Full Stop by Michael Wheeler-Wyatt
INT. MIKES BEDROOM. NIGHT 1975 Mike a six year old boy with a face of an angel plays in his den, full of toys. He has been busy collecting his parents interesting belongings. He sits crossed legged on the floor. The trinkets all around him in a circle. He pretends that his fathers favourite tie pin is a gun he shoots, a piece of his mothers Staffordshire. MIKE Peow peow, peoww. He then picks up a round brass alarm clock, the time is 8.30 PM. He holds it above all his parents other trinkets. His imagination transforms it into a flying saucer. MIKE Earth to base over. We just have time for a landing. Over. He hears a car door outside, and drops the clock. He looks out of the window, sees his parents. Panic sets in and he picks everything up off the floor hurriedly. MIKE I need more time, more time! He puts the vase back on a shelf, a hairbrush, cuff links, the tie pin, he runs in and out of every room.. MIKE Just one more! He rushes back to his room and picks up the clock, he listens to it as he runs. He carefully places it on his parents bed side table, shaking it. The baby sitter shouts from downstairs. BABY SITTER Mike your Mum and Dad are back from the Hospital. Mike runs downstairs looking guilty. His parents are both in their early thirties, his Father enters wearing a brown flared suit, his Mother in tie dyed jeans, a floppy sweater and hat holds Mikes two year old sister, Emily. MOTHER Hello Mickey, Come hear. MIKE Is she sick mummy? Mum and Dad look at each other. FATHER No son, she's precious, very very precious, and that is why we have to check that she is OK all the time. MIKE Why mummy? MOTHER She breaths differently from you and I. We have to be very careful with her, and she needs lots of mummy's attention. She puts her hand through Mikes hair. MIKE How long will you be gone? MOTHER Oh darling I am not going anywhere. I will have to check on her every two hours. That's all. They both hug. MOTHER Now go back to bed, there's a good boy. INT. MIKES BEDROOM.NIGHT Mike wakes up quickly, startled. He looks up at the ceiling. Blue flashing lights reflect off all the walls. He looks at his clock. It says 11.55 PM. He hears shouting and gets out off bed. INT. HALL WAY. NIGHT Mike runs along the hallway and out of the front door. DAD Go back in Mike. Now! Mike looking frightened, doesn't move. DAD Mike I mean now! Mike starts to cry and runs away. Turns around and stops at the front door. He looks back. An ambulance is parked on the pavement. MOTHER Please make her breath, please please. Mikes father embraces her. She cries. A doctor, tries to resuscitate Mike's sister on the front lawn of the house. Neighbours watch over fences. MOTHER What are you all looking at. Do you all want to see my baby die!! Well do you? She sobs. FATHER Hey, hey come on. It isn't their fault. He goes to brush the tears off her cheeks. MOTHER (Shouting) Get off me. It was your fault anyway. You said you checked the clock. It's all your fault. The Doctor kneels over the baby. He looks at the parents and shakes his head. Mikes mother breaks down and falls into her husbands arms. Mike runs into the house, upstairs, and jumps into bed. The blue lights stop abruptly. He starts to shake. Sobbing uncontrollably, nervously biting his quilt cover. INT. JACKS HOUSE. HALL. DAY 1999 Mike now a thirty two year old Police Inspector is handsome and muscular. He stands in a hallway waiting for his partner, Jack. He talks to Ailsa, Jack's heavily pregnant wife. MIKE I nearly forgot, I bought you something. He rummages in his holdall and produces a big teddy bear. MIKE Girls and boys like teddies, right? Ailsa laughs. AILSA Right. MIKE So it doesn't matter whether it's a boy or a girl. AILSA Oh, thank you, that's sweet. Are you gonna be OK. MIKE About what? AILSA You know me having this baby. MIKE Of course. Why shouldn't I be. AILSA I just thought it may remind you of Emily. MIKE Don't be silly. I am as excited as you are. She kisses him. Jack, a twenty-six year old striking black man with a strong jaw line runs down the stairs. JACK Hey Mike, when you gonna get your own wife, man? They all laugh. An 'I've known you for ages laugh'. Jack hugs his wife, puts his hand on her swollen belly and laughs. JACK You better hang on till I get back little fella. AILSA I'll look after him don't you worry. JACK Bye darling. Remember if you feel any contractions, or you get hot or faint... AILSA I know, I know, I have your mobile number written on little bits of paper stuck all over the house. Now go. JACK Love you. Ailsa holds her stomach and wails in pain, Mike turns around as they both walk to his car. MIKE Jack!!! Jack looks at his wife and turns to run towards her. She stops acting and laughs hysterically. JACK Not funny. AILSA Love you. Go on, go on. INT. POLICE CAR. DAY Mike and Jack sit in their police car. A ladies voice over the radio says. VOICE Mike, it's the Midland Bank this time in Windsor. Can you respond. Over Mike picks up the radio and looks at Jack. MIKE Your joking! Not another one. Isn't there anything else? VOICE You said you wanted these. Mike slams down the radio, and drives off in a hurry. JACK She's right you know. You did volunteer. Weird if you ask me. MIKE We've been through this. These robberies just freak me out that's all. You know that feeling. Jack runs his hands down Mike's arm. JACK OOOERRR. You can be so scary man! Jack's mobile phone rings. He looks at Mike and smiles. JACK Yeah very funny. Jack laughs and then his face gets serious. JACK Ailsa, Ailsa. Shit, get this car turned around now. He signals to Mike to spin the car around. He does so professionally. JACK Hey slow down! Right. How far apart? Jack nods at Mike. Mike puts on the flashing lights and siren. He drives through some red lights causing other cars to swerve. JACK Sure, don't panic we'll be there before you know it. I love you too. Jack hangs up and rubs his sweaty palms on his trousers. JACK Oh my God this is it. Shit. Shit. MIKE Don't worry the Banks can wait. JACK Fuck the fucking Banks. My wife is just about to have your best mates baby. Or whatever. (confused) fuck, FUCK! MIKE Come on relax. I was joking. I'm looking forward to this as much as you are. She'll be fine. EXT. HIGH STREET. WINDSOR. DAY Mike's car screeches to an abrupt halt outside Jack's house overlooking Windsor Castle. Traffic stops through the town as his car obstructs the way. Bob Kendrick a twenty two year old sales rep in his Company Car impatiently sits behind Mikes car., BOB Hey get a move on you pratt. Mike sneers at him and starts to walk over to his car, fists clenched. Jack runs to his front door. EXT. THE DOOR TO JACK HOUSE. DAY Jack turns to see Mike walking away. JACK Mike leave it. Go. You've got a case haven't you. MIKE Are you sure you will both be OK? The front door opens and Ailsa appears, now really holding her stomach in agony. Jack goes to put his arm around her. AILSA Get off me. Where the hell have you been? I had to call an Ambulance because my husband and his partner are both too busy playing Mr Policeman to take me to the Hospital. MIKE Hey it was my fault. Sorry! Will you call me as soon as you know anything? AILSA Of course we will, get going otherwise the Ambulance won't be able to get through.. BOB For Gods sake, other people need to use this road you know! MIKE OK.OK put your teddy back in your pram. I 'm going. Jack call me. OK. JACK Go, go, we'll be all right. Mike roars off down the road. An ambulance pulls up outside Jack and Ailsa's apartment. It parks diagonally in front of Bob's car. BOB You're having a freaking laugh. Bob puts the car into gear and drives onto the pavement on the other side of the road. He nearly hits a Policeman who gets out his notebook as he walks up to him tutting. Bob puts his head in his hands in despair. INT. MIDLAND BANK. WINDSOR. DAY Mr Brennan a middle aged greasy haired Bank Manager, bends down to lock the large front doors. He looks agitated and annoyed. He shouts to Sarah, a young fresh looking cashier. The other ten cashiers in the bank are standing behind her. BANK MANAGER It doesn't add up. That's what I 'm saying. SARAH And I 'm telling you that I was sitting at my counter all afternoon. She looks at Judith her supervisor. She doesn't look like she is in the mood for any confrontation. SARAH Ask Judith. She knows. I've been in my seat all day haven't I? The Bank Manager walks up to Judith and looks closely into her eyes. BANK MANAGER Huh. OK. That's it nobody is leaving. We're gonna get to the bottom of this before the police arrive. He taps his long boned finger on his cheek. BANK MANAGER Now as Bank Manager of this branch. One of the most important branches in the country I might add, it is my sole responsibility to find out exactly what happened to all that money. Everyone knows that one hundred and twelve thousand pounds cannot just walk around by itself. He puts his hands on his hips and looks more closely at Sarah. BANK MANAGER (Talking quietly) So come on Sarah. You can be the first to open your locker. Judith stands between them. Fuming with rage. JUDITH You can't just go around accusing who you like. Wait till the police get here. BANK MANAGER. I see. In it together are you? The Supervisor and her favourite little lesbian cashier! Yes I think it is becoming clearer now. Judith gives him the finger close to his face. JUDITH Fuck you! Who do you think you are. You can't keep us here. She walks towards the window of the Bank. JUDITH And at the end of the day, you're only getting agitated because that money vanished from right under your ugly nose. EXT. MIDLAND BANK. WINDSOR. DAY. Mikes screeches his car to a halt and bangs on the door of the Bank. INT. MIDLAND BANK. WINDSOR. DAY. Judith sees the car and smiles sarcastically at her Manager. BANK MANAGER As you are so conveniently near to the escape route, would you let the kind Officer in please. Judith sneers and opens the doors. Mike enters. MIKE Inspector Mike Redwood. Whose in charge here? JUDITH (pointing and laughing) Mr Natural Leader over there!! BANK MANAGER I'm John Brennan, the Bank Manager. Please ignore Judith. She won't be with us for much longer. Mike ignores him and walks over to the cash machines. He looks up at a camera. MIKE How much is missing? BANK MANAGER Over a hundred thousand pounds. Mike points to the camera. MIKE These on all the time? BANK MANAGER All the time, yes. Would you like to look at the tapes? MIKE No! Don't touch anything. This I now a crime scene. Mike reaches for his mobile phone and dials. MIKE Hi. Yep absolutely the same as the others. I will need a fingerprint team and some guys to carry out interviews. OK. Mike puts his phone away. He points to a door where the staff gain access to the counter. MIKE How many of you know the combination of that lock? BANK MANAGER Everyone who works here. (Tuts) A major robbery has been committed here. Why don't you search the employees, or take statements, or something. If you don't mind me saying so, you don't look that concerned that a... MIKE Shut it! I 'm not in the mood. What did you say your name was again. Mike gets an electronic organiser out of his pocket and tries to make it work. MIKE No wonder Japan is in trouble, spending all their time making things so fucking small... it is isn't important. What is important is that six banks in this area have been hit in the last three days. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, there were no witnesses, no video. Nothing! BANK MANAGER So, as I said, it must be a member of staff. MIKE It could be, but they would have been seen wouldn't they? And that wouldn't even start to explain the link between all the other robberies. Would it? Mr Brennan shrugs his shoulders. JUDITH Excuse me. But what were the other Banks that were hit? MIKE Why? JUDITH Because my Aunt works across the Street in the Nat West. MIKE I can't tell you that I 'm afraid. But there haven't been reports of any injuries. BANK MANAGER I still can't believe you aren't going to search any one. MIKE Patience. OK. I 'm going to interview you all one by one. It will be done alphabetically. So Mr Brennan, as I am starting with the letter Z. Tonight is going to be a long one for you. INT. BACK OFFICE. BANK. NIGHT. Mike uses one of the back rooms in the Bank, stretches and yawns as he talks to the station on his mobile phone. MIKE I just have one more to do. He looks out the door at the Bank Manager impatiently looking at his watch. MIKE But he can wait. Has Jack called in at all? God she can't still be in labour. What. When. Mike gets up and throws his coat on. He runs out of the office. BANK MANAGER Wait. What about me. MIKE The station has sent some more men to take over. Wait here and let them in. BANK MANAGER But, But. EXT. THE PLAYGROUND CLUB. LONDON. NIGHT 29th December 1999. A young girl runs along an excited queue of night-club goers. She gets to the front and joins her four young girl friends in skimpy dresses. They stand impatiently, shivering under the canopy to the Playground Club. One of them pushes a yellow round button with a smiley face on it and talks into an intercom. YOUNG GIRL Hi John, remember me? She waves and blows a kiss into the closed circuit television camera above her. YOUNG GIRL Come on it's freezing out here. INT. JOHN'S BOOTH. THE PLAYGROUND CLUB. NIGHT In a small dark room inside the club John a fashionably dressed dark skinned thirty year old rolls from side to side on a swivel chair. TV Monitors cover a whole wall, he smiles as he looks at the girls in one of them. He taps his feet to the loud bass coming from inside the club. Grabbing the microphone he tries to put on a sexy voice. JOHN Why should I let you in? YOUNG GIRL (On the monitor) Because we are four young lonely girls looking for a good time, Johnny Boy! JOHN (To himself) Lonely. Ummmm, oh yeah baby. Johns pushes a button on the desk in front of him. On the monitor the girls rush through the now open door, down some stairs and crowd outside John's Booth. He gets up from his chair very slowly and cooley, lifts up his designer sunglasses and swigs his Budweiser. He starts to cough and choke, he spits the beer all over the girls. They all run off into the club, giggling. JOHN (Throwing the bottle on the floor) Fucking American gassy shit, I was in there! John lights up a joint and turns back to the monitors. A group of five Italian suited young men are looking at him. Still annoyed John talks into the microphone. JOHN What do you geeks want? YOUNG MAN Hey man, it's 'Wysiwyh', come on let us in. John starts to laugh loudly. JOHN Great name for a pop group guys, what does it stand for again. YOUNG MAN Everyone knows that. What you see is what you hear. John looks more closely at the monitor and sneers. JOHN Not everyone man. You may have had a couple of hits in the American charts, but your type of music is banned in this club. YOUNG MAN Oh come on, we promise we won't sing. The group all laugh. John takes another drag and blows the smoke onto the screen. JOHN Fuck off yanks, no women, no entry. Get lost and let someone serious use the intercom. YOUNG MAN (Annoyed) Your gonna hear from our lawyers about this man. Its Goddamn discrimination. JOHN Yeah, Yeah and your music sucks just like your films. Hype, special effects and no tunes. Next. A voice comes over the intercom VOICE John open up. John instantly recognises the voice and hits the button almost automatically. He realises he still has a lit joint in his hand and panics. JOHN Shit, Shit the boss!! John stubs the joint out under the table and searches around the booth for something. He knocks stuff off the shelves and then finds an aerosol of air freshener. He starts to spray everywhere. Stephen his boss is wearing a long cashmere overcoat and standing behind him. STEPHEN What the fuck do you think you are doing? John turns around and spraying his coat by mistake. JOHN Oh Jeepers, I 'm sorry. John starts to rub the foam off the lapels. STEPHEN Get off, get off you imbecile. Where's the counter? John gives him a chrome door counter. STEPHEN Fourteen seventy five. Um not bad. I'll let you off. But you gotta stop smoking weed in here understand? This club has enough stuff in it without you doin' it as well. Now how are the New Years Eve tickets selling? John ignores his remark as he spots Louise, Stephen's latest girl friend standing behind him. He follows her red stiletto shoes up her long tanned legs, passed her blue turquoise plastic mini skirt. STEPHEN Did you hear what I said? The Millennium, hello, hello. JOHN Sorry, yes all taken care of. All sold. Twice over, should be an awesome evening. Jez' Louise looks good tonight. STEPHEN Shut up. She's wired as usual. Just take her jacket will you. Stephen takes her arm and walks off through a door into the club. The door seems to stay open for a short while after they pass through it. John looks at his monitors. JOHN Cor, she was awesome. Now where did you go, where you go? He looks at all the monitors ignores the strange behaviour of the door and zooms in on Louise dancing on the floor. JOHN Yeah, oohh yeah. Move it baby, move it. John relaxes in his chair and re-lights his joint. JOHN Everything is cool, just reallllyyy coooll! INT. THE PLAYGROUND CLUB. NIGHT Louise moves rhythmically to the beat of the music. Lasers bounce off the perspiration on her body. Young people all around her move faster and faster as the music gathers pace. Louise mouths the words to the song 1999 by the artist formerly known as Prince. LOUISE Two thousand, zero, zero, party over oop's outa time. Her eyes fix on the sweaty bare muscular chest of mid twenty year old man dancing beside her. She dances in a bodily trance. LOUISE (Singing) So tonight I 'm gonna party like it's nineteen ninety nine. She faces him and lowers herself down to the floor. He grabs her small waist and grinds his hips with hers. They dance together erotically, the lasers get darker, the music gets louder and faster and the club is lit only by a stroboscopic light. LOUISE Easy, my bloke owns the club. The man caresses her body and squeezes her body harder. LOUISE Come on get off, get off get... INT. JOHN'S BOOTH. THE PLAYGROUND CLUB. NIGHT. Louise's face is lit by the monitors in John's booth. She looks bedraggled, confused and frightened. LOUISE (Breathless) What the fuck, what happened, what happened? Louise looks over to see John sitting on his chair. He looks at her. JOHN (Startled) Louise, what the... Through John's eyes we see the same red stiletto shoes, her legs are bruised and her small skirt hitched over her bare buttocks. JOHN What are you doing in here. How did you get in. LOUISE I don't know, I, I. She starts to cry, falling to the floor exhausted. LOUISE He was all over me, and there was nothing I could do. JOHN Wow No. No, No you can't stay here. This looks bad. Shit. Shit!! John gets up to help her. He notices a shadow move under the door. Stephen bursts in, looks at Louise and then John. He reaches in his jacket and pulls out a small pistol. JOHN Wait, wait I... STEPHEN (Pointing the gun at John) Just say another word. Louise can you move. LOUISE (still confused)I think so. STEPHEN (To Louise) Get out. And not a word to anyone! Louise gets up and leaves the booth. She stumbles down the steps to the club, rubs the tears off her face. She opens the door. Turns to look back at the booth. She opens her eyes wider. LOUISE (Running back up the stairs) Wait, wait, it wasn't him. Two gunshots come from the booth, blood splatters on the glass windows. EXT. PLAYGROUND CLUB. NIGHT A black BMW drives away. INT. HOSPITAL WARD. NIGHT. Jack is lying unconscious on a hospital bed. Tubes dangle from his mouth. His face and hands are bandaged and a heart monitor slowly bleeps in the corner of the room. A Doctor and Nurse stand over him. Mike looks at Jack. MIKE How is he? DOCTOR Hard to say. He has bad lacerations to his upper body and his leg is broken. Until the head x-rays come back, we can only guess how extensively the damage is there. I'm sorry. MIKE Fucking no way. Ailsa, how is Ailsa, his wife. Mike grabs the Doctor around the lapel. Mike Not now.. And the baby. They were coming here to have our, I mean their first baby. DOCTOR Calm down, please, She's stable. She is in intensive care, but her vital signs are very strong indeed. MIKE The baby? The Nurse walks up to Mike and puts her arm around his. MIKE Oh God No. No. Can I see her. INT. OUTSIDE HOSPITAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT. NIGHT Mike presses his face up to the window of the ward. Tears stream down his face as he looks at Ailsa. She is lying on the bed draped in tubes and surrounded by machines. Another young policeman taps Mike on the shoulder. POLICEMAN Sir. I am sorry to disturb you. But I have just come from the accident scene. MIKE (wiping the tears off his face) Oh right. Yes, Yes what happened. POLICEMAN Well the Ambulance was travelling at some speed when it was involved in the accident so it is difficult to say exactly what happened. There isn't much left. I can speculate. MIKE Please do. POLICEMAN Well there wasn't another vehicle you see. The ambulance has the markings that are consistent with a high speed collision. But there is no other vehicle. MIKE People have been known to leave the scene of an accident you know. Mike starts to think and... Flashback to two faces of the ambulance drivers, they spot a black car coming straight at them. They scream.....After the accident the BMW is gone. Just the ambulance smashed to pieces remains with the blue light flashing... slowing down...slower...it stops. MIKE I don't want to know anymore. POLICEMAN They stopped in the dead middle of the road. No other damage to anything around them. The street was brightly lit. We checked everything. MIKE I said shut up. I am sorry, look I bet it was a fucking drunk driver or something. POLICEMAN No way sir. As I said.. MIKE Get out will you. Leave me alone. The policeman leaves and Mike slides down the wall. He starts to cry uncontrollably. MIKE I should have given you a lift, I should have followed you. I am so sorry.. EXT. ALPHALAND HOUSE. NIGHT. Following a Black shiny Jaguar XK8 down a long gravel driveway. The drivers tinted window goes down and Jem's hand clicks a remote control device. He has a pale washed out complexion, considering he is only twenty - nine. The huge ornate gates open to reveal a modern mock Tudor style mansion. Parked outside is a red Lamborghini Diablo. SV and a convertible TVR. INT. JEMS DRESSING ROOM. NIGHT Jem walks into the huge ballroom and claps his hands. The curtains draw, dim lights shine on a mirror ball and Bryan Adam's song 'The only thing that looks good on me is you' starts to play loudly. He is carrying three carrier bags full of money. He throws them into a large bedroom. A huge pile of fifty pound notes lies in the middle of the floor. He sits down in front of a huge theatrical mirror and sings to himself. He takes his dark quarter length jacket off his shoulders slowly. Flinching in pain as he reveals a deep cut in his upper arm. He picks up a bottle of whisky and takes a long swig. JEM Aaahhh! Wow. Close one. (to the mirror) You have to drive more carefully Jem my boy. Ha ha aha. He looks in the mirror and gets a glimpse of a machine in the far room. It looks like a silver bullet shaped sunbed. Jem raises the bottle and toasts towards the object. JEM Professor. Ha ha ha. INT. HOSPITAL. JACKS WARD. DAY A calendar on the wall shows the date to be the 30th December 1999. Jack slowly starts to gain consciousness. He focuses on the television set at the end of his bed. INT. HOSPITAL TELEVISION SET. DAY. NEWSCASTER The robbery in Bracknell today of another High Street Bank seems to have the Thames Valley Police Force baffled. We go over now to our outside News Reporter Sarah Swift. Sarah what is the scene there? EXT. MIDLAND BANK. BRACKNELL. DAY. Sarah Swift a smartly dressed forty year old BBC reporter is standing in front of the Bank. A crowd has gathered behind the police barrier. SARAH Well the police have come out in force to try and quell the huge public presence here today. NEWSCASTER Why so much interest do you think? SARAH This is another robbery in a long succession of incidents this holiday. Police have no witnesses, and no suspects. The public are intrigued by this whole series of crimes. NEWSCASTER Have there been any injuries. SARAH Reports have come in of an accident involving an ambulance just after the robbery in Windsor yesterday afternoon. But the names or details of injuries of those involved have yet to be released. INT. HOSPITAL. JACKS WARD. DAY Jacks face is bandaged except for his mouth and eyes. They fill with water as he remembers the crash. He tries to moan, but the tube down his throat prevents him. He starts to cough violently. Mike enters the room. Looking like he has slept on the floor all night. He runs over to Jack and puts his hands on his shoulders. MIKE Hey, hey, it's OK. Calm down. Try to relax. Nurse,(shouts) Nurse. The nurse comes in the room and holds Jack's head still. NURSE When I say now. Cough. Now! The Nurse pulls the long clear tube out of Jack's mouth. He start to choke and go blue. Mike slap him on the back. JACK Errr, my throat. (whispering) feels like I've swallowed razor blades. MIKE It's OK. You're out of the woods. You had us worried for a moment there. JACK Ailsa, Ailsa. Where is she. Did she survive? Oh man what happened? MIKE She is in intensive care. But she is a fighter. Jack grabs Mike around the arm. JACK The baby. Our baby. Man, the baby. He shakes Mikes arm. MIKE I am sorry mate. The collision was too much. NURSE Here, I want you to take one of these. MIKE Come on do what the nurse says. Jack swallows the pill. NURSE That will help you to sleep. You still have a lot of recovering to do. Jack starts to lose consciousness. JACK Mike. Was the baby a boy or a girl? MIKE A little girl. Now try and sleep. Jack closes his eyes. EXT. HOSPITAL STEPS. DAY Mike walks down the hospital steps wiping the tears off his face. MIKE Not again, not again. INT. BUSY POLICE STATION. WINDSOR. DAY Mike arrives at the hectic police station. The waiting room and corridors are packed with Business Men, Bank Staff and Reporters. Bob Kendrick is being escorted into the cells. BOB (pointing at Mike) That's him. He caused the whole thing. You should arrest him, he is a menace on the road. Mike opens a door. As it opens we see the name on it. Chief Superintendent Deacon. Deacon is a fifty year old policeman with a lined face and a well travelled look. He sits in a chair and is on the phone. Mike walks in. Deacon puts his hand over the phone. DEACON Don't you know how to knock! Mike sits down and listens to the Supers conversation. DEACON Yes Sir, we have called all our best Officers back from leave. With the Millennium in a couple of days that was no mean feat. Of course Sir. I have the best man sitting right in front of me now Sir. Right away. Deacon Looks at Mike and smiles. DEACON A soon as I hear anything. Deacon slams the phone down and runs his fingers through his hair. DEACON I'm sorry Mike. That was thoughtless of me. How is Jack and his wife? We are all really cut up about it. MIKE They have lost the baby Sir. Jack's OK, but Ailsa is still in Intensive Care DEACON Oh I'm sorry. If there is anything I can do for them. MIKE Thank you Sir. DEACON You OK? MIKE A bit numb at the moment. Who was that on the phone? DEACON The Prime Minister is scared all this will spoil his holiday. MIKE He sounded annoyed. DEACON Bollocks, he's a fucking puppet. MIKE Who are all those people outside. DEACON You haven't heard. MIKE What! DEACON About the other two robberies today. Both bank jobs. Just like the others. All these people are here to be interviewed. I don't think we will find anything though. That's why I want you on this 24 hours a day. Mike grunts in disapproval but his real attention has switched to a man outside the office. MIKE Isn't that Jenkins the head of Scotland Yard? Deacon gets up of his chair. DEACON Where. Oh shit. What is he doing here? Jenkins is a middle aged heart attack waiting to happen. His fifty year old beer belly and double chin on his already large frame makes him a formidable figure. He is just about to talk to Mike when he is interrupted by an argument between a reporter and a press photographer. Jenkins becomes more and more angry as the noise in the room rises to a crescendo. JENKINS Will you all please be quiet! The commotion continues and Jenkins steps up onto a chair. JENKINS Shut the fuck up (shouting) Where do you think you are. It sounds like a sodding farmyard in here. He gets off his chair. The noise is now completely gone. Jenkins goes up to Mike. DEACON That' better Sir. Thank you. JENKINS Shut up Deacon. Redwood. Explain to me what is going on please. MIKE How do you mean sir. JENKINS The Home Office got me to fly down from Scotland especially to find out about these bank Robberies. You'd better have some answers, because I would prefer to spend New Year eating Haggis than drinking coffee on some Police Station. MIKE We are working on it sir. JENKINS Not good enough. Money doesn't walk out of banks in broad daylight does it. Someone must have seen something. Have you checked the videos? DEACON They are all in the lab now Sir. So far they haven't showed up anything. JENKINS God damn it. It is the year 2000 in a couple of days. The public doesn't want to be distracted by some stupid local crimes. MIKE Stupid local crimes? My partner and his wife have lost a baby and... JENKINS If you want out. Say so now. Look Redwood, the Government has spent over two hundred million on the dome. God knows how much on other celebrations and Millennium activity. There is a lot at stake here. Get it sorted. Both of you. Two days. I want a report flown up to Aberdeen. Two fucking days! Jenkins walks out of the room and slams the door. MIKE It must be great having so a boss who commands so much respect! DEACON Want a drink? MIKE After that. Yeah sounds good. Deacon gets a whisky bottle and two glasses out of the cabinet in the corner of his office and pours Mike a large glass. DEACON Here. (pointing to the pile of papers on his desk) Here are the accident reports from the ambulance crash last night. MIKE Do you think it had anything to do with the robbery in Windsor? DEACON We know from bank records that the money was stolen at about the same time. It's possible. MIKE What else do we know. DEACON That the other car involved was a black BMW. MIKE How did you find that out? DEACON It was found five miles away in Ascot, an hour after the crash. The damage, according to forensics was caused by a collision with a white coloured van or an ambulance. MIKE Any witnesses? DEACON The car was brand new. It was stolen from a showroom in Ascot that afternoon. Get this. In broad daylight. Through a fifteen foot square piece of showroom window. MIKE And no one saw anything? Did the staff in the banks come up with anything. DEACON Nope nothing. MIKE People outside. DEACON All drawn a blank. The only link is the BMW. MIKE Where was it found. Deacon passes Mike a piece of paper. DEACON Keep me informed of your whereabouts. I will let you know if anything comes up from forensics. Mike leaves in a hurry. INT. BMW DEALERSHIP. ASCOT. DAY. Mike walks into a spotlessly clean showroom. Men are working hard, cutting a large piece of glass. A skinny, effeminate very well spoken Manager appears out of his office, he walks across the floor looking Mike up and down. Mike is examining where the large window used to be. It is now covered with an MDF board. MANAGER Yes, Sir. How can I be of assistance? MIKE What happened to the window? MANAGER Just a slight accident. Vandals we think. MIKE Really! I am Police Inspector Mike Redwood. So you wanna tell me what really happened here? MANAGER Took your time getting here didn't you. MIKE Well in case you haven't noticed we are a little busy at the moment. MANAGER (sarcastically) Oh yes the Millennium. MIKE Whatever. So what did you see? MANAGER Oh I am sorry, but I wasn't here at the time. You need to speak to our coupe salesman. MIKE Where is he? MANAGER Sorry I should have said ex - coupe salesman. Mike grabs the young man around the collar. MIKE Listen to me. I haven't got time for your little salesman's games. Where can I find this bloke. MANAGER Er, er wait here. The manager comes back with a piece of paper, passing it to it to Mike reluctantly. MANAGER Here you go. All you had to do was ask. MIKE This is a home address. MANAGER I had to let him go. He wasn't performing anyway. MIKE I can guess how. I won't say thanks. MANAGER I bet you never do. Mike phones Mason on his mobile phone. INT. FRONT DOOR APARTMENT. DAY A young man in his early twenties opens the door to his apartment. Although it is late afternoon he is still wearing his dressing gown. Martin the ex - BMW salesman has a passion for cars. Mike follows him into his front room. The walls are adorned with posters of exotic cars. MARTIN So you met my fag of a boss. MIKE How did you know I was on my way over? MARTIN He thought he should warn me. To be quite honest I am glad to be out of it. The boss's son is always the worst employer. Mike picks up a model of a Porsche 911. MIKE Looks like you love cars. Martin sits down. MARTIN They are my life. That is why I put up with that asswipe for so long. He didn't believe me you see. No one did. MIKE What didn't they believe? MARTIN (Ignores him and looks into space) But surely they must have thought that I couldn't have come up with such an incredible story, it would be just too unbelievable to have made up. MIKE Wo - wo - slow down. Something as incredible as what? Start from the beginning. MARTIN There isn't much to tell really. I was in my office finishing off a mailshot telling my customers about the new M3 model - you know trying to drum up extra business when the bell went off in the showroom. MIKE Bell? MARTIN It tells the sales staff when a customer walks in. MIKE Other salesmen? MARTIN They were out the back having a smoke. Anyway I put my head around the corner to look out and the front glass widow was smashed to pieces. Small bits of glass were still falling on to the floor, as if it had just happened. What was even weirder was that the BMW M3 had disappeared. MIKE Weird, why weird. MARTIN It makes the hairs stand up on my back. I should have heard something. Either the glass breaking, the engine revving or at the very least the alarm on the car. MIKE You weren't asleep? MARTIN I don't think an elephant would sleep through an M3's alarm. It sounds like a bloody air raid siren. What was really strange was that the keys had been taken off the rack behind me. Now that just completely freaks me out. One minute they were there and the next, I turned around and... Mike picks up a small tube of cardboard off the floor. It looks like a roach. MIKE You smoke Martin? MARTIN Yeah. Want one. He offers Mike a cigarette. MIKE Not cigarettes, blow, ghanga, Bob Hope. MARTIN Bob Hope? MIKE Dope. MARTIN No way. Sometimes at weekends but at work, forget it. MIKE Are you sure you didn't hear a thing. You didn't see any one suspicious before it happened? MARTIN You don't believe me either, do you? No wonder I got sacked. It sounds crazy I know. All I can think off is that I passed out. MIKE Maybe. Mike notices a postcard in a picture frame of a BMW M3 on the shelf. MIKE This is the same car isn't it? MARTIN Yes, you know your motors. Martin takes the postcard off Mike and frowns. MARTIN Except this one is standard MIKE How do you mean? MARTIN Well it doesn't have the wide arches. The polished alloys or the boot spoiler. I reckon the thief had great taste. MIKE So it isn't standard, a one off. MARTIN I think there about five in the country. MIKE Was there anything else to distinguish it from the others. No reason why the thief would want this particular car? MARTIN No, no I don't think so. It was taken in the workshop when it was delivered to us. Hey wait! It had a 'Sniffer' fitted. MIKE A what? MARTIN Yeah that's right the customer specifically asked for a 'Sniffer'. Oh it's a new type of tracking alarm. There really expensive, but when you spend near on fifty grand for a new car I guess you want the best. MIKE Why is it so special. MARTIN It emits a signal like a radar to the local police station. No matter where it is in Europe it can be tracked by satellites that pinpoint it's position. MIKE Like the cabs in London. MARTIN Yeah, but it won't help because it will just tell you where it is now. MIKE That's the only thing we do know. If you think of anything let me know, here's my number. Thank you. That's all I think. MARTIN Hey, wait, so you have you found the car. MIKE I am afraid that I shouldn't tell you that. Thanks for your help. MARTIN You do believe me don't you? MIKE Yeah I guess so. INT. MIKES CAR OUTSIDE MARTINS HOUSE. DAY Mike calls Jenkins on his mobile. MIKE A bit of background, but that's all here. Hold on. Call Waiting. Mike presses another key on his phone. MIKE Redwood. Martin, that was quick. Yeah. Martin looks out of his window at Mike sitting in his car. MARTIN That alarm we fitted is the top of the range. MIKE So. MARTIN I know where all this info stored. I still had the salesman's card in my wallet. MIKE Great. What's the number? INT. FORENSICS LAB. DAY Jenkins gets off the phone from Mike, he writes down the phone number of the alarm company, he is talking to a forensics expert. Mason wears a long white coat. His small oblong glasses just about stay on the tip of his long nose. He is looking at a computer screen. Mason gives him the number. MASON I don't need to call them I can look it all up from here. You see this is a map of the Thames Valley. These dots represent the car's movements over the last few days. JENKINS What dots. I only see one. MASON I think the memory must have been damaged in the crash. Because apart from this one address, where the car appears to be stationary for a period of about two hours, nothing else shows up. JENKINS So the thing is shot. MASON No it can't be, look it is still giving out a signal from this lab. He points to the screen. JENKINS So it does work. You'd better give me that address. Mason prints out the address and spots a flashing red light on the computer screen. He hits the keyboard. MASON Yes. It works. JENKINS What is it. MASON As I said before we can do it all here, this network is patched into the police central computer. When ever I call up a name, registration number or address it automatically searches all the crime sheets. JENKINS And. MASON And. Bingo. Your address is the same address that appears on this report, and...A Professor Wells died there of a heart attack two weeks ago. Weird. JENKINS Coincidence more like. MASON Here's the address anyway. Want to see something that is weird? Mason walks over to a TV monitor and video. He hits the play button. MASON Look at this. This is a few seconds footage from the Windsor robbery. JENKINS The same night as on the alarm memory. MASON Yep. Look. INT. VIDEO SCREEN. FORENSICS LAB. DAY A black and white piece of footage shows a view from inside the bank looking out. A car seems to appear and disappear very quickly. INT. FORENSICS LAB. DAY. JENKINS What was that. Mason rewinds the tape and freezes the image. MASON It's really blurred, but I think that is a Black BMW. JENKINS Why is it only there for a second? MASON For a twenty fifth of a second actually. Faster than the human eye can see. Unless the tape got sliced? JENKINS Hold on a sec. Jenkins dials on his mobile phone. JENKINS Mike we've got an address on... INT. PROFESSORS CELLAR. VIDEO MONITOR. DAY A screen in a dark room shows a video of an old Professor talking to a lecture room full of students. PROFESSOR The power to create ones own reality is now here. You see reality is made up of the components of experiences received by our physical senses. The Professor snaps his cane in half. PROFESSOR But these senses can be fooled. He lifts up the cane and it has joined back together, The young audience laugh. PROFESSOR By tapping into these areas of the brain to manipulate the signals it takes in, we should be able to fool the conscious brain into thinking that what we tell it to be real actually is. A student sticks his hand up. The Professor nods at him. STUDENT With the greatest of respect. Sir, isn't that exactly what scientist have tried to prove with experiments in Virtual Reality? PROFESSOR No, no. I was involved in building the very first VR machine with Morton Heillig in the sixties. It was called the Sensorama. The problems we had are similar to those facing researchers of today. Creating devices that try to make our eyes, ears and so on perceive reality is extremely difficult. The brain is not easily fooled. The key is to find a way for each and every one of us to create his or her own reality. EXT. PROFESSORS HOUSE. DAY. Mike breaks into the Professor's house, searches all the rooms and soon finds a cellar, the door is unlocked and ajar. He opens the large metal door. He walks down the stairs and fumbles for a light switch. He notices a light in the corner. Kitty a pretty, New Age looking American University Student is watching a video. MIKE Hello, I 'm Inspector Mike Redwood. She ignores him. He walks up to her and puts his hand on her shoulder. She turns to look at him, tears role down her cheeks. Mike show her his warrant card. MIKE Hey, it's OK. Come on. KITTY I thought the Police had finished here. MIKE I 'm just following up... Why were you crying? KITTY It's a long story. I 'm Kitty Reinhold. I was following the Professor's work, that is until he died. MIKE You don't look like the type who would be interested in science. AILSA Umm. And you don't look like a Policeman. Mike looks around the room. MIKE What the hell? The room is filled with laboratory equipment. In the centre of the room is an aluminium casket which looks like a futuristic sunbed. He notices the room is split into five areas. MIKE Sight, sound, taste, touch, smell. Under each label is a set of shiny silver knobs. Mike notices cables running from each area into the main device in the centre of the room. Kitty walks over to the machine and strokes it affectionately. KITTY It is called a CASM. A Complete Altered State Machine. MIKE Altered states. Hum, I remember a talk about that on a Police Drugs Course. LSD and alike. Mike goes to touch a green button on the top of the machine. KITTY Don't touch please. It is a delicate instrument. I believe it works. That is why I am here. MIKE To see if it works. KITTY No, to disable it. It could be very dangerous in the wrong hands. MIKE How can a sunbed be dangerous. KITTY A CASM!! It is hard to explain. MIKE Try me. It may help a case I 'm working on. Kitty looks around the cellar. She takes two small polystyrene balls off a model of a molecule on the shelf. KITTY It isn't that easy. MIKE I did Chemistry and Physics at school. KITTY OK. All things are made up of tiny, tiny atoms. Imagine these balls represent two halves of an atom. X here and Y here. MIKE Let me sit down this sounds complicated. Mike sits on the edge of the workbench and Kitty sits on a swivel chair next to him. KITTY It isn't really. Well the theory isn't any way. So these are two identical parts of the same atom. Now if you hold on to X and let Y loose, say to the other end of town, then what ever you do here to X is replicated in Y. Mike picks up the Y ball. MIKE How do you mean. KITTY This is the biggest mystery of science. I can do anything to X. Change it's shape, it's speed anything. In fact if I could send Y to the other end of the universe at light speed and it would mirror and change so it was exactly the same as the X particle in my hand. MIKE So if X is in London and Y is in America they would look and behave in the same way. KITTY That's the theory. MIKE How the hell do they know what each is doing? KITTY Well some physicists think the person conducting the experiment effects the results. MIKE So we can change things with our minds. Telepathy right. Mike looks at the machine with interest. KITTY Well the Professor was trying to prove that the human mind is so advanced that it can change the nature of things at a sub-atomic level. MIKE The universe is mind stuff. I heard that somewhere. KITTY Umm. And it could be true. The CASM is designed to put the user into a state where the mind is tuned in to a particular frequency that allows us to change these atoms. MIKE And why would any one want to do that? KITTY Imagine if you could change things. All things at a sub-atomic level. The Professor believes, sorry believed that reality would change. The users mind could basically change the world to fit in with his own idea of reality. Mike Umm (Confused) How did you get involved with all this? KITTY I came to England to help in a project at your Reading University, I met the Professor when I was doing my degree and we have been in a kind of race if you like to prove this theory ever since. MIKE So do you have a machine like this? KITTY No, no. I split atoms in a huge particle accelerator and then try and measure tiny results from that activity. MIKE Ahh. So this is what the CASM is, a mind machine. How does it work then. Kitty looks around the room. KITTY Come over here. Let me show you something. She puts a large silver helmet on his head with wires protruding from it. and pulls a switch. An oscilloscope fires into action. MIKE This is safe isn't it. She points at the screen on the machine. KITTY Of course. OK see these lines here. They represent the electrical impulses that your brain gives out. MIKE My brain is electric!! KITTY No, your brain is really a sophisticated chemical factory. Small reactions are happening millions of times a second. This machine measures them. These brainwave frequencies as they are called are always changing depending on your mood, alertness activity and so on. Look. She pinches his arm and the line on the oscilloscope goes haywire. MIKE All right, I think I got that! So the more active or stressed I am the more the electricity. KITTY Not necessarily. The vibrations as we call them, are different. Most of the time we are in Alpha State. According to neuroscientists we have to get into the Delta State to tap into the two thirds of the brain we don't use. The Delta State fires up our subconscious. Mike takes the apparatus off his head. MIKE This is all very interesting, but what does this machine actually do? KITTY He discovered how to get the mind to make different frequency waves at the touch of a button. MIKE So it is a bit like a radio. KITTY Well the radio carries the messages and transfers them into sound. The CASM enables the user to create these waves which he believed could effect all matter around us, and therefore our reality. Kitty walks over to the machine and lies in it. KITTY Lie next to me and I will show you. MIKE Now there's an offer I can't refuse!! INT. CASM. DAY Mike gets into the machine. There is only enough room for one. So he has to put his arm around her. KITTY Reality is what we perceive around us. This is made up of sight, tastes, sounds, touch and what we smell. This stimuli is bombarding us all the time. So our subconscious is clouded by them. She waves her hand in front of her eyes. KITTY But the CASM uses our five senses to focus the brains activity inwards not outwards. This energy makes a new reality. She points to the different parts of the machine that stimulate the different senses. MIKE So it lets you change what your senses perceive. KITTY That's it. I think. MIKE What do you mean you think. I thought you were good at this stuff? KITTY Well it can happen in this dream state that the machine creates. But how this becomes real I don't really know. We can change our concept of space and time in a trance that is produced by these waves, but whether you can actually change others peoples' ideas of what is real or not is what the Professor was trying to prove. MIKE Did he? KITTY He worked with one young man a lot, but I never met him so I don't know. MIKE Do you know how to use this thing. KITTY Not really. I saw him power it up a couple of times but he was very careful not to let anyone see what he was doing. Why are you so interested in a dead Professor and his work anyway? Mikes phone rings. He gets out of the machine. MIKE Hello, Redwood. Kitty looks around the room with interest. She switches on a computer in the corner of the room. MIKE Sorry I have to go. Here is my number if you figure how this works give me a call. KITTY Do you think the Professor was murdered? Mike runs for the door. MIKE I don't know what to think. Call me. OK? KITTY No promises. But hey it was nice to meet you. By the way why didn't you ask about my accent? MIKE Your American right? That's the only bit of our conversation that I have figured out! INT. JEMS TOWER ROOM. NIGHT. Jem wears a pair of leather trousers and a cut off t - shirt. He sits alone in his mansion in the middle of a circular room in a swivel chair. In a complete circle all around him are wide screen TV's. He watches the lottery show on BBC1. Ulrika Jonnson hosts the show. ULRIKA (On TV) So tonight it could be you! Six little numbers for you to dream about. Here we go. The white gloved Camelot adjudicator nods to Louise the pop star. LOUISE Good luck everyone. She presses the button. The balls bounce around in the machine... Jem presses a green silicon ball in his hands. The wires attached to it glow warmly. They travel all the way downstairs, through the hall into the room where the sunbed contraption is rocking gently. Steam rise from it. Computer screens flicker with binary text. An LED clock slows down and stops. JEM Pause people. He looks at the TV's they have all been paused as the balls hang in mid air. JEM No such thing as luck. EXT. JEMS HOUSE. NIGHT Outside Jem gets into his Lamborghini. He drives off down the country lane. Music blaring. EXT . MOTORWAY. NIGHT The lamborghini swerves around traffic on the Motorway that is now all stationary. EXT. LONDON. NIGHT Jem pulls up outside the BBC Television Centre in White City. INT. BBC LOTTERY STUDIO. NIGHT Jem walks into the studio. The well lit audience are all frozen. Jem runs on to the stage. He puts his hands on Ulrika's hips and talks to the still audience. JEM It' me again. Back for another week. Ulrika here is going to help me to win some money aren't you Ulrika. Jem kisses her china cheek. JEM Unfortunately once again none of you are going to win sorry. Jem gets out a lottery ticket and reads off the numbers. He puts the correct balls in the selection funnel. He puts his hands in the air. JEM Perfect!! Oh even more perfect. He walks up to Louise and puts his hands through her hair he strokes her thigh and plays with her white knicker elastic. JEM Umm. EXT. LONDON SUBURB. NIGHT Jem drives home fast, he drives past a shop 'Toys 'R' Us'. He screeches the car to a stop. Smoke from the tyres bellows into the air. He gets out of the car, looks around, picks up a brick and throws it at the shop window. It smashes, he goes in. EXT. JEMS MANSION. NIGHT Jem gets out of the car outside his home. Picking up a large box out of the passenger side of the car. INT. MANSION, NIGHT Jem enters a room down stairs and puts the boxed radio controlled helicopter kit on the floor. He starts to count all the other kits piled against the back wall. JEM Sixteen, seventeen to do. He then looks in another room there are dozens of completed helicopters. JEM And twenty one already down. He runs upstairs and goes into his circular room. He sits in his chair and closes his eyes. He picks up the blob of green plasma silicon. INT. ROOM WITH CASM IN. NIGHT The device starts to rock and steam again. INT. JEMS CIRCULAR ROOM. NIGHT Jem opens his eyes and watches the TV's reactivate. The numbers appear as he has placed them earlier. He takes the lottery ticket out of his pocket. JEM Twenty four and thirty six. My God I have won the jackpot. Jem picks up a scrap book from under his chair. He flicks through it. There is a lottery ticket pasted to each page. JEM Again!! So how much is that now! He picks up a calculator and starts to count. JEM One hundred and eighty nine million. Should be a good Millennium!! Ulrika appears on the TV screens again. She says goodnight to Louise. Louise's hair is all ruffled and she pulls her skirt straight. Her cheeks blush. LOUISE I - I just want to say umm good night. Jem reaches into his top pocket and pulls out a pair of white knickers and smells them. JEM Perfect.. INT. HOSPITAL WARD. MORNING Mike and a Pakistani Doctor look over Ailsa, she is lying in the same bed. Jack sits in a wheelchair holding her hand. JACK Thanks for coming Mike. She was whispering something about you last night. Jack eyes start to water. MIKE How is she holding up? DOCTOR She still keeps drifting in and out of consciousness. JACK Her heart stopped beating last night. I can't handle this for much longer. MIKE Come on Jack she would want you to be strong for her now. Just then Ailsa's her eyes open slightly. She speaks in a soft frail voice. AILSA Jack. I, I . Jack strokes her cheek. JACK It's OK darling. You're back now. AILSA It hurts. JACK I know, I know. I have some bad news that I have to tell you. Jack looks at the doctor. DOCTOR Right, I'll be just outside the door if you want me. He leaves. AILSA It's all right I know, she's fine. JACK How could you know that. AILSA I went there Jack. JACK Where, where did you go? AILSA I died didn't I? Mike looks perplexed. Jack looks at him for help. MIKE Your heart stopped beating for a while but... AILSA And I met the Professor, your friend. MIKE My friend? AILSA He has her. He is keeping her safe until you sort this mess out. He said it is the habit that is the key. Jack looks at Mike. He shrugs his shoulders. JACK You need to rest now. You aren't out of the woods yet. Ailsa lies back on her bed and closes her eyes. The Doctor comes back in. DOCTOR You should let her rest now. JACK I'll see you later then. He smiles at Ailsa. Her eyes close again. The Doctor opens the door and Jack leaves. Mike is left with Ailsa. She opens her eyes. AILSA This is your chance isn't it. MIKE What do you mean? AILSA To stop blaming yourself. MIKE Blaming myself? AILSA For your sister. Now you can put it all right. The Doctor puts his hand on Mikes arm. DOCTOR We should leave her now. Mike turns around and then back to look at Ailsa, she is asleep. MIKE (To himself) What habit. He looks at the Doctor. MIKE Did she really die? DOCTOR Clinically yes. Not long enough to cause any brain damage but her heart did stop beating for a few minutes yes. Why. MIKE Nothing really, she said she new her baby was OK. None of us said anything though. DOCTOR That is actually not that unusual. MIKE Really? DOCTOR A lot of people believe when you die you travel to this place where we can meet relatives, especially recently departed ones. Sometimes messages are even brought back. Come on we should leave her. INT. JACKS HOSPITAL ROOM. DAY Mike enters Jacks room. JACK Looks better doesn't she. MIKE She'll be fine, thank God. How are you? JACK As long as she pulls through. I'll be OK. Great way to spend the Millennium hey? What are you gonna do? MIKE I am gonna find the bastard that did this to you. JACK It's done now. Leave it man. MIKE Over my dead body. Mikes mobile phone rings. A large framed fifty year old stern looking matron bursts in. MATRON Switch that off now. Don't you know what those waves do to our equipment? MIKE I'd better go. MATRON Come on please, visiting hours are over any way. She shoos him away, tutting. MATRON (To Jack) You, sleep! EXT. HIGH STREET. DAY Jem drives through a busy town in the afternoon sunshine. He pulls up at some traffic lights in his Lamborghini. He wears a baseball hat that says 2000. He wheel spins away from the lights. A woman with a pram jumps out of the way to safety. He pulls up outside a model shop. A muscular builder notices what has happened. Jumps off some scaffolding and helps the lady. BUILDER Hoy, Come 'ere you twatt! JEM Easy. The builder walks up to Jem. He gets him around the neck. BUILDER People like you should be exterminated. The builder punches him in the face. One of his friends joins in and kicks him in the ribs. The lady shouts out. LADY Leave him, leave him, I 'm OK. They kick him on the floor for measure. BUILDER Are you sure? LADY Yes yes, Leave him. The builders climb back up their scaffolding. Jem manages to finally get up, he crawls back into his car, blood drips on his leather seats. INT. JEMS CAR. DAY JEM Bastards. Big mistake you fucking reprobates. Jem opens his glove compartment and gets out small case. He opens it and pulls up an aerial. An LCD screen comes on and then he plugs two wires into the back of a small lump of green silicon. JEM Let's see if this works remotely. He shuts the car door and concentrates, closes his eyes and breaths deeply. The gel glows more brightly. A clock appears on the screen. It slows and stops. JEM Got you. All right, now lets see, EXT. TOWN CENTRE.DAY He gets out of the car, all the crowds in the street are frozen, cars stopped. He climbs the scaffolding. He pushes both the motionless builders off the structure. They land in a skip below. Jem looks around him as he climbs back to the pavement. JEM Ohh that must have hurt. Now then what can I do with you? He scratches his head, and notices a fire engine opposite. EXT. JEMS CAR LEAVING TOWN.DAY Jem drives off and pulls up about a quarter of the mile up the road. He closes his eyes and squeezes the silicon. It glows again. He looks in his mirror. JEM That'll teach you tossers. He laughs hysterically as he drives off. EXT. TOWN CENTRE. DAY Everything starts again. A car smashes into another in confusion. People look dazed and confused. The lights to the fire engine flash, the siren squeals. A fireman looks for his keys to turn it all off. All the crew get out and gather at the back of the engine. They all laugh loudly. EXT. BACK OF FIRE ENGINE.DAY The two builders are tied by the hoses, naked, to the back of the engine. They have been covered in white paint from the building. They moan and groan in pain. INT. PROFESSORS LABORATORY. DAY Mike walks into the laboratory. MIKE Hi ya. KITTY Oh great you got here quickly. Look at this. She taps at the computer and the CASM glows and shakes. MIKE What the hell. KITTY It is all in the software. Once I broke those codes it was a breeze. Mike walks over to it. MIKE Can we use it. KITTY It means getting into that green goey stuff. Mike puts his finger in the bottom of the CASM. It is filled with green plasma. MIKE Gross, it's like something out of Ghostbusters. KITTY That was the hard part getting all the ingredients to make so much of it. It is amazing, it conducts electricity better than anything I have ever seen. MIKE Your not going to get technical again are you? KITTY You wish. Take your clothes off. MIKE You Americans are so forward. We're not like that here in Blighty. KITTY Just get in. She points to the CASM. Mike crawls in and lowers himself into the slime. MIKE ERRR. It's really cold. Kitty types on a computer keyboard and activates the processor system to the device. KITTY It will warm up soon. You didn't ask me if was safe. MIKE I didn't think you would let me use it if it wasn't. A warning message flashes up on a screen in the opposite corner of the room. Kitty runs over to look at it. SCREEN WARNING!! FOREIGN FIBRES DETECTED, POSSIBLY MAN MADE NYLON AND COTTON MIXTURE. Kitty laughs. KITTY Mike take 'em off. MIKE You didn't say my shreddies as well! Mike gets out of the machine, dripping slime everywhere. KITTY It looks good fun in there, shame there is only room for one. Mike takes off his Calvin's and embarrassingly jumps back into the machine. She reads the directions on the screen. KITTY OK, Relax. New user, calibration. Testing.... The top of the CASM lowers until it slaps shut. Air forces out of the top of a valve with a hiss. KITTY Pressurising. Reading Wave Codes. She talks into a microphone. KITTY You OK in there. MIKE A bit cramped. KITTY OK, I am going to initiate the part that reads your brain. It takes a snap shot of all your processes and neural networks. Then the machine can change what your brain responds to. MIKE Blah, blah blah. KITTY Data captured. Last used programme load. She hits the return key. KITTY Hold on, I don't want it to do that. Stop. I don't know what the last programme was. INT. CASM. DAY Mike opens his eyes wide. He travels along a long corridor of light in his minds eye. The machine stops. He gets out. Kitty has gone, the room looks different with more equipment. An old man walks up to him. PROFESSOR Jem, Jem my boy how was it? Mike hears a voice in the room that isn't his. VOICE Better, much better than last time. PROFESSOR Does it feel real? VOICE Very, come closer and I will show you. PROFESSOR You're such a brave boy. I wouldn't know what to do without you. Mike watches as his own hands come together in a fist. He punches the Professor in the chest and watches him fall to the floor. PROFESSOR But I, I wanted to help you, that's all. That's ... He breathes his last breath. Mike blinks his eyes as he travels back down the long corridor to the CASM again. KITTY Got you. She types in a code and the canopy of the CASM opens. Mike struggles out. He looks around confused. INT. FRONT ROOM. PROFESSORS HOUSE. DAY Mike sits in front of an open fire, wrapped in a towel. Kitty enters with a cup of hot tea. KITTY Was this the guy. She gives Mike a picture of the Professor. MIKE Yes, that's him. Who is he. KITTY That was the Professor. You must have seen the Professors death. MIKE But it was so real. KITTY I loaded up the last programme used. So that means that the last person to use the machine must have killed the Professor. You saw his murder. Did you see who it was? MIKE I can't really remember. This is too weird. You mean my reality was his. Jem's, who ever he is. KITTY Jem. MIKE What. KITTY You said Jem. MIKE That's what he called him. KITTY Of course Jem Stark. He was one of the Professors students. I think he helped set this up after he flunked at University. MIKE The Professor sounded like he was his father. KITTY No. he didn't have children. But Jem was a bit strange, I seem to remember. I only met him once. He didn't really like anyone. He was very religious I remember for a while. Then I think his father died and he went a bit in on himself. Drugs and stuff. MIKE Maybe the Professor took him under his wing. We got him. Whatever happened, I've got him now. KITTY Maybe. MIKE No I felt it, his pain. This is our man. Can you get an address? I saw an address book by the phone in there. She comes back in the room with an open book. KITTY Result. But only a phone number. Where are you going. MIKE Time to stop playing around. I need to check this number and get some back - up. Give you a lift anywhere? KITTY No there are still some things I want to check on. MIKE Take my mobile, just in case you find out any more. Careful, though, he may come back. INT. POLICE STATION BREIFING ROOM. DAY The room is full of Police Officers, Plain clothes and uniformed. Deacon and the Forensics Expert stand at the front of the room in front of a flip chart. The audience look despondent and cheesed off. DEACON OK, OK. Listen, we have a lot to get through I am sorry that I have had to call you off leave but we need all the men we can get. VOICE FROM BACK OF ROOM Must be really important to miss New Years. DEACON All right calm down. We have a lot to get through, so listen up. Mike walks in. DEACON Ah Redwood. Nice of you to join us. You can carry on. Start with the robberies. Mike walks up to the front of the room. An Officer speaks to him as he walks past. OFFICER How is Jack. We're all really sorry. MIKE They lost the baby. OFFICER No way. Jack lost the baby. MIKE I am completely stumped on this one. I think we have found the perfect crimes? Do any of you know what is going on? Everyone laughs. An Officer at the back of the room holds up a daily paper. The headline is 'Lottery Fixed'!! VOICE AT THE BACK OF THE ROOM I wish we did. I wouldn't mind being able to do this. DEACON Listen, listen. Bank robberies in all the major towns around here. Hundreds of thousands of pounds, vanished? If any one has any ideas or questions I would love the hear them gentlemen. OFFICER What about the CCTV's in the Banks? MASON No, it seems that the offender moves without being seen by a camera. OFFICER More like he knows haw to stop the tape. MASON No. The tapes are all brand new. Besides you can only record on them once. That's how there designed. OFFICER So we need to find the Invisible Man? They all laugh. MIKE We might as well be! You see we spotted the BMW on one tiny frame on one of the videos which is the same car that was involved in the death of Jack's new born. OFFICER Where is it now? MIKE In our workshops, but the alarm it had led us to an address. We haven't got any further. But the suspect is still out there. OFFICER So who are we looking for. Sir? Mike looks at the Forensics Expert. MASON Well, we have black wollen fibres from a European sourced jacket. A half smoked Marijuana joint in the cars ashtray and the position of the electric seat show that we are dealing with a man of around five foot ten tall. Pleased with himself, Mason smiles broadly. MIKE Is that it. Average height and smokes dope. That must be every man in this room. They all laugh. MASON Your lucky we have this much. OFFICER Sir. MIKE Go ahead. OFFICER Sir, I interviewed some of the female staff from the robberies. MIKE Go on. OFFICER Well it seems some of them felt a little Strange after the money had gone missing. MIKE How do you mean? OFFICER Well, in a nutshell they all felt as if they had been, you know. DEACON What. OFFICER They felt as if they had all been interfered with. They were all really embarrassed. But they all sounded straight up. They all laughter. MASON We looked into that Sir! Howls of laughter. MASON Very funny. And there was nothing of interest in the few claims we had. DEACON All right, that's enough, I don't think we need to worry about that. I suggest we look for large amounts of money being moved around. Big purchases. Anything out of the ordinary. MIKE It's a holiday. All the shops are closed. He couldn't spend it if he wanted. A policeman bursts in the room and runs up to Mike. POLICEMAN I got a strange call earlier and I traced it to that old Professors house. The woman said she had worked it out, whatever that means? That's all I could make out. Mike runs out of the room. Into his car. He tries to call his phone. PHONE 'Were sorry there is a fault'. MIKE Shit, shit. EXT. COUNTRY ROAD. DAY Mike drives fast along a country road. A Lamborghini approaches rapidly. MIKE Move over . Move over. The Lamborghini stays in the middle of the road. Mike has to swerve into the verge as the car tears passed. MIKE Fucking asshole. INT. JEMS CAR. DAY Jem laughs and looks at Kitty, she has a black hood on, hunched up in the passenger seat. INT. PROFESSORS HOUSE. DAY Mike runs in to the laboratory. MIKE Kitty, Kitty where are you. Shit. Shit. Mike stoops down to pick up the gun he gave her earlier. He looks around and sees that the monitor is still on. Looking at the screen he notices an address in bold type. MIKE Nice one. He looks at the CASM. Written in felt pen on the side of the machine after the printed logo is the number 2. MIKE CASM 2? He has another one. He must have built another one. EXT. JEMS HOUSE. DAY Mike sits in his car outside the gates of Jems walled house. He looks through the gates. Cameras with infrared lights cover all the grounds. INT. JEMS CIRCULAR ROOM. DAY Jem looks at his Television monitors. JEM A ha, a visitor. Jem presses his green slime. Running down the drive, opening the gates and Mikes car door. Time stops. JEM Move over. Jem pushes Mike into the passenger seat. Turning the car around Jem puts a brick under the accelerator peddle. He punches Mike as hard as he can in between his legs. Jem presses the slime and breaths deeply. Time starts. INT. MIKES CAR. DAY Mike looks out of his car window. He flinches in pain and creases his body up. Looking up just in time to see the car careering into a tree. All goes dark. INT. JEMS CIRCULAR ROOM. DAY Laughing, Jem watches the accident on the monitors. INT. HOSPITAL. NIGHT Jack enters in his wheelchair. JACK What are you doing in here. Thought you were missing out did you man? Mike lies in a hospital bed. He looks dazed. A nasty gash weeps on his forehead. MIKE I've got to get to her. He has one. JACK What's he got. MIKE A CASM, he has his own CASM. JACK Do you wanna start from the beginning? You've completely lost me! Mike starts to tell the story. Flashbacks of the Professor falling over, of Kitty crying and Ailsa lying in bed come into his mind. Flashing blue lights from the ambulance remind him of the night his sister died. JACK Hey, snap out of it. None of it was your fault was it? MIKE And he has Kitty. JACK You like her don't you. MIKE She's OK. For an American. JACK So you gotta save her. MIKE How. JACK Learn how to use this machine thing. You can do anything you want you say? MIKE Create your own reality or something. JACK So you need to know what he is doing. What his dream is. But before you go your gonna need a piece. MIKE I got one. JACK Forget it, the Matron would have had that melted down by now. JACK Go to this address tonight. It looks derelict but it is a safe house. MIKE Thanks Jack. JACK One other thing. That tosser killed my baby, make it hurt when you get him. MIKE It's done. He leaves. EXT. SAFE HOUSE. NIGHT Mike runs out of his car, looks around and smashes the lock to the door of the safe house. He walks into the front room. Furniture is covered with plastic sheets. He lifts up a rug and opens a trap door going down into a dark room. MIKE This should make it more even. He ascends out of the hole in the floor with a khaki bag full of weapons. EXT. MIKES CAR. NIGHT He throws the contents on the passenger seat and takes out a pre-packed morphine syringe, and injects his muscular arm. MIKE Ahh. Amazing stuff. Driving off he shakes his head in exhilaration. INT. CELLAR.JEMS HOUSE. NIGHT Kitty wakes up in a dark cellar. She strikes a match and looks around her. She can just make out a huge table with half-made Radio Control Helicopters on it. She notices that there are Happy New Year messages tied to all the undercarriages. Trying to get up she notices that she is chained to the wall by some handcuffs. Jem appears out of the shadows. He is wearing a menacing black leather jacket and sunglasses. JEM They're forged steel, I wouldn't bother. KITTY (Shocked) You can't keep me down here. JEM Ah an American. How cute. He turns on the light. Kitty shields her face. JEM Come on don't be shy. He puts his hand on her cheek. KITTY Get lost. JEM Wait, I know you. I've seen you with the Professor. You think all this is bullshit don't you? KITTY I don't have to talk to you. You killed him. What did he ever do to hurt you. He was an old man for God's sake! Jem undoes her handcuffs and drags her to her feet. JEM What do you fucking know. You don't know that I killed him. You don't know Jack shit about me. KITTY You can't get out of it, the police are already on their way. JEM You know nothing. Anyway I really don't care. The stuff he was working on was wasted in his hands. That's all that matters. KITTY The stuff, as you call it was probably the most important scientific discovery ever! JEM Really. And why is that. KITTY Changing reality, just imagine what that could mean to all the starving children in the World. Jem gets annoyed. JEM A starving World. Is your dad fucking Mr Greenpeace or something. Your so unbelievably fucking naieve. Have you seen what this technology can really do? No. So shut up! He locks her handcuffs tightly and starts to walk off. KITTY Wait, the CASM. I know about the CASM. And so do the Police. JEM Of course you know about the CASM. Your a scientist aren't you. Now shut it and you might live to see the year 2000. KITTY Just answer me one question before you go. JEM Oh fun, just one last question, like in the movies. This isn't a movie. No more questions. KITTY Your afraid aren't you? JEM I am not afraid of anything. KITTY I don't believe you. JEM Oh God Americans just don't know when to shut the fuck up. I think it is time for you to be afraid. He grabs her cheek and forces her mouth open. He gets a silver pill box out of his pocket and forcibly shoves a pill down her throat. JEM That should keep you quiet for a while. I've got work to do. Kitty waits until he is gone and spits the pill into her hand. She looks at the crest on the top of it. It is an 'X'. She puts it in her pocket. INT. CELLAR WINDOW. NIGHT Kitty fumbles in the dark. Her hand finds the side of an old Grandfather clock. She tries to open the case. It falls to the floor. She quickly gets back in her seated position, and stays quiet. She hears the roar of Jem's Lamborghini outside and again reaches forward to pick up the hour hand that has fallen off the clock's face. KITTY Got you. They do this on TV, so... Got it. Kitty picks the lock to the handcuffs and runs up the stairs to the cellar door. It is locked. She looks around at all the helicopters and starts to pick things up. She notices a pile of cards, they read Happy New Year!! KITTY What are you up to. She notices that on all the undercarriages are small metal hinged boxes. KITTY Why would any one want so many radio controlled toys? She notices a modeller's drill on the workbench. EXT. JEMS HALL. NIGHT Kitty bursts through the now open cellar door and runs through the house. In every room the windows are sealed with metal shutters. She bangs then with her fists. INT. THE PROFESSORS CELLAR. NIGHT Mike sits in front of the computer screen. MIKE I can use Windows so this can't be that different. The computer screen says 'Please log on'. MIKE What! Where's the mouse. He looks around for a mouse. MIKE Oh shit, don't say I've got to use the keyboard!! He presses the return key. The screen asks for a password. MIKE This is going to take all night. 1234..no.4321..no.KITTY..Kitty.no. He looks around the room. MIKE Kitty how did you know what to use? He spots a calendar on the wall. The date shows the 26th December 1999. That's not right. He gets up to change the date. MIKE 27..28..29..30. Wait what's this? He looks at the calendar and notices that the pages after December 31st are missing. MIKE Milennium. One 'l' two ''n's? No. Two 'l's two 'n's? Got ya. The CASM powers up and a message appears in front of Mike. SCREEN 1. CALIBRATION. 2. NEW USER. 3. 2. LAST USER. 4. DATABASE SEARCH. MIKE This Jem guy must be using this. Let's try a search. He hits the search key. SCREEN PLEASE WAIT....SEARCH IN PROGRESS.... LOADING WAVEFORMS....PLEASE CHOOSE PROGRAMME NUMBER.... MIKE Oh gaud! Which one. Oh wait their dated. What's this. Yesterday's date. Jackpot. The screen reads....Please enter the CASM now....the door will close once a human subject is detected....please remove all clothing and ensure that the power back-up is initiated. Mike takes off his clothes and enters the machine. The green plasma starts to glow and the canopy closes with a hiss. SCREEN HUMAN MALE LIFE FORM DETECTED. SEARCHING FOR BRAINWAVE MATCH. INITIATE 30TH DECEMBER 1999 PROGRAMME. 5-4-3-2-1... The machine start to bump and wobble. Steam pours over the floor. Power meters on the wall flicker haphazardly. INT. CASM. NIGHT A set of LCD panels lower onto Mikes eyes. He takes a big breath and enters the long white tunnel again as before. The lid opens and he sees Kitty sitting in the corner on the computer. MIKE Oh thank God, Kitty it's me. She doesn't move. Jem walks into the room oblivious that Mike is there, and pushes her off the chair. He taps something into the computer. JEM Now where are they. He smashes bottles and test tubes off the shelves. He opens a drawer and rummages in the back of it. He finds a silver pill box engraved with an X on the top. He lifts Kitty over his shoulder and leaves. MIKE Kitty, kitty over here!! She stares ahead a distant empty stare. As she moves out of the way of the computer screen she is carried away. Mike reads the message. SCREEN CASM 1 TERMINATION SEQUENCE... INITIATED BY NEXT USER.... ACTIVATED.... Mike closes the machines lid quickly and holds his breath again. The LCD panels lower and stops half way. The green plasma starts to glow pale pink...red...deep red...black. It starts to burn Mikes legs. MIKE Fuck, fuck. This must open from the inside. He pushes the lid with all his strength. His back and legs start to smoke. He looks around panicking. Suddenly his face changes. MIKE Wait this is controlled by my mind. So I don't want this to happen. I don't want this to happen...I don't... He enters the long tunnel again. This time it is fierce and swirling red and mauve. He gets nearer to the white light at the end of the tunnel. He is travelling at great speed. He hears a long reverberating voice all around him. A hard object slaps him in the chest and stops his descent. He looks up dazed. The Professor is standing over him, he has some green plasma in his hand. He throws it at Mike's face. All Mikes last few seconds are reversed. The lid of the CASM opens. Mike falls on the floor of the Professors laboratory. Legs and back burnt. The machines starts to vibrate violently. SCREEN WARNING...OVERLOAD...DANGER...DANGER... EXT. PROFESSORS HOUSE. NIGHT Mikes runs out of the house still naked. A group of drunk Irish high-spirited young people stop outside the house. MIKE Run run, she's gonna blow. IRISH MAN Looks like she already did!! MIKE Come on, come on!! IRISH GIRL Now there's an offer I couldn't refuseeeeee........ The house explodes in a massive mushroom of fire and gas. Mike flies through the air and lands on the roof of his car. The drunk man from the crowd lands next to him, with a loud thump.. IRISH MAN Sweet mother of Jesus. MIKE You OK? He offers Mike his intact bottle of Guinness. IRISH MAN Fucking aye. He passes out and rolls off the car. The rest of the gang cheer and shout as they get up off the road, dusting themselves down. MIKE You all OK. IRISH GIRL Don't worry about us! Nothing like starting the New Year with a bang. Mike gets in his battered dented car pulls on some track suit bottoms and a T-shirt and tries to start it. IRISH GIRL The best of Irish luck to you. EXT. JEMS HOUSE. NIGHT Mike runs along the wall outside his house with a machine gun on his back. He climbs the wall and jumps onto the front lawn running towards the house. INT. JEMS CELLAR. NIGHT Kitty looks outside and sees Mike running towards her. She bangs on the widows between the metal bars. She shouts at the top of her voice. KITTY Mike, mike, down here. He notices her and grabs her hand. MIKE Are you OK. KITTY You've got to get me out of here before he comes back. MIKE Stay there, I'll try and find a way in. Mike scales a drain pipe and gets in the top window. He runs down stairs and notices another CASM in a room. Hearing Kitty's shouting he runs down to the cellar door. MIKE Stand back, I am coming in. Mike runs at the door and smashes it down. Kitty hugs Mike. KITTY I knew I could rely on you. You don't know how pleased I am to see you. KITTY What have you done to yourself? She gently holds his arm and lifts up his T-shirt to reveal a nasty cut. MIKE I'll live. Where is he? KITTY He drove off somewhere half an hour ago. Mike tuns on the light and sees the helicopters. MIKE What are all these? KITTY I don't know. Can we just get out of here. MIKE No I need to look around, there is a CASM upstairs. KITTY I don't care. I don't want any part of this. MIKE Just 5 minutes. Come on. INT. JEMS HOUSE . NIGHT Mike drags a nervous Kitty into Jem's room. Kitty walks up to The CASM 2. KITTY It's different from the Professor's. MIKE Because it's in one piece? KITTY Umm. She ignores Mike and turns the computer on. KITTY If I can just load up the last programme...What do you mean? MIKE I forgot to tell you. It was booby trapped. It's gone. KITTY What! All of it. MIKE Let's just say that the Professor's house is now a plot of land! The CASM starts to glow a faint green colour. The computer powers up. KITTY What the? He must be using this remotely. MIKE Can he do that? Kitty looks at some diagrams on the wall of the room. KITTY All these drawings must be plans for or portable device. Oh shit look at these. She points at some MRI Scan photographs. KITTY This is his brain. Look at the change in colours between these two scans. MIKE What does that mean. Kitty gets the pill Jem gave her earlier out of her pocket. KITTY What would say this was. She passes it to Mike. He crumbles it in his hands and licks the powder. MIKE It's ecstasy. Strong as well judging by the bitterness of it. Where did you get this from? KITTY He tried to force it down my throat. That would explain... She looks more closely at the scans. KITTY Of course! Ecstasy makes the brain produce more endorphins as well as other things, God knows what effect this has if you use the CASM while on it. MIKE Addiction! KITTY What. MIKE The Professor said addiction was the key. KITTY When did he say that? MIKE He didn't, he kind of left a message with my Partners wife. Mike looks out of the window towards the gates of Jem's house. They open and a white van drives towards them. Jem gets out. MIKE He's back. You'd better get in the cellar. What are you doing...come on. Kitty puts a zip drive in the computer and starts to copy files. KITTY Just a bit longer. Scoop up some of that green stuff, we're gonna need it. Come on. Come on. Got it. They both run into the cellar. Mike handcuffs Kitty to the wall, he hides under a table, machine-gun cocked. INT.JEMS HOUSE.NIGHT Jem walks in to house and leaves the front doors open. He opens the back of the van and walks into the room with the CASM 2 in it and looks at his watch. 9.30 PM. He pops a pill. JEM Two and half hours. Not enough time. He squeezes the green blob of plasma and takes a deep, deep breath. Time stops. JEM All the time in the world. Ha ha. INT. JEMS CELLAR.DAY Mike and Kitty look at each other, frozen in time. Jem walks in and starts to gather the helicopters together. He looks at Kitty. JEM Not so many questions now, hey yank. He strokes the hair away from her face. JEM I'll have time for you later. Time starts. INT. JEMS CELLAR. NIGHT Mike looks out of the window, the white van drives away. MIKE That was quick! KITTY The Helicopters? Undo these. Mike picks the handcuffs. They run up stairs, the house is cleared, the CASM 2 gone. MIKE Where's it all gone. KITTY He couldn't have done all this in the time. He is slowing down our time. MIKE Or stopping it. Just imagine being able to stop time. Flashback as he looks at the alarm clock which says 12.00 on the night his sister died. KITTY Oh jeez what's the time? Mike looks at his watch. MIKE 9.31pm. Why? KITTY The Millennium, The messages on the helicopters said Happy New Year. We've gotta find a computer. MIKE Back at the Station. Come on. They run out. EXT. KNIGHTSBRIDGE. LONDON. NIGHT Jem drives his van passed Harrods. There are thousands of people milling around. There is a fantastic party atmosphere. Two young girls in a convertible Mercedes in front of him blow him a kiss. Their car is covered in foam, streamers and ticker tape. The traffic has come to a complete standstill. JEM Bollocks. INT. JEMS VAN. NIGHT He climbs into the back of his van. A family points towards the vans back windows. They glow green as it starts to rock on it's suspension. Time stops Jem gets out of the van and walks up Knightsbridge through the frozen motionless crowds to see if he can get through. An old tramp stands in front of him with a sandwich board over his shoulders, it says 'The end is nigh, The Millennium will kill us all'. JEM Shit, shit. He drags the two girls out of their car and throws them on the pavement. He rolls the car out of the way. Getting back in the van and presses the green slime. The CASM 2 in the back of the van stops glowing. Time starts. The crowds of people on the pavement stumble over the two girls. Confusion sets in. The girls are so drunk they stay on the pavement. Other people join them. GIRL Join the impromptu party!! Jem drives the van towards Trafalgar Square. The place is packed. A policeman on horseback points at him in his van. Jem winds down his widow reluctantly. POLICEMAN You can't come down here. The whole place is pedestrianised. JEM I have to get to St Martins-in the-Fields. POLICEMAN Only if your van can fly! The policeman looks over the vehicle with suspicious eyes. POLICEMAN What you got in the back? JEM Err, just burgers and rolls to restock the vans over there. Two other Policeman on foot walk around the back of the van. Jem fumbles for the green slime impatiently. JEM Hold on I have a pass here somewhere. He crouches down to look under the seat. The policeman tries to open the back door of the van. POLICEMAN Please step out of the vehicle sir. Jem finds a crowbar and hits the officers horse with it. The Policeman falls to the ground. The crowd around him see what has happened. The atmosphere of joviality turns to one of hatred. The crowd close in. The policemen at the back of the van manage to force the doors open. Jem finds the green plasma and.... Time stops. He gets out of the van and kicks the Officer in the ribs. Looking around he notices a trader selling chestnuts from his wooden barrow. He tips it over and starts to run into the frozen crowd with it. People pile up on either side as if hit by a snow plough. Jem drives through the new pathway. INT. ST MARTIN-IN-THE-FIELD. NIGHT Jem goes into the church and sees that it is packed with worshippers. He runs back to the van and gets his Machine pistol. He goes back in to the church, presses the green plasma and everyone starts to move. The congregation look at him. He fires into the air. Time stops. JEM Everyone out now. The congregation panic and run down the steps into the following Police Officers. Jem waits for the last person to leave and he reactivates the slime. Time starts. He starts to unload his van of the CASM 2 and the helicopters into the Church. EXT. TRAFALGER SQUARE. NIGHT Jem looks into the sea of statues. A huge LED clock on the base of Nelson's column says 10.20 PM. He goes into the Church and closes the huge doors behind him. Plugging the CASM 2 into the power socket on the wall. He gets inside and.. Time starts. EXT. TRAFALGER SQUARE. NIGHT The policeman gets up off the floor. Mayhem ensues as people in the crowd panic as they try to prevent themselves being crushed. The Policeman looks around for the van which is now in front of the church where Jem left it. The policeman radios for help to the Police Station. INT POLICE STATION. NIGHT A clock on the wall say's 10.30 PM. Deacon, Mike and Kitty talk around a desk. DEACON What the hell happened to You. MIKE It's a long story, and one we haven't got time to tell. This is Kitty she is assisting me. DEACON Nice to meet you. MIKE She needs to use a computer. KITTY One with a Zip drive? DEACON Go down the corridor, Door No 4. KITTY Thanks. Kitty leaves. DEACON It's a bit dangerous dragging a member of the public into this. MIKE I wouldn't have got this far without her. DEACON And just how far have you come? MIKE A long way, but we are running out of time. He is planning something for the New Year celebrations. DEACON That wouldn't include somewhere as obvious as Trafalgar Square would it? MIKE Why. DEACON We had a report of a disturbance there a few minutes ago. I am on my way there now. MIKE Any mention of a white van? DEACON Yes, I think there was. MIKE You go and I'll follow once Kitty has finished. He's dangerous, tell everyone to be careful down there. DEACON I forgot Jack wants you to call him from hospital. Jenkins leaves and joins another six policeman waiting for him follow in a hurry. INT. POLICE STATION. COMPUTER ROOM. NIGHT Kitty has the computer system in bits. The green plasma lies on a pedestal, wires cascade from it. MIKE Wow, fast work. What are you doing. KITTY I reckon that I can use the power from any computer to activate the CASM 2 remotely. MIKE You'd better move it. Looks like we have to get to Trafalgar Square. On the busiest night of the last thousand years. KITTY Stop talking and I might have a chance. Mike uses a phone in the corner of the room. He dials Jack, the Matron answers the phone. MIKE Please, it is very important. Look I am a Police Officer and I need to speak to him as a matter of urgency. Listen, either you get him or I'll come down there and wake everyone up. Thank you. JACK Mike, how you doing. MIKE God she's such a bitch. JACK Who? MIKE That Matron. JACK Forget her. Ailsa is OK man. MIKE That's great news. When did they give her the all clear? JACK This morning. She looks so much better Mike. She wanted me to let you know that you shouldn't blame yourself and that she has another message for you. MIKE Who from this time? JACK The Professor. And get this, he wants you to be with Martin in his field next year. MIKE That it? JACK 'Fraid so. Kitty screams with joy as the green plasma starts to glow. KITTY Mike. Mike!! MIKE I gotta go. You watching the celebrations on TV tonight. JACK I wouldn't miss this night for the world. MIKE See ya, love to Ailsa. Mike walks over to see what Kitty is doing. KITTY You need some Ecstasy. MIKE Two hours to go, and you drop that one on me. I hate drugs, I use decaf tea bags you know. Oh wait, I know. Wait here. Mike runs down the corridor and breaks into the Room marked 'Seized Property'. He shuffles through bags of white powder, grass and eventually finds a plastic bag full of pills. He gets a large carton of orange juice out of another room. MIKE Got ya. INT. CHURCH. NIGHT Jem pulls the plug out of the wall. The CASM 2 continues to glow warmly. JEM What the. That can't be. I destroyed the other one. He runs over to his computer and initialises a search to find out who else is on line. COMPUTER SCREEN INITIALISING SEARCH. TELEPRESENCE SYSTEM ACTIVATED. GLOBAL SATTELITE POSITIONING LOCK ON. A map comes up on the screen. The Police Station is highlighted. JEM Bollocks, the busy's. He runs up a spiral staircase and opens a door at the top. He steps out onto the roof of the church. Radio controlled helicopters cover the whole area. He picks one up and presses a button on the box on it's undercarriage. A red light flashes. ARMED. He start the engine and makes it fly over the crowd in Trafalgar Square. A little boy on his dad's shoulders looks up and points at it hovering. It flies away. INT. POLICE STATION. NIGHT Mike joins Kitty in the computer room. KITTY Any luck. MIKE Oh yeah. I washed 'em down with orange juice. I couldn't taste 'em. KITTY How many did you take. MIKE Just the one. KITTY If he is addicted to them he must have loads in his system. Take a few more. MIKE Gross! Mike downs another three pills and takes long swig of orange juice. MIKE Err!! You hear that? KITTY What. MIKE Sounded like a chain saw. He goes into the corridor and looks out of the window. He shakes his head to try and focus. He takes a deep breath. Feeling dizzy his wavy vision spots a speck in the sky. As it gets nearer he recognises it to be a helicopter. MIKE Come on, we've gotta go. KITTY OK I'll take the laptop with me. If it works from here we should be OK on site as well. She throws the green plasma at Mike. KITTY Catch. Kitty picks up the laptop and wiring, they charge down the corridors and get to the front door. MIKE It's locked. Kitty looks out of the glass door, the lights from the helicopter dazzle her. It flies towards them. KITTY Shit..... They leap into the first door they see. The helicopter slams through the doors and explodes in a huge fiery inferno. They get blown onto a wall at the back of the room. Fire licks under the door. They get on a table and escape out of a small window and land on the grass with a thump. KITTY Where we going? MIKE Trafalgar Square. Come on. Mike hot wires a police motorbike and slings the machine gun over his shoulder as kitty gets on the back. As they ride off the Police Station explodes in a ball of fire. EXT.M4 MOTORWAY. NOGHT Mike drives the motorbike at great speed. Kitty hangs on for dear life. The pills start to take effect. He squints as the street light confuses his eyes. He gets close to another car and causes it to swerve violently. MIKE (Laughing) Whoops!! Sorry. INT . BOB KENDRICKS CAR. NIGHT Bob swerves out of Mike's way. As he does he loses control of the car and drives towards the hard shoulder. Mike looks back, Bob recognises who it is. BOB I don't believe it, you can't ride a bike eitherrrrr.... The car lifts off, flies through the air and lands in a reservoir causing a huge splash. EXT. CHURCH. NIGHT The church is cornered off. The Police try to make the crowd stand behind a barrier. The shouting and noise from the crown makes Deacon shout loudly to his police colleagues. DEACON We have no chance evacuating. There must be half-a-million people in town tonight. POLICEMAN What is in there sir? DEACON Until Redwood gets here we will just have to treat it as an armed suspect held up in there. That's all. POLICEMAN Of all the nights to pull a stunt like this. Mike pulls up on his motorbike. MIKE Get out the way, Police, Police!! Kitty gets off the bike and goes up to Deacon. KITTY Where can I power all this up? DEACON Come with me. He brakes into the back of a TV outside broadcast van. DEACON This do? KITTY Fine. Mike looks at the LED clock. 11.50 PM. He runs up to the back of the van. MIKE Ten minutes. Come on Kitty, come on tell me what you want me to do. I am all ears. Come on. DEACON What's wrong with him? KITTY Too much caffeine! Just a few moments more...got it. The Plasma shines green again. INT. CHURCH. NIGHT Jem runs into the knave of the church. The CASM 2 is glowing. He swallows another bunch of pills. His eyes are dilated and his complexion very pale. JEM Oh yeah, wanna play do ya. He gets into the machine and closes the lid. INT. VAN. NIGHT Mike squeezes the plasma, takes a long deep breath. KITTY That should work first time if... Time stops. Mike looks at Kitty she stops talking. Staring at him motionless. Mike looks at her closely. MIKE You know, I haven't told you this but you are really very beautiful. He brushes her hair with his hand. He steps outside and notices the clock. Stopped at 11:54. The crowd stand still. MIKE Wow, weird, very, very weird. He looks up into the sky, Concorde hangs in the clouds like a balloon. MIKE It is so quiet. Eerie. He walks towards the church. Three girls lean on a crowd barrier, they all point towards Nelson's Column, smiling. Mike looks at them closely and waves his hand in front of there eyes. MIKE Nothing. He takes the machine gun off his back and walks up to the church doors and tries to push them open. INT . CHURCH. NIGHT Jem hides behind a set of pews. Mike shoots at the huge doors they open with a thump. He walks up the aisle of the huge structure. He looks all around him. The pills are now taking their full effect. He looks at a spectacular cross behind the altar. He finds it hard to focus. Jem creeps behind him and hits him over the head with a collection box and takes his gun. He feels a pain on the back of his head and falls to the tiled floor. JEM You policeman don't know when to give up do you. Mike crawls along the aisle getting closer to the cross. He regains focus and tries to get up. Jem kicks him in the chest. JEM Who the fuck do you think you are coming into my world as if you owned it. Jem throws his hands out wide and looks at a stain glass window depicting the entry to heaven. JEM This is my heaven, and mine only. Jem crouches down and grabs Mikes throat. JEM So come on then where are you controlling the Plasma from huh. I can't let you share my world. I can't share it with any one you see, it would be to dangerous. Mike looks up at Jem. MIKE Nothing could more dangerous than allowing such a fantastic discovery to stay with a psychotic drug addict. Jem goes to kick Mike again. He rolls out of the way. JEM What do you know. This discovery is mine. All mine. MIKE What about the Professor? I seem to recall that you assisted him. The only way people like you can get anything in life is to take it. Jem kicks Mike in the face. Mike crawls nearer to the front door of the church. JEM Shut up dick head. I am gonna kill you right now. Then this world will be all mine. Jem points the machine gun at Mikes head. JEM Count down time. Just like in the movies. Ah ha ha ha!!!!!! Five . four.. EXT . TRAFALGER SQUARE. NIGHT A radiant beautiful light shines down from the dark sky. A large white tunnel appears and a figure just comes into focus. But it is a long way off. JEM Four...three.. The light gets brighter. The image gets sharper and more defined. The whole steps of the church light up. Light beams in through the stained glass windows. The image of the entry to heaven shines magnificently. JEM What the FFFUU Mike siezes the opportunity and jumps on Jem. They grapple on the floor. Mike bangs Jem's head on a step He moans in pain. Mike is distracted by the image in front of him. Jem runs into him and picks up the gun again. The image walks into the church entrance. Jem rubs his eyes in disbelief. The Professor enters from the light. PROFESSOR Put it down. Don't you think you have done enough damage. JEM I killed you. This isn't happening. Your dead..dead!! PROFESSOR Mike, you OK. MIKE I, I think so but. PROFESSOR All in good time. First I am going to deal with this little interfering sod. He compassionately kneels beside Jem. PROFESSOR So come on what happened. What was so important that it changed you this much. JEM I didn't mean it. Really. The drugs did it. I didn't know what I was doing. I didn't mean to kill you, honest I didn't. PROFESSOR So it had nothing to do with power. All that power. You can stop time, what more could you or any other man want? JEM But nothing is worth the life of a human being. PROFESSOR You should have thought of that earlier. Before you killed me and stole my work. JEM I am sorry, really. PROFESSOR Get off me. I have been watching you. You're vile, sick and vile. I didn't work my fingers to the bone for thirty years so you could fulfil one of your little fantasies. Mike are you OK? Mike clears his throat. He looks inquisitively down the tunnel of light. MIKE A little confused? PROFESSOR I trusted him. He actually help me build all the machine. MIKE What are you going to do with him. PROFESSOR He can stay here. It is the best place for him. JEM You mean your going to kill me. No, no. He picks up the machine gun and puts it in his mouth. He fires. Blood spaltters everywhere. His body slumps down the steps of the church. His body starts to glow green. A ghost like image of Jem rises above the motionless carcass of his earthly body. JEM What the.. I should be dead..dead!! PROFESSOR There is hardly any difference for you. You have been using my machine for so long now that you can't sense the difference between Earth and this world. JEM'S GHOST I can change. Give me a chance, please. PROFESSOR Don't kid Yourself. Always kidding yourself. MIKE What are you going to do with him? PROFESSOR He can come here of course. No one is refused entry. But in your case we will assign you a guide. JEMS GHOST What kind of guide? PROFESSOR One that will look like you, act and behave like you. But will be programmed to think a little differently than you. He will think lovely, wholesome good thoughts, and every time you think of anything bad from now on - he will be there. You will never be able to get rid of him. JEM Never? PROFESSOR Except if you refrain from thinking nasty things. Then he will leave you. Think of it as having a Head Master of your conscience. Now go. You have disappointed me. The ghostly image of Jem floats away into the light. The Professor walks down the steps of the church. Mike hobbles along side him. Covered in blood. EXT. CHURCH. NIGHT PROFESSOR So many lucky people. MIKE Why lucky? PROFESSOR Because they can all create their own future. The Millennium will gives you all more opportunities to experience life to its full. And therefore death as well. MIKE I don't understand? PROFESSOR We do not die Mike. Only our bodies do. He points to Jem's dead body. PROFESSOR But our minds, our consciousness, that goes on evolving, expanding, growing. MIKE But how do we survive without a body? PROFESSOR All the experiences, feelings and memories you bring with you from earth allow you to set up your own sphere of existence on the other side. You can have what you want, when you want. You are truly free. What you think you can be. MIKE I still don't understand how you got here. PROFESSOR I spent many years trying to raise the level of our awareness and consciousness by experimenting with manipulating the brains frequency. MIKE The CASM right. PROFESSOR Right. But what I actually did was to develop a machine that allowed the bridge to be crossed between this world and the next. MIKE So the only thing that survives death is our consciousness. PROFESSOR The only thing!! That is what make you and I different. Your mind is your soul. It is your essence of being. PROFESSOR But the world isn't ready yet. One day the human species will evolve to such an extent that it will be able to do everything just by thought. This moment will bring this earthly world and the next together as one. Life will then be never ending. But you are not ready. That is why you must destroy all the equipment. I have to go now. My work is done. I have one last thing to tell you. MIKE What is that? PROFESSOR Because Jem's work originated from the CASM, it can be reversed. Please stand back. The light shines even brighter. Figures appear. John appears from the night club, followed by Bob Kendrick and some other figures. The Professor holds his hands out. A new born baby floats through the air. He passes it to Mike. Mike looks at it and a tears roll down his cheek. PROFESSOR Here you are. This is what you really wanted. Tell Ailsa to look after her. Remind you of your sister? He screws his wrinkled nose up at her. The Professor walks towards the tunnel. MIKE Yes, all babies do. PROFESSOR It wasn't your fault we all know that. She is doing just fine up here, don't you worry. He floats away into the spot of light. PROFESSOR Happy New Year. EXT. STEPS OF CHURCH. DAY Mike walks out of the church His clothes cut, hair messy, he looks tired. He looks out into the sea of motionless people and notices the huge LED clock in front of Nelson's column. He hugs the baby. MIKE Eleven fifty nine and forty five seconds. Why isn't it back to normal? BOB He said destroy all the equipment didn't he? MIKE You get the machine in there, it looks like a sunbed, smash it up so there is nothing left and I'll get the rest. BOB Hey, I am glad your OK. I didn't realise you were trying to save the planet otherwise I would have left you alone. MIKE Thanks. JOHN Let me give you a hand. It's thanks to that machine that I am going to have this damn scare on my forehead for the rest of my life. They run into the church. Mike walks over to the van where the rest of equipment is. He picks up the green slime and throws it into the sea of people. The fireworks start. Concorde flies overhead. The noise becomes deafening once more. Time starts. Kitty walks up to Mike and sees the baby. Kitty You did it. Who is this then. MIKE Oh am I pleased to see you. Hold on a minute. Mike grabs the arm of a camera crew who are filming the celebrations. MIKE Hey I want to say something. He looks into the camera and hold up the baby. MIKE Happy New Year!! Jack and Ailsa. INT. HOSPITAL. NIGHT Jack sits on Ailsa'a bed. They both watch the celebrations on TV. Mike appears with their baby. Ailsa starts to cry in joy and they both hug. EXT. TRAFALGER SQUARE. NIGHT Mike puts his arm around Kitty and kisses the babies head. MIKE Watch the clock. All watch the clock. A whistle goes off and another and another. A firework explodes In the sky. The noise becomes louder and louder. People are hugging each other, smiling, laughing, kissing. Cheers from the mass of people cause everyone to look up at the clock. CROWD Fourteen, Thirteen, Twelve.. The clock shows 11:59:47,48,50...Kitty grabs Mike. KITTY Come on it's the new millennium, we can't miss this. Everybody shouts shout. Four, three, two.. Mike looks at Kitty. KITTY May I have the first kiss of the Millennium? Mike looks into her eyes and they kiss. Mike looks up into the stars. KITTY Listen, isn't that a helicopter. Mike looks toward the roof of the church. A whole squadron of remote controlled helicopters fly out above the exuberant crowd. MIKE He must have had then on a timer. Kitty looks out into the crowd. Children and families hug and sign oblivious of the twenty or so helicopter flying above them. KITTY No, no. Not tonight. Mike we have to stop them. A small child points into the sky. The crowd follow his lead and soon everyone goes quiet as they view the small models in amazement. One of the boxes attached to the fuselages opens. Kitty gasps. MIKE I can't watch this. A piece of paper slowly floats out of the helicopter down into the hand of a small boy. He shows it to his father. It's a lottery ticket. Other boxes open, people pick up fifty pound notes, thousands of them, and more lottery tickets. The whole sky is covered in paper it seems. Kitty takes the baby and Mike puts his arm around her. CROWD For auld lang syne my dear!! KITTY Why didn't you do anything back there, they could have easily been bombs on those helicopters. Everyone could have been killed. Mike smiles at Kitty and the baby cooes and giggles. Mike grins widely to himself. CREDITS ROLL EXT. LOTTERY HEADQUARTERS. LONDON A long queue of excited people wait outside the Lottery Headquarters. They all grasp their winning tickets in their hands. One couple runs outside holding up a cheque. They dance and cheer. JETHE END~~ 70 2