VERITAS: THE QUEST 1X07: MUMMY VIRUS [UNAIRED IN U.S.] TRANSCRIBED FROM MASTER DUB TAPE Written by: RICK KELLARD & THANIA ST. JOHN Directed by: VERN GILLUM Transcript by Intrepid Courtesy of http://www.webphilia.com/~anthology/wnp.html Please do not archive this transcript without permission from the Transcriptionist ========================== DISCLAIMER: ========================== "VERITAS: THE QUEST" and other related entities are owned, (TM) and (c) by Massett/Zinman Productions, Storyline Entertainment, and Touchstone Television. All Rights Reserved. This transcript was made without their permission, approval, authorization or endorsement. Any reproduction, duplication or distribution of this material in any form is expressly prohibited. It is absolutely forbidden to use it for commercial gain. CONDITION OF USE: (1) Do not alter the content of this file. (2) Leave the headers/disclaimers intact because it lists all those who have made this transcript possible for your enjoyment. (3) Provide a link back to the site where this file originated: http://www.webphilia.com/~anthology/wnp.html Contact the Transcriptionist at (intrepidly002@yahoo.com) ========================== SUMMARY: The unearthing of the mummifed remains of an ancient genius unleashes a deadly airborne pathogen which infects Maggie. It's a race against time to find the antivirus before Maggie succumbs to the disease, and to hold off the pharmaceutical company that wants the mummy at any cost. ========================== VERITAS: THE QUEST 1X07: MUMMY VIRUS [UNAIRED] ========================== FADE IN [EXT. VILLAGE -- DAY] LEGEND: LIMA, PERU [EXT. VILLAGE -- DAY] (SOLOMON walks through the village street as he heads toward the truck parked in the center of the dusty road. The hired hands are securing the large crate to the back of the flatbed truck. SOLOMON climbs onto the back of the truck and prepares to assist them when he's interrupted.) VINCENT: Solomon! (SOLOMON turns to see VINCENT walking toward the truck, a local villager is walking next to him.) VINCENT: Ricco's got some bad news. SOLOMON: (not surprised) Make my day. (RICCO reports.) RICCO: There's an irate mob on the outskirts of Lima. VINCENT: From the village where we dug up the mummy. SOLOMON: All right. Let's throw our backs into it. (to the workers) Aburate! (SOLOMON climbs down from the truck. RICCO climbs up to the truck taking his place. SOLOMON looks up at the box.) SOLOMON: We'll strap it down, then we're out of here. (SOLOMON and VINCENT assist with strapping the box down when MAGGIE rushes up to them.) MAGGIE: It's Professor Luis. He's gone totally crazy. CUT TO: [ROAD THROUGH VILLAGE] (MAGGIE leads SOLOMON and VINCENT back to the warehouse building. She fills him in as they go.) MAGGIE: He came in late last night. Somebody saw him opening the mummy bundle. SOLOMON: They're antsy at the dig site. I told them not to touch anything until we got back to the lab in New York. (They walk out of camera frame passing by a KELLADYNE worker and another man.) KELLADYNE WORKER: (calls out) Everything all right, Dr. Zond? CUT TO: [WAREHOUSE BUILDING] (PROF. LUIS turns away from the wall. He's scared, eyes wide and beads of sweat drip from his skin. A hired hand tries to apprehend him, but PROF. LUIS pushes him away with what appears to be super-human strength. The hired hand is thrown clear across the building room, landing on the hay pile at the far corner. Whoa. That was no ordinary feat.) (PROF. LUIS turns and rushes into the far room.) (SOLOMON, MAGGIE and VINCENT arrive at the warehouse building in time to see the wooden door close behind PROF. LUIS.) (SOLOMON rushes up to the door and tries to open it, but PROF. LUIS has it barred. Through the cracks in the wooden door, SOLOMON can see PROF. LUIS inside.) SOLOMON: Professor. It's Dr. Zond. PROF. LUIS: (eyes-wide & panting) Tekkan violated the laws of nature, Dr. Zond. SOLOMON: Professor, whatever it is, we can handle it. (He rattles the wooden door trying to get it open.) SOLOMON: Just open the door. (Through the cracks in the door, he sees PROF. LUIS reach for a can of gasoline.) SOLOMON: What are you doing? (From behind him, VINCENT approaches carrying a shovel to use to open the door.) VINCENT: Solomon, move! (SOLOMON turns, sees VINCENT and steps aside. VINCENT lifts the shovel and punches out the bars from the view box in the door.) PROF. LUIS: The mummy's curse will exterminate us all. (VINCENT steps aside. SOLOMON reaches in through the hole in the door and tries to unbar the door. He can't reach the lock.) SOLOMON: Still can't! (He sees PROF. LUIS deliberately start to douse himself and the ground around him with the gasoline. SOLOMON steps aside for VINCENT.) SOLOMON: (to VINCENT) Break it down! Break it down! (VINCENT raises the shovel and starts hacking at the lock on the door trying to get the door open before something terrible happens.) SOLOMON: (shouts desperately) Professor! Open the door! We can help you! (VINCENT continues to pound away at the door lock trying to get the door open. Inside, PROF. LUIS continues to douse himself with the flammable liquid. He tosses the gasoline can to the side and takes out his lighter.) SOLOMON: Professor! (PROF. LUIS flicks on his lighter and drops it.) (From outside, OFF VINCENT, we see the hot flames inside the small room burst brightly and consume the professor. SOLOMON rushes up to the door and peers inside through the hole.) SOLOMON: No! (VINCENT stands next to SOLOMON also staring inside the room.) (Behind them, MAGGIE and the hired workers stare in shock.) FADE TO [EXT. NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE (STOCK) - DAY] (Time passes.) [INT. VERITAS FOUNDATION - MAIN OFFICE -- DAY] (MAGGIE walks around the large glass container resting on a platform containing the mummified body. The view of the contents inside the container are clouded over with the white preservative gas. The section of the office is blocked off with plastic hanging from the ceiling. SOLOMON stands in front of the container.) MAGGIE: Hopefully the Sulfide preservative has suspended any further deterioration. SOLOMON: Well, let's find out. (SOLOMON kneels down and starts working on the controls at the base of the glass container that operating the conditions inside. He looks up as people walk into the room.) (VINCENT leads SYLVIE DESCARDES and the group of men from KELLADYNE into the main office.) SYLVIE DESCARDES: After all these years, it's hard to imagine the mummy is in our hands. (SOLOMON stops what he's doing and stands up to meet them.) SOLOMON: Ms. Descardes. I wasn't expecting you. SYLVIE DESCARDES: (pleased) Congratulations, Dr. Zond. (She shakes his hand.) Kelladyne is very excited about the discovery. You've managed to solve a three- thousand year old mystery and make me look good for hiring you. SOLOMON: Well, thank you very much. It wasn't easy. We were expecting an elaborate tomb fit for a man of his stature, but there wasn't even a sarcophagus. We just found him in the ground. The burial bundle was open before we left Peru. Your man, Luis, violated our agreement. (MS. DESCARDES turns to look at MAGGIE.) SYLVIE DESCARDES: And have we determined exactly what happened to the Professor? MAGGIE: Well, there's nothing in his medical history to suggest seizures or schizophrenia. It could have been something as simple as a snake bite. But we also found woven tapestries buried with Tekkan. And a mass gravesite next to his burial spot. So, we're studying that to see if there's any - SYLVIE DESCARDES: (interrupts) I don't believe in ancient curses if that's where you were going. (MAGGIE raises her head up a little higher.) MAGGIE: I was going with Forensics. SYLVIE DESCARDES: Oh. (SOLOMON walks up to them and pulls DESCARDES over to the side.) SOLOMON: Ms. Descardes, I was very specific. No one was to open the bundle until we brought it here. SYLVIE DESCARDES: And I can assure you that no one at Kelladyne gave that directive to the Professor. We believe that this pre-Incan method of preserving human tissue is going to have an immeasurable impact on cancer research and we wouldn't want anything to get in the way of making that possible. SOLOMON: Nor would we. SYLVIE DESCARDES: Good. Then I'd like to arrange transfer of the remains to our Research Center. SOLOMON: No. I'm sorry. There are too many unanswered questions regarding the mummy and Luis' death to let this go without further study. SYLVIE DESCARDES: Legally, I can claim ownership and remove it at any time. SOLOMON: Well, legally, as a Doctor of Forensic Archaeology, I have a license to quarantine Tekkan for as long as I deem scientifically necessary. So, if you'd like to bring me a court order for his transfer, I suggest you start the paperwork. SYLVIE DESCARDES: (not pleased at all) The remains. I want to see them. SOLOMON: Sure. Okay. (SOLOMON turns and looks at MAGGIE. She and VINCENT pull the glass containment unit out into the center of the room. SOLOMON kneels down to work on the controls at the base of the containment unit that operate the conditions inside.) (The white gas inside the container slowly dissipates clearing out of the container, revealing the mummified body inside.) (DESCARDES watches with anticipation, her eyes alight as she sees the body.) SYLVIE DESCARDES: (quietly) The Great Tekkan. The Ancient Genius. (She smiles with smug satisfaction.) (Standing behind the glass also staring at the mummified body is VINCENT. He looks less than impressed by the dead body.) VINCENT: (drolls) Mummies. Always trouble. FADE TO END OF TEASER ROLL TITLE CREDITS FADE IN. [EXT. SNOW-COVERED MOUNTAINS -- DAY] LEGEND: JACKSON HOLE, WYOMING (The entire mountainside is covered with a thick layer of snow.) NIKKO: (o.s.) Yi-i-hah! At last, we're having fun! (Whoosh! Two bodies on snowboards race down the white snowy hill, bobbing and weaving between the trees.) FADE IN. [EXT. LODGE - DAY] [INT. LODGE - MAIN LOBBY - DAY] (NIKKO is sitting in the lobby telling a story of his adventures to a couple of women trying to impress them.) NIKKO: So, you're so busy worried about your rope and your harness a-and your axe because you don't know if you're holding it in your hands because you're so numb you can't feel anything. All right? (From behind NIKKO, CALVIN opens the door and sees NIKKO telling the story.) NIKKO: So, meanwhile, I'm thinking to myself, I'm on this ice wall in the middle of Antarctica, right? (CALVIN walks into the room and stops just behind NIKKO.) NIKKO: (continues) A-and I can't see the top - no way - and the bottom - nothing's gonna happen - so I didn't know if I was going to fall fifty feet or five hundred. CALVIN: (interrupts) It was fifty. NIKKO: (rolls his eyes) Yeah, whatever. (NIKKO makes the introductions. VANESSA smiles at CALVIN who winks back at her.) NIKKO: Vanessa, this is Calvin, works for my Dad. Calvin, this is the lovely Vanessa. (NIKKO smiles at her.) VANESSA: Yes, Calvin and I hung out last night. (NIKKO nods quietly. CALVIN turns and smiles smugly at NIKKO.) VANESSA: So - what are you guys - are you guys here on vacation? CALVIN: Hmm. Sort of. Nikko was given this trip by his dad for just doing so well on his first semester at home study. It wasn't easy, either. He had a very academically demanding high school tutor. VANESSA: High school. (NIKKO raises his mug and laughs a little, embarrassed.) VANESSA: Well, that's really young for an archaeologist. CALVIN: It is really young. It is very young being an archaeologist, isn't it? But, Nikko here, he just, you know, takes after his father who also happens to own the business, so - NIKKO: Well, he also noticed my very deep commitment to the study of ancient civilizations ... So ... CALVIN: Right. So, he gave up his dream of starting a boy band and came on board. (VANESSA takes a sip from her cup to hide her smile.) NIKKO: Well, obviously, my father felt he had enough bookish techies in the office, he felt like he needed a little bit of support in the field, you know? I'm saying that's where youth and vitality can be a very big plus. VANESSA: I can definitely see that. NIKKO: And, uh ... stamina, of course. (CALVIN doesn't reply to that. The LODGE MANAGER walks up to NIKKO. NIKKO turns around to look at him.) NIKO: Yeah, what's up? LODGE MANAGER: Sorry to bother you, sir, but, uh, do you by any chance have another credit card? We're having a bit of a problem. NIKKO: Problem? What's the problem? LODGE MANAGER: Your card was declined. (CALVIN smiles.) NIKKO: What do you mean, it was declined? (CALVIN looks upward, smiles and mouths, "Thank you".) CUT TO: [INT. VERITAS FOUNDATION - MAIN OFFICE -- DAY] (SOLOMON picks up a photo of a skull in the dirt. He examines the photo under a magnifying glass.) SOLOMON: Juliet. (Behind him, JULIET walks over to him. He hands her the photo.) SOLOMON: Look at that. All the bodies in the mass grave where burned. (MAGGIE listens and walks back to the counter to pick up a file folder.) JULIET: That's so interesting because the Incas don't burn their dead. That would be in total violation of their belief system. MAGGIE: It gets better. I just got the data back on the bone fragments we removed. (She hands the file folder to SOLOMON. He looks at the results inside.) MAGGIE: Half of those charred skeletons are three thousand years old. Just like Tekkan. SOLOMON: And the other half? MAGGIE: No more than two years old. (SOLOMON looks at MAGGIE, surprised by this news.) SOLOMON: Two years? Are you sure? MAGGIE: We even found traces of fibers from clothing. So unless our Pre-Incans wore polyester and sneakers ... ? SOLOMON: What about the tapestries? Any luck on the translations? JULIET: Well, add this to the troublesome list. (JULIET sighs and walks over to the monitor. She puts up the images of the tapestry fragments.) JULIET: Tekkan's tribe never had a written language. They tied knots, a form of communication, mostly for record keeping on long strands of wool treads called kupas. But the ones that were buried with Tekkan don't correspond to anything that's ever been translated. (JULIET shrugs.) MAGGIE: From what I've learned about Tekkan, he was the Da Vinci of his time. Centuries ahead in his thinking. Perhaps this is some sort of rudimentary language he was experimenting with. SOLOMON: Can it be cracked? (JULIET looks at SOLOMON. She smiles. Did he just ask that?) JULIET: (mocks) Can it be cracked? (MAGGIE laughs. SOLOMON laughs.) SOLOMON: Okay. While you're at it, why don't you figure out why a noble like Tekkan was buried like a peasant, will you? (The phone rings. SOLOMON walks up the steps to answer the phone.) SOLOMON: (to phone) Hello. INTERCUT WITH: [INT. JACKSON HOLE, WYOMING - LODGE - DAY] NIKKO: Hey, dad. SOLOMON: Nicholas. How's it going? You having fun? NIKKO: It's good. It's, uh, it's really good. Uhm. Actually, there's-there's something that's sort of not so good. Uhm. This place, dad, is like really, really overpriced and a pizza here is like, I don't know, a zillion dollars. SOLOMON: What are you trying to say, son? NIKKO: Nothing. Easy, easy. No, no, I was making an observation, that's all. And, uh, and you know, it's probably the reason why my, uh, why my credit card is maxed. SOLOMON: Ah, I see. How much? NIKKO: (clears throat) I think, you know, not much. Not much at all. It's like, twelve. It's uh, maybe Twelve hundred. Give or take ... more, but, you know, uh, dad - you said, have a good time, right? And ... SOLOMON: (interrupts) I said, "good". Not "fabulous". (MAGGIE and JULIET openly listen to SOLOMON'S side of the conversation.) SOLOMON: There's a limit on that card for a reason, right? And you knew your budget. NIKKO: Well, I - SOLOMON: No, forget it. You're gonna have to figure out a way to handle this yourself. I'm not bailing you out this time, you got it? NIKKO: I know, dad. But - SOLOMON: Good-bye. (He hangs up.) NIKKO: (to phone) Dad? Dad. (NIKKO looks at the phone.) (SOLOMON looks up and sees MAGGIE and JULIET watching him. Both women are quiet.) SOLOMON: What? That's the right thing to do, right? It's a good lesson for him. He's got to learn to stick to a budget. (MAGGIE moves forward and up the steps.) MAGGIE: When's the last time you stuck to a budget - (She walks past SOLOMON.) MAGGIE: (quietly) ... "Mr. Private Jet"? (SOLOMON turns around.) SOLOMON: I heard that. (JULIET smiles.) CUT TO: [INT. VERITAS FOUNDATION - LAB - LATER] (MAGGIE is openly examining the mummified remains of Tekkan. She's wearing a mask and goggles as she circles the mummy on the table.) MAGGIE: (notes to herself) The well-preserved blouse. The mouth wide open as if gasping for air. Most likely buried alive. The absence of traditional cotton wrapping ceremonial garments supports the findings that the subject was buried naked and hastily. Significantly, traces of the stomach and intestines still present. Body was not embalmed. Yet, it appears to be mummified none the less. Curiouser and curiouser. (MAGGIE looks at the mummified abdomen, then removes her goggles. She puts her glasses on so she can see better.) (She picks up a scalpel.) MAGGIE: Obtaining tissue sample by Brachbadialis. (She cuts into the abdomen and a spray of spores shoots out and hits her in the face. MAGGIE blinks her eyes rapidly. She puts her scalpel down and removes her glasses. She presses her fingertips to her eyes.) (She looks at the mummified remains.) MAGGIE: Always some damn problem with you older men. (Camera holds on the mummy.) FADE TO: [EXT. VERITAS BUILDING - DAY] VINCENT: (v.o.) Kelladyne didn't seem too broken up over Luis' death, [INT. VERITAS FOUNDATION - OFFICE - DAY] (VINCENT reports his suspicions to SOLOMON.) VINCENT: ... so I did some checking. They've been looking for Tekkan for a long time. Funding variations of the expeditions since the early sixties. Sylvie Descartes' promotion was based on her promise to finally deliver the mummy. SOLOMON: Why are they so interested in this mummy? (SOLOMON heads out of the office. VINCENT follows him. Their conversation continues.) SOLOMON: I mean, every time they're around, I get the feeling this really isn't about cancer research. VINCENT: I'm beginning to have my doubts, buddy of mine at the FCC tells me that Kelladyne needs a multi-billion dollar score fast. Stock is tanking because they knew drug development didn't deliver as promised and they got nailed for adjusting their quarterly reports. (SOLOMON turns around to look at VINCENT.) VINCENT: We're talking major fraud at the highest levels. SOLOMON: What the hell are we in bed with here? (A rhetorical question that needs to be answered.) CUT TO: [EXT. LODGE - DAY] (Establish.) NIKKO: (v.o.) Okay? All I'm proposing ... [INT. JACKSON HOLE, WYOMING - LODGE - DAY] (NIKKO talks with the LODGE MANAGER.) NIKKO: ... is that we create some type of arrangement whereby I can provide a service that can be applied toward my current debt. And, uh, excuse me for saying this, but I have noticed a conspicuous lack of qualified snowboarding instructors around here, you know? Well with all modesty, I'm pretty derned good. So what do you say? CUT TO: [LATER] NIKKO: Buddy. Huh! (NIKKO smiles at CALVIN.) NIKKO: You can loan me the money, it won't be anything. (CALVIN smiles at him.) CALVIN: Just do your job, right? (He turns to leave.) CALVIN: Be good. (CALVIN walks over to VANESSA. He takes her hand and they head out of the lodge. VANESSA turns and waves to NIKKO.) (NIKKO turns back to the tables. He's wearing a white busboy apron tied around his waist as he picks up the dirty dishes off of the table.) CUT TO: [INT. VERITAS FOUNDATION - LAB -- DAY] (JULIET carries a file into the lab. She calls out to MAGGIE.) JULIET: Hey, Maggie? (MAGGIE unrolls the tape and quietly finishes sealing herself up in the glass room. She doesn't answer JULIET.) JULIET: Maggie? Are you all right? (MAGGIE raises her eyes and looks directly at JULIET.) MAGGIE: (grimly) Get Solomon. (JULIET stares at MAGGIE.) CUT TO: [HALLWAY -- CONTINUOUS] (JULIET runs out into the hallway and turns the corner looking into the open room.) JULIET: Hey, Dr. Zond?! (He's not there. She immediately turns and runs into the next room.) [MAIN OFFICE -- CONTINUOUS] (She sees SOLOMON standing at the table.) JULIET: It's Maggie. Something's wrong. (JULIET turns the monitor on. MAGGIE appears on screen.) SOLOMON: What's going on, Maggie? (MAGGIE looks up.) MAGGIE: (from monitor) Seems Al-Tekkan was carrying some kind of germ. (VINCENT looks up. MAGGIE has all their attention.) MAGGIE: I've been watching him for the last few hours. It is the fastest replicating virus I have ever seen. Take a look. (The monitor splits in half. On the monitor, she puts up a microscopic view of a replicating virus. It's not good.) MAGGIE: A virus this strong can kill a person in a matter of days ... maybe hours. JULIET: That would explain the thousands of bodies burned in that pit. VINCENT: The containment of a killer outbreak. SOLOMON: That means Luis must've been exposed when he opened the bundle that morning. VINCENT: He knew he was infected. So, he burned himself trying to contain the spread. SOLOMON: All right? What are we looking at exactly, Maggie? Is this a tissue sample? MAGGIE: No, it's blood. SOLOMON: There's no blood left in that mummy. MAGGIE: I know. It's mine. JULIET: My God. MAGGIE: I was careless. I've been exposed. (MAGGIE lifts up her left arm and shows them the skin under her arm near her wrist. It looks as if it's drying up, mummifying itself.) (JULIET turns to a second computer and digitizes the skin on MAGGIE'S arm. She magnifies it over and over.) MAGGIE: Now we know what mummified the Great Tekkan. (The view on the monitor shows the various break down of the cells in MAGGIE'S arm.) MAGGIE: This virus turns host cells into human dust. And then it becomes airborne. Damned efficient means of transmission, huh? Don't worry. I've sealed off the vent. The potential for devastating outbreak is right here in this building. And I'm patient zero. FADE OUT. FADE IN. [EXT./INT. KELLADYNE BUILDING -- DAY] (SOLOMON and VINCENT meet with DESCARTES from KELLADYNE) SOLOMON: The medical community needs to be made aware of this immediately. Now, our colleague has been quarantined, but, god forbid it gets released. We're going to have an outbreak on our hands of pandemic proportions. SYLVIE DESCARDES: Dr. Zond. Kelladyne appreciates you did the right thing and came to us first. (As she talks, VINCENT glances down at the report on the table between them. DESCARTES notices VINCENT'S interest in the piece of paper. She quickly pushes the paper into the folder.) SYLVIE DESCARDES: There are many things to evaluate. SOLOMON: (shakes his head) No. No. (VINCENT stares suspiciously at DESCARTES. She turns from SOLOMON and looks at VINCENT.) SOLOMON: One of the only people in the world that I trust completely -- a first rate scientist - has identified a mega-virus that could wipe out millions of people. (DESCARTES turns and looks at SOLOMON. As soon as her head is turned away from VINCENT, he reaches into the folder and slips the piece of paper out, hiding it from her. Very smooth.) SOLOMON: Now, we need to alert the Centers for Disease Control, the State Health Officials, maybe even FEMA. (She doesn't say anything. SOLOMON takes a step forward.) SOLOMON: Are you going to make that call, or should I? SYLVIE DESCARDES: Just give me five minutes. (She turns to look at VINCENT.) This situation is too crucial. I mean, we wouldn't want to make mistakes. (She picks up the folder off the table and stands up.) (SOLOMON sighs with disgust.) SYLVIE DESCARDES: All I'm asking for is five minutes. (She turns and leaves the room. SOLOMON watches her leave.) SOLOMON: What is she hiding? There is-is no reason not to call the CDC. (SOLOMON sits down.) VINCENT: Maybe there is. I pulled this from her folder. (He hands SOLOMON the note.) SOLOMON: AnalChem. VINCENT: They're a small BioTech Company with a large International Clientele. If you're looking for the next big thing in biological warfare, it's where you do your shopping. SOLOMON: They're working with Kelladyne? VINCENT: It appears so. They're a subsidiary. If they can break down the virus and come up with an antibody, then they've got the whole bio-bomb package. SOLOMON: Sell the plague. Make a fortune. (SOLOMON sits down heavily in the chair.) VINCENT: Sell the cure. Make even more. SOLOMON: Jeez. VINCENT: She said five minutes. Five minutes, their security could seal this place up completely. Time to go. CUT TO: [HALLWAY -- CONTINUOUS] (DESCARTES turns the corner to the hallway. She walks rapidly with purpose. Following her are a half-dozen other men.) SYLVIE DESCARDES: I want that mummy. Send your operatives into their location now. What are you still doing here? WORKER: Maybe -- (She holds up a hand cutting him off.) SYLVIE DESCARDES: I'm not interested in details. I want results. (They reach the waiting room where she last left SOLOMON and VINCENT only to find the room empty.) SYLVIE DESCARDES: They've gone. (She turns around to look at the men behind her.) CUT TO: [EXT. VERITAS BUILDING - DAY] [INT. VERITAS FOUNDATION - OFFICE - DAY] (The elevator bell dings. JULIET is already rushing to it to meet with them.) JULIET: All our phone lines are down. (VINCENT and SOLOMON step out of the elevator.) VINCENT: It's Kelladyne. They've jammed out cell phones, too. SOLOMON: Let's go. Got to get Maggie to a hospital. (The three of them rush down the hallway toward the lab.) [LAB -- CONTINUOUS] (MAGGIE turns off the table lamp just as SOLOMON, VINCENT and JULIET walk into the room. Her right hand is now covered with mummified skin. It's getting worse.) (JULIET turns the speaker on between the two.) JULIET: Here, Dr. Zond. (MAGGIE turns her hand and notices her dried diseased skin.) SOLOMON: Maggie. (MAGGIE turns around and looks at them.) SOLOMON: We're getting out of here. We're going to find you some help. MAGGIE: I've been watching this thing for hours. It's opportunistic and it takes no prisoners. You can't move me now. It would just help it spread. JULIET: Well, we'll get you to the best doctors. They'll know what to do. MAGGIE: I'm going to stay right here where it's contained. Until we can figure something out. (SOLOMON'S cell phone rings. JULIET turns and notices it ringing. SOLOMON reaches to answer it.) JULIET: I thought they were jammed. VINCENT: It's got to be her. SOLOMON: This is Solomon. INTERCUT WITH: [KELLADYNE BUILDING - LOBBY - DAY] (SYLVIE DESCARDES is walking through the lobby.) SYLVIE DESCARDES: Can we finish our conversation now? SOLOMON: When someone up and disappears from my office, they usually assumed that the conversation is over. (SOLOMON, VINCENT and JULIET head back to the main office.) SYLVIE DESCARDES: I knew you'd go straight back to save your friend. Commendable, but predictable. If I were you, I'd make sure that air lock stays tight. She doesn't look too good. (At that, SOLOMON stops dead in his tracks. He turns back to look at VINCENT.) SOLOMON: They're watching us. VINCENT: Could be anywhere. (Already VINCENT runs to check the windows. SOLOMON turns and goes back to his phone conversation.) SYLVIE DESCARDES: You're totally cut off, Dr. Zond. We control all your communications now. (The computer monitor next to SOLOMON blips and a new screen appears with a big red WARNING sign in the middle. SOLOMON turns and looks at it. Their Firewall is being scanned.) (JULIET is at the computer monitoring what's going on. Behind them, VINCENT is checking the windows to try to find how they're watching them.) JULIET: They're in the system trying to shut us down. (SOLOMON covers the phone speaker.) SOLOMON: (to JULIET) Well, try and keep them out. (VINCENT is shutting the window blinds.) [EXT. KELLADYNE BUILDING - DAY] (A worker opens the door to the waiting car. SYLVIE DESCARDES walks out of the building still on the phone with SOLOMON.) SYLVIE DESCARDES: This situation between us can escalate and get ugly. Very ugly. (She slips into the back seat of the car. The WORKER closes the door for her.) SYLVIE DESCARDES: Or we can come to some reasonable compromise. SOLOMON: Yeah, one of us walks out of here and goes to the police. SYLVIE DESCARDES: Your friend's life is at stake and so is the risk of an outbreak if I have to send my team in there in a hurry to recover what's rightfully mine. SOLOMON: You wouldn't do that. SYLVIE DESCARDES: I have complete faith in the Kelladyne research team to come up with an antivirus in due time. But unfortunately, there would be a lot of death on your conscience before then. SOLOMON: My conscience? You want me to hand over an ancient virus so you can bio-terrorize the world to make a buck. SYLVIE DESCARDES: We're not monsters, Dr. Zond. Kelladyne is all about helping people. Like your friend, Maggie. We operate the number one immune disease hospital in the world. Let's get her taken care of and I'm sure we can come to some mutually beneficial arrangement. SOLOMON: Well, the last one didn't work out so well. SYLVIE DESCARDES: It's a brand new world as of two hours ago. Let's discuss what you might need to make this happen. Cooperation is the only thing that might save her, Dr. Zond. (SOLOMON stops and thinks a moment. He turns around to look at JULIET behind him.) SOLOMON: (to phone) Give me a minute. (He puts the phone down, then turns to look at JULIET and VINCENT who stands behind her looking at the monitor over her shoulder.) SOLOMON: Can we get a message out? JULIET: They've hacked in so they can hear what we send. VINCENT: Can't even call the police. Kelladyne will be monitoring their disbatch. They'll hit us before the cops get here. SOLOMON: How long do you think Maggie can last? VINCENT: Why, what are you thinking? SOLOMON: Maggie said that the ashes in that pit were no more than two years old. VINCENT: There must've been an outbreak two years ago. If we can find a survivor ... SOLOMON: Then he or she would have immunity. JULIET: We could extract their blood, deliver it straight to the CDC and an anti-virus could be formulated bypassing Kelladyne completely. SOLOMON: Exactly. VINCENT: If there wasn't a survivor? SOLOMON: We don't have a choice. I'm not going to let her go down without a fight. VINCENT: Then, we'd better get someone to Peru. Find that person. (thinks) Nikko and Calvin. They've got the jet, right? SOLOMON: That's a long shot. VINCENT: (insistent) It's the only one we've got. SOLOMON: Oh, how do we get a message to them without Kelladyne finding out. JULIET: Well, Calvin and I deciphered a lot of ancient languages some of them we still haven't published. (VINCENT smiles as the plan comes together. SOLOMON looks from VINCENT to JULIET.) SOLOMON: (nods) Do it. CUT TO: [EXT. CURBSIDE - DAY] (Through a telescope, we see SYLVIE DESCARDES get out of the backseat of the car. They're at their destination.) [INT. BUILDING OFFICE - DAY] (Up in a room in a building, a man looks through the telescope out the window. He listens to SYLVIE DESCARDES on the speaker.) SYLVIE DESCARDES: (from phone) Our jet's just arrived are they cut off yet? MAN AT TELESCOPE: (to phone) I see you coming in. Almost there. We're working on it. (The camera moves aside from the MAN AT THE TELESCOPE to show another man working at the computer trying to get through the Veritas Foundation Firewall.) (Camera moves aside and we see two other men sitting at a table. One has head phones on obviously monitoring something while the other works on a laptop.) MALE VOICE: (over radio) A Team on line. (SYLVIE DESCARDES ducks through the plastic sheeting hanging down from the walls and walks into the office area where the men are.) SYLVIE DESCARDES: We're going to shut them down or not? MAN AT LAPTOP: Few more seconds. (The MAN AT THE LAPTOP continues to work. SYLVIE DESCARDES walks over to the window and looks out through the blinds.) MALE VOICE 1: (from radio) We got visual. MALE VOICE 2: (from radio) Room position secured. (Across the park and across the street, SYLVIE DESCARDES looks at the VERITAS BUILDING.) CUT TO: [INT. VERITAS FOUNDATION - OFFICE - DAY] (JULIET has sheets of the ancient alphabet spread out on the computer table in front of her as she works to get the message typed out in the language that only she and CALVIN know. SOLOMON walks up to the window and takes his jacket off as he gives JULIET information for the message to send.) SOLOMON: As soon as they get there, tell them to find a man named Ricco Givetta. He'll take them to the village to the right people, hopefully. (JULIET types as fast as she can, the ancient language symbols appearing on screen as she types, but the urgency and importance of his message gets to her. She can't afford to make any mistakes.) JULIET: Dammit. (He walks up to her.) SOLOMON: Easy, easy. Look, you can do this. C'mon. JULIET: Okay. (JULIET continues to type.) [OFFICE ACROSS THE PARK] (The MAN AT THE LAPTOP types as fast as he can, trying to shut down the VERITAS network.) MAN AT LAPTOP: C'mon. (The code on the monitor screen appears.) [JULIET] (JULIET continues to type out the encrypted message to CALVIN.) [KELLADYNE MAN AT LAPTOP] (The MAN AT THE LAPTOP continues to type.) MAN AT LAPTOP: We're through the firewall. [JULIET] (JULIET finishes the message.) JULIET: Okay. (She hits the ENTER key.) [KELLADYNE MAN AT LAPTOP] (Once through the firewall, the MAN AT THE LAPTOP finishes up the job.) MAN AT LAPTOP: I'm shutting down their server. (On the monitor, the message: CONNECTION ESTABLISHED flashes.) MAN AT LAPTOP: We're going to freeze their entire system. (Code scrolls across the screen.) MAN AT LAPTOP: (pleased) Excellent. [JULIET] (JULIET moves the cursor over SEND and clicks. The computer beeps. "MESSAGE SEND" appears on screen.) [KELLADYNE MAN AT LAPTOP] (He stares at the screen.) MAN AT LAPTOP: Here we go. (He presses the enter key and the computer beeps.) [JULIET] (JULIET stares at the MESSAGE SEND on the screen. The computer beeps and the message disappears.) (She smiles.) (SOLOMON smiles.) SOLOMON: Good job. JULIET: Okay. [KELLADYNE MAN AT LAPTOP] (The message JULIET sent is on the monitor screen. The MAN AT THE LAPTOP stares at it. This doesn't look good. He looks up at SYLVIE DESCARDES who is peering out the window between the blinds.) MAN AT LAPTOP: Think you better see this. SYLVIE DESCARDES: What is it? (She lets go of the blinds, turns around and heads back to the man at the laptop.) MAN AT LAPTOP: Last transmission from Zond's computer. SYLVIE DESCARDES: So why aren't they shut down? (He stares at the encrypted message.) MAN AT LAPTOP: They are now, but this got out. (She looks at the message on the monitor, lines of unreadable ancient text.) SYLVIE DESCARDES: What does it say? MAN AT LAPTOP: It's code or something. This is the e-mail address it was sent to. SYLVIE DESCARDES: I want to know who this is and where they are right now. CUT TO: [INT. JACKSON HOLE, WYOMING - LODGE - DAY] (CALVIN walks up to NIKKO.) CALVIN: (urgently) Come on. Get your stuff. We're leaving. NIKKO: Well, what about the hotel? What about the tip- CALVIN: (interrupts) It's taken care of. Jet leaves in twenty minutes. We're going to Peru. (NIKKO stares at CALVIN.) NIKKO: What's wrong? (CALVIN looks at NIKKO. He doesn't say anything, but it's written on his face.) NIKKO: Is it bad? CALVIN: (confirms) Real bad. Let's go. (CALVIN turns and leaves. NIKKO quietly follows him.) CUT TO: [EXT. JET (MOVING) - DAY] (The Veritas Private Jet travels above the clouds.) [EXT. MOUNTAINS OF PERU - STOCK - DAY] LEGEND: PERU [EXT. VILLAGE - DAY] [INT. VILLAGE TAVERN - DAY] (NIKKO and CALVIN sit at a table meeting with the GUIDE.) RICCO GIVETTA: This is a very dangerous thing for me to do. I take a great risk. A man who risks his life is worth a lot of money and they do not like dealing with outsiders. CALVIN: But, a quarter of your fee, now; a quarter of your fee when you put us in contact with the villagers. The more you deliver, the more you make. That's it. RICCO GIVETTA: Half up front. That's my policy. You have to remember, I have to find them out. NIKKO: Okay, how about this. To start? Nothing. When we get to the village, nothing. When you produce an outbreak survivor, we'll double your original asking price. RICCO GIVETTA: You got a deal. But she is well protected. I will arrange for the trip to be -- (RICCO GIVETTA stands up. CALVIN moves to stop him, but NIKKO interrupts.) NIKKO: All right. (to CALVIN) +See, that's why Vanessa likes me more. CALVIN: Right. I mean, really. What woman wouldn't find a bus boy irresistible. NIKKO: Oh, I guess it's "safer". (He winks at CALVIN.) CUT TO: [EXT. VILLAGE STREET - DAY] (A PERUVIAN MAN is on the phone with SYLVIE DESCARDES.) PERUVIAN MAN: Now, he wants me to take them to the village where we found Tekkan. He wants to find the survivor of the last outbreak. INTERCUT WITH: [INT. MAKE-SHIFT OFFICE - DAY] (SYLVIE DESCARDES is on the phone. She turns to the KELLADYNE WORKER looking through the telescope.) SYLVIE DESCARDES: Zond's got his kid in Peru. He's trying to procure the cure on his own. The locals seem to trust him, we might as well let them lead us to it. With the mummy and the blood of a survivor in our possession, we'll have everything we need. (She goes back to the phone conversation.) SYLVIE DESCARDES: Go ahead. Take them to this village. PERUVIAN MAN: But what about the boy and his friend. SYLVIE DESCARDES: (from phone) We'll grab them when they get back to New York. (She hangs up.) CUT TO: [EXT. VERITAS BUILDING - DAY] [INT. VERITAS FOUNDATION - LAB - DAY] (MAGGIE is in her sealed lab rapidly writing something down. The lab is silent except for the sounds of her pen scratching on paper. She leans hunched over the table in intense concentration on what she's doing. From what we see, the disease has started to spread to her face.) (She holds the pen in one hand and a pen flashlight in the other, using both at the same time, one to light the words as she writes them. She writes so fast that the pen flies out of her hand. It lands on the floor with a clang.) MAGGIE: Damn. (MAGGIE stands up to pick it up.) (SOLOMON walks into the room. He knocks lightly on the glass to get her attention. MAGGIE looks up at him.) (SOLOMON picks up the phone as he looks at her.) SOLOMON: How you doing? (He sits down. MAGGIE starts talking. Rapidly. The words tumble over themselves.) MAGGIE: I don't know what's going on. But this virus expands your abilities somehow. And it's making me smarter. I've just catalogued all the data from the mummy bundle. How long would that usually take? A week? With a team of five people. I've just done it in three hours. (laughs weakly) Ironic, isn't it? I've got something inside me that's turning me into a genius. (She stops. Tears well up in her eyes.) MAGGIE: And then, it's going to kill me. SOLOMON: Maggie, you're not going to die. I won't let that happen. MAGGIE: Even if Nikko and Calvin come back with a blood sample, the chances of developing an anti-virus in time aren't good. SOLOMON: I'm getting tired of hearing that. MAGGIE: Solomon. You know, I think you are an amazing man -- and you're a little bit crazy -- and you're a fighter. But every now and them, something's going to come along that might just be tougher than you are. SOLOMON: I'm sorry I got you into all of this. MAGGIE: Nobody put a gun to my head to work here. Now, let's do everything we can to kick this thing's ass and kick it good. But, if I lose this one, let's not have those left behind beat themselves up over something they couldn't control. SOLOMON: Why - I accept the kick ass part, but I refuse to listen to the rest. MAGGIE: (sadly) That's ... what I love about you. You're so darned predictable. (SOLOMON laughs and smiles.) (Camera holds on a close-up of MAGGIE'S eyes.) FADE OUT. ARNOLD VOSLOO: "Veritas: The Quest" will continue in a moment here on A-B-C. FADE IN. [EXT. PERU] [INT. TAVERN - DAY] (CALVIN and NIKKO meet with RICCO GIVETTA and another VILLAGER.) RICCO GIVETTA: There s a sole survivor. They call her "The Angel". CALVIN: All we need is a vial of blood. See, then we will be out of your hair for good. You can go back to your war or your drug running. Or ... whatever it is that you need AK-47's for. VILLAGER: Look, we're not terrorists or drug dealers. We're protectors of our people - of ALL people. It is our duty and our legacy to keep the power of Tekkan out of the wrong hands. NIKKO: So, why are you trying to stop us? We're trying to save someone's life. VILLAGER: Two years ago, when the Kelladyne team uncovered the same mass grave your father found, it unleashed an epidemic that swept through twelve villages until there were no people left to kill -- including the entire Kelladyne team. So that's why we burn the bodies. Even the three-thousand year old remains. We wanted to get rid of it, but we couldn't find Tekkan himself. Unless the source is destroyed, it's not over. CALVIN: It is. If we can develop an anti-virus from your Angel's blood. We want to help. VILLAGER: Look, we know you have the resources that we do not have. But unless Tekkan is consumed by flames, the death spores wiped out forever. If we have a deal like that, I will take you to see the Angel. CUT TO: [INT. VERITAS FOUNDATION - LAB - DAY] (MAGGIE is in the lab looking at the strips of cloth. JULIET stands on the outside talking with her.) JULIET: I took the patterns that you catalogued and ran them through the computer, they don't match anything on any database. I'm out of options. MAGGIE: It doesn't matter. I don't need the computer. (MAGGIE lightly fingers the torn tapestries with her hands. Under her touch, the ancient characters lift and move into a readable format. As she looks at it, MAGGIE starts to read.) MAGGIE: (reading) I am Tekkan. Medicine Man to the king and his people. JULIET: You can read that? MAGGIE: (explains) In a culture with no written language, he created a way to document everything he did. These are his experiments. His formulas. (MAGGIE quietly reads further and suddenly looks up at JULIET.) MAGGIE: He bio-engineered this virus. It's all here. (Surprised, JULIET turns and looks at the mummified remains.) FADE TO: [INT. VILLAGE - DAY] (The VILLAGER leads CALVIN and NIKKO through the underground hallway. They pass many other villagers waiting in a line against the hallway wall.) VILLAGER: She's become a living myth with the villagers. A Miracle Angel who was sent by God for a higher purpose. You know, there are some who believe she's over three hundred years old. Now she devotes all her time to the healing arts. (They enter a room.) NIKKO: She's a doctor? VILLAGER: A Kurandera. A Healer. (A SENORA walks up to them.) VILLAGER: Hola, Senora. SENORA: (to the VILLAGER) Como esta. (She motions for them to follow her. NIKKO looks from the WOMAN to the VILLAGER, uncertain whether he should.) VILLAGER: (to NIKKO) It's okay. SENORA: I will take you to her. (She takes NIKKO'S arm and leads him and CALVIN over to the other side of the room where a young girl sits in front of a candle-lit shrine, her back to them.) (They stop in front of her. The young girl gets to her feet and turns around. She adjusts the veil she's wearing to look at NIKKO. He's surprised by how young she is.) NIKKO: Estres? Are you the Angel? (She nods.) NIKKO: Will you help me? CUT TO: [INT. VERITAS FOUNDATION - LAB - DAY] (MAGGIE slowly gets to her feet off the chair she's been sitting on. SOLOMON watches from beyond the glass wall.) SOLOMON: Are you in pain? (MAGGIE starts to pace the floor, her head turned away from SOLOMON.) MAGGIE: No. No. But all my senses are heightened. Like my synapses are firing on full blast. It's a really remarkable thing, you know. We-we should be running tests. monitoring my vitals. (Now we see that MAGGIE is further along in the disease, her skin drying and aging.) SOLOMON: Maggie, you don't have to be brave for me. (She turns and looks at SOLOMON.) MAGGIE: Thank you. Solomon. If they get in here - Kelladyne - you know what you have to do, right? SOLOMON: Don't even think about that. MAGGIE: We have to think about it. This whole lab and everything that's in here has to be burned. SOLOMON: Maggie. MAGGIE: If we run out of time, it's your only choice. The Maggie you're talking to now, won't be here. I'll just be a vessel for the most efficient killer this planet has ever seen. SOLOMON: (interrupts) We've got other options. MAGGIE: Stop it! SOLOMON: I don't want you giving up. MAGGIE: (shouts) Just listen! (SOLOMON falls silent.) SOLOMON: All right. MAGGIE: You may have to kill me. (SOLOMON looks down at the ground.) If you don't, they'll be no future for you or Nikko ... or anyone. (MAGGIE sits back down on the chair. SOLOMON doesn't say anything. As is her way, MAGGIE tries to lighten the atmosphere. Though the words are light, it does little to ease the gravity of the situation.) MAGGIE: You know, you're in my will. SOLOMON: Oh, yeah? MAGGIE: Yeah. You get my secret chili recipe. SOLOMON: Who gets the Coltrain records? MAGGIE: My cousin. SOLOMON: Maybe she'll trade. (MAGGIE laughs. SOLOMON smiles.) CUT TO: [INT. VILLAGE BUILDING -- DAY] (A vial of blood is placed in the slot in the cooler along with the other vials. CALVIN closes the cooler.) VILLAGER: Tekkan cannot be studied or preserved. He's not an archaeological treasure. He's death itself. (to NIKKO) Remember our agreement, you must destroy him. NIKKO: You have my word. (They shake hands.) VILLAGER: Good. CUT TO: [INT. BUILDING OFFICE - DAY] (SYLVIE DESCARDES pours herself a cup of coffee as they wait. The KELLADYNE WORKER walks over to her filling her in on what's going on in Peru.) KELLADYNE WORKER: Brovera just called. Zond-boy and his babysitter are on the way back from Peru with the blood sample. SYLVIE DESCARDES: What about the survivor? KELLADYNE WORKER: Under the protection of the villagers. They've got her underground. SYLVIE DESCARDES: That doesn't matter as long as we get the blood. KELLADYNE WORKER: We're monitoring the jet. They're about three hours out. SYLVIE DESCARDES: Move in on Zond. I want to own that location by the time these kids get back with the sample. CUT TO: [INT. VERITAS FOUNDATION - MAIN OFFICE - DAY] (SOLOMON and VINCENT walk into the office. VINCENT is carrying a roll of paper that looks like it might be a map or schematic of something.) SOLOMON: I wish we knew if Nikko and Calvin were all right. VINCENT: They're resourceful young men. We have to protect ourselves now. (VINCENT unrolls the map onto the table.) VINCENT: Sylvie's upped the ante. I've spotted snipers here, here and here. (He points to the location on the map.) They're getting ready to make a move. SOLOMON: You know, when surrounded, the best strategy is to attack. VINCENT: Did you just make that up? SOLOMON: Yes, I did. (VINCENT smiles. How Zond.) SOLOMON: Would anybody in their right mind have ever said that? All right. We're here. Where do you figure she is? (VINCENT moves around the map and stops next to SOLOMON. He studies the map with SOLOMON'S question in mind. He points.) VINCENT: Here. Up a floor. Corner unit. Unobstructed sight lines to the front and side entrances. All she'll need is a sniper to cover the back. We go through our basement, use the old sewer system, come out here. (VINCENT points to a location on the block.) SOLOMON: How many do you think there are? VINCENT: There won't be a big crew. They don't want to attract attention. But they'll be the best. Heavily armed. They'll make it look like a robbery. Take a few things. It'll be over in a matter of minutes. SOLOMON: Jeez. (shakes his head) I don't even want to know how you know this stuff. (VINCENT turns and looks at SOLOMON.) VINCENT: No man, you really don't. CUT TO: [BASEMENT] (SOLOMON drops down into the basement from the ceiling, his flashlight held in his mouth. Once his feet touch the ground, he takes out the flashlight and heads for the grate that leads to the sewers below. SOLOMON reaches out and tries the grating. He moves it a bit when he sees flashlight movement on the other side headed toward him.) (He lets go of the grate and quietly moves to hide behind a pillar.) (The man with the flashlight reaches the grating.) MAN WITH FLASHLIGHT: (to radio) We're at the grate. We'll be through in five minutes. (The KELLADYNE MAN WITH FLASHLIGHT starts using a torch to burn through the grate fastenings.) (Hiding behind the pillar, SOLOMON watches.) FADE OUT. FADE IN. [INT. VERTIAS FOUNDATION - BASEMENT -- DAY] (The MAN WITH FLASHLIGHT continues to burn through the grating as SOLOMON watches from behind the pillar.) CUT TO: [LAB] (JULIET walks into the lab.) JULIET: Maggie? (MAGGIE has advanced into the disease. She can barely stand up any more. She makes her way across the lab by clinging to the tables, dragging her body by her arms. She picks up the stack of papers off the table, her back to JULIET.) MAGGIE: These are my notes on the anti-virus. (She pulls her way to the safe where she puts the notes inside.) MAGGIE: Solomon has the combination. It's changing now. Something's happening to me. (MAGGIE collapses to the floor.) JULIET: Maggie! (She pounds on the glass.) Maggie! (VINCENT walks into the lab behind JULIET.) VINCENT: (flatly) You can't help her now. Come on. (He grabs her arm and pulls her out of the room.) JULIET: Wait. [HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS] (VINCENT has a firm hold on JULIET'S arm as he leads her through the hallway. He is unrelenting and his grasp firm. He ignores her protests.) JULIET: We can't just leave her here. (They walk into the main office.) VINCENT: We don't have a choice. They're coming. (He grabs the monitor off the table and walks over to the window to glance outside. He hands her the hand-held monitor.) VINCENT: You can keep an eye on everything with that. (He walks over to the safe and takes out an automatic weapon. JULIET'S eyes widen with the seriousness of the situation. She watches as he slings the gun strap over his shoulders and takes out a second hand-held gun.) (Without a word, he grabs JULIET'S arm and leads her back out into the hallway.) JULIET: Wait. (Together, they ascend the stairs to the next floor. VINCENT follows JULIET making sure she goes all the way up to the top. When they reach the top of the stairs out of view of the lower floor, he instructs her to duck under the window.) VINCENT: Get low. (JULIET ducks as she passes the window and sits on the stairs. VINCENT sits on the stairs below her.) JULIET: Okay. (VINCENT puts his hand gun down and removes the automatic weapon from over his shoulder. He cocks the gun putting a bullet in the chamber and hands it to JULIET. She takes it reluctantly staring at the weapon.) VINCENT: (instructs) They'll be wearing Kevlar. Aim for the head. JULIET: (scared) Uh, uh, Vincent. I-I can't - VINCENT: (firmly) They're not coming here to take prisoners. (Their eyes meet. Making sure she got the message, VINCENT pats her on her leg reassuringly.) VINCENT: Stay down. (He gets up and starts back down the stairs. JULIET stands up alarmed that she's going to be there alone.) JULIET: Where are you going? (But VINCENT is already near the bottom of the stairs. He doesn't stop; he doesn't turn around.) VINCENT: Down! (JULIET peers over her shoulder at the window and promptly sits down on the stairs.) CUT TO: [BASEMENT] (The KELLADYNE man uses the torch to burn their way through the grating. Once done, he puts his torch down. He grabs the grating to remove it.) (SOLOMON takes the opportunity. He steps out, runs and kicks the grating into the KELLADYNE MAN, knocking him out. SOLOMON looks through the hole leading out into the sewers.) CUT TO: [EXT. RUNWAY - EVENING] (The Veritas Private Jet is landing.) FADE TO: [EXT. HIGHWAY - NIGHT] (The ambulance rushes through the busy road, its siren wailing.) [INT. AMBULANCE (MOVING) - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS] (CALVIN and NIKKO sit in the back of the ambulance. NIKKO holds the igloo on his lap, both hands clutching the precious cargo.) CUT TO: [INT. OFFICE ACROSS THE PARK - NIGHT] (The KELLADYNE MAN fills SYLVIE DESCARDES in on what's going on with the blood transport.) KELLADYNE MAN: They had an ambulance waiting for them on the tarmat. We should be intercept? SYLVIE DESCARDES: No, not in public. We don't want to take any chances with that blood sample. Just secure the headquarters and we'll grab them when they walk in. (SOLOMON turns the corner, ducks under the plastic sheeting hanging from the ceiling and walks into the room. The MEN sitting at the tables are surprised. They grab their guns and stand.) SOLOMON: Welcome to the neighborhood. Wow. I love what you've done with the place. Nice. (He looks around. SYLVIE DESCARDES turns around and smiles at SOLOMON.) SYLVIE DESCARDES: I can't really imagine that you've come to your senses, so - why did you decide to drop by? SOLOMON: There's no reason to go to all this trouble. All this spying. People in the bushes. Guns. All you really want is the virus, right? SYLVIE DESCARDES: I love a man with a firm grasp of the obvious. (He shrugs and smiles.) SOLOMON: Here it is. (SOLOMON takes his hand out of his pocket and blows the dust particles in his hand all over the KELLADYNE people. A large cloud of brown dust hangs in the air getting into their eyes and noses.) (He looks around at the people in the room.) SOLOMON: Spores of the most virulent microbe on earth. Our research estimates death twenty-four to forty-eight hours after exposure. It's airborne. We've all got it now. (SYLVIE DESCARDES stares at SOLOMON.) CUT TO: [INT. VERITAS FOUNDATION - STAIRS - NIGHT] (JULIET sits on the stairs her back to the wall clutching the gun tightly to her chest. She takes deep breaths trying to calm herself.) (She turns and looks at the hand-held monitor that shows the various security camera views of the foundation.) (She watches as the front door opens and a couple of KELLADYNE MEN in suits walk in.) (JULIET clutches the gun tightly and takes deep breaths trying to calm herself. She glances out the window, then back down at the monitor.) (From the monitor, she sees MAGGIE turn the Bunsen burner on high, the flame shooting out and away from her.) JULIET: (quietly) Oh, my god, Maggie. (JULIET stands up. She glances out the window, grabs the monitor and runs down the stairs heading toward the lab.) [LAB - NIGHT -- CONTINUOUS] (JULIET enters the lab and looks around. She knocks on the glass.) JULIET: Maggie! Maggie, where are you? (Inside the glass room, the lab is dark. The Bunsen burner flame is on and the mummified body is on the table, but MAGGIE is nowhere in sight.) JULIET: Maggie, please talk to me. (There's no sign of her.) CUT TO: [INT. OFFICE ACROSS THE PARK - NIGHT] (SOLOMON sits quietly on the table.) SYLVIE DESCARDES: You seem very calm for a man who basically just committed suicide. SOLOMON: When you consider the only other alternative is getting murdered, you find inner peace fairly quickly. (He turns and looks at the other KELLADYNE MEN who have now taken their jackets off and loosened their ties.) SYLVIE DESCARDES: That. And knowing that your son is on his way from Peru with the anti-virus. (SOLOMON stops and turns to look at SYLVIE DESCARDES.) SYLVIE DESCARDES: (smugly) There's not too much I don't know right now. In fact, I'm betting it's in my hands before yours. (SOLOMON shrugs.) SOLOMON: When you go down, you really go down. But, I wouldn't be sure it's going to play out that way. And if you don't get your hands on the blood sample, you're dead. (He turns to look at the KELLADYNE MEN.) -Now are you guys willing to let her take that chance for you, huh? CUT TO: [EXT. STREET - NIGHT] (The ambulance speeds along the street, sirens wailing.) (Inside the ambulance, CALVIN and NIKKO escort the igloo with the blood samples inside.) CUT TO: [INT. VERITAS FOUNDATION - LAB - NIGHT] (JULIET stands against the glass door looking inside the sealed off lab room.) JULIET: Hey, just a little bit longer till Nikko and Cal get back, okay? Come on. You've figured out the formulas! MAGGIE: Don't try to keep me talking. It's over. JULIET: You can't do this. You can't - (JULIET takes the gun off her shoulder and uses the handle to smash against the lab door.) CUT TO: [LOBBY - NIGHT -- CONTINUOUS] (The elevator door opens and the KELLADYNE MEN walk out. Both of them are carrying guns.) [INT. KELLADYNE COMMAND CENTER - NIGHT] (The KELLADYNE MAN reports to SYLVIE DESCARDES.) KELLADYNE MAN: We're in. No resistance so far. (She turns and looks at SOLOMON.) SYLVIE DESCARDES: Good. Get the mummy and wait for Dr. Zond's son to return with the blood. (He nods and turns back to his cell phone. SYLVIE DESCARDES leans in close to SOLOMON.) SYLVIE DESCARDES: You chose the wrong side, Dr. Zond. KELLADYNE MAN: They didn't stop here, they went straight to the Lennox Hill Hospital. (SOLOMON smiles with satisfaction.) SOLOMON: That's my boy. (He gets to his feet.) No, you chose the wrong side, lady. (She turns around to look at the KELLADYNE MAN behind her.) SYLVIE DESCARDES: Stop them. (SOLOMON grabs her and turns her around to look at him.) SOLOMON: Are you sure you want to play it like that? (to the KELLADYNE MAN behind SYLVIE DESCARDES.) I mean, if I know my son, he won't give up without a fight. That blood could end up all over the street. Listen to me. You call off your men and you'll get the anti-virus. It's life or death, Ms. Descardes. Very few people ever get to pick. (She looks at him and considers the choices.) CUT TO: [INT. VERITAS FOUNDATION - LOBBY - NIGHT] (The two gunmen walk out across the lobby. From behind the corner, VINCENT stands with his back to the wall watching them.) (The side door opens and two other GUNMEN walk into the lobby. The four men get the same radio message.) KELLADYNE MAN: (over radio) We have a no-go. Abort. Abort immediately. (VINCENT watches as the GUNMEN turn and leave. Once they're gone, he turns back and breathes out a heavy breath.) [AMBULANCE] (The ambulance doors open. An officer steps out of the back of the ambulance and a CDC Doctor steps into the back of the ambulance.) DR. BREITSHAUER: Dr. Breitshauer, CDC, I came up right after we spoke. (He shakes CALVIN'S hand.) CALVIN: One hell of a housecall. NIKKO: Here, you're going to want this. (NIKKO gives him the cooler and they all head out of the ambulance.) [LAB] (JULIET continues to pound the gun handle against the door lock trying to get the glass door open.) MAGGIE: (screams) Stay away from me! (JULIET doesn't let up. She continues to pound the gun handle against the door trying to get it open.) JULIET: (crying) I'm not going to let you die! (MAGGIE stands up in front of the glass, the skin on her face completely covered by the disease. It's dry, her hair turning stringy from the virus.) MAGGIE: Stay away from me! (JULIET stares at her wide-eyed.) (MAGGIE holds on to the Bunsen burner in her hand. She slowly backs away from the door. She turns away just as SOLOMON rushes into the lab.) SOLOMON: No! Maggie, wait! Maggie! Nikko and Cal made it. You're going to be all right. You're going to be all right. (MAGGIE turns to look at SOLOMON. He looks from her to the flames, then back to her again.) (MAGGIE shuts the burner off, then collapses to her knees on the floor as she cries.) SOLOMON: It's all right. It's all right. (MAGGIE continues to cry.) CUT TO: [INT. VERITAS FOUNDATION - OFFICE - NIGHT - LATER] (SOLOMON sits on the corner of his desk. He's on the phone.) SOLOMON: Hello, Sylvie. It's Solomon. INTERCUT WITH: [INT. OFFICE COMMAND CENTER - NIGHT] (The KALLADYNE WORKERS are dismantling the office.) SYLVIE DESCARDES: Have you got the anti-virus? SOLOMON: CDC's got it right now, it's going to do wonders with my colleague. But unfortunately, it does nothing for anyone who's been exposed to derma dephagoratuspherano. SYLVIE DESCARDES: What? SOLOMON: House dust, Ms. Descarde. It's called a bluff. SYLVIE DESCARDES: You son of a - (SOLOMON hangs up, disconnecting the line.) (SYLVIE DESCARDES hangs up as the police officers walk into the room.) OFFICERS: You're under arrest. (Camera cuts to and holds on SOLOMON.) FADE TO: [VARIOUS SHOTS OF THE BLOOD BEING PROCESSED] (The vial of blood is placed into a centrifuge.) (The syringe is filled with a blood sample.) FADE TO: (In the lab, liquid is boiling in a glass container.) (A syringe is filled with the clear liquid.) (MAGGIE'S arm is tied and swabbed. The needle with the antivirus is prepped. Liquid is expended from the needle to eliminate air bubbles.) CUT TO: [EXT. NEW YORK CITY SKYLINE (STOCK)] [EXT. VERITAS BUILDING] [INT. VERITAS FOUNDATION - NIGHT] (VINCENT watches as the mummified remains of Tekkan is consumed by fire. One by one, the camera passes over each member of the Veritas Team touched by the events of the last couple of days as they watch the fire consume the ancient remains. For a group of people dedicated to finding the truth in the past, this is one relic best left undiscovered. Each person watches the mummified body burn, each silent with their own thoughts. Tekkan has managed to touch each one in its own way.) (The camera passes by CALVIN, JULIET and SOLOMON.) (The camera passes by NIKKO.) (Finally, the camera lingers on MAGGIE who looks healthy and cured from the disease.) FADE OUT. ======================== THE END ======================== Courtesy of http://www.webphilia.com/~anthology/wnp.html Contact the Transcriptionist at (intrepidly002@yahoo.com) Please do not archive this transcript without permission from the Transcriptionist. ======================== BEGINNING/TITLE CREDITS ======================== VERITAS: THE QUEST 1X07: MUMMY VIRUS [UNAIRED IN U.S.] TRANSCRIPT FROM MASTER DUB TAPE Starring ALEX CARTER as Dr. Solomon Zond RYAN MERRIMAN as Nicholas "Nikko" Zond COBIE SMULDERS as Juliet Droil ERIC BALFOUR as Calvin Banks CYNTHIA MARTELLS as Maggie and ARNOLD VOSLOO as Vincent Siminou Created by: PATRICK MASSET & JOHN ZINMAN Guest Starring TAMARA GORSKI RADUL TRUDILLO Producer: I.C. RAPOPORT Co-Executive Producer: THANIA ST. JOHN Co-Executive Producer: RICK KELLARD Produced by: IAIN PATERSON Executive Producer: CRAIG ZADAN Executive Producer: NEIL MERON Executive Producer: PATRICK MASSETT Executive Producer: JOHN ZINMAN Written by: RICK KELLARD & THANIA ST. JOHN Directed by: VERN GILLUM ======================== END CREDITS ======================== Massett/Zinman Productions Storyline Entertainment Touchstone Television Consulting Producer: BRYAN SPICER Co-Producers: GABRIELLE STANTON Co-Producers: HARRY WERHSMAN, JR. Directory of Photograph: DAVID MOHNESS Production Designer: MICHAEL NOVOTNY Edited by: MIKE LEE Production Manager: SUSAN MURDOCH First Assistant Director: WOODY SORRDUS Second Assistant Director: ERIN WALKER (c) 2002 Touchstone Television. All Rights Reserved. Dated:04/10/2004~lky http://www.webphilia.com/~anthology/wnp.html