INT. PENTHOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY
The place is bone quiet, sparkling clean. A slight
breeze drifts the curtains covering some French doors.
The light of day reveals the immensity of this room.
INT. MASTER BEDROOM - A MINUTE LATER
David wanders in, fully clothed in his biosuit.
No one's here. The bed looks like it hasn’t even been
slept in. He watches the curtains covering these
French doors, lost in their rolling movement. Long
curtains, touching the floor...
A shape starts to come into focus behind the curtains,
looming larger, darker. A VOICE SINGING...
David is suddenly self-conscious. He splits.
INT. LIVING ROOM - SECONDS LATER
David enters and turns with open mouth, ready to
call out, but sees
GRACE
on the balcony, pistol in hand. Pointed right at
him. She wears a beautiful, expensive silk robe.
They regard each other.
GRACE
You gonna put ‘em up?
DAVID
I --
GRACE
Up.
He complies and opens his mouth, but --
GRACE
Who are you? And what the hell
are you doing in my house?
DAVID
My name is David Chan. I’m
alone, and I want to talk to
you.
GRACE
You better be alone. ‘Cause if
you’re not... well no one’s gonna
miss you, right Dave?
DAVID
David. I’m alone. I promise.
GRACE
(it hits her)
You were here, right? At the
party?
DAVID
Yes. I saw some of your friends,
followed them here. I watched a
little bit and left, that’s all.
Grace’s anger is building. David tries to calm her.
DAVID
I liked your costume --
GRACE
Damn! That idiot Brad! I
thought it was the beer and
he was just -- what do you
want?
DAVID
Your help. I --
GRACE
You don’t look like military.
DAVID
I’m not. I’m leading a team of
specialists from IO. We’re part
of a task force searching for the
origins of the virus. Grace --
GRACE
Damn, anything you don’t know?
DAVID
I overheard. Grace. My arms
are getting tired.
GRACE
Then put ‘em down.
Relieved, he lowers --
GRACE
When I tell you to.
He looks at her. She straightens the gun at him.
He puts ‘em back up.
DAVID
I’m not armed. You can check.
GRACE
I will.
Silence.
DAVID
When?
Silence.
DAVID
This would be much easier if
you would come down and talk.
Easier for me anyway.
Silence. His arms are having a tough time.
DAVID
I’m not going to run away or
pull a gun or anything. I
promise.
Silence.
DAVID
Look...
He motions to a sofa right below the balcony.
DAVID
Bet that’s pretty soft. Why
don’t you jump on down?
His arms are wavering and waggling.
DAVID
Grace?
His elbows are slipping to shoulder height.
DAVID
Dammit, I --
Like a blink, Grace disappears. We HEAR FOOTSTEPS.
And then she reappears ten feet from David. Whose
arms dangle at his sides as he tries to get some
life back into those things. She glows in triumph.
GRACE
On the floor.
Is she serious? She is. And he needs her help, so
down he goes.
GRACE
No, on your face. Hands on
your back.
DAVID
Careful, please. Don’t rip
the biosuit.
She looks around, searching. Finally, she removes
the belt from her robe, holding her robe closed with
her other hand. She leans over him. Ties his hands
together. Frisks him. Nothing.
DAVID
Okay?
GRACE
Get up.
David rolls onto his side, bends his knees. Rolls
forward so that his head and the bottom half of his
legs rest on the floor. He pushes himself up onto
his knees. And stands.
GRACE
Where’d you learn that?
DAVID
Anti-terrorism school. Required
training for IO executives.
GRACE
Then why didn’t you put your
hands up when you saw my gun?
DAVID
I don’t have guns pulled on me
every day.
GRACE
(motions to a chair)
Sit.
DAVID
Thank you.
She lowers the gun to her side, ready just in case.
DAVID
What’s the gun for?
GRACE
Rats. Is that what you wanna
talk about?
He looks at her good and hard. She’s a tough cookie,
this one.
DAVID
Okay. Help me. We think the
virus started in New York. As
far as I can tell, you and your
friends are the only ones here.
And you’ve been living here
without protection.
He begins to work on his bindings.
DAVID
I’d like to take some samples
from all of you, talk to you.
Maybe there’s a reason why
you’re not infected. A reason
that could help us develop a
vaccine.
GRACE
Uh-huh.
DAVID
Victor’s working on the vaccine.
She’s still unimpressed.
DAVID
Your samples will be analyzed
somewhere else. The military,
they don’t need to know a thing.
You’ll be fine. I promise.
GRACE
Yeah, you said that before.
It still don’t mean nothing to
me.
His binding is coming loose.
DAVID
It will.
She considers him.
DAVID
Is that a yes?
His hands are free.
DAVID
You might save billions of
lives.
She looks at him blankly.
DAVID
The world.
GRACE
I don’t care about the world.
DAVID
Grace, this isn’t a game.
We’re in a war.
(unconsciously gestures)
We --
GRACE
(points gun)
Hey!
DAVID
What?!
(beat)
Oh... don’t worry, I won’t --
GRACE
I’m not. Silk was a bad idea.
DAVID
It felt nice.
Okay, that didn’t work.
DAVID
Look, I’m not here to hurt you.
And I know you don’t want to
hurt me. All I want is your
samples and anything you might
know. That’s not much, is it?
GRACE
You’re right.
DAVID
Thank you, Grace. You --
GRACE
It’s not much.
Hm?
DAVID
Money? You want -- but money
means nothing now.
GRACE
It will.
DAVID
(a touch of sarcasm)
An optimist.
GRACE
C’mon, what’s the offer?
DAVID
What’s the offer? You’re
blackmailing the world and
you want to know how much
I think you’re worth?
GRACE
I --
David gets up...
GRACE
Hey!!
... and walks towards her, holding her belt. She
clutches her robe even tighter.
DAVID
You are... priceless.
She watches him. Then lowers the gun.
DAVID
One million.
GRACE
A million?? What the --
I’m insulted.
DAVID
You should be.
Beat.
GRACE
Twenty. For each one of us.
He glares at her.
GRACE
Fifteen.
She watches him.
GRACE
Don’t say --
DAVID/GRACE
(same time)
Ten.
GRACE
Man, you people are like,
trillionaires. You’re trying
to save the world, and you’re
bargaining?
His patience is gone.
DAVID
I could knock you over the
head and take all the samples
I want. Ten.
GRACE
Oh yeah?
She sizes him up. He COULD knock her over the head.
GRACE
Yeah, try it. Gimme that.
He hands her the belt.
GRACE
(redoing her robe)
Cheap bastard.
DAVID
Thank you.
EXT. LIVING ROOM TERRACE - A LITTLE LATER
David watches Grace look at the city, a touch of
enchantment in her eyes.
DAVID
Why are you still here?
GRACE
It’s New York. And it’s ours
now. It’s beautiful. Look
at it. Empty. Finally.
He does look at the city. In an odd way, the
stillness is comforting. Then the spell is broken
and he snaps out of it. Starts to head inside.
But she holds onto the railing and looks out.
DAVID
You shouldn’t be in the sun
without protection.
GRACE
I don’t care.
DAVID
You want your grandkids to
see an old, wrinkly grandma?
Huh?
DAVID
You should care. How old
are you?
GRACE
Old enough. To be your
granddaughter.
Ouch. She looks up at the bright sky with it’s evil
beating sun and closes her eyes, soaking it all in.
GRACE
It must’ve been nice before
the ozone got screwed up.
DAVID
I’m not that old.
She laughs.
DAVID
Come on.
She ignores him.
GRACE
I hardly ever get to see the
park during the day.
DAVID
Why not? You're not vampires.
GRACE
With you people around, we
have to be.
DAVID
You can look at it later.
Come on.
GRACE
But I’m moving.
DAVID
I don’t know. I don’t think
you’re going to find a better
view.
GRACE
I won’t even try. Problem is
you know I’m here.
(turns to him)
I’m not kidding, Dave. We’re
not going to those camps. We
will kill anyone who tries to
make us. We’re free, we’re
staying free.
DAVID
I --
GRACE
Yeah, you promise. I know.
He smiles at her temerity.
GRACE
What are you looking at?
David just smiles.
GRACE
Don’t tell me I remind you
of someone.
DAVID
Oh no. You’re an original.
She smirks. He takes out pen and paper.
DAVID
I’m giving you a number to
call, but not for anyone here.
Victor’s private number. You
call him when you talk to your
friends, he’ll call me.
GRACE
Mm-hm. Or I could call you.
DAVID
You’re not worried it can be
traced?
GRACE
I move too fast. I know this
city better than any of you.
DAVID
You grew up here? What’s
your last name?
GRACE
Gimme your number.
He starts to write.
GRACE
I have a good memory.
DAVID
I’d rather --
GRACE
C’mon, c’mon.
DAVID
(beat, then writes
as he talks)
116-464-559-928-3560.
(hands her the paper)
Just in case.
GRACE
I’ll call you.
DAVID
When?
GRACE
When I know.
DAVID
Next couple of days?
GRACE
If that’s when I know.
DAVID
Okay.
(beat)
You have one day.
She eyes him. He turns to leave, turns back.
DAVID
Where’d all of you get those
night vision glasses?
GRACE
The night sights? Spy shop
on Third.
He admires their smarts.
DAVID
Good-bye, Grace.
He leaves. She crumples up the paper and throws it
over the terrace. She looks at the city. Her city.
DAVID’S VOICE
Victor, she’ll do it.
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