"ANTITRUST" Screenplay by Howard Franklin SHOOTING DRAFT 2001 ON A BLACK SCREEN it says: "The coolest thing?" VOICE Wow. That's hard. I'd have to say it's the day we launched Outpost '98. We hear a (famous) Seattle alternative band. EXT. OUTPOST CAMPUS - DAY (BEGIN MAIN TITLES) Quick cuts, seductive angles: 70 hot-air balloons rise over a vast, green corporate campus. Their mylar skins are imprinted with Outpost '98 logos; their gondolas are dressed in Outpost-colored bunting. 18,000 Outpost employees cheer. They're spread out over rolling lawns, amid Arabian tents and costumed Acrobats. Over the balloon-dotted sky, the graphic re-appears: "The coolest thing?" DIFFERENT VOICE (DARYL) It's the beverages. INT. OUTPOST OFFICE - DAY (CONTINUE TITLES & MUSIC) A Programmer sits in his handsome office, forested landscape out the window. The screen says: DARYL, M.I.T. '95 DARYL Gary always makes sure we've got the coolest stuff to drink. JUMP CUTS of tall refrigerators: Snapples, Cokes, Fruitopias, Zaps, Jolts, Barques & Sprites are lined-up behind glass doors. "The coolest thing?" DIFFERENT VOICE (DIANA) Knowing your work means something. INT. OUTPOST CAMPUS - DAY (CONTINUE TITLES & MUSIC) A 24-year-old Korean-American Girl sits at the edge of a plashing, post-modern fountain. DIANA, STANFORD '97 DIANA (V.O.) Knowing everywhere in the world, this is the software people use. MONTAGE of world capitals & remote places: Stockbrokers & Farmers, News Anchors & Students, CEO's & Eskimos boot-up Outpost '98, or log-on with Outpost Internet Traveler. DIANA (V.O.) 20 years ago, Gary had an idea, that's all he had. And now the company's bigger than IBM. Over the last shot (a Ghetto Kid uses Outpost Word in the library): "The coolest thing?" VOICE (V.O.) It's the people. Which is weird. EXT. COFFEE HOUSE/TERRACE - DAY (CONTINUE TITLES & MUSIC) A Programmer sits with two colleagues, drinking lattés at the edge of Lake Washington. MITCH, BERKELEY, '98 MITCH Big companies are s'posed to be impersonal. MONTAGE: Programmers play competitive games at an Outpost picnic; Toddlers play on computers in an Outpost Day Care Center; Geeks confer at a diagram-covered whiteboard; Employees listen/dance to the Seattle band we've been hearing, on-stage, at the Outpost '98 launch. MITCH (V.O.) There's this myth that doing a start- up is cooler. But there's no community with a start-up. No permanence. BACK TO SCENE: COFFEE HOUSE/TERRACE (CONTINUE TITLES) One of Mitch's colleagues is nodding. DONNY, HARVARD, '97 DONNY It bums me out when the media say we're cultish, or whatever. Why? 'Cause we care about each other? Donny didn't mean to sound so mushy. Nobody knows where to look for a second. MITCH 'Love you too, bro. As they laugh: "The coolest thing?" VOICE (TERRY) I'll tell you what's not cool. TERRY How Gary gets this superbad rap. MONTAGE of magazine covers (Newsweek, Vanity Fair, WIRED) featuring Gary Boyd. They say, eg: "Who Owns Cyberspace?" On a Time cover, he's composited by the Capitol Dome: "ROBBER BARON OR VISIONARY? Outpost's Antitrust Woes" TERRY (V.O.) There's this prejudice against super- smart people. People like Gary. GARY (early 40's) reads a statement before a Congressional Sub-Committee. His voice is pleasant but firm: GARY A kid working in his garage can create the next Outpost, the new IBM. All it takes is a great idea. A bloated Senator looks hostile. GARY That's why nobody can have a monopoly in a business built on ideas. As we watch, CAMERA pulls back from the screen on which the movie is being projected. REVERSE INTO: INT. COLLEGE AUDITORIUM - EVENING (END MAIN TITLES) Over an audience of 40 or so computer students we read: STANFORD UNIVERSITY We pick out MILO CONNOR, watching keenly. He's 21: clear- eyed, alive, innocent. He sits with his best friend, TEDDY CHIN, third-generation Chinese-American. DIFFERENT VOICE (V.O.) The coolest? Gary. He's like you or me. If we happened t'be insanely rich. Some appreciative laughter in the auditorium. But behind Milo, LARRY LINDHOLM squirms in his seat. He whispers: LARRY Can we go? VOICE (FROM THE FILM) For me? It's Seattle! LARRY 'Starting to get nauseated. BRIAN BISSEL, in front of Milo, twists in his seat: BRIAN Do you mind? Larry gets up. Two Outpost Recruiters, REDMOND PRICE, 31 (gray suit) and DANNY BAYLOR, 29 (Outpost '98 golf shirt) note the walkout. Danny scans headshots in a Stanford Yearbook. (On-screen behind them we see Seattle: night streets wet-down & shimmering; Young People entering a club; Young People climbing Mt. Shasta.) Finding Larry's picture, Danny points out the name to Redmond, who shrugs: unconcerned. VOICE FROM THE MOVIE Did anybody mention the beverages? INT. HALLWAY OUTSIDE AUDITORIUM - CONTINUOUS The double-doors swing open (over them, a plate reads: THE HEWLITT-PACKARD AUDITORIUM) and Larry comes out. UP THE HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS ALICE POULSON, a very pretty girl of 21 (more hiply dressed than the geeks) searches the hall, reading the names over the doors (NEC Communications Classroom, Toshiba Computer Lab, Mitsubishi Classroom). She spots Larry. ALICE Is it over? LARRY They still have to give 'em refreshments laced with mind-altering drugs. ALICE You are a fanatic. LARRY 'Gonna wait outside. EXT. STANFORD COMPUTER SCIENCE BLDG. - A MOMENT LATER Tilting down the neo-classical edifice, we read the name etched over the entrance: WILLIAM GATES COMPUTER SCIENCE BUILDING. We find Larry and Alice sitting on the steps. LARRY (AT FIRST O.S.) Alice? You gotta make him do the start-up with Teddy and me. ALICE "Make" him? LARRY (thoughtfully) You know what I mean. As we hear Larry speak, we cut back into: THE AUDITORIUM - CONTINUOUS The lights are on. Milo & Teddy stand by a table dressed in Outpost bunting, laden with refreshments & giveaways: mousepads, T-shirts, caps & books with the Outpost logo on them (a simple contour drawing of a frontier outpost). While most Students chat earnestly with Recruiters, Milo & Teddy load their plates with pizza and tortilla chips. LARRY (V.O.) I'm not exactly worldly, but I'm the Secretary of State next to him. Milo puts some brownies on his plate. LARRY (V.O.) And they're all throwing this -- stuff at him. Stock options. Pay packages. Spotting a book on the table, Milo picks it up. EXT. GATES BLDG. - CONTINUOUS LARRY I'm just screwed. ALICE (that's not true) You know what he's like. He just wants to work on stuff that's cool. LARRY You don't wanna move, do you? ALICE I can paint anywhere. Larry looks at her: you didn't answer my question. ALICE I'd like to stay here, yeah. And I kind of think he should be with Teddy. THE AUDITORIUM - CONTINUOUS Milo and Teddy discuss the book almost joyfully. (We see a page of code: utterly indecipherable.) ALICE (V.O.) I mean, nobody else can follow what they're talking about half the time. MILO/TEDDY (under Alice) 'Could be a condition-variable in the locking code -- If it didn't seg fault, first! EXT. GATES BLDG. - CONTINUOUS ALICE Maybe you shouldn't push it so hard. About Outpost. No offense, you sound insane. LARRY I can't help it. I feel like they'd do anything to keep their -- ALICE Anything? That's not even credible. If he wants to go up there? To check it out? I think you should encourage him. (seeing Larry's incredulity) It's his life. But everybody's treating him like this -- valuable object. You're hurting your own case. INT. AUDITORIUM - CONTINUOUS Brian, already wearing one of the Outpost caps, effuses to Redmond. BRIAN He's my god. I hear he actually calls recruits sometimes. Or is that an Urban Legend? REDMOND Gary's running the biggest software company in the world, Brian. He's being harassed by the Justice Department, and he's got a new baby. Across the room, Milo (eating chips, perusing code) reaches for a napkin but unwittingly grabs some bunting. It unravels in a long TP-like streamer -- just as Danny approaches, peering at Milo's ID tag. DANNY Milo? I'm Danny. MILO Oh hi. He tries to sluff the paper off his hand; Danny holds out a cell phone. DANNY Gary would like to speak to you? Milo and Teddy look at each other: right. But Danny looks like he means it. Milo's grin fades. He takes the phone. MILO ...Hello? GARY (ON THE PHONE) Milo? Gary Boyd. I'm hoping you and your friend can come up here. We've made some amazing strides in digital convergence. I'd love to show them to you. MILO You would? Wow. When would we come? (he waits; he looks up) 'Think he hung up. Danny holds out two plane tickets, in 1st class folders. INT. UNIVERSITY AVENUE DINER (PALO ALTO) - NIGHT Alice examines one of the tickets almost suspiciously. ALICE But how does he know that's what you guys're working on? Larry, Teddy & Brian are at the table with Alice & Milo. It's a student hang-out, with loud music. MILO All the companies know. The faculties tell 'em. At the target schools. LARRY In exchange for endowments. They should just drop the pretense and name the schools after 'em. BRIAN (to Teddy) I can't believe you refused a ticket! TEDDY My parents're already freaked-out I'm staying here. 50 miles from Chinatown. BRIAN Well maybe if you told 'em how much money you'd be making -- (to Milo) You're going up there. Right? LARRY I think you should go. MILO (amazed) You do? LARRY I mean, it's your life. As Alice predicted, Milo is pleased by Larry's remark. "Empowered." Larry smiles conspiratorially at Alice. INT. MILO & ALICE'S APARTMENT - MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT In a tidy, playfully decorated room, Alice stirs in bed, sees the space next to her is vacant. TINY ROOM - CONTINUOUS Milo sits at a desk, thinking, agitated, in the dim light of a PC. He looks up, sees Alice in the doorway. MILO I think I kind of lost it. I was just so thrilled to be talking to the richest, most powerful... 'Didn't know I even cared about that stuff. ALICE C'mon, how often do you talk to somebody who's been on the cover of Time. Three of four times. She picks her way through geek clutter (motherboards, code manuals, Coke cans) sits next to him. MILO A lot of what Larry says is true. They just clone stuff, or reverse engineer it, and everybody gets stuck with their inferior version cause they -- ALICE Then you've gotta ask him about that. He looks at her: you've gotta be kidding. ALICE It's important. MILO If he's really a bully, he won't cop to it, anyway. ALICE Bully? Are we talking about Gary Boyd? Or your dad. He doesn't deny it: she sees right through him. MILO When I was a kid? And he was moving us all over the place? I spent all my time writing stuff on Outpost 1.0. I thought Gary Boyd was the greatest. ALICE But he's not quite the same guy anymore. Don't get your hopes too high? INT. 737 - FIRST CLASS CABIN - DAY In the cabin, everybody types on a notebook but Milo. He looks out the window expectantly: at the Seattle skyline. INT. SEA-TAC AIRPORT - GATE 13 - DAY Milo comes off the plane. Danny and Redmond greet him. INT/EXT. HIGHWAY/CAR - DAY Redmond drives his black Lexus 85 m.p.h. Danny leans forward from the backseat. DANNY 'Couldn't convince Teddy to come? MILO He's pretty tight with his family. DANNY We could move 'em up here. MILO He just likes to write code. He's bummed there's so much secrecy and competition, everybody trying to own everything. REDMOND Who do you mean by "everybody." Milo almost blushes. He makes an awkward segue. MILO So -- how far are we from the campus? REDMOND Oh we're not going to the campus. EXT. GARY BOYD'S COMPOUND - LAKE WASHINGTON - DAY Beyond a rocky beach, buildings are cunningly carved into a wooded hillside. Glass walls are framed in rich wood. The main house is 28,000 sq. ft. Then there's the guest house, pool building, reception hall, library... EXT. GATEHOUSE - CONTINUOUS Redmond pulls up. A discreet Guard in a Mr. Rogers cardigan recognizes him. The gates swing open. EXT. BOYD HOUSE - DAY They pull up by a Lexus SUV with a baby seat. Another Man in a cardigan stands in the open front door. MILO Who's that? DANNY I think they call him the "Houseman." 'Cause "guard" sounds too weird. Milo just sits there, eyeing the monumental residence. DANNY Don't be nervous. The house is the weirdest thing about him. REDMOND It's like he knows everybody expects him to be this worldly, colorful zillionaire. But he's just a guy who likes software. INT. BOYD MANSION - DEN-LIKE ROOM - DAY Milo and the Houseman cross a long room with a lake view. We hear music by Satie. The Craftsman furniture and lamps are custom-made. A Cezanne hangs on the wall. ANOTHER DEN-LIKE ROOM WITH A VIEW There's a Craftsman crib here, stuffed animals, another Cezanne. Even the toys seem arranged. They enter an ANTEROOM/CONFERENCE ROOM - CONTINUOUS HOUSEMAN Have a seat. He won't be long. Milo sits on a bench. He tries not to look, but his childhood hero is partly visible through a glass panel in the door: Gary (in a suit and tie) has an open American face. But something goes on behind his pleasant features and self- possessed mien: his desire (or need) to solve the problem at hand is so intense it makes him appear vexed -- even vulnerable. CONFERENCE ROOM - CONTINUOUS As Gary concentrates, two Outpost Senior Managers speak: PHIL TATE, 40 (bald); and RANDY GRIMES, 36, (gray eyes). PHIL We tried the big vaporware number, Gary, it's no-sale. RANDY Can we buy into their IPO? Or is that a Justice Dept. problem? PHIL There is no public offering. The guy who wrote it joined some freakazoid cult in San Luis Obispo. 'Wrote this just to run their web site. ANTEROOM - CONTINUOUS Gary speaks with precise hand gestures: settling the matter. Phil and Randy gather their papers, and stand. They exit, nodding at Milo as they pass. Then Gary comes out. GARY Milo? Excuse the tie. I was on TV. Milo is a little dazzled as they shake hands: such a fam- iliar face, such a big figure in his young life. MILO ...That's okay. INT. DEN-LIKE ROOM - MOVING Now New Age music plays. They move back through the same room, but the Cezanne has been replaced by a Hieronymus Bosch (bodies roiling in Hell). Milo is -- puzzled. GARY The house knows the paintings I like, it knows my favorite music. Same for anybody else who's in the system. NEXT ROOM - STILL MOVING As they walk, Milo watches a Cezanne "original" digitally re- configure to a Bosch, brushstrokes and all. MILO Cool! GARY Would you like a Coke or something? MILO (too shy, too nervous) Oh. No thanks. He opens a glass-doored refrigerator, scans a shelf with rows of Snapples -- in alphabetical order. GARY When we started, I just hired my smart friends. That was great. We got a little bigger, I had to hire smart strangers. Much harder. He selects a Kiwi-Raspberry, they walk on. GARY Now I don't get to hire anybody. But I know you're the guy to write Skywire. INT. GARY'S WORKROOM (LAKE VIEW) - MOMENTS LATER They enter. An entire wall is taken-up by a Bosch triptych. As Gary crosses to the other side of the room, Milo stands by a table covered in art books -- hundreds of them (Soutine, Chinoiserie, Roy Lichtenstein...) MILO You know a lot about art, I guess. GARY There's a rumor going around, maybe you've heard it. Gary heads back, carrying something spherical. GARY There's more to life than computers? I'm looking into it. Glancing down at the daunting display of books, Gary looks vaguely afflicted. He mutters: GARY 'Once I start looking into something. Looking up now (and much more at ease) he holds up a shiny, detailed metal object: model satellite. GARY I've only shown this to three other people. I bought 200, we've launched 12 so far. I keep the coordinates in this room. (as Milo takes it, carefully) It's left over from SDI. Reagan's Star Wars technology? They orbit 426 miles up. MILO Low enough to relay internet traffic. GARY (he smiles: exactly) Among other things... We know convergence is the real super-highway: all the PC's, TV's, phones, etc. linked together. Why cram it into a cable if you can use the whole sky? MILO (turning the sleek object) Skywire. INT. GARY'S WORKROOM - LATER Milo and Gary peer at a monitor, side-by-side. Milo sips his own Snapple now. Gary speaks his language. GARY The content filer has t'be written into the media files so bits coming off the satellite can be read by multiplatforms. Really, omniplatforms. Including whatever new hardware emerges. MILO It needs a more object-oriented language. This doesn't scale, does it? GARY You'd have to start practically from scratch. But this is all you'd be working on. No marketing meetings, no product seminars. We can't waste the time. Half the Valley's working on convergence. So're media conglomerates, cable companies, phone companies. 'Can't finish second, Milo. There is no second... Now what would you like to ask me? Milo has a deer-in-the-headlights look. MILO ...Ask you? INT. GARY'S HOUSE - ANOTHER ROOM - DUSK As they walk, Milo chides himself for his reticence. Gary seems to read his mind. GARY I know what people say, and not just the Justice Department. We clone ideas, inflict our second-rate versions on the world, we haven't done anything original since 1.0. Milo's amazed by Gary's acuity. And his candor. GARY Do I think that's fair? No. I'd put some of our apps up against anybody's. But is there some truth to it? They have come to a stop in a windowed entryway. Milo watches Gary keenly. Gary nods. He knits his brow. GARY When you get to a certain age, you start wondering. About your legacy. I doubt you even remember Outpost 1.0 -- MILO I do! GARY (pleased) Yeah? I wanna feel like I did when I wrote that. But I'm 42, that's 100 in cyber-years. I look at you and see the things that got me here. (the furrows deepen) But somehow got away. EXT. CUPERTINO HILLS (SILICON VALLEY) - NIGHT A block of floodlit "tract mansions," Taco Bell palaces of the Valley's newly rich. Milo & Alice cross a vacant lot to where the lights twinkle below. Their '89 Honda Civic is parked nearby. Milo is excited. MILO If my dad'd leveled with me like that even once... The weird thing is, my fantasy he could somehow be like the old Gary? It's his fantasy, too. ALICE I think that's great, Milo. I do. MILO ...But? ALICE Didn't you visit the campus? MILO I forgot. That's why you have to help me decide. ALICE No way. You have this -- destiny. MILO C'mon, I wouldn't have a destiny without you. My destiny would be dying at 20. From eating -- ALICE Don't bring that up. Like a different girlfriend would'd've let you die? MILO (shrugs) You saved my life in alot of ways. He's sweet. She kisses him. He holds onto her. ALICE It's not just Gary that makes you wanna go there? 'Cause it's a big place. You might not even see him again. He'd hate to think that's true. But he manages a smile. MILO I know. EXT. MILO & ALICE'S APARTMENT - DAY The Honda is loaded with luggage and boxes, some of which are tied to the roof. Milo & Alice stow a final piece. MILO When's Brian coming for the TV? ALICE Prob'ly waiting by the phone for Outpost to call. We'll leave it for him? As they head back in, they see a Toyota park at the curb. ALICE 'Give you guys some time alone. She continues inside. He waits, watches Teddy cross the sidewalk to join him. MILO ...You got my E-mail? TEDDY And your phone messages. You wanna do what you do, it's not a crime. MILO Is that how Larry feels? TEDDY Uh. Not exactly. A brown Buick parks behind Teddy's car. As they speak, a rumpled, 50ish MAN in an off-the-rack suit gets out. MILO Wanted to say goodbye to him... TEDDY Hey, we got seed money for the startup! A million-five! Milo grins, he high-fives Teddy. TEDDY We rented a loft in Sunnyvale. (he gives Milo the number) You know what's the bad part? We can't talk about work anymore. We're competitors! The venture capitalists made us sign like 100 confidentiality forms. MILO Outpost made me sign 1,000. 'Guess we'll find out what else we have to talk about. Life stuff. They embrace. It's awkward, but it's heartfelt. INT. MILO & ALICE'S APARTMENT - A MOMENT LATER Milo enters, reading Teddy's phone number. MILO Guess what? They got their -- The rumpled Man sits on a radiator, watching CNN on a TV, the last remaining piece of furniture. Alice enters, holding a jam jar filled water, hands Milo a business card. ALICE Milo, this is Mr. Barton from the Justice Department. (gives Barton the water) Sorry about the glass. Milo reads the card: Lyle Barton, Asst. Prosecutor, DOJ, Seattle Branch Office. Milo's a little spooked. BARTON Don't worry, Milo. I'm here as a friend. Or maybe a supplicant. MILO Right... What's that mean again? BARTON Beggar. We're at a disadvantage with Outpost. Our experts aren't as smart as theirs. Sometimes we can't tell which technologies pose the threat of a monopoly. We need a really smart guy to help us pick our fights. I'm taking a shot in the dark, here. I can offer you 32,000 a year, a Buick. I'm hoping you've got a feeling it's the right thing to do. MILO (fiddling with the card) It's just -- I kind of feel the need to do something with my ability. Create something... BARTON Like I said: shot in the dark. Milo tries to give back the card. BARTON If you see something there that rubs you the wrong way? Do the right thing. And he goes. MILO That took some fun out of -- ALICE We're not gonna let it. She kisses him. They head out. We linger. On TV a graphic says: SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA: MASS SUICIDE - LIVE. Emergency Medical Personnel roll gurneys with bodies out of a new Mediterranean mansion. Footage shows bodies (including a few children) on bunkbeds, uniformly shod in black Nikes. CNN VOICE -- ingested the fatal mixture of sedatives crushed in apple sauce. According to the cult's eerily professional website, it was "time to move on..." EXT. OUTPOST CORPORATE CAMPUS - DAY Crane past identical, low, steel & glass buildings, amid the vast lawns & fir trees... Past a building under construction... To find Redmond's Lexus, cruising. INT./EXT. REDMOND'S CAR/CAMPUS - CONTINUOUS Milo looks out the window, Redmond gives the tour: REDMOND There're 20 buildings, I mean not counting the Gyms, the Day Care, etc. The Day Care is a Michael Graves-looking building with a big cartoon-dog sculpture on its roof, ears cocked to the sky. A Teacher leads her little charges inside. REDMOND Gary's put millions in there. And the people with kids? They're not hotshot geeks, they're just payroll clerks or whatever. Two Men in suits, with briefcases, (conspicuous amid the Geeks in jeans and T-shirts) enter Building #19. REDMOND You'll see alot of that: Department of Justice goons snooping around. The car pulls into a lot full of Miatas, BMW's, Boxters. CLOSE ON - THE OUTPOST LOGO THEN TILT UP TO SHOW: EXT. BUILDING 20 QUAD - DAY The logo is of inlaid stone. Redmond & Milo walk over it. Milo carries a box with some personal effects, including a small painting. Redmond wears a photo I.D. tag. REDMOND So how'd you like the house? MILO His Snapples were in alphabetical order. REDMOND (he laughs) Well, he micro-managed the company till it got too big... (he opens the door) 'Guess he needs to micro-manage something. INT. BLDG. 20 LOBBY - CONTINUOUS At the desk, a RECEPTIONIST looks up, stands to hang a temporary ID pass around Milo's neck. RECEPTIONIST Milo, I'm Judith. Welcome! Milo smiles. Redmond uses his magnetic swipe card on an inner door (a security cam is at every door); he holds the door open for Milo. INT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS They walk up a long carpeted hallway, past open offices where Geeks (mostly males under 30) sit at workstations. REDMOND Everybody has the same office, there's no dumbass corporate hierarchy. They pass a room in which Geeks play video games. Just outside it, a chubby programmer, DESI, sips a Diet Coke. DESI Get out while you can, dude! REDMOND Desi, Milo. DESI The guy who was at Gary's house? He bows deep, with mock-obeisance. Milo blushes, Redmond laughs, he snags Milo's elbow. They walk again, passing a service hall with a Civil Defense sign. REDMOND Best bomb shelters in America, accessible from every building. You gotta figure we're a major target, right? ANOTHER HALLWAY - A MOMENT LATER Up the hall, a young woman (LISA) is about to go into her office. She pauses half a second, looks at Milo, goes in. She's beautiful. REDMOND Whoa. Lisa actually looked at you. As they pass her office, they look in: she's already at her workstation, studiously avoiding their gaze. REDMOND Every geek here's got a thing for Lisa. But that's about the biggest reaction she's had to anybody. MILO (shy, changing the emphasis) She's a programmer? REDMOND Heavy graphical background, doing design-interface for Skywire apps. (he all but winks) You'll be working with her. MILO I've got a girlfriend, remember? REDMOND Right. That's rare around here. You know how nuns' re-married to Jesus? 'Posties are married to Outpost. INT. MILO'S OFFICE - MOMENT LATER A handsome, modest office like all the others: workstation, whiteboard, window. They enter. REDMOND Here's your world. (pointing at the desk) Copy of Gary's book, also the audio version, narrated by Gary. Milo puts down his box, picks up the book: The Next Highway (Gary by a highway on its cover). As we look at it: VOICE (SHROT) The card's encoded. Tells us who came through the door and when. INT. OFFICE OF PHYSICAL SECURITY - LATER In an office with a bank of monitors that play feeds from security cameras, BOB SHROT, 40, Head of Physical Security, issues Milo his swipe card. Redmond watches. SHROT Unauthorized entries sound like this. He drags the card through a sample slot, producing an unbelievably loud, piercing EEEEEEEE. He shouts over it: SHROT If you see a tailgater, report him. MILO Tailgater? SHROT (kills the alarm) Somebody coming in on your swipe. (gives Milo a photo ID) You see somebody wandering around without ID, it's your duty to challenge him. I don't give a shit if you're a stock-option billionaire. If you don't challenge, I'll have your butt. INT. HALLWAY - LATER MILO He seems a little -- tense. REDMOND Geeks pull his chain cause he's non- tech. Ex-cop or something. They moon cameras, or use ATM's as swipe cards. The cameras're our real security so he's a little demoralized. EXT. BUILDING 20/PARKING LOT - DAY As they walk, Milo watches two Hardhats roll a spool of fiber- optic cable into the building under construction. MILO What're they building? REDMOND #21. Way behind schedule. It's top- secret, but everybody knows it's a digital broadcast space. They see the dishes on top, the fiber optics going in. MILO Gary's not into fiber optics. He's betting everything on the satellites. REDMOND You wanna survive in the software business, you cover your bets... I gotta say, this is the weirdest car anybody ever requested. They approach a 1990 Deux Chevaux, cheap but charming. REDMOND Oh, right. Your girlfriend's an artist. INT. BLDG. 20 CAFETERIA - DAY Blond wood, smoked glass -- a room as sleek as the Geeks who lunch here are nerdy. Milo and Redmond push trays. REDMOND I phoned her at your hotel, told her about our corporate housing options. She sounds neat. Lisa's at a table, looking at Milo. When their eyes meet, she busies herself, placing the plates back on her tray. MILO ...She is. (turning away from Lisa) She is! Lisa passes behind them, smiles fleetingly at Milo. At a table, Randy and Phil note the "interaction." Meantime: REDMOND 'Might be some friction on the domestic front. You're expected you to put in ridiculous hours. People've accused us of breaking up relationships to get their undivided attention. He laughs. INT. BLDG. 20 HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS Lisa moves swiftly up the hall. She looks up it and down it (making sure no one's looking) before ducking into MILO'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS She goes to the box on Milo's desk (his personal effects) -- starts rooting through it. INT. CAFETERIA - LATER Redmond and Milo have eaten; Redmond stacks their plates. REDMOND Your counselor'll fill you in on everything else. That's who you'll be working with almost daily. INT. MILO'S OFFICE - LATER Milo has fed the old Skywire disks into his machine. He reads a complicated screen. VOICE Busy? Milo looks up. It's Gary. Milo is thrilled. MILO No! Just waiting for my counselor to come by and introduce himself. GARY Okay. I'm Gary. Milo's smile deepens. Gary notices the small painting (by Alice) hanging on the wall. He stares at it. GARY 'Think I should buy some originals? MILO ...Do I? GARY Somebody said I'm just another Philistine. With reproductions. MILO That's insane. You're ahead of your time. GARY That's what I told her. My wife. Milo colors as Gary drags a second chair in front of the screen; didn't realize he was contradicting Mrs. Boyd. GARY 'Thinks I'll be less of a control freak if I have a hobby. 'Just gives me something else to obsess about... Milo smiles as Gary sits down, studies the screen. GARY Anything we can salvage from the old code before you start fresh? Milo can't quite get over: Gary's his counselor. MILO Uh, might be one or two things. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. QUAD - OUTSIDE MILO'S OFFICE - LATER Two awe-struck Geeks see Gary through the window. GEEK 1 He's been in there like an hour. GEEK 2 Shit. INT. MILO'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS MILO SCROLLS THE SCREEN: MILO Could work with a new switch. There may be a few more things hidden. GARY Don't spend too much time searching. You ever vetted somebody's old code before? (when Milo shakes his head) It's a different skill. Stay close to the surface. The best-hidden secrets are in plain sight. You know the best place to hide a leaf, right? (when Milo shakes his head) In a tree. INT. EMPTY HOUSE - EVENING We're in an old (empty) Craftsman house. Through a front window, we see Alice lead Milo up a path. As they enter: ALICE ...The corporate condos were as romantic as they sound. Milo's grinning as he takes in the house. THE BEDROOM - MOMENT LATER Windows give onto a garden with a small studio. Milo's still beaming, Alice is pleased. Till he says: MILO You know he's never been anybody's counselor before? ALICE Milo! What about --? She gestures at what she hopes will be their home. MILO Oh, It's great. It's great! (they start to kiss, but:) 'Think I should tell him I learned everything using 1.0? Maybe I could show him one of my early programs. She pulls him back into the kiss. MONTAGE W/ MUSIC 1.) MILO types intently in his office. 2.) GARY sits with MILO at his desk, discussing code. Pan to the window; we see a different pair of awed Geeks. 3.) Milo & Alice read in bed. He's reading Gary's book. 4.) MILO shows GARY one of his early programs, written on 1.0.: it's simple-looking, with some childish writing scrawled on it. Gary seems touched. INT. OUTPOST CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY Two DOJ AGENTS depose Gary. (A video-cam records his answers.) Two Outpost LAWYERS sit next to him. One of the Agents is reading from a document: DOJ AGENT "Infotek's urgent need to license Outpost Office is such that we can use it as a tool in the current negotiation." (looks up) When you wrote the word "tool," what'd you mean by it? Gary studies his copy of the E-mail. He looks vexed. GARY I don't remember. DOJ AGENT What d'you think you meant by it? GARY I'm confused. Am I supposed to speculate under oath? The Agent shifts in his seat. We get an idea of Gary's negotiating skill (making the other party look unreasonable, while offering nothing). OTHER AGENT Since you didn't have an answer to that question, Mr. Boyd -- GARY ("confused" again) Didn't I? Have an answer? "I don't remember." The Agents confer. Gary sees Phil, looming outside the open door. One of the Agents sees him, too. He doesn't try to hide his annoyance: DOJ AGENT Did you wanna take a break, Mr. Boyd? INT. AN OFFICE - A MOMENT LATER Gary takes a manila envelope from Phil, opens it. PHIL Your protege's moving so fast we can barely keep up with him. Gary reads the page from the envelope: computer code. GARY This is good. Who did it? PHIL 'Start-up not 50 miles from here. Kid's on Prozac. GARY Maybe we should all get on it. INT. MILO'S OFFICE - DAY Milo stares at his screen, frustrated. Gary enters. GARY How's it going? MILO Maybe I'm going too fast. GARY (sharply; incredulous) Too fast? At least four companies're on the verge of workable convergence systems, Milo, they -- Catching himself, Gary trails off. He sits down, exhales. GARY Even when I had a hand in every aspect of the company I knew the one thing you can never control is somebody's creative process. Gary seems sincerely contrite. (He needn't be: Milo just wants to please him. Besides: Milo sees he'd like to stop obsessing about convergence, to be a "worldly zillionaire," engrossed in his hobbies; but, after all, what could be more engrossing than Skywire?) MILO It's okay. Really. GARY (reaching into his pocket) Take a look at this. Slightly different approach. Reading the page Gary got from Phil, Milo knits his brow. MILO You did this -- overnight? GARY You're making me young again. INT. LISA'S APARTMENT - NIGHT PAN OFF a TV, where local news footage shows a mangled, smoking BMW, post-wreck, on a lonely nocturnal highway. NEWS VOICE ...A graduate of MIT, he was on the antidepressant Prozac, and had been warned not to drink and drive. (Etc.) Lisa watches the news report, knowingly. INT. BUILDING 20 HALLWAY - DAY Lisa heads up the hall, carrying a CD-ROM. INT. MILO'S OFFICE - DAY Milo's typing. LISA Milo? He looks. He stands. MILO Lisa. LISA You know my name. MILO You know mine. LISA You're famous around here. MILO (winces) I'm getting a teacher's pet rep. LISA I wouldn't worry about it. You've gotta figure most people around here were their teachers' pets. MILO ...Were you? LISA We moved around so much I barely knew my teachers. MILO Me too! Were you an Army brat or something? LISA ...Something like that. Yeah. MILO Didn't mean to pry. I just have this theory. Some of us who got to good at this? We were -- escaping something. This seems to jolt her. She pales a little. What a mysterious girl. But this only adds to her allure. MILO Did I say something? LISA No, I know what you mean. I used to spend my life wishing people could be like computers. Least they make sense. Sometimes you think they've betrayed you. Like a person would. But then you see, no, you just missed a step. You can go back and make it all work. This strikes a deep chord with Milo, all of it. MILO I used to wish that. All the time. They're looking at each other: he gets self-conscious. MILO (re: the CD-ROM) What've you got there? LISA Graphical interfaces. For Skywire? I'm s'posed to coordinate with you. MILO Show me. They sit. As she inserts the disk, he finds himself looking at her. On the screen, the frontier outpost we know as the logo appears. It's struck by a bolt from the sky. The outpost comes alive with light, music, movie-images through its windows, a ringing phone. Finally, the word SKYWIRE burns into it. It's neat, she's really good. MILO Cool! LISA Yeah? I ran it for lots of platforms, ranging from the narrowest bandwidth to -- Simultaneously, they reach for the mouse. Their hands touch. They look at each other. Something happened. MILO ...Sh-Show me the next one. She nods, manipulates the mouse. He stares at the screen strenuously, fighting the impulse to stare at Lisa. INT. ANTEROOM - GARY'S OFFICE Gary's SECRETARY types as Milo enters. She smiles at him. SECRETARY Have a seat. He's with someone, but I know he wants to see you. INT. GARY'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS Gary's face is red. The two Lawyers who sat in on his deposition are with him again. LAWYER Because we bundled it, the judge is threatening to enjoin the whole -- GARY I'm confused, Ted. Gary has used the phrase before, but the pretense of ingenuousness is gone; it's witheringly condescending. GARY Didn't you tell me they'd be Chapter 12 by the time they could hope to enjoin? I'm very confused, because you said they'd be ready to settle. ANTEROOM - CONTINUOUS Milo hears Gary yelling behind the closed door. It's indecipherable, but we discern an enraged "bullshit!" Milo flips through a copy of Wired, trying to ignore it. The Lawyers come out, passing swiftly, rather grimly. SECRETARY Go on in. (when Milo looks dubious) He's always happy to see you. INT. GARY'S OFFICE - A MOMENT LATER Agitated, Gary rather compulsively lines-up the papers, pens, etc. on his desk; he barely hears the knock at the open doorframe. GARY Milo. What's up? MILO Well -- you sent for me. GARY Right... Right. Still distracted, he finds a page of code on his desk, gives it to Milo. Once again, Milo marvels. MILO You really wrote this just today? GARY (dark, unsmiling) What're you implying. MILO (taken aback) Nothing! Their eyes are locked. Gary blinks, sags into his chair. GARY Everything I do is under scrutiny. The questions they ask, trying to make anything strategic look sordid. (knits his brow) I'm confused. Doesn't everybody in business try to get ahead? MILO (uncomfortable) I'm sure. GARY The purpose of this company isn't to destroy our competitors any more than the purpose of living is to breath. But the software business is binary: you're a zero or a one. Being obsessive isn't a crime. It's a character trait. Milo just wants to get out. He studies the code to hide his discomfort. Gary watches him. GARY It scales, don't you think? MILO Definitely. He smiles. For the first time it looks forced. INT. SEATTLE RESTAURANT - NIGHT A youthfully upscale place, a converted red-brick warehouse. Alice looks great. The Waiter pours wine. ALICE This feels fairly grown up, I'd say. Milo smiles (again it looks forced) raises his glass. MILO To our new life. (she's looking at him) ...What's wrong? ALICE That's what I need to ask you. (when he says nothing) You know you can't keep anything from me. MILO He gave me some new code-fixes this morning. I said, "Did you really do this just today?" Cause I was impressed. He said "What're you implying?" She just looks at him. He grows a little defensive: MILO It's the way he said it. Just the way my dad did, when he was caught in a lie. That's how you knew you were onto something ugly. ALICE (just confused) What would it mean, anyway? If he didn't write it? MILO That's what I'm asking myself. Does he have some genius stowed away? Why not let him write Skywire. (upset) 'Not saying it makes sense. A Busboy leaves a basket of rolls. Glum, preoccupied, Milo takes one without looking, brings it to his lips -- ALICE Milo! He looks at Alice, looks at the roll, blanches. MILO I'm so stupid. He throws the roll back into the basket. ALICE He's your boss. He's not your -- MILO (he's nodding) I know, I know. ALICE If you can't deal with him on that basis, you better get a new counselor. MILO (the very idea hurts) Isn't that -- extreme? ALICE What's extreme is what that ER doctor said when he pumped your stomach. Eat another sesame seed and that's it. We see the rolls: covered in seeds. ALICE I mean, if one little comment from Gary is gonna upset you this much -- MILO You're right. It's -- a working relationship. Don't know what I was expecting. He smiles. But his heart's not in it. She hates to see him suffer. She picks up her glass. ALICE C'mon. Let's do the toast? EXT. TERRACE OUTSIDE CAFETERIA - DAY Milo sits alone, marking up pages of code as he eats. He doesn't notice Lisa, standing with her tray. LISA Did you wanna be alone? MILO No. Please. He indicates she should sit. LISA They just pushed up the schedule on Skywire apps. How fast are you going? MILO "There is no second place." Plus every time I get jammed-up, Gary has an inspiration. (looks at her, curious) Is it like that with your counselor? LISA Mine's not the CEO. He barely remembers to take a shower. MILO Right, right. But does he ever just, like, hand you code? LISA Maybe once. I re-wrote it, anyway. MILO (he smiles) You're compulsive. LISA Mmm-more like -- I have a little trouble. Trusting people. MILO Why's that? LISA Long story. Not that interesting. She smiles charmingly to cover whatever she's feeling. The more enigmatic she is, the more intrigued he is. EXT. BLDG. 20 QUAD - DAY Milo and Lisa walk, eat ice cream out of paper cups with Outpost logos. They laugh. We go nearer. MILO So, when you were talking about wishing people were more like computers. Was that then? Or now? LISA Then and now. (when he looks at her) But not right now. She maintains eye contact. Her meaning is clear. VOICE Milo! Milo turns, sees Brian (Stanford classmate, Outpost zealot) give an envelope to a Guard at the door of #20; he trots over to Milo, who is as flustered as another guy might be having been found in bed with a girl. BRIAN Just dropped off a resume. Almost got in the front door. He looks at Lisa, back to Milo, wondering why he isn't being introduced. MILO You're living here? BRIAN 'Thought if I relocated it could help my case. I'm writing programs for the local public access station. Where any whack-job with 100 bucks gets his own show? God, does it suck. (gives him a business card) Can you help me? MILO Sure, I'll see what I can do. Seeing how flushed Milo is, Brian thinks he must have blundered in on something. He starts to back away. BRIAN Well I parked illegally. See y'later? MILO (watching Brian go) 'Forgot to introduce you. (a beat) I have a girlfriend. LISA That's great. I -- didn't know. MILO She saved my life. EXT. GAS STATION - NIGHT The station is closed. Milo's car is parked, empty. MILO (O.S.) How's it going down there? We find him, in an illuminated phone booth. TEDDY (ON THE PHONE) I've been hacking for five night's straight, I'm really making headway. INTERCUT WITH: INT. TEDDY'S LOFT (SUNNYVALE) - CONTINUOUS A funky space, posters on the wall, a red Stanford pennant, rubber trees at either end of his desk. TEDDY But these, like, White Supremacists trashed my office, last week. MILO What?! On the wall beyond Teddy the word GOOK (in blood red) has been covered over with paint but still bleeds through. TEDDY They're in the neighborhood. They usually hassle Vietnamese grocers. MILO Jesus, Teddy. TEDDY I'm cool. They didn't touch the machine. Or my disks. Probably didn't know what they were. So, you a Moonie yet? (he waits) Milo? MILO I met this girl. TEDDY What? Come on. Is it serious? MILO I don't know. TEDDY Did you tell Alice? MILO No! I keep thinking it'll go away. But there's this -- connection. She's been hacking since she was little, she had to move around a lot. Plus I see her every day, we're working on the same program. She's -- beautiful. TEDDY A beautiful geek? I don't wanna sound paranoid, or like a pig, but what're the chances? MILO What d'you mean? TEDDY I dunno. I guess Larry's got me totally suspicious of that place. MILO What does that mean? TEDDY Milo, geeks don't have two girlfriends. Most don't have one. MILO I didn't plan this. EXT. BUILDING #20 QUAD - DAY Through a window, we watch Milo traverse the quad. GARY (O.S.) What'd the girl say? PHIL There may be a little less trust after your outburst. We are INT. GARY'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS Gary turns back inside, where Phil reads Milo's new code. PHIL Hasn't affected his work, though. GARY Nothing does. Still. I want him to like me. Phil is confused by Gary's sincerity; so is Gary. EXT. BUILDING #20 PARKING LOT - EVENING Desi and another Geek watch in astonishment: Gary walks Milo to his car, his arm circled over Milo's shoulder. He seems to be -- apologizing. EXT./INT. MILO & ALICE'S HOUSE - EVENING Milo comes eagerly up the path: can't wait to tell Alice what just happened. He enters -- pulls up short. Alice is waiting for him. She's white. MILO ...What's wrong? She doesn't know how to say it. MILO What! ALICE Teddy was killed last night. MILO What're you -- what? ALICE It was a hate crime. Milo is staggered. She moves to him... ALICE I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. He hangs onto her, for support. EXT. SUNNYVALE LOFT BLDG. (SILICON VALLEY) - DAY Establish the funky building, vestiges of police tape on the door, a limo and many cars parked out front. INT. LOFT - MAIN FLOOR - CONTINUOUS A mixture of Teddy's relatives and Computer Friends have gathered. In the BG, Teddy's Dad weeps volubly. INT. TEDDY'S WORKSPACE - CONTINUOUS Teddy's brother, NELSON, shows Milo the workspace: red Stanford pennant, rubber trees on the desk. Milo, in a suit, peers at the painted-over epithet on the wall. NELSON They trashed his hard disk, all his back-ups. Nothing's left. MILO They caught the guys? Nelson shows Milo a San Jose Mercury: mugshots of two skin- headed Aryan Nations Members in their 20's. NELSON It's an airtight case. They found the weapon with Teddy's blood on it and their fingerprints. They'd been arrested twice for beating-up Asians. How come they weren't in jail? Milo unpins a picture of himself & Teddy from a board. MILO He told me about the break-in. He didn't seem to take it that seriously. NELSON You guys don't take anything seriously do you? That's not on a hard drive? Milo is stung by this. Alice appears in the doorway. ALICE Nelson? Your mom wants you. It's time to go to scatter the ashes. Milo is pinning the picture back up. The pushpin falls to the floor, he kneels to retrieve it. On the floorboards, he sees a thin, shiny plastic filament. He picks it up. MILO I didn't know he was working with fiber optics. But when he looks up, Nelson's gone. ALICE We gotta go too, honey. As he heads out with Alice, he unthinkingly stuffs the filament in his suit pocket. EXT. BLUFF OVER THE PACIFIC - DAY A raw beautiful bluff. The sea stretches to infinity behind a smaller group of Mourners. A LAY MINISTER intones the Lord's Prayer. EXT. BLUFF - LATER Milo approaches Larry with trepidation. Larry nods, it's okay. They hug each other. They walk slowly back toward the cars. MILO I know you lost all his work. Maybe I could come down here and -- LARRY You are naive. Look at your employment contract: you can't work anywhere else in this field for at least few years. (he smiles sadly) Not that I don't miss you. MILO Just thought his work should go on. LARRY He was on the verge of something, too. He was gonna show us the next day. He said "The answer's not in the box, it's in the band." Know what it means? MILO It's only meaningful when you've got 40,000 lines of code to back it up. LARRY Man, could he write code. Totally elegant. He had his own style. MILO Those really weird, short lines. They smile. For a moment, they've brought Teddy back to life. Alice comes up from behind, to fetch Milo. LARRY Take good care of this guy. EXT. BLDG. 20 - DAY Arriving for work, Milo sees Outpost flags at half mast. INT. HALLWAY - DAY As Milo comes up the hall, Lisa is standing there. We get the feeling she's been waiting for him. LISA You okay? He looks at her, perhaps hearing Teddy's words ("what're the chances?"). He nods, moves on. She watches him head up the hall. INT. MILO'S OFFICE - DAY Milo types. There is a rapping on the doorframe. Gary. GARY I heard what happened. MILO Were the flags for Teddy? Gary nods. Spontaneously Milo stands, hugs Gary. GARY Had you talked to him much lately? MILO Just once. 'Guess I was worried we didn't have anything to talk about, since work was off-limits. Non- disclosure. GARY Did you? MILO Talk about work? Never! GARY I meant did you find other stuff to -- MILO Oh. Yeah. GARY You've been coming in early. MILO It helps. Alice said it would help. To focus on something. (a little guilty) 'Don't know what I'd do without her. INT. MILO & ALICE'S HOUSE - MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT Milo sits on the couch, in dim light. Alice comes in. ALICE You okay? (sits by him, holds him) I miss him, too. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. DINING ROOM TERRACE - DAY Milo eats alone. Through the window, he sees Lisa inside. She's eating alone, too. Gary comes trotting up. GARY Milo? He is unclasping a manila envelope; he takes pages out. MILO Wow. You must have 20,000 lines of code there... GARY 34,000. But they're real short lines. 'Just came out that way. Seeing Gary's code, Milo knits his brow: it must be sort of like -- Teddy's. GARY Been thinking about the push mechanism in the handler. And it came over me: it's in the wrong place. MILO (an uncertain smile) The wrong place? GARY The answer's not in the box. It's in the band. Milo's smile freezes. As he stares at Gary, we zoom with a reverse dolly so that the background retreats queasily but Gary remains dominant in frame. For Milo, it feels like the very ground is going out from under him. Gary continues to explain, pointing at lines of code. And Milo pretends to listen. But he can't even make out the words Gary speaks -- he hears only a jumble of echoes. Milo nods mechanically; he wants to scream. Or run. He perceives, amid the echoes, that Gary is standing, smiling, saying "See you later." And he's gone. Milo touches the pages, like some talisman of Teddy. LISA (O.S.) Milo? You okay? It strikes him she always shows up at these moments. He gathers his wits before looking up. MILO Gotta go home. 'Think I ate something. INT./EXT. MILO'S CAR/OUTPOST PARKING LOT - DAY Pulling out of the lot, Milo seizes the car phone. He hits HOME on the speed-dial. Gets a busy signal. Rings off. He's about to press re-dial when he sees the Outpost logo branded on the receiver. He throws it down like it's contaminated. EXT. MILO & ALICE'S HOUSE - DAY Middle-of-the-day sounds: chirping birds, school children. Milo pulls to the curb at a bad angle. EXT. INT./FRONT DOOR/FOYER - DAY He fumbles with his keys. When he gets inside: MILO Alice? Alice! He moves into the bedroom. He sees her through the window, painting in the studio. EXT./INT. BACK GARDEN/STUDIO - MOMENT LATER He stands outside the studio. Waits for her to look up. She does. She smiles. Then she sees something's wrong. He waits for her to come out here, where it's safe to speak. EXT. BACK GARDEN - LATER He paces, agitated. She watches him. She's skeptical, but doesn't want to appear unsympathetic. ALICE Are you saying you think they had something to do with his death? Nelson said it was an airtight case. MILO I don't know what I'm saying. Maybe -- maybe they hired those guys. ALICE I can't see Outpost putting its reputation in the hands of people like that. MILO I don't know! I just know it was Teddy's code. All these ideas flying in from everywhere. You know how he says "Any kid working in his garage can put us out of business?" It's like they know what every kid's doing. ALICE They hack into people's programs? MILO Nobody does work like this on-line. It's in your PC, or in a mainframe. Self-contained. They'd have to be, like, watching people. Physically. (he freezes) Oh Jesus. INT. BEDROOM - A MOMENT LATER Milo's at the closet, rummaging among the clothes hanging there. Alice comes up behind him. He finds his suit jacket. He digs in one pocket, then another. He finds the fiber optic strand (from Teddy's floor). Shows it to her. MILO (almost silently) It's a camera. EXT. BACK GARDEN - AGAIN They've trooped back outside. She's worried she's indulging his paranoia. MILO It isn't a broadcast studio. It's -- a surveillance post or something. That's why they have the dishes on top. ALICE You're scaring me. I think we should just go. MILO Go where? You can't get away from people like this. ALICE "Like this?" It's Gary you're talking about. MILO (it really hurts) You think I don't know that? ALICE Milo. Why would he -- MILO How should I know? "Solving a problem," I guess. Or needing to control everything. I don't know. (can't think about it) I've gotta get in there. ALICE Even if all this were true. There're 20 other buildings. All of them filled with computers and -- MILO It's the only one with dishes on the roof. The studio's a front. That's why they keep postponing its opening. (muttered, obsessive) ...gotta get in there. ALICE Milo, you told me those DOJ Agents are all over the place. How could they hope to hide a surveillance post? (as he mulls this) And how can you get in there, anyway? With the cameras and the swipe cards -- MILO I can't just walk away! ALICE You can't just walk in, either. MILO They stop the construction work at six or seven. The parking lot's mostly clear by two or three in the morning. Even the early Geeks don't get there before five. ALICE Is it two? Or is it three? Have you ever really noticed? He knows what she's saying: he's unqualified for this, a space-cadet. She tries to hold him. But he wriggles away. MILO No! I can't just keep my head in the sand. That's how I got into this mess. He paces, he thinks. She watches him, worried. MILO I know how to get in there. But you've gotta help me. ALICE (scared, reluctant) ...Whaddo I do? MILO So you believe me? She can't lie. She shakes her head. ALICE Just tell me what to do. BEGIN MONTAGE: INT. MILO'S OFFICE - NIGHT Standing at his window, Milo can see #21. Workers in Hardhats come out of it, carrying lunchboxes. Milo holds a small writing pad. He notes the time. EXT. SUBURBAN MAIN STREET - DAY (CONTINUE MONTAGE) Alice parks in front of a drugstore. As she gets out of the car, she looks around uneasily. INT. DRUGSTORE - (CONTINUE MONTAGE) Alice is at the counter, buying a wind-up alarm clock. INT. MILO'S OFFICE - MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT (CONT. MONTAGE) Milo watches a car pull out of the parking lot, leaving only one or two others. He writes down the time. INT. TOYSTORE - (CONTINUE MONTAGE) Alice is at the counter, among children and mothers, purchasing a chemistry set. INT. MILO'S OFFICE - NIGHT (CONTINUE MONTAGE) He watches a SECURITY GUARD (DELBERT) go into #21 on his rounds, notes the time: 3:45 AM. INT. MILO & ALICE'S - STUDIO - NIGHT (CONTINUE MONTAGE) Alice, wearing dishwashing gloves, ties the alarm clock to a small Tupperware container with copper wire. Milo (wearing latex gloves) is at the sink, mixing chemicals from the toy chemistry set. Alice approaches with the container affixed to the clock. As she holds it out Milo pours the mixture into it. SHORT FADE: OVER BLACK we hear ticking. The screen lightens to show: INT. SUPPLY CLOSET (BUILDING 20) Milo's alarm clock is set for 11:00. It sits amid mops and cleaning products. INT. BLDG. 20 HALLWAY - DAY Milo stands in the open door of a refrigerator, as if searching for a soda. He's looking up the hall, waiting for someone. He consults his watch. 10:53. MILO Come on. Here comes a GUARD; he nods to Milo as he passes. The Guard opens a door with his card. Milo rushes through the door on the Guard's swipe -- "tailgating." GUARD Sir, you gotta use your own -- (noticing) Where's your ID? Milo cops an attitude. He's not completely convincing. MILO Do you know who I am? GUARD It's my job, I gotta -- MILO (he's getting better) The kind of stock options I'm sitting on? INT. PHYSICAL SECURITY OFFICE - DAY Bob Shrot, the ex-cop in charge of physical security, looks up as the Guard escorts Milo into the room. INT. SUPPLY CLOSET - CONTINUOUS The bomb explodes. The blast is tiny but loud (glass cleaning bottles ring; plastic bottles moan). INT. SECURITY OFFICE - CONTINUOUS Milo sits, watches Shrot encode a new card for him, finding his info on a terminal. On a monitor behind Shrot, Milo sees Programmers being ushered out of the building. SHROT Every geek has to try this once to show me how smart he is -- ANOTHER GUARD rushes in. ANOTHER GUARD There was an explosion in a Y-sector closet, we're evacuating the whole sector. Shrot comes to his feet, grabs a holster (with gun) off a shelf. Milo, looking flummoxed, stands. SHROT Un-nh, can't wander around without ID now. Just park your ass in that chair. Milo sits. Shrot goes out with the Guard. GUARD (O.S.) Whole place reeks of fuckin' ammonia. Milo moves quickly to the wall, reads a chart with the Guards' Schedule, runs his finger down it til he finds the name of the Guard on the 3 AM shift: DELBERT, KEN. INT. HALLWAYS - A FEW QUICK CUTS - CONTINUOUS Guards open closet doors, shine their flashlights. INT. PHYSICAL SECURITY OFFICE - CONTINUOUS Milo has moved to Shrot's seat. He's encoding a fresh card with Ken Delbert's information. INT. SERVICE HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS Panning off the civil defense sign we find Shrot standing at a closet, examining a piece of the alarm clock. INT. PHYSICAL SECURITY OFFICE - CONTINUOUS Milo is at work, bringing up schematic screens, diagnosing the system with his unique concentration. Panning to the window, we see the evacuated Programmers enjoying themselves on the lawn. It's a rare, exciting event: they jump around, miming explosions. INT. SERVICE HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS Shrot and the Guard collect pieces of the bomb out of the debris, puts them in a tray. INT. PHYSICAL SECURITY OFFICE - CONTINUOUS Milo brings up the screen that controls the #21 cameras. On the monitors, he sees nothing very interesting: a hallway, a room under construction... He pulls down a menu. RECORDING is highlighted. He clicks PLAYBACK. The image hardly changes, but a Guard wanders through. He types, the tape rewinds (the Guard moves backwards). He finds a neutral spot (showing an empty hallway), stops the tape. INT. SERVICE HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS Gary, Randy & Phil approach Shrot; Gary stares at him. RANDY What is it? SHROT Not much. Glorified cherry bomb. Right by the civil defense sign? Some geek's idea of irony. I been saying we need a camera in this hall. RANDY There's nothing in this hall. Someone's pulling your chain, as usual. SHROT (thinking aloud) Unless it's a diversion. Milo's in my office. He was tailgating, so I -- Gary explodes, with incredulity. GARY Milo? Try to have a clue. Try to think. Gary strides off. Shrot feels unfairly maligned. RANDY That kid's the great white hope. SHROT I could get it out of him. RANDY You're not listening. Randy and Phil head up the hall. Shrot watches them. Even if his "intellectual superiors" are convinced of Milo's innocence, he isn't. He walks swiftly back toward his office. Then he runs. INT. PHYSICAL SECURITY OFFICE - CONTINUOUS Milo reads a warning message. DOWNLOADING PLAYBACK STREAM TO RECORD CYCLE WILL CAUSE BIT OVERLOAD. DO YOU WISH TO PROCEED? Y/N. He types Y. The glitch freezes the tape (we see it lock into place): it shows the empty hallway. INT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS They've let the Programmers back in. They head up the hall as Shrot heads down it. He pushes past them gruffly. He knows he's enhancing his Neanderthal image (they make cracks) but he's more interested in obeying his instinct. INT. PHYSICAL SECURITY OFFICE - CONTINUOUS Milo immobilizes another camera in #21... and another. INT. HALLWAY CONTINUOUS Shrot rounds the corner. His office is in view, now. INT. PHYSICAL SECURITY OFFICE - CONTINUOUS Milo, at the keyboard, closes up windows, one by one. INT. SECURITY OUTER OFFICE - CONTINUOUS Shrot is back, he has only to round the corner to see Milo. We assume his POV as he does so: Milo sits in the chair where Shrot left him. MILO Everything okay? INT. MILO'S OFFICE - NIGHT Pan off the clock (3:20 AM) to find Milo at his desk, looking at the clock with a certain dread. It's time. EXT. BLDG. 20 QUAD - NIGHT Milo walks the path between the two buildings, fiddling nervously with the dummied swipe card. Hearing footfalls behind him, he whirls: it's a Geek loping to his car. He smiles. Milo smiles: waits, walks on. Nearing #21, Milo looks around, making sure no one else is around. His POV (panning): A Programmer works late, visible through a lighted window in #20... The dog sculpture with cocked ears sits atop the Day Care, its quizzical expression seeming to wonder what Milo is up to... The Geek he just saw racing by on foot now pulls out of the parking lot in his James Bond BMW... Milo arrives at the entrance. Heart pounding, he brings the card to the slot. Will he trigger that awful alarm? He slides the card, the door clicks. INT. BLDG. 21 - LOBBY - CONTINUOUS He enters: concrete floor, unpainted walls, construction lights. At the inner door he looks up at the camera. CUT TO: A MONITOR that shows us where Milo stands, minus Milo. Widen: INT. SECURITY OFFICE - CONTINUOUS A GUARD packs up his stuff, getting ready to go home. The new guard, KEN DELBERT enters. DELBERT How's it goin'? GUARD (shaking out his cup) Big night. Switched from tea to coffee. Brought new meaning to my work. DELBERT Yeah? Maybe I'll start my rounds with #21 tonight. GUARD You are a wild man. INT. BLDG. 21 - INNER HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS Milo moves up a hall with unpainted walls, bare floors, unconnected wires. The only illumination is from construction lights on the concrete floor. Opening doors, he sees: Bare rooms. Wall plates ready to receive electrical equipment, bundles of wire hanging out. In other words: the building is as advertised, so far. EXT. BUILDING 20 - NIGHT Delbert comes out with his flashlight, heads across the clean- swept path that leads to #21. INT. BLDG. 21 - HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS Milo nears a set of double-doors at the end of the hall. He hears a low ominous hum from within. Convinced he's found something, he quickens his pace. He's about to swipe his card when a beam of light bounces along the wall. He presses himself into an alcove. Through a chink in the unfinished wall he sees: Delbert come in the front door. His rounds consist of shining his torch up at the cameras, making sure the red lights are on. He walks right past Milo (who doesn't breath). Delbert swipes open the double doors, leans in: the humming gets louder. ON MILO: pressing himself into the alcove. Delbert turns around, heads back down the hall... exits the building. Milo waits a beat before heading to the end of the hall. Using the card, he enters A BIG SPACE A studio-to-be, architectural touches like soffits framed in but not plaster-boarded. The portentous hum comes from around a corner. He approaches, convinced the answer lies here. Clearing the wall he sees: A squat emergency generator sitting on the floor, powering construction lights. Something you'd buy at Sears. EXT. #21 ENTRANCE/A MOMENT LATER - (BINOCULAR SHOT) Through infra-red binoculars we see Milo come out, looking left and right, to make sure he hasn't been observed. VOICE (RANDY) Well. Now he knows: nothin' in there. We are INT. PHIL'S OFFICE - BLDG. 20 - CONTINUOUS Randy turns back into the room, where Phil is sifting through papers spread over a coffee table. RANDY Maybe he'll get back to work. PHIL Speaking of which... RANDY Yeah, yeah. Randy pulls the blinds shut, joins Phil. EXT. QUAD - CRANE SHOT CONTINUOUS From a high angle, we track Milo, as he walks along the path to a bench. The camera passes briefly behind a dark object in the foreground (dog sculpture) as we track him. QUAD - TIGHTER - CONTINUOUS Milo sags onto the bench. He stares out, perplexed, suffering. Then he knits his brow. He seems to be studying -- the ground. Or rather the shadow stretched out in front of him: the looming silhouette of the dog atop the Day Care. He stands up, turns around. REVERSE ON: The whimsical canine. Push toward it's ears cocked to the sky... Then toward a single ear, framed by fur-brown concrete, but with a smooth, concave inner surface of enamelled metal: satellite dish. MILO (muttering) ...in a tree... EXT. DAY CARE CENTER - A MOMENT LATER At the entrance, Milo applies the swipe-card. INT. DAY CARE CENTER - CONTINUOUS He steps in on colorful carpeting, amid balls & tricycles. Kid's artwork hangs on the wall. He moves through this room, into the COMPUTER ROOM 20 screens glow. They hang suspended over a wide, ringed table, a chair at each keyboard. Indeed, Gary has spared no expense for the toddlers: they're flat, sleek, digital screens. At the moment, they show colorful, childish contour drawings that say WHERE I WANNA WORK (e.g.: a spaceship). There are a dozen more screens on tables at the perimeter of the room showing screensavers (eg: angelfish swimming). Milo moves slowly around the table, studying the screens. Not surprisingly, most of the WHERE I WANNA WORK drawings are of desks or tables with computers. Tracking just ahead of Milo, we get to a screen that shows a workstation with a red pennant on the wall, a rubber plant at each end of a desk. Even in contour form it's -- familiar. Milo passes it. And comes back to it. Staring at it, he sits. He begins typing. [The drawing still occupies the screen, but in a window he's brought up at the bottom, there is dense, DOS-looking code.] He types furiously -- numbers, symbols, backslashes. Whatever he's trying to do is a challenge even to him. He deletes lines, begins anew, his frustration evident. As he works through the layers of code, the pixels on the screen start to fill in. The contour lines slowly dissolve into a live broadcast image of Teddy's workstation in Sunnyvale (eerily empty, now). When all the pixels have fallen into place, Milo hears CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK from every direction, as all the screens in the room fill in with live broadcast images. All of them show variations on a theme: A workstation seen by a camera over-the-shoulder of a programmer (if he were present). The stations are of various shapes and sizes, but in each case we have an unobstructed view of screen & keyboard. At this hour, few programmers are present. One guy has fallen asleep, his head on a desk. A Japanese Geek is hard at work: it's day there. INT. PHIL'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS Phil and Randy work at the coffee table. PHIL Did you download Corey? In San Jose? RANDY Damn. 'Have to go back over there. (he stands, stretches) Be so much easier if we could walk in the front door. PHIL You don't look anything like a three- year-old. INT. DAY CARE - COMPUTER ROOM - CONTINUOUS Milo works the keyboard. Again, the code gets dense and obscure as he goes deeper. He succeeds in calling-up a graphical interface. Among the menus he can choose from are: TARGET SCHOOLS, PD UPLOADS, RX UPLOADS. He clicks Target Schools, a menu shoots down (Berkeley, Cal Tech, etc.). He clicks Stanford, then Chin, Teddy. Two windows open. In one, there is a video stream of Teddy winning an award in the Gate's Bldg. In the other, uploaded police video stenciled SUNNYVALE PD) of the White Supremacists whose mug- shots we saw in the San Jose Mercury; they're being interrogated. In the first window, Teddy's image dissolves into a handheld crime-scene video (marked SV-PD) of a ransacked grocery store. "DIE GOOK!" is painted on a wall. Milo looks confused: some "narrative" is unfolding, but it remains obscure without audio. He types some more. In the bottom window, he brings up convoluted text regarding the audio. About the only phrases we can understand are: "Audio Block ON" and "Hardware Requirement: Magnetic Filter Type PBX-R17." His eyes cast about the room for some suitable hardware substitute. He digs in his shirt pocket. He takes out his swipe card, studies it. He casts about some more, till he sees some kids' safety scissors in a jar. INT. BUILDING 20 - SERVICE HALL - CONTINUOUS Randy whistles as he heads up the hall. Arriving at the door with the Civil Defense sticker, he swipes his card. INT. DAY CARE COMPUTER ROOM - CONTINUOUS On-screen, long-lens footage shows a low building; the Aryan Nations suspects come out of it. A still photo appears in the 2nd window: a steel hasp. Milo's eyes are narrowed: what am I seeing? Meantime, he is reaching under the table where he has removed a plate from the mainframe terminal, exposing hardware within. He has trimmed the swipe card to size and is wedging its magnetic strip into a metal slot. He wiggles the card. We hear an eerie fibrillation, which flattens into the voice of a serene, eminently sane female: MULTIMEDIA NARRATOR -- run this methamphetamine lab known to Federal Authorities, per ND 47, from which we removed the implement, fingerprints intact. Crime-scene video streams in now stenciled FBI by the time/date). A handheld camera pans a blood-spattered wall then shows a mutilated Asian murder victim. (All of this footage is made even eerier by the jerky glitches always present in streaming video, and its sinister graininess.) MULTIMEDIA NARRATOR FBI footage, procured by ND 47, shows the aftermath of an Aryan Nations' killing in Denver. Note the evidence of torture, which is typical. Milo pales as he realizes he is watching a primer on how racial killings are done. He hears a creaking noise behind him, and whirls. It's the classroom hamster, on his wheel. INT. STAIRWELL/BOMB SHELTER - CONTINUOUS Still whistling, Randy descends some metal stairs, enters a vast bomb shelter (canned foods, etc.) INT. DAY CARE - COMPUTER ROOM - CONTINUOUS Milo has tapped into his own file: footage of him lecturing at Stanford (as an RA), pointing to a whiteboard. MULTIMEDIA NARRATOR -- complete immersion in code-writing renders him both unobservant and suggestible [click]. On two occasions he went truant from classes to attend Comix Conventions. The audio crackles and drops out again. Milo's eyes narrow: he sees video of Alice, sitting on a folding chair, speaking to someone. She has a harder look, pulls on a Marlboro. What's he seeing? He wiggles the jerry-rigged hardware almost urgently, till the narration crackles back on: MULTIMEDIA NARRATOR -- Rebecca P, a Connecticut art stu- dent facing Federal drug charges, whose records were supplied to us by N.D. 47. He hears her voice under the Narration, answering an unseen Interrogator (sounds like Phil). It's a job interview. Milo subtly, unconsciously shakes his head, as if to deny what his eyes see. The narration begins to fibrillate, again: MULTIMEDIA NARRATOR (O.S.) Armed with his personal files, she was easily able to ingratiate herself with the socially maladroit Milo -- The audio drops out as Milo sees uploaded medical files and ER photos of himself marked STANFORD MEDICAL CENTER: he's waxen, bloated, gasping for breath. With a certain dread, Milo jams the card in deeper: MULTIMEDIA NARRATOR ...she planted the sesame seed both to test the extent of his proclivity and to provide a bonding experience, since she would quote "save his life." Milo is devastated, disbelieving. Now he sees real-time ER footage: an Allergy Victim, bloated, twitching, gasping, dying... MULTIMEDIA NARRATOR -- should it be needed Milo's allergy is the ideal -- The audio crackles out. But Milo doesn't have the heart to bring it back: he can fill in the rest. INT. UNDERGROUND TUNNEL - CONTINUOUS Randy traverses a well-lit tunnel. Still whistling. INT. COMPUTER ROOM - DAY CARE CENTER - NIGHT Numb now, Milo clicks randomly: crime footage, personal records, animations -- it all flies by with Chuck Worman- like speed. MULTIMEDIA NARRATOR Note that the cult members are found reclining after swallowing the [click] Syringe marks best hidden at base of scrotum [click] mimics high blood alcohol [click] indistinguishable from kidney failure. Milo closes his eyes, leans back: overwhelmed. Suddenly he sits forward, whispers almost fervently as he types: MILO Please don't be one of them. INT. DAY-CARE - UNDERGROUND ROOM - CONTINUOUS Camera moves slowly through stacks of pre-school supplies, toward a windowed door at the back of the room. RANDY appears in the window, lit ominously from below. He applies his swipe card. INT. COMPUTER ROOM - CONTINUOUS Milo watches footage of Lisa taken by surveillance cam- eras: she is outside #21, trying to peek in the door. MULTIMEDIA NARRATOR ...needs to be watched, due to her heightened level of suspicion -- In one window, footage of Lisa casing the hallway before going into Milo's office; in another, footage of her eating lunch with Milo. MULTIMEDIA NARRATOR -- and to her possible contagion of key employees. Milo clicks. A MAN's pair of mug shots appear. In the other window, a grade-school yearbook photo of Lisa. MULTIMEDIA NARRATOR In August '86 Lisa informed her mother of the sexual molestation by her stepfather, and of his threat to kill her should she tell anyone. Milo watches streaming local news footage of a man being taken from a courtroom in shackles (jerky, grainy). He's lost the audio, but doesn't need it, anymore. INT. DAY-CARE STAIRWELL Randy climbs up to the main floor... whistling. INT. COMPUTER ROOM - DAY CARE - CONTINUOUS Milo watches eerie crime-scene footage: a Girl with her throat slashed. But then, hearing nearly-distant whistling, he clicks on windows furiously: closing them. INT. DAY CARE BACK ROOM - CONTINUOUS Randy rounds a corner. He enters the COMPUTER ROOM - CONTINUOUS The screens show the children's contour images, again. Where's Milo? Randy takes a seat at the same console Milo was at, and begins to type. Camera booms slowly down beneath table-level to find: MILO hanging onto the underside of the table, knuckles white, as he clings to metal table braces. The toes of his sneakers are jammed into the space between a black plastic data tower and the table bottom. Randy shifts in his seat, his knee rising toward Milo's back. Milo arches it, avoids a knee by mere millimeters. RANDY: brings up a shot of a Programmer at work, zooms in on his screen to begin collecting his code. MILO: begins to lose his grip as sweat forms on his brow and, worse, on his hands. They're giving way. RANDY: clicks. A printer across the room start making a hard- copy of the purloined code. MILO: stares in horror as the data tower his toes are jammed on top of starts to shift -- threatening to disengage from its ports. He tries to lift it back up with heels of his shoes. RANDY: knits his brow as his screen flickers. He keeps typing, but starts to lower his head: he's going to look under the table. MILO: winces as he presses the tower upward with his heels, while trying to maintain his balance... RANDY: lowering his head, keeps his eyes on the screen, hits keys. Just as he is about to clear the level of the table -- the screen re-illumines. He comes back up. MILO: having extended his legs to support the tower, feels his hands slipping... RANDY: closes up the window... MILO: flops to the carpet(!) just as -- RANDY pushes away from the table... From the floor MILO watches him walk over to the printer, collect his hardcopy, and disappear from view.