Killing Time
Content
Blackness.
Voices of morbid onlookers: “Suicide?”
Sounds of EMTs, working, loading a BODY onto a stretcher, into an ambulance.
The sound of the siren; a race to the hospital.
In the back, MIRIAM, a veteran EMT, attaches monitors; an IV line. Slow beeping,
indicating a pulse. Miriam calls out vitals; gives a 50ml shot of adrenalin.
Eyes open. MATT DREXLER, time traveller from a doomsday future, seeing 2015 for
the first time. In his vision, floating text:
>Fatal Error<
Mattʼs pulse goes into cardiac arrest. Miriam attaches a DEFIBRILLATOR and shocks
him. In his vision, a spinning HOURGLASS icon. Then:
>Rebooting<
KILLING TIME
Matt awakens in a hospital bed, starts gagging out his chest tube. Itʼs shockingly long.
Welcome to the present Matt. His body is covered in bruises and everything hurts.
Standing nearby is an impossibly beautiful woman, dressed in a sleek, futuristic catsuit.
Her name is VERA (Virtual Reality Assistant.) Sheʼs a product of nano-machinery in
Mattʼs brain sending impulses down his optic nerve.
Veraʼs artificial intelligence seems human, complete with emotions. Matt built her to be a
companion. But she has no experience with ʻpeople,ʼ and the reboot has left her naive
and childlike.
Sheʼs watching the rain fall through the window in fascination when Matt starts to gag.
Vera rushes to his side, throwing her arms around him: “It WORKED!” Tactile neurons in
Mattʼs brain are activated, and he feels her touch.
But Matt knows Vera is not ʻreal.ʼ When Vera starts to kiss Matt, he gently pushes her
away.
Vera looks hurt. The NURSE standing in the doorway looks shocked. To her Matt is
talking/kissing no one. She quickly disappears to fetch the doctor.
What should Matt say? Vera suggests the truth.
The Nurse returns with Dr. PAIGE PRESTON. Sheʼs a little nerdy, but charming when
she smiles. Her main concern is Mattʼs mental health. He came in naked, covered in
bruises. What was he doing?
The truth: Mattʼs from the future. Heʼs here to save the world from armageddon. He
canʼt remember all the details: “Time travel is hard on the brain.”
Paige nods in understanding. Mattʼs surprised itʼs going so well. But sheʼs just buying
time. A subtle nod to the Nurse, and soon SECURITY is here, forcing Matt down,
shackling him. The Nurse injects a dose of Thorazine. Mattʼs jaw starts to lock and
drool spills out. Vera is horrified.
Matt locks eyes with Vera and she understands. The device in his brain activates and
theyʼre thrown back in time. Back to:
Matt gagging up his chest tube. This time, Vera does not rush to embrace him.
Matt tries a different story with Paige: His fiance recently died tragically, and heʼs been
numbing the pain with ʻintoxicants.ʼ
This strikes a chord with Paige, who recently lost her own fiance. She agrees to release
Matt, if he agrees to attend her ʻGrief Supportʼ meeting. Sign a few forms, scrounge up
some clothes, and Matt is out the door.
The contrast between Armageddon and 2015 is a shock. People, cars, civilization. Blue
sky...birds! Images from the ruined future slice in: Red sky, radiation. Skeletal remains of
buildings, cars, people.
Matt prefers 2015, but Vera is non-committal. She points out the issues under the
veneer. Homelessness, crime, pollution.... Vera believes whatever ends this world,
humans probably do it to themselves.
An indie bookstore nearby seems like a good place to start looking. When Vera crosses
the street, a car drives right through her. Matt almost gets hit, and reminds Vera he canʼt
do that. She sarcastically offers to take them back in time so she can fake getting hit for
him. “I can do extra blood.”
Inside the bookstore, Vera detects a Wi-Fi signal. Matt asks the bookstore CLERK for
help. She is sexy with an emo look. Matt flirts with her while she guides him to the
computer section. Vera is quietly jealous, and changes her look to mimic the Clerk. Matt
tells her to change it back before opening the first book: HTTP and YOU.
The process continues, a stack of finished tech books growing next to Mattʼs chair. Vera
cracks the storeʼs Wi-Fi signal and discovers.... THE INTERNET!
Veraʼs transformation begins. She flips through different styles and looks as her
knowledge grows. Iconic outfits from human history. Superhero outfits from sci-fi.
But Matt is getting bored and tells Vera to just pick one that fits in. She picks the look
she deduces as most popular: porn star. Matt immediately vetoes that. Too revealing.
A pouty Vera picks something Matt likes while he wanders the store. The aisle over
features a section on Doomsday. There are so many options! Global warming, nuclear
war, ebola, etc. Internet enhanced Vera is being a know-it-all, shooting down ideas.
Also browsing is grunge styled CHRIS COOPER, his plaid and goatee not quit hiding
the inner nerd. Matt asks Chris for help, even though Vera insists they donʼt need it.
Matt and Chris hit it off discussing Doomsday. Both men are lonely, if for different
reasons. Matt decides to reveal his true mission. Vera strongly objects. Remember what
happened last time?
But Chris believes Matt, and offers help, pumped to know heʼs right about Doomsday.
Cash is the first priority, and Chris has an idea: the GREYHOUND RACES. Vera offers
more ʻefficientʼ options, but Matt is excited for a car ride and curious about seeing a
ʻgreyhound.ʼ Vera flashes an image of a dog, but Matt says that doesnʼt count.
The car ride is a longer tour of 2015, Chris acting as guide, explaining the quirks of
modern life: speed limits; drive-thruʼs; traffic; cops. Vera is sitting in the back seat,
unimpressed, being a downer: “Car accidents kill 50,000 people a year...”, etc.
But the racetrack really is a downer, and Vera goes quiet. Everywhere greasy sweat and
desperation. Some men root through the trash, looking for an unclaimed marker.
Another rubs his wrist where a family heirloom used to tell time.
The GREYHOUNDS are the sole joy. Mattʼs never seen a real dog, and the chance to
pet one is a genuine moment. But Vera knows these dogs are often mistreated.
The race begins. A roar from the crowd, suddenly jolted to life. Vera keeps track of the
winners, before she activates the device and flashes Matt back in time. Back to:
The racetrack entrance, Chris and Matt arriving. The effects of time travel are taking a
toll, and Matt falls to the concrete, ears bleeding. Vera is concerned, but clinical,
informing Matt he will be fine, but more time travel is off the table for now.
Matt pulls it together, and the appropriate bets are placed. No surprise, itʼs winners
across the board and a jackpot for Matt and Chris. Matt buys a steak sandwich, but is
chased off by SECURITY when he feeds a dog.
Chris knows just how to celebrate. A drive to a poor, crime-ridden neighborhood.
Housing projects, graffiti, gangsters. Matt wonders if theyʼve found the beginning of the
end. But Vera reassures him: “This is just a ghetto...These conditions are normal.”
Chris parks his car in an alley, and we head on foot to a shady looking DUPLEX,
everything in disrepair. Vera is getting worried, reciting crime statistics, realizing Chris
intends to consume illegal drugs. But Matt thinks a black market contact may be useful.
The Duplex belongs to an Aryan drug dealer named ADOLF. Heʼs 300 lbs, swastikas
sticking out of his shirt. Matt mimics the ʻwhite powerʼ salute thrown up by Chris, and
Adolf is appeased.
Inside, more Nazi iconography. Vera dons a Nazi uniform and reveals the horrific history
of Adolfʼs namesake. Matt is sickened, and things get tense, but Chris intervenes. Drugs
and cash come out and the situation is smoothed over.
Adolf wants to see Matt take a hit, prove himself. Chris cooks up a spoon, loads a
syringe. Then he hits Matt in the forearm. The effects are immediate. His eyes roll back.
Vera eyes are wide. Somethingʼs wrong. She canʼt breath....Sheʼs dying.
Vera in Mattʼs arms, dead. Devastation cuts through the haze; Mattʼs calling out Veraʼs
name in a panic. But sheʼs gone, her body a sick shade of blue.
Adolf reaches his limit of this craziness, and pulls a GLOCK. Matt points his fingers like
a kindergartner's gun and aims back, defiant. Chris trying to explain a ʻgunʼ but Matt is
feral now, focusing his rage on Adolf.
Adolf fires, but Matt is too fast, already moving. In the next blink the gun is in Mattʼs
hands, reversed, swinging, caving in the Neo-Naziʼs face with the butt.
Things go quiet before we can finally hear Chris beg for help. Heʼs shot in the gut; heʼs
got painful minutes to live. Matt drops the gun, apologizes to Chris, and steals his keys.
A manic drive through the city with a novice driver. Close calls and minor dents, but
Matt finally arrives at the HOSPITAL, ditching Chrisʼs car in the ambulance bay. ER
staff are pissed, but Matt dashes through the fray, looking for Dr. Paige.
Paige calls off Mattʼs pursuers, and takes him to a private room. The situation is simple:
Matt needs an antidote for the drug heʼs just taken. He hopes to save Vera.
Paige agrees to inject the antidote. Matt sobers up and is hit with a wave of emotions.
Paige tries to comfort him...
Vera is also ʻawake.ʼ Her first sight: Matt and another girl. Vera canʼt hold still, sheʼs
trembling with rage.
But Matt pushes Paige away. Now itʼs Vera he loves. He wraps his arms around her and
kisses her. Vera is crying now, overwhelmed and in love. She doesnʼt want to let go.
Matt begs Vera to take him back in time. But she doesnʼt want this moment to end. He
promises it wonʼt. And she flashes him back.... Back to:
Adolfʼs apartment. This time, the time travel sickness overcomes Matt. He falls to floor
puking blood, ears bleeding. Adolf tells Chris to take Matt and GTFO.
This time itʼs Chris racing Matt to the hospital. Itʼs Chris parking in ER intake and racing
to find Paige. She immediately admits Matt, but Chris flees before she can get any info.
Paige begins treatment. Suspecting brain injury, she puts Matt into an induced coma. At
the last moment, Paige adds a DNA Test to the standard battery.
Matt is wheeled to Radiology for a CAT scan. It reveals the mysterious Nanotech Device
in his brain, and the concomitant swelling around it. Paige is shocked.
Meanwhile, Chris is angst smoking outside a dive bar -- Zero Tolerance -- unable to
reach his dealer. A beautiful woman approaches, matching Chrisʼs style. Itʼs Vera. Chris
can see her, and heʼs entranced. Vera promises drugs, and more, if Chris can help her.
Back at the Hospital, a room of DOCTORS, including Paige, confer over Mattʼs
mysterious CAT scan. One of the doctors is especially beautiful, cutting a flawless figure
in fashionable attire and white lab coat: “Dr. Drexler, Neurology.” Itʼs Vera.
The Surgeons want to cut, extract the device from Mattʼs brain. Vera tries to stay calm,
and Paige ultimately decides on a less aggressive approach: let the swelling subside,
and find more patient history in the meantime.
Back to Chris. Heʼs driving Vera to his work -- Lightspeed Networks. He flashes his
badge to the Security GUARD, making an excuse for the late hour:
“Computer Virus.”
Back to Paige in the AMBULANCE BAY now. Sheʼs looking for the record of Mattʼs
pickup, but it seems to be missing. The Crew CHIEF informs Paige that Miriam, the
EMT responsible for filing the report, is out sick.
Paige drives to Miriamʼs. The house is dark and quiet. But through the door, we can
hear Miriamʼs voice. She sounds more agitated. Who is she talking to?
Knocking does no good. Miriam only sounds more agitated. Paige finally forces her way
inside. Everything is dark, except for a computer screen. Miriam is sitting in front, typing
furiously, talking to ʻno one.ʼ
Paige calls an ambulance, tries to help, but Miriam goes berserk. She breaks free and
rushes into the street...where an oncoming car strikes her down.
Paige is frozen in shock. She doesnʼt notice Dr. Vera approach. Vera blames Paige for
the accident; thatʼs she just watching as Miriam dies...Maybe Veraʼs right?
Distraught Paige finally screams back: “Help me or FUCK OFF!” She starts CPR to the
sound of an ambulance getting closer. EMTs arrive and take over.
A crowd of ONLOOKERS have gathered. Theyʼre acting strange, agitated. They seem
to be blaming Paige. Vera is nowhere to be found.
Paige escapes to the Dive Bar, still wearing Miriamʼs blood. Behind the counter is
STEVE, former Hellʼs Angel (now he teaches football). Steve knows Paige well. He
does not want to give her a drink. But he believes in liberty. Coke and whiskey. Paige
drinks it down and orders another.
“Rough day?”
Thatʼs when Dr. Vera takes a seat at the next barstool. She wonders if Paige really
should be drinking given her ʻhistory.ʼ Paige has had exactly enough of this bitch and
goes off.
Steve canʼt see Vera; he thinks Paige has lost it. After nervously pouring one more
drink, he finally tells Paige there is no one else here. Then he calls a cab.
Paige drags Vera into the restroom to check her reflection. Alcohol delays Veraʼs
processing speed, and her image in the mirror moves a little too slow. Paige demands
Vera open the door herself. Obviously, she canʼt.
Scared sheʼs losing her mind, Paige goes totally mute, ignoring Vera. Just nodding to
Steve when he tells her the cab is here. Just handing the cab driver the card for her
support group.
Vera sits with Paige in the back seat. The traffic lights turn green just for them. Cars in
the way pull over. Itʼs clear Veraʼs manipulating this somehow.
Matt wakes up in his hospital bed, Vera by his side. Patients have been flooding the ER,
acting strangely, and the situation is volatile. Mattʼs first priority is to escape.
Heʼs putting on his pants, when the Nurse enters. Vera smartly browbeats her until she
agrees itʼs okay for Matt to leave.
The Nurse can see Vera. The implications of this finally dawn on Matt:
“What the hell did you do Vera?”
“Things were better when it was just you and me.”
In a nearby school CAFETERIA, the support group is about to start. Most of the regulars
are missing. Paige stares into her coffee, still trying to ignore Vera.
Paige shares first, starting slow but eventually revealing the facts of her fianceʼs death:
They were celebrating their engagement. Paige drank too much, fell asleep behind the
wheel. Her fiance died slowly,
Vera flips her image to that of Paigeʼs FIANCE...Then to FIANCE version 2: bloody and
mangled; post car accident. Paige screams in horror and flees. Matt was in the
audience for most of the story. He chases after Paige.
Youʼre not crazy. Matt tells the truth: heʼs from the future. Paige kinda already knows.
He explains Veraʼs true nature: self-replicating nano-technology... A nano-virus. Vera
herself finally admits it, and sheʼs taking over everything.
Matt knows the temporary solution to shutting Vera up is heroin, and Paige is desperate.
So he hotwires a truck and we head to Adolfʼs house. This time, the Neo-Nazi is
remarkably compliant. A vague impression of the beat down still lingers in his mind.
Dr. Paige administers the drugs. Vera appears to die, except this time itʼs melodramatic
and fake. Paige sobs quietly in relief. But Matt is on his feet, thinking.
First Matt wants to use Adolfʼs ʻcell phoneʼ to call/check-on Chris. But there is no
answer. Adolf reveals a strange technology called Facebook, which reveals Chrisʼs
location--Lightspeed Networks.
A terrifying and breakneck drive to Lightspeed HQ. The Guard is missing, the security
glass shattered. Matt hops in and opens the gate. They find Chrisʼs car near the DATA
CENTER.
Inside itʼs a maze of servers, more than an acre, cooled to 40 degrees F. Controlled by
a CRAY SUPERCOMPUTER deep in the heart. Thatʼs where Chris is sitting, totally
motionless. Different emotions blink across his face: happy, sad, angry, scared, etc.
Vera, coming unhinged, wearing a wedding dress, explains she has made a “slight
modification modification to the Chris unit.”
From the back of Chrisʼs skull, TENDRILS connect into the computer. Vera is on the
verge of infecting the physical and electronic worlds. This is the final confrontation:
With a sharp tug, Max pulls Chris free from the computer. The tendrils burst, spraying
blood and brain matter. Mercifully, Chris is soon dead. But itʼs too late.
On all the monitors, Vera displays live images of NUCLEAR WEAPONS: Being
launched, re-entering the atmosphere, heading towards impact.
This is Mattʼs last chance. Heʼs down on his knees, begging. Asking Vera to marry him.
If sheʼll only take him back. Vera chooses a ring and agrees...Back to:
Matt and Paige driving towards Lightspeed HQ, when Matt is overcome with time travel
sickness, bleeding from everywhere...heʼs dying. But Paige has one chance:
In the back of the truck, Paige finds a power drill. She places the bit against Mattʼs skull.
It whines and smokes as she drills through. Pus and fluid flow out.
The pressure on Mattʼs brain is being relieved. Heʼs starting to wake up. He has a new
plan, a shot in the dark: If Matt can manually interface with the device in his brain, he
can travel back before the Vera infection.
The time travel will probably kill him, but Vera would be stopped before she ever started.
Paige finally, reluctantly agrees, and the surgery on Mattʼs brain begins, while he
remains conscious. A bone saw removes the skull cap. The device is revealed. But
Paigeʼs hands are shaking. Itʼs the drugs keeping Vera away and her awake. Sheʼs
trying, but she nicks Mattʼs cerebral artery. He dies on the table.
Shocked, devastated, Paige rips off her scrubs and rushes out to a BALCONY. Rain is
falling.
Paige considers jumping, when the Nurse interrupts her. Mattʼs DNA was flagged in the
medical database: “Youʼre not going to believe it.”
Inside the file is a picture of a newborn BABY, found abandoned at a local firehouse.
The DNA is a perfect match to Matt. This baby will grow up to be Matt Drexler, time
traveler...plague carrier.
Paige starting to cry from the weight of what she must do. But she pushes on, grabbing
morphine and a syringe and heading to the NURSERY.
Paige, in the Nursery, standing over the newborn Max, loading a syringe of morphine.
Enough to easily kill an infant...
FADE OUT.
Voices of morbid onlookers: “Suicide?”
Sounds of EMTs, working, loading a BODY onto a stretcher, into an ambulance.
The sound of the siren; a race to the hospital.
In the back, MIRIAM, a veteran EMT, attaches monitors; an IV line. Slow beeping,
indicating a pulse. Miriam calls out vitals; gives a 50ml shot of adrenalin.
Eyes open. MATT DREXLER, time traveller from a doomsday future, seeing 2015 for
the first time. In his vision, floating text:
>Fatal Error<
Mattʼs pulse goes into cardiac arrest. Miriam attaches a DEFIBRILLATOR and shocks
him. In his vision, a spinning HOURGLASS icon. Then:
>Rebooting<
KILLING TIME
Matt awakens in a hospital bed, starts gagging out his chest tube. Itʼs shockingly long.
Welcome to the present Matt. His body is covered in bruises and everything hurts.
Standing nearby is an impossibly beautiful woman, dressed in a sleek, futuristic catsuit.
Her name is VERA (Virtual Reality Assistant.) Sheʼs a product of nano-machinery in
Mattʼs brain sending impulses down his optic nerve.
Veraʼs artificial intelligence seems human, complete with emotions. Matt built her to be a
companion. But she has no experience with ʻpeople,ʼ and the reboot has left her naive
and childlike.
Sheʼs watching the rain fall through the window in fascination when Matt starts to gag.
Vera rushes to his side, throwing her arms around him: “It WORKED!” Tactile neurons in
Mattʼs brain are activated, and he feels her touch.
But Matt knows Vera is not ʻreal.ʼ When Vera starts to kiss Matt, he gently pushes her
away.
Vera looks hurt. The NURSE standing in the doorway looks shocked. To her Matt is
talking/kissing no one. She quickly disappears to fetch the doctor.
What should Matt say? Vera suggests the truth.
The Nurse returns with Dr. PAIGE PRESTON. Sheʼs a little nerdy, but charming when
she smiles. Her main concern is Mattʼs mental health. He came in naked, covered in
bruises. What was he doing?
The truth: Mattʼs from the future. Heʼs here to save the world from armageddon. He
canʼt remember all the details: “Time travel is hard on the brain.”
Paige nods in understanding. Mattʼs surprised itʼs going so well. But sheʼs just buying
time. A subtle nod to the Nurse, and soon SECURITY is here, forcing Matt down,
shackling him. The Nurse injects a dose of Thorazine. Mattʼs jaw starts to lock and
drool spills out. Vera is horrified.
Matt locks eyes with Vera and she understands. The device in his brain activates and
theyʼre thrown back in time. Back to:
Matt gagging up his chest tube. This time, Vera does not rush to embrace him.
Matt tries a different story with Paige: His fiance recently died tragically, and heʼs been
numbing the pain with ʻintoxicants.ʼ
This strikes a chord with Paige, who recently lost her own fiance. She agrees to release
Matt, if he agrees to attend her ʻGrief Supportʼ meeting. Sign a few forms, scrounge up
some clothes, and Matt is out the door.
The contrast between Armageddon and 2015 is a shock. People, cars, civilization. Blue
sky...birds! Images from the ruined future slice in: Red sky, radiation. Skeletal remains of
buildings, cars, people.
Matt prefers 2015, but Vera is non-committal. She points out the issues under the
veneer. Homelessness, crime, pollution.... Vera believes whatever ends this world,
humans probably do it to themselves.
An indie bookstore nearby seems like a good place to start looking. When Vera crosses
the street, a car drives right through her. Matt almost gets hit, and reminds Vera he canʼt
do that. She sarcastically offers to take them back in time so she can fake getting hit for
him. “I can do extra blood.”
Inside the bookstore, Vera detects a Wi-Fi signal. Matt asks the bookstore CLERK for
help. She is sexy with an emo look. Matt flirts with her while she guides him to the
computer section. Vera is quietly jealous, and changes her look to mimic the Clerk. Matt
tells her to change it back before opening the first book: HTTP and YOU.
The process continues, a stack of finished tech books growing next to Mattʼs chair. Vera
cracks the storeʼs Wi-Fi signal and discovers.... THE INTERNET!
Veraʼs transformation begins. She flips through different styles and looks as her
knowledge grows. Iconic outfits from human history. Superhero outfits from sci-fi.
But Matt is getting bored and tells Vera to just pick one that fits in. She picks the look
she deduces as most popular: porn star. Matt immediately vetoes that. Too revealing.
A pouty Vera picks something Matt likes while he wanders the store. The aisle over
features a section on Doomsday. There are so many options! Global warming, nuclear
war, ebola, etc. Internet enhanced Vera is being a know-it-all, shooting down ideas.
Also browsing is grunge styled CHRIS COOPER, his plaid and goatee not quit hiding
the inner nerd. Matt asks Chris for help, even though Vera insists they donʼt need it.
Matt and Chris hit it off discussing Doomsday. Both men are lonely, if for different
reasons. Matt decides to reveal his true mission. Vera strongly objects. Remember what
happened last time?
But Chris believes Matt, and offers help, pumped to know heʼs right about Doomsday.
Cash is the first priority, and Chris has an idea: the GREYHOUND RACES. Vera offers
more ʻefficientʼ options, but Matt is excited for a car ride and curious about seeing a
ʻgreyhound.ʼ Vera flashes an image of a dog, but Matt says that doesnʼt count.
The car ride is a longer tour of 2015, Chris acting as guide, explaining the quirks of
modern life: speed limits; drive-thruʼs; traffic; cops. Vera is sitting in the back seat,
unimpressed, being a downer: “Car accidents kill 50,000 people a year...”, etc.
But the racetrack really is a downer, and Vera goes quiet. Everywhere greasy sweat and
desperation. Some men root through the trash, looking for an unclaimed marker.
Another rubs his wrist where a family heirloom used to tell time.
The GREYHOUNDS are the sole joy. Mattʼs never seen a real dog, and the chance to
pet one is a genuine moment. But Vera knows these dogs are often mistreated.
The race begins. A roar from the crowd, suddenly jolted to life. Vera keeps track of the
winners, before she activates the device and flashes Matt back in time. Back to:
The racetrack entrance, Chris and Matt arriving. The effects of time travel are taking a
toll, and Matt falls to the concrete, ears bleeding. Vera is concerned, but clinical,
informing Matt he will be fine, but more time travel is off the table for now.
Matt pulls it together, and the appropriate bets are placed. No surprise, itʼs winners
across the board and a jackpot for Matt and Chris. Matt buys a steak sandwich, but is
chased off by SECURITY when he feeds a dog.
Chris knows just how to celebrate. A drive to a poor, crime-ridden neighborhood.
Housing projects, graffiti, gangsters. Matt wonders if theyʼve found the beginning of the
end. But Vera reassures him: “This is just a ghetto...These conditions are normal.”
Chris parks his car in an alley, and we head on foot to a shady looking DUPLEX,
everything in disrepair. Vera is getting worried, reciting crime statistics, realizing Chris
intends to consume illegal drugs. But Matt thinks a black market contact may be useful.
The Duplex belongs to an Aryan drug dealer named ADOLF. Heʼs 300 lbs, swastikas
sticking out of his shirt. Matt mimics the ʻwhite powerʼ salute thrown up by Chris, and
Adolf is appeased.
Inside, more Nazi iconography. Vera dons a Nazi uniform and reveals the horrific history
of Adolfʼs namesake. Matt is sickened, and things get tense, but Chris intervenes. Drugs
and cash come out and the situation is smoothed over.
Adolf wants to see Matt take a hit, prove himself. Chris cooks up a spoon, loads a
syringe. Then he hits Matt in the forearm. The effects are immediate. His eyes roll back.
Vera eyes are wide. Somethingʼs wrong. She canʼt breath....Sheʼs dying.
Vera in Mattʼs arms, dead. Devastation cuts through the haze; Mattʼs calling out Veraʼs
name in a panic. But sheʼs gone, her body a sick shade of blue.
Adolf reaches his limit of this craziness, and pulls a GLOCK. Matt points his fingers like
a kindergartner's gun and aims back, defiant. Chris trying to explain a ʻgunʼ but Matt is
feral now, focusing his rage on Adolf.
Adolf fires, but Matt is too fast, already moving. In the next blink the gun is in Mattʼs
hands, reversed, swinging, caving in the Neo-Naziʼs face with the butt.
Things go quiet before we can finally hear Chris beg for help. Heʼs shot in the gut; heʼs
got painful minutes to live. Matt drops the gun, apologizes to Chris, and steals his keys.
A manic drive through the city with a novice driver. Close calls and minor dents, but
Matt finally arrives at the HOSPITAL, ditching Chrisʼs car in the ambulance bay. ER
staff are pissed, but Matt dashes through the fray, looking for Dr. Paige.
Paige calls off Mattʼs pursuers, and takes him to a private room. The situation is simple:
Matt needs an antidote for the drug heʼs just taken. He hopes to save Vera.
Paige agrees to inject the antidote. Matt sobers up and is hit with a wave of emotions.
Paige tries to comfort him...
Vera is also ʻawake.ʼ Her first sight: Matt and another girl. Vera canʼt hold still, sheʼs
trembling with rage.
But Matt pushes Paige away. Now itʼs Vera he loves. He wraps his arms around her and
kisses her. Vera is crying now, overwhelmed and in love. She doesnʼt want to let go.
Matt begs Vera to take him back in time. But she doesnʼt want this moment to end. He
promises it wonʼt. And she flashes him back.... Back to:
Adolfʼs apartment. This time, the time travel sickness overcomes Matt. He falls to floor
puking blood, ears bleeding. Adolf tells Chris to take Matt and GTFO.
This time itʼs Chris racing Matt to the hospital. Itʼs Chris parking in ER intake and racing
to find Paige. She immediately admits Matt, but Chris flees before she can get any info.
Paige begins treatment. Suspecting brain injury, she puts Matt into an induced coma. At
the last moment, Paige adds a DNA Test to the standard battery.
Matt is wheeled to Radiology for a CAT scan. It reveals the mysterious Nanotech Device
in his brain, and the concomitant swelling around it. Paige is shocked.
Meanwhile, Chris is angst smoking outside a dive bar -- Zero Tolerance -- unable to
reach his dealer. A beautiful woman approaches, matching Chrisʼs style. Itʼs Vera. Chris
can see her, and heʼs entranced. Vera promises drugs, and more, if Chris can help her.
Back at the Hospital, a room of DOCTORS, including Paige, confer over Mattʼs
mysterious CAT scan. One of the doctors is especially beautiful, cutting a flawless figure
in fashionable attire and white lab coat: “Dr. Drexler, Neurology.” Itʼs Vera.
The Surgeons want to cut, extract the device from Mattʼs brain. Vera tries to stay calm,
and Paige ultimately decides on a less aggressive approach: let the swelling subside,
and find more patient history in the meantime.
Back to Chris. Heʼs driving Vera to his work -- Lightspeed Networks. He flashes his
badge to the Security GUARD, making an excuse for the late hour:
“Computer Virus.”
Back to Paige in the AMBULANCE BAY now. Sheʼs looking for the record of Mattʼs
pickup, but it seems to be missing. The Crew CHIEF informs Paige that Miriam, the
EMT responsible for filing the report, is out sick.
Paige drives to Miriamʼs. The house is dark and quiet. But through the door, we can
hear Miriamʼs voice. She sounds more agitated. Who is she talking to?
Knocking does no good. Miriam only sounds more agitated. Paige finally forces her way
inside. Everything is dark, except for a computer screen. Miriam is sitting in front, typing
furiously, talking to ʻno one.ʼ
Paige calls an ambulance, tries to help, but Miriam goes berserk. She breaks free and
rushes into the street...where an oncoming car strikes her down.
Paige is frozen in shock. She doesnʼt notice Dr. Vera approach. Vera blames Paige for
the accident; thatʼs she just watching as Miriam dies...Maybe Veraʼs right?
Distraught Paige finally screams back: “Help me or FUCK OFF!” She starts CPR to the
sound of an ambulance getting closer. EMTs arrive and take over.
A crowd of ONLOOKERS have gathered. Theyʼre acting strange, agitated. They seem
to be blaming Paige. Vera is nowhere to be found.
Paige escapes to the Dive Bar, still wearing Miriamʼs blood. Behind the counter is
STEVE, former Hellʼs Angel (now he teaches football). Steve knows Paige well. He
does not want to give her a drink. But he believes in liberty. Coke and whiskey. Paige
drinks it down and orders another.
“Rough day?”
Thatʼs when Dr. Vera takes a seat at the next barstool. She wonders if Paige really
should be drinking given her ʻhistory.ʼ Paige has had exactly enough of this bitch and
goes off.
Steve canʼt see Vera; he thinks Paige has lost it. After nervously pouring one more
drink, he finally tells Paige there is no one else here. Then he calls a cab.
Paige drags Vera into the restroom to check her reflection. Alcohol delays Veraʼs
processing speed, and her image in the mirror moves a little too slow. Paige demands
Vera open the door herself. Obviously, she canʼt.
Scared sheʼs losing her mind, Paige goes totally mute, ignoring Vera. Just nodding to
Steve when he tells her the cab is here. Just handing the cab driver the card for her
support group.
Vera sits with Paige in the back seat. The traffic lights turn green just for them. Cars in
the way pull over. Itʼs clear Veraʼs manipulating this somehow.
Matt wakes up in his hospital bed, Vera by his side. Patients have been flooding the ER,
acting strangely, and the situation is volatile. Mattʼs first priority is to escape.
Heʼs putting on his pants, when the Nurse enters. Vera smartly browbeats her until she
agrees itʼs okay for Matt to leave.
The Nurse can see Vera. The implications of this finally dawn on Matt:
“What the hell did you do Vera?”
“Things were better when it was just you and me.”
In a nearby school CAFETERIA, the support group is about to start. Most of the regulars
are missing. Paige stares into her coffee, still trying to ignore Vera.
Paige shares first, starting slow but eventually revealing the facts of her fianceʼs death:
They were celebrating their engagement. Paige drank too much, fell asleep behind the
wheel. Her fiance died slowly,
Vera flips her image to that of Paigeʼs FIANCE...Then to FIANCE version 2: bloody and
mangled; post car accident. Paige screams in horror and flees. Matt was in the
audience for most of the story. He chases after Paige.
Youʼre not crazy. Matt tells the truth: heʼs from the future. Paige kinda already knows.
He explains Veraʼs true nature: self-replicating nano-technology... A nano-virus. Vera
herself finally admits it, and sheʼs taking over everything.
Matt knows the temporary solution to shutting Vera up is heroin, and Paige is desperate.
So he hotwires a truck and we head to Adolfʼs house. This time, the Neo-Nazi is
remarkably compliant. A vague impression of the beat down still lingers in his mind.
Dr. Paige administers the drugs. Vera appears to die, except this time itʼs melodramatic
and fake. Paige sobs quietly in relief. But Matt is on his feet, thinking.
First Matt wants to use Adolfʼs ʻcell phoneʼ to call/check-on Chris. But there is no
answer. Adolf reveals a strange technology called Facebook, which reveals Chrisʼs
location--Lightspeed Networks.
A terrifying and breakneck drive to Lightspeed HQ. The Guard is missing, the security
glass shattered. Matt hops in and opens the gate. They find Chrisʼs car near the DATA
CENTER.
Inside itʼs a maze of servers, more than an acre, cooled to 40 degrees F. Controlled by
a CRAY SUPERCOMPUTER deep in the heart. Thatʼs where Chris is sitting, totally
motionless. Different emotions blink across his face: happy, sad, angry, scared, etc.
Vera, coming unhinged, wearing a wedding dress, explains she has made a “slight
modification modification to the Chris unit.”
From the back of Chrisʼs skull, TENDRILS connect into the computer. Vera is on the
verge of infecting the physical and electronic worlds. This is the final confrontation:
With a sharp tug, Max pulls Chris free from the computer. The tendrils burst, spraying
blood and brain matter. Mercifully, Chris is soon dead. But itʼs too late.
On all the monitors, Vera displays live images of NUCLEAR WEAPONS: Being
launched, re-entering the atmosphere, heading towards impact.
This is Mattʼs last chance. Heʼs down on his knees, begging. Asking Vera to marry him.
If sheʼll only take him back. Vera chooses a ring and agrees...Back to:
Matt and Paige driving towards Lightspeed HQ, when Matt is overcome with time travel
sickness, bleeding from everywhere...heʼs dying. But Paige has one chance:
In the back of the truck, Paige finds a power drill. She places the bit against Mattʼs skull.
It whines and smokes as she drills through. Pus and fluid flow out.
The pressure on Mattʼs brain is being relieved. Heʼs starting to wake up. He has a new
plan, a shot in the dark: If Matt can manually interface with the device in his brain, he
can travel back before the Vera infection.
The time travel will probably kill him, but Vera would be stopped before she ever started.
Paige finally, reluctantly agrees, and the surgery on Mattʼs brain begins, while he
remains conscious. A bone saw removes the skull cap. The device is revealed. But
Paigeʼs hands are shaking. Itʼs the drugs keeping Vera away and her awake. Sheʼs
trying, but she nicks Mattʼs cerebral artery. He dies on the table.
Shocked, devastated, Paige rips off her scrubs and rushes out to a BALCONY. Rain is
falling.
Paige considers jumping, when the Nurse interrupts her. Mattʼs DNA was flagged in the
medical database: “Youʼre not going to believe it.”
Inside the file is a picture of a newborn BABY, found abandoned at a local firehouse.
The DNA is a perfect match to Matt. This baby will grow up to be Matt Drexler, time
traveler...plague carrier.
Paige starting to cry from the weight of what she must do. But she pushes on, grabbing
morphine and a syringe and heading to the NURSERY.
Paige, in the Nursery, standing over the newborn Max, loading a syringe of morphine.
Enough to easily kill an infant...
FADE OUT.
