THE LAB OF THE GODS ENTRANCE HALL, FRIDAY 7.00 p.m. DR. MEGAN BELLMAN, dressed in an elegant grey suit, strides through a futuristic main lobby. Her heels are clicking on shiny marble. A huge glass dome lets the sunlight in, giving the bustling place the impression of an outdoor location. Dr. Bellman walks up to the reception desk. BELLMAN Hello, March. The receptionist smiles at her. RECEPTIONIST Hello, Dr. Bellman. BELLMAN I’m here to pick up a Mr. Escobar. RECEPTIONIST Yes. That’s the gentleman over there by the bulletin board. BELLMAN Oh yes, thanks. She turns to go. RECEPTIONIST Dr. Bellman ... BELLMAN Yes? RECEPTIONIST His name is ESCOBEDO. BELLMAN Of course! Thanks a lot. Dr. Bellman walks over to her guest. BELLMAN Mr. Escobedo? Hello, My name is Dr. Megan Bellman. I’m your guide to the cave. A young man dressed in a business suit turns around and takes her outstretched hand. ESCOBEDO Nice to meet you. DR. MEGAN BELLMAN Good, I see you already have your identity tag. Please, try not to lose it. Suffice it to say, you don’t want to be an unauthorized person down there. Now, let's get below! She leads him to an automatic door in a remote corner of the entrance hall and punches a code into a keypad. The door slides open. They enter a bare antechamber; its only remarkable features are three elevator doors. Bellman pushes a call button. ESCOBEDO To be quite honest, I’d prefer the stairs. BELLMAN Unfortunately, the company never bothered to build any. Believe me, considering the distance we are about to travel, stairs would be quite impractical. ESCOBEDO Great. The elevator door hisses open and she ushers him in. BELLMAN Come on, research can be a risky business. ELEVATOR, 7.03 p.m. The cabin is unusually spacious and brightly lit. BELLMAN Are you claustrophobic? Should we better ...? ESCOBEDO No, no. It’s alright. Let’s go. The automatic door closes. BELLMAN (announcing) Bellman, Megan and .... (She eyes his identity tag.) ... Escobedo, Mario. Dr. Bellman faces the operating panel, peering into a small lens. The machine scans her eyeball and then beeps its approval. With a nod and a smile she encourages her companion to do the same: Beep. COMPUTER VOICE Please state your destination. BELLMAN Level C, Biolab. A low buzz fills the room as the elevator starts its descent. ESCOBEDO Voice control? Impressive! BELLMAN We are now traveling through half a mile of rock. But don’t worry; this elevator is very reliable. There are parallel lines right and left of us. So, in case we get stuck, we just open one of these doors and hop into an adjacent car. ESCOBEDO How convenient. What about a power blackout? BELLMAN No problem, either. In cases of a loss of primary power, there are several redundant systems. This is a high security research facility, you know. The company does not take any chances. ESCOBEDO If you say so. It’s just that Dawn failed to mention this half-a-mile-of-rock-thing. BELLMAN Dawn ... So you are visiting Dawn Blackwood. May I ask ... ESCOBEDO She’s my fiancee. BELLMAN Tell me, ... I was just wondering how you managed to get the necessary security clearance so easily. Normally, there has to be a cold day in hell before they give an ... outsider access to the subterranean levels. ESCOBEDO I had to pull some strings. Escobedo smirks but shows no inclination to expand on his connections. There is a whirring sound and a subtle vibration as the counterweight passes their car. BELLMAN I see. They ride in silence for a few seconds. ESCOBEDO I take it, you are experimenting on some very nasty organisms? BELLMAN I wouldn’t call them nasty, but they are dangerous. We are experimenting with a few biological agents. Please understand that I can’t give you any details--classified information. ESCOBEDO Military application? BELLMAN (with a smile) Medicine and environmental. But please, ... ESCOBEDO Classified information. COMPUTER VOICE Level C, Biolab. The door opens, revealing a biohazard symbol painted on natural rock. LEVEL C, CORRIDOR; 7.10 p.m. Bellman and Escobedo walk through a wide corridor. Polished steel walls alternate with unadulterated rock. Numerous glass doors and windows allow a glimpse into the core of the subterranean complex: an array of state-of-the-art research laboratories. Most of the rooms and cubicles are deserted, the lights dimmed. LEVEL C, CONTROL ROOM, 7.12 p.m. They walk through an open door. Escobedo looks around. Though the walls of the room are natural rock, the room isn’t very cosy. It is packed with computers, monitors, printers, control units, a lot of high tech equipment. There are also sinks, lockers and a few chairs. A man in a lab coat finishes washing his hands and greets them. GROSINSKY Hi. BELLMAN Hello Chad. This is Mr. Escobedo, Dawns fiancee. May I introduce you to Chad Grosinsky, workaholic and one of the best genetic engineers around here. ESCOBEDO Hi. GROSINSKY Welcome to the cave. Escobedo turns around and spots his girlfriend. She is standing in a laboratory filled with electron microscopes, mass spectrometers, incubators and an oversized freezer. Dawn is wearing a full-body suit with a transparent helmet. A hose plugged into a valve in the wall provides her with air. Her back turned towards the others. Escobedo is about to greet her when he realizes that she is standing behind a thick wall of glass. He knocks on it. No sound. GROSINSKY Reinforced Plexiglas. She wouldn’t hear you even if you banged it with a sledgehammer. Grosinsky presses a button on a console. GROSINSKY Dawn, you have a visitor. Behind the glass, Dawn Blackwood turns around and spots her friend. She waves with gloved hands. Then she points at her watch, holds up three fingers and continues her work. ESCOBEDO What’s she doing? BELLMAN Saving the planet. Escobedo looks at her with a frown on his face. GROSINSKY Here, blend in. He hands Bellman and Escobedo lab coats. They put them on. Suddenly there is a muted popping sound, like a distant gunshot in a snowy landscape. BELLMAN Oh my God! Escobedo turns around and freezes in horror. Behind the Plexiglas wall, the laboratory is wrecked. Smoke billows, machines are toppled over; shards of glass and torn out cables everywhere. The glass wall is spattered with soot and atomised liquids. Dawn Blackwood grovels on the floor, disoriented; her air hose has come off the valve and wriggles uselessly amidst the debris. ESCOBEDO Dawn. Dawn! GROSINSKY The fucking freezer exploded! I don’t believe it! Grosinsky points at the shattered freezer. A blue liquid oozes onto the floor. GROSINSKY Oh, no. Please, no! Suddenly the door of the control room slides shut and seals with a menacing hiss. All computer screens in the room go blank. The electronic equipment stops humming. ESCOBEDO What’s going on? Bellman and Grosinsky are at a loss for words. Escobedo dashes to his girlfriend and is stopped by the transparent wall. ESCOBEDO Dawn! Dawn crawls up to the wall. She rips off her helmet, gasping for air. Behind her, a blue puddle is spreading. Dawn presses her hand to the glass and looks into her lover’s eyes. Escobedo jumps up and dashes to the sealed door. ESCOBEDO Open the door! He bangs his fists on the door. He tries to push it open with his bare hands--a futile attempt. BELLMAN No, you mustn’t get out now! We are safe in here. ESCOBEDO I need to help her! Open the door! Hesitantly, Grosinsky walks up to the door. BELLMAN Chad, no! Defying her, Grosinsky punches a code into a keypad. Nothing happens. GROSINSKY The code won’t work. He tries again. Still nothing. He grabs the receiver of a wall mounted telephone. GROSINSKY The line is dead. Now what? BELLMAN Now we wait. Dawn cowers behind the window, her hand pressed against the glass. Escobedo crouches and puts his hand against hers, from his side of the wall, the closest thing to holding hands. Blackwood (lip movement only) I love you. ESCOBEDO Everything will be alright. She sheds a crimson tear. LEVEL C, CONTROL ROOM, 8.30 p.m. Escobedo still crouches by the window, touching the glass. On the other side, Dawn’s hand becomes slack and slides down. Escobedo moves aside, revealing her face: it has assumed a bluish color, the skin is cracked in places like an old oil painting. Her eyes are glazed over. Escobedo gets up and wipes tears from his face. ESCOBEDO Is this your idea of saving the planet? Is this your vision of the future? What are you planning, purging the earth of humans? (looking at Dawn) And what was your involvement in this madness? BELLMAN Please, Mr. Escobedo, sit down. ESCOBEDO That blue goo running out of your freezer, is that what did her in? What is that shit? Viral weaponry? BELLMAN Of course not. Please, ... She grabs him by the shoulder, steering him towards a chair, but he pushes her away. ESCOBEDO Has your consuming dedication to science interfered with your judgment? Or is it sheer greed that drives lunatics like you? BELLMAN Please, Mr. Escobedo, ... ESCOBEDO Dawn is dead! How many others will follow? He ruffles his hair and slumps into the chair. A deadly silence ensues. Only the quiet hum of the live support systems is audible. ESCOBEDO (sobbing) Will you please get us out of here?! BELLMAN A quarantine has been imposed. We are sealed in for our own safety. A security team will come and get us eventually, but they have to check for contamination first. We just have to sit and wait. GROSINSKY Meanwhile, the pyramids turn to sand. LEVEL C, CONTROL ROOM, 10.00 p.m. Bellman and Escobedo are sitting on chairs, brooding. Grosinsky paces the room like a caged tiger. GROSINSKY Freezers do not explode! They simply don’t! Unless ... Suddenly, Grosinsky stops pacing. GROSINSKY You hear that? BELLMAN What? GROSINSKY Listen! BELLMAN I hear nothing. GROSINSKY Exactly. Neither do I. That’s ’cos there’s no more ventilation. Apparently, someone up there shut off life support. BELLMAN Don’t panic. We will be out of here in no time. Grosinsky goes to a sink and turns the handles of the tabs frantically. GROSINSKY Great! No water, either! Remind me to file a complaint! ESCOBEDO (croaky) We will suffocate long before we get thirsty. GROSINSKY I don’t believe it! Life support is down! We are terribly sorry: Temporarily out of service! Please lie down and take shallow breaths! Let’s face it, we are buried alive! They flipped the kill-switch! ESCOBEDO In the morning, this day looked like any other goddamn friday in my life. And now? My girlfriend dies before my eyes and I’m having both feet in the grave as well. BELLMAN Shut up, both of you! These events don't suit my plans, either! Chad, if I’m not mistaken, there must be a couple of oxygen bottles in that cupboard. She points at a metal cupboard. GROSINSKY Yes, you are right. At least, that will buy us some time. But what are we going to do with it? LEVEL C, CONTROL ROOM, 01.00 a.m. Chad Grosinsky opens the valve of an oxygen bottle; the gas hisses out. The tree prisoner take deep breaths. Escobedo pulls a face and touches his ears. BELLMAN Sorry, Mr. Escobedo, the air pressure is rising. We’ll get used to it in a few seconds. ESCOBEDO (downheartedly) Call me Mario. Now that we are entombed together we might as well drop the formalities. Grosinsky closes the valve. BELLMAN I’m Megan. GROSINSKY I’m Chad. ESCOBEDO I know. LEVEL C, CONTROL ROOM, 01.21 a.m. Grosinsky and Escobedo sit on chairs and stare blankly ahead. Bellman leans against an instrument table, pretending to study some papers. Nobody utters a word. The silence is oppressive. Grosinsky gets up and gives the phone another try. He shakes his head, hangs up and sits down again. Bellman puts down her reading matter. BELLMAN Chad? GROSINSKY Hmm? BELLMAN Do you have children? The question takes him by surprise, and he hesitates a moment. GROSINSKY A boy and a girl. I’m divorced, you know, and I only see them at weekends ... if I happen not to be trapped underground, that is. BELLMAN Funny how little we know about each other. GROSINSKY Moles don’t socialize easily. And you? Do you have children? BELLMAN No. But I will see to it as soon as I’m out of here. LEVEL C, CONTROL ROOM, 02.35 a.m. Something inside Dawn’s dead body gives way, and she slides further down the transparent wall, her cheek smearing the glass. Her mouth drops open, revealing a blackened tongue. The three survivors are staring at the posthumous activity, appalled. GROSINSKY Jesus! Escobedo moans desperately and buries his head in his hands. Grosinsky gets up and joins Bellman. GROSINSKY (voice lowered) Dammit, Megan! I’m not ready to join her yet. Let’s do something! BELLMAN Well, then. You see that cupboard over there? I want to push it in front of the window. GROSINSKY What’s that supposed to achieve? He glances at the grisly sight behind the glass. GROSINSKY Okay. Let’s do it. Better than sitting around and waiting to die. They start pushing the cupboard, ignoring the clatter of tumbling gadgets inside. Escobedo sits on a chair, completely withdrawn. Sweating and puffing, Grosinsky pushes the cupboard towards the glass wall. Suddenly he pauses. GROSINSKY I’ll be damned! BELLMAN What is it? GROSINSKY Look! Dr. Bellman walks around the cupboard and follows Grosinsky’s gaze. Where the cupboard has been standing a minute ago, a metal door is revealed. Grosinsky tries the door handle. GROSINSKY It’s locked. He steps back to have a better look at the door. GROSINSKY It shouldn’t be so difficult to pry it open. It’s just a door, not a damn airlock or something. BELLMAN I don’t get it. I know the ground plan of this level by heart, and there shouldn’t be anything in that direction other than solid rock. GROSINSKY It’s a door. It stands to reason that it leads someplace. Bellman grabs his shoulder. BELLMAN Wait a minute! Think about it: If the room behind this door is somehow connected to the contaminated lab ... Grosinsky yanks off a strip of old adhesive tape covering the keyhole. Pressurized air streams out. BELLMAN Damn you, Chad! GROSINSKY That settles it. Suddenly there is a sound from behind. Bellman and Grosinsky turn around, looking at Escobedo. He is standing behind them, carrying a battering ram: the oxygen bottle. ESCOBEDO Step aside! Grosinsky steps aside; Bellman stands her ground. BELLMAN We are safe in here for now. I still think we should wait for help. ESCOBEDO Listen, my dear doctor: Fact is, this company has to contain a deadly contamination. And they have to contain an unfavorable story of a major screw-up. Dead scientists tell no tales. I’m going through that door. Are you with me or not? He raises the heavy oxygen bottle. What’s behind the door? Will our heros ever see the light of day again? Who knows. Sorry, I have used up my 15.000 characters.