_HARSH REALM_ "Circe" Written by Mark Rosner Directed by Mark Rosner Episode #1ADC09 Story No. E00567 Prod. Draft Full Script October 19, 1999 Copyright 1999 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation All Rights Reserved This script is the sole property of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation and may not be photocopied, reproduced, or sold. _CAST LIST_ Tom Hobbes Mike Pinocchio Huge Man Bartender Circe Bodyguard Counter Man Bosko Garcia Aide Fatigue Jacket Sentry Peter Resistance Members _SET LIST_ _EXTERIORS_ DESERTED INTERSECTION INDUSTRIAL ROAD ALLEY CORNER COUNTRY ROAD RESISTANCE CAMP MOUNTAIN ROAD RIVER BANK MEADOW _INTERIORS_ JUNKYARD CAR DREAMLAND CLUB /VIP ROOM /BOSKO'S WAR ROOM /SPA AREA /CORRIDOR /HIGH ROLLER SUITE /WATCHER SUITE RESISTANCE CAMP /TECH WORK AREA /TENT TRUCK JUNKYARD CAR _TEASER_ EXT. DESERTED INTERSECTION - DAY Pinocchio's car fishtails around the corner on bald tires and straightens out onto a stretch of industrial road. INT. PINOCCHIO'S CAR - MOVING - DAY Pinocchio at the wheel, Hobbes riding shotgun, Florence in back. Pinocchio has the pedal to the metal. Wheel vibrates as the car shudders. SOUNDS LIKE SUDDEN GUNSHOTS. Pinocchio loses control. EXT. INDUSTRIAL ROAD - DAY Car spins out and skids to a ragged stop. After a moment, Pinocchio, Hobbes and Florence pile out. A LEGEND reads: CLEVELAND, OHIO. FAR TERRITORY: HARSH REALM. ANGLE - FRONT TIRES Blown out across a set of rolling spikes. Those weren't gunshots after all. WIDER ANGLE - INDUSTRIAL ROAD Pinocchio looks up from the ruined tires. PINOCCHIO Paramilitary patrols. Glorified bandits. Distant RUMBLING of a heavy vehicle. PINOCCHIO We need to get off the street. EXT. ALLEY - DAY Pinocchio, Hobbes and Florence flatten themselves against the alley wall as a PARAMILITARY TECHNICAL -- a Humvee with a machine gun mounted on the hood -- ROLLS pas the alley down the industrial road. POV HOBBES Brick wall festooned with a series of tattered Santiago posters. "ONE NATION UNDER SANTIAGO." Spray-painted over the posters: a line through Santiago's face. And a slogan below: STRIKE A BLOW. HOBBES Strike a blow. The Resistance. Pinocchio touches the slogan with his hand. PINOCCHIO Faded paint. Old news. Santiago crushed all organized resistance long ago. Hobbes moves forward along the alley wall -- HOBBES Maybe a small pocket survived... PINOCCHIO Even if that's true...even if they _were_ here. Are they here _now_? Resistance fighters don't live long unless they keep moving. ON THE WALL Further down the alley. A graphic of three silhouettes, one ahead of the other two. Scrawled below: HE IS COMING. First Hobbes stops and stares, then the others. HOBBES That's not old. PINOCCHIO I'll tell you what we got here. Alley-taggers. Period. EXT. STEEL DOOR - DAY At the dead end of the alley. BOUNCER posted outisde. TWO SKINNY BUMS slumped nearby, hands out to beg. HOBBES What do you think? PINOCCHIO Some kind of unlicensed club. (looks back over his shoulder) We need to get off the street. HOBBES We can make contact. PINOCCHIO With the heroic freedom fighters? Dream on. Sudden COMMOTION up ahead. A HUGE MAN -- NFL middle linebacker huge -- is shover out the door by THREE MORE BOUNCERS. HUGE No! Let me back! I need to turn on! The door SLAMS SHUT. HUGE throws one bouncer against the wall -- head butts another -- HUGE I need to dream! His crazed eyes fix on Hobbes. HUGE You! DON'T YOU EYEBALL ME! He charges like LAwrence Tayloe blitzing the quarterback. He's on top of Hobbes before Hobbes and Pinocchio can pull their weapons. Hobbes CRASHES to the ground beneath HUGE. Fighting to his life as Huge's massive hands seize his throat. Pinocchio slashes blows to Huge's head and neck. Nothing. No reaction. Huge throws an elbow and Pinocchio sprawls in the dirt. Florence darts in and lays her hands on Huge's temples. He spasms. Straightens. Sinks to his knees. Suddenly he's a sobbing, heaving mess. HUGE Oh God...Oh God...cockroaches in my brain... Florence puts a hand across Hobbes' forehead. Hobbes sits up and rubs his sore neck. HOBBES (croaks) Thanks. What the hell? Pinocchio fingers his jaw, feeling to make sure nothing's broken. PINOCCHIO He's a Dreamer. Burnt-out crazy Dreamer. Worse than PCP ever was. HOBBES What's a Dreamer? PINOCCHIO (climbs to his feet) In there. You'll see. FADE OUT: _ACT ONE_ FADE IN: INT. DREAMLAND - DAY A converted warehouse. TRANCE MUSIC. Hobbes follows Pinocchio and Florence past a bar, tables, down a corridor, to a roped-off area where DREAMERS line up under the watchful eyes of CLUB BOUNCERS. They watch as a PALE TATTOOED MAN forks over _something_ to one bouncer. He is sent forward, where he is handed his works: a _digi-punch_ (like for a TB vaccination), set of wires, and a Watchman-type hand-held screen. PINOCCHIO Dreamers. Digital junkies. The Tattooed Man attaches electrodes to his forehead, connecting himself to the Watchman. PINOCCHIO You punch a time-limited chip right into your brain pan, then wire yourself up to your own screen. The Dreamer jams the digi-punch into his skull, behind his ear. Then he stumbles to a gallery of chairs and beds -- like an opium den -- to dream with the others. PINOCCHIO Watch your own fantasties turned into movies, right on your private screen. They say it's the ultimate high. PAN the Dreamers, each blissing out on his or her own private Idaho. HOBBES What about that big animal outside? PINOCCHIO Circuits are fried. Kill his own mother for one more turn-on. (beat) Nothing but a walking skull. HOBBES You ever try it? PINOCCHIO Not me. Once you go there you never come back. Not all the way. HOBBES What about finding the Resistance? PINOCCHIO I gotta admire your optimism, Hobbes, in the face of all this human depravity and baseness. Of course I don't share it. ANGLE ON BAR - HOBBES, FLORENCE, PINOCCHIO Hobbes gets the BARTENDER'S attention. HOBBES (to Bartender) Those signs outside..."Strike A Blow". BARTENDER What about 'em? PINOCCHIO Let's say somebody was looking to make contact. BARTENDER Let's say you order drinks and leave it at that. Pinocchio rolls a 9MM bullet on the bar. PINOCCHIO I like your style. Close to the vest. Fella can't be too careful out here. BARTENDER Snatches the round out of Pinocchio's hand. BARTENDER Talk to her. He indicates a STUNNING DARK-HAIRED WOMAN at the end of the bar. She is staring at Hobbes. Bartender nods to her and moves off. The dark-haired woman, who we'll come to know as CIRCE, approaches them. Never takes her eyes off Hobbes. CIRCE You'd like to go upstairs? Follow me. PINOCCHIO Who are you? CIRCE I'm Circe. I bring up the high rollers. She's still staring at Hobbes. It's getting to him. PINOCCHIO And you turn them into swine? CIRCE (turns to Pinocchio) Wiht most men there's very little work involved. HOBBES We're looking for people...who want to strike a blow. CIRCE Okay, soldier. This way. But you two only. She stays here. HOBBES She comes with us. CIRCE No Healers. Makes the customers nervous. (beat) Like having an ambulance standing by. Or a priest. PINOCCHIO (to Hobbes) How bad do you want to meet them? Florence shakes her head: Don't go. HOBBES (to Florence) We'll be back. They follow her. She _disappears through a glitch in the back bar._ After a moment, they do too. INT. VIP ROOM - NIGHT Dim lights. Cocktail music. Couches, tables, secluded nooks. CUTTHROATS wearing gold chains, B- GIRLS with cleavage. Hobbes and Pinocchio try to adjust to the sudden change of surroundings. Circe studies Hobbes. HOBBES You keep staring at me. CIRCE Sorry. We'll keep this professional. Follow me. PINOCCHIO Follow you where? CIRCE Do you want to see the man or not? PINOCCHIO I don't want to get rolled by a B-girl like some drunken sailor. Or get my throat cut in the alley. CIRCE Scared of the dark? Want me to hold your hand? PINOCCHIO I'll give you something to hold and teach you some manners. SEVERAL HEFTY BODYGUARDS Materialize from the shadows. CIRCE Maybe another time. BODYGUARD Step through here please. A look between Hobbes and Pinocchio. HOBBES We've come this far. They go through some sort of metal detector. It GOES CRAZY. BODYGUARD Take 'em off. No one gets in strapped. Hobbes lays his weapon on the counter. After a moment, Pinocchio starts removing his: b oth guns, a knife, brass knuckles, extra ammo clips. COUNTER MAN You're a collector, right? Circe whispers to Hobbes -- CIRCE Whatever business you think you have here, ask yourself: are you ready to lose? Because you will. INT. BOSKO'S WAR ROOM - NIGHT BOSKO smoking a cigar, drinking tequila, at a table with a couple of his AIDES. He's a powerful fleshy man, like an athlete gone to seed. He wears an EYEPATCH. BOSKO Mike Pinocchio! It's about time a real outlaw walked in here. I am Bosko. They shake hands. BOSKO And the sidekick? HOBBES Tom Hobbes. BOSKO So you're here to join the revolution? PINOCCHIO What sort of revolution are you fighting? The sexual revolution? Bosko laughs. BOSKO We are not Jesuits killing in the name of Christ. We are men fighting for freedom. Freedom to live as we please. HOBES Is that what the Dreamers get? Freedom? BOSKO For a time. Freedom from their desperate lives. That's why they keep coming back. HOBBES Until they have nothing left. BOSKO That's their business. My credo is: Let no man tell me how to live, and I will do the same for him. HOBBES We're looking for the Resistance. I guess we've come to the wrong place. BOSKO Santiago has a government and its treasury behind him. The Revolution must be financed, and there are no steel mills in Harsh Realm. Misery is the coin of the realm here, and if we must exploit it to end it, so be it. PINOCCHIO And then what? How do you plan to move against Santiago? BOSKO Not by playing Che Guevara and running around spray painting walls. Those people are folls. that's why I left. PINOCCHIO You left the Resistance? BOSKO They were impotent. Strike a blow? They were so busy being Sunday school teachers they forgot to fight Santiago. (to Pinocchio) You're a stud. Battle-hardened. If your friend can carry his weight I'll show you both more action than you ever dreamed of. INT. DREAMLAND - NIGHT Florence still cooling her heels at the bar. The Tattooed Man we saw Dreaming earlier works his way over to her. GARCIA You're a Healer, right? Am I right or am I right? It hurts when I do this. (raises his arm over his head) I know, I know, don't do this. Florence looks at him. GARCIA We got kind of an odd couple thing going, don't we? You and me? You don't talk, and I don't stop. (beat) Some of that is from the Dreaming. I know that. It does something to your brain chemistry, doesn;t it? Florence nods. GARCIA Yeah. I got neurons firing blanks, and others firing back-asswards, but they asked for volunteers, the Resistance asked for volunteers, heh heh I hope I'm not being indiscreet. Healers can' tbe Guard can they? She shakes her head. GARCIA They call this place Dreamland, this is the only place they can hook you up. Only place in the Territory, it's like Bosko's private cartel. So I can hardly hang around here if I'm not a Dreamer, not without attracting mucho attention from Bosko and his thugs, and I'm supposed to be like... (lowers his voice) Gather intel for the Cause, you dig? Florence gently puts a finger to his lips. GARCIA Right. (beat) Let me ask you something -- you're not just _any_ Healer, are you? No. You came with him. She pins him with her even gaze. GARCIA With the Simple Man. I can bring you in. I can take you to the camp. You know -- Strike a Blow. Where is he? (looking around) They didn't -- did they take him up? She nods. He slumps against the bar. GARCIA Up to Bosko. Up to the Cyclops. I'm too late. INT. WAR ROOM - NIGHT - BOSKO Lights Pinocchio's cigar and relights his own. BOSKO There is a convoy. Republican Guard convoy, moving from the Capital City to the Territorial Fort. When the convoy comes over the mountains, there's a stretch of road where they'll be on _this side of the fence._ (beat) Will I help you? You bet your ass I _won't._ You'll help _me._ (beat) Those trucks will be loaded with guns, ammo, medical supplies -- and unless I miss my bet, steak and champagne for the General's staff. HOBBES So we help you help yourself? BOSKO Are you a vegetarian? A teetotaler? When I go to war I want men with appetites at my side. What about you Pinocchio? PINOCCHIO (to Hobbes) He's not wrong. HOBBES He's all wrong. He's a pirate, not a soldier. PINOCCHIO Who'd you expect to find out here? George Washington? HOBBES We hit that convoy, all we'll be doing is lining his pockets. BOSKO Mike. Perhaps your young friend left his game in the locker room. PINOCCHIO No. He'll walk the walk. Believe me. BOSKO I'm glad to hear it. Bosko rises. BOSKO It's time for an old soldier like me to retire. But you young bucks -- avail yourself of our hospitality. Nothing is forbidden here. Everything is permitted. INT. SPA AREA - NIGHT Pinocchio is stretched out on a massage table. He is attended by KINKY TWINS. One massages his shoulders. The other his feet. PINOCCHIO You're making a big mistake, Hobbes. Hobbes paces nearby. HOBBES One of us is. PINOCCHIO You have no idea how good this feels. One starts at the bottom, one at the top... (grins) And they meet at the towel. HOBBES I don't like him. PINOCCHIO He's not such a bad guy. HOBBES I don't trust him. PINOCCHIO Me neither. But tonight we'll sleep on soft beds...eat and drink our fill...and who knows what else? That's not so bad, is it? HOBBES No. It's just not for me. I want to be out of here at first light. PINOCCHIO Yeah. Me too. Mmm. Raring to go. HOBBES I want to be out of here now. ANGLE ON MONITOR Showing Hobbes and Pinocchio talking. PULL BACK TO REVEAL: CIRCE WAtching them intently on the monitor. We are: INT. BOSKO'S WAR - NIGHT Circe watches as she _screws a silencer onto a handgun._ Door OPENS behind her. She slips the gun into her bag. Bosko comes up behind her. Starts to massage her shoulders. BOSKO Relax. Why are you so tense? CIRCE Could be the long hours. Or the lack of benefits. BOSKO Who is he? The young one, Hobbes? CIRCE A soldier. BOSKO You're showing quite an interest in hiim. CIRCE I love a man in uniform. BOSKO You love who I tell you to love. When I tell you to love them. He twists her lovely neck around a little. CIRCE I know my job. BOSKO With you it's more of a calling. He picks up a house phone. BOSKO (phone) I want ID shots of our two guests off the video feed. Run them against Santiago's national database. (to Circe) We'll see if your soldier boy is fish or fowl. ANGLE ON THE MONITOR Hobbes leaves the spa. RESUME BOSKO AND CIRCE Bosko swivels her around in her chair. BOSKO Keep an eye on him. Loosen his collar. I want his guard down. Pulling a beautiful dagger and running it against her pale white neck. BOSKO I want his throat exposed. INT. CORRIDOR - NIGHT - HOBBES Moves down the hallway with a purpose. CIRCE follows Hobbes. She checks the gun in her bag. HOBBES Looking for the glitch where they came in. Pushes through the first open door he comes to. INT. HIGH ROLLER SUITE - NIGHT Hobbes stands before a wall of screens. We only glimpse the images, but they are intense. Hobbes turns away. When he turns toward the doorway, Circe stands in his path. CIRCE Don't you like it? HOBBES I have different pictures in my head. I like them better. She reaches into her purse -- instead of the gun she takes out a _digi-punch._ Twirling it out to him -- CIRCE Really? Want to see them up on the big screen? HOBBES No thanks. She takes a step closer. CIRCE Any pictures of me in there? HOBBES You? I think I'd remember. CIRCE We're alone now, Tom. We don't have to pretend anymore. Pretend we're strangers. HOBBES I'm sorry. But I don't think I know you. CIRCE You son of a bitch. You walked out of my bed and out of my life -- HOBBES What? CIRCE And now you don't even _know_ me? HOBBES Look, there's some mistake -- CIRCE You're damn right. I wanted you back. I was thrilled when you walked in the door. She pulls her gun and aims it at him. CIRCE My mistake. She FIRES. _END OF ACT ONE_ _ACT TWO_ FADE IN: INT. HIGH ROLLER SUITE - NIGHT Hobbes stares at the shattered screen next to his head -- trying to get his bearings -- HOBBES _Hey._ Hold on. She moves closer. HOBBES You don't want to do this. CIRCE Oh yes. Believe me I do. She SLAPS his face. He grabs her gun and disarms her. HOBBES That's enough. We're going to sit down, and you're going to tell me what this is all about. CIRCE I was lame enough to let you break my heart, that's what. She fingers the gold chain around her neck. CIRCE (softens) You gave me this. You told me you loved me. (voice breaks) And then you went away. ANGLE MONITOR Hobbes and Circe sitting together. We are: INT. WAR ROOM - NIGHT Bosko watches the monitor and drinks tequila. AIDE walks in with printouts and lays them in front of Bosko. BOSKO She's good, isn't she? even with her clothes on. He glances at the printouts and frowns. BOSKO Did you doublecheck these? AIDE Yes, sir. Bosko studies one of the printouts closer. BOSKO Those signs on the wall. The graffiti. "He is coming." You have seen them? AIDE Sure. BOSKO I don't like it. INT. HIGH ROLLER SUITE - NIGHT Hobes and Circe circle each other warily. HOBBES Listen. Pretend I got hit on the head. I've got amnesia. You tell me what happened. She looks up at him. Sees his genuine sincerity. CIRCE Okay. Fine. You were back from Sarajevo. You had been through things there that...haunted you. I had my own demons. We found each other and vowed not to let go. Things were starting to come apart on the streets. Plenty of soldiers were already going over to Santiago...some of your buddies. But you were true-blue. The most loyal man I ever met. But one day...we stole a few hours...in a hotel room. HOBBES When was this? CIRCE Four months ago. HOBBES Four months ago I entered the -- He stops. He can't explain it to her. CIRCE You and me. Lying side by side. That's when I asked you to get up and get me a glass of water. I promised I'd make it worth your while when you came back. (beat) Only you never came back. She looks up into his eyes. She takes electrodes from the wall of screens and fastens them to her forehead. CIRCE Every moment we spent together. It's all right here. Right here for you to see. ANGLE - WALL OF SCREENS Multiple images of Hobbes and Circe together. ANGLE - HOBBES AND CIRCE He's more stunned than before. HOBBES I thought those images were fantasies. CIRCE About someone I never met? Never laid eyes on? Never touched? INT. SPA - NIGHT Pinocchio relaxes in the hot tub with his TWINS. Bosko and GUNMEN slip in. Bosko perches on the outside of the tub. Lights a cigar. Offers one to Pinocchio, who waves him off. BOSKO Enjoying yourself, Mike? PINOCCHIO I've had worse nights. BOSKO Look at tihs. This is what Santiago's been dropping. He's got three "WANTED" Posters. Like FBI 10 Most Wanted. BOSKO Here's mine. And here's yours. PINOCCHIO Your picture's better. BOSKO But the price on our heads is the same. Your sidekick on the other hand. He's worth double. (beat) Hobbes. Thomas Hobbes. Who the hell is he? PINOCCHIO He's my friend. BOSKO Go on. PINOCCHIO He's a soldier. A soldier in the war. What else do you need to know? BOSKO Well Mike, I keep hearing rumors. Some kind of hero's coming -- gonna clean up the town. Only I wouldn't want him to clean up my part of town. PINOCCHIO Don't worry. We're fighting Santiago. Not you. BOSKO Who sent you, Mike? Who is this Hobbes? On the Other Side. PINOCCHIO He's not like you and me. He'd rather be anywhere than here. BOSKO Not like you and me? that's what I was afraid of. I'm afraid I'll have to send your playmates away. Pinocchio makes a move for one of the GANGSTER's guns. Gets clubbed in the head for his trouble. BOSKO Hook him up. EXT. DREAMLAND - DAY Another wall festooned with the Trinity silhouette: HE IS COMING. Garcia leads Florence around the corner. GARCIA We used ot have these cyberpagers. GPS compass, radio freq, e-mail...great for moving through hostiel territory. Then Bosko split with all the guns and the hardware...now we've got this cutting-edge technology, and only tin cans and string to use it with. She covers his mouth and pulls him back as a Paramilitary jeep passes by. EXT. CORNER - DAY A WOMAN IN A FATIGUE JACKET appears. They follow her down a side street. When they've caught up with her -- GARCIA She came with him. FATIGUE JACKET (to Florence) Is he the One? Florence nods. FATIGUE JACKET What about the other one? The Samurai. Florence looks at her. GARCIA You know. The Warrior. In the Legend the Warrior gives his life. Protecting the Simple Man. INT. WATCHER SUITE - NIGHT Pinocchio is belted and cuffed to a black chair, like a hi-tech dentist's chair. His legs are shackled. Wrap-around viewing goggles and headset are fitted on him. BOSKO Dreamers and Watchers. The volume business is Dreamers. Hooked up to your own fantasies, it's an automatic high. Watchers...they're more like epicures. Picking and choosing among other peoples' ideas of fun. And you'd be surprised what they consider fun. He gives the signal and they turn Pinocchio on. He watches -- SCREAMS - THRASHES. Bosko signas to turn it off. BOSKO Other people's fantasies -- that's my definition of Hell. Are you ready to shake hands with the devil, Mike? Who is Hobbes? PINOCCHIO Little Boy Blue. Bosko nods. They turn the machine on. Pinocchio flips out. BOSKO Off. Take his glasses off. Pinocchio is stunned, glassy eyed -- because you don't just see these images, they are transmitted directly to your cerebral cortex -- like nightmares from which you can't wake up. BOSKO Mike. Did you know I volunteered for Harsh Realm? On the other side -- the real world -- I k ind of majored in the black market. Russia, Colombia...But I could never be The Guy, you know? PINOCCHIO It's tough to be a warlord on someone else's turf. BOSKO Now I wonder -- if they can send killers after Santiago into Harsh Realm, they can send someone after me, too. Are those Hobbes' orders? Did he come for _me_? PINOCCHIO No. You're a pissant. Nobody gives a damn about you. BOSKO Tsk tsk. Sticks and stones. PINOCCHIO Except me. I'm gonna kill you. Slow. I'm gonna make a meal out of it. Bosko nods. The goggles go back on. After a moment, Pinocchio SCREAMS. His head lolls back. BOSKO Who is Hobbes? Is he the One? Is he the One? PINOCCHIO (croaks) No. Bosko nods. Pinocchio spasms and SCREAMS. BOSKO Is he the One? PINOCCHIO No! Pinocchio passes out. BOSKO Get Hobbes. He's next. INT. HIGH ROLLER SUITE - NIGHT Hobbes is pacing now. HOBBES What happened to you? After... CIRCE I did what I had to do. To survive. Like everyone else. (beat) But after Bosko there's only the gutter. He's finding himself drawn to her, though he couldn't explain it if he tried. HOBBES Then get out. CIRCE It's not that easy. I could ask you to help me. For told time sake. But you don't know me. Do you, Tom? He shakes his head. HOBBES I'm sorry. I really am. But I don't. CLOSE - PAGER Goes off and a code appears. ANGLE - CIRCE Checks it out. WIDER ANGLE - HOBBES AND CIRCE She holds his eyes with hers. CIRCE That's Bosko. HOBBES What does he want? CIRCE You. He knows there's a price on your head. HOBBES Was this part of your job? Keep me here? Keep me separated from Pinocchio? CIRCE Yes. He stands. CIRCE Where can you go? You're trapped here. (beat) You can't find the glitch. You can't get out. HOBBES But you can. You can show me. She pulls her gun. CIRCE Why? You don't know me. INT. CORRIDOR - NIGHT Bosko's men -- TWO GANGSTERS with submachine guns -- moving fast -- their boots slapping on the floor -- INT. HIGH ROLLER SUITE - NIGHT They slam through the door. There is Circe, holding Hobbes at gunpoint. CIRCE He's all yours. They move to him. She SHOOTS the nearest gangster from behind. He pixilates and disappears. His stunned partner turns -- Hobbes takes him out with short swift blows. HOBBES You killed him. CIRCE (impatient) That's right, soldier. You think they're going to hold the door open for us? She moves to the console, fiddles with the dials. HOBBES What? CIRCE Switching the feed to playback. The surveillance monitors will show recorded tape of us from before. INT. WATCHER SUITE - NIGHT Bosko watches his men pour water over Pinocchio to revive him. His eyes drift to the security monitor for the High Roller Suite -- ANGLE - MONITOr PREVIOUS FOOTAGE OF HOBBES AND CIRCE. ANGLE - DOOR BOOM! Hobbes and Circe come through the door with the submachine guns. HOBBES On the floor! Now! He clubs Bosko with the butt of the gun. He and Circe cuff Bosko and men behind their backs. Hobbes frees Pinocchio. HOBBES Mike? Can you hear me? PINOCCHIO Yeah. He's weak; his knees wobbly. PINOCCHIO How do we book out of here? CIRCE Follow me through the glitch. Right after we finish Bosko. HOBBES No. No more. WE're not murderers. CIRCE He'd kill you fast as he'd swat a fly. HOBBES He's not my role model. Give me the gun. Reluctantly she does. HOBBES Let's go. CIRCE Through that console. Hobbes helps Pinocchio up. They move through the glitch. DISAPPEAR. She turns to Bosko. BOSKO Well done. You're better than Dreaming. Nobody and nothing gets inside a man's head like you. She smiles. She moves gracefully to the glitch and DISAPPEARS. _END OF ACT TWO_ _ACT THREE_ FADE IN: EXT. COUNTRY ROAD - DAY Circe leads Hobbes and Pinocchio up the crest of a ridge. They walk a few paces behind her. PINOCCHIO (low) You gotta get rid of her. HOBBES She says we were lovers. Then I disappeared -- four months ago. Do you know what that means? PINOCCHIO YEah, she's VC. And that's all _you_ were too, until you entered the _game_. You don't owe her the time of day. She turns to look back -- it's obvious they are talking about her. PINOCCHIO Where they hell are we? CIRCE The Resistance camp is somewhere around here. They have to keep moving to stay ahead of the Paramilitaries and bandits. PINOCCHIO How do you know? CIRCE Working at a place like Bosko's...you can learn almost anything. She breaks a heel and trips. CIRCE Damn. Hobbes moves to help her. Pinocchio grabs his arm. PINOCCHIO It's like falling in love with Nintendo, pal. Nothing but pixels. HOBBES I owe her now. And so do you. She saved our lives. PINOCCHIO I don't trust her. HOBBES (pulling away) You don't trust anybody. GARCIA There he is! Hobbes and Pinocchio spin and draw their weapons - - but Florence is next to Garcia, and she signals to them to relax. FATIGUE JACKET You're him, aren't you? The Simple Man. HOBBES I'm Hobbes. Tom Hobbes. Garcia and Fatigue Jacket stare at Hobbes. GARCIA We can bring you in. EXT. RESISTANCE CAMP - DAY Hobbes, Pinocchio, Circe, Florence, Garcia and Fatigue Jacket crest a hill and approach the rag- tag camp. GARCIA Since Bosko split and the movement was torn apart, our numbers are down, way down. It's just the hard-core now, always on the run, nomads...man, if anybody was ever desperate for a leader it's us. As they approach SENTRIES SHOUT OUT their arrival: SENTRY He's coming! He's coming! ANGLE - RESISTANCE CAMP Resistance members stream out of makeshift huts, lean-tos and cardboad shacks to see for themselves: MEMBERS He is coming...He is coming... Spreading like a game of telephone throughout the camp... ANGLE - HOBBES AND PINOCCHIO As they enter the camp -- Both taken aback to see -- WIDER ANGLE - RESISTANCE CAMP The Resistance members press forward, one by one, to touch Hobbes or his clothes. RESISTANCE MEMBERS The One...He's the One. Their greeting is overwhelming for Hobbes. He looks to Pinocchio. HOBBES What's going on? PINOCCHIO Goofballs. Bunch of goofs. HOBBES I don't want tis. EXT. RESISTANCE CAMP - DAY - LATER Arrayed in a circle. Hobbes in the center, facing PETER, the white-haired Resistance Leader. Pinocchio and Florence stand behind Hobbes. Some kind of folk religion/welcoming ceremony in progress: Peter drinks from a goblet and passes it to Hobbes. PETER We've been out here three years, some of us. In the deserts and the hills and the forests. Fighting a holding action. Trying to hang on. Fighting to survive. And what sustained us -- the story of the Simple Man. Hobbes sips from the goblet and passes it to Pinocchio, who sniffs it and nearly gags. PINOCCHIO Simple is right. Hobbes shoots him a look. Pinocchio passes the goblet. HOBBES Tell me. About the Legend. PETER (reciting) There will come a Trinity. The Simple Man. The Samurai. The Healer. Hobbes. Pinocchio. Florence. PETER The Simple Man will come to lead us. A Simple Man come to kill the Goliath. HOBBES (to Pinocchio) Did you know about this? PINOCCHIO Maybe...I heard something like that. FATIGUE JACKET A Simple Man who Santiago tried to slay and failed. HOBBES Okay. Listen up. I don't know what you people _think_ happened with Santiago - GARCIA He shot you in the back like a dog, man. Point blank. PETER And you rose up again. Like a phoenix. HOBBES THat's not true. It didn't happen that way. A BUZZ OF REACTION through the crowd -- PETER (smiles) The denial is part of the legend. HOBBES They never shot me. They shot my _fiancee._ (beat) They killed Sophie. ANGLE - CIRCE Her reaction -- his _fiancee_? WIDER ANGLE - THE GROUP Peter smiles. As if correcting a bright but mistaken student -- PETER There is no wife in the Legend. HOBBES (rising, upset) Yeah, then it's rewrite time. PETER There will come a _Trinity._ The Simple Man. The Samurai. The Healer. (beat) All others are but tests along the way. Crowd picks up the chant: he is the One. He is the One. PINOCCHIO Besides eating bad mushrooms and spouting mumbo jumbo, do you Resistance fighters do any resisting? What about safe houses, ID chips, fuel and weapons? What about _strike a blow_? PETER As soon as she is gone we can speak freely. Meaning Circe. Under Peter's stony gaze she leans closer to Hobbes. HOBBES She saved my life. GARCIA That's what she _wants_ you to think. That's what _Bosko_ wants you think, man. That is one devious cat, I can tell you from personal experience -- Florence touches his lips. HOBBES WE never would have found you without her. She stays. PINOCCHIO (shakes his head) Wrong. EXT. MOUNTAIN ROAD - DAY Hobbes, Pinocchio, Florence and Garcia -- Hobbes peers through field glasses toward the distant mountain pass. PINOCCHIO IF everybody tells you to blow that chick off, maybe you should listen. HOBBES They want a leader, not a follower. PINOCCHIO Are you buying into this "He's the One" crap? HOBBES No. Not the way they mean it. But we need people to fight Santiago. This is the opportunity we've been looking for. I'll take it. PINOCCHIO And do what? Wander the desert and drink entrails with these Dennis Hopper wannabes? HOBBES Hit the supply convoy. After it comes through the pass. Before Bosko does. PINOCCHIO Backing this bunch over Bosko...it could boomerang in a big way. HOBBES You said it yourself. It's time to strike a blow. PINOCCHIO You really think we can take a Republican Guard convoy with these Mouseketeers? GARCIA I could stop that convoy. All eyes on Garcia. GARCIA If I had a few chips and power cells. Of course, that's like the old joke, we could make a sandwich if we had some meat. If we had some bread. But Hobbes is already gone, hurrying towards camp. EXT. RESISTANCE CAMP - DAY Hobbes finds Circe off by herself. A GROUP OF WOMEN with their backs to her nearby. CIRCE They won't talk to me. Won't come near me. Treat me like a leper. Do you think I'm a spy too? HOBBES No. And here's you chance to prove it. That punch, that thing for Dreaming -- do you still have it? EXT/INT. TECH WORK AREA - DAY Not really a tent. A sheet of visquine pulled over a work bench. All around: it's a cyber museum. Old, outmoded, outdated computers, monitors, keyboards...cobbled together into somekind of network with rubberbands and scotch tape. Garcia bends over at his workbench. Hobbes barrels in. He holds out the digi-punch. GARVIA Wow. He nearly salivates, then pulls himself together. GARCIA Can't turn on with that by itself. Need wires and screen too -- HOBBES Forget turning on. What if you took one of these apart? Could you stop the convoy? GARCIA Well...there's high-end mini-chips and serial transducers in here. If we restrung them...and cobbled together a power supply... EXT. RIVER BANK - DAY - CIRCE AND FLORENCE Down river WOMEN wash clothes. Circe stares at her reflection in the water. Florence's reflectoin appears behind her. CIRCE Do you hate me too? Florence shakes her head no. CIRCE You've been with him. Florence shakes her head. CIRCE No? Do you have feelings for him? As a woman? Florence shakes her head. Circe smiles. CIRCE I've known he was special for a long time. But Tom's no Messiah. He's a man. He's _my_ man. We can't let these people sacrifice him to some legend. Florence's gaze is steady. Circe sees something in her eyes. CIRCE You believe it too. You believe he's the one. Florence nods. CIRCE That's why you're always by his side. But I'm sticking even closer. (beat) Because I couldn't stand to lose him again. EXT/INT. TECH WORK AREA - NIGHT Circe passes the work area. She sees a light on inside, Garcia working she enters. CIRCE How's it going? Garcia is startled. He swivels around angrily, blocking her view of his computer monitor. GARCIA You can't come in here! CIRCE Why not? Are you working on Tom's plan? GARCIA Am I...? Listen sister, the last person I'm gonna tell is you. I might as well get Bosko on the horn and fill him in myself. CIRCE Without me you wouldn't have those little chips to play with. GARCIA So you say. Now beat it. We both know you'd sell us out in a heartbeat. CIRCE That's a lie. Tom believes me. GARCIA So you say. Now get lost. Stung, she whirls around and leaves. EXT. RESISTANCE CAMP - NIGHT A campfire blazes. AROUND THE FIRE Weapons are checked. Ammo counted; it's meager. Faces blackened with grease. ANGLE - HOBBES Off by himself. He paces. Looks up to the stars. FOOTSTEPS crunch the gravel. It's Circe. CIRCE It's tomorrow, isn't it? He looks at her. CIRCE Have they poisoned you against me, too? Hobbes looks at her. Shakes his head. HOBBES Tomorrow. CIRCE Take me with you. I want to prove to these holy rollers I'm a fighter, not a traitor. Hobbes studies her. HOBBES It could get rough. CIRCE I can get rough. HOBBES (smiles) Okay. CIRCE Are you all wound up? HOBBES I always get butterflies the night before. CIRCE Maybe we both need to be...a little more relaxed. She moves in close to him. CIRCE Tom...I need to feel your arms around me. He embraces her, tentatively. CIRCE Come with me. She takes his hand and leads him down the path to -- EXT. MEADOW - NIGHT Stars above. Soft carpet of grass below. HOBBES Circe...what's your real name? CIRCE Nancy. She kisses him. CIRCE Nancy Kraus from Cleveland, Ohio. He pulls away. HOBBES This is wrong. CIRCE No it's so right it's the rightest thing in the world -- He pushes her away harder. HOBBES _No._ I have a fiancee. She's pregnant with my child. I cannot betray them. CIRCE You said Santiago killed her. HOBBES Only in this world. She lives in another. CIRCE Don't get mystical on me now, Tom. Tonight is just you and me. Who would know? HOBBES I would know. CIRCE Now that you've got your flock, I'm not good enough for you anymore. Is that it? HOBBES No. Listen -- CIRCE You think you're some kind of savior? That story only ends one way. HOBBES I'm sorry. He walks away. CIRCE Tom! Don't leave me again! Don't you dare! He does not turn around. Circe alone -- a woman scorned. Her face a mask of anger -- EXT. RESISTANCE CAMP - NIGHT Council Meeting by the Bonfire. Hobbes joins them. Steps to the center of the circle. HOBBES The time has come to strike. To strike back at Santiago. To strike a blow! The chant is taken up, one by one, until it is a shout. A ROAR: STRIKE A BLOW! STRIKE A BLOW! STRIKE A BLOW! ANGLE - PINOCCHIO As Hobbes looks to him. He shakes his head and turns away. _END OF ACT THREE_ _ACT FOUR_ FADE IN: EXT. MOUNTAIN ROAD - DAY Garcia hunches behind a clump of rocks over his equipment: a computer keyboard wired to a bunch of projector like jerry-rigged equipment. ANGLE - FURTHER ALONG THE ROAD Hobbes and Pinocchio deploy their Resistance troops on both sides of the road. Florence sticks close to Hobbes. ANGLE - TRUCK CONVOY Rounds a curve into view in the distance. ANGLE - GARCIA Typing combinations of numbers and letters on his keyboard. _A greenish fluorescent light emits from the projector._ The light seems to materialize into a _long thin micro-fiber sheet_ stretched across the road. ANGLE - CONVOY Four trucks, RUMBLING closer. INT. LEAD TRUCK CAB - DAY DRIVER next to Republican GUARD GARRISON COMMANDER. POV - DRIVER The road straightens out and rolls into foothills beyond;. EXT. MOUNTAIN ROAD - DAY - HOBBES AND PINOCCHIO Crouched by the side of the road behind Garcia's _eerie hologram sheet._ Hidden from the trucks by the sheet. POV HOBBES The image on the screen is exactly the view behind it -- _like a cyclorama of the real view._ WIDER ANGLE - MOUNTAIN ROAD - DAY The convoy closing in on the _holo-sheet._ CLOSE - HOBBES AND P INOCCHIO Pinocchio flicks the safety on his automatic. PINOCCHIO You think this thing will hold? HOBBES Garcia says it will. PINOCCHIO If he's wrong, you won't be the One. You'll be the Dead One. HOBBES You're the samurai. You'll protect me. ANGLE - MOUNTAIN ROAD The lead truck hits the holo-sheet -- and _the sheet stretches and wraps around the truck tightly like a digital condom._ The driver, suddenly blacked out, slams on the brakes. As he brings his truck to a shuddering skidding stop, THE TRUCK BEHIND HIM PLOWS INTO HIM. Trucks three and four slam on their braks and CRASH TO A STOP. WIDER ANGLE - MOUNTAIN ROAD Garcia flashes the thumbs up. Hobbes and Pinocchio lead the rebel fighters to the trucks. Stunned drivers are hauled from their cabs. Pinocchio sticks his gun in the ear of the GUARD SERGEANT. Hobbes overpowers and disarms the MACHINE GUNNER. The other Guards, seeing they are surrounded, throw down their guns. ANGLE - MOUNTAIN ROAD The drivers and the Guard, disarmed, lie face down in the dirt. Hobbes, Pinocchio and the rebels climb into the trucks and drive off. EXT. RESISTANCE CAMP - DAY Column of trucks rolls triumphantly into the camp. Resistance jumps down from trucks and starts off- loading equip. Someone gets into a case of champagne and bottles are cracked. PINOCCHIO Where the hell is everybody? Hobbes face falls. HOBBES Over there. ANGLE - COLUMN OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN Being marched at gunpoint from the river. Held hostage by Bosko's GUNMEN. BOSKO Welcome back my old friends! POV - HOBBES AND PINOCCHIO - RIDGELINE Lined with cannon and machine guns. ANGLE - BOSKO Astride a Hummer. Shouting through a loudhaler: BOSKO Don't bother off-loading everything. We'll just take the trucks. And please -- don't be stupid. Even I don't want to kill women and children. ANGLE - HOBBES AND PINOCCHIO As tey realize they are surrounded, stuck and outgunned. PINOCCHIO That VC bitch sold us out. WIDER ANGLE - RESISTANCE CAMP Bosko's jeep cruises toward Hobbes and Pinocchio. BOSKO Well done. You're better bandits than we are. Hapless Resistance members react up and down the column. ANGLE - PINOCCHIO AND HOBBES Pinocchio pulls his automatic. Hobbes grabs his arm. HOBBES No. PINOCCHIO I'm going to take him out. HOBBES You'll start a bloodbath. PINOCCHIO We just let him grab everything? HOBBES Live to fight another day. PINOCCHIO Okay, Swamp Fox. He pulls his arm away in disgust. Bosko's jeep pulls up alongside Hobbes and Pinocchio. BOSKO Why the long faces? We make a great team. PINOCCHIO I've got a bullet with your name on it. BOSKO Stand in line, hotshot. But use your head. My plan, your execution...home run. do I hold a grudge you tried to rip me off? You bet I don't. Together we'll be unstopppable. HOBBES Together? You expect us to sign on with you? BOSKO It's the smart move. Together we have cunning _and_ bravery. These fools have neither. And what have I done but take what was mine to begin with? PINOCCHIO No deal. HOBBES We don't march under your flag. BOSKO The offer stands. You'll change your mind. And I'll be waiting. He starts to go, then turns back, laughing. BOSKO Where is Circe? You'd better come with me. For your own safety. CIRCE No! It wasn't me. BOSKO Game's over, gorgeous. WIDER ANGLE - CAMP Bosko and his men drive off with their booty. All eyes on Circe: angry eyes. CIRCE It wasn't me! I swear! PETER Take her! She's a lying traitorous whore! EXT. RESISTANCE CAMP - LATER - CIRCE Angry Resistance fighters grab her. CIRCE No! It wasn't me! Get your hands off me! Hobbes moves to her. CIRCE Tom! Tell them it's not true. HOBBES Did you lie to me? CIRCE No! PETER The proof is overwhelming. She must pay. They drag her away. CIRCE Tom! PINOCCHIO She played you like a violin. EXT. RESISTANCE CAMP - NIGHT Bonfires burn. Resistance members erect a stake in the middle of the compound. INT. TENT - NIGHT Circe is bound and held under guard. Pinocchio enters. Look to the guards -- PINOCCHIO Wait outside. They obey. He moves to her. PINOCCHIO Okay. Just you and me now. No grandstanding for Hobbes. I want the truth. CIRCE It wasn't me. PINOCCHIO Bosko said it was. CIRCE And you believe _him_? He's protecting the real mole. PINOCCHIO I won't let them kill you. Not if you tell me the truth. CIRCE The truth? I love Tom. I would never betray him. PINOCCHIO Come on! He rejected you. Time and again. You were hurt. You did it for payback, right? You did it for revenge! CIRCE No. PINOCCHIO Then...the only other explanation is...You were working for Bosko the whole time. CIRCE No! Peter enters. PETER It's time. EXT. RESISTANCE CAMP - NIGHT - BONFIRE Peter lights torches held by the others as Circe is led to the stake. HOBBES We can't let them kill her. PINOCCHIO Try and stop them and you'll get a hotfoot too. HOBBES I don't think so. PINOCCHIO Why not? Beacuse you're the One? Your brain's gone soft Hobbes! Hobbes strides bravely to the stake. HOBBES Wait! This is wrong. They SHOUT HIM DOWN. They want blood. HOBBES Hear me out. This is not the way. This is not _our_ way. RESISTANCE MEMBERS She betrayed us! She's Bosko's whore! HOBBES Then why did he leave her here? FATIGUE JACKET Why not? He uses women and throws them away. HOBBES No. She's flawed like the rest of us. But we will not murder her. PETER It is not murder. It is sacrifice for the greater good. HOBBES I say let her live. Cast her out. But don't kill her -- PETER Impostor! Crowd reacts. PETER You defend the traitor. You are not the One. You die with her! Crowd surges forward and grabs Hobbes. ANGLE - PINOCCHIO Looking on. PINOCCHIO Great. Florence is at his side. PINOCCHIO This act is getting old. He starts to plow in towards Hobbes but Florence grabs his arm and points -- POV PINOCCHIO Everyone in the crowd faces Hobbes and Circe. Except for one, turning away -- _Garcia._ PINOCCHIO What's his story? Can't stand the stench of burning flesh? Cutting over to him, Pinocchio sees something else -- _something dangling from Garcia's arm._ PINOCCHIO Hey! Garcia sees them, tries to stumble away, but Pinocchio and Florence are on him in a flash. Ripping off his coat, exposing Dream/works below, wires snaking to the small screen. PINOCCHIO You son of a bitch. Where did you get this? GARCIA I...I...I'm sick. PINOCCHIO You got it from Bosko. EXT. BONFIRE - NIGHT - LATER Hobbes and Circe are bound to the stake together. HOBBES Was any of it true. That story you told me? CIRCE Every word. Peter moves forward with a lit torch;. CIRCE Goodbye, Tom. I love you. Florence FIRES A ROUND in the air. Heads turn. Pinocchio and Florence FIRE IN THE AIR AGAIN. PINOCCHIO You've got the wrong guys! This is Bosko's spy! They drag Garcia to the center of the mob, the wires still trailing from his arm. PINOCCHIO Look at him! It was him! He sold us out to get high! He puts his weapon on Peter as Florence moves to free Hobbes and Circe. PINOCCHIO Your junkie sold you out for his fix. Peter and the others stare down at Garcia, shaking, wires streaming from his arm. PINOCCHIO I know lemmings that are less easily led. This barbecue is over. The blood-lust starts to abate. One by one they drift away. One by one, the torches go out, until blackness reigns. EXT. CITY OUTSKIRTS - DAY Rusted-out car cruises toward a deserted intersection. INT. PINOCCHIO'S CAR - MOVING - DAY Hobbes, Pinocchio, Florence and Circe ride in silence. Pinocchio stops the car. EXT. INTERSECTION - DAY Hobbes and Circe climb out. CIRCE It meant a lot to me. It meant everything. That you believed me. HOBBES You're a persuasive girl. CIRCE I have a feeling. This time really is goodbye. HOBBES You never know. CIRCE I love you. He touches her cheek. Shakes his head. HOBBES I know a different love. From another world. CIRCE Another world? HOBBES It exists. I can't prove it but I know it does. And that's why we can't be together. CIRCE I see that now. HOBBES We were pulled together. But we weren't meant to be together. CIRCE I believe you. I know you have your own path to walk. And it's not an easy one, Tom. He shakes his head. CIRCE But you'll walk it. I know you will. Circe turns and walks away, head held high. Hobbes watches her go. Pinocchio climbs out. HOBBES I don't love her. PINOCCHIO Of course not. HOBBES Then why do I feel so bad? FADE OUT.