                                       "ANTITRUST"

                                      Screenplay by

                                     Howard Franklin

                                      SHOOTING DRAFT

                                           2001

                

               ON A BLACK SCREEN

               it says: "The coolest thing?"

                                     VOICE
                         Wow. That's hard. I'd have to say 
                         it's the day we launched Outpost 
                         '98.

               We hear a (famous) Seattle alternative band.

               EXT. OUTPOST CAMPUS - DAY (BEGIN MAIN TITLES)

               Quick cuts, seductive angles: 70 hot-air balloons rise over 
               a vast, green corporate campus. Their mylar skins are 
               imprinted with Outpost '98 logos; their gondolas are dressed 
               in Outpost-colored bunting.

               18,000 Outpost employees cheer. They're spread out over 
               rolling lawns, amid Arabian tents and costumed Acrobats. 
               Over the balloon-dotted sky, the graphic re-appears: "The 
               coolest thing?"

                                     DIFFERENT VOICE (DARYL)
                         It's the beverages.

               INT. OUTPOST OFFICE - DAY (CONTINUE TITLES & MUSIC)

               A Programmer sits in his handsome office, forested landscape 
               out the window. The screen says: DARYL, M.I.T. '95

                                     DARYL
                         Gary always makes sure we've got the 
                         coolest stuff to drink.

               JUMP CUTS of tall refrigerators: Snapples, Cokes, Fruitopias, 
               Zaps, Jolts, Barques & Sprites are lined-up behind glass 
               doors. "The coolest thing?"

                                     DIFFERENT VOICE (DIANA)
                         Knowing your work means something.

               INT. OUTPOST CAMPUS - DAY (CONTINUE TITLES & MUSIC)

               A 24-year-old Korean-American Girl sits at the edge of a 
               plashing, post-modern fountain. DIANA, STANFORD '97

                                     DIANA (V.O.)
                         Knowing everywhere in the world, 
                         this is the software people use.

               MONTAGE of world capitals & remote places: Stockbrokers & 
               Farmers, News Anchors & Students, CEO's & Eskimos boot-up 
               Outpost '98, or log-on with Outpost Internet Traveler.

                                     DIANA (V.O.)
                         20 years ago, Gary had an idea, that's 
                         all he had. And now the company's 
                         bigger than IBM.

               Over the last shot (a Ghetto Kid uses Outpost Word in the 
               library): "The coolest thing?"

                                     VOICE (V.O.)
                         It's the people. Which is weird.

               EXT. COFFEE HOUSE/TERRACE - DAY (CONTINUE TITLES & MUSIC)

               A Programmer sits with two colleagues, drinking lattés at 
               the edge of Lake Washington. MITCH, BERKELEY, '98

                                     MITCH
                         Big companies are s'posed to be 
                         impersonal.

               MONTAGE: Programmers play competitive games at an Outpost 
               picnic; Toddlers play on computers in an Outpost Day Care 
               Center; Geeks confer at a diagram-covered whiteboard; 
               Employees listen/dance to the Seattle band we've been hearing, 
               on-stage, at the Outpost '98 launch.

                                     MITCH (V.O.)
                         There's this myth that doing a start-
                         up is cooler. But there's no community 
                         with a start-up. No permanence.

               BACK TO SCENE: COFFEE HOUSE/TERRACE (CONTINUE TITLES)

               One of Mitch's colleagues is nodding. DONNY, HARVARD, '97

                                     DONNY
                         It bums me out when the media say 
                         we're cultish, or whatever. Why? 
                         'Cause we care about each other?

               Donny didn't mean to sound so mushy. Nobody knows where to 
               look for a second.

                                     MITCH
                         'Love you too, bro.

               As they laugh: "The coolest thing?"

                                     VOICE (TERRY)
                         I'll tell you what's not cool.

                                     TERRY
                         How Gary gets this superbad rap.

               MONTAGE of magazine covers (Newsweek, Vanity Fair, WIRED) 
               featuring Gary Boyd. They say, eg: "Who Owns Cyberspace?" On 
               a Time cover, he's composited by the Capitol Dome: "ROBBER 
               BARON OR VISIONARY? Outpost's Antitrust Woes"

                                     TERRY (V.O.)
                         There's this prejudice against super-
                         smart people. People like Gary.

               GARY (early 40's) reads a statement before a Congressional 
               Sub-Committee. His voice is pleasant but firm:

                                     GARY
                         A kid working in his garage can create 
                         the next Outpost, the new IBM. All 
                         it takes is a great idea.

               A bloated Senator looks hostile.

                                     GARY
                         That's why nobody can have a monopoly 
                         in a business built on ideas.

               As we watch, CAMERA pulls back from the screen on which the 
               movie is being projected. REVERSE INTO:

               INT. COLLEGE AUDITORIUM - EVENING (END MAIN TITLES)

               Over an audience of 40 or so computer students we read:

               STANFORD UNIVERSITY

               We pick out MILO CONNOR, watching keenly. He's 21: clear-
               eyed, alive, innocent. He sits with his best friend, TEDDY 
               CHIN, third-generation Chinese-American.

                                     DIFFERENT VOICE (V.O.)
                         The coolest? Gary. He's like you or 
                         me. If we happened t'be insanely 
                         rich.

               Some appreciative laughter in the auditorium. But behind 
               Milo, LARRY LINDHOLM squirms in his seat. He whispers:

                                     LARRY
                         Can we go?

                                     VOICE (FROM THE FILM)
                         For me? It's Seattle!

                                     LARRY
                         'Starting to get nauseated.

               BRIAN BISSEL, in front of Milo, twists in his seat:

                                     BRIAN
                         Do you mind?

               Larry gets up.

               Two Outpost Recruiters, REDMOND PRICE, 31 (gray suit) and 
               DANNY BAYLOR, 29 (Outpost '98 golf shirt) note the walkout. 
               Danny scans headshots in a Stanford Yearbook. (On-screen 
               behind them we see Seattle: night streets wet-down & 
               shimmering; Young People entering a club; Young People 
               climbing Mt. Shasta.) Finding Larry's picture, Danny points 
               out the name to Redmond, who shrugs: unconcerned.

                                     VOICE FROM THE MOVIE
                         Did anybody mention the beverages?

               INT. HALLWAY OUTSIDE AUDITORIUM - CONTINUOUS

               The double-doors swing open (over them, a plate reads: THE 
               HEWLITT-PACKARD AUDITORIUM) and Larry comes out.

               UP THE HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS

               ALICE POULSON, a very pretty girl of 21 (more hiply dressed 
               than the geeks) searches the hall, reading the names over 
               the doors (NEC Communications Classroom, Toshiba Computer 
               Lab, Mitsubishi Classroom). She spots Larry.

                                     ALICE
                         Is it over?

                                     LARRY
                         They still have to give 'em 
                         refreshments laced with mind-altering 
                         drugs.

                                     ALICE
                         You are a fanatic.

                                     LARRY
                         'Gonna wait outside.

               EXT. STANFORD COMPUTER SCIENCE BLDG. - A MOMENT LATER

               Tilting down the neo-classical edifice, we read the name 
               etched over the entrance: WILLIAM GATES COMPUTER SCIENCE 
               BUILDING. We find Larry and Alice sitting on the steps.

                                     LARRY (AT FIRST O.S.)
                         Alice? You gotta make him do the 
                         start-up with Teddy and me.

                                     ALICE
                         "Make" him?

                                     LARRY
                              (thoughtfully)
                         You know what I mean.

               As we hear Larry speak, we cut back into:

               THE AUDITORIUM - CONTINUOUS

               The lights are on. Milo & Teddy stand by a table dressed in 
               Outpost bunting, laden with refreshments & giveaways: 
               mousepads, T-shirts, caps & books with the Outpost logo on 
               them (a simple contour drawing of a frontier outpost). While 
               most Students chat earnestly with Recruiters, Milo & Teddy 
               load their plates with pizza and tortilla chips.

                                     LARRY (V.O.)
                         I'm not exactly worldly, but I'm the 
                         Secretary of State next to him.

               Milo puts some brownies on his plate.

                                     LARRY (V.O.)
                         And they're all throwing this -- 
                         stuff at him. Stock options. Pay 
                         packages.

               Spotting a book on the table, Milo picks it up.

               EXT. GATES BLDG. - CONTINUOUS

                                     LARRY
                         I'm just screwed.

                                     ALICE
                              (that's not true)
                         You know what he's like. He just 
                         wants to work on stuff that's cool.

                                     LARRY
                         You don't wanna move, do you?

                                     ALICE
                         I can paint anywhere.

               Larry looks at her: you didn't answer my question.

                                     ALICE
                         I'd like to stay here, yeah. And I 
                         kind of think he should be with Teddy.

               THE AUDITORIUM - CONTINUOUS

               Milo and Teddy discuss the book almost joyfully. (We see a 
               page of code: utterly indecipherable.)

                                     ALICE (V.O.)
                         I mean, nobody else can follow what 
                         they're talking about half the time.

                                     MILO/TEDDY
                              (under Alice)
                         'Could be a condition-variable in 
                         the locking code -- If it didn't seg 
                         fault, first!

               EXT. GATES BLDG. - CONTINUOUS

                                     ALICE
                         Maybe you shouldn't push it so hard. 
                         About Outpost. No offense, you sound 
                         insane.

                                     LARRY
                         I can't help it. I feel like they'd 
                         do anything to keep their --

                                     ALICE
                         Anything? That's not even credible. 
                         If he wants to go up there? To check 
                         it out? I think you should encourage 
                         him.
                              (seeing Larry's 
                              incredulity)
                         It's his life. But everybody's 
                         treating him like this -- valuable  
                         object. You're hurting your own case.

               INT. AUDITORIUM - CONTINUOUS

               Brian, already wearing one of the Outpost caps, effuses to 
               Redmond.

                                     BRIAN
                         He's my god. I hear he actually calls 
                         recruits sometimes. Or is that an 
                         Urban Legend?

                                     REDMOND
                         Gary's running the biggest software 
                         company in the world, Brian. He's 
                         being harassed by the Justice 
                         Department, and he's got a new baby.

               Across the room, Milo (eating chips, perusing code) reaches 
               for a napkin but unwittingly grabs some bunting. It unravels 
               in a long TP-like streamer -- just as Danny approaches, 
               peering at Milo's ID tag.

                                     DANNY
                         Milo? I'm Danny.

                                     MILO
                         Oh hi.

               He tries to sluff the paper off his hand; Danny holds out a 
               cell phone.

                                     DANNY
                         Gary would like to speak to you?

               Milo and Teddy look at each other: right. But Danny looks 
               like he means it. Milo's grin fades. He takes the phone.

                                     MILO
                         ...Hello?

                                     GARY (ON THE PHONE)
                         Milo? Gary Boyd. I'm hoping you and 
                         your friend can come up here. We've 
                         made some amazing strides in digital 
                         convergence. I'd love to show them 
                         to you.

                                     MILO
                         You would? Wow. When would we come?
                              (he waits; he looks 
                              up)
                         'Think he hung up.

               Danny holds out two plane tickets, in 1st class folders.

               INT. UNIVERSITY AVENUE DINER (PALO ALTO) - NIGHT

               Alice examines one of the tickets almost suspiciously.

                                     ALICE
                         But how does he know that's what you 
                         guys're working on?

               Larry, Teddy & Brian are at the table with Alice & Milo. 
               It's a student hang-out, with loud music.

                                     MILO
                         All the companies know. The faculties 
                         tell 'em. At the target schools.

                                     LARRY
                         In exchange for endowments. They 
                         should just drop the pretense and 
                         name the schools after 'em.

                                     BRIAN
                              (to Teddy)
                         I can't believe you refused a ticket!

                                     TEDDY
                         My parents're already freaked-out 
                         I'm staying here. 50 miles from 
                         Chinatown.

                                     BRIAN
                         Well maybe if you told 'em how much 
                         money you'd be making --
                              (to Milo)
                         You're going up there. Right?

                                     LARRY
                         I think you should go.

                                     MILO
                              (amazed)
                         You do?

                                     LARRY
                         I mean, it's your life.

               As Alice predicted, Milo is pleased by Larry's remark. 
               "Empowered." Larry smiles conspiratorially at Alice.

               INT. MILO & ALICE'S APARTMENT - MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT

               In a tidy, playfully decorated room, Alice stirs in bed, 
               sees the space next to her is vacant.

               TINY ROOM - CONTINUOUS

               Milo sits at a desk, thinking, agitated, in the dim light of 
               a PC. He looks up, sees Alice in the doorway.

                                     MILO
                         I think I kind of lost it. I was 
                         just so thrilled to be talking to 
                         the richest, most powerful... 'Didn't 
                         know I even cared about that stuff.

                                     ALICE
                         C'mon, how often do you talk to 
                         somebody who's been on the cover of 
                         Time. Three of four times.

               She picks her way through geek clutter (motherboards, code 
               manuals, Coke cans) sits next to him.

                                     MILO
                         A lot of what Larry says is true. 
                         They just clone stuff, or reverse 
                         engineer it, and everybody gets stuck 
                         with their inferior version cause 
                         they --

                                     ALICE
                         Then you've gotta ask him about that.

               He looks at her: you've gotta be kidding.

                                     ALICE
                         It's important.

                                     MILO
                         If he's really a bully, he won't cop 
                         to it, anyway.

                                     ALICE
                         Bully? Are we talking about Gary 
                         Boyd? Or your dad.

               He doesn't deny it: she sees right through him.

                                     MILO
                         When I was a kid? And he was moving 
                         us all over the place? I spent all 
                         my time writing stuff on Outpost 
                         1.0. I thought Gary Boyd was the 
                         greatest.

                                     ALICE
                         But he's not quite the same guy 
                         anymore. Don't get your hopes too 
                         high?

               INT. 737 - FIRST CLASS CABIN - DAY

               In the cabin, everybody types on a notebook but Milo. He 
               looks out the window expectantly: at the Seattle skyline.

               INT. SEA-TAC AIRPORT - GATE 13 - DAY

               Milo comes off the plane. Danny and Redmond greet him.

               INT/EXT. HIGHWAY/CAR - DAY

               Redmond drives his black Lexus 85 m.p.h. Danny leans forward 
               from the backseat.

                                     DANNY
                         'Couldn't convince Teddy to come?

                                     MILO
                         He's pretty tight with his family.

                                     DANNY
                         We could move 'em up here.

                                     MILO
                         He just likes to write code. He's 
                         bummed there's so much secrecy and 
                         competition, everybody trying to own 
                         everything.

                                     REDMOND
                         Who do you mean by "everybody."

               Milo almost blushes. He makes an awkward segue.

                                     MILO
                         So -- how far are we from the campus?

                                     REDMOND
                         Oh we're not going to the campus.

               EXT. GARY BOYD'S COMPOUND - LAKE WASHINGTON - DAY

               Beyond a rocky beach, buildings are cunningly carved into a 
               wooded hillside. Glass walls are framed in rich wood. The 
               main house is 28,000 sq. ft. Then there's the guest house, 
               pool building, reception hall, library...

               EXT. GATEHOUSE - CONTINUOUS

               Redmond pulls up. A discreet Guard in a Mr. Rogers cardigan 
               recognizes him. The gates swing open.

               EXT. BOYD HOUSE - DAY

               They pull up by a Lexus SUV with a baby seat. Another Man in 
               a cardigan stands in the open front door.

                                     MILO
                         Who's that?

                                     DANNY
                         I think they call him the "Houseman." 
                         'Cause "guard" sounds too weird.

               Milo just sits there, eyeing the monumental residence.

                                     DANNY
                         Don't be nervous. The house is the 
                         weirdest thing about him.

                                     REDMOND
                         It's like he knows everybody expects 
                         him to be this worldly, colorful 
                         zillionaire. But he's just a guy who 
                         likes software.

               INT. BOYD MANSION - DEN-LIKE ROOM - DAY

               Milo and the Houseman cross a long room with a lake view. We 
               hear music by Satie. The Craftsman furniture and lamps are 
               custom-made. A Cezanne hangs on the wall.

               ANOTHER DEN-LIKE ROOM WITH A VIEW

               There's a Craftsman crib here, stuffed animals, another 
               Cezanne. Even the toys seem arranged. They enter an

               ANTEROOM/CONFERENCE ROOM - CONTINUOUS

                                     HOUSEMAN
                         Have a seat. He won't be long.

               Milo sits on a bench. He tries not to look, but his childhood 
               hero is partly visible through a glass panel in the door: 
               Gary (in a suit and tie) has an open American face. But 
               something goes on behind his pleasant features and self-
               possessed mien: his desire (or need) to solve the problem at 
               hand is so intense it makes him appear vexed -- even 
               vulnerable.

               CONFERENCE ROOM - CONTINUOUS

               As Gary concentrates, two Outpost Senior Managers speak: 
               PHIL TATE, 40 (bald); and RANDY GRIMES, 36, (gray eyes).

                                     PHIL
                         We tried the big vaporware number, 
                         Gary, it's no-sale.

                                     RANDY
                         Can we buy into their IPO? Or is 
                         that a Justice Dept. problem?

                                     PHIL
                         There is no public offering. The guy 
                         who wrote it joined some freakazoid 
                         cult in San Luis Obispo. 'Wrote this 
                         just to run their web site.

               ANTEROOM - CONTINUOUS

               Gary speaks with precise hand gestures: settling the matter. 
               Phil and Randy gather their papers, and stand. They exit, 
               nodding at Milo as they pass. Then Gary comes out.

                                     GARY
                         Milo? Excuse the tie. I was on TV.

               Milo is a little dazzled as they shake hands: such a fam- 
               iliar face, such a big figure in his young life.

                                     MILO
                         ...That's okay.

               INT. DEN-LIKE ROOM - MOVING

               Now New Age music plays. They move back through the same 
               room, but the Cezanne has been replaced by a Hieronymus Bosch 
               (bodies roiling in Hell). Milo is -- puzzled.

                                     GARY
                         The house knows the paintings I like, 
                         it knows my favorite music. Same for 
                         anybody else who's in the system.

               NEXT ROOM - STILL MOVING

               As they walk, Milo watches a Cezanne "original" digitally re-
               configure to a Bosch, brushstrokes and all.

                                     MILO
                         Cool!

                                     GARY
                         Would you like a Coke or something?

                                     MILO
                              (too shy, too nervous)
                         Oh. No thanks.

               He opens a glass-doored refrigerator, scans a shelf with 
               rows of Snapples -- in alphabetical order.

                                     GARY
                         When we started, I just hired my 
                         smart friends. That was great. We 
                         got a little bigger, I had to hire 
                         smart strangers. Much harder.

               He selects a Kiwi-Raspberry, they walk on.

                                     GARY
                         Now I don't get to hire anybody. But 
                         I know you're the guy to write 
                         Skywire.

               INT. GARY'S WORKROOM (LAKE VIEW) - MOMENTS LATER

               They enter. An entire wall is taken-up by a Bosch triptych. 
               As Gary crosses to the other side of the room, Milo stands 
               by a table covered in art books -- hundreds of them (Soutine, 
               Chinoiserie, Roy Lichtenstein...)

                                     MILO
                         You know a lot about art, I guess.

                                     GARY
                         There's a rumor going around, maybe 
                         you've heard it.

               Gary heads back, carrying something spherical.

                                     GARY
                         There's more to life than computers? 
                         I'm looking into it.

               Glancing down at the daunting display of books, Gary looks 
               vaguely afflicted. He mutters:

                                     GARY
                         'Once I start looking into something.

               Looking up now (and much more at ease) he holds up a shiny, 
               detailed metal object: model satellite.

                                     GARY
                         I've only shown this to three other 
                         people. I bought 200, we've launched 
                         12 so far. I keep the coordinates in 
                         this room.
                              (as Milo takes it, 
                              carefully)
                         It's left over from SDI. Reagan's 
                         Star Wars technology? They orbit 426 
                         miles up.

                                     MILO
                         Low enough to relay internet traffic.

                                     GARY
                              (he smiles: exactly)
                         Among other things... We know 
                         convergence is the real super-highway: 
                         all the PC's, TV's, phones, etc. 
                         linked together. Why cram it into a 
                         cable if you can use the whole sky?

                                     MILO
                              (turning the sleek 
                              object)
                         Skywire.

               INT. GARY'S WORKROOM - LATER

               Milo and Gary peer at a monitor, side-by-side. Milo sips his 
               own Snapple now. Gary speaks his language.

                                     GARY
                         The content filer has t'be written 
                         into the media files so bits coming 
                         off the satellite can be read by 
                         multiplatforms. Really, omniplatforms. 
                         Including whatever new hardware 
                         emerges.

                                     MILO
                         It needs a more object-oriented 
                         language. This doesn't scale, does 
                         it?

                                     GARY
                         You'd have to start practically from 
                         scratch. But this is all you'd be 
                         working on. No marketing meetings, 
                         no product seminars. We can't waste 
                         the time. Half the Valley's working 
                         on convergence. So're media 
                         conglomerates, cable companies, phone 
                         companies. 'Can't finish second, 
                         Milo. There is no second... Now what 
                         would you like to ask me?

               Milo has a deer-in-the-headlights look.

                                     MILO
                         ...Ask you?

               INT. GARY'S HOUSE - ANOTHER ROOM - DUSK

               As they walk, Milo chides himself for his reticence. Gary 
               seems to read his mind.

                                     GARY
                         I know what people say, and not just 
                         the Justice Department. We clone 
                         ideas, inflict our second-rate 
                         versions on the world, we haven't 
                         done anything original since 1.0.

               Milo's amazed by Gary's acuity. And his candor.

                                     GARY
                         Do I think that's fair? No. I'd put 
                         some of our apps up against anybody's. 
                         But is there some truth to it?

               They have come to a stop in a windowed entryway. Milo watches 
               Gary keenly. Gary nods. He knits his brow.

                                     GARY
                         When you get to a certain age, you 
                         start wondering. About your legacy. 
                         I doubt you even remember Outpost 
                         1.0 --

                                     MILO
                         I do!

                                     GARY
                              (pleased)
                         Yeah? I wanna feel like I did when I 
                         wrote that. But I'm 42, that's 100 
                         in cyber-years. I look at you and 
                         see the things that got me here.
                              (the furrows deepen)
                         But somehow got away.

               EXT. CUPERTINO HILLS (SILICON VALLEY) - NIGHT

               A block of floodlit "tract mansions," Taco Bell palaces of 
               the Valley's newly rich. Milo & Alice cross a vacant lot to 
               where the lights twinkle below. Their '89 Honda Civic is 
               parked nearby. Milo is excited.

                                     MILO
                         If my dad'd leveled with me like 
                         that even once... The weird thing 
                         is, my fantasy he could somehow be 
                         like the old Gary? It's his fantasy, 
                         too.

                                     ALICE
                         I think that's great, Milo. I do.

                                     MILO
                         ...But?

                                     ALICE
                         Didn't you visit the campus?

                                     MILO
                         I forgot. That's why you have to 
                         help me decide.

                                     ALICE
                         No way. You have this -- destiny.

                                     MILO
                         C'mon, I wouldn't have a destiny 
                         without you. My destiny would be 
                         dying at 20. From eating --

                                     ALICE
                         Don't bring that up. Like a different 
                         girlfriend would'd've let you die?

                                     MILO
                              (shrugs)
                         You saved my life in alot of ways.

               He's sweet. She kisses him. He holds onto her.

                                     ALICE
                         It's not just Gary that makes you 
                         wanna go there? 'Cause it's a big 
                         place. You might not even see him 
                         again.

               He'd hate to think that's true. But he manages a smile.

                                     MILO
                         I know.

               EXT. MILO & ALICE'S APARTMENT - DAY

               The Honda is loaded with luggage and boxes, some of which 
               are tied to the roof. Milo & Alice stow a final piece.

                                     MILO
                         When's Brian coming for the TV?

                                     ALICE
                         Prob'ly waiting by the phone for 
                         Outpost to call. We'll leave it for 
                         him?

               As they head back in, they see a Toyota park at the curb.

                                     ALICE
                         'Give you guys some time alone.

               She continues inside. He waits, watches Teddy cross the 
               sidewalk to join him.

                                     MILO
                         ...You got my E-mail?

                                     TEDDY
                         And your phone messages. You wanna 
                         do what you do, it's not a crime.

                                     MILO
                         Is that how Larry feels?

                                     TEDDY
                         Uh. Not exactly.

               A brown Buick parks behind Teddy's car. As they speak, a 
               rumpled, 50ish MAN in an off-the-rack suit gets out.

                                     MILO
                         Wanted to say goodbye to him...

                                     TEDDY
                         Hey, we got seed money for the 
                         startup! A million-five!

               Milo grins, he high-fives Teddy.

                                     TEDDY
                         We rented a loft in Sunnyvale.
                              (he gives Milo the 
                              number)
                         You know what's the bad part? We 
                         can't talk about work anymore. We're 
                         competitors! The venture capitalists 
                         made us sign like 100 confidentiality 
                         forms.

                                     MILO
                         Outpost made me sign 1,000. 'Guess 
                         we'll find out what else we have to 
                         talk about. Life stuff.

               They embrace. It's awkward, but it's heartfelt.

               INT. MILO & ALICE'S APARTMENT - A MOMENT LATER

               Milo enters, reading Teddy's phone number.

                                     MILO
                         Guess what? They got their --

               The rumpled Man sits on a radiator, watching CNN on a TV, 
               the last remaining piece of furniture. Alice enters, holding 
               a jam jar filled water, hands Milo a business card.

                                     ALICE
                         Milo, this is Mr. Barton from the 
                         Justice Department.
                              (gives Barton the 
                              water)
                         Sorry about the glass.

               Milo reads the card: Lyle Barton, Asst. Prosecutor, DOJ, 
               Seattle Branch Office. Milo's a little spooked.

                                     BARTON
                         Don't worry, Milo. I'm here as a 
                         friend. Or maybe a supplicant.

                                     MILO
                         Right... What's that mean again?

                                     BARTON
                         Beggar. We're at a disadvantage with 
                         Outpost. Our experts aren't as smart 
                         as theirs. Sometimes we can't tell 
                         which technologies pose the threat 
                         of a monopoly. We need a really smart 
                         guy to help us pick our fights. I'm 
                         taking a shot in the dark, here. I 
                         can offer you 32,000 a year, a Buick. 
                         I'm hoping you've got a feeling it's 
                         the right thing to do.

                                     MILO
                              (fiddling with the 
                              card)
                         It's just -- I kind of feel the need 
                         to do something with my ability. 
                         Create something...

                                     BARTON
                         Like I said: shot in the dark.

               Milo tries to give back the card.

                                     BARTON
                         If you see something there that rubs 
                         you the wrong way? Do the right thing.

               And he goes.

                                     MILO
                         That took some fun out of --

                                     ALICE
                         We're not gonna let it.

               She kisses him. They head out. We linger. On TV a graphic 
               says: SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA: MASS SUICIDE - LIVE. Emergency 
               Medical Personnel roll gurneys with bodies out of a new 
               Mediterranean mansion. Footage shows bodies (including a few 
               children) on bunkbeds, uniformly shod in black Nikes.

                                     CNN VOICE
                         -- ingested the fatal mixture of 
                         sedatives crushed in apple sauce. 
                         According to the cult's eerily 
                         professional website, it was "time 
                         to move on..."

               EXT. OUTPOST CORPORATE CAMPUS - DAY

               Crane past identical, low, steel & glass buildings, amid the 
               vast lawns & fir trees... Past a building under 
               construction... To find Redmond's Lexus, cruising.

               INT./EXT. REDMOND'S CAR/CAMPUS - CONTINUOUS

               Milo looks out the window, Redmond gives the tour:

                                     REDMOND
                         There're 20 buildings, I mean not 
                         counting the Gyms, the Day Care, 
                         etc.

               The Day Care is a Michael Graves-looking building with a big 
               cartoon-dog sculpture on its roof, ears cocked to the sky. A 
               Teacher leads her little charges inside.

                                     REDMOND
                         Gary's put millions in there. And 
                         the people with kids? They're not 
                         hotshot geeks, they're just payroll 
                         clerks or whatever.

               Two Men in suits, with briefcases, (conspicuous amid the 
               Geeks in jeans and T-shirts) enter Building #19.

                                     REDMOND
                         You'll see alot of that: Department 
                         of Justice goons snooping around.

               The car pulls into a lot full of Miatas, BMW's, Boxters.

               CLOSE ON - THE OUTPOST LOGO

               THEN TILT UP TO SHOW:

               EXT. BUILDING 20 QUAD - DAY

               The logo is of inlaid stone. Redmond & Milo walk over it. 
               Milo carries a box with some personal effects, including a 
               small painting. Redmond wears a photo I.D. tag.

                                     REDMOND
                         So how'd you like the house?

                                     MILO
                         His Snapples were in alphabetical 
                         order.

                                     REDMOND
                              (he laughs)
                         Well, he micro-managed the company 
                         till it got too big...
                              (he opens the door)
                         'Guess he needs to micro-manage 
                         something.

               INT. BLDG. 20 LOBBY - CONTINUOUS

               At the desk, a RECEPTIONIST looks up, stands to hang a 
               temporary ID pass around Milo's neck.

                                     RECEPTIONIST
                         Milo, I'm Judith. Welcome!

               Milo smiles. Redmond uses his magnetic swipe card on an inner 
               door (a security cam is at every door); he holds the door 
               open for Milo.

               INT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS

               They walk up a long carpeted hallway, past open offices where 
               Geeks (mostly males under 30) sit at workstations.

                                     REDMOND
                         Everybody has the same office, there's 
                         no dumbass corporate hierarchy.

               They pass a room in which Geeks play video games. Just outside 
               it, a chubby programmer, DESI, sips a Diet Coke.

                                     DESI
                         Get out while you can, dude!

                                     REDMOND
                         Desi, Milo.

                                     DESI
                         The guy who was at Gary's house?

               He bows deep, with mock-obeisance. Milo blushes, Redmond 
               laughs, he snags Milo's elbow. They walk again, passing a 
               service hall with a Civil Defense sign.

                                     REDMOND
                         Best bomb shelters in America, 
                         accessible from every building. You 
                         gotta figure we're a major target, 
                         right?

               ANOTHER HALLWAY - A MOMENT LATER

               Up the hall, a young woman (LISA) is about to go into her 
               office. She pauses half a second, looks at Milo, goes in. 
               She's beautiful.

                                     REDMOND
                         Whoa. Lisa actually looked at you.

               As they pass her office, they look in: she's already at her 
               workstation, studiously avoiding their gaze.

                                     REDMOND
                         Every geek here's got a thing for 
                         Lisa. But that's about the biggest 
                         reaction she's had to anybody.

                                     MILO
                              (shy, changing the 
                              emphasis)
                         She's a programmer?

                                     REDMOND
                         Heavy graphical background, doing 
                         design-interface for Skywire apps.
                              (he all but winks)
                         You'll be working with her.

                                     MILO
                         I've got a girlfriend, remember?

                                     REDMOND
                         Right. That's rare around here. You 
                         know how nuns' re-married to Jesus? 
                         'Posties are married to Outpost.

               INT. MILO'S OFFICE - MOMENT LATER

               A handsome, modest office like all the others: workstation, 
               whiteboard, window. They enter.

                                     REDMOND
                         Here's your world.
                              (pointing at the desk)
                         Copy of Gary's book, also the audio 
                         version, narrated by Gary.

               Milo puts down his box, picks up the book: The Next Highway 
               (Gary by a highway on its cover). As we look at it:

                                     VOICE (SHROT)
                         The card's encoded. Tells us who 
                         came through the door and when.

               INT. OFFICE OF PHYSICAL SECURITY - LATER

               In an office with a bank of monitors that play feeds from 
               security cameras, BOB SHROT, 40, Head of Physical Security, 
               issues Milo his swipe card. Redmond watches.

                                     SHROT
                         Unauthorized entries sound like this.

               He drags the card through a sample slot, producing an 
               unbelievably loud, piercing EEEEEEEE. He shouts over it:

                                     SHROT
                         If you see a tailgater, report him.

                                     MILO
                         Tailgater?

                                     SHROT
                              (kills the alarm)
                         Somebody coming in on your swipe.
                              (gives Milo a photo 
                              ID)
                         You see somebody wandering around 
                         without ID, it's your duty to 
                         challenge him. I don't give a shit 
                         if you're a stock-option billionaire. 
                         If you don't challenge, I'll have 
                         your butt.

               INT. HALLWAY - LATER

                                     MILO
                         He seems a little -- tense.

                                     REDMOND
                         Geeks pull his chain cause he's non-
                         tech. Ex-cop or something. They moon 
                         cameras, or use ATM's as swipe cards. 
                         The cameras're our real security so 
                         he's a little demoralized.

               EXT. BUILDING 20/PARKING LOT - DAY

               As they walk, Milo watches two Hardhats roll a spool of fiber-
               optic cable into the building under construction.

                                     MILO
                         What're they building?

                                     REDMOND
                         #21. Way behind schedule. It's top-
                         secret, but everybody knows it's a 
                         digital broadcast space. They see 
                         the dishes on top, the fiber optics 
                         going in.

                                     MILO
                         Gary's not into fiber optics. He's 
                         betting everything on the satellites.

                                     REDMOND
                         You wanna survive in the software 
                         business, you cover your bets... I 
                         gotta say, this is the weirdest car 
                         anybody ever requested.

               They approach a 1990 Deux Chevaux, cheap but charming.

                                     REDMOND
                         Oh, right. Your girlfriend's an 
                         artist.

               INT. BLDG. 20 CAFETERIA - DAY

               Blond wood, smoked glass -- a room as sleek as the Geeks who 
               lunch here are nerdy. Milo and Redmond push trays.

                                     REDMOND
                         I phoned her at your hotel, told her 
                         about our corporate housing options. 
                         She sounds neat.

               Lisa's at a table, looking at Milo. When their eyes meet, 
               she busies herself, placing the plates back on her tray.

                                     MILO
                         ...She is.
                              (turning away from 
                              Lisa)
                         She is!

               Lisa passes behind them, smiles fleetingly at Milo. At a 
               table, Randy and Phil note the "interaction." Meantime:

                                     REDMOND
                         'Might be some friction on the 
                         domestic front. You're expected you 
                         to put in ridiculous hours. People've 
                         accused us of breaking up 
                         relationships to get their undivided 
                         attention.

               He laughs.

               INT. BLDG. 20 HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS

               Lisa moves swiftly up the hall. She looks up it and down it 
               (making sure no one's looking) before ducking into

               MILO'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

               She goes to the box on Milo's desk (his personal effects) -- 
               starts rooting through it.

               INT. CAFETERIA - LATER

               Redmond and Milo have eaten; Redmond stacks their plates.

                                     REDMOND
                         Your counselor'll fill you in on 
                         everything else. That's who you'll 
                         be working with almost daily.

               INT. MILO'S OFFICE - LATER

               Milo has fed the old Skywire disks into his machine. He reads 
               a complicated screen.

                                     VOICE
                         Busy?

               Milo looks up. It's Gary. Milo is thrilled.

                                     MILO
                         No! Just waiting for my counselor to 
                         come by and introduce himself.

                                     GARY
                         Okay. I'm Gary.

               Milo's smile deepens. Gary notices the small painting (by 
               Alice) hanging on the wall. He stares at it.

                                     GARY
                         'Think I should buy some originals?

                                     MILO
                         ...Do I?

                                     GARY
                         Somebody said I'm just another 
                         Philistine. With reproductions.

                                     MILO
                         That's insane. You're ahead of your 
                         time.

                                     GARY
                         That's what I told her. My wife.

               Milo colors as Gary drags a second chair in front of the 
               screen; didn't realize he was contradicting Mrs. Boyd.

                                     GARY
                         'Thinks I'll be less of a control 
                         freak if I have a hobby. 'Just gives 
                         me something else to obsess about...

               Milo smiles as Gary sits down, studies the screen.

                                     GARY
                         Anything we can salvage from the old 
                         code before you start fresh?

               Milo can't quite get over: Gary's his counselor.

                                     MILO
                         Uh, might be one or two things.

                                                               DISSOLVE TO:

               EXT. QUAD - OUTSIDE MILO'S OFFICE - LATER

               Two awe-struck Geeks see Gary through the window.

                                     GEEK 1
                         He's been in there like an hour.

                                     GEEK 2
                         Shit.

               INT. MILO'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

               MILO SCROLLS THE SCREEN:

                                     MILO
                         Could work with a new switch. There 
                         may be a few more things hidden.

                                     GARY
                         Don't spend too much time searching. 
                         You ever vetted somebody's old code 
                         before?
                              (when Milo shakes his 
                              head)
                         It's a different skill. Stay close 
                         to the surface. The best-hidden 
                         secrets are in plain sight. You know 
                         the best place to hide a leaf, right?
                              (when Milo shakes his 
                              head)
                         In a tree.

               INT. EMPTY HOUSE - EVENING

               We're in an old (empty) Craftsman house. Through a front 
               window, we see Alice lead Milo up a path. As they enter:

                                     ALICE
                         ...The corporate condos were as 
                         romantic as they sound.

               Milo's grinning as he takes in the house.

               THE BEDROOM - MOMENT LATER

               Windows give onto a garden with a small studio. Milo's still 
               beaming, Alice is pleased. Till he says:

                                     MILO
                         You know he's never been anybody's 
                         counselor before?

                                     ALICE
                         Milo! What about --?

               She gestures at what she hopes will be their home.

                                     MILO
                         Oh, It's great. It's great!
                              (they start to kiss, 
                              but:)
                         'Think I should tell him I learned 
                         everything using 1.0? Maybe I could 
                         show him one of my early programs.

               She pulls him back into the kiss.

               MONTAGE W/ MUSIC

               1.) MILO types intently in his office.

               2.) GARY sits with MILO at his desk, discussing code. Pan to 
               the window; we see a different pair of awed Geeks.

               3.) Milo & Alice read in bed. He's reading Gary's book.

               4.) MILO shows GARY one of his early programs, written on 
               1.0.: it's simple-looking, with some childish writing scrawled 
               on it. Gary seems touched.

               INT. OUTPOST CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY

               Two DOJ AGENTS depose Gary. (A video-cam records his answers.) 
               Two Outpost LAWYERS sit next to him. One of the Agents is 
               reading from a document:

                                     DOJ AGENT
                         "Infotek's urgent need to license 
                         Outpost Office is such that we can 
                         use it as a tool in the current 
                         negotiation."
                              (looks up)
                         When you wrote the word "tool," what'd 
                         you mean by it?

               Gary studies his copy of the E-mail. He looks vexed.

                                     GARY
                         I don't remember.

                                     DOJ AGENT
                         What d'you think you meant by it?

                                     GARY
                         I'm confused. Am I supposed to 
                         speculate under oath?

               The Agent shifts in his seat. We get an idea of Gary's 
               negotiating skill (making the other party look unreasonable, 
               while offering nothing).

                                     OTHER AGENT
                         Since you didn't have an answer to 
                         that question, Mr. Boyd --

                                     GARY
                              ("confused" again)
                         Didn't I? Have an answer? "I don't 
                         remember."

               The Agents confer. Gary sees Phil, looming outside the open 
               door. One of the Agents sees him, too. He doesn't try to 
               hide his annoyance:

                                     DOJ AGENT
                         Did you wanna take a break, Mr. Boyd?

               INT. AN OFFICE - A MOMENT LATER

               Gary takes a manila envelope from Phil, opens it.

                                     PHIL
                         Your protege's moving so fast we can 
                         barely keep up with him.

               Gary reads the page from the envelope: computer code.

                                     GARY
                         This is good. Who did it?

                                     PHIL
                         'Start-up not 50 miles from here. 
                         Kid's on Prozac.

                                     GARY
                         Maybe we should all get on it.

               INT. MILO'S OFFICE - DAY

               Milo stares at his screen, frustrated. Gary enters.

                                     GARY
                         How's it going?

                                     MILO
                         Maybe I'm going too fast.

                                     GARY
                              (sharply; incredulous)
                         Too fast? At least four companies're 
                         on the verge of workable convergence 
                         systems, Milo, they --

               Catching himself, Gary trails off. He sits down, exhales.

                                     GARY
                         Even when I had a hand in every aspect 
                         of the company I knew the one thing 
                         you can never control is somebody's 
                         creative process.

               Gary seems sincerely contrite. (He needn't be: Milo just 
               wants to please him. Besides: Milo sees he'd like to stop 
               obsessing about convergence, to be a "worldly zillionaire," 
               engrossed in his hobbies; but, after all, what could be more 
               engrossing than Skywire?)

                                     MILO
                         It's okay. Really.

                                     GARY
                              (reaching into his 
                              pocket)
                         Take a look at this. Slightly 
                         different approach.

               Reading the page Gary got from Phil, Milo knits his brow.

                                     MILO
                         You did this -- overnight?

                                     GARY
                         You're making me young again.

               INT. LISA'S APARTMENT - NIGHT

               PAN OFF a TV, where local news footage shows a mangled, 
               smoking BMW, post-wreck, on a lonely nocturnal highway.

                                     NEWS VOICE
                         ...A graduate of MIT, he was on the 
                         antidepressant Prozac, and had been 
                         warned not to drink and drive. (Etc.)

               Lisa watches the news report, knowingly.

               INT. BUILDING 20 HALLWAY - DAY

               Lisa heads up the hall, carrying a CD-ROM.

               INT. MILO'S OFFICE - DAY

               Milo's typing.

                                     LISA
                         Milo?

               He looks. He stands.

                                     MILO
                         Lisa.

                                     LISA
                         You know my name.

                                     MILO
                         You know mine.

                                     LISA
                         You're famous around here.

                                     MILO
                              (winces)
                         I'm getting a teacher's pet rep.

                                     LISA
                         I wouldn't worry about it. You've 
                         gotta figure most people around here 
                         were their teachers' pets.

                                     MILO
                         ...Were you?

                                     LISA
                         We moved around so much I barely 
                         knew my teachers.

                                     MILO
                         Me too! Were you an Army brat or 
                         something?

                                     LISA
                         ...Something like that. Yeah.

                                     MILO
                         Didn't mean to pry. I just have this 
                         theory. Some of us who got to good 
                         at this? We were -- escaping 
                         something.

               This seems to jolt her. She pales a little. What a mysterious 
               girl. But this only adds to her allure.

                                     MILO
                         Did I say something?

                                     LISA
                         No, I know what you mean. I used to 
                         spend my life wishing people could 
                         be like computers. Least they make 
                         sense. Sometimes you think they've 
                         betrayed you. Like a person would. 
                         But then you see, no, you just missed 
                         a step. You can go back and make it 
                         all work.

               This strikes a deep chord with Milo, all of it.

                                     MILO
                         I used to wish that. All the time.

               They're looking at each other: he gets self-conscious.

                                     MILO
                              (re: the CD-ROM)
                         What've you got there?

                                     LISA
                         Graphical interfaces. For Skywire? 
                         I'm s'posed to coordinate with you.

                                     MILO
                         Show me.

               They sit. As she inserts the disk, he finds himself looking 
               at her. On the screen, the frontier outpost we know as the 
               logo appears. It's struck by a bolt from the sky. The outpost 
               comes alive with light, music, movie-images through its 
               windows, a ringing phone. Finally, the word SKYWIRE burns 
               into it. It's neat, she's really good.

                                     MILO
                         Cool!

                                     LISA
                         Yeah? I ran it for lots of platforms, 
                         ranging from the narrowest bandwidth 
                         to --

               Simultaneously, they reach for the mouse. Their hands touch. 
               They look at each other. Something happened.

                                     MILO
                         ...Sh-Show me the next one.

               She nods, manipulates the mouse. He stares at the screen 
               strenuously, fighting the impulse to stare at Lisa.

               INT. ANTEROOM - GARY'S OFFICE

               Gary's SECRETARY types as Milo enters. She smiles at him.

                                     SECRETARY
                         Have a seat. He's with someone, but 
                         I know he wants to see you.

               INT. GARY'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

               Gary's face is red. The two Lawyers who sat in on his 
               deposition are with him again.

                                     LAWYER
                         Because we bundled it, the judge is 
                         threatening to enjoin the whole --

                                     GARY
                         I'm confused, Ted.

               Gary has used the phrase before, but the pretense of 
               ingenuousness is gone; it's witheringly condescending.

                                     GARY
                         Didn't you tell me they'd be Chapter 
                         12 by the time they could hope to 
                         enjoin? I'm very confused, because 
                         you said they'd be ready to settle.

               ANTEROOM - CONTINUOUS

               Milo hears Gary yelling behind the closed door. It's 
               indecipherable, but we discern an enraged "bullshit!" Milo 
               flips through a copy of Wired, trying to ignore it. The 
               Lawyers come out, passing swiftly, rather grimly.

                                     SECRETARY
                         Go on in.
                              (when Milo looks 
                              dubious)
                         He's always happy to see you.

               INT. GARY'S OFFICE - A MOMENT LATER

               Agitated, Gary rather compulsively lines-up the papers, pens, 
               etc. on his desk; he barely hears the knock at the open 
               doorframe.

                                     GARY
                         Milo. What's up?

                                     MILO
                         Well -- you sent for me.

                                     GARY
                         Right... Right.

               Still distracted, he finds a page of code on his desk, gives 
               it to Milo. Once again, Milo marvels.

                                     MILO
                         You really wrote this just today?

                                     GARY
                              (dark, unsmiling)
                         What're you implying.

                                     MILO
                              (taken aback)
                         Nothing!

               Their eyes are locked. Gary blinks, sags into his chair.

                                     GARY
                         Everything I do is under scrutiny. 
                         The questions they ask, trying to 
                         make anything strategic look sordid.
                              (knits his brow)
                         I'm confused. Doesn't everybody in 
                         business try to get ahead?

                                     MILO
                              (uncomfortable)
                         I'm sure.

                                     GARY
                         The purpose of this company isn't to 
                         destroy our competitors any more 
                         than the purpose of living is to 
                         breath. But the software business is 
                         binary: you're a zero or a one. Being 
                         obsessive isn't a crime. It's a 
                         character trait.

               Milo just wants to get out. He studies the code to hide his 
               discomfort. Gary watches him.

                                     GARY
                         It scales, don't you think?

                                     MILO
                         Definitely.

               He smiles. For the first time it looks forced.

               INT. SEATTLE RESTAURANT - NIGHT

               A youthfully upscale place, a converted red-brick warehouse. 
               Alice looks great. The Waiter pours wine.

                                     ALICE
                         This feels fairly grown up, I'd say.

               Milo smiles (again it looks forced) raises his glass.

                                     MILO
                         To our new life.
                              (she's looking at him)
                         ...What's wrong?

                                     ALICE
                         That's what I need to ask you.
                              (when he says nothing)
                         You know you can't keep anything 
                         from me.

                                     MILO
                         He gave me some new code-fixes this 
                         morning. I said, "Did you really do 
                         this just today?" Cause I was 
                         impressed. He said "What're you 
                         implying?"

               She just looks at him. He grows a little defensive:

                                     MILO
                         It's the way he said it. Just the 
                         way my dad did, when he was caught 
                         in a lie. That's how you knew you 
                         were onto something ugly.

                                     ALICE
                              (just confused)
                         What would it mean, anyway? If he 
                         didn't write it?

                                     MILO
                         That's what I'm asking myself. Does 
                         he have some genius stowed away? Why 
                         not let him write Skywire.
                              (upset)
                         'Not saying it makes sense.

               A Busboy leaves a basket of rolls. Glum, preoccupied, Milo 
               takes one without looking, brings it to his lips --

                                     ALICE
                         Milo!

               He looks at Alice, looks at the roll, blanches.

                                     MILO
                         I'm so stupid.

               He throws the roll back into the basket.

                                     ALICE
                         He's your boss. He's not your --

                                     MILO
                              (he's nodding)
                         I know, I know.

                                     ALICE
                         If you can't deal with him on that 
                         basis, you better get a new counselor.

                                     MILO
                              (the very idea hurts)
                         Isn't that -- extreme?

                                     ALICE
                         What's extreme is what that ER doctor 
                         said when he pumped your stomach. 
                         Eat another sesame seed and that's 
                         it.

               We see the rolls: covered in seeds.

                                     ALICE
                         I mean, if one little comment from 
                         Gary is gonna upset you this much --

                                     MILO
                         You're right. It's -- a working 
                         relationship. Don't know what I was 
                         expecting.

               He smiles. But his heart's not in it. She hates to see him 
               suffer. She picks up her glass.

                                     ALICE
                         C'mon. Let's do the toast?

               EXT. TERRACE OUTSIDE CAFETERIA - DAY

               Milo sits alone, marking up pages of code as he eats. He 
               doesn't notice Lisa, standing with her tray.

                                     LISA
                         Did you wanna be alone?

                                     MILO
                         No. Please.

               He indicates she should sit.

                                     LISA
                         They just pushed up the schedule on 
                         Skywire apps. How fast are you going?

                                     MILO
                         "There is no second place." Plus 
                         every time I get jammed-up, Gary has 
                         an inspiration.
                              (looks at her, curious)
                         Is it like that with your counselor?

                                     LISA
                         Mine's not the CEO. He barely 
                         remembers to take a shower.

                                     MILO
                         Right, right. But does he ever just, 
                         like, hand you code?

                                     LISA
                         Maybe once. I re-wrote it, anyway.

                                     MILO
                              (he smiles)
                         You're compulsive.

                                     LISA
                         Mmm-more like -- I have a little 
                         trouble. Trusting people.

                                     MILO
                         Why's that?

                                     LISA
                         Long story. Not that interesting.

               She smiles charmingly to cover whatever she's feeling. The 
               more enigmatic she is, the more intrigued he is.

               EXT. BLDG. 20 QUAD - DAY

               Milo and Lisa walk, eat ice cream out of paper cups with 
               Outpost logos. They laugh. We go nearer.

                                     MILO
                         So, when you were talking about 
                         wishing people were more like 
                         computers. Was that then? Or now?

                                     LISA
                         Then and now.
                              (when he looks at her)
                         But not right now.

               She maintains eye contact. Her meaning is clear.

                                     VOICE
                         Milo!

               Milo turns, sees Brian (Stanford classmate, Outpost zealot) 
               give an envelope to a Guard at the door of #20; he trots 
               over to Milo, who is as flustered as another guy might be 
               having been found in bed with a girl.

                                     BRIAN
                         Just dropped off a resume. Almost 
                         got in the front door.

               He looks at Lisa, back to Milo, wondering why he isn't being 
               introduced.

                                     MILO
                         You're living here?

                                     BRIAN
                         'Thought if I relocated it could 
                         help my case. I'm writing programs 
                         for the local public access station. 
                         Where any whack-job with 100 bucks 
                         gets his own show? God, does it suck.
                              (gives him a business 
                              card)
                         Can you help me?

                                     MILO
                         Sure, I'll see what I can do.

               Seeing how flushed Milo is, Brian thinks he must have 
               blundered in on something. He starts to back away.

                                     BRIAN
                         Well I parked illegally. See y'later?

                                     MILO
                              (watching Brian go)
                         'Forgot to introduce you.
                              (a beat)
                         I have a girlfriend.

                                     LISA
                         That's great. I -- didn't know.

                                     MILO
                         She saved my life.

               EXT. GAS STATION - NIGHT

               The station is closed. Milo's car is parked, empty.

                                     MILO (O.S.)
                         How's it going down there?

               We find him, in an illuminated phone booth.

                                     TEDDY (ON THE PHONE)
                         I've been hacking for five night's 
                         straight, I'm really making headway.

               INTERCUT WITH:

               INT. TEDDY'S LOFT (SUNNYVALE) - CONTINUOUS

               A funky space, posters on the wall, a red Stanford pennant, 
               rubber trees at either end of his desk.

                                     TEDDY
                         But these, like, White Supremacists 
                         trashed my office, last week.

                                     MILO
                         What?!

               On the wall beyond Teddy the word GOOK (in blood red) has 
               been covered over with paint but still bleeds through.

                                     TEDDY
                         They're in the neighborhood. They 
                         usually hassle Vietnamese grocers.

                                     MILO
                         Jesus, Teddy.

                                     TEDDY
                         I'm cool. They didn't touch the 
                         machine. Or my disks. Probably didn't 
                         know what they were. So, you a Moonie 
                         yet?
                              (he waits)
                         Milo?

                                     MILO
                         I met this girl.

                                     TEDDY
                         What? Come on. Is it serious?

                                     MILO
                         I don't know.

                                     TEDDY
                         Did you tell Alice?

                                     MILO
                         No! I keep thinking it'll go away. 
                         But there's this -- connection. She's 
                         been hacking since she was little, 
                         she had to move around a lot. Plus I 
                         see her every day, we're working on 
                         the same program. She's -- beautiful.

                                     TEDDY
                         A beautiful geek? I don't wanna sound 
                         paranoid, or like a pig, but what're 
                         the chances?

                                     MILO
                         What d'you mean?

                                     TEDDY
                         I dunno. I guess Larry's got me 
                         totally suspicious of that place.

                                     MILO
                         What does that mean?

                                     TEDDY
                         Milo, geeks don't have two 
                         girlfriends. Most don't have one.

                                     MILO
                         I didn't plan this.

               EXT. BUILDING #20 QUAD - DAY

               Through a window, we watch Milo traverse the quad.

                                     GARY (O.S.)
                         What'd the girl say?

                                     PHIL
                         There may be a little less trust 
                         after your outburst.

               We are

               INT. GARY'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

               Gary turns back inside, where Phil reads Milo's new code.

                                     PHIL
                         Hasn't affected his work, though.

                                     GARY
                         Nothing does. Still. I want him to 
                         like me.

               Phil is confused by Gary's sincerity; so is Gary.

               EXT. BUILDING #20 PARKING LOT - EVENING

               Desi and another Geek watch in astonishment: Gary walks Milo 
               to his car, his arm circled over Milo's shoulder. He seems 
               to be -- apologizing.

               EXT./INT. MILO & ALICE'S HOUSE - EVENING

               Milo comes eagerly up the path: can't wait to tell Alice 
               what just happened. He enters -- pulls up short. Alice is 
               waiting for him. She's white.

                                     MILO
                         ...What's wrong?

               She doesn't know how to say it.

                                     MILO
                         What!

                                     ALICE
                         Teddy was killed last night.

                                     MILO
                         What're you -- what?

                                     ALICE
                         It was a hate crime.

               Milo is staggered. She moves to him...

                                     ALICE
                         I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.

               He hangs onto her, for support.

               EXT. SUNNYVALE LOFT BLDG. (SILICON VALLEY) - DAY

               Establish the funky building, vestiges of police tape on the 
               door, a limo and many cars parked out front.

               INT. LOFT - MAIN FLOOR - CONTINUOUS

               A mixture of Teddy's relatives and Computer Friends have 
               gathered. In the BG, Teddy's Dad weeps volubly.

               INT. TEDDY'S WORKSPACE - CONTINUOUS

               Teddy's brother, NELSON, shows Milo the workspace: red 
               Stanford pennant, rubber trees on the desk. Milo, in a suit, 
               peers at the painted-over epithet on the wall.

                                     NELSON
                         They trashed his hard disk, all his 
                         back-ups. Nothing's left.

                                     MILO
                         They caught the guys?

               Nelson shows Milo a San Jose Mercury: mugshots of two skin-
               headed Aryan Nations Members in their 20's.

                                     NELSON
                         It's an airtight case. They found 
                         the weapon with Teddy's blood on it 
                         and their fingerprints. They'd been 
                         arrested twice for beating-up Asians. 
                         How come they weren't in jail?

               Milo unpins a picture of himself & Teddy from a board.

                                     MILO
                         He told me about the break-in. He 
                         didn't seem to take it that seriously.

                                     NELSON
                         You guys don't take anything seriously 
                         do you? That's not on a hard drive?

               Milo is stung by this. Alice appears in the doorway.

                                     ALICE
                         Nelson? Your mom wants you. It's 
                         time to go to scatter the ashes.

               Milo is pinning the picture back up. The pushpin falls to 
               the floor, he kneels to retrieve it. On the floorboards, he 
               sees a thin, shiny plastic filament. He picks it up.

                                     MILO
                         I didn't know he was working with 
                         fiber optics.

               But when he looks up, Nelson's gone.

                                     ALICE
                         We gotta go too, honey.

               As he heads out with Alice, he unthinkingly stuffs the 
               filament in his suit pocket.

               EXT. BLUFF OVER THE PACIFIC - DAY

               A raw beautiful bluff. The sea stretches to infinity behind 
               a smaller group of Mourners. A LAY MINISTER intones the Lord's 
               Prayer.

               EXT. BLUFF - LATER

               Milo approaches Larry with trepidation. Larry nods, it's 
               okay. They hug each other. They walk slowly back toward the 
               cars.

                                     MILO
                         I know you lost all his work. Maybe 
                         I could come down here and --

                                     LARRY
                         You are naive. Look at your employment 
                         contract: you can't work anywhere 
                         else in this field for at least few 
                         years.
                              (he smiles sadly)
                         Not that I don't miss you.

                                     MILO
                         Just thought his work should go on.

                                     LARRY
                         He was on the verge of something, 
                         too. He was gonna show us the next 
                         day. He said "The answer's not in 
                         the box, it's in the band." Know 
                         what it means?

                                     MILO
                         It's only meaningful when you've got 
                         40,000 lines of code to back it up.

                                     LARRY
                         Man, could he write code. Totally 
                         elegant. He had his own style.

                                     MILO
                         Those really weird, short lines.

               They smile. For a moment, they've brought Teddy back to life. 
               Alice comes up from behind, to fetch Milo.

                                     LARRY
                         Take good care of this guy.

               EXT. BLDG. 20 - DAY

               Arriving for work, Milo sees Outpost flags at half mast.

               INT. HALLWAY - DAY

               As Milo comes up the hall, Lisa is standing there. We get 
               the feeling she's been waiting for him.

                                     LISA
                         You okay?

               He looks at her, perhaps hearing Teddy's words ("what're the 
               chances?"). He nods, moves on. She watches him head up the 
               hall.

               INT. MILO'S OFFICE - DAY

               Milo types. There is a rapping on the doorframe. Gary.

                                     GARY
                         I heard what happened.

                                     MILO
                         Were the flags for Teddy?

               Gary nods. Spontaneously Milo stands, hugs Gary.

                                     GARY
                         Had you talked to him much lately?

                                     MILO
                         Just once. 'Guess I was worried we 
                         didn't have anything to talk about, 
                         since work was off-limits. Non-
                         disclosure.

                                     GARY
                         Did you?

                                     MILO
                         Talk about work? Never!

                                     GARY
                         I meant did you find other stuff to --

                                     MILO
                         Oh. Yeah.

                                     GARY
                         You've been coming in early.

                                     MILO
                         It helps. Alice said it would help. 
                         To focus on something.
                              (a little guilty)
                         'Don't know what I'd do without her.

               INT. MILO & ALICE'S HOUSE - MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT

               Milo sits on the couch, in dim light. Alice comes in.

                                     ALICE
                         You okay?
                              (sits by him, holds 
                              him)
                         I miss him, too.

                                                               DISSOLVE TO:

               EXT. DINING ROOM TERRACE - DAY

               Milo eats alone. Through the window, he sees Lisa inside. 
               She's eating alone, too. Gary comes trotting up.

                                     GARY
                         Milo?

               He is unclasping a manila envelope; he takes pages out.

                                     MILO
                         Wow. You must have 20,000 lines of 
                         code there...

                                     GARY
                         34,000. But they're real short lines. 
                         'Just came out that way.

               Seeing Gary's code, Milo knits his brow: it must be sort of 
               like -- Teddy's.

                                     GARY
                         Been thinking about the push mechanism 
                         in the handler. And it came over me: 
                         it's in the wrong place.

                                     MILO
                              (an uncertain smile)
                         The wrong place?

                                     GARY
                         The answer's not in the box. It's in 
                         the band.

               Milo's smile freezes. As he stares at Gary, we zoom with a 
               reverse dolly so that the background retreats queasily but 
               Gary remains dominant in frame. For Milo, it feels like the 
               very ground is going out from under him.

               Gary continues to explain, pointing at lines of code. And 
               Milo pretends to listen. But he can't even make out the words 
               Gary speaks -- he hears only a jumble of echoes.

               Milo nods mechanically; he wants to scream. Or run. He 
               perceives, amid the echoes, that Gary is standing, smiling, 
               saying "See you later." And he's gone.

               Milo touches the pages, like some talisman of Teddy.

                                     LISA (O.S.)
                         Milo? You okay?

               It strikes him she always shows up at these moments. He 
               gathers his wits before looking up.

                                     MILO
                         Gotta go home. 'Think I ate something.

               INT./EXT. MILO'S CAR/OUTPOST PARKING LOT - DAY

               Pulling out of the lot, Milo seizes the car phone. He hits 
               HOME on the speed-dial. Gets a busy signal. Rings off. He's 
               about to press re-dial when he sees the Outpost logo branded 
               on the receiver.

               He throws it down like it's contaminated.

               EXT. MILO & ALICE'S HOUSE - DAY

               Middle-of-the-day sounds: chirping birds, school children. 
               Milo pulls to the curb at a bad angle.

               EXT. INT./FRONT DOOR/FOYER - DAY

               He fumbles with his keys. When he gets inside:

                                     MILO
                         Alice? Alice!

               He moves into the bedroom. He sees her through the window, 
               painting in the studio.

               EXT./INT. BACK GARDEN/STUDIO - MOMENT LATER

               He stands outside the studio. Waits for her to look up. She 
               does. She smiles. Then she sees something's wrong. He waits 
               for her to come out here, where it's safe to speak.

               EXT. BACK GARDEN - LATER

               He paces, agitated. She watches him. She's skeptical, but 
               doesn't want to appear unsympathetic.

                                     ALICE
                         Are you saying you think they had 
                         something to do with his death? Nelson 
                         said it was an airtight case.

                                     MILO
                         I don't know what I'm saying. Maybe -- 
                         maybe they hired those guys.

                                     ALICE
                         I can't see Outpost putting its 
                         reputation in the hands of people 
                         like that.

                                     MILO
                         I don't know! I just know it was 
                         Teddy's code. All these ideas flying 
                         in from everywhere. You know how he 
                         says "Any kid working in his garage 
                         can put us out of business?" It's 
                         like they know what every kid's doing.

                                     ALICE
                         They hack into people's programs?

                                     MILO
                         Nobody does work like this on-line. 
                         It's in your PC, or in a mainframe. 
                         Self-contained. They'd have to be, 
                         like, watching people. Physically.
                              (he freezes)
                         Oh Jesus.

               INT. BEDROOM - A MOMENT LATER

               Milo's at the closet, rummaging among the clothes hanging 
               there. Alice comes up behind him. He finds his suit jacket. 
               He digs in one pocket, then another. He finds the fiber optic 
               strand (from Teddy's floor). Shows it to her.

                                     MILO
                              (almost silently)
                         It's a camera.

               EXT. BACK GARDEN - AGAIN

               They've trooped back outside. She's worried she's indulging 
               his paranoia.

                                     MILO
                         It isn't a broadcast studio. It's -- 
                         a surveillance post or something. 
                         That's why they have the dishes on 
                         top.

                                     ALICE
                         You're scaring me. I think we should 
                         just go.

                                     MILO
                         Go where? You can't get away from 
                         people like this.

                                     ALICE
                         "Like this?" It's Gary you're talking 
                         about.

                                     MILO
                              (it really hurts)
                         You think I don't know that?

                                     ALICE
                         Milo. Why would he --

                                     MILO
                         How should I know? "Solving a 
                         problem," I guess. Or needing to 
                         control everything. I don't know.
                              (can't think about it)
                         I've gotta get in there.

                                     ALICE
                         Even if all this were true. There're 
                         20 other buildings. All of them filled 
                         with computers and --

                                     MILO
                         It's the only one with dishes on the 
                         roof. The studio's a front. That's 
                         why they keep postponing its opening.
                              (muttered, obsessive)
                         ...gotta get in there.

                                     ALICE
                         Milo, you told me those DOJ Agents 
                         are all over the place. How could 
                         they hope to hide a surveillance 
                         post?
                              (as he mulls this)
                         And how can you get in there, anyway? 
                         With the cameras and the swipe cards --

                                     MILO
                         I can't just walk away!

                                     ALICE
                         You can't just walk in, either.

                                     MILO
                         They stop the construction work at 
                         six or seven. The parking lot's mostly 
                         clear by two or three in the morning. 
                         Even the early Geeks don't get there 
                         before five.

                                     ALICE
                         Is it two? Or is it three? Have you 
                         ever really noticed?

               He knows what she's saying: he's unqualified for this, a 
               space-cadet. She tries to hold him. But he wriggles away.

                                     MILO
                         No! I can't just keep my head in the 
                         sand. That's how I got into this 
                         mess.

               He paces, he thinks. She watches him, worried.

                                     MILO
                         I know how to get in there. But you've 
                         gotta help me.

                                     ALICE
                              (scared, reluctant)
                         ...Whaddo I do?

                                     MILO
                         So you believe me?

               She can't lie. She shakes her head.

                                     ALICE
                         Just tell me what to do.

               BEGIN MONTAGE:

               INT. MILO'S OFFICE - NIGHT

               Standing at his window, Milo can see #21. Workers in Hardhats 
               come out of it, carrying lunchboxes. Milo holds a small 
               writing pad. He notes the time.

               EXT. SUBURBAN MAIN STREET - DAY (CONTINUE MONTAGE)

               Alice parks in front of a drugstore. As she gets out of the 
               car, she looks around uneasily.

               INT. DRUGSTORE - (CONTINUE MONTAGE)

               Alice is at the counter, buying a wind-up alarm clock.

               INT. MILO'S OFFICE - MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT (CONT. MONTAGE)

               Milo watches a car pull out of the parking lot, leaving only 
               one or two others. He writes down the time.

               INT. TOYSTORE - (CONTINUE MONTAGE)

               Alice is at the counter, among children and mothers, 
               purchasing a chemistry set.

               INT. MILO'S OFFICE - NIGHT (CONTINUE MONTAGE)

               He watches a SECURITY GUARD (DELBERT) go into #21 on his 
               rounds, notes the time: 3:45 AM.

               INT. MILO & ALICE'S - STUDIO - NIGHT (CONTINUE MONTAGE)

               Alice, wearing dishwashing gloves, ties the alarm clock to a 
               small Tupperware container with copper wire.

               Milo (wearing latex gloves) is at the sink, mixing chemicals 
               from the toy chemistry set. Alice approaches with the 
               container affixed to the clock. As she holds it out Milo 
               pours the mixture into it.

                                                                SHORT FADE:

               OVER BLACK we hear ticking. The screen lightens to show:

               INT. SUPPLY CLOSET (BUILDING 20)

               Milo's alarm clock is set for 11:00. It sits amid mops and 
               cleaning products.

               INT. BLDG. 20 HALLWAY - DAY

               Milo stands in the open door of a refrigerator, as if 
               searching for a soda. He's looking up the hall, waiting for 
               someone. He consults his watch. 10:53.

                                     MILO
                         Come on.

               Here comes a GUARD; he nods to Milo as he passes. The Guard 
               opens a door with his card. Milo rushes through the door on 
               the Guard's swipe -- "tailgating."

                                     GUARD
                         Sir, you gotta use your own --
                              (noticing)
                         Where's your ID?

               Milo cops an attitude. He's not completely convincing.

                                     MILO
                         Do you know who I am?

                                     GUARD
                         It's my job, I gotta --

                                     MILO
                              (he's getting better)
                         The kind of stock options I'm sitting 
                         on?

               INT. PHYSICAL SECURITY OFFICE - DAY

               Bob Shrot, the ex-cop in charge of physical security, looks 
               up as the Guard escorts Milo into the room.

               INT. SUPPLY CLOSET - CONTINUOUS

               The bomb explodes. The blast is tiny but loud (glass cleaning 
               bottles ring; plastic bottles moan).

               INT. SECURITY OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

               Milo sits, watches Shrot encode a new card for him, finding 
               his info on a terminal. On a monitor behind Shrot, Milo sees 
               Programmers being ushered out of the building.

                                     SHROT
                         Every geek has to try this once to 
                         show me how smart he is --

               ANOTHER GUARD rushes in.

                                     ANOTHER GUARD
                         There was an explosion in a Y-sector 
                         closet, we're evacuating the whole 
                         sector.

               Shrot comes to his feet, grabs a holster (with gun) off a 
               shelf. Milo, looking flummoxed, stands.

                                     SHROT
                         Un-nh, can't wander around without 
                         ID now. Just park your ass in that 
                         chair.

               Milo sits. Shrot goes out with the Guard.

                                     GUARD (O.S.)
                         Whole place reeks of fuckin' ammonia.

               Milo moves quickly to the wall, reads a chart with the Guards' 
               Schedule, runs his finger down it til he finds the name of 
               the Guard on the 3 AM shift: DELBERT, KEN.

               INT. HALLWAYS - A FEW QUICK CUTS - CONTINUOUS

               Guards open closet doors, shine their flashlights.

               INT. PHYSICAL SECURITY OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

               Milo has moved to Shrot's seat. He's encoding a fresh card 
               with Ken Delbert's information.

               INT. SERVICE HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS

               Panning off the civil defense sign we find Shrot standing at 
               a closet, examining a piece of the alarm clock.

               INT. PHYSICAL SECURITY OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

               Milo is at work, bringing up schematic screens, diagnosing 
               the system with his unique concentration.

               Panning to the window, we see the evacuated Programmers 
               enjoying themselves on the lawn. It's a rare, exciting event: 
               they jump around, miming explosions.

               INT. SERVICE HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS

               Shrot and the Guard collect pieces of the bomb out of the 
               debris, puts them in a tray.

               INT. PHYSICAL SECURITY OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

               Milo brings up the screen that controls the #21 cameras. On 
               the monitors, he sees nothing very interesting: a hallway, a 
               room under construction...

               He pulls down a menu. RECORDING is highlighted. He clicks 
               PLAYBACK. The image hardly changes, but a Guard wanders 
               through. He types, the tape rewinds (the Guard moves 
               backwards). He finds a neutral spot (showing an empty 
               hallway), stops the tape.

               INT. SERVICE HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS

               Gary, Randy & Phil approach Shrot; Gary stares at him.

                                     RANDY
                         What is it?

                                     SHROT
                         Not much. Glorified cherry bomb. 
                         Right by the civil defense sign? 
                         Some geek's idea of irony. I been 
                         saying we need a camera in this hall.

                                     RANDY
                         There's nothing in this hall. 
                         Someone's pulling your chain, as 
                         usual.

                                     SHROT
                              (thinking aloud)
                         Unless it's a diversion. Milo's in 
                         my office. He was tailgating, so I --

               Gary explodes, with incredulity.

                                     GARY
                         Milo? Try to have a clue. Try to 
                         think.

               Gary strides off. Shrot feels unfairly maligned.

                                     RANDY
                         That kid's the great white hope.

                                     SHROT
                         I could get it out of him.

                                     RANDY
                         You're not listening.

               Randy and Phil head up the hall. Shrot watches them. Even if 
               his "intellectual superiors" are convinced of Milo's 
               innocence, he isn't.

               He walks swiftly back toward his office. Then he runs.

               INT. PHYSICAL SECURITY OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

               Milo reads a warning message. DOWNLOADING PLAYBACK STREAM TO 
               RECORD CYCLE WILL CAUSE BIT OVERLOAD. DO YOU WISH TO PROCEED? 
               Y/N. He types Y.

               The glitch freezes the tape (we see it lock into place): it 
               shows the empty hallway.

               INT. HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS

               They've let the Programmers back in. They head up the hall 
               as Shrot heads down it. He pushes past them gruffly.

               He knows he's enhancing his Neanderthal image (they make 
               cracks) but he's more interested in obeying his instinct.

               INT. PHYSICAL SECURITY OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

               Milo immobilizes another camera in #21... and another.

               INT. HALLWAY CONTINUOUS

               Shrot rounds the corner. His office is in view, now.

               INT. PHYSICAL SECURITY OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

               Milo, at the keyboard, closes up windows, one by one.

               INT. SECURITY OUTER OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

               Shrot is back, he has only to round the corner to see Milo. 
               We assume his POV as he does so:

               Milo sits in the chair where Shrot left him.

                                     MILO
                         Everything okay?

               INT. MILO'S OFFICE - NIGHT

               Pan off the clock (3:20 AM) to find Milo at his desk, looking 
               at the clock with a certain dread. It's time.

               EXT. BLDG. 20 QUAD - NIGHT

               Milo walks the path between the two buildings, fiddling 
               nervously with the dummied swipe card.

               Hearing footfalls behind him, he whirls: it's a Geek loping 
               to his car. He smiles. Milo smiles: waits, walks on.

               Nearing #21, Milo looks around, making sure no one else is 
               around. His POV (panning): A Programmer works late, visible 
               through a lighted window in #20... The dog sculpture with 
               cocked ears sits atop the Day Care, its quizzical expression 
               seeming to wonder what Milo is up to... The Geek he just saw 
               racing by on foot now pulls out of the parking lot in his 
               James Bond BMW...

               Milo arrives at the entrance. Heart pounding, he brings the 
               card to the slot. Will he trigger that awful alarm?

               He slides the card, the door clicks.

               INT. BLDG. 21 - LOBBY - CONTINUOUS

               He enters: concrete floor, unpainted walls, construction 
               lights. At the inner door he looks up at the camera.

                                                                    CUT TO:

               A MONITOR

               that shows us where Milo stands, minus Milo. Widen:

               INT. SECURITY OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

               A GUARD packs up his stuff, getting ready to go home. The 
               new guard, KEN DELBERT enters.

                                     DELBERT
                         How's it goin'?

                                     GUARD
                              (shaking out his cup)
                         Big night. Switched from tea to 
                         coffee. Brought new meaning to my 
                         work.

                                     DELBERT
                         Yeah? Maybe I'll start my rounds 
                         with #21 tonight.

                                     GUARD
                         You are a wild man.

               INT. BLDG. 21 - INNER HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS

               Milo moves up a hall with unpainted walls, bare floors, 
               unconnected wires. The only illumination is from construction 
               lights on the concrete floor. Opening doors, he sees:

               Bare rooms. Wall plates ready to receive electrical equipment, 
               bundles of wire hanging out. In other words: the building is 
               as advertised, so far.

               EXT. BUILDING 20 - NIGHT

               Delbert comes out with his flashlight, heads across the clean-
               swept path that leads to #21.

               INT. BLDG. 21 - HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS

               Milo nears a set of double-doors at the end of the hall. He 
               hears a low ominous hum from within. Convinced he's found 
               something, he quickens his pace. He's about to swipe his 
               card when a beam of light bounces along the wall.

               He presses himself into an alcove. Through a chink in the 
               unfinished wall he sees:

               Delbert come in the front door. His rounds consist of shining 
               his torch up at the cameras, making sure the red lights are 
               on.

               He walks right past Milo (who doesn't breath).

               Delbert swipes open the double doors, leans in: the humming 
               gets louder.

               ON MILO: pressing himself into the alcove.

               Delbert turns around, heads back down the hall... exits the 
               building.

               Milo waits a beat before heading to the end of the hall. 
               Using the card, he enters

               A BIG SPACE

               A studio-to-be, architectural touches like soffits framed in 
               but not plaster-boarded. The portentous hum comes from around 
               a corner. He approaches, convinced the answer lies here. 
               Clearing the wall he sees:

               A squat emergency generator sitting on the floor, powering 
               construction lights. Something you'd buy at Sears.

               EXT. #21 ENTRANCE/A MOMENT LATER - (BINOCULAR SHOT)

               Through infra-red binoculars we see Milo come out, looking 
               left and right, to make sure he hasn't been observed.

                                     VOICE (RANDY)
                         Well. Now he knows: nothin' in there.

               We are

               INT. PHIL'S OFFICE - BLDG. 20 - CONTINUOUS

               Randy turns back into the room, where Phil is sifting through 
               papers spread over a coffee table.

                                     RANDY
                         Maybe he'll get back to work.

                                     PHIL
                         Speaking of which...

                                     RANDY
                         Yeah, yeah.

               Randy pulls the blinds shut, joins Phil.

               EXT. QUAD - CRANE SHOT CONTINUOUS

               From a high angle, we track Milo, as he walks along the path 
               to a bench. The camera passes briefly behind a dark object 
               in the foreground (dog sculpture) as we track him.

               QUAD - TIGHTER - CONTINUOUS

               Milo sags onto the bench. He stares out, perplexed, suffering. 
               Then he knits his brow. He seems to be studying -- the ground.

               Or rather the shadow stretched out in front of him: the 
               looming silhouette of the dog atop the Day Care.

               He stands up, turns around. REVERSE ON:

               The whimsical canine. Push toward it's ears cocked to the 
               sky... Then toward a single ear, framed by fur-brown concrete, 
               but with a smooth, concave inner surface of enamelled metal: 
               satellite dish.

                                     MILO
                              (muttering)
                         ...in a tree...

               EXT. DAY CARE CENTER - A MOMENT LATER

               At the entrance, Milo applies the swipe-card.

               INT. DAY CARE CENTER - CONTINUOUS

               He steps in on colorful carpeting, amid balls & tricycles. 
               Kid's artwork hangs on the wall. He moves through this room, 
               into the

               COMPUTER ROOM

               20 screens glow. They hang suspended over a wide, ringed 
               table, a chair at each keyboard. Indeed, Gary has spared no 
               expense for the toddlers: they're flat, sleek, digital 
               screens. At the moment, they show colorful, childish contour 
               drawings that say WHERE I WANNA WORK (e.g.: a spaceship). 
               There are a dozen more screens on tables at the perimeter of 
               the room showing screensavers (eg: angelfish swimming).

               Milo moves slowly around the table, studying the screens. 
               Not surprisingly, most of the WHERE I WANNA WORK drawings 
               are of desks or tables with computers.

               Tracking just ahead of Milo, we get to a screen that shows a 
               workstation with a red pennant on the wall, a rubber plant 
               at each end of a desk. Even in contour form it's -- familiar. 
               Milo passes it. And comes back to it.

               Staring at it, he sits. He begins typing. [The drawing still 
               occupies the screen, but in a window he's brought up at the 
               bottom, there is dense, DOS-looking code.] He types furiously -- 
               numbers, symbols, backslashes. Whatever he's trying to do is 
               a challenge even to him. He deletes lines, begins anew, his 
               frustration evident.

               As he works through the layers of code, the pixels on the 
               screen start to fill in. The contour lines slowly dissolve 
               into a live broadcast image of Teddy's workstation in 
               Sunnyvale (eerily empty, now).

               When all the pixels have fallen into place, Milo hears CLICK 
               CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK from every direction, as all the 
               screens in the room fill in with live broadcast images. All 
               of them show variations on a theme:

               A workstation seen by a camera over-the-shoulder of a 
               programmer (if he were present). The stations are of various 
               shapes and sizes, but in each case we have an unobstructed 
               view of screen & keyboard. At this hour, few programmers are 
               present. One guy has fallen asleep, his head on a desk. A 
               Japanese Geek is hard at work: it's day there.

               INT. PHIL'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

               Phil and Randy work at the coffee table.

                                     PHIL
                         Did you download Corey? In San Jose?

                                     RANDY
                         Damn. 'Have to go back over there.
                              (he stands, stretches)
                         Be so much easier if we could walk 
                         in the front door.

                                     PHIL
                         You don't look anything like a three-
                         year-old.

               INT. DAY CARE - COMPUTER ROOM - CONTINUOUS

               Milo works the keyboard. Again, the code gets dense and 
               obscure as he goes deeper. He succeeds in calling-up a 
               graphical interface. Among the menus he can choose from are: 
               TARGET SCHOOLS, PD UPLOADS, RX UPLOADS.

               He clicks Target Schools, a menu shoots down (Berkeley, Cal 
               Tech, etc.). He clicks Stanford, then Chin, Teddy. Two windows 
               open. In one, there is a video stream of Teddy winning an 
               award in the Gate's Bldg. In the other, uploaded police video 
               stenciled SUNNYVALE PD) of the White Supremacists whose mug-
               shots we saw in the San Jose Mercury; they're being 
               interrogated.

               In the first window, Teddy's image dissolves into a handheld 
               crime-scene video (marked SV-PD) of a ransacked grocery store. 
               "DIE GOOK!" is painted on a wall. Milo looks confused: some 
               "narrative" is unfolding, but it remains obscure without 
               audio.

               He types some more.

               In the bottom window, he brings up convoluted text regarding 
               the audio. About the only phrases we can understand are: 
               "Audio Block ON" and "Hardware Requirement: Magnetic Filter 
               Type PBX-R17."

               His eyes cast about the room for some suitable hardware 
               substitute. He digs in his shirt pocket. He takes out his 
               swipe card, studies it. He casts about some more, till he 
               sees some kids' safety scissors in a jar.

               INT. BUILDING 20 - SERVICE HALL - CONTINUOUS

               Randy whistles as he heads up the hall. Arriving at the door 
               with the Civil Defense sticker, he swipes his card.

               INT. DAY CARE COMPUTER ROOM - CONTINUOUS

               On-screen, long-lens footage shows a low building; the Aryan 
               Nations suspects come out of it. A still photo appears in 
               the 2nd window: a steel hasp.

               Milo's eyes are narrowed: what am I seeing? Meantime, he is 
               reaching under the table where he has removed a plate from 
               the mainframe terminal, exposing hardware within.

               He has trimmed the swipe card to size and is wedging its 
               magnetic strip into a metal slot. He wiggles the card. We 
               hear an eerie fibrillation, which flattens into the voice of 
               a serene, eminently sane female:

                                     MULTIMEDIA NARRATOR
                         -- run this methamphetamine lab known 
                         to Federal Authorities, per ND 47, 
                         from which we removed the implement, 
                         fingerprints intact.

               Crime-scene video streams in now stenciled FBI by the 
               time/date). A handheld camera pans a blood-spattered wall 
               then shows a mutilated Asian murder victim. (All of this 
               footage is made even eerier by the jerky glitches always 
               present in streaming video, and its sinister graininess.)

                                     MULTIMEDIA NARRATOR
                         FBI footage, procured by ND 47, shows 
                         the aftermath of an Aryan Nations' 
                         killing in Denver. Note the evidence 
                         of torture, which is typical.

               Milo pales as he realizes he is watching a primer on how 
               racial killings are done.

               He hears a creaking noise behind him, and whirls.

               It's the classroom hamster, on his wheel.

               INT. STAIRWELL/BOMB SHELTER - CONTINUOUS

               Still whistling, Randy descends some metal stairs, enters a 
               vast bomb shelter (canned foods, etc.)

               INT. DAY CARE - COMPUTER ROOM - CONTINUOUS

               Milo has tapped into his own file: footage of him lecturing 
               at Stanford (as an RA), pointing to a whiteboard.

                                     MULTIMEDIA NARRATOR
                         -- complete immersion in code-writing 
                         renders him both unobservant and 
                         suggestible [click]. On two occasions 
                         he went truant from classes to attend 
                         Comix Conventions.

               The audio crackles and drops out again. Milo's eyes narrow: 
               he sees video of Alice, sitting on a folding chair, speaking 
               to someone. She has a harder look, pulls on a Marlboro.

               What's he seeing? He wiggles the jerry-rigged hardware almost 
               urgently, till the narration crackles back on:

                                     MULTIMEDIA NARRATOR
                         -- Rebecca P, a Connecticut art stu- 
                         dent facing Federal drug charges, 
                         whose records were supplied to us by 
                         N.D. 47.

               He hears her voice under the Narration, answering an unseen 
               Interrogator (sounds like Phil). It's a job interview. Milo 
               subtly, unconsciously shakes his head, as if to deny what 
               his eyes see. The narration begins to fibrillate, again:

                                     MULTIMEDIA NARRATOR (O.S.)
                         Armed with his personal files, she 
                         was easily able to ingratiate herself 
                         with the socially maladroit Milo --

               The audio drops out as Milo sees uploaded medical files and 
               ER photos of himself marked STANFORD MEDICAL CENTER: he's 
               waxen, bloated, gasping for breath. With a certain dread, 
               Milo jams the card in deeper:

                                     MULTIMEDIA NARRATOR
                         ...she planted the sesame seed both 
                         to test the extent of his proclivity 
                         and to provide a bonding experience, 
                         since she would quote "save his life."

               Milo is devastated, disbelieving. Now he sees real-time ER 
               footage: an Allergy Victim, bloated, twitching, gasping, 
               dying...

                                     MULTIMEDIA NARRATOR
                         -- should it be needed Milo's allergy 
                         is the ideal --

               The audio crackles out. But Milo doesn't have the heart to 
               bring it back: he can fill in the rest.

               INT. UNDERGROUND TUNNEL - CONTINUOUS

               Randy traverses a well-lit tunnel. Still whistling.

               INT. COMPUTER ROOM - DAY CARE CENTER - NIGHT

               Numb now, Milo clicks randomly: crime footage, personal 
               records, animations -- it all flies by with Chuck Worman-
               like speed.

                                     MULTIMEDIA NARRATOR
                         Note that the cult members are found 
                         reclining after swallowing the [click] 
                         Syringe marks best hidden at base of 
                         scrotum [click] mimics high blood 
                         alcohol [click] indistinguishable 
                         from kidney failure.

               Milo closes his eyes, leans back: overwhelmed. Suddenly he 
               sits forward, whispers almost fervently as he types:

                                     MILO
                         Please don't be one of them.

               INT. DAY-CARE - UNDERGROUND ROOM - CONTINUOUS

               Camera moves slowly through stacks of pre-school supplies, 
               toward a windowed door at the back of the room.

               RANDY appears in the window, lit ominously from below. He 
               applies his swipe card.

               INT. COMPUTER ROOM - CONTINUOUS

               Milo watches footage of Lisa taken by surveillance cam- eras: 
               she is outside #21, trying to peek in the door.

                                     MULTIMEDIA NARRATOR
                         ...needs to be watched, due to her 
                         heightened level of suspicion --

               In one window, footage of Lisa casing the hallway before 
               going into Milo's office; in another, footage of her eating 
               lunch with Milo.

                                     MULTIMEDIA NARRATOR
                         -- and to her possible contagion of 
                         key employees.

               Milo clicks. A MAN's pair of mug shots appear. In the other 
               window, a grade-school yearbook photo of Lisa.

                                     MULTIMEDIA NARRATOR
                         In August '86 Lisa informed her mother 
                         of the sexual molestation by her 
                         stepfather, and of his threat to 
                         kill her should she tell anyone.

               Milo watches streaming local news footage of a man being 
               taken from a courtroom in shackles (jerky, grainy). He's 
               lost the audio, but doesn't need it, anymore.

               INT. DAY-CARE STAIRWELL

               Randy climbs up to the main floor... whistling.

               INT. COMPUTER ROOM - DAY CARE - CONTINUOUS

               Milo watches eerie crime-scene footage: a Girl with her throat 
               slashed.

               But then, hearing nearly-distant whistling, he clicks on 
               windows furiously: closing them.

               INT. DAY CARE BACK ROOM - CONTINUOUS

               Randy rounds a corner. He enters the

               COMPUTER ROOM - CONTINUOUS

               The screens show the children's contour images, again. Where's 
               Milo?

               Randy takes a seat at the same console Milo was at, and begins 
               to type. Camera booms slowly down beneath table-level to 
               find:

               MILO hanging onto the underside of the table, knuckles white, 
               as he clings to metal table braces. The toes of his sneakers 
               are jammed into the space between a black plastic data tower 
               and the table bottom.

               Randy shifts in his seat, his knee rising toward Milo's back. 
               Milo arches it, avoids a knee by mere millimeters.

               RANDY: brings up a shot of a Programmer at work, zooms in on 
               his screen to begin collecting his code.

               MILO: begins to lose his grip as sweat forms on his brow 
               and, worse, on his hands. They're giving way.

               RANDY: clicks. A printer across the room start making a hard-
               copy of the purloined code.

               MILO: stares in horror as the data tower his toes are jammed 
               on top of starts to shift -- threatening to disengage from 
               its ports. He tries to lift it back up with heels of his 
               shoes.

               RANDY: knits his brow as his screen flickers. He keeps typing, 
               but starts to lower his head: he's going to look under the 
               table.

               MILO: winces as he presses the tower upward with his heels, 
               while trying to maintain his balance...

               RANDY: lowering his head, keeps his eyes on the screen, hits 
               keys. Just as he is about to clear the level of the table -- 
               the screen re-illumines. He comes back up.

               MILO: having extended his legs to support the tower, feels 
               his hands slipping...

               RANDY: closes up the window...

               MILO: flops to the carpet(!) just as --

               RANDY pushes away from the table... From the floor

               MILO watches him walk over to the printer, collect his 
               hardcopy, and disappear from view.

               Milo listens: the door clicks shut, the whistling recedes.

               BACK ROOM - A MOMENT LATER

               Milo traces Randy's steps. He sees the door with the Civil 
               Defense sticker, intuits how Randy got here, i.e, how one 
               moves, unobserved, between the Day Care and #20.

               He sags against the wall. Wondering what to do, now.

               EXT./INT. MILO'S CAR/STREET - DAWN

               Milo sits in his idling car, staring at his own house, up 
               the street. How can he go in there?

               He puts the car in gear, does a U-Turn.

               EXT. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE - SEATTLE - EARLY MORNING

               The Deux Chevaux is parked on the street outside a government 
               building. Not many people are around, yet. A Janitor hoses 
               down the sidewalk.

               INT. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE - RECEPTION AREA MORNING

               Milo slides a business card across a reception desk. It's 
               the one the rumpled Prosecutor, Lyle Barton, gave him that 
               day in Palo Alto.

                                     MILO (O.S.)
                         He gave me this. 'Said I should come 
                         see him if --

                                     DOJ RECEPTIONIST
                         He's not in yet.

                                     MILO
                         Can I wait in his office?

                                     DOJ RECEPTIONIST
                         It's locked, dear.

               He looks over his shoulder, then back again, frightened.

                                     MILO
                         Please.

                                     DOJ RECEPTIONIST
                         Wait in his outer office.

               INT. BARTON'S OUTER OFFICE - MORNING

               Milo sits on a wooden bench, foot tapping. Hearing Barton's 
               voice, he comes to his feet. Barton enters with a Co-Worker, 
               holding a container of coffee, discussing the particulars of 
               a case.

                                     CO-WORKER
                         Do I make the call, or do you?

               Milo is relieved the second he sees Barton's kindly face.

                                     MILO
                         Mr. Barton, do you remember me?

                                     BARTON
                         ...It's -- Milo, isn't it?

                                     MILO
                         Yes sir. I need to talk to you.

                                     BARTON
                         Give me two seconds with Lacy here?
                              (unlocks his door)
                         Go on in, I won't be a moment.

               Milo enters as Barton finishes up with his colleague.

                                     BARTON (O.S.)
                         I'll make the call, but I think you 
                         need to send a Fax first (etc.).

               INT. BARTON'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

               Milo paces. He surveys framed diplomas, commendations and 
               photos on the wall. He takes comfort in their solidity: 
               pictures of Barton's teenage Kids, Barton and Wife at the 
               Grand Canyon. There's a college football photo, a young Barton 
               with his team. Milo studies it, smiles. Move in on the photo, 
               till we see the number on Barton's Notre Dame football jersey: 
               ND 47.

               Milo's smile fades. It takes a moment before he even hears 
               Barton behind him.

                                     BARTON
                         Milo?

                                     MILO
                         Yeah. Hi. Thank you for seeing me.

                                     BARTON
                         Have a seat.

               As Milo takes the seat in front of the desk (mind spinning) 
               Barton moves to his own chair.

                                     BARTON
                         What seems to be the problem? You 
                         look a little upset.

                                     MILO
                         I am. I am, sir.

               What's he gonna say?

                                     BARTON
                         Milo?

                                     MILO
                         My friend, my best friend, Teddy, 
                         was killed in Silicon Valley.

                                     BARTON
                         My goodness.

                                     MILO
                         It was racially motivated. He's 
                         Chinese. He was. And... I know 
                         sometimes the FBI gets involved with 
                         that. Don't they?

                                     BARTON
                         If there's a Civil Rights violation. 
                         But generally we let the local police 
                         and DA do their work first.

                                     MILO
                         I -- just wanna help bring these 
                         guys to justice. They're neo-Nazis.

                                     BARTON
                         Let me look into it, see what's being 
                         done. Frankly, it's not my area.

                                     MILO
                              (he gets up)
                         'Just didn't know who else to talk 
                         to.

                                     BARTON
                              (circles an arm over 
                              Milo)
                         And Outpost? You're happy there?

                                     MILO
                         Yes sir.

               INT. MILO & ALICE'S HOUSE - MORNING

               Alice is on the phone in the front room. Agitated, she puffs 
               on a pencil (surrogate cigarette). We hear Phil through the 
               receiver:

                                     PHIL (ON THE PHONE)
                         'Didn't mention he was going to the 
                         Justice Department?

                                     ALICE
                         No.

               INTERCUT WITH:

               INT. PHIL'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

                                     PHIL
                         Not like him, is it? To do a thing 
                         like that without telling you. You're 
                         not losing your hold on him, are 
                         you?

                                     ALICE
                         He'll tell me when he gets home.

                                     PHIL
                         That'll be a test, won't it?

                                     ALICE
                         Instead of busting my chops you should 
                         do something about that girl. Fire 
                         her. Or something.

                                     PHIL
                         Lisa's an extremely valuable member 
                         of the Skywire team. We've got our 
                         eyes on her. You keep yours on Milo.

                                     ALICE
                              (as she hangs up)
                         Prick.

               EXT. MILO & ALICE'S HOUSE - MORNING

               Milo comes up the path. He pauses as he nears the door: he's 
               not sure he can pull this off.

               INT. HOUSE - CONTINUOUS

               As Milo enters, Alice rushes to meet him.

                                     ALICE
                         It's almost nine, I've been so 
                         worried!
                              (she takes his hands)
                         What did you see in there?

                                     MILO
                         Nothing.

                                     ALICE
                         Nothing?

               She watches him as he collapses onto the couch.

                                     MILO
                         It's what they said it is. An 
                         unfinished broadcast studio. You 
                         were right... I just drove to Seattle 
                         and back.

                                     ALICE
                         ...Why?

                                     MILO
                         Remember Lyle Barton?

               She shakes her head.

                                     MILO
                         The Justice Department guy who came 
                         to the apartment when --

                                     ALICE
                         I remember.

                                     MILO
                         After I broke into 21 -- which was 
                         insane, thank God they didn't catch 
                         me! -- I just drove around. Trying 
                         to figure out what possessed me. You 
                         know what? I've been putting my own 
                         guilt on Gary.

                                     ALICE
                         Guilt?

                                     MILO
                              (quietly)
                         If I'd stayed down there, maybe this 
                         wouldn't've happened.

                                     ALICE
                         Poor baby. You know that's not true.

               She sits by him, touches her hand to his face tenderly. He 
               closes his eyes for a moment, steels himself to her touch. 
               Then he forces himself to cup his hand over hers.

               But he can't stand it. He gets up, looks out the window.

                                     MILO
                         I thought, instead of indulging all 
                         these paranoid delusions, risking my 
                         job, alienating Gary, scaring you, I 
                         should do something useful with my 
                         grief. Help them find Teddy's killers.

               He doesn't see her smile: is that all. Assuming an 
               appropriately concerned expression, she moves toward him:

                                     ALICE
                         I was so worried about you.

               She turns him around, kisses him. Her eyes are closed. His 
               remain open. He's looking at her. Trying to comprehend the 
               treachery.

               She touches him, breathes heavily. She wants more than kisses: 
               to prove to herself how wrong Phil was, her professional 
               pride insulted. Or perhaps it's more personal than that, 
               especially with Lisa as a potential rival.

                                     MILO
                              (through their kisses)
                         ...been such a long night.

               But she doesn't stop. She moans as she presses herself to 
               him: wants proof of his devotion.

               INT. BEDROOM - LATER

               He's on top of her in the moment just after. Her eyes are 
               closed. He stares at her -- glares at her -- with what we 
               recognize as spent anger.

                                     ALICE
                         That was -- different.

                                     MILO
                         ...Different?

               Shit. She knows.

                                     ALICE
                         You didn't feel it? So intense.

               What's clear is, she liked it. A clap of thunder takes us 
               to:

               EXT. PIZZA PARLOR - NIGHT

               It's pouring. Milo stands outside, wearing a slicker, looking 
               in the window at someone.

               INT. PIZZA PLACE - MOMENT LATER

               Lisa reads a paperback at a table, a slice of pizza on her 
               plate, an umbrella hooked to her chair. Sensing someone 
               standing over her, she looks up. She smiles.

                                     LISA
                         So you're not avoiding me.

               Milo sits across from her. He doesn't know where to start.

                                     LISA
                         What's wrong?

               He looks around, wants to make sure no one's listening. He 
               speaks very quietly.

                                     MILO
                         I snuck into #21.

                                     LISA
                         Why would you do a thing like --

                                     MILO
                         You thought about it too. You've 
                         been suspicious for a while. But 
                         it's not happening in there. It's 
                         happening in the Day Care.

                                     LISA
                         The Day Care?

               Two Men with even features enter the restaurant. One has a 
               laptop case slung over his shoulder.

                                     MILO
                         Can we go someplace else?

               EXT. CITY PARK - NIGHT

               They're in a bandshell. The rain falls heavily, drips off 
               the eaves. She holds the filament from Teddy's workspace.

                                     MILO
                         It's easy to know who the smart geeks 
                         are, the schools tell 'em. They upload 
                         medical files, school records, 
                         pharmacy files. They'd be happy just 
                         to steal code forever. But when a 
                         program gets close to fruition. Like 
                         Teddy. He was almost there.

                                     LISA
                         But why would they --?

                                     MILO
                         You know. There is no second place. 
                         And what's the risk? The killings're  
                         undetectable, they're hand-tailored, 
                         they make "sense." I mean, they're 
                         in the information business. They 
                         have scenarios for all of us, too. 
                         In case we find out too much.

               She's peering at him. He reads her mind.

                                     MILO
                         I'm not one of them. Not trying to 
                         "suss you out."

               She wants to believe him.

                                     MILO
                         They killed my best friend! I'm living 
                         with somebody they pay to go to bed 
                         with me. Can't you trust somebody 
                         just once? I don't wanna be alone 
                         here.

               His plea is so ardent, his humanity so transparent. But she 
               can't quite do it.

                                     LISA
                         I'm sorry, Milo... I'm sorry.

               She smiles sadly as she backs away.

                                     MILO
                              (forcefully)
                         I know why you're so secretive. Why 
                         you won't let anybody near you.
                              (quieter)
                         I know what he did to you.

                                     LISA
                         Oh yeah?

               She tries to sound tough; there are tears in her eyes.

                                     LISA
                         So that's in my -- file?

               He wants to comfort her. He takes a step toward her. She 
               shakes her head: no.

                                     LISA
                         Is that my -- scenario?
                              (when he hesitates)
                         Tell me.

                                     MILO
                         They'd frame him.

                                     LISA
                              (horrified)
                         He's out of prison?

                                     MILO
                              (he nods)
                         They're already watching you. If 
                         they had to, they'd give him this 
                         drug that mimics an alcoholic 
                         blackout. He'd wake up not even 
                         remembering his "act of revenge."

               She draws her hands to her face as the facade cracks. She 
               weeps silently. He moves to her, carefully, slowly, seeing 
               her fear, her trauma. He touches her shoulders. She tenses, 
               tries to back away.

                                     LISA
                         No.

               But he holds on.

                                     MILO
                         Nobody's gonna hurt you.

               Slowly, he wraps his arms around her.

               She remains tense for a moment, then yields, pressing her 
               face into his shoulder. The rain drums on the bandshell. 
               After a moment:

                                     LISA
                         ...Milo?

                                     MILO
                         Hmm?

                                     LISA
                         I always felt if a -- boy I liked 
                         ever found out -- he'd run. He'd 
                         think I was unclean.

                                     MILO
                         No, no. Never.

               She clings to him tightly, now, the wall of her mistrust 
               breached after all the years of pain, secrecy, shame.

               A wide shot: they hold each other, alone in the storm.

                                     VOICE (PHIL)
                         All his suspicions were allayed?

               INT. LIBRARY-LIKE OFFICE - DAY

               Alice nods. She sits in front of leather-bound books.

                                     VOICE
                         You're sure.

               She's at Gary's house. On the hot seat. Phil and Randy watch 
               her. Gary does, too, but deep in shadow, behind a desk, at a 
               remove. Rain falls heavily on the Lake.

                                     ALICE
                         He said it made sense that Gary's 
                         code was like Teddy's, that that 
                         cliché about great minds was true. 
                         Said it was all about his own guilt.
                              (she shrugs)
                         Plus, he has a tendency to get Gary 
                         mixed-up with his dad once in a while. 
                         It always passes.

                                     PHIL
                         He wasn't acting?

                                     ALICE
                         I don't think he knows how.

               Phil looks convinced. Gary doesn't.

               EXT. HIGHWAY/GAS STATION - MORNING

               From across the highway (cars with morning commuters whiz 
               by) we see Milo pumping gas at a self-serve; Lisa fills-up 
               in the next lane. Ostensibly, they have run into each other 
               on the way to work. They are smiling, casual.

               Only when we cut close do we see that their expressions bear 
               no connection to their words.

                                     LISA
                         What about the FBI?

                                     MILO
                         They've got this guy in the DOJ, 
                         maybe others. We tell the wrong 
                         person, it's over.

                                     LISA
                         Who can we trust?

                                     MILO
                         There's always a logical answer -- 
                         you just have to define the question.

               She defines it:

                                     LISA
                         How do you let go of a secret without 
                         telling the wrong person.

               She pretends to need help lifting her car hood: "a helpless 
               female." He comes over to help her.

                                     MILO
                         We don't tell anybody.
                              (she's puzzled)
                         We tell everybody. At once. So there's 
                         no secret left to protect. When 
                         everybody knows, they don't dare 
                         touch us.

               INT. PHYSICAL SECURITY OFFICE - MORNING

               Bob Shrot is on the phone. Behind him, a nerdy security 
               programmer, LEN DIETZ, is at the console that controls the 
               security cameras (the ones Milo futzed with).

                                     SHROT
                              (into the phone)
                         No, Tony can't fill in for you, he's 
                         not at your authorization level.

               Scrolling, Len knits his brow: he's found something odd.

                                     LEN
                         Bob? You better look at this.

               EXT. GAS STATION - CONTINUOUS

               Milo checks Lisa's oil for her.

                                     MILO
                         Do we post it on the Net?

                                     LISA
                         There're so many disinformation sites 
                         about Gary already. Where he has 
                         devil's horns or they crop him in 
                         with Saddam Hussein.

               INT. PHYSICAL SECURITY OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

               Shrot stands over Len's shoulder.

                                     SHROT
                         Could it be a glitch? Something the 
                         construction workers caused?

                                     LEN
                         Unlikely. All 14 cameras are frozen. 
                         Do we call Randy and Phil? Tell 'em 
                         there may have been a break-in?

                                     SHROT
                         Not yet. 'Love to bust my ass cause 
                         I'm not in frigging Mensa.
                              (walks to the window)
                         I swear to God, it's that kid Milo, 
                         I told 'em so in the first place, 
                         but they didn't even wanna hear about 
                         it.
                              (turns to Len)
                         Let's run a printout on card entries.

               EXT. GAS STATION - CONTINUOUS

               Milo shows Lisa the oil stick. She nods.

                                     LISA
                         The mainstream media. TV, or a 
                         newsmagazine.

                                     MILO
                         Right. But Gary's tied-in to a lot 
                         of media conglomerates. Have to be 
                         careful who we pick.

                                     LISA
                         We could cross-reference a data base 
                         on media ownership. But not on our 
                         own computers. Not even at home.

                                     MILO
                         Certainly not at my happy home.

               He slams the hood.

               INT. PHYSICAL SECURITY OFFICE - DAY

               Shrot and Len watch a laser printer, as it spits out line 
               after line after line of swipe card entries...

                                                         MATCH DISSOLVE TO:

               A LASER PRINTER spits out code. We are:

               INT. MILO'S OFFICE - DAY

               Milo watches new Skywire code emerge from his printer.

               Gary is in the doorway behind him: watching Milo, scrutin- 
               izing him. Sensing someone, Milo turns and looks.

                                     MILO
                         Gary, hi.

                                     GARY
                         You look a little tired.

                                     MILO
                         I'm okay. It's going well!

                                     GARY
                         'Have a look?

                                     MILO
                         Sure.

               Gary takes the page. As he reads it over:

                                     GARY
                         Why did you move around so much? 
                         When you were a kid.

                                     MILO
                         ...My dad was a compulsive gambler. 
                         Only he didn't think he was. That 
                         applied to guys who didn't have a 
                         "system." "Losers," who played games 
                         of chance. He could "read" people, 
                         so chance had nothing to do with it. 
                         No matter how deep a hole he dug 
                         himself, he'd give you the whole 
                         speech. And you'd better not point 
                         out the obvious.
                              (he shrugs)
                         His creditors would catch up to him. 
                         Loan sharks or whatever. He'd wake 
                         us in the middle of the night. Off 
                         we'd go, again.

                                     GARY
                         What would you tell the kids? At 
                         your new school? You had to come up 
                         with a good story, right?

               Milo thinks: he's testing me.

                                     MILO
                         No. I just went deeper into the 
                         machine. Preferred being the geek to 
                         having to explain. Lying would've 
                         been worse.

                                     GARY
                         ...Worse?

                                     MILO
                         Cause he was a liar. And I hated 
                         him.
                              (mimicking a voice)
                         "Get your head out of that machine, 
                         wise up to the real world." The more 
                         he mocked me the deeper I went. Cause 
                         if being savvy meant being like him --
                              (he shrugs)
                         Guess that's why I'm kind of clueless, 
                         even now. Didn't cultivate my 
                         conniving side. 'Not sure I even 
                         have one.

                                     GARY
                         Don't be so hard on yourself. With a 
                         brain like yours, you could connive 
                         with the best of 'em I bet.

               Gary smiles. There's no way to read it.

               EXT. PUBLIC LIBRARY - NIGHT

               Establish the humble building, in a Park.

               INT. LIBRARY - NIGHT

               Lisa and Milo sit together in front of a monitor. A Kid does 
               his homework on a computer at the next table. Milo shakes 
               his head, as he scrolls.

                                     MILO
                         He's buying up pretty much everything: 
                         cable companies, baby bells, picture 
                         libraries, museum rights, film 
                         archives... Getting ready for Skywire.

                                     LISA
                              (she's thinking)
                         What about "60 Minutes."

                                     MILO
                         Yeah, they dig stuff like this.
                              (he types, then reads)
                         "CBS News has partnered with Outpost 
                         Information Systems in a cable news 
                         network due to launch Fall of 2001."

                                     LISA
                         But still, you can't say CBS wouldn't 
                         love to break something like --

                                     MILO
                              (he's shaking his 
                              head)
                         Say there's just one "mole" working 
                         there, like Barton at the DOJ. How 
                         do we know he's not the guy we've 
                         contacted? Or she? Or the guy she 
                         works for?

               At the next table, she notices a Lady reading Time.

                                     LISA
                         Time?

                                     MILO
                              (types, reads)
                         Time-Warner has a 40 per cent stake 
                         in Gary's set-top device. That also 
                         takes out CNN.
                              (scrolling & scrolling)
                         "GE joins Outpost in new venture," 
                         which means NBC is out. "Disney joins 
                         Outpost," ABC is out. "Outpost and 
                         Newscorp in new deal," Fox is out. 
                         Any of these places could have a 
                         mole. Or all of 'em.
                              (still scrolling)
                         It's like a a continuous loop. We 
                         can go to some alternative press 
                         place that 1,000 people read, get 
                         them and us killed. But anything big 
                         enough for this is a parent of or a 
                         subsidiary to something Gary's got a 
                         finger in!

                                     HOMEWORK KID
                         Shhh.

                                     MILO
                         Sorry.

                                     LISA
                         Milo?

               She's thought of something. He's watching the nerdy Kid, 
               smiling sadly, perhaps identifying with him.

                                     LISA
                         How close are you?

                                     MILO
                         What?

                                     LISA
                         He's got 12 satellites up. He's got 
                         dishes on top of 21. He's building 
                         this --
                              (gestures at the screen)
                         mega-network for Skywire. Let's use 
                         it.

               Move in on Milo as he thinks it over with a mixture of 
               excitement and skepticism.

               EXT. LIBRARY/PARK - NIGHT

               Milo and Lisa walk in the park outside the library, thinking 
               it through.

                                     MILO
                         We can't just assume they're standing 
                         by to receive Skywire 12 months from 
                         launch. I'd have to write in an aglet.

                                     LISA
                         A what?

                                     MILO
                         It's how on-line services push logos 
                         they wanna sell you. You don't ask 
                         for 'em, they just appear. 'Have to 
                         work on it somewhere besides my office 
                         or my house. And then the quality of 
                         the broadcast wouldn't exactly be 
                         digital, that's 12 months away.

                                     LISA
                         But they'd still get the idea, right?

                                     MILO
                         You'd have to design a graphic 
                         interface to make the data pop. Maybe 
                         some audio, too. To tie it all in to 
                         Gary. How long would that take you?

                                     LISA
                         It's a standard GUI. Once I've got a 
                         concept, it's maybe three day's work.

                                     MILO
                         Gary knows I'm close on Skywire. We 
                         have to do this fast.

                                     LISA
                         Before they kill somebody else, too.

                                     MILO
                              (a new wrinkle)
                         Oh, man. I'd have to get into Gary's 
                         house. To get the satellite positions.

                                     LISA
                         You mean -- break in?

                                     MILO
                         I don't know --

                                     LISA
                         And what if the broadcast dishes on 
                         top of 21 aren't hot yet? You said 
                         the place isn't finished.

               The complications pile up. They walk. They think.

                                     LISA
                         I'll go look.
                              (when he looks dubious)
                         They'll just have a few more pictures 
                         of me snooping around.

               They come to a fountain and balustrade at the edge of the 
               park, stop walking.

                                     MILO
                              (looks at her)
                         Why were you so careless?

                                     LISA
                         I thought the worst they would do is 
                         fire me. Who knew they took 
                         termination so literally?

               Gallows humor. What a game girl. He's nuts about her.

                                     MILO
                         Why were you snooping in my office?

                                     LISA
                         Oh.
                              (she gets bashful)
                         I liked you. I was checking you out.

               He kisses her. There are no constraints now, there's no 
               "adulterous" guilt: they kiss with a passion deferred.

               INT. MILO'S OFFICE - NIGHT

               Slow push-in on the phone on Milo's desk: it's ringing.

               INT. ALICE'S STUDIO - CONTINUOUS

               Alice is calling him. Her face hardens, she hangs up.

               INT. MOTEL ROOM - LATER

               As we pan the Best Western decor (in semi-darkness):

                                     MILO (O.S.)
                         'Think everybody in this place is 
                         here the same reason we are?

                                     LISA (O.S.)
                         'Cause their apartments might be 
                         bugged?

               Milo grins. He & Lisa lie in bed.

                                     MILO
                         I told Teddy about you.

                                     LISA
                         What'd he say?

                                     MILO
                         "A beautiful geek? What're the 
                         chances?"

               She smiles, rather bashfully.

                                     MILO
                         I felt guilty. 'Cause I "owed so 
                         much" to Alice. But even then I was 
                         starting to wonder. Is it so great 
                         to be so consumed by this one thing 
                         that you let another person do your 
                         thinking for you? If you have a 
                         lucrative skill, it's all anybody 
                         wants from you. You grow older but 
                         you don't grow up. You turn into -- 
                         into --

                                     LISA
                         Gary.

               It's painful for him: losing a second father.

                                     MILO
                         Larry used to say how the guys who 
                         wrote the first cool operating 
                         systems, like the UNIX guys at 
                         Berkeley? They just gave it away. 
                         They figured it was human knowledge, 
                         it belonged to the world, like 
                         Shakespeare or aspirin. 'Know what 
                         I'm gonna do after we broadcast the 
                         incriminating stuff? Air the Skywire 
                         code. Then nobody can have a monopoly.

               INT. ALICE & MILO'S HOUSE - LATER

               Alice is in bed. In the darkness, Milo comes in as quietly 
               as possible. But she switches on the bedside lamp.

                                     ALICE
                         Where were you?
                              (holding his gaze)
                         You know you can't keep anything 
                         from me.

                                     MILO
                         Okay, yeah. I did something naughty... 
                         There's this amazing Comix store in 
                         Seattle.
                              (is she buying it?)
                         To tell you the truth, I did it once 
                         or twice at Stanford. 'Guess I can't 
                         keep anything from you...

               Of course she buys it: it's in the file.

                                     ALICE
                              (she smiles)
                         I won't turn you in.

               INT. PHYSICAL SECURITY OFFICE - MORNING

               Shrot and Len go over the print-out of the card entries.

                                     LEN
                         Every entry was authorized.

                                     SHROT
                         Keep looking.

                                     LEN
                         What're we looking for?

                                     SHROT
                         Any irregularity in the pattern.

               INT. MILO & ALICE'S HOUSE - MORNING

               Morning TV is on in the kitchen. A Seattle station airs a 
               puff piece about a party at Gary's house: people in formal 
               clothes (including Gary & his Wife) hold drinks and eat 
               canapés on the terrace over Lake Washington. (Gary's haircut 
               is different: it's file footage.)

                                     TV VOICE
                         Last years' party-goers pledged over 
                         $2 million to the Museum; this year's 
                         event promises to raise even more. 
                         Lured in part by the chance to see 
                         the stunning Boyd house...

               Alice, grinding coffee, isn't paying attention. Milo is.

                                     MILO
                         Look at this.

                                     ALICE
                         What?

                                     MILO
                         Why doesn't he ask us to his party. 
                         He's never even met you.

                                     ALICE
                         He has thousands of employees, Milo --

                                     MILO
                         It's for the Museum. He knows you're 
                         a painter. If anybody should be 
                         invited --

                                     ALICE
                         Milo --

                                     MILO
                         I know you think I'm too attached to 
                         him, but still. I am close to Gary. 
                         And you're the most meaningful person 
                         in my life.
                              (he gets up)
                         I'm going back to the Comix place, 
                         why should I be killing myself.

                                     ALICE
                         Milo, you --

               But he's out the door. She's not entirely displeased by such 
               a dramatic demonstration of his loyalty to her.

               EXT. BUILDING 21 - DAY

               Close on a satellite dish. We pan from the base of the dish 
               to the wiring: a cable is fused to a component box.

               Lisa is on the scaffolding, having climbed it brazenly, in 
               broad daylight. She holds a small metal box with a meter and 
               two clamps. She applies the clamps to the base of the cable. 
               The needle on the meter dances.

                                     GUARD
                         Hey! Get down here!

               She was expecting to be busted. Still, she's scared.

               EXT. SAINT CATHERINE'S DAY SCHOOL - DAY

               A Catholic school on a wooded lane. Schoolgirls in uniform 
               play on the swings and hopscotch courts.

               INT. LIBRARY - SAINT CATHERINE'S

               Milo types madly on a four-year-old PC. It takes him a moment 
               to notice SISTER BEATRICE.

                                     MILO
                         This is a lifesaver. My PC crashed 
                         just before finals.

                                     SISTER BEATRICE
                         None of us knows how to use it. I'm 
                         thinking of taking a course.
                              (she wants to look)
                         May I?

                                     MILO
                         Sure.

               With her, we see the complex lines of code.

                                     SISTER BEATRICE
                         Forget it.

               INT. PHYSICAL SECURITY OFFICE - DAY

               Lisa sits with Bob Shrot. She's unfolding a page of sketch 
               paper.

                                     LISA
                         I needed t'see it up close for a 
                         graphic. The outpost with a dish on 
                         top? I climbed up there to get it 
                         right.

               She hands him an unfinished rendering of the dish. He looks 
               at her, at the drawing, at her again. She's scared, but tries 
               to hide it.

                                     SHROT
                              (hands back the drawing)
                         Next time you ask.

               Relieved, she gets up. The meter tumbles to the floor, thud. 
               She goes white. But when she looks up, she sees

               Shrot didn't see it: Len is standing in the inner door, waving 
               a printout.

                                     LEN
                         'Might of found something.

               Lisa grabs up the meter as Shrot joins Len. As she goes out, 
               she hears:

                                     LEN
                         Delbert seems to enter #21 twice. 
                         Without leaving the first time.

                                     SHROT
                         Let's get him in here.

               INT. SEATTLE MONORAIL CAR - NIGHT

               Milo looks up as his train comes into a station. Lisa enters 
               the car, carrying a stack of comix. He stands, they kiss, he 
               takes the comix.

                                     MILO
                         Great. I knocked off the aglet, as 
                         soon as I get a passable version of 
                         Skywire we're there.

                                     LISA
                         The dishes are juiced up, too.

                                     MILO
                         Thank God.

                                     LISA
                         Milo? Shrot suspects somebody broke 
                         into #21. I was in his office when 
                         he was reviewing the card readouts.

                                     MILO
                              (confused)
                         They know I broke in. Alice helped 
                         me.
                              (figuring it out)
                         Shrot's not one of them. He's 
                         blundering into this on his own.

                                     LISA
                         He doesn't know about the Day Care.

                                     MILO
                         Hardly anybody does, that's the beauty 
                         part. No cameras, the DOJ doesn't 
                         bother with it, it's accessed by a 
                         tunnel they boast about. You know 
                         the best place to hide a leaf?

                                     LISA
                         Yeah, that's old, in a tree.

                                     MILO
                         Oh.

                                     LISA
                         Milo? What if Shrot notices somebody 
                         entered the Day Care at four A.M.? 
                         And tells them about it?

               They look at each other: the consequences of this discovery 
               would be deadly.

               INT. BUILDING 20 CAFETERIA - DAY

               A busy lunch hour. Milo is eating with some other Programmers, 
               including Desi. There's a stir of excitement in the room.

               Gary comes straight to Milo's table; all conversation 
               instantly drops out.

                                     GARY
                         Milo?

               Milo stands. Gary hands him a heavy vellum invitation.

                                     GARY
                         I'm giving a benefit for the art 
                         museum Thursday night. Thought you'd 
                         like to bring Alice.

               Everybody at the table is listening.

                                     MILO
                         That's great! Thanks.

                                     GARY
                              (as he goes)
                         'Sorry about the late notice...

               Milo sits down. Everybody's looking at him.

                                     DESI
                         "Sorry about the late notice?"

               INT. PHYSICAL SECURITY OFFICE - DAY

               Delbert is seated across from Shrot and Len. Shrot holds the 
               printout.

                                     SHROT
                         Why did you enter #21 twice?

                                     DELBERT
                         Huh?

               Shrot hands Delbert the printout. Delbert looks at it: dense 
               with coded entries. He stares at it.

                                     DELBERT
                         This thing's screwed-up. Look here.
                              (shows it to them)
                         'Shows me going into the Day Care 
                         that night. I never been in the Day 
                         Care.

               Shrot narrows his eyes...

               INT. PUBLIC LIBRARY - DAY

               Milo sits with Lisa as she brings up the graphic interface 
               she's designed for the Skywire broadcast. It's an Outpost 
               desktop, with recognizable logos, fonts, etc.

                                     LISA
                         One window'll be obits I downloaded, 
                         based on the scenarios you described. 
                         The other windows'll accommodate the 
                         surveillance stuff you told me about. 
                         The idea is, this works with anything, 
                         since we can't edit.

               He nods. [It's not necessary for us to understand what she's 
               saying, just so Milo does.] She holds up an audio copy of 
               Gary's book, The Next Highway.

                                     LISA
                         Same with the excerpts I'm choosing: 
                         they'll play against any of the images 
                         you described.

                                     MILO
                         Perfect.
                              (something preys on 
                              his mind)
                         How am I gonna get away from the 
                         party long enough to --

                                     LISA
                         You could always say you have to go 
                         the bathroom.

                                     MILO
                         That's lame, isn't it?

                                     LISA
                         You'll come up with something.

               He already looks nervous. We begin to hear live music.

               EXT. GARY'S HOUSE - NIGHT

               The music echoes from inside. Push past a line of cars and 
               limousines in the lit-up drive, Milo's car at the head of 
               it.

               Milo and Alice get out. As they go inside, she pulls a tag 
               from the sleeve of his just-bought dinner jacket.

               INT. GARY'S HOUSE - ENTRANCE HALL - CONTINUOUS

               As Milo and Alice enter, he sees a Balthus painting re-
               digitize to a Mondrian.

                                     ALICE
                         They called the house to ask who's 
                         your favorite painter.

               Alice smiles, Milo forces a smile: it'll be even harder to 
               sneak away, now.

               They pass a doorway where a Houseman stands, to keep guests 
               from entering residential rooms (the ones Milo must pass 
               through to get to Gary's workroom). A Guy in a pretentiously 
               hip tux tries to peek in.

                                     HOUSEMAN
                         Sorry, Sir, this part of the residence 
                         is restricted.

               Milo looks a little more tense...

               PARTY ROOM - A MOMENT LATER

               The room is full of people. A long windowed wall has been 
               opened onto a lakeside terrace, where more Guests drink and 
               chat, and an orchestra plays.

               A giant Mondrian digitizes on the wall: the world's largest 
               ID card. Milo sinks a little more.

               Across the room, Gary, his Wife (a blandly pretty blond) and 
               two Men are grouped around a Monet set on an antique easel 
               (thus clearly the real thing; Mrs. Boyd has prevailed.) Gary 
               notices the giant digital Mondrian.

               MILO takes two flutes of champagnes off a tray. He hands one 
               to Alice as Gary et. al. approach.

                                     GARY
                         Alice, I'm Gary. This is my wife, 
                         Clarissa.
                              (handshakes, etc.)
                         Milo, this is Barry Linder, who's 
                         visiting from Hollywood.

               LINDER is a short, tan man of 50.

                                     LINDER
                         I hate being the Hollywood guy. It's 
                         so limiting. Meet my friend, Ricky.

               RICKY is 25-years-old; he looks like a Polo model.

                                     RICKY
                         Hi, guys.

                                     GARY
                         Barry's studio's gonna help fill the 
                         Skywire pipeline, thought you guys 
                         should meet.

                                     MILO
                              (his mind elsewhere)
                         Cool.

               ANGLE: the orchestra, playing.

               ANGLE: a group of SOCIETY TYPES chatting.

                                     SOCIETY WOMAN
                         He's a sweetheart. He gave 10,000 
                         PC's to the Library Association.

                                     SOCIETY MAN
                         All 10,000 of which will be signed 
                         onto his browser, no doubt.

                                     SOCIETY WOMAN
                         And so what?!

                                     ANOTHER MAN
                         Wait'll all the books are on-line.

                                     SOCIETY WOMAN
                         And so what?

               ANGLE: Milo, Alice, Gary, Barry Linder, Clarissa, Ricky. 
               Milo looks utterly preoccupied...

                                     LINDER
                         The merchandising implications are 
                         epic. A kid's watching the movie, he 
                         points and clicks at the laser blaster -- 
                         before the reel's even over he's 
                         ordered the toy.

                                     ALICE
                         But, I mean -- Devil's Advocate -- 
                         won't that influence the content? 
                         Won't the artists complain? The 
                         directors or writers or whoever?

                                     LINDER
                         Artists? Darling, the only art left 
                         in America is business. You're in 
                         Picasso's house!

               Gary smiles as everyone toasts him, except Milo; he hasn't 
               heard any of it.

                                     MILO
                         Where's the bathroom?

                                     LINDER
                         The irreverence!

               Laughter.

               TRACK MILO as he wends his way through laughing, chatting 
               Guests, dread and determination on his face. He moves away 
               from us, enters the

               ENTRANCE HALL

               speaks to the Houseman who guards the residential rooms.

                                     HOUSEMAN
                         You'll have to use one over there.

               He indicates an area on Milo's side of the door.

                                     MILO
                         There's like eight women waiting in 
                         line. They take forever.
                              (winces: painful 
                              bladder)
                         Please?

                                     HOUSEMAN
                         Right here.

               He points to a door immediately behind him. As the Houseman 
               watches, Milo goes into the

               BATHROOM

               He stands there a moment, breathes deeply. He cracks open 
               the door. The Houseman is turning away another Guest; Milo 
               makes his move.

               DEN-LIKE ROOM - CONTINUOUS

               Looking over his shoulder, Milo hurries to a door at the far 
               end of the room, silently cursing the Mondrian that inevitably 
               appears.

               The Houseman looks over his shoulder, sees the closed bathroom 
               door, assumes Milo's still inside.

               INT. PARTY ROOM - CONTINUOUS

               Gary chats with his guests. Alice looks up at the digital 
               art, now a Bosch again.

               INT. GARY'S HOUSE - VARIOUS ROOMS - CONTINUOUS

               Milo walks fast. As he passes from one room to next, he sees 
               a Mondrian: he's been in this room. All the austere, 
               tastefully decorated rooms are blending together.

               He stands in the center of the room making quarter turns. 
               Through each of four (open) doorways he sees a perfectly-
               appointed "den," the ultimate expression of bland, rich, 
               professionally-decorated taste.

               He's lost.

               He starts into one room -- backs up -- goes into another.

               INT. ENTRANCE HALL - CONTINUOUS

               The Houseman looks over his shoulder again. He sees the 
               Mondrian and, in the room beyond that, another Mondrian.

               He moves to the bathroom door, knocks on it. Opens it. He 
               pulls a sleek walkie-talkie from his jacket.

               INT. ANOTHER DEN - CONTINUOUS

               Milo, still lost, is getting frantic. He doubles back, cuts 
               toward another wing of the house. Through an open doorway he 
               sees:

               A young, chillingly calm NANNY, watching him. The Baby fusses 
               in her arms. Milo smiles, keeps moving.

               INT. GARY'S HOUSE - A DEN - CONTINUOUS

               A Second Houseman follows the trail of Mondrians. He sees 
               Mondrians in two different directions. He hesitates, picks a 
               direction, keeps moving.

               INT. PARTY ROOM - CONTINUOUS

               The first Houseman moves through the Guests, toward Gary.

               INT. GARY'S WORKROOM - CONTINUOUS

               Milo has finally made it. Sitting at Gary's work station, he 
               slips a CD-ROM into the PC. It floods with text. The music 
               echoes from far off. The entire wall behind him is filled 
               with a Mondrian.

               INT. DINING ROOM - CONTINUOUS

               As Linder chats, the first Houseman sidles up to Gary, 
               whispers in his ear. We see Gary smile, excuse himself. He 
               and Alice share a look as he moves off.

               We go with Gary. His smiles fades instantly. He pushes through 
               Guests, who thank him for hosting such a brilliant "do;" he 
               hardly hears them.

               INT. GARY'S WORKROOM - NIGHT

               Milo writes frantically on his tiny pad, copying from the PC 
               screen:

               LONGITUDE - 77 Degrees 03 Minutes 58 Seconds East

               LATITUDE - 38 Degrees 55 Minutes 14 Seconds South

               ALTITUDE - 426 MILES

               He flips the page, begins entering the fixes for the next 
               satellite. Thinking he's heard something, he looks up.

               Nobody's there.

               INT. ANOTHER DEN - CONTINUOUS

               The Second Houseman turns in several directions, confused by 
               the trail of Mondrians. Passing into the next room, he runs 
               into a Third Houseman, also confused. Each follows a different 
               Mondrian, in a different room.

               INT. GARY'S HOUSE - A DEN - CONTINUOUS

               Unlike the Housemen, Gary doesn't follow the paintings. He 
               moves swiftly, seems to know where Milo is.

               GARY'S WORKROOM - CONTINUOUS

               Milo still working...

               PARTY ROOM - CONTINUOUS

               Alice looks up at the digital painting: still a Bosch. Her 
               face sets grimly.

               INT. GARY'S WORKROOM - CONTINUOUS

               Milo clicks, closing the window. Concentrating, he doesn't 
               see what we see on the wall behind him: the Mondrian drains 
               away... And the wall fills up with the hellish Bosch triptych.

               After a moment, Milo senses something.

               Gary stands in the doorway. Watching him. Milo doesn't 
               breathe. Gary crosses the room, eyes locked with Milo's.

               Gary comes behind Milo. He reads the screen. It's filled 
               with text, whatever Milo loaded in when he sat down.

                                     GARY
                              (reading the screen)
                         "Dear Lisa. I've enjoyed working 
                         with you. I'd be lying if I didn't 
                         say I find you attractive. But in my 
                         heart I know that Alice..."
                              (he looks up)
                         You left my party to send E-mail?

                                     MILO
                         I couldn't do it at work cause of 
                         security or at home for -- obvious 
                         reasons.

               Gary stares at Milo. He looks skeptical. The party music 
               floats in from afar as the moment stretches.

                                     GARY
                         You could've handwritten it.

                                     MILO
                         I'm not much good at handwriting. Or 
                         parties.

                                     GARY
                         Oh, that's right. You're "clueless."

               This hangs there.

                                     MILO
                         Gary, I'm sorry if I was rude --

               The Second Houseman sticks his head in.

                                     HOUSEMAN
                         Everything OK, Mr. Boyd?

                                     GARY
                         No problem.
                              (when he's gone)
                         Is there?

                                     MILO
                         Gary, I --

                                     GARY
                         You see what's hanging on the wall?

               He looks over. Milo looks over. Among the framed 
               commendations, awards, degrees we see Milo's childhood 
               program, written on Outpost 1.0. Gary has had it framed.

               Milo absorbs it. Even now, he feels something for Gary.

                                     GARY
                         I hope you know what you mean to me. 
                         Not just because of what you're doing. 
                         Because of who you are.

                                     MILO
                         I do know, Gary. I feel the same 
                         way. I thought I was coming here for 
                         a job. But it's meant a lot more.

               Milo smiles almost tenderly. He doesn't know if Gary buys 
               it. Perhaps if he could see Gary's eyes. But they're obscured 
               by Bosch's writhing bodies, reflected on his eyeglasses.

               Gary moves away from Milo, he stands over the table with the 
               art books, vaguely looks through one.

                                     GARY
                         When will you have a Beta version?

               Milo wonders: does he know? He picks his words carefully.

                                     MILO
                         I'm pretty close. But when I wrote 
                         the last contact switches, it wiped 
                         out a piece of the content filer. 
                         You know what it's like, writing 
                         software.

                                     GARY
                         I do know. You focus on the big 
                         problem. But somewhere down the chain, 
                         something breaks down. Something 
                         gets destroyed. At first it's 
                         upsetting. You feel you've lost 
                         control.

               Gary puts down the book. Something in his tone draws Milo.

                                     GARY
                         So you have to remind yourself: it's 
                         just the process. Something's always 
                         lost along the way to anything 
                         worthwhile. Some little bug, some 
                         glitch. 'Can't get bogged down in 
                         that, you're doing something other 
                         people could never do. They lack the 
                         imagination, the brain, the nerve. 
                         Let them fret about every unforeseen 
                         consequence. You have to solve the 
                         problem. That's who you are.

               Is this a confession? A plea for understanding? Or just a 
               pep-talk to keep Milo focused on Skywire?

               EXT./INT DRIVEWAY/MILO'S CAR - LATER

               In the car, Milo and Alice pull away from the lights and 
               limos in icy silence. Several beats.

                                     ALICE
                         Are you gonna tell me where you went?

                                     MILO
                         I went to see the Skywire model in 
                         Gary's office. You know. Just to 
                         hold it again.

               He looks at her. She stares ahead, out the windshield.

                                     ALICE
                         Are you having an affair, Milo?

               He'd better have his story straight with Gary and Alice.

                                     MILO
                         No. No. I sent an E-mail to somebody, 
                         just now. To tell her how I feel 
                         about you.
                              (looks at her)
                         You know I'm clueless, without you. 
                         You know I --

                                     ALICE
                              (fighting tears)
                         Just shut up?

               Or is she faking it? Has he lost the trust of all of them? 
               He's afraid, now.

               EXT. INT. DAY CARE - DAY

               Move in on the building, past Kids playing in the yard.

               INT. DAY CARE - COMPUTER ROOM - DAY

               We hear the children's shouts OS. Short, with a fingerprint 
               kit, is dusting the keyboards. Len stands over him.

                                     LEN
                         Get the backslash, the colon, keys 
                         kids don't use but geeks do.
                              (looking around, 
                              perplexed)
                         What would Milo want in here, anyway?

                                     SHROT
                         They know. 'Just they don't trust me 
                         with it. So we'll get the evidence, 
                         first, ask questions later.

               EXT. LIBRARY PARK - EVENING

               By the balustrade, in the dimness, Milo stands with Lisa.

                                     LISA
                         Does he know you know?

                                     MILO
                         He suspects I know something. I think 
                         he was sort of -- explaining himself 
                         to me, in case I do.
                              (he breathes)
                         We have to go in tonight. I'm two 
                         hours from a Beta version.
                              (knows she won't like 
                              it)
                         But I've gotta go home for an hour.

                                     LISA
                         Why?!

                                     MILO
                         She called to apologize. I said I 
                         was pulling an all-nighter. She said 
                         then come home just to say Hi. Which 
                         I always do when we fight, it's 
                         suspicious if I don't.

                                     LISA
                         Please don't go.

                                     MILO
                         At this point the worst thing I could 
                         do is anything out of the ordinary.

               She looks at him, worried, then takes a disk out of her 
               backpack.

                                     LISA
                         Here's the interface.

               He takes it. They kiss. She watches him go, worried.

               EXT./INT. MILO'S HOUSE - NIGHT

               As Milo comes up the path, he sees Alice in the kitchen.

               He opens the front door, steps in. She comes from the kitchen 
               in an apron, wiping her hands. The apron is spattered, her 
               hair is askew.

                                     ALICE
                         I'm a mess! I got this Hunan cookbook, 
                         since we're always afraid for you to 
                         eat in Chinese restaurants. I've 
                         been mincing things into teeny-tiny 
                         pieces all afternoon.

               He smiles to hide his terror. Is she killing him now? Or 
               just testing his reaction? Or is it a sincere overture?

                                     MILO
                         Great!

                                     ALICE
                         Look at me! I'm gonna change.

               When she turns away, we see the fear on his face.

               INT. THE BEDROOM - A MOMENT LATER

               Alice pulls into a dress.

               IN THE KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS

               Milo, at the stove, sniffs at the food that simmers in a 
               wok. He grabs a a spoon, examines it; but it's minced too 
               fine to discern one ingredient from another.

               BEDROOM

               Alice pulls her hair back with a ribbon...

               KITCHEN

               Milo churns the garbage in the wastebasket, reads the label 
               on a jar, the label on a can...

               BEDROOM

               Alice applies blush-on.

               KITCHEN

               Milo goes through the spice cabinet...

               LIVING ROOM - A MOMENT LATER

               Milo paces. He stops when she comes from the bedroom.

                                     MILO
                              (he smiles)
                         You look beautiful.

                                     ALICE
                         Yeah? Give me a goodbye kiss.

                                     MILO
                         ...What?

                                     ALICE
                         I know you. You're gonna run back to 
                         work right after dinner. I want my 
                         kiss now.

               Either she's the most cold-blooded woman in the world, or...

               He takes her in his arms, kisses her long and hard -- as if 
               his life depended on it. When he releases her, she pretends 
               to swoon. She backs toward the kitchen.

                                     ALICE
                         Be right back.

               KITCHEN - A MOMENT LATER

               Camera is positioned on the counter, just behind the big 
               bowl as Alice spoons the food into it... She sprinkles on 
               some final ingredient, also minced.

               DINING ROOM - CONTINUOUS

               Milo's fingers drum the table top...

               KITCHEN - CONTINUOUS

               Alice picks up the dish. We don't see her face.

               ON THE DISH - MOVING - CONTINUOUS (ALICE'S POV)

               We hold the dish out in front of us. The food shines in the 
               light, a poisonous yellow gleam. We move from kitchen to 
               dining room, slowly, deliberately...

               Milo comes into view beyond the dish, wearing a forced smile. 
               We come all the way to the table with the dish, where Alice 
               sets it down.

               She sits. Milo, still vamping, pours wine. He picks up his 
               fork. Stares at it.

                                     ALICE
                         Milo?

               His mind churns furiously.

                                     ALICE
                         Milo?

                                     MILO
                         Don't we have any chopsticks?

                                     ALICE
                         Oh, right. Hold on.

               When she's gone, he flips his left arm over and drags the 
               tines of his fork against it, making score-marks, like those 
               used by allergists to test for sensitivity.

               He dabs the sauce onto the tracks, wipes it clean. He stares 
               at it.

               INT. KITCHEN DRAWER - CONTINUOUS

               Alice roots through ladles, bottle openers, cheese graters, 
               spatulas. At the bottom of the drawer, she finds two pairs 
               of take-out chopsticks, wrapped in white paper.

               INT. DINING ROOM - CONTINUOUS

               Milo looks from his watch to his arm -- no reaction yet.

                                     MILO
                              (under his breath)
                         One more minute...

               But here's Alice. She slips into her seat.

                                     ALICE
                         Here we go.

                                     MILO
                         Great.

               He unwraps the chopsticks rather slowly.

                                     MILO
                         ...wanna savor this.

                                     ALICE
                         It's gonna get cold.

                                     MILO
                         Right. Wait. A toast.

                                     ALICE
                         You're just afraid to eat it.

               She smiles, picks up her glass.

                                     MILO
                         To the artist.

               They toast. She sips her wine. He sips his. He wants 
               desperately to glance at his inner arm once more. But she's 
               watching him, waiting for him to eat.

               He picks up the chopsticks, gathers up a tiny bite. She 
               watches keenly. He brings the food to his mouth, passes it 
               between his lips, swallows.

               He closes his eyes, ostensibly to savor the food, in fact 
               bracing for a paroxysm.

               She watches him expectantly -- either for his verdict on the 
               food, or for the first fatal spasm.

                                     MILO
                              (his voice cracks)
                         It's great. It's great.

               She grins. She takes a bite. The moment she looks away, he 
               turns over his arm to get a look, face full of fear.

               The tracks are still flat, there's no redness. He shovels a 
               large bite into his mouth, ecstatic to be alive. Then another 
               bite, greedy with life.

               INT. COMPUTER SECURITY OFFICE - NIGHT

               Shrot and Len are in a high-tech office. On a monitor, we 
               see a blown-up image of a fingerprint taken from Milo's 
               keyboard; Milo's name is printed under it.

               In a second window, other fingerprints flash by: thousands 
               of prints lifted off keyboards in the Day Care.

               Shrot waits for a match to click in.

               INT. MILO'S OFFICE - NIGHT

               Milo scrolls his Skywire code, concentrating intensely. Till 
               he feels some stickiness on his thumb and forefinger. He 
               rubs them together, peers at his keys.

               Dolly-zoom in on a trace of fingerprint powder.

               Fear seizes Milo. He ejects his the Skywire CD -- it is a 
               bright silver color, with a Skywire logo on it -- slips it 
               in an equally distinct silver (CD) jewel-case.

               INT. BLDG. 20 HALLWAY - MOMENT LATER

               Milo smiles at Desi as he moves up the hall. He almost bumps 
               into Gary's Secretary.

                                     SECRETARY
                         Milo, hi! How was the party?

                                     MILO
                         Great! Great! Thanks for asking!

               He continues up the hall. He ducks into the service hall.

               INT. COMPUTER SECURITY OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

               Shrot watches as

               The computer produces an alarm-like buzzing. The second window 
               locks onto the matching print. The prints flash in unison, 
               garishly confirming the match.

               INT. TUNNEL/STAIRWELL - CONTINUOUS

               Milo races along the tunnel that leads from #20 to the Day 
               Care...

               INT. COMPUTER SECURITY OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

               Shrot punches a number on the phone.

                                     LEN
                         You calling Phil and Randy?

                                     SHROT
                         I'm calling Gary.

               INT. STAIRWELL/DAY CARE BACKROOM - CONTINUOUS

               Milo climbs the stairs, fumbles with the swipecard, enters 
               the Day Care.

               INT. COMPUTER SECURITY OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

               Len is at the console. On a security monitor, he has called-
               up video from a moment ago: Milo hurrying up the hall, almost 
               running into Gary's Secretary.

               Shrot has an eye on the video as he speaks on the phone.

                                     SHROT
                         He's left his office, we think he's 
                         gone back to the Day Care for some 
                         reason. Can you tell me why, Gary?
                              (he listens)
                         Whatever you say.
                              (hangs up angrily)
                         Wants to consult with Phil. Was it 
                         Phil's idea to run the fingerprints?

               Shrot straps on his service revolver as he heads out.

                                     SHROT
                         Come with me.

                                     LEN
                              (trying to catch up)
                         Where we going?

               INT. DAY CARE - COMPUTER ROOM - CONTINUOUS

               Milo is under the table, detaching one of the the black 
               plastic data towers that contain the "primers," stored 
               surveillance material, etc.

               INT. PHIL'S OFFICE - CONTINUOUS

               Phil hangs up the phone. He turns to Randy, who is with the 
               two men: the blond GUNTHER, the pale-eyed RIMAN.

                                     PHIL
                         He's in the Day Care.

               INT. DAY CARE - CONTINUOUS

               Milo carefully detaches a second data tower.

               EXT. BLDG. 20 - CONTINUOUS

               Shrot and Len hurry out of the building, toward the Day Care 
               across the quad. Len is ill-at-ease:

                                     LEN
                         Bob, I'm a programmer, not a cop.

               In his haste, Shrot doesn't even hear him.

               INT. BUILDING 20 HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS

               Gunther, Riman & Randy head down the service hallway, en 
               route to the bomb shelter stairs.

               INT. DAY CARE - CONTINUOUS

               Milo, lugging one bulky black data tower under each arm 
               (wondering if he should just ditch one) gets as far as the 
               main, colorfully-carpeted room --

               Shrot is there, gun drawn. Len stands just behind.

                                     SHROT
                         What are you doing?

                                     MILO
                         You're better off not knowing.

               Shrot thinks he's being mocked, as usual.

                                     SHROT
                         What're you doing?!

               Milo sets down one of the towers.

                                     MILO
                         They're surveilling programmers from 
                         in here. They steal their code. 
                         Sometimes -- I know this sounds insane -- 
                         sometimes they kill one.

               Shrot looks skeptical.

                                     MILO
                         They let me break into 21. 'Cause 
                         there's nothing in there. You know 
                         they've been keeping things from 
                         you. 'Getting in the way when you 
                         try t'do your job. That's why you 
                         never told 'em your suspicions about 
                         me. Right?

               Shrot doesn't deny it.

                                     MILO
                         If you had I'd be dead now.

               Milo's sincerity is striking. Shrot cogitates.

                                     MILO
                         You've been following your gut all 
                         along. Please don't stop now?

               INT. STAIRWELL - CONTINUOUS

               Gunther, Riman and Randy climb the metal stairs, turn at a 
               landing, climb some more.

               When they get to the next landing, Riman opens the door. 
               They enter

               THE DAY CARE - BACK ROOM

               Hearing voices inside, Gunther draws a gun; they move forward 
               stealthfully. They enter the

               COMPUTER ROOM - CONTINUOUS

                                     RANDY
                         What's going on here?

               Randy sees: Shrot and Len.

                                     SHROT
                         Who're these guys?

                                     RANDY
                         Where is he?

                                     SHROT
                         We're too late. Take a look.

               He shines his light under the table, where the towers have 
               been detached.

                                     SHROT
                         What's in here worth taking, anyway?

               EXT. QUAD - CONTINUOUS

               Milo hurries away from the Day Care. He has just one data 
               tower, now, so he can move faster.

               INT. DAY CARE COMPUTER ROOM - CONTINUOUS

               Randy starts to push past Shrot --

                                     RANDY
                         He must be out there still --

               He gets to the front room, where the jettisoned data tower 
               still sits (but he doesn't see it).

                                     SHROT
                              (calling after)
                         Forget about it. His car's not in 
                         the lot, he's gone!

               Shrot watches anxiously to see if he's stopped Randy.

               EXT. OUTPOST - PARKING LOT - NIGHT

               Milo moves low among the high-priced cars, lugging the tower. 
               He gets to his Deux Chevaux, opens the trunk --

                                     VOICE
                         Hey!

               Milo turns. It's Desi, again.

                                     DESI
                         Wanna get a cheeseburger or something?

                                     MILO
                         Maybe another time.

               As calmly as possible, he stows the tower, slams the trunk, 
               gets in the car.

               INT. DAY CARE - COMPUTER ROOM - CONTINUOUS

               Randy hangs up the phone.

                                     RANDY
                              (to Shrot & Len)
                         Fellas, I'm gonna have to ask you to 
                         leave here now.

                                     SHROT
                         Wait a second. I'm the one who found 
                         out he was mucking around in here in 
                         the first place.

                                     RANDY
                         We're all grateful for that. Really. 
                         Go out the way you came in?

               Reluctantly, Shrot & Len head out toward the front room.

               INT./EXT MILO'S CAR/HIGHWAY - NIGHT

               Milo is on the phone, he drives as fast as one can in his 
               car.

                                     MILO
                         Meet me at the other location.

                                     LISA (V.O.)
                         Tell me you're not calling on your 
                         car phone?!

               INT. DAY CARE - COMPUTER ROOM - CONTINUOUS

               Randy, Riman & Gunther have turned the Day Care into a 
               surveillance post. They hear Milo & Lisa's conversation on 
               speakers.

                                     MILO (V.O.)
                         They know, I had no choice. Get out 
                         of the house now! Do you have a 
                         laptop?

               INT. LISA'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS

                                     LISA (ON THE PHONE)
                         It's three years old, it --

               INT. MILO'S CAR - CONTINUOUS

                                     MILO (ON THE PHONE)
                         Bring it to the other location.

                                     LISA
                         But you said the other --

               He rings off. He reads something off a business card.

               INT. LISA'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS

               Scrambling, Lisa grabs her old laptop, finds her keys.

               INT. GARY'S HOUSE - GARY'S WORKROOM - CONTINUOUS

               Phil's on the phone.

                                     PHIL
                         Yeah, alright.
                              (hangs up, briefs 
                              Gary)
                         He's off campus, he's taken some 
                         surveillance data with him.

               Gary's eyes narrow.

                                     PHIL
                         She's bringing her laptop, it's wired. 
                         Second she boots up, we're on 'em.

               EXT./INT. BUILDING/MILO'S CAR - RURAL ROAD - NIGHT

               Milo reads the address off the business card, which has a 
               satellite dish as its logo. (He holds it in front of him.)

               When he brings down the card, it reveals a real-life satellite 
               dish through the windshield.

               As the car pulls up by a low cinderblock building, we read a 
               sign that says KNQR - PUBLIC ACCESS.

               INT. KNQR - RECEPTION AREA - CONTINUOUS

               Milo rushes in, lugging the tower. There's a linoleum floor, 
               framed one-sheets for tacky public access shows (Yoga, blow-
               dried Evangelist, Nude Talk Show). Behind the reception desk 
               sits a beefy RENT-A-GUARD with an earring.

                                     RENT-A-GUARD
                         Help you?

                                     MILO
                         Brian here? Brian Bissel?

                                     RENT-A-GUARD
                              (picks up the phone)
                         Who wants to see him?

               INT./EXT. LISA'S CAR/HIGHWAY - NIGHT

               Lisa drives fast, checking her rear-view-mirror to make sure 
               she's not being followed. Pan to the seat next to her: her 
               laptop lies on the passenger seat.

               INT. DAY CARE COMPUTER ROOM - CONTINUOUS

               A monitor shows a green interface with yellow coordinates 
               (like an air traffic controllers' screen). Randy sits at the 
               keyboard in front of it, phone cradled on shoulder.

                                     RANDY
                              (into the phone)
                         Nothing. They haven't booted-up yet.

               INT. KNQR - CONTINUOUS

               Milo speaks to Brian.

                                     MILO
                         This is the biggest Beta demo in 
                         like the history of software. You'd 
                         be my partner.

                                     BRIAN
                         You can't pre-empt Yoga, that's our 
                         biggest show.

                                     MILO
                         Brian! You wanna be a big deal, don't 
                         you? That's your dream in life.

               Brian is examining the data tower. He touches the Outpost 
               logo branded into it, rather reverently.

               Lisa comes in, laptop slung over her arm.

                                     BRIAN
                         Will I get to work for Outpost?

                                     MILO
                         No. But you can write your own ticket 
                         in the Valley after this. We're gonna 
                         bring down Outpost.

                                     BRIAN
                         What?

                                     MILO
                         What'd they ever do for you?

               Brian's thinking it over. He shrugs.

                                     BRIAN
                         Okay.

                                     MILO
                         Great. Great! We need to drag a lot 
                         of heavy stuff in front of the door --

                                     BRIAN
                         What?!

                                     MILO
                              (to the Rent-a-Guard)
                         Wanna be a part of history?

                                     RENT-A-GUARD
                         Not really.

                                     MILO
                              (digging in his pocket)
                         Well -- would you like to pick up an 
                         extra -- 232 dollars?

               INT. GARY'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS

               Gary is pacing...

                                     PHIL
                              (on the phone)
                         Nothing yet, Gary...

               INT. KNQR - RECEPTION AREA - CONTINUOUS

               The Rent-a-Guard drags a file cabinet in front of the door, 
               where he has already dragged the couch, some chairs, a garbage 
               can, two lamps...

               INT. SATELLITE ROOM (UPSTAIRS) - KNQR - CONTINUOUS

               Three TV's of various sizes and wood veneers are turned on: 
               one to NBC ("ER") one to CBS ("48 Hours") one to ABC 
               (toothpaste commercial). On an in-house monitor a leathery 
               Woman in a leotard does yoga.

               Lisa is cabling her laptop into the station's computer. Brian 
               boots it up: it runs the satellite. Milo cables the data 
               tower into the laptop.

               Cables go in every which direction: the whole set-up has a 
               distinctly gerry-rigged look.

               Go tight on the laptop power switch. Lisa toggles it on.

               INT. DAY CARE COMPUTE ROOM - NIGHT

               The yellow coordinates start blinking on. Randy sits at a 
               console.

                                     RANDY
                              (into the phone)
                         We've got a fix on 'em.
                              (typing)
                         218 North Jericho Road.

               Gunther and Riman grab holstered guns, race out. Randy types 
               some more, speaks into the phone:

                                     RANDY
                         Public access TV station. KNQR.

               INT. GARY'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS

               Phil hangs up, blows a sigh of relief.

                                     PHIL
                         He's taken it to the public access 
                         station.

               Phil sags gratefully into a chair... only to see Gary plow 
               past him. At his workstation Gary types, mutters:

                                     GARY
                         That's what he was doing in here.

               The Bosch wall screen fills up with a dark blue background, 
               longitude and latitude lines...

                                     PHIL
                         Gary?

               Gary throws a printed spiral notebook at him.

                                     GARY
                         Help me change the Skywire settings. 
                         Add five degrees to each satellite 
                         coordinate.

                                     PHIL
                         Gary, don't worry, we --

                                     GARY
                         Just do what I'm asking!

               Gary hits a switch. A wood panel slides into the wall, 
               revealing a bank of four TV's.

               INT. CAR/HIGHWAY - CONTINUOUS

               Gunther and Riman speed toward the station.

               INT. SATELLITE ROOM - WNQR - CONTINUOUS

               Milo slips his disk in the laptop. Lisa cables the video 
               tower to the laptop.

                                     BRIAN
                         You're interfaced with our dish.

                                     MILO
                              (to Lisa)
                         Gimme the coordinates?

               Lisa reads from Milo's little pad.

                                     LISA
                         Longitude 77 degrees, 03 minutes, 58 
                         seconds East.

               Milo types on the laptop.

                                     LISA
                         Latitude 38 degrees, 55 minutes, 14 
                         seconds South.

               INT. GARY'S WORKROOM - CONTINUOUS

               Phil reads to Gary as he types.

                                     PHIL
                         19 seconds South. Altitude 431 Miles.

               EXT. SPACE - NIGHT

               We see the Earth far below. The Skywire Satellite orbits 
               majestically into frame, shifts five degrees to the left.

               INT. SATELLITE ROOM - KNQR - CONTINUOUS

               Milo hits enter. Milo, Lisa, Brian, shift their collective 
               gaze to the three funky TV sets.

               "ER" plays, uninterrupted, Dan Rather, Diane Sawyer on ABC, 
               the Yoga lady, the audio of all four blending in a chaotic 
               low melange that adds to the tension (particularly the frantic 
               medical emergency on "ER").

                                     BRIAN
                         Is it your software?

                                     MILO
                         Is it your dish?

                                     LISA
                         Maybe it's the satellite.

                                     MILO
                              (he thinks)
                         Let's try #2.

               INT. GARY'S WORKROOM - CONTINUOUS

                                     GARY
                         Okay, #2.

                                     PHIL
                         Longitude 48 degrees 06 minutes --

               EXT. KNQR - CONTINUOUS

               Gunther and Riman squeal into the station parking lot.

               INT. SATELLITE ROOM - CONTINUOUS

               Lisa looks out the window to the parking lot, below. Milo is 
               typing in coordinates.

                                     LISA
                         They're already here. My laptop must 
                         be wired!

                                     BRIAN
                              (anxiously)
                         Milo?

                                     MILO
                              (typing)
                         We're there.

               Milo hits enter.

               INT. GARY'S WORKROOM - CONTINUOUS

               Gary hits enter.

               EXT. SPACE CONTINUOUS

               A second Skywire satellite shifts regally away from the Earth, 
               as if shunning the signal.

               INT. SATELLITE ROOM KNQR - CONTINUOUS

               Milo, Lisa, Brian watch the TV's. "ER" et al.

                                     MILO
                         Damn!

               EXT./INT. KNQR - ENTRANCE - CONTINUOUS

               Gunther and Riman tear through the barricade the Rent-A-Cop 
               has erected with ruthless precision.

               INT. SATELLITE ROOM - CONTINUOUS

               Milo cogitates while Lisa reviews the satellite coordinates --

                                     LISA
                              (to Brian)
                         You checked your connections?

                                     BRIAN
                              (to Milo)
                         Yes! Should you reboot?

               Milo is scrolling the software, trying to figure out which 
               of a 1,000 possible glitches is getting in the way.

                                     MILO
                         ...He knows.

                                     LISA
                         What?

                                     MILO
                         He's been altering the coordinates 
                         since we logged on. He's a step ahead. 
                         Let's jump to #12.

               INT. GARY'S WORKROOM - CONTINUOUS

                                     PHIL
                         Ready for number three?

                                     GARY
                         Let's go.

                                     PHIL
                         Longitude 109 --

                                     GARY
                         Wait... He knows.

                                     PHIL
                         What?

                                     GARY
                         'Knows I'm altering the coordinates. 
                         Let's jump to #12.

                                     PHIL
                         Gary?

                                     GARY
                         Just do it.

               INT. KNQR - UPSTAIRS HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS

               The Rent-A-Guard drags furniture, props, lights, in front of 
               the entrance to the satellite room.

               INT. ENTRANCE - KNQR - CONTINUOUS

               Gunther and Riman have created an opening in the barricade. 
               They step through it. They hear the racket the Rent-a-Guard 
               is making upstairs. They head that way.

               INT. STAIRWAY/UPSTAIRS HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS

               The Rent-A-Guard is holding a lightstand as they ascend, 
               guns drawn.

                                     GUNTHER
                         Step aside. We won't hurt you.

               Riman takes the lightstand from him. The Rent-a-Guard puts 
               his hands up, sidles across the hallway as they tear into 
               the barricade.

               INT. SATELLITE ROOM - CONTINUOUS

               Lisa reads to Milo.

                                     LISA
                         Latitude 47 degrees.

                                     MILO
                         Wait a second. He knows I know.

                                     BRIAN
                         What?!

                                     MILO
                         He's working backwards, too.
                              (to Lisa)
                         Let's do number five?

                                     LISA
                         Longitude 66.

               Milo types.

               INT. STAIRWELL - CONTINUOUS

               Gunther and Riman rip down the barricade, reach the door. 
               They whip it open, guns drawn. They see:

               An empty supply room. [The barricade was a decoy.]

               INT. SATELLITE ROOM - CONTINUOUS

               The Rent-A-Guard has joined Milo et al in here. He tries to 
               slide a heavy shelf in front of the door, but it's not yet 
               in place. Lisa has dialed 911. She's scared.

                                     LISA
                         Come now. They've got guns!

               OS, we can hear Gunther and Riman pounding at the door.

                                     GUNTHER (O.S.)
                         Open the door, Milo!

                                     BRIAN
                              (to Milo)
                         You there yet?

                                     MILO
                              (typing)
                         One more second.

               He hits enter. The door is kicked open. Gunther & Riman enter, 
               Gunther with a gun, Riman still carrying the light stand.

               He immediately bashes the KNQR computer with it. Lisa looks 
               devastated.

                                     BRIAN
                         Hey, hey, relax, relax!

               He holds up the computer cable, to show Riman it was never 
               plugged in, anyway.

                                     LISA
                         Oh my God.

                                     BRIAN
                              (to Gunther)
                         Should I call Phil? Or do you?

               Gunther knits his brow. He notices Milo: still staring at 
               the TV screens.

                                     BRIAN
                         Milo? Wake up. Our regular programming 
                         will not be preempted tonight.

               Milo's gaze stays fixed to the screens. Riman grabs him by 
               the shirt. But Gunther's concerned by Milo's behavior:

                                     GUNTHER
                              (staring at Milo)
                         Wait.

               As Milo watches the screens, a pixilated, ghostly image begins 
               to appear on all of them: the animated Skywire logo (lightning 
               strike, etc.).

               Brian lurches across to the laptop, ejects the CD-ROM. It's 
               beige-colored, says Outpost Word.

                                     BRIAN
                         ...When did you know?

                                     MILO
                              (still watching the 
                              screens)
                         You should've called a few times to 
                         bug me about your job prospects.

                                     LISA
                         Milo? Who's got Skywire?

               INT. GARY'S WORKROOM - CONTINUOUS

               Gary and Phil watch as the Skywire logo gets steadily stronger 
               on Gary's TV's. Phil is confounded:

                                     PHIL
                         If Milo didn't launch Skywire, who 
                         did?

               We hear a low steady hum.

                                                                    CUT TO:

               A CABLE plugged into a dusty wall-port that doesn't even 
               have a plate on it. Panning along the cable, we widen to 
               show:

               INT. UNFINISHED STUDIO (#21) - CONTINUOUS

               In dim construction light, not far from the Sears generator, 
               Len sits on the concrete floor. The second data tower is 
               patched into a laptop. The distinct silver jewelcase lies by 
               the CD-rom drive. Shrot paces:

                                     SHROT
                         Now what are we doing? I don't get 
                         any of this shit!

                                     LEN
                         I launched Skywire. Just pray the 
                         last set of coordinates Milo sent me 
                         connected us to Gary's satellite.

                                                                    CUT TO:

               FOUR TV SETS

               Each shows the standard Outpost desktop: Outpost logo, fonts, 
               colors. [This is the all-purpose interface Lisa created for 
               to Milo.] A window at the top shows a succession of Obituaries 
               with photos Lisa has downloaded from newspapers: "Programmer 
               Dies in Highway Crash;" "Programmer Among Cult Suicides;" 
               "Programmer Victim of Racial Killing," etc.) The obituaries -- 
               eight of them -- fade up and down in a continuous cycle. 
               Meantime:

               Lower on the screen, the material from the day-care data 
               tower appears, following the same succession we saw when 
               Milo brought up Teddy's data, i.e., footage of a young 
               Programmer at college, surveillance footage of him typing 
               away (from behind), medical records that describe his 
               vulnerability or a crime primer that describes his scenario. 
               Between the obits and the primers, cause and effect is 
               (eventually) established.

               The crowning note is the audio, Gary in VOICE OVER, gleaned 
               (by Lisa) from the audio version of his own book:

                                     GARY'S VOICE OVER
                         Most of us who write software achieve 
                         our greatest work before age 30. As 
                         I grow older I know how important it 
                         is to access fertile young minds!

               REVERSE ON

               Gary watching.

               INT. KNQR - SATELLITE ROOM - CONTINUOUS

               We hear sirens grow near. Gunther watches the broadcast, 
               still gripping his gun.

                                     RIMAN
                              (to Gunther)
                         You know the scenario for this.

               This sounds ominous. Lisa wonders what it means. Milo wonders 
               what it means. He swallows hard.

                                     MILO
                         'Last thing you wanna do is hurt us 
                         now.
                              (not at all sure)
                         Right?

                                     GUNTHER
                              (to Brian)
                         Who's seeing this?

                                     BRIAN
                              (with dread)
                         Who isn't?

                                                                    CUT TO:

               A MONTAGE

               1. MOVE PAST ROWS & ROWS OF PC's playing surveillance footage, 
               a crash-scene upload, and an obituary, in a college computer 
               lab. Students watch, agog.

                                     GARY'S VOICE OVER
                         We work hard to stay ahead because 
                         we know any kid working in his garage 
                         can put us out of business.

               2. TIMES SQUARE - Pedestrians and motorists (with craned 
               necks) watch the Jumbo-Tron, now the world's biggest desktop. 
               In one window, college video of a promising Programmer, in 
               the other, footage of a cult suicide. (Sometimes the 
               Programmer in question is simultaneous with his obit, 
               sometimes not, but the connection by now becomes clear).

                                     GARY'S VOICE OVER
                         The first rule of the software 
                         business is: those who don't innovate 
                         are doomed to die.

               3. The cuts accelerate. In a NETWORK CONTROL ROOM, Technicians 
               flip switches, trying to bring back scheduled programming. 
               At the NIKKEI, the Brokers are transfixed by what comes over 
               the Big Board. In a VEGAS CASINO Gamblers sip their drinks 
               as they watch it on closed-circuit horserace monitors. On a 
               STREET CORNER, a Crack Dealer watches on his beeper. At a 
               STADIUM, the Stones play but (tilting up) the Diamond Vision 
               behind them plays Milo's broadcast. In an ELECTRONICS STORE, 
               a wall of TV's -- 200 of them -- plays grisly primer footage 
               for Shoppers. A guy takes a shiny wrapped copy of Outpost 
               '98 from his basket, returns it to the shelf... In the Day 
               Care Computer Room, it plays on all the monitors as Randy 
               moves through the room with a big buzzing electro-magnetic 
               hoop, which he runs over each tower, wiping out data.

               Through all the cuts, we hear Gary's narration:

                                     GARY'S VOICE OVER
                         That's why we work so hard to invent 
                         or acquire great new applications. 
                         Consumers don't care where new ideas 
                         come from, just so long as they're 
                         offered at competitive prices. Isn't 
                         that what the free market's about? 
                         Sure, we like being #1, but it's 
                         pressure, too. This business is 
                         binary: you're a zero or a one.

               INT. JUSTICE DEPT. - WASHINGTON D.C. - CONTINUOUS

               A group of Government Lawyers, working late (Chinese takeout, 
               loosened ties) watch with a dawning sense of unbelievable 
               good luck.

                                     JUSTICE DEPT. LAWYER
                         'Guess we should wake the Attorney 
                         General.

               TIGHT ON: A PC SCREEN - Teddy Chin's recruitment file is in 
               one window, the hate crime footage is in another.

                                     GARY'S VOICE OVER
                         I've been called "aggressive" but to 
                         me, that's really a compliment.

               REVERSE: SUNNYVALE LOFT - CONTINUOUS

               Larry watches with his start-up partners. His eyes close: it 
               hurts to see Teddy, again.

                                     GARY'S VOICE OVER
                         Look at all the jobs and technologies 
                         my "aggression" has created.

               INT. LYLE BARTON'S HOUSE - FRONT ROOM - CONTINUOUS

               OPEN on a framed photo of Barton, his Wife and Kids. The 
               broadcast plays, OS.

                                     BARTON'S WIFE (O.S.)
                         Lyle? Phone for you.

               She comes in. No Barton. The front door is wide open, the TV 
               is still on.

                                     GARY'S VOICE OVER
                         We really are a family here at 
                         Outpost.

               INT. MILO & LISA'S HOUSE - BEDROOM - NIGHT

               Paintings are gone from the wall, clothes flung around. Move 
               in on a note pinned to the pillow, as the TV plays.

                                     GARY'S VOICE OVER
                         I think that's why outsiders sometimes 
                         sees us as "cultish" or "secretive."

                             Milo, It wasn't so bad, really.

                                        XX "Alice"

               EXT. OUTPOST CAMPUS - NIGHT

               High wide shot: sirens scream as unmarked sedans and squadcars 
               squeal into the sanctified parking lot.

                                     GARY'S VOICE OVER
                         Is loyalty and group spirit somehow 
                         "sinister" nowadays?

               INT. GARY'S WORKROOM - CONTINUOUS

               Open on Gary's TV monitors, then pan into the room. Phil has 
               departed; the Outpost Lawyers have taken his place.

                                     LAWYER
                         The "murder" stuff is all innuendo: 
                         bad PR, legally null. 'Could probably 
                         be spun as Urban Legend. There is a 
                         case for corporate espionage, but if 
                         you cop a plea, you'll get a slap --

                                     GARY
                         Cop a plea? I'm confused, Ted. You 
                         think I knew about this?

               The Lawyers suppress their opinion.

                                     GARY
                         I'm running the company, fighting 
                         the DOJ, raising a family. Randy and 
                         Phil obviously overreacted. To this 
                         endless, antitrust witchhunt.

                                     LAWYER
                              (get real)
                         The government's gonna offer 'em a 
                         helluva deal to tie you into this. 
                         Whether you knew about it or not.

                                     LAWYER 2
                         Randy, Phil and whoever else knew 
                         about it.

                                     GARY
                         That won't be a problem.

               INT./EXT. CAR/RURAL ROAD - CONTINUOUS

               Gunther & Riman turn off a rural road...

                                     GARY (O.S.)
                         As for PR, Skywire'll take care of 
                         all that.

               ...onto a tarmac. A private jet sits lit up, waiting.

               INT. GARY'S WORKROOM - CONTINUOUS

                                     GARY
                         The world's seen it now. They know 
                         it's gonna dominate the convergence 
                         market even beyond how Outpost '98 
                         dominates the desktop.

               INT. PRIVATE JET - 35,000 FT. - CONTINUOUS

               Continuous dolly past: Gunther, as he takes a Chivas from 
               the Stewardess; Lyle Barton who slips on his headset; Alice, 
               sorting through video casettes; Randy & Phil, playing gin 
               rummy; Brian, eating a hamburger. Meantime:

                                     GARY (O.S.)
                         Go after us, you give foreign 
                         competitors a shot at the platform 
                         that'll hold sway for 30 years: you 
                         threaten not just our chip and PC 
                         partners like when you came after 
                         the browser.

               INT. GARY'S WORKROOM - CONTINUOUS

                                     GARY
                         You threaten TV networks, phone 
                         companies, catalog outlets, publishing 
                         houses, movie studios, travel agents, 
                         airlines, stock brokerages -- you 
                         sabotage the whole economy. Talk 
                         about undermining innovation!

                                     LAWYER 2
                              (he's writing on a 
                              legal pad)
                         Easy to spin, old as the hills: What's 
                         good for Outpost is good for America.

               He hands the pad to Gary.

               INT. KNQR - SATELLITE ROOM - CONTINUOUS

               Milo watches the screens, anxiously.

                                     MILO
                         Come on, Bob. Load in the other disk.

               INT. GARY'S WORKROOM - CONTINUOUS

               Gary is reading from the Lawyer's pad.

                                     GARY
                         "I had no knowledge of these 
                         activities, but I have to ask myself 
                         if the competitive environment I 
                         encouraged in some small way 
                         contributed --"

                                     LAWYER
                         Gary?

               Gary looks up. The Lawyer nods soberly at the TV's.

               In one window, the Skywire code scrolls slowly past. In the 
               other, it says: "Here's the code for the operating system 
               that made this braodcast possible. Take it. Use it. Make the 
               new convergence technologies as free as the Web."

               Under the windows, these words scroll continuously: HUMAN 
               KNOWLEDGE BELONGS TO THE WORLD.

               Watching, Gary knits his brow: he looks wounded.

               INT. COLLEGE COMPUTER LAB - CONTINUOUS

               In the lab that began the montage, move past rows of Students 
               scribbling madly as the code unfolds, or saving it to their 
               hard drives.

               Off-screen, a Student says, "Well, the genie's out of that 
               bottle."

                                                                SHORT FADE:

                                     CYBER PUNDIT (OVER BLACK)
                         The Board ousted Gary Boyd as 
                         Chairman, they're assisting the DOJ 
                         in the breakup of Outpost into 
                         divisions.

               FADE IN ON:

               TV - PLAYING LARRY KING LIVE

               The CYBER PUNDIT chats with LARRY KING.

                                     LARRY KING (ON TV)
                         That's gotta kill him, right?

                                     CYBER PUNDIT (ON TV)
                         Outpost was his baby, sure. On the 
                         other hand, we just learned Gary 
                         Boyd owns the Skywire satellites. 
                         Personally.

                                     LARRY KING (ON TV)
                         Outpost doesn't own em.

               We are:

               INT. SUNNYVALE LOFT - DAY

               Larry Lindholm sits on a couch watching TV. MOVERS are 
               carrying out computer equipment all around him. He tries to 
               ignore them.

                                     CYBER PUNDIT (ON TV)
                         Conglomerates're lined up to finance 
                         the launch of the remaining 
                         satellites. They'll pay him a huge 
                         premium to get on-line.

                                     LARRY KING
                         That'd change with a criminal 
                         indictment.

                                     CYBER PUNDIT
                         There's no hard evidence he knew 
                         about this. Anybody who could 
                         implicate him seems to've vanished.

                                     LARRY KING (ON TV)
                         Isn't there a stigma? Bankrolling 
                         this guy?

                                     CYBER PUNDIT (ON TV)
                         Stigma? Larry! 60 billion buys you 
                         some slack in this world.

                                     LARRY KING (ON TV)
                         And the kid who wrote Skywire -- 
                         then gave it away? They're calling 
                         him the digital Robin Hood.

                                     CYBER PUNDIT (ON TV)
                         Milo. Surprised he's not your guest.

                                     LARRY KING (ON TV)
                         We tried!

                                     CYBER PUNDIT (ON TV)
                         You better believe everybody's trying 
                         to sign him up.

               As Larry (King) chuckles, Larry (Lindholm) looks up.

               Milo and Lisa wear backpacks. As Milo sluffs his off:

                                     MILO
                         Larry, Lisa.

               Larry switches off the TV as he comes to his feet. A Mover 
               passes by, hauling out a monitor. Larry explains:

                                     LARRY
                         Your app kind of blew mine out of 
                         the water.

                                     MILO
                              (he shrugs)
                         We'll come up with the next big thing.

                                     LARRY
                         ...You wanna work -- here?

                                     MILO
                         Got out of my other commitment.

               Larry hugs Milo. Turns to Lisa:

                                     LARRY
                         May I?

               He hugs Lisa, too. A Mover grabs Milo's backpack from the 
               floor.

                                     MILO
                         Hey, wait!
                              (when the Mover looks)
                         Not giving everything away.

               The Mover sets it down, moves on.

                                     LARRY
                         C'mon. Bring your stuff.

               Milo grabs up his pack, the three of them head away from 
               camera.

                                     LARRY
                         You guys'll be using Teddy's old 
                         space, is that okay?

                                     MILO
                         Cool.

                                                             FADE TO BLACK:

                                         THE END