Scene 13
[Thursday 1750 hrs. Steve walks through the aisles of BasicallyGUI!. Phones
ring and no one answers. Techs are gathered in small groups at the end of
each ailse. They give him a look every time he comes near.]
Steve: I guess taking phone calls doesn't matter much now...
[Dave walks up along side him]
Dave: I think we should talk Steve...
Steve: I don't really have the time right now Dave...
Dave: Yes you do.
Steve: I have reports to run....
Dave: Steve, this is an opportunity... talk to me ...
Steve: have you seen Bruce?
Dave: This isn't about Bruce...
Steve: Then I have nothing to say.... except you should really try to
improve morale around here, they all have a bad attitude
Dave: okay... um, did you notice that everyone got laid off?
Steve: That's no reason to be so negative.
Dave: I'm going back into my cube now...when you take that dose of reality
the doctor prescribed let me know.
[Steve wanders back into his office]
Dave: I think we should all leave a little early today!
[A large group of technicians looks at him and nods, people start hanging
up their headsets and get ready to go home]
Dave: tomorrow should be fun.... damnit...I still have to pick up the stuff
for the party...
[Cut to Bruce, standing on the deck of Karen's house looking at the ocean.
He takes a sip from a steaming mug of coffee. Karen walks out onto the deck]
Karen: Now that you've showered shaved, changed clothes, and had your 6th
cup of coffee, and have moved into denting another pack of cigarettes, are
you ready to tell me exactly what's going on?
Bruce: Promise you won't be upset.
Karen: I'm not promising a goddamn thing until you let me know what's Fred
Doestoevsky's death has to do with Simon, or you, or anyone else in the
underground for that matter.
[Bruce sighs]
Bruce: Okay here we go. When I contacted you, I explained that one of my
teams had been co-opted by Monolith, that a bunch of them had been killed,
and that Simon and I wanted to join your group in order to pursue Monolith
outside the Company.
Karen: yeah....what did you lie to me about?
Bruce: I didn't lie to you...I just didn't tell you.
[She hits him in the chest with a balled fist]
Karen: It's the same thing Casey!!!
Bruce: Hold on a minute.... I found out that my entire section had started
working for Monolith...without any approval, we never would have given it
anyway. We ran our own businesses in the 70's and early 80's but we rarely
help companies do their dirty work. Especially not Monolith. I informed
Fred of what was going on, and told him I needed a specialist, someone I
knew I could trust and explained what I was going to do. He said okay. I
pipelined some information, the rogue team thought they were going to hit a
Monolith competitor....
Karen: And?
Bruce: Simon trapped the lot of them, locked them in the forecastle of the
small cargo ship they had raided.
Karen: gives new meaning to software piracy
Bruce: And then sank the ship...on his way off the boat, he ran up against
opposition, one lookout had stayed top side. He told me he shot her twice
in the face with a 22. Knew who it was too. A girl we had recruited out of
Northern Ireland when she was about 17. Sent her to school over here, etc etc.
Karen: And you think that's who Diane is?
Bruce: I'm sure of it.
Karen: So in the process of trying to find out what your TRU section has
planned, she also has the opportunity to kill the guys she knows are
responsible for the death of her team and trying to kill her?
Bruce: Yeah...
Karen: So why did you adopt her file?
Bruce: I knew the history, the people the places, it was completely
credible to anyone who didn't know what I had been up to, a mixture of the
facts. All the stuff I showed Dave and told him I was involved in.
I needed a dead person's history that would lend credibility to my reasons
for going after Monolith, leaving the Company, etc.
Karen: Which you never did. Leaving the Company that is. Taking her
history sounds like a subconscious reminder to me.
Bruce: Anyway, she knew who Fred was, probably roped him in with the dumb
blonde act, he always was a sucker for blondes.
Karen: and you and Simon joined us in order to finish off your cleanup
operation, and take out the man responsible.
Bruce: Yeah, these guys were Magnus Reece's personal dirty tricks squad...
Karen: This was never about personal betrayal then, it's about Company
loyalty.
Bruce: It was personal... these guys were under my command, they became
mercenaries while they were working for me.
Karen: So you had them all killed, and this retirement thing is bullshit?
Bruce: no everything I said last night is legit... and I did order it, same
thing I guess, it's not like Aldrich Ames or something where we could have
put them on trial ... now I have to tie up the loose ends.
Karen: Like Diane.
Bruce: You didn't mind it when it was Magnus Reece ... don't even pretend
to be a choir girl Karen, General Machinery and Electronics doesn't confine
it's product line to toasters. Maybe you suggested they change their motto
to "We bring bad things to death" and when they didn't like it you quit?
Karen: Defensive aren't we?
Bruce: Listen my job description didn't include "evangelist"... and as much
as they were traitors, I didn't enjoy sending them to see the Spirit in the
Sky... my reasons and -
Karen: I didn't mean it that way Bruce... do what you have to do...just
don't let the bitch get away...I used to have dinner with Fred when he
worked for the Science and Technology Directorate. No wonder we all drink
too much...
Bruce: yeah...listen I have to get back, she may already be after Simon,
and Vivienne can't know any of this.
Karen: Does the cover really matter now?
Bruce: It isn't about the cover... Diane is her sister.... I don't need an
episode of Manson Family Ties on my hands.
Karen: Jesus , this is starting to read like a spy novel...or an episode of
Guiding Light..
Bruce: Fact is stranger than fiction sometimes kiddo, oh shit....I forgot,
I'm having a party at my place tomorrow night....
Karen: Am I invited?
[Cut to Dave and Vivienne and Greg in the grocery store. Each of them is
pushing a cart half full of food.]
Dave: how much did Bruce say we could spend?
Greg: He figured we'd have all of the coding cluster there after today's
announcement, so enough for say 120 people?
Vivienne: about 400 dollars then, without liquor?
Dave: Sounds about right...where are we going to buy the booze?
Vivienne: We don't need to, Bruce has enough for 300 people in cold storage in
the warehouse below...
Dave: wow
Greg: this party is going to be weird...
Dave: yeah...real weird
[Vivienne's cell phone rings]
Vivienne: yeah?
Bruce: It's Bruce, have you seen Simon?
Vivienne: Not since the meeting this morning, where were you?
Bruce: Don't worry about it, I can't get a hold of him, hey, did your cell
phone go off last night?
Vivienne: Yes: Look , the CoffeeMasterPlus, she's shut down.... I have some of
the techs running her action logs right now...she tried to dial all of us
before a complete shutdown.... but our phone's were all disconnected.
Bruce: The phone's are still safe, I ran a check ... I'm going by
Simon's...I'll be at my place in 2 hours. Get me that action log okay?
Vivienne: Sure... is there something going on that I need to know about?
Bruce: No, it's a personal thing, a friend of ours is getting married, we
need to get her a gift.
Vivienne: how nice of you! a refreshing change...
Bruce: yeah...I'll see you in two hours.
[Cut to Bruce in his car.]
Bruce: Oh that's pure genius Bruce...we need to get a friend a wedding
gift? Simon where the hell are you?
[Cut to Simon. He sits on a couch with two other guys his age, playing
video games, and occasionally taking a hit off of a water pipe]
[Cut back to Bruce. His cell phone rings]
Bruce: Hello?
Diane: um, hi Bruce...it's me Diane...I know you told me to call you
tomorrow about going, but where you weren't in work today I was wondering
if you had gone away for the weekend or gotten sick or something?
[Bruce's eyes widen and he shakes his head, He holds the cell phone away
from his head and looks at with confusion]
Bruce: Oh no, I just needed to have some work done on my car, get ready for
the party I'm having tomorrow night...I'd invite you, but I talked to the
guys, and I guess were all out of a job...I'm not sure how comfortable
you'd feel with the Coding Cluster all over the place.
Diane: I feel real bad about it, but I'm just doing my job (sounds of her
crying in her voice), it's too bad, it sounds like fun...is everyone going
to be there?
Bruce: Well you know how it is, some people probably won't show up, a lot
of the guys from BasicallyGUI! are pretty angry, they may not be in the mood.
Diane: Do you want to maybe go out at the beginning of next week?
Bruce: Sure...how about Tuesday?
Diane: That sounds nice. I'll talk to you then.
Bruce: Okay!
[Bruce turns his phone off.]
Bruce: Bitch.
[Cut to Diane]
Diane: Bastard.
[Cut to Dave and Greg in Bruce's apartment. They are piling food inside
the walk in refrigerator in Bruce's kitchen.]
Dave: he sure knows how to throw a party.
Greg: When he decides to do it. When is Vivienne going to be back?
Dave: She went over to my place to see how the guy's are doing with the
CoffeeMaster...she said she'd be back in a few hours. It looks like were
going to have a long weekend ahead of us.
Greg: All in the name of the cause. Personally, I am the mood to get mighty
wrecked...
Dave: Me too...
[Cut to Vivienne in Dave's apartment]
Vivienne: it says what?
Tech1: Network preservation command....it looked for a server.... and found
an.... HC9000....somehow it overrode the security protocols, and then
reactivated whatever the HC9000 is, dumped all of its memory too.
Vivienne: Let me see that.
[Vivienne takes the read out, and reads it. She laughs]
Vivienne: Do what you can to get her going.... take tomorrow off if you have
to.... I'll make sure you both get good jobs somewhere.
Tech2: we don't want good jobs, I've been turning down headhunters for 4
months...Remora was the only place I didn't really have to do anything.
Vivienne: Do your best guys...I really appreciate it.
Tech1: Well in that case, we'll have her going in no time.
[Vivienne smiles]
Vivienne: Great.
[Cut to Dave and Greg]
Greg: So what's your plan for tomorrow, you seem to have kind of taken over
for Bruce.
Dave: Well I was thinking we steal a lot of stuff from Remora.
Greg: That's a good plan.
Dave: Simple usually works well.
[Bruce exits the lift]
Bruce: Where's Vivienne?
Dave: At my place, she's getting that log you were looking for.
Bruce: excellent.
Greg: Did you find Simon?
Bruce: Kind of, his father said he had gone to a friends house.
Dave: he lives with his parent's?
Bruce: yeah
Greg: I live with my parents, is there something wrong with that?
Dave: um, no...I just didn't imagine Simon living with...anyone really.
Bruce: I can see that. We'll we need to start cooking for tomorrow night.
how much did this cost me?
Greg: 600 bucks.
[Bruce goes into the walk in and comes back out]
Bruce:I have a feeling I'm going to find about 175 dollars worth of weird
charges on the next bill.
Greg: we had to get decorations too you know...
Bruce: I'm sure. Anyway, let's get cooking. This is probably going to be
the mother of all "we just got fired parties". So tell me, how did the
meeting go today?
[Cut to Diane. A large rifle is disassembled on her dining room table
which is covered in a white sheet. She takes out a small vial of liquid
with a pharmaceutical label on it, and sticks an over size dart into it.
She pulls a plunger out of its base and fills another dart. She hums Danny
Boy as she works. The phone rings]
Diane: yes
Diane: No, not yet Magnus. By the end of the weekend....no, you're going to
have to wait. These things take time. Yes, I know I owe you, that isn't the
question...no...
[She pauses and fills another dart]
Diane: Magnus, I'm aware of that....tell you what, as a bonus, I'll give
you Casey in a body bag.....
[Cut to Bruce's apartment. Vivienne steps off the lift]
Vivienne: Smells good....why are there tubes of PerparationH in a big bowl
in front of the lift?
Greg: Party favors!
[Bruce takes a sip of beer from a bottle sitting next to the stove]
Bruce: he has a case of lemon reamers he's planning on hanging from the
rafters....
Vivienne: appropriate....Bruce...the HotChoc9000... it's active....somehow,
before the Coffmaster shut down, it found it on the network, and
reactivated it?
[She hands him the action log, he stirs a large pot of meatballs with his
free hand]
Bruce: Network preservation command.... it will be functional in 120 hours?
Vivienne: Less around 72 hours.
Bruce: Monday...how's the CoffeeMaster doing?
Vivienne: They're doing their best. Maybe Saturday night?
[Bruce begins to chop carrots.]
Bruce: Good, you and Dave are in charge of all of the stuff at Remora for
the time being. I have to see what I can find out about our three blind
mice at Monolith.
Dave: The guys who Simon programmed?
Bruce: exactly
Dave: Anything you want us to do especially?
Bruce: Wreak havoc, something simple, like stealing a lot of their software
would be good.
Dave: Already taken care of.
[The phone rings, Greg picks it up]
Greg: Bruce, for you, it's Simon.
Bruce: hey Simon, listen I visited Karen yesterday and she's getting
married...you want to take tomorrow morning off and go buy a gift with me?
Simon: Unless you finally decided to propose to her, she's not getting
married. What's going on?
Bruce: I'm not really sure WHAT I'm going to get her.
Simon: Can't talk then...does this have to do with Diane? I was watching
her today at the meeting, did Vivienne tell you I think she's the Monolith
operative?
Bruce: That sounds like a really good idea, I was thinking of something in
the same price range.
Simon: You figured that too...we going to do anything about it?
Bruce: I don't think we should get her something that extravagant she'd
kill us.
Simon: She's an assassin?
Bruce: Well she is registered at one of the major department stores.
Simon: She's ex-Company?
Bruce: That's the one...didn't you have a friend that used to work for
Pier9 Imports? We could always go there and get her some stuff for her new
house?
Simon:Pier9...I'm losing you...something to do with boats?
Bruce: They're having a clearance sale on some of their stuff too, we could
furnish three rooms for her.
Simon: Clearance sale....the Moira Celeste?
Bruce: Yeah, If you don't want to do that we could always buy her one of
those Spa weekends.
Simon: Diane is Maureen Agincourte? I put two bullets in her
head....Spa...plastic surgery then?
Bruce: yeah, there is one in Amherst actually.
Simon: Bruce, if Vivienne is there I mentioned that Father is a
woman....she knows you know her from college, she's going to figure out
Karen is Father really fast. You didn't tell her about Diane did you?
Bruce: Are you out of your mind? I'm not buying anything pink.
Simon: Okay then, I'll meet you at Chauncey Street station tomorrow in
town, we can talk then,around 10am I'm getting out of here...you guys safe
there?
Bruce: yeah we're fine, an extra pair of hands would just get in the way....
Simon: I'll see you in the morning.
[Bruce hangs up the phone.]
Vivienne: This Karen person is a friend of yours from college?
Bruce: yeah...Simon and I went to school with her.
Vivienne: Is she Father?
Bruce: Yes...
Vivienne: Simon gave me the idea there was something going on between the two of
you.
[Dave looks up from chopping celery]
Bruce: A long time ago...when we were still in school.
Vivienne: He told me he'd tell me when it didn't matter anymore, I guess he knew
she was engaged?
Bruce: We had heard rumors, it's official at this point though.
Vivienne: That's cool...so do we get to meet her?
[Bruce stares at the onion he's cutting]
Bruce: actually she's going to be here tomorrow night.
Vivienne: She bringing her fiance?
Bruce: No he's out of town on business.
Dave: Viv, we should probably get going, I have to get the guys out of my
apartment, and finish up some of my plans for tomorrow.
Vivienne: Good idea...see you guys tomorrow.
[They gather their coats and get on the lift]
Bruce and Greg: Night!
[The lift descends below the apartment.]
Greg: Do you think this whole programmed killer thing is going to work?
Bruce: We'll know soon enough...I'm surprised it hasn't happened yet. Help
me put this boulliebase in the fridge.
[Cut to Looie, one of the three technicians Simon brainwashed. He is
playing poker with his friends. He picks up a new hand off the felt of the
game table. The third card of five is the Queen of Diamonds. His expression
becomes vacant]
Looie: I have to go.
Guy: you can't go, we just dealt you in.
[Looie gets up and leaves the game room. Cut to Tech1 and Tech2 in Dave's
apartment. One of them has the coffee machine tipped upside down, looking
at a foil tag, the other is on the phone]
Tech1: This tech support music is going to drive me out of my mind.
Tech2: How do people put up with that stuff, I'd shoot someone...
Tech1: Sounds like I'm about to get a technician...
FissurePlace: Fissure Place Technical support, DOD division, are you
calling regards to a weapon of mass destruction, conventional armament, or
computer component?
Tech1: Computer component.
FissurePlace: Hold please.
Tech1: They put me on hold again....I'm beginning to feel like Bob Newhart.
FissurePlace: Fissure place computer component division, could I have the
serial number of your product please?
Tech1: AADODAI149APM-1
FissurePlace: Well then , you have one of two artificial intelligence units
of their kind....the AI 149 APM is a powerful little unit...is it installed
in a Jet Fighter, High Altitude Recon Plane, or Spy Satellite?
Tech1: Actually it in an automatic coffee machine.
FissurePlace: Kind of like decorating your cubicle with the Mona Lisa,
don't you think?
Tech1: Listen...we need to reboot the system, and we lost the instruction
manual....
FissurePlace: The only time that unit will cease to function is if it
determines the integrity of its own internal network is about to be
threatened....was it attacked by an opposing network?
Tech1: uh.....no....it was installed at Fort Huachuca.... it got exposed to
a magnetic field accidentally.
FissurePlace: Oh that guy with the ultra powerful floor buffer....damn it,
there was a guy at Monolith Support who warned us about that when we were
writing the software for this support line.... let me walk you through the
steps...
[Cut forward.....Vivienne and Dave walk into the apartment...Tech1 and
Tech2 stand over the guts of the Coffeemachine, parts are strewn everywhere.]
Dave: Allright what the HELL happened?
Tech1: Actually...this is a good thing....
[Tech1 hands a small Novia cell phone to Vivienne]
Vivienne: Boy's what's this supposed to be?
Tech2: It's the coffee machine...or well, the machines processor....we put
the AI149 APM inside that cell phone. Now it's portable, and it can display
messages to you on its display, or you can talk to it.
Dave: Can I try?
[Viv hands him the phone]
Tech1: Just press the pound key.
[Dave does so]
Sal: Good evening Dave.
Dave: it's your voice Vivienne.
Sal: I was programmed with Vivienne's personality....I wasn't able to use
my voice capability while installed in the CoffeemasterPlus containment unit.
Dave: How do you...feel?
Sal: Good actually.... I just allowed myself free nights and weekends, so I
feel less restricted.
Tech1: FissurePlace had to fax us the manual, and when we realized we could
just move the chip, we figured it would be easier to use.
Dave: Do you ...mind if I shut you off?
Sal: not at all, I have to rebuild my memory banks.
[The Novia lights up and beeps, Calling NSA reads out across the display]
Vivienne: She lost all of her memory...so we have no idea what attacked her...
Tech1: Actually we do....
[He holds up an interior panel of the CoffeeMasterPlus unit. It is
scorched with the Monolith logo]