INT. JET - LIGHT - SECONDS LATER

Tami takes a seat, watching her family on beds before her. Her son propped up in a seat, eyes red, and her husband laid on a sofa in a white, body wrap. Her expression tensed.

Bryant STEPS onto the jet and SHUTS the door.

TAMI
Where is safe, exactly?

BRYANT
Carter has a private home
base a few miles away.

TAMI
Do you know what's going on? They were holding us captive and stole us away in helicopters...

Bryant WALKS to TAP an autopilot button in the cockpit, the jet HUMMS. It GLIDES the field, BUILDING MOMENTUM. Then he faces Tami.

BRYANT
The helicopters, I knew nothing about. My guess is that your husband's
death alarmed the CDC...that's where you two were heading.

TAMI
CDC...

Her voice trails.

TAMI (CONT'D)
(numbly)
You said you'd explain about Elliot...is he going to die?

BRYANT
No.
(sits beside her)
There's a lot you need to know. This is a stage
that lasts five hours. Think of it more as a...process.
Once it's over, he'll be normal again.

Tami eyes scatters over his. Processing.

BRYANT (CONT'D)
Carter planned the injection. I provided access to the vaccine, it
was underneath the mattress since he hit the hospital. There were two.

He takes a vial of black matter from inside a gray box, and raises it up to the light. Tami witnesses the white glow of it. The strange claymation motion.

BRYANT (CONT'D)
But I see he didn't have time to do the same with you.

Tami goes rigid. Elliot stares, motionless, watching Bryant and his mother.

TAMI
Is he in pain?

BRYANT
No.

Bryant gazes at Elliot.

TAMI
(through clenched teeth)
What does the shot do?

BRYANT
It saves him.

Tami HUFFS, annoyed.

TAMI
From?

BRYANT
Alright. Listen.
(sighs)
Very soon the world is going to change. For good. Everything. Everyone. Everywhere. The human population will decrease rapidly. Carter and his partner created a virus. Once your husband found this out, he wanted to back out, but he couldn't at the time. He asked me to escort his family from danger. Carter didn't explain everything, just enough to allow me to understand the basis. I agreed to his mission.
(gravely)
There's an epidemic coming on fast. I snooped around offices and picked up on some information throughout the years, but not enough to help me understand what and why.

TAMI
An epidemic of what?

BRYANT
I'm as lost as you are. All I know is time
is ticking and underground is where safe is.

Tami closes her eyes tightly.

TAMI
Okay, okay, so...let me get this straight.
(stands)
My husband created an epidemic...couldn't
he had stopped it? Did he even try?

BRYANT
He tried. Like I told your son before, he left for good reasons.

TAMI
BULLSHIT, he didn't try hard enough!

She boils.

BRYANT
Tami, you can't blame him for everything-

TAMI
(tempestuous)
Oh, yes I can! You're telling me that my husband!
(points to Carter's body)
THIS MAN, couldn't stop this?!!

Bryant CLASP his hands together, hanging his head. Holding his tongue.

INT. HOSPITAL LOBBY - DIM - SEATTLE - NIGHT (HOURS BEHIND)

In the grand lobby of Washington Medical Center, Sonya WALKS to a desk. A receptionist, a man, greets her with a smile.

SONYA
Carter Knox, please?

RECEPTIONIST
(his smile fades)
Oh.
(leaves desk immediately)
One moment.

She waits as the receptionist TAPS away on the wood floors. Sonya takes out her phone. UNLOCKING.

Google News Headline: Carter Knox's family have not spoken out.

TEXTS Elliot: are you okay?

SOFT JAZZ PLAYS in the lobby. People in sitting room area, read and wait. A few people enter an elevator not too far from her. Someone STEPS towards Sonya, she looks back to the desk. Doctor Peggy. The receptionist watches from the distance.

DOCTOR PEGGY
Hello.

SONYA
Hello.

DOCTOR PEGGY
How can I help you?

SONYA
I'm here to visit. I'm a friend of the Knox family.
Elliot Knox...his father passed away.

DOCTOR PEGGY
Yes, the great mind is no longer with us, very unfortunate.

SONYA
Yes it is.

Peggy gives a dismissive look to her.

SONYA (CONT'D)
Has the family taken him? Or...?

Doctor Peggy analyzes her closely.

DOCTOR PEGGY
(bluntly)
What is your connection with the family again?

Sonya bites her lip, vexatiously.

SONYA
Look. This doesn't have to be difficult unless you want it to be.
(harshly)
What's the problem here?

DOCTOR PEGGY
Only immediate family is allowed for visitation.
I'm afraid that's the issue. A rule I can't possibly break.

SONYA
I just flew here all the way from Illinois to-

DOCTOR PEGGY
I can't give out any information.

Peggy STRAIGHTENS a pencil on the desk.

DOCTOR PEGGY (CONT'D)
Miss, please don't cause a scene,
this is a place for the resting and sick.

SONYA
I'm just trying to...hmm...
(taps her foot)
This is important, alright. All you have
to do is let the son know I'm here.

DOCTOR PEGGY
Sorry, miss, I can't submit your request. The family is mourning and
needs time to adjust. I hope you have a safe and pleasant trip home, let's not alert security.

Peggy gives a definite smile.

An elevator DINGS. The doors SLIDING apart. Sonya looks to it, then to Peggy. Making up her mind. Then she SPRINTS to it.

DOCTOR PEGGY
Security, stop her!

Sonya gets inside and SELECTS the third floor button eight times. Security guards at the entrance head towards her. FEET POUNDING. Peggy hurries to the elevator. It begins to close as she nears it.

SONYA
Don't cause a scene.

The doors CLOSE.

INT. CDC - LAB - LIGHT - GEORGIA - MIDNIGHT (HOURS AHEAD)

Rebecca examines the contents of black blood through a telescope. It gleams white around the edges. She leans closer.

The wall projector FLASHES white. Blinding the room for a few seconds. Rebecca TUMBLES backwards. The power in the room blacks out. DUMMMMMM.

She JETS from the room.

INT. CDC - HALLWAY - DARK - SECONDS LATER

In a dark hall with opened doors, people gather. COMMOTION.

REBECCA
Alright, everyone remain calm. There appears to be
another blackout. Where is Director James?

INT. CDC - OFFICE - DIM - MOMENTS AFTER

Lights are still on in the office.

DIRECTOR
What do you mean you lost the subjects?
How in the hell did the choppers go down?!

DUMMMM; the power in the office fail. Darkness.

James STANDS. The backup generator overrides the outage. POPPING. The power returns only to be FRIED again. DUMMMM. SIZZLING. The Director edges to the doorknob. BUMPING into the wall and a chair that THUDS over. A few SPARKS POP down from the ceiling's light, floating down like big fireflies, helping him see where he's going.

He JERKS open the door. Flashlights shine over his face.

REBECCA
Sir, something is seriously wrong.

ALARMS go off in the background.

DIRECTOR
Yes, this isn't normal. We may be under a hack. The generators were fried.

I/E. CONTROL ROOM/LAB - DARK - MOMENTS LATER

The group tails behind him into a control room, dark, housing endless computers.

DIRECTOR (CONT'D)
Man stations. I want everyone attempting a reboot.
Get the generators back up. Locate the kill source.

The workers prop flashlights up, facing the computer screens, and OPERATE on the computers. TYPING on blue screens.

Rebecca RUSHES out, flashlight handy.

LAB:

The screen flashes white in the lab when she returns. Her fingers SNATCH the blood sample from under the telescope, a square glass platform, and the black vial from beside it. The projector blazes the room into brightness.

Rebecca shields her eyes, STUMBLING back again.

PROJECTOR: BUZZING. BOOMING. The burning whiteness fades away, showing Outer Space, as stars disappear behind darkness.

REBECCA
What in the world...?

The vial and blood sample in her hands SCORCH away into nothingness. BURNING her hands. Rebecca YELPS. Nursing her wounded hands.

REBECCA
OH, MY GOD!

FLAMES grow, unnaturally, in a circle around her. Rapidly. Caging her in.

VOICE IN HEAD:

ELMORE
Our fun is over, Ms. Washington.
My disappearing act is no longer amusing.

REBECCA
Who are you?!
(shaky voice)
How are you doing this?!

ELMORE
Fascinated, are you not?
(pitying)
Your senses feel the power yet your
mind does not comprehend it...
(smoothly)
I will allow you to see.

PROJECTOR: Oval, black eyes stare fiercely at her. A gray skinned, large entity. Alien.

Rebecca loses her BREATH. She CHOKES. GRIPPING at her throat. GAGGING. CONVULSING. FOAMING at the mouth. Eyes rolling to the back of her head. SEIZURING.

Then like a fly, Rebbeca SLAPS to the floor. Dead.

The FIRE quickly EXPANDS out of the lab. Faster than any. RUMMM.

CONTROL ROOM:

In the control room everyone stops WORKING. Listening closely to the surroundings. The FIRE RUMS like a monster. The Director turns to the door.

WHOOSING WIND. CRACKLING. STEAMINESS. The FIRE ENGULFS the doorway. An orange glow is seen.

One. Two. Three. Four.

The door BURSTS into FLAMES. SPREADING the room. All the people inside BURN, too quickly to scream. Bloody ashes FLOAT from the FLAMES. Forming circular rings in the air. WHOOSHING.

INT. BATHROOM - LIGHT - SECONDS LATER

Beads of WATER HIT a floor of a shower. Elliot SCRUBS himself. The wound down his arm is gone. Completely healed. A knob SCREECHES off and the WATER ceases.

Tami's and Bryant's voices SOUND from beyond the door. MUFFLED.

Elliot DRYS off. Leaning over the sink and staring into a mirror before it. His eyes normal. Redless. He studies himself closely in the mirror, tracing his fingertips across the bottom of his eyes. Feeling around.

His eyes tinge with red, flashes white. Then return to normal. Elliot hands move away fast. Cautiously.

INT. BEDROOM - DIM - SECONDS LATER

A wood paneled room. Spacious. Armchairs. An oversized bed. Big dressers and nightstands. Fresh white curtains and black, wood floors. Tami sits on the floor, resting her head against the bottom of the bathroom door. Worried. Bryant STEPS into the room from a hall, and sits at an armchair.

BRYANT
(fatigued)
He's had enough for one day, let him rest. We all need to rest.

He leans back in the chair. Relaxing his body into the curves of the fabric.

TAMI
(jittery)
Not with the world on a time-bomb. We can't sleep.

BRYANT
We're safe here. And so is every other human...for the moment.
Nothing will happen until the last second strikes. We have time.

TAMI
You've barely told me enough to even believe anything you say.

She eyes the pocket book Elmore gave him, tucked in his unzipped jacket. Ancient in appearance.

TAMI (CONT'D)
What that book?

BRYANT
Nothing.

He says too quickly, moving his jacket to blanket it.

TAMI
Will it help?

Bryant SIGHS longingly, rubbing his sleepy eyes.

BRYANT
Maybe.
(honestly)
I haven't read every entry.

TAMI
Entry...so it's a journal?

BRYANT
Tami, I don't want to talk about
everything tonight. I'm tired.
(gets up)
In the morning we'll talk, I promise. I'll answer all
your questions. You two can sleep here. I'll be next door.

Tami slight nudges the back of her head into the bottom of the door. Unsatisfied.

TAMI
Fine...

He smiles lightly.

TAMI (CONT'D)
(heartfelt)
Oh, and Bryant, thank you...you saved us.

BRYANT
(smoothly)
I never fail a mission...goodnight.

TAMI
Night.

He EXITS the room. Tami STANDS. KNOCKING on the bathroom door.

TAMI
Elliot, are you okay?

She waits for an answer, getting anxious. The veins in her neck protruding tightly.

ELLIOT
Yeah, I'm alright.

TAMI
How do you feel...really?

Elliot OPENS the bathroom door, dressed in clothes that are slightly too big for him. Black pants and a dark red sweater.

ELLIOT
(tiredly)
I'm fine.

TAMI
(maternally)
I think Bryant is right, we need a break from this day. Especially you.

Elliot's P.O.V: BOOMING SOUNDS POUND his eardrums and loud SCREECHING RING his ears. His HEARTBEAT picks up. As he watches his mother, grin sadly at him.

INT. HOSPITAL - HALLWAY - LIGHT - SEATTLE (HOURS AHEAD)

A hospital nurse turns a corner and BUMPS into Sonya getting off the elevator.

SONYA
Excuse me. Hi, I'm looking for the patient Carter Knox,
it was said he was on the third floor, but he isn't.

NURSE
Oh, actually he's been moved to room 8NE10 on the fifth floor, miss.

SONYA
(quickly)
Thank you so much!

Sonya returns to the elevator and SELECTS the fifth floor.

INT. HOSPITAL - FIFTH FLOOR - HALLWAY - LIGHT - MINUTES LATER

On the fifth floor of the hospital, Sonya checks the room numbers on doors like a hawk, as she passes them.

DOCTOR PEGGY
Is she in there?

GUARD
No.

She dashes into an empty room when she hears Doctor Peggy MARCH around the corner with a security team of three. The elevator DINGS. Security HUSTLE to the area, along with Peggy. Quickly. Sonya hides behind the room's door when the group passes her. Seeing their shadows flash across the bottom of the door. She moves from behind the door to peek out.

END OF ACT II