight.
Roland unchains a fence gate. Pete and Beck pass through.
Roland re-chains the gate. He kicks a set of bolt cutters
farther under a bush.
The three move through the dark factory grounds, past broken
barrels and feral cats.
BECK
I take it you don't have official
permission to be here?
PETE
Nobody to get permission from. The
place is abandoned.
ROLAND
We used to work here.
They arrive at the spherical tank.
PETE
We set it up in here.
Pete invites Beck to join him on a forklift platform. With
some difficulty, Roland starts the engine. Pete and Beck
rise. Halfway up, the platform jerks, then continues to
rise.
BECK
Easy there cowboy.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
52.
Pete and Beck step off the platform and onto the fixed deck
adjacent the open tank hatch.
Roland shuts off the engine, then climbs up the hydraulics
to join Pete and Beck.
PETE
Wanna flip that toggle?
Roland hits a switch and light glows from the hatch. It is
the color of black-and-white TV static.
Beck looks into the tank.
BECK
Whew. Are we going in there?
PETE
Yeah. We rigged this seat.
Pete reaches up and pushes a button on a wooden chair that's
attached to a hoist through a series of cables and pulleys.
The chair lowers far enough to be seated upon.
PETE
Roland will go first.
ROLAND
(fake protests)
Why me?
Roland sits in the chair.
ROLAND
Okay. Ya see. Just push this button
to go down.
(lowers)
And this one to go up.
(rises)
Roland lowers himself down through the hatch.
ROLAND
(echoing)
You're next, Mr. Beck.
Pete and Beck wait for the chair to come back up.
BECK
You really don't plan to leave me in
there, do you?
PETE
No, Mr. Beck. I just want to show
you this.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
53.
Beck sits in the chair and moves down into the tank.
Projectors (the rigged TV sets) are suspended from cables
above and below the platform. TV static reflects from half
of the spherical tank's inner surface - now painted white.
From the new viewing deck, Roland watches Beck's descent.
It's mounted a little below mid-sphere.
From above, Pete watches Beck touch down onto the deck's see-
through grid. Then, Pete climbs down a rope.
BECK
Your projectors are in front of the
audience?
PETE
That's so the light concentrates on
the spherical surface. This way you
don't need powerful projectors. And
they don't eclipse much of the image
because they're so far from the
viewers and since there's so much
image. In time, the image will come
right from the screen.
BECK
And the projection comes up through
the floor.
Pete shakes yes.
PETE
The floor's made from catwalk grating.
The multi-cam Collector that had been mounted on the dirt
bike, is now mounted on the deck.
PETE
This is the prototype Energy
Collector. Well it's a partial
Collector.
ROLAND
It should have more cameras, but
Pete maxed-out his credit cards.
PETE
Yeah. Each camera records part of
the whole view. And these are
directional microphones. Each mike
connects to a speaker in the sphere.
Pete taps on a microphone. They all look up towards an
overhead speaker. Pete taps a lower mike. They all look
down.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
54.
BECK
Very good.
PETE
These are the first places we captured
with the Collector. You might want
to sit down.
Beck sits on a stool. Pete uses the button multiplier to
push all the PLAY buttons at the same time. The tapes roll
and the big spherical screen shows Pete's face thirty feet
high.
ROLAND
(on speakers)
And ACTION!
PETE
(on speakers)
Come 'ere.
On screen, Pete moves back and Roland enters the view.
PETE
(on speakers)
Roland Watts, ladies and gentlemen.
A genius with a blowtorch.
They watch the combined, seamless views shot from the back
of Roland's truck.
When the truck moves forward, the imagery recedes. It seems
like the deck is moving backwards fast.
The scene shifts to the forward motion of Roland's dirt bike
run. The deck feels like it's moving forward fast.
BECK
Damn. We're flying.
ROLAND
Yeah. It's a flying carpet.
BECK
A photonic flying carpet. It's so
clear. And the real thing will have
the display all around in a bigger
sphere?
PETE
Yeah. In color. The deck will move.
Beck has a good time moving with the perceived motions.
The show ends with a quick trip up a hill, a big view of the
sky, then a sudden crash. The horizon goes vertical and
half the view goes black.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
55.
On screen, Roland hits the ground and rolls. Pete runs up
to Roland who gets up, laughing. The tape runs out and the
screen goes gray.
PETE
We messed up a few lenses.
Beck stands, a little dizzy.
ROLAND
You still feel like you're moving,
don't you, Mr. Beck?
BECK
I do. Hey, you guys like riding in
limos?
EXT. ABANDONED FACTORY - NIGHT
The limo pulls up - away from the streetlights. The chauffeur
gets out and opens the back door.
BECK
Let's go get some coffee.
Roland looks at his big, plastic, digital watch.
ROLAND
Sorry I can't, damn it. My wife's
got to go to work. I have to get
back to be with the kids.
PETE
His wife's a nurse. So's my
girlfriend.
ROLAND
This is who you want to talk to
anyway. I just helped. He thought
it up.
PETE
It comes from what Buckminster Fuller
did. But Roland, man. I couldn't
have put the show together without
this guy, Roland.
BECK
I'll drop you off, Roland.
ROLAND
No thanks, Mr. Beck. I got my bike
back there. Nice to meet you.
PETE
Don't forget the, uh...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
56.
Pete makes a bolt cutting motion. Roland nods then leaves.
BECK
Well Pete. How about that cup of
coffee?
Peesley gets out.
PEESLEY
Mr. Beck, I hate to spoil the fun
but that's my job. It's late. You
have a long flight tomorrow to an
event that can't be postponed.
BECK
What's the event tomorrow?
PEESLEY
Beck Hospital dedication ceremonies.
National press.
BECK
No world press?
PEESLEY
World press, too.
Beck and Peesley get into the limo.
BECK
Pete, I've got to be off. I need my
beauty sleep.
He rolls down the window and looks at Pete.
BECK
I'll be in touch.
Pete watches the limo roll away.
INT. PETE'S KITCHEN - DAY
Pete lifts June on his calendar to reveal July.
INT. PETE'S KITCHEN - DAY
Pete rips July off his calendar to reveal August. He crumbles
up July.
INT. MOVIE THEATER - DAY
Pete and Angela sit in a multiplex theater.
ON THE SCREEN -- The BLACK MALE LEAD drives a cramped, but
suped-up Yugo. The WHITE MALE LEAD rides as passenger.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
57.
WHITE MALE LEAD
Fuck! Those fuckin' motherfucker's
are right behind us.
BLACK MALE LEAD
What fuckin' motherfuckers?
Sinister men fire bullets from the Lincoln convertible that's
speeding behind them.
WHITE MALE LEAD
The fuckin' motherfuckers that want
to kill us. Turn here!
BLACK MALE LEAD
Turn where?
WHITE MALE LEAD
Here, here!
White Male Lead grabs the wheel. The Yugo turns into the
Brooklyn Produce Warehouse. This is by far the world's
longest building. Fruit is being moved from one pile to
another with forklifts and handcarts.
Outside - the Lincoln slams on its brakes, backs up, then
follows inside.
BLACK MALE LEAD
Goddamn! I never saw this much fruit
in my life.
WHITE MALE LEAD
I guess you've never been to...
A bazooka round explodes a pile of lettuce up ahead. The
bad guy fires a second bazooka round that splits an eighteen-
inch gash down the middle of the Yugo's roof.
BLACK MALE LEAD
Fuck them motherfuckers!
Black Male Lead now does some serious driving. He tips over
a banana cart.
The slippery mess forces the Lincoln into a 360. A machine
gun shoots as the car spins. Workers duck.
IN THE SEATS -- Angela talks into Pete's ear and vice-versa.
ANGELA
I'm not sure I did the right thing
contacting Beck.
PETE
You did the right thing. How can
you think that?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
58.
ANGELA
I don't know. It got your hopes up
so high. You spent all that money
on equipment.
PETE
What you did was one of the nicest
things anybody ever did for me.
Pete looks back at the screen. Then back at Angela. Angela
still looks sad.
PETE
Angela, you sending that letter is
in the Nice-Things-For-Me Hall of
Fame.
They look back at the screen.
ON THE SCREEN -- The Yugo smashes through huge piles of
tomatoes and grapes, samples of which come in through the
car's peeled-open roof.
Black Male Lead grabs a bunch of grapes and bites off a few.
BLACK MALE LEAD
I love grapes. Grapes are about my
favorite food. Sweet grapes.
White Male Lead tosses tomatoes, one-by-one, from the hole
in the roof.
IN THE SEATS --
ANGELA
Are you going to be okay if Beck
passes?
PETE
I'll be the same whether Beck passes
or not.
ANGELA
What are you going to do?
PETE
About what?
ANGELA
You've got no more money and you
have no money coming in.
PETE
I'll be okay. Watch the movie.
ON THE SCREEN -- The chase continues into a more open area.
Both cars pick up speed. A sign reads: "EGG DEPOSITORY."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
59.
WHITE MALE LEAD
Turn here!
BLACK MALE LEAD
Turn where?
WHITE MALE LEAD
Here, here!
White Male Lead throws one last tomato from the roof and
turns the wheel.
The tomato lodges in the muzzle of a bad guy's bazooka which
misfires and explodes.
The Lincoln slides into a fifty-foot pile of eggs. The egg
pile glows from the fiery car explosion within.
The Yugo turns crazily and plows through a different pile of
eggs.
It exits the warehouse and continues normally down the avenue.
Wipers smear egg around on the windshield.
IN THE SEATS --
ANGELA
You really should start thinking
about...
PETE
What?
ANGELA
Pete, you have to get a job.
ON THE SCREEN -- Both Male Leads wipe egg from their eyes.
IN THE SEATS -- Pete sits back and looks forward.
PETE
All right, Angela. Can I wait till
after the movie?
INT. PIZZA SHOP - NIGHT
Roland, wearing a white uniform, creates a pizza with
everything. Pete, just visiting, leans against the counter.
ROLAND
Did you hear from Beck yet?
PETE
No.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
60.
ROLAND
Fuck, man. You think he was just
jerkin' you around?
PETE
No.
(beat)
I don't know.
ROLAND
Did you call him?
PETE
Angela said she'd call. I told her
not to. He said he'd call me. Maybe
it just takes time.
Roland spreads sauce on the dough.
ROLAND
Maybe he's a wacko.
PETE
Maybe he thinks I'm a wacko.
ROLAND
No, really, man. Maybe he's ga ga.
That's how some of those rich guys
get. He could'a forgot he was even
here.
PETE
I don't know, man.
ROLAND
How 'bout that other guy that was
with him. What was his name?
PETE
Shit. I forget.
ROLAND
He didn't even want to stop, remember?
And then after the show, he dragged
Beck away so you guys didn't even
get a chance to talk. It's probably
that fucker.
PETE
He didn't like us much.
ROLAND
You oughta call.
PETE
Beck said - what did he say? He
said...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
61.
ROLAND
You said he said, 'I'll be in touch.'
PETE
Yeah.
ROLAND
Then he zoomed off down the road.
Roland starts to put extras onto the pizza.
ROLAND
You don't think it's 'cause I turned
down the limo ride, do ya?
PETE
Huh? Fuck no. You had to get back
and your bike was there.
ROLAND
Still. Maybe he was insulted. Like
if you turn down a gift from the
Godfather.
PETE
Dude, it's not that. Shit. I didn't
even get to ride in the stupid limo
after he asked me to and I'm not all
bent out of shape about it.
ROLAND
Yeah. That was fucked up. You ought
to call up Beck.
PETE
Roland. You don't just call up Beck.
It's like calling up Spielberg or
the Pope or somebody.
ROLAND
They don't know you. Beck knows
you.
PETE
(beat)
Maybe it just takes time.
INT. MALL - DAY
Pete and Angela walk the mall. Angela looks at an egg beater
in a high quality kitchen store. She buys it.
Pete looks at a BMX bike in the sporting goods store. He
doesn't buy it.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
62.
Angela points to a sign in the window of an expensive
furniture store: "Excellent Individuals Needed for Sales
Positions."
ANGELA
There you go, Pete.
PETE
Says 'excellent' individuals.
EXT. GREEN PARK - DAY
Pete sits by a tree frantically drawing in his sketchbook.
Finished, he looks for a time at his creation. He calms
down as he gazes upon what he made.
Pete walks down a path. He passes a trash can and tosses
his sketchbook into it. He walks a few paces, then he stops.
Pete returns to the trash can. He tosses his pencil in,
too.
Pete sits alone on a tree branch. Time passes. Sky darkens.
Rain starts. Thunder. Downpour.
PETE
Nothing I do pans out.
A long beat. Pete focuses on a nearby tree.
PETE
Do I come to you with this?
(beat)
How heavy laden you supposed to be?
FLASH. BOOM. Lightning strikes the nearby tree.
EXT. NEAR A GARAGE - DAY
Pete now wears a wispy beard on his chin.
He puts the finishing touches onto the surface he is painting.
With the warmth of his propane torch, Pete reveals the
lettering: "WIDE POOL." In a while, it completes to read:
"COUNTY-WIDE SEWER AND CESSPOOL."
The words are on the cab door of a tanker truck.
At the office door, Pete takes a wad of cash from the guy in
charge and shoves it into his pocket.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
63.
INT. SUPERMARKET - DAY
Pete puts bread, eggs, and other common items into his hand-
carried basket. He pays cash in the speed line. He puts
the food into his backpack.
EXT. PETE'S HOUSE - DAY
Pete rides his bike up to his mailbox, then stops.
He opens the mailbox, takes out his mail, looks at each piece,
closes the box, opens his trash can, then drops the mail
into it.
INT. PETE'S HOUSE - DAY
KITCHEN -- Pete puts his backpack on the counter and peck-
kisses Angela. She sniffs his shirt and makes a face.
ANGELA
My. What's that lovely fragrance?
PETE
Tommy Cess-finger.
ANGELA
That's the smell. Pete. You're not
cleaning cesspools, are you?
PETE
No. Mickey's brother-in-law knew a
guy that needed some trucks lettered.
Cesspool tankers. Fuckin' reeked.
ANGELA
How much did you get.
Pete hands Angela the wad of cash. She counts.
PETE
I spent twenty on food.
Angela hands back the money.
ANGELA
A hundred total. That's pretty good.
Pete nods, unconvinced.
PETE
The guy offered me a job there, at
the bottom.
ANGELA
What did you tell him?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
64.
PETE
I said I'd let him know.
(shrugs)
There's not much around.
Angela nods.
PETE
I'm gonna take a shower.
Pete exits. Angela unloads groceries. A knock comes to the
door.
BEDROOM -- Angela enters as Pete gets ready for his shower.
ANGELA
This just came. I signed for it.
She hands Pete an overnight envelope.
PETE
Jesus.
ANGELA
Yeah. It's from U-TIP.
Pete rips open the envelope.
PETE
It's a ticket. To San Diego. Beck
lives near there.
ANGELA
Pete. Let me see.
Angela reads the ticket.
ANGELA
Can this be right? This ticket's
for eight-fifteen tonight.
PETE
Huh?
ANGELA
Yeah. Is there anything else in the
envelope?
Pete pulls out a letter.
PETE
'Dear Pete, I hope you can come on
out to my place. We have some things
to talk about. And I owe you some
coffee. Yours, truly. Allen Beck.'
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
65.
Pete and Angela rush to pack a suitcase. They toss in clothes
and personal items. Pete runs to get some papers and drawings
from his workshop. He shoves it all into his suitcase.
ANGELA
What about a suit?
PETE
I have one. It has a stain on it
from my aunt's funeral lunch.
ANGELA
That was last year.
PETE
Yeah.
ANGELA
You better take it. Get it cleaned
out there.
Pete gets the suit, rolls it up, and shoves it into the
suitcase.
ANGELA
They can press it, too.
PETE
Shower.
ANGELA
Hurry. Do you have a tie?
PETE
In the suit pocket.
KITCHEN -- Pete enters, now dressed. He dries his hair with
a towel.
ANGELA
You're taking this?
She hands Pete his backpack.
PETE
Yeah. My ticket in here?
ANGELA
Here's your ticket. Maybe there's a
number to call. I packed some water
bottles for the plane.
PETE
Cool.
ANGELA
Pete.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
66.
PETE
What?
ANGELA
This ticket's First Class.
Pete looks down.
PETE
I should wear my other sneakers.
INT. AIRPLANE - NIGHT
Pete checks out his aisle seat. He fiddles with the light
controls and air vents. He tests how far his legs stretch.
A man, who could be mistaken for ROD Steiger, is seated next
to Pete by the window.
PETE
These seats are great.
ROD
Fly as much as me and they're all
agonizing torture.
Pete's side-eyes return slowly forward.
A female flight attendant, TRACY, shows a beautiful woman,
FAWN, to her aisle seat across from Pete.
TRACY
Will you be staying long?
FAWN
Five days. I have a couple runway
shows.
Everyone is seated. The plane begins to taxi. Fawn nervously
searches her handbag for a bottle of pills and finds it.
Because of her beautiful nails, she can't get it open.
FAWN
Shit! How are you supposed to open
these goddamn bottles?
PETE
Want me to try?
Pete easily opens the bottle and hands it to Fawn. She pops
some pills.
FAWN
(pills on tongue)
STEWARDESS!
Pete points to an overhead button.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
67.
PETE
You can just push that.
She pushes it.
FAWN
STEWARDESS!
ROGER, a male flight attendant arrives.
FAWN
I need some water, please.
ROGER
I'll be with you right after take
off.
Roger heads back to his seat and belts up.
FAWN
Fucking worm.
Pete hands her a water bottle from his backpack.
FAWN
Oh. Thank you.
Fawn downs the pills as the plane begins to taxi. She wears
a fearful face.
Rod placidly reads a book.
The airplane takes to the sky. The change in pressure causes
Pete's face to scrunch in pain.
Later, Pete wakes up. He looks across the aisle at Fawn,
who is still asleep. To his other side, he sees that Rod is
still reading.
Pete notices the paperback's cover illustration. It is of
an elegant woman turning from a well-groomed man. This is
happening within a heart-shape made of roses. The book's
title is "Betrayed."
ROD
Fuck you lookin' at?
Pete looks forward. He settles back in his roomy seat. He
spots a circular indentation on the next seat up. He blinks
and scrunches until a HUM comes into his head.
The HUM soon morphs into a voice, much like that of JULIA
Child.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
68.
JULIA (V.O.)
...today, an all-purpose, flaky pie
crust. Let's start with two and a
half cups of unbleached flour. And
we'll add one tablespoon of sugar -
and a quarter teaspoon of salt. For
the crust today, we'll be using two
sticks of butter - unsalted. If it
was salted, it would be too much
salt. You'll find it's best if the
butter is cold, right out of the...
INT. SAN DIEGO AIRPORT - NIGHT
JOE BARACAS, 50, travels up the concourse. Joe suffers from
a number of physical maladies, including blindness.
Joe maneuvers his motorized wheel chair with the help of his
guide dog, CORKY. Corky wears a sign that reads: "Pete
Tokken."
Pete enters the concourse wearing his backpack. His face
shows some worry. He looks around and spots his name.
PETE
Hi. I'm Pete Tokken.
JOE
(hand out)
Hi, Pete. I'm Joe Baracas. I'll be
your guide.
They shake. Pete lets Corky sniff his hand. Joe signals to
Corky with a pull on the leash.
JOE
Let's go, Corky.
They head down the concourse.
JOE
The flight all right, Pete?
PETE
It was great, Joe. I never flew in
First Class before.
JOE
From the height of your voice, you
can use the leg room.
They pass a Starbucks where TWO BUSINESSMEN sit drinking
cappuccino.
BUSINESSMAN ONE
(whispers)
Look.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
69.
BUSINESSMAN TWO
(whispers)
There but for the grace of God go I.
Somehow, Joe hears this remark. With a signal to Corky, Joe
circles back to face Businessman Two.
JOE
Understand this. My afflictions
have nothing to do with some sort of
grace deficit. The ultimate plan
will work out fine, even if the
individual plan gets altered in this
way or that.
BUSINESSMAN TWO
Hey sorry, buddy. I didn't mean
to...
Joe looks at Businessman Two with his glass eyes.
JOE
We all get the same of what God's
giving out.
Joe signals with the leash.
JOE
Let's go, Corky.
They continue down the concourse.
JOE
It's more about accuracy than
sensitivity. At this point, fuck
being sensitive.
One of Corky's jobs is to guide Joe in his motorized chair.
Corky's other job is to bark for people to move aside.
Pete looks back and sees Fawn coming. A handsome EXECUTIVE
carries Fawn's handbag as they walk.
PETE
Here comes the model I met on the
plane.
Pete smiles at Fawn. Fawn walks by, ignoring Pete.
PETE
And there she goes.
JOE
Smells pretty.
PETE
That's the guy she's walkin' with.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
70.
Corky leads Joe and Pete into the main terminal. Pete starts
to follow the "BAGGAGE CLAIM" arrow.
PETE
Hey, Joe. I have to get my suitcase.
JOE
That's being taken care of, Pete.
Let's go over here a while.
A plain sign over a plain door reads: "VIP Club."
INT. VIP CLUB - NIGHT
Joe is parked at a table inside the exclusive club. Corky
sits beside him. Pete sits opposite.
JOE
I'm guessing all this might be
something of a mystery to you.
PETE
Yeah it is a little. A lot.
JOE
Don't worry. Things will clear up.
You're about to be presented with a
set of options. These options all
relate in some way to this question:
What would you do if you had Allen
Beck's money?
Pete sketches on a napkin.
JOE
Allen Beck's a noble guy. Nobility
is a quality you don't see in many
people, let alone a guy with a fortune
like that. You heard of the Medici?
PETE
The rock band or the Italian family?
JOE
The family. The Medici acquired a
fortune in the gold trade and they
patterned themselves as patrons of
the arts. More importantly for guys
like you, they were patrons of
artists.
Joe gently pets Corky's head.
JOE
They put up the cash to support
thinkers, like Galileo, and artists,
(MORE)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
71.
JOE (CONT'D)
like Botticelli and Michelangelo.
The Medici paid for the marble and
paint. And they chose who they wanted
to work the materials. Pete, can
you picture that gig? Going from
town to town, selecting the best
artists and thinkers. Bringing them
under your patronage?
PETE
I sure can't, Joe.
JOE
Allen Beck can.
The waitress brings a glass of rum and a cup of coffee.
JOE
I'm the rum man. Thanks, dear.
PETE
Sorry I can't drink with you, Joe.
Alcohol causes pressures in my head
that I'd rather not be dealing with
right now.
JOE
Nothing to be sorry for, Pete. I
understand your situation. Please
feel at ease. What was I talking
about?
The candles at the table shine in Pete's eyes.
PETE
Allen Beck is like the Medici.
JOE
That's right. Allen Beck's a noble
guy, but he's also down-to-earth.
I'll bet you didn't know that he
'Mr. Jones'ed' at the county hospital.
PETE
Mr. Jones'ed?
JOE
(laughs)
To 'Mr. Jones' is hospital jargon.
Mr. Jones is the code name for the
guy assigned to remove the remains
from a hospital room after a patient
dies. Hospital administrators find
that it's more reassuring to call
for Mr. Jones than to call for the
morgue orderly.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
72.
PETE
It's hard to picture Allen Beck as a
morgue orderly.
Pete finishes his napkin sketch of Corky.
JOE
He's done a lot of jobs. Now his
main job is to spend the billions of
clams he landed himself with. Allen's
developed a very warm feeling for
poor slobs who can't get a break.
No offense. Look at me. Your job
with us will be to use your noggin
and spend Beck's money for something
worth doing.
INT. CHAUFFEURED CAR - NIGHT
The car is waved through a gate.
JOE
This is the U-TIP Campus. Most of
us call it the Dropout Colony. You'll
get a better look in the morning.
Here's your key and here's a cell
phone. Use it as much as you want.
And if you need anything at all,
just hold done five.
The car stops at --
PETE'S BUNGALOW -- an attractive residence, nicely lit and
landscaped.
PETE
(quietly)
Wow, Joe. You know I can't pay for
any of this.
JOE
Pete. While you're here, this is
your home. You are the guest of
Allen Beck.
INT. ANGELA'S HOSPITAL - NIGHT
Angela checks records at the nurse's station. BEATRICE, an
older nurse, picks up the phone.
BEATRICE
Forth floor.
(beat)
She's right here.
Angela takes the phone.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
73.
ANGELA
Yes?
(beat)
Pete! Are you all right?
INT. PETE'S BUNGALOW - NIGHT
Pete walks around with his cell phone checking out the
lodgings.
PETE
You should see this place. They
call it the Dropout Colony. They
put me up in a bungalow. Angela,
it's bigger than my house.
KITCHEN -- Pete opens the refrigerator.
PETE
They stocked the fridge.
(beat)
Yeah they are.
Pete goes to a window that looks out over the ocean.
PETE
Listen to this.
Pete holds the phone out the window, then pulls it back in.
PETE
That's the Pacific Ocean.
(beat)
I don't know much yet. There's an
agenda on the desk. Tomorrow morning,
there's a meeting about a dam in
China. Then, I'm supposed to have
lunch with Allen Beck. Hey, Angela,
everything okay back there?
(beat)
Okay, I don't want to get you fired.
I'll call tomorrow.
INT. ANGELA'S HOSPITAL - NIGHT
ANGELA
(beat)
Okay, Pete.
Beatrice looks sternly at Angela.
ANGELA
Same here.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
74.
INT. PETE'S BUNGALOW - NIGHT
Pete puts down the phone and eats a mint from the pillow on
his bed.
INT. PETE'S BUNGALOW - DAY
Pete is startled awake by the pulsations of a helicopter
touching down across the street.
He goes to the window and watches Allen Beck emerge from the
chopper followed by its pilot, Madame Chen. Peesley Henkle
runs up to greet them.
INT. UTIP HEADQUARTERS - DAY
Plants adorn the modern but comfortable lobby of UTIP's main
building.
A RECEPTIONIST looks at a folder and speaks into her headset.
RECEPTIONIST
That's right, Mr. Worthington. I
have checked the file. U-TIP did
receive your presentation. It says
here that:
She reads from the file.
RECEPTIONIST
'No formal review was given to the
project. The candidate's advanced
degrees from Harvard and Yale
disqualify him from being classed as
underground talent.'
She closes the folder.
RECEPTIONIST
No. I didn't know that. Maybe you're
dad could speak privately with Mr.
Beck about the project you want to
do.
(beat)
I hear ya. My parents don't
understand me, either.
EXT. UTIP CAMPUS - DAY
Corky guides Joe in his motor-chariot. Pete walks along.
They travel down a trail with bungalows on one side and the
Pacific Ocean on the other.
Joe introduces Pete to some people they meet along the way.
They pass through a high-tech greenhouse on the way to UTIP
headquarters.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
75.
INT. UTIP HEADQUARTERS - DAY
Pete holds the glass door for Joe and Corky as they enter
the building.
RECEPTIONIST
Good Morning, Mr. Baracas. They
started already.
JOE
Uh oh. Let's go, Corky.
They speed down the hall to the --
BOARD ROOM -- Allen Beck and the others watch as Joe barges
through to his place.
JOE
I know I'm late. You can't get mad
at a guy with a wheelchair and a
guide dog.
BECK
It's about time you got your blind
ass out of bed, Joe B.
JOE
(jovially)
Yeah and you can kiss it.
Pete enters the room wearing an uncertain grin.
BECK
Don't worry, Pete. We're a little
ahead of schedule.
(to all)
This is Pete Tokken. He has some
intriguing ideas about collecting
and projecting energies.
An assistant holds the chair next to Beck's. Pete sits.
Beck points to the video-conference monitors labeled:
"Sydney," "Hong Kong," and "São Paulo."
BECK
These are some friends in distant
lands.
Pete waves to the monitors. The video participants wave
back.
BECK
There's something I want you to see,
Pete.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
76.
The room goes dark except for a number of lighted ornaments
and effects. A big screen flips down from the ceiling. A
short presentation begins.
MADAME CHEN
The Yangtze is the third longest
river in the world.
The screen shows badly filmed documentary footage of the
Three Gorges Dam and the ruins of cities and towns demolished
to make way for its reservoir.
MADAME CHEN
The Three Gorges Dam will be 575
feet high. Its reservoir will run
upstream 350 miles. Hundreds of
villages and some cities have already
been submerged. When the waters
finish rising, this region will be
changed. Forever. Other dams in
China and elsewhere will condemn
other regions to a similar fate.
The lights come on. Pete squints. The screen flips up.
BECK
Here's the thought I had. This dam's
a done deal and the region will be
submerged. What we can do is take
your recording devices and make a
complete record of what's left. For
the ages. What do ya say?
PETE
Sure.
BECK
We'll set you up with whatever you
need to build your Energy Collectors,
then we'll get them over to China,
ASAP.
MADAME CHEN
Can you hook your thing to a chopper?
PETE
For sure. To a chopper, a boat, a
car, a dirt bike - a wheelbarrow.
Madame Chen nods.
BECK
Thanks everybody. We'll wrap it up
for the morning. Come on, Pete.
Beck gets up and sits down next to Joe.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
77.
BECK
How you feeling?
JOE
Who, me? Better than ever.
BECK
You're having your operation soon?
Joe nods.
BECK
I wish you the best with it, Joe B.
JOE
Allen, I want to thank you for all
you've done for me.
BECK
Aw, come on.
JOE
Really, from my heart.
Joe turns to Pete.
JOE
Hey, Pete.
PETE
Right here, Joe.
BECK
Watch out for this guy. If you let
him, he might turn you into something -
like he did me.
PETE
(raises brows)
Okay, Joe. I'll be careful.
EXT. BECK'S OFFICE DECK - DAY
Allen Beck sits with Pete on a deck overlooking the Pacific.
Beck refills Pete's coffee cup.
BECK
Why did you drop out of college?
PETE
I don't think I was cut out for it.
BECK
You only stayed one semester.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
78.
PETE
I wanted to go. I worked two jobs
to get money to go.
BECK
What made you think you weren't cut
out for it?
PETE
The school did. The day I got there,
they gave me a test. Then they sat
me down and told me how they
scientifically analyzed my situation.
Based on my scores, my high school
record, my life experience, and
comparisons with thousands of similar
cases, they said if I graduated, I'd
get no better than a C-minus average.
That's if I graduated, which I
probably wouldn't.
BECK
They told you that?
PETE
Yeah. So it got me to thinking that
maybe they're right. I didn't feel
right being there. I liked to study,
but not what they told me to.
Beck laughs.
BECK
You had a mind of your own.
PETE
That's no foolin'. In college, I
spent most of my time at the library
since I'm not really able to drink
alcohol. On my last day there, I
looked at the library wall and saw
an inscription on it. It said 'A
true university is a collection of
books.'
Beck nods.
PETE
So I got my own books and made my
own university.
Beck stands and looks out over the ocean.
BECK
Your accredited now, Pete.
An ASSISTANT calls out from Beck's office door.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
79.
ASSISTANT
Excuse me, Mr. Beck.
BECK
(to Pete)
A little piece of business.
Beck goes into the office and picks up the phone.
ASSISTANT
Can I get you anything, Mr. Tokken?
PETE
Nuh uh. Thanks.
Pete relaxes back in his chair. He gazes at the sea. The
sounds of the waves bring a HUM to his head.
In a short time, Beck comes back out.
BECK
Beautiful view, isn't it?
Beck notices Pete's odd gaze.
BECK
Pete?
(louder)
Hey Pete?
Beck puts his hand in front of Pete's face. Pete looks at
him frightened. He shakes his head. He blinks. Then he
shakes his head again. The HUM stops.
PETE
I'm - really sorry, Mr. Beck.
The HUM briefly returns and Pete shakes it away.
PETE
It's this - sometimes - there's
this...
BECK
Pete. I understand. You've had
some, uh - damage.
Pete nods.
PETE
I'm not used to all this. I not
sure what to expect. What you expect.
BECK
It's okay, Pete. We'll fill in the
blanks.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
80.
They get up.
BECK
Take it easy, today. Did they give
you a cell phone?
PETE
Right here.
BECK
Whatever you want, hold down five.
If you want to go somewhere, hold
down five. If you want any
information, what do you do?
PETE
Hold down five?
BECK
You got it. Come in here a minute.
INT. BECK'S OFFICE - DAY
From a package, Beck removes Leonardo da Vinci's "Head of
the Virgin."
BECK
This is for you, Pete. Hang it in
your hut.
Beck hands the gift to Pete. They look at the portrait in
the light from a window.
BECK
Is it a mother looking at her child?
Hmm? Or an artist who's pleased
with a new creation?
(beat)
Leonardo couldn't help but find new
ways of doing things. He anticipated
designs centuries before they were
carried out. Even in making this
picture, the methods he used are
still only guessed at by scholars
today. Do you know what it was like
for that guy? Having such a mind?
Being that talented and that far
ahead of his time?
(eye-to-eye with Pete)
Do you know?
EXT. PETE'S BUNGALOW - DAY
Pete sits on a deck, sketching. The page shows Roland on
the modified Ossa flying up over a hill.
Pete puts down his pad and takes a deep breath of sea air.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
81.
He picks up his cell phone and holds down five.
PETE
Hi. This is Pete. Do you think I
can get a bicycle?
(beat)
Just something to bike around on.
(beat)
A BMX, maybe?
EXT. UTIP CAMPUS - DAY
Pete rides his tough-looking BMX on the road to a pleasant
beach town. He does a few easy stunts, not to show off, but
just because he can't help it.
Pete pulls up to a --
MEXICAN BISTRO -- He sits at an outside table by the bike.
He pushes buttons on his cell phone.
PETE
Yo, Roland. Did you hear?
(beat)
Yeah. I ain't believing this. I
think Allen Beck's gonna hook us up.
It's crazy. Hold on.
INT. ROLAND'S TRUCK - DAY
Roland drives down the road holding his cell.
EXT. MEXICAN BISTRO - DAY
A MEXICAN WAITRESS holds a pen and pad.
MEXICAN WAITRESS
We have chicken chili, chicken and
bean, beef, beef and bean, bean and
cheese, and we also have fish chili.
PETE
Fish chili?
MEXICAN WAITRESS
(writing)
Fish chili.
PETE
No, I don't want fish chili. I just
never heard of it. I'll have beef
and bean. And a cup of coffee.
Pete picks the phone back up and watches the waitress go
back into the restaurant.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
82.
PETE
Yeah, Roland. If you like fish chili,
you're gonna love it out here.
(beat)
C'mon, man...
(beat)
Okay. Let's see what happens.
(beat)
Yeah. You should see 'em. There
was this model on the plane.
(beat)
Nah. I slept at the same time as
her, does that count?
The waitress comes out with coffee.
PETE
Dude, she wouldn't have looked at me
if her ass wasn't sittin' across
from my ass.
(beat)
Nuh uh. I didn't see that one yet.
Pete starts on his first cup.
INT. ROLAND'S TRUCK - DAY
Roland parks at a convenience store.
ROLAND
...and these sons-a-bitches ain't
easy to kill. They make you kill
'em twice. They got a heart that
can live without a head and a head
that can live without a heart. If
you don't get 'em twice, they can
get revived. The ones that still
got a head get paired up with the
ones that still got a heart...
INT. UTIP HEADQUARTERS - DAY
ZELDA, an efficient woman, waits by the receptionist.
RECEPTIONIST
He's kinda cute.
ZELDA
I can't be concerned with that. I
have a job to do.
(beat)
So you were saying? Cute?
Pete's butt holds the glass door open as he awkwardly rolls
his bike into the lobby with his backpack slung over his
shoulder.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
83.
ZELDA
Hello, Mr. Tokken. I'm Zelda. I'm
your P.A.
PETE
My P.A.?
ZELDA
Personal Assistant. I'll help arrange
what you need as you set up your
office and studio.
PETE
My studio?
ZELDA
Well. Your production company.
They walk down a corridor. Pete rolls his bike.
ZELDA
It might be best to start with your
office.
INT. PETE'S OFFICE - DAY
Pete and Zelda enter a spacious ground floor office. Its
windows open out to an exotic garden. The space is partly
furnished but has plenty of room for more. Pete puts his
bike against a wall.
ZELDA
The U-TIP Campus is organic. It
grows as needed. Mr. Beck put you
here until you set up separate studio
facilities. Till then, you can meet
with your staff in here.
PETE
My staff?
Zelda holds a chair behind a desk. Pete sits.
PETE
(beat)
What's your name?
Zelda sits down in a side chair for conversation.
ZELDA
I'm Zelda. I'm your P.A.
INT. UTIP RECREATION BUILDING - DAY
Pete's hair is still wet from a swim in the pool. Now he
finesses a state-of-the-art pinball machine in the UTIP
arcade.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
84.
INT. PETE'S OFFICE - DAY
Workers install shelves and cabinets. Electricians set up
computer equipment in an alcove. At his desk, Pete reads
UTIP material.
ZELDA
The engineers are here.
PETE
Bring 'em in.
Zelda enters with the engineers, WALLY and JEFF. They each
set a wooden case onto the floor. They sit near Pete for a
chat.
WALLY
Mr. Beck sent us to show you what we
do and to let you know what we can
do for you.
JEFF
We looked at your drawings and it's
easy to see what you have in mind.
WALLY
We've been working mostly with
robotics, but we're pretty good at
all aspects of engineering.
PETE
You worked with optics?
JEFF
Optics is one of our best things.
We build our own robot vision systems.
One of the cases starts banging. Then the other one starts
banging, too. They both make weird squeals.
PETE
Sounds like your boxes are getting
restless.
WALLY
They'll be okay. I think Mr. Beck
sent us to you mostly because of our
work with optics and instrument
assembly.
One of the boxes splits open and ROBOT ONE breaks free. The
animal-like device lunges at the other box and rips at it
with mechanical jaws.
ROBOT TWO emerges from the second case and goes for the
"throat" of Robot One.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
85.
Robot One escapes. It drops a couple wheels and pushes away
fast. Then it speeds back and crashes into Robot Two.
Robot Two slams into a wall near a WORKMAN.
WORKMAN
Hey. Watch it with those fuckin'
things.
PETE
Hey everybody - heads up!
Pete sits on his desk to watch the show.
Robot Two recovers and maneuvers across the room. The
mechanical eyes on each machine stay zeroed in on the other
one.
Robot Two climbs the wall and crawls onto the ceiling directly
above Robot One.
Robot One points its eyes up at Robot Two and moves warily
away. Up above, Robot Two mirrors the movements of Robot
One.
Robot One heads speedily for an open door. Robot Two takes
a running leap off the ceiling and smashes into Robot One.
A cold gas EXPLOSION.
Both robots twitch in their mutual destruction.
Wally and Jeff retrieve a black box from each of the robots.
The robots stop twitching.
JEFF
And their brains live on. What they
learned from this encounter will be
used in future lives.
WALLY
If you want us to, we'll set up an
engineering team to build whatever
systems you want.
PETE
Cool.
INT. PETE'S BUNGALOW - DAY
Pete gazes at the da Vinci. His head begins to HUM.
Later, Pete talks into his cell phone.
PETE
Zelda. Do you know Joe?
(MORE)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
86.
PETE (CONT'D)
(beat)
Right, Joe B. Can you find out if I
can go see him?
INT. BECK HOSPITAL - JOE'S ROOM - DAY
PETE
I gotta tell you, Joe. This is
hitting me a little fast. You guys
get a letter and now I'm starting a
studio.
JOE
Something tells me it didn't happen
all that fast. Have you thought a
lot about your projects?
PETE
Yes.
JOE
You have this Photon Ball thought
out down to an amazing level of
detail, right?
PETE
Right.
JOE
You're generating ideas like a demon.
Allen Beck digs your projects, but
he really digs your potential.
Joe coughs.
PETE
It's weird to be taken seriously.
JOE
Relax. Think of it as an experiment.
What happens when an idea guy gets
what he needs to get, to do what he
needs to do?
Joe coughs more.
PETE
Man. Like you need this with
everything else you gotta put up
with.
JOE
Pete. All my days, I've been bouncing
between this life to the next one.
(MORE)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
87.
JOE (CONT'D)
After this one, the next one will be
a cinch. You know about the next
life?
PETE
I know more about the next life than
I do about this one.
Joe pours water into a cup for Pete and into a bowl for Corky.
JOE
Brothers in the next life.
(beat)
Go ahead. I'll have mine
intravenously.
Pete and Corky drink the water. Joe fake drinks from a fake
cup, then belches.
JOE
So, what all you want to know, Pete?
INT. ANGELA'S APARTMENT / PETE'S OFFICE - DAY
Pete talks on his office phone. INTERCUT with Angela in her
apartment.
ANGELA
Why don't you call Roland? Maybe
there's a job for him out there.
PETE
I talk to Roland all the time. I
don't think he wants to come here.
ANGELA
Why not?
PETE
I don't know. He just changes the
subject when I ask him about it. I
don't want to push it.
ANGELA
You think it's Ruth?
PETE
Ya think? You know her better than
me.
ANGELA
No, she'd go out there if Roland
wanted to. Roland's just being
stubborn.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
88.
PETE
One time he told me he doesn't want
to be famous.
ANGELA
But you do.
PETE
No I don't.
ANGELA
Everybody wants to be famous.
PETE
I don't. I really don't. You know,
the 'brain damage' thing. Like I
need a chance to zone-out for the
masses. No thanks.
ANGELA
Oh. Right.
PETE
I think I understand how he feels.
You know, if the positions were
reversed?
ANGELA
Guys.
PETE
Guys shit. I can't even get you to
come out here.
ANGELA
I'll be out soon. I can't until I
finish my courses.
PETE
I know. I guess I'm just missin'
you. Hey, can you do me a favor?
INT. PETE'S WORKSHOP - DAY
Angela and Roland strip Pete's wall of his drawings and
photos.
Angela packs books into a box. Roland takes a big book and
looks at it's gilded title.
ROLAND
Do you know about this one?
ANGELA
'Electrical Experimenter 1915 to
1916.'
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
89.
ROLAND
Yeah, look at this. He used to go
see his Aunt Rose all the time as a
kid. When she had to sell all his
dead uncle's books, she let Pete
pick one out to keep.
ANGELA
And he picked this?
ROLAND
Yeah. Check it out. It's a bound
set of magazines.
Roland shows Angela some covers: Voice Operated Typewriter,
An Electro-Gyro Cruiser, Ball Lightning, A Canal Scene on
Mars.
INT. PETE'S OFFICE - DAY
The magazines now have a place on Pete's West Coast shelf.
Pictures that once were in his workshop, now hang in his
office.
The office floor is carpeted except for a ten-foot long oak
wood oval. A glass table is centered on the oak near a long
sofa.
Pete stands at his drawing table. He makes a color diagram
of the Energy Collector. Components are labeled: Lenses,
Sound Intakes, Lights, Attitude Sensors, Thermometer, and
Speed Sensors.
A small camera watches as he draws. His hand motions are
projected onto a big screen in the office.
WALLY
Pete. Do you want us to set it up
now?
PETE
Okay, Wally.
Pete continues to draw.
Jeff presses a button on the couch. A control panel rises
from the floor. At Jeff's command, the glass table sinks
into the wood floor. Then the wood floor rises to form a
conference table.
Zelda moves chairs to the table as people come in. A couple
guys in suits take their seats. Two guys and a girl, all
wearing t-shirts, sit down on the couch.
Wally rolls the new Energy Collector in on a cart.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
90.
WALLY
You should have waited to lift the
table.
JEFF
I can lower it again, jeez.
People sit back to let Jeff lower the table. They set the
Collector onto it. Then Jeff lifts the table up again.
WALLY
Too high.
Jeff lowers the table halfway. Then up a little.
JEFF
How's that?
He jogs the table, shaking the Collector.
PETE
Careful boys.
Wally gives Jeff a warning look. Pete greets the guys in
suits. He leans over to Zelda.
PETE
She's coming?
ZELDA
Her guy told me she'd be here.
Pete nods and goes back to his drawing table. He makes primal
designs on a piece of white card stock away from the camera.
Zelda looks through a pile of finished cards that show faces,
machine-faces, buildings, and rocket ships.
PETE
I used to doodle a lot in school.
The teachers thought I was taking
notes. It just kept me from zoning
out. Still does.
Jeff gives a sharp whistle. Pete and Zelda turn.
Madame Chen stands near the Collector - hands on hips.
MADAME CHEN
What you got here, Tokken?
PETE
Madame Chen. This is our Energy
Collector.
Pete holds a chair for Madame Chen.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
91.
MADAME CHEN
I stand.
PETE
Wally, why don't you talk a little
bit about the Collector?
Pete returns to his drawing table. He puts a fresh paper
under the camera.
WALLY
The Collector's job is to collect
and store the energies that surround
it.
MADAME CHEN
Huh?
PETE
Go more deeply into it, Wally. I'll
illustrate.
Pete lowers the lights. He makes a ball and draws as Wally
talks. Madame Chen watches the big screen.
WALLY
Numerous energies continually flow
through any given point indicated by
this ball. Actually, a ball can't
really depict a point because however
small you make the ball, you can
make another ball that's half as
small.
Pete clears his throat, tapping on the ball.
WALLY
Anyway, here's a point. At any given
time, this point is impinged by
wavelengths of light, pitches of
sound, thermal energies, atmospheric
pressure, gravitational pull, radio
energies, and so on. The Collector
captures and electronically digitizes
this information.
Pete sets an "Energy Collector" drawing before the camera.
WALLY
The Collector's sensors are arranged
spherically around a central point.
They intercept the energies that
would have passed through to the
central point had they not been
intercepted.
Pete layers acetates of the Collector's components.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
92.
WALLY
It has cameras to see and microphones
to hear. It has attitude sensors,
weather sensors, a GPS to record
speed and location, and there's room
for some other stuff we might think
of later.
Pete flips a switch and a spotlight falls upon the real
Collector.
MADAME CHEN
This looks too fragile for flight.
Jeff holds a ported cover over part of the Collector.
JEFF
We use three different protective
skins for the Collector's various
uses. One is a terrestrial skin,
one is aerodynamic for flight, and
we have a submersible skin that's
currently rated for one hundred feet.
That'll get better in time.
PETE
We're also planning a space-worthy
Collector. This is the basic unit.
Future ones will evolve from this.
MADAME CHEN
You use film?
PETE
Nope. Everything's digital. Digits
are cheap.
MADAME CHEN
Where you going to show what you
shoot?
PETE
In the Photon Ball.
Pete points to a scale model of the spherical projection
facility.
Madame Chen goes over to it. She looks sternly at it.
MADAME CHEN
You ready for China, Tokken?
Pete looks at Wally and Jeff. They nod.
PETE
Anytime you are, Madame Chen.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
93.
EXT. OCEAN ROAD - DAY
Through the wind by the rocky seaside cliffs, Pete rides the
BMX. While on a downhill, he performs a handstand on the
handlebars.
INT. UTIP CANTEEN - DAY
The spread is most outstanding in variety and presentation.
Pete takes a tray and gets behind FRANK, a skinny hippie.
FRANK
Hi, I'm Frank. You're the dude with
the cameras, right?
PETE
Yeah. I'm Pete.
FRANK
This food is really good. I can
write anywhere but I keep coming
back to the Dropout Colony for this
frickin' buffet.
PETE
Sure is good.
FRANK
And for the scenery.
They glance in the direction of two pretty girls who sit by
a large window that looks out on the waves of the Pacific
crashing against the rocks.
PETE
Scenery's good, too. What kind of
stuff you write?
FRANK
Did you see 'The Two Morons?'
PETE
You wrote that? I saw that. That's
a great movie.
Frank takes some bread.
FRANK
Did you try this? They make it here.
Pete takes a piece.
FRANK
Hey man, you going to China?
PETE
We leave tomorrow.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
94.
FRANK
How you getting there?
PETE
We're flying over in one of Allen
Beck's jets.
FRANK
He goin'?
PETE
No. Just me and some engineers.
Madame Chen's gonna pilot for us.
FRANK
Whoa. Madame Chen. She frightens
me, man.
PETE
Why's that?
FRANK
Why? Just that dragon-lady vibe she
puts out. You know, that and her,
uh, unorthodox flying style? I flew
with her one time. That was the
only time. The last time. Too risky
for me, man. The woman's got no
fear and my nerves ain't so good.
They approach the end of the buffet.
FRANK
You're not afraid of flying, are you
Pete?
PETE
No.
FRANK
You will be.
INT./EXT. HELICOPTER - DAY
Pete's face is frozen in peaceful confidence.
MADAME CHEN
Saying your prayers, Tokken?
PETE
Truthfully? Yes.
The helicopter tows an aerial Collector using a winch and
cable. We don't yet see what the Collector sees.
The chopper completes a passage through a narrow tributary
gorge. Madame Chen looks over at Pete.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
95.
MADAME CHEN
When will be the hour of our death?
(beat)
Huh?
Pete breathes deeply and points.
PETE
There's a...
Mount Wu rises in the mist - too close ahead. Madame Chen
laughs with a touch of madness. The chopper pulls up.
MADAME CHEN
Mountain.
Pete holds on to his seat.
MADAME CHEN
This is Goddess Peak on Mount Wu.
The chopper circles the top, then hovers.
MADAME CHEN
Yaoji is the youngest daughter of
Heaven Queen. Yaoji stands here to
guide ships that pass through Wu
Gorge on the Great River. Down here.
The chopper drops swiftly into Wu Gorge. It flies close
above the rising Yangtze reservoir.
Pete turns his head stiffly to the back of the chopper.
PETE
You guys getting this? I hope.
Jeff smiles and shakes his head yes. He tends two monitors.
One shows the Collector's ten forward views. The other shows
its ten rear views.
Wally's face is wedged in a vomit bag.
EXT. THREE GORGES DAM - DAY
Tourists look at the Three Gorges Dam from an observation
area. Some take pictures of the dam construction. Some buy
fans, dolls, and embroidered caps from street vendors.
A UTIP van parks near an establishment called: "Sanxia Memory
Tours."
INT. SANXIA MEMORY - DAY
Pete listens as Madame Chen speaks in Chinese with the owner,
MANCHU.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
96.
MADAME CHEN
You are the proprietor?
MANCHU
Yes. I am Manchu.
MADAME CHEN
I seek to hire your best tour guide.
Must know the whole region very well.
Manchu points to the guides sitting in wait.
MANCHU
They are all best.
Madame Chen places a quantity of cash on the table.
MADAME CHEN
The best.
One of the guides, LIAN, stands and whispers to Manchu. He
gives a guttural laugh.
MANCHU
All my guides know the region very
well. I, however, know it best --
Manchu winks at Pete.
MANCHU
-- for I am so old.
Manchu pushes the money back.
MANCHU
Lian tells me you are a great woman.
If one day you should write of this
day, I would not like to be called:
'Old man who took bribe.'
She pushes the money forward.
MADAME CHEN
Not bribe, down payment. I am Madame
Chen. I heard you are a good man,
Manchu. That is why I came to you.
We are here to make a permanent
record. We will preserve for future
generations the regions that will
soon be under the waters of this
lake and others that will be made.
MANCHU
I will help you gladly, Madame Chen.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
97.
EXT. DOOMED ANCIENT TOWN - DAY
The UTIP chopper lands in a field.
A series of shots around a Chinese town yet to be submerged.
We see:
-- the Little Temple that graces the side of a hill.
-- a tributary creek that enters into a larger one.
-- young men who carry bails of hay on yokes.
-- chickens pecking at the ground.
-- ladies who sit and spin rope.
-- hanging laundry that blows in the breeze.
-- children sitting calmly as a woman sweeps a walk.
Pete and the engineers set up a remote controlled Collector.
The Collector is mounted five feet high on a remote controlled
Segway Scooter.
Pete turns a wheel on a control box. The Collector pivots
perfectly. He gives the box to Manchu who repeats the action.
Pete goes to the engineers who man the control center.
Lian approaches Manchu with two children, CHIN and LU. Manchu
speaks in Chinese with the children.
Pete and the engineers look at two laptops displaying the
multiple views coming from the Collector.
Manchu shows Chin how to move the Collector using the
joystick.
MANCHU
When you get to the Little Temple,
stop and count to ten. Then turn it
like this.
Manchu hands the remote control box to Chin.
MANCHU
Do you understand?
CHIN
Yes.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
98.
EXT. UNDER A WOVEN CANOPY - NIGHT
CHOW beats a drum while his brother CHENG plays a traditional
stringed instrument. Cheng sings in Chinese.
CHENG
Steam clouds rise into the moonlit
heaven
Sighing breaths change to white on
frosty night
The playing continues. A three-year-old sits quietly eating
rice from a bowl. A mother tends her cooking. Pete appears
tall, even when sitting. Lian brings Pete a small bowl.
LIAN
It is tradition to offer guest Wang
Shing.
Pete takes the bowl.
PETE
Thank you. Xiexie.
He drinks.
CHENG
Melting snows and spring rains merge
with the tears
That flood the gorges of the Great
River
EXT. HILLSIDE - DAY
Near a stream with the Three Gorges in the distance, Pete
sits in a tree securing a pully to the trunk. A tool slips
from his hand. Pete reflexively tries to catch it and slips
from his perch.
Pete hangs from the branch with one hand.
PETE
I can't hang on. I have to let go.
Look out!
Pete falls to the ground. His face hits the dirt.
INT. CHINESE HOME - NIGHT
Pete lies on a cushion, very ill. His skin is covered with
sweat and his breathing is erratic. He occasionally winces
in pain, face scrunching, head veins pulsing.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
99.
EXT. AN UPRIVER GORGE - DAY
Madame Chen pilots a river craft into a beautiful, yet-to-be
flooded tributary gorge. The engineers attend the Collector
equipment. YEN SUN, 62, directs the Collector's record of
the journey.
INT. CHINESE HOME - DAY
Pete awakens. He looks up. His head HUMS loudly. He can
see Lian speaking to him but does not hear her. He tries to
talk but cannot get the words out. He soon passes out again.
INT. CAVE CHAMBER - NIGHT DREAM
Pete's heart beats. He stands at the foot of a narrow slab.
A patient is being attended by two hooded beings. BEING ONE
holds an energy disk over the patient's chest. BEING TWO
holds an energy orb over the patient's face.
Being Two lifts the orb. Pete sees his own face. This does
not seem to surprise him.
Being Two turns towards Pete. All Pete can see under the
being's hood are two lights for eyes. Bright like stars,
the eyes appear to reflect the collected wisdom and knowledge
of the universe. The other-worldliness gets to Pete.
His heart beats fast. Gripped by fear, Pete exits the cave
and climbs quickly over boulders with unnatural ease. He
relaxes some as he gets farther from the cave.
His heartbeat slows. Pete stops near a path. He looks up
at the stars in the sky. He sees a nebula with amazing
clarity.
After a time, hooded beings approach from up the path. The
beings do not walk, they float.
Pete presses himself between two rocks to avoid being seen.
The beings pass Pete and continue down the path.
Pete watches the beings with caution but no longer with fear.
The beings stop. They turn and face one another. A small
sphere of blue-white light, about the size of a baseball,
forms between them. The sphere brightens.
The beings turn and float away. Pete approaches the sphere
of light. He looks as if he understands.
Pete puts his head against the glowing sphere of energy.
A VOICE
What do you want?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
100.
PETE
To remember.
A VOICE
Is that all?
PETE
What word can I take back to describe
this - other world?
A long beat.
A VOICE
Freedom.
INT. CHINESE HOME - NIGHT
Pete's eyes open.
PETE
Freedom.
Pete sits up as if all was normal. He looks at Madame Chen.
PETE
Did we miss the light?
MADAME CHEN
You slept for three days. Do not
die, Tokken, or I be in very big
trouble with Beck.
PETE
I won't die. I feel good.
Pete makes a move on standing.
PETE
I can't stay here all day.
He weakens and drops back down.
PETE
Maybe I can.
MADAME CHEN
You can and will. We keep the same
shooting schedule. I hired a Chinese
filmmaker to work with the engineers.
Looks good with the officials that
way, too.
Lian pats Pete's head with a towel.
PETE
Did you convince Yen Sun?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
101.
Madame Chen smiles (for the first time) and shakes her head
yes.
MADAME CHEN
The second Collector is on its way
from the States. We got it under
control, Tokken.
Lian hands Pete a cup.
LIAN
This is an herbal tea. Drink. You'll
feel better.
Pete drinks.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. SAN DIEGO AIRPORT - NIGHT
Pete drinks a cup of coffee with Angela at the Airport
Starbucks. We don't hear what they speak but their bodies
speak love.
INT. PETE'S BUNGALOW - NIGHT
Pete and Angela sit on the couch with the TV on.
PETE
Hey check this out.
Pete grabs a remote control from the table and talks into
it.
PETE
ESPN.
A beep. The channel changes to ESPN.
PETE
Turn off the TV in seven seconds.
A beep. They wait and the set switches off.
ANGELA
Oh. Now, that is cool.
Pete and Angela try a few more commands. Angela names a
song. It begins to play.
PETE
Tomorrow we'll go see a friend of
mine.
ANGELA
Who?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
102.
PETE
His name is Joe. He's been cluing
me in on what's happening in the
Dropout Colony. He's a blind guy.
ANGELA
He's blind?
PETE
Yeah. You used to date a blind guy,
didn't you?
ANGELA
Yeah. Then he found somebody else.
PETE
He must've been blind.
Angela pulls Pete down onto the couch with zeal.
INT. BECK HOSPITAL - DAY
Pete and Angela stand at the desk of a HOSPITAL RECEPTIONIST.
PETE
Is Joe Baracas still in Room 312?
HOSPITAL RECEPTIONIST
I can check. Are you family?
PETE
I'm his friend.
The receptionist scans a list. She picks up a phone and
raises a finger.
HOSPITAL RECEPTIONIST
One moment.
PETE
(to Angela)
Maybe he was discharged.
DOCTOR TESKI greets Pete and Angela.
DOCTOR TESKI
I'm afraid Mr. Baracas has gotten
worse overnight. We're doing all we
can, but it doesn't look good.
Pete looks sadly at the doctor.
ANGELA
Is he conscious?
PETE
Can we see him?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
103.
INT. BECK HOSPITAL - JOE'S ROOM - DAY
Joe looks very sick. His breathing is labored. Corky is by
his side.
ANGELA
Aw. Pete.
Pete takes Joe's hand.
PETE
Joe. It's Pete. Can you hear me?
Joe squeezes Pete's hand.
PETE
Yeah. Squeeze one time for yes.
Two times for no.
Wearing almost a smile, Joe squeezes once.
PETE
Angela's here.
ANGELA
Hi, Joe.
Joe squeezes once.
PETE
Joe says hi - right?
Joe squeezes once.
PETE
Yeah, Joe says hi.
(beat)
Hey Joe, you have to come on out to
the Photon Ball. You'll like the
sound system.
(beat)
Come on, Joe, man. Hurry up and get
better.
Joe clamps down hard on Pete's hand.
JOE
Pete?
Joe sits up and looks right at Pete with his closed eyes.
PETE
I'm here.
JOE
I can see it.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
104.
PETE
See what, Joe?
JOE
The Cup.
Joe points at Pete's head. His fingers stay pointed at Pete
as Joe's head moves from side to side.
JOE
It stays with you.
PETE
The Cup?
Joe releases his grip on Pete's hand.
INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR - DAY
Three dings sound over the loudspeaker.
LOUDSPEAKER
Mr. Jones. Room 312.
EXT. BECK'S BOAT - DAY
Allen Beck, Pete, Angela, Wally, Jeff, Margaret, and Corky
ride in the craft that Madame Chen steers.
A submersible Collector is suspended from a winch that hangs
out over the stern.
Madame Chen refers to an electronic global positioning chart.
MADAME CHEN
We are over Cape Mendocino Subduction
Zone - coming up on target.
Beck nods. Wally and Jeff prepare a cylindrical, submersible
urn. The name "Joseph Baracas" is printed on the side in
Pete's lettering style.
A bright light shines from the urn's front. A propeller
juts from the urn's tail.
BECK
Ready, boys?
Jeff nods.
WALLY
Ready.
Jeff holds the urn as he would a baby. Madame Chen cuts the
engine. Beck rises and takes a deep breath.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
105.
BECK
We are here to commit the remains of
Joe Baracas to the deep. We do this
in the place and manner that he chose.
Beck takes the urn from Jeff.
BECK
One night in the distant past, on a
not-so-far beach, Joe B. poured me a
drink and told me what he would do
if he had my money. I wrote a few
checks and we started something called
the Poor Slob Grants. That, of
course, became U-TIP. Joe's vision
brought this labor-of-love a long,
long way. A great deal further than
I expected after I woke up on the
beach the next morning at high tide
covered in sand fleas.
Beck looks at the sky.
BECK
We all have to make the journey from
this life to where you are now.
Thanks for staying with us a while,
old buddy. Till we meet again.
Jeff turns an outer ring and starts the urn's slow propeller.
Pete places a circular wreath onto the ocean surface. Beck
drops the little torpedo through the ring of flowers.
Wally lowers the submersible Collector. Jeff watches its
multiple images on monitors.
Angela hugs Corky. Margaret weeps.
EXT. SMITHSONIAN IN WASHINGTON - PHOTON BALL - DAY
A sign reads: "Buckminster Fuller Photon Ball."
The structure is both beautiful and utilitarian. Its major
feature is a 175-foot geodesic sphere.
Conduits and vents are plainly visible. Video cameras
arranged around the sphere allow it to act as a giant
Collector.
A reception building stands adjacent to the sphere.
INT. RECEPTION BUILDING - DAY
Upper windows permit a view of the Photon Ball. The reception
area is filled with people waiting for the next show.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
106.
Visitors mill about looking at displays and exhibits.
Adults and children gather around a World Pointer with lighted
rays.
A seven-foot high spherical television shows a journey through
a cave.
Vendors sell books and mementos.
A scrolling sign reads: "The Photon Ball - Never the Same
Trip Twice."
Another sign reads: "Boarding in 02 Minutes."
Wearing his big sweatshirt hood to hide his identity, Pete
buys Angela a small crystal Earth globe. Her face reflects
in his shades.
PETE
I give you the world.
They get in line with the others. Doors open and the visitors
enter the sphere through a glass tunnel.
INT. PHOTON BALL - DAY
From the tunnel, 150 visitors step onto the Photon Ball's
central deck. The deck is round and 80 ft. wide. It is
located a little below the sphere's mid-point.
The deck is see-through, like catwalks are. It is supported
by five diagonal legs that pass through the spherical
structure. Hydraulics stand by to lift, tilt, and spin the
deck.
Twenty video projectors are suspended from cables above and
below the deck, fairly close to the spherical screen.
The tunnel retracts.
Visitors sit down on swiveling stools arranged on the deck
in a diamond pattern. When everyone is settled, the spherical
screen goes from a neutral shade to completely dark.
The audience looks up as a trumpet sounds above.
Daylight breaks through the darkness. A live view of the
local area comes into view. Within seconds, the deck appears
to be outside.
We lift off and circle the Smithsonian Mall - higher and
higher over Washington.
The audience is awed. Some look back. Some look down through
the deck. Some look up at the helicopter that appears to be
lifting them. Audience members are now passengers.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
107.
The Photon Ball takes us on a flight across the country, to
the UTIP Campus, then out over the open ocean.
Passengers react as the deck lifts, tilts, and spins.
Very low to the water, our sense of speed increases. The
helicopter disappears.
We are now hanging from a winch on the back of Allen Beck's
boat. Ocean water passes below us. The boat's wake is seen
to the rear of the Photon Ball.
Forward motion stops. Beck drops Joe's urn into the water.
Our deck appears to plunge right in after it, dropping us
slowly through the sea life.
Our descent stops. The light on the urn continues to drop
below us. Fish swim around us. The scene fades.
An info-band around the sphere's equator spells out the
location of each subsequent scene. Music accompanies each
location.
Pete and Angela exchange glances and laughter as they fly
over the world's most striking locations.
The info-band reads: "Niagara Falls."
PETE
Check this out.
With a chopper above, we swoop from high up, down into the
chasm at Niagara Falls. We drop to the water's surface near
the base of the falls. The chopper disappears.
Now, we are in front of a boat navigating the currents near
the roaring falls. The scene fades.
The info-band now reads: "China: The Three Gorges."
The deck approaches Goddess Peak. We circle, hover, then
drop lower and lower to the water's surface. We fly down
the flooding reservoir to the Three Gorges Dam.
Passengers experience the Three Gorges Region with imagery
taken from cars, motorbikes, boats, helicopters, and other
flying machines.
The China location ends with the children, Chin and Lu,
singing as they steer the Collector through the ancient
Chinese town. The children appear to walk behind the deck.
At the Little Temple, they stop and count to ten in Chinese.
The view spins slowly, then fades.
The info-band now reads: "The Earth."
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108.
From a vantage point in space, the deck appears to plunge,
closer and closer to the Earth's surface. It punctures
through to the inside-out view of the Earth that Pete saw in
his dreams.
The deck falls through this Earth Globe, closer and closer
to Washington. We fly above the city's well known buildings
and approach the Photon Ball.
The deck appears to settle onto its actual location.
Passengers again see the live view of the local area.
This view time-lapses back through the day.
The screen fades to the Photon Ball's original neutral
appearance.
Passengers sit in silence a few seconds then they applaud
with delight. Positive comments are spoken.
KID
Let's go again
DAD
Okay, no problem.
The audience exits through the tube, back to the reception
center. Angela and Pete are in their seats making out.
An ATTENDANT speaks up.
ATTENDANT
Please, you'll have to leave now.
You can come again.
Angela giggles. Pete leads Angela out by the hand with a
grin.
EXT. BECK'S MANSION - DAY
Pete, Angela, Madame Chen, and Allen Beck relax in a hot
tub. They all get splashed when Corky jumps in with them.
Beck converses on his cell phone.
ANGELA
(to Madame Chen)
Pete can't go into a hot tub alone.
If he zones out, he'll go under.
Allen Beck's face lights up.
BECK
Hoo hoo! I'll put him on.
Beck hands the phone to Pete.
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109.
PETE
I won't get a shock, will I?
BECK
Course not.
Pete takes the phone. Beck fake-zaps Pete under the arm.
BECK
Zzzzip.
Pete jumps. The girls laugh.
PETE
Hello?
(beat)
An award? What award?
(beat)
I'll definitely be there.
Pete and Beck trade smiles.
ANGELA
Pete, what?
EXT. BECK'S MANSION - AIRFIELD - DAY
The private jet takes off.
INT. AUDITORIUM - NIGHT
WANYIRI NYONG, a formally dressed African man speaks into a
microphone at a podium.
WANYIRI NYONG
Each year we gather here to pay honor
to those who honor us with their
talent and their service. This year,
we are most pleased to honor one who
has given our community so very much.
Close on Pete's face as he gently shakes a mild HUM from his
head.
WANYIRI NYONG (O.S.)
His ingenuity, his resourcefulness,
and his generosity will forever be
remembered by those of us who have
been touched by his work. By his
life.
Back to Wanyiri at the podium.
WANYIRI NYONG
We offer him this little statue and
our heartfelt gratitude.
(MORE)
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110.
WANYIRI NYONG (CONT'D)
Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present
to you, this year's recipient of
Kenya's Model Employer Award. The
Founder of the Nairobi Ginseng Growers
Association. Mr. Roland Watts.
Great applause and smiles all around. Beck and Madame Chen
clap with great pride. Pete gets a hug from Angela.
Roland's boys and his pregnant wife, RUTH, walk up with him
as he receives the statue from Wanyiri.
ROLAND
(too close to mike)
This is great. Thanks everybody.
Thanks a lot. You're all great.
More smiles and applause.
Pete spots an old black man on the awards platform He looks
a lot like the Head that Pete had seen in the dream park.
Pete and the HEAD-MAN smile at one another - knowingly.
EXT. KENYA - GINSENG FARM - DAY
A sign in front reads: "Nairobi Ginseng - A Project of UTIP."
Roland cooks burgers and hot dogs.
Christopher and Patrick toss a baseball back and forth until
Patrick gets chased by an ostrich.
Angela shows her ring to Roland's wife.
The farm staff enjoys the food and talk. Their kids splash
happily in a pool. Roland hands a burger to a child.
ROLAND
Go give this to your daddy, 'ight?
CHILD
'ight.
Beck's jet buzzes the picnic and tilts its wings in salute.
Pete walks and talks with the Head-Man in an animated way.
The old gentleman smiles and laughs as Pete tells him his
story. Closer we hear:
PETE
...and when I poked my head in, I
saw the whole world - inside-out.
They stop.
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111.
HEAD-MAN
Oh. Oh. Wonderful.
PETE
Do you remember?
The Head-Man smiles, but shakes no. He proceeds down the
path. Pete turns to go back.
In a short while, the Head-Man stops and turns partly. He
cocks his head. A beat. Then he continues on his way.
EXT. GINSENG FARM - CAMPFIRE - NIGHT
Pete and Roland gaze peacefully into the fire.
A HUM begins in Pete's head.
It changes to a simple melody.
The fire dissolves.
Pete envisions a hemispherical, grail-like, rose-red Cup.
FADE OUT.