Pilot Jane Smith
Carson City Police Department
Dr. Roger Fleming
UCLA School of Anthropology
PREFACE
The Great Rift Valley
Some 25 million years ago two continents, Africa and Eurasia,
moving on their respective tectonic plates, collided and
recoiled shattering the earth's crust and creating the land
feature known as the Great Rift Valley. The valley extends
over 6,500 km from the DEAD SEA in the north to BEIRA
in the south and varies in width from thirty to ninety
kilometers and in depth from a few hundred to several
thousand meters, far below sea level. In Kenya the
valley is deepest in the hundred and sixty kilometers
that run north from Nairobi. Most of the lakes in the
Rift, such as LAKE NAKURU are shallow and having
no outlet to the sea, are high in mineral content as the
evaporation of water leaves salts behind. Nairobi
Africa is the center of genetic studies of evolution
and Paleontology. It's longed believed that some
species became extinct because they were unable to
compete for their survival. Or in some cases wiped
out by natural disaster or widespread disease. Using
the dinosaurs for example, we are still not sure what
happened.
LAKE NAKURU AFRICA
6.1.98
EXT. MAMMOTH LAKES CALIFORNIA DAY
EXT. LONG VALLEY AIRPORT
CLOSE ON BONANZA
Negrete is seen talking to Richard Hamilton as they
sit side by side in his Bonanza Aircraft. Negrete is
on the left side where the pilot in command sits.
Hamilton is wearing a parachute and holding a gun on Negrete.
NEGRETE
(Smiling)
I feel honored to be the pilot in command
of your BEECHCRAFT Bonanza. But why
do you have a parachute and I do not?
HAMILTON
You 'll find out soon enough CHIEF!
Now get this thing started and let's go!
CUT TO:
EXT. NAIROBI AFRICA DAY
EXT. NAIROBI AIRPORT
INT. UNITED AIRLINES 747
CLOSE ON BOEING 747 INTERIOR
WASSER and FLEMING are seen sitting side by side conversing about
theories on the extinction of the dinosaurs.
WASSER
I believe that a gradual drop in world
sea levels led to disastrous climate
changes for the huge reptiles. Digs
have shown that 75 million years ago
there were 30 species of giant reptiles
living in the area. Five million years
later there were 23, within two million
years the number had fallen to 18, and
so on down until the end of the
Cretaceous period when all the
dinosaurs had died out.
FLEMING
Well as far as I'm concerned it was
caused by a large meteor!
WASSER
Earth's history has been marked by a succession
of mysterious periods of mass-extinction when
whole families of animals disappeared for good.
In addition to the extinction at the close of the
Cretaceous, other's took place at the end of the
Permian 245 million years ago, Devonian 360
million years ago, Ordovician 438 million years
ago and the Cambrian 510 million years ago.
FLEMING
So?
WASSER
I believe that a common element probably tied
all of these events together, sea movement
caused either by changes to the polar icecaps
or shifts of the Earth's crust. Major division in
the geological time-scale begins with the spread
of sea over land areas, accompanied by the
appearance of new fauna, and ends with the
sea shrinking again which causes a massive
loss of life.
FLEMING
Purely coincidental.
WASSER
What was strange about the sea's retreat during
the fateful Cretaceous period wasthe scale of the
move. Water used to cover most of Europe, all
of North Africa, the Sahara, the Middle East and
a large piece of South America. Then the seas
came back from their original coastline, like Europe
where the waters receded thousands of miles, to
end up close to their present shoreline.The change
annihilated 80 percent of life on Earth, killing off
the dinosaurs but a whole range of species on land
and in the sea.
FLEMING
Are you saying that extreme weather
changes like EL NINO will continue
and we'll all become extinct because
we can't COPE with the changing
weather?
WASSER
The previous tropical climate had wider changes
between winter and summer and between night
and day and the dinosaurs could not cope. The
alligator, which just managed to claw its way
out of the Cretaceous period have shown that
between 89 and 93 degrees Fahrenheit,
incubating American alligator eggs will only
hatch as males while between 82 and 86 degrees
Fahrenheit they produce females.
FLEMING
If such a small temperature drop is enough to
ensure that no male alligators are born, the
drop of about 8 degrees in the late Cretaceous
period was enough to eliminate most reptile
groups, like the dinosaurs. Warm-blooded
animals, like mammals, managed to survive
the cooler climes. Reptiles, which are cold
blooded, struggled to adapt but then perished.
WASSER
Maybe the dinosaurs reached a saturation point
in their evolutionary process, with their heads
becoming too small for their body to cope with.
CUT TO
EXT. OWENS VALLEY CALIFORNIA DAY
EXT. BONANZA IN FLIGHT
CLOSE ON BONANZA
Negrete is seen talking to Richard Hamilton as they
sit side by side in the Bonanza. Negrete has set the
auto-pilot. Hamilton is still holding a gun on Negrete.
NEGRETE
(Pissed)
You know if we hit some turbulence
you could end up shooting me. Look
put the gun away, I'm no threat to
you.
HAMILTON
Ok, but I'll cuff your right hand
to the wheel. Just so you don't
try anything funny.!
NEGRETE
How can you do this to your own
people, shit you were a hero
in the service.
HAMILTON
War is a matter of vital importance to the state,
a matter of life or death, the road either to survival
or to ruin.
NEGRETE
So this is your war?
HAMILTON
All warfare is based on deception. Therefore,
when capable of attacking, feign incapacity,
when active in moving troops, feign inactivity.
When near the enemy, make it seem that you
are far away, when far away, make it seem that
you are near. Hold out baits to lure the enemy.
Strike the enemy when he is in disorder. Prepare
against the enemy when he is secure at all
points. Avoid the enemy for the time being
when he is stronger. If your opponent has a
hot temper, try to irritate him. If he is arrogant,
try to encourage his egotism. If the enemy
troops are well prepared after reorganization,
try to wear them down. If they are united, try
to sow dissension among them. Attack the
enemy where he is unprepared, and appear
where you are not expected. These are the
keys to victory for a strategist.
NEGRETE
It sounds like you've been reading SUNTZU!
KEYS TO VICTORY FOR A STRATEGIST!!
CUT TO:
EXT. MID-ATLANTIC FORTY-THOUSAND FEET DAY
INT. UNITED AIRLINES 747
CLOSE ON BOEING 747 INTERIOR
WASSER and FLEMING are seen sitting side by side conversing
about theories on the extinction of the dinosaurs.
FLEMING
I believe that the continents broke up and
drifted during the 150 million year reign of
the dinosaurs. A dinosaur found in
Argentina that most experts had considered
a strange, South American offshoot of the
dinosaur clan. They found an animal in
Madagascar that is a dead-ringer for it, this
means that this group spread out over most
of the southern globe.
WASSER
This Madagascar discovery suggests that
South America, India and Madagascar were
all connected by a land bridge, probably
Antarctica, when the animal species developed.
No such specimens have been found in Africa.
This proves, that Africa was an island continent
70 million years ago.
FLEMING
Dinosaurs help trace the breakup of
continents by providing evidence
for the continental drift theory.
The dinosaurs arose when all of
the continents were united in a
single land mass called PANGAEA.
By the time the animals had died
out, all of the continents had
split up into about the way they
are now.
WASSER
PANGAEA broke into two main chunks
about 200 million years ago, one
piece, call GONDWANA, included what
was to become Africa, Antarctica,
South America, Australia, India
and Madagascar. It drifted south.
The northern continents remained
together as a land-mass called
LAURASIA.
FLEMING
Even at the very end, the whole Earth
was far warmer than it is now, and the
main change was apparently increased
seasonally due to the lowering sea
levels. The last 8 million years of the
Cretaceous are notable for a drastic
drop in sea level
WASSER
The Mesozoic begins and ends with
major extinction events. The extinction
at the Paleozoic Mesozoic boundary
is of unknown origin, but the extinction
at the Mesozoic Tertiary boundary was
almost certainly caused by a meteor impact.
FLEMING
The Jurassic saw a major climatic change
marked by the retreat of the glaciers,
leading to a rise in global temperature
towards the end of the period. The level
of the seas rose by at least 270 meters
during the Mesozoic.
WASSER
It takes a long time to fragment a super
continent. The break-up of PANGAEA
began at the beginning of the Jurassic,
180 million years ago and the last
continent was not separated until the
early Cenozoic 40 million years ago.
Throughout the Mesozoic, dinosaurs
were the dominant group of vertebrates.
Despite the separation of the continents,
they were firmly established all over the
world. But at the end of this period-65
million years ago-there was a new period
of mass extinction's, in which the dinosaurs
vanished from the face of the earth. At a
certain point, possibly 7 million years ago,
the development of mammals resulted in
the emergence of the first hominids human
like primates.
CUT TO:
EXT. OWENS VALLEY CALIFORNIA DAY
EXT. BONANZA IN FLIGHT
CLOSE ON BONANZA
Negrete is seen checking an AERO-CHART while Hamilton is
taking a nap. He verifies that he is over Bishop California
and he sees he's now at 6,000 feet. He very carefully positions
the chart so Hamilton is unable to see what he's doing with
his left hand. He very slowly places his hand over the magneto
key switch and turns off the engine and quickly breaks off
the key. The engine stops and Hamilton wakes up in a start.
NEGRETE
(smiling)
Ok FUCKER we're now a glider, so either
jump out or stay with me while I dead
stick us into Bishop airport.
In one quick motion Hamilton back hands Negrete and holds his
neck in a death grip. He checks the mag switch and sees the key
has been broken in the off position. He violently shakes Negrete
and shouts.
HAMILTON
You piece of dog-shit, this is what I get for
trusting you. Now you will die!
Hamilton aims his Smith and Wesson revolver at Negrete who has
just pushed the control wheel down and the plane goes into a dive.
The violent centrifugal action forces Hamilton's gun to move as he
pulls the trigger and a round goes through the roof of the cabin.
As Negrete wrestles the gun out of Hamilton's hand several rounds
go through the side of the cabin and one goes through the wind
screen blowing out the Plexiglas pane as part of it hits Hamilton
in the face. Blood is pouring out of a huge gash in his face. He
pulls the trigger as he levels the gun at Negrete hitting a cylinder
with a spent round. Hamilton grabs for the door handle and forces
himself against the heavy pressure of the slipstream and in one
quick lunge he goes out the door and disappears into the mist.
CUT TO:
EXT. LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA DAY
EXT. PARKER CENTER LOS ANGLES POLICE DEPARTMENT
INT. HOMICIDE DIVISION OFFICE OF CAPTAIN BALDWIN
Captain Baldwin is discussing the Hamilton case with
Detective Bastow.
BASTOW
Captain, we've tracked the licenses plate
of the Ford Explorer at Long Valley Airport
and it belongs to a RICHARD HAMILTON of
Pacific Palisades. We have also traced
a late model Beechcraft Bonanza to him.
BALDWIN
How many people know that Arnold followed
him to Mammoth Lakes?
BASTOW
You and I and JULIE MONROE who got his
plane tickets for him, Why?
BALDWIN
Why didn't you go with him?
BASTOW
I was at the Dentist, and he wouldn't
wait, you know how impatient he is!
BALDWIN
If something happens to him I'm going
to get my ass chewed for this!
Baldwin has had his TV on with the sound turned down and he
notices a special report coming in from CNN News. He turns
up the sound.
NEWSCASTER
The man suspected of bombing a California
University may have eluded a massive
manhunt by escaping along the 160-mile
JOHN MUIR TRAIL. RICHARD HAMILTON,
41, had told friends before the bombing
that he might use the trail as an escape route
if he ever needed to get away from everything.
Hamilton, a Navy veteran and outdoorsman,
was last seen at the Saint Johns Catholic Church
the day he attempted to bomb the Brentwood
California Church. Investigators also want to
question HAMILTON in connection with other
bombings, including the bombing at the
University of California Los Angeles.
BASTOW
So where is Arnold?
NEWSCASTER
Investigators said hikers will be advised that
Rudolph might be in the vicinity of the trail,
which runs through the SIERRA NEVADA
MOUNTAIN RANGE. The US Forest Service
will distribute fliers about HAMILTON at a
weekend Chili festival in MAMMOTH LAKES
CALIFORNIA, where about 10,000 hikers are
expected to gather to celebrate their JOHN
MUIR Trail.
BALDWIN
I'm starting to get bad feelings about this!
NEWSCASTER
Fliers also may be posted at re-supply points
along the trail and at trail-heads to make people
aware that the suspect could be out there.
In other developments, investigators said
Friday at the news conference that they
believe they have identified at least one
possible witness to the attempted bombing.
The potential witness was an off-duty Los
Angeles Police Detective who followed the
suspect to Mammoth Lakes California where
he attempted to arrest him.
BALDWIN
Shit, the whole world knows now!
NEWSCASTER
Investigators have received new information
and tips daily since Hamilton was added to
the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List and a $1
million reward was offered for his arrest.
There are unconfirmed and now conflicting
reports that his late model BEECHCRAFT
BONANZA departed the Long Valley
Airport with two men and headed south.
BALDWIN
Shit, they're headed for ARNOLDS place
in Mexico!
CUT TO:
EXT. OWENS VALLEY CALIFORNIA DAY
EXT. BONANZA IN SHALLOW DIVE
CLOSE ON BONANZA
Negrete is seen attempting to bring the Bonanza under control.
He drops the landing gear to slow his descent and drops 20
degrees of flaps, hoping this will not cause structural damage.
He finally gets the plane under control. The buffeting from the
broken windscreen is making it very difficult to maintain the
craft in the proper angle for a dead stick landing. He glances
out the side of his window and sees he's within a mile of the
Bishop airfield.
NEGRETE
Ok baby stay with me while I dead
stick us into Bishop airport.
CUT TO:
EXT. OWENS VALLEY CALIFORNIA DAY
EXT. HAMILTONS PARACHUTE IS SEEN IN HI DESERT
CLOSE ON PARACHUTE
Hamilton is seen cutting the chute harness off. His face is still bleeding.
He reaches in his jacket pocket for a medicated pad that he band-aides
on to the facial cut. He glances out across the prairie and sees he's
within a mile of CROWLEY LAKE.
HAMILTON
Ok, now we head for my favorite trail.
CUT TO:
EXT. LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA EVENING
EXT. PARKER CENTER LOS ANGLES POLICE DEPARTMENT
INT. HOMICIDE DIVISION OFFICE OF CAPTAIN BALDWIN
Baldwin is seen sitting at his desk and notices a late special report
coming in from CNN News.
NEWSCASTER
Hikers along the JOHN MUIR TRAIL in California
were warned that a fugitive wanted in connection
with bombings in Los Angeles may be using the
mountain trail to flee police. Wanted posters for
RICHARD HAMILTON, a fugitive on the FBI's
Ten Most Wanted list with a $1 million reward for
his arrest, were handed out to hikers attending a
week-long festival in Mammoth Lakes.
BALDWIN
(Talking to himself)
I'm, going to get fired if something happens
to Negrete!
NEWSCASTER
An FBI agent in charge of the manhunt for the
41-year old former Navy SEAL said they have
no evidence HAMILTON is on the rugged trail,
which stretches for hundreds of miles.
BALDWIN
What in the fuck happened to Negrete!
Call me Arnold, call me!
NEWSCASTER
The FBI is not stating that they have specific
information that he's hiking the trail, However,
they have information that he's made comments
in the past that he might possibly use the John
Muir Trail to flee the area if the police were
looking for him. A team of Federal agents were
dispatched to the festival in Mammoth Lakes,
a small town located in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
BALDWIN
CALL ME ARNOLD CALL ME!
NEWSCASTER
The town is hosting its annual weeklong festival
expected to draw hundreds of trail hikers. Police
said fliers also would be posted at supply posts
along sections of the trail. The FBI said it has
received a steady flow of leads since Hamilton
was placed on the Ten Most Wanted list and the
reward was increased to $1 million for his arrest.
Baldwin buries his head in his hands when the phone rings and he comes
up off the desk in a start.
BALDWIN
(Desperate)
Captain Baldwin here!
NEGRETE (V.O.)
(Quietly)
Hi boss it's Arnold!
CUT TO:
EXT. LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA NEXT DAY
EXT. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
INT. ADVANCED ANTHROPOLOGY LABORATORY
The Dr. WASSER AND FLEMING have started the intense examination
of the African find.
WASSER
This is like nothing I have ever seen
before, look at this Roger!
(Pointing to left ear)
It appears this species has several
ear drums. With this makeup it could
hear almost every sound on Earth!
FLEMING
And somewhere else! Like, Heaven or Hell!
WASSER
Maybe so, maybe so! Look at this Roger,
more Angelic Script
(Pointing to writing on the back of the neck)
ú å ò é ã é.
FLEMING
It looks like Hebrew to me.
WASSER
Loosely translated it means SHIPHIY, a
SIMEONITE, son of ALLON and father
of ZIZA in the time of king Hezekiah
of Judah.
FLEMING
No shit!
CUT TO:
EXT. LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA DAY
EXT. FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
INT. OFFICE OF GARY FEEMSTER AGENT IN CHARGE
Agent in charge FEEMSTER is a tall man in his late fifties.
He's having his weekly status on open priority cases. Nine
agents are in attendance.
FEEMSTER
I want to know what the hell happened
to the ORION-four satellite yesterday.
Agent Robert Smith a man in his late forties gets FEEMSTERS attention.
SMITH
Gary, the best information we've been
able to get was from the NSA. They said
it Disrupted pager and television signals
in the United States and the Caribbean.
But it was not clear when full service
would return for all those who lost it.
FEEMSTER
I know about all that shit genius, but
I want to know who's responsible, and
don't tell me is was a mechanical failure!
The room goes silent and a young Hispanic lady in her middle
twenties raises her hand. Agent DIANE DIAZ has been with
the bureau six months.
AGENT DIAZ
The owner of the satellite started
transferring services to other satellites
and decided to move another satellite into
position in orbit. The ORION IV satellite
stopped relaying pager messages and media
feeds when its onboard control system and
a backup switch failed and the satellite
rotated out of position.
FEEMSTER
Yes, Agent DIAZ, I know, but who is really
responsible. Please, no failures in over 35
years, than BAM?
DIAZ
Let me finish. Technicians were unable to
restore its orientation toward Earth. The
orbit of another satellite, ORION VI, was
changed over today so it can take over
operations of the crippled ORION IV. I
checked the maintenance records of the
ground support equipment and guess what?
FEEMSTER
I can hardly wait, what?
DIAZ
The satellite maintenance company is
called SLAVSAT and it's owned by the
HAMILTON HOLDING COMPANY
OF NORTH CAROLINA.
FEEMSTER
So?
DIAZ
SLAVSAT is owned by RICHARD HAMILTON.
The FBI's number one, on the ten most
wanted list.
FEEMSTER
(Very pleased)
Good work Agent Diaz.
(looking around the room)
Come on guys, Diane has only been with
the FBI six months, and she out scooped
you veterans. Shame on you guys!
DIAZ
The records show he's been on-site
to personally supervise the "Hot
Site" test of the Orion satellite
system.
FEEMSTER
Who uses the system?
DIAZ
Television and radio networks use
ORION IV to transmit feeds to their
affiliates. Its coverage area is
the United States and the Caribbean
on a global network of 20 satellites
and six technical ground facilities
enables the company to relay video
programming and digital communications
for hundreds of customers worldwide.
FEEMSTER
Who designed and built Orion IV?
DIAZ
The ORION IV Spacecraft Design is a
Hughes HS 601, Orbital Location 99
degrees West Longitude. End of Life
2005. Polarization Linear C-band
Payload Ku-band Payload 24 x 36 MHz.
UPLINK is 5.925 - 6.425 GHZ and
DOWNLINK 3.700 - 4.200 GHZ.
FEEMSTER
Way to go Agent Diaz. So what is the
media reporting. Why did satellite
ORION 4 go off course?
DIAZ
The media satellite experts blame a
mechanical malfunction for disabling
the satellite. There was a failure
of one of the thrusters, one of the
jets they use to keep the satellite
in place. Although this theory has
not been confirmed, they believe
the thruster probably failed to shut
off, perhaps after making a minor
Adjustment, and instead kept firing,
sending the satellite into a spin.
FEEMSTER
I say bullshit to that! Keep checking
Agent Diaz and see what else you can
find out. Now I want an update on
where the hell Hamilton is now?
SMITH
We have our field agents in the
Mammoth Lakes Recreation area
tracking him as we speak.
FEEMSTER
Did they take their skis with them?
SMITH
Beg your pardon sir?
FEEMSTER
Never mind. Agent Diaz, get us a
flight on the first plane to
Bishop. Meeting dismissed.
CUT TO:
EXT. CARSON CITY NEVADA DAY
EXT. WASHOE INDIAN RESERVATION
EXT. WASHOE INDIAN AGENT OFFICE
INT. OFFICE OF WILLIAM HANNA
CLOSE ON INDIAN AGENT
United States Department of Indian Affairs AGENT WILLIAM
HANNA is on the floor of his office and is being held
There by BIG JOHN LIGHTFOOT, the Tribal Police Chief.
LIGHTFOOT
(Pissed)
Hanna you piece of shit, I told
you to stay away from my daughter,
now I'm going to bleed you!
The Carson City Police have been called and the first member
of the department is Jane Smith in her Bell Jet Ranger
Helicopter. She lands her chopper next to the Indian Office
Building. Smith shuts down the engine, grabs her 12 gauge
shotgun and runs to the building. She kicks open the front
door and sees CHIEF LIGHTFOOT holding his large BOWIE Knife
to HANNA'S throat. Smith moves up next to LIGHTFOOT and
places the muzzle of the shotgun to LIGHTFOOTS arm holding
the knife.
SMITH
Chief, drop the knife or I'll blow
your arm off!
LIGHTFOOT
Jane, this piece of shit was messing
with my Linda!
SMITH
Chief, put the knife down and we'll
take care of this child molester!
With great reluctance POLICE CHIEF LIGHTFOOT drops the knife
and punches Hanna in the jaw knocking him out!
LIGHTFOOT
Jane if I see him on the street, I'll
pull his arms off!
CUT TO:
EXT. CARSON CITY NEVADA DAY
EXT. CARSON CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT BLDG.
INT. POLICE SQUAD ROOM
CLOSE ON TELEVISION SET
Jane Smith and two of her fellow officers are seen watching
the afternoon news from Reno, Nevada.
NEWSCASTER
United States Department of Indian
Affairs AGENT WILLIAM HANNA is
being held on child molestation
charges by the Carson City Nevada
Police Department. He was alleged
to have molested the Tribal Police
Chiefs 17 year old daughter. The
Chief is also being held for breaking
HANNAS'S jaw. Tribal Administrator
JOHN SENN confirmed Wednesday that
LIGHTFOOT is under house arrest but
provided no details. A group of
dissident tribal members, calling
themselves the WASHOE vigilantes,
has been pressing for weeks for
HANN'S ouster. They say the force
used by LIGHTFOOT was warranted.
"Hanna, should have been removed
long ago. That's what investigators
recommended but it didn't happen
when it should have," said Joe Deer,
an off-reservation representative
on the Tribal Council.
CUT TO:
EXT. CARSON CITY NEVADA AFTERNOON
EXT. CARSON CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT
INT. COMMANDERS OFFICE
Police Commander JOEL STEIN is in a meeting with
Jane Smith and appears concerned. She's removed
her badge and service pistol handing them to
Stein.
STEIN
Office Smith, why are you quitting?
SMITH
Sir, I almost blew CHIEF LIGHTFOOT
away today with my shotgun. I'm
still trying to recover from
losing my friend at the Reno Air
Race. I just can't kill anybody,
so I'm worthless to you as a Peace
Officer!
STEIN
Jane will you stay on for at least long
enough so I can get a replacement for
you?
SMITH
I won't carry a gun!
STEIN
Ok, let me work that out with
the City Council, ok?
SMITH
Sir, I love this city, and the Police
department and flying my chopper,
so maybe you can get me a job as
a contract pilot, ok?
STEIN
Let me see what I can do.
CUT TO:
EXT. CROWLEY LAKE CALIFORNIA DAY
EXT. TOMS PLACE VILLAGE
EXT. US FOREST TRUCK LEAVING ARCO STATION
INT. INTERIOR OF TRUCK
CLOSE ON GMC SUBURBAN
US Forest Service Field Manager JEFF STONE a man in his early
fifties is in conversation with RICHARD HAMILTON.
HAMILTON
(Smiling)
You know Jeff, I was so lucky to catch
a ride with you to Long Valley Airport.
STONE notices the patch on the side of HAMILTONS face.
STONE
What happened to you, get in a car accident.
HAMILTON
Yes, I took the Explorer up to Big Rock Lake
and on the way back I swerved to miss a deer
and I ended up in a gully.
STONE
I remember the last time we went fishing up
there on opening day and just about froze
our butts off.
HAMILTON
Yes, but we had a great day, caught our
limit in half an hour! So what's new?
STONE
I just got in from a two week fishing
trip to CABO SAN LUCAS. You should
have seen the Marlin I caught, went
almost 130 pounds.
The US Service radio blasts in with an emergency notification.
VOLCANO ALERT CENTER (V.O.)
The USGS has declared a RED Volcano
alert at Long Valley Caldera. Please
use caution and be ready to start
evacuating.
HAMILTON
Sounds pretty serious!
STONE
Looks like I have to report to the
Center, where can I drop you off,
Richard?
HAMILTON
Long Valley airport is fine. I think
I'll go home since you guys are
having a Volcano Alert Test!
STONE
(Serious)
Oh, this is no test Richard, this is the
real thing. The U.S GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
VOLCANO HAZARDS PROGRAM was created to
reduce the Risk from Volcano Hazards
and is called the Long Valley Caldera
Response Plan for episodes of unrest
and the onset of possible volcanic
activity.
HAMILTON
How do they know that an eruption is
eminent?
STONE
The USGS response plan is to improve
communications during a developing
seismic or volcanic crisis. Locally
felt earthquakes and notable changes
in ground deformation and FUMAROLE
activity. A swarm with at least a
magnitude 5 earthquake and evidence
of magma movement at depth as
indicated by an increased rate in
ground deformation.
HAMILTON
So code red means get out!
STONE
Code RED means eruption likely within
hours and strong evidence of magma
movement at shallow depth.
HAMILTON
Shit, glad I'm leaving and going
back to Los Angeles.
The USGS radio breaks in again with the latest notification.
USGS CENTER
RED ALERT. ERUPTION UNDERWAY.
RED ALERT. ED ALERT!
HAMILTON
(Upset)
Shit, will I be able to get out?
STONE
(Concerned)
I don't know.
HAMILTON
(Freaking out)
What is the worst case scenario?
STONE
(Serious)
An eruption of a pyroclastic cloud five
to eight hundred feet thick for a radius
of five to ten miles. Everything in that
area will be incinerated!
CUT TO:
EXT. LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA DAY
EXT. UCLA PATHOLOGY LAB 4
INT. PATHOLOGY LAB AUTOPSY ROOM
Wasser and Fleming are seen wearing protective equipment,
including scrub suits, gowns, gloves, shoe covers, and clear
plastic face shields. The body is taken from the cooler by
Fleming and is placed on the autopsy table. The body is then
measured and weighed. After the body is positioned, a body
block is placed under the back. This appliance causes the
chest to protrude outward and the arms and neck to fall back, a
llowing the maximum exposure of the trunk for the incisions.
Wasser turns on the overhead mike.
WASSER
Abnormalities of the external body surfaces
are SIX FINGERS ON BOTH HANDS.
Fleming takes a large scalpel and makes the incision in the trunk.
This is a Y-shaped incision. The arms of the Y extend from the
front of each shoulder to the bottom end of the breast bone.
The tail of the Y extends to the pubic bone. The incision is
very deep, extending to the rib cage on the chest, and completely
through the abdominal wall below that. With the Y incision made,
he peels the skin, muscle, and soft tissues off the chest wall. The
smell of dead lamb fills the room. Wasser reaches for the bottle
of VICS placing a small amount under his nostrils, then hands it
to Fleming who does the same.
FLEMING
Dr. Wasser please hand me the saw. The tissue
softener we soaked it in last night really works!
Dr. Wasser passes him the electric saw to open the rib cage. He makes
a cut up each side of the front of the rib cage, so that the chest plate,
consisting of the sternum and the ribs which connect to it, are no
longer attached to the rest of the skeleton. The chest plate is pulled
back and peeled off. After the chest plate has been removed, the
organs are exposed.
WASSER
It appears everything to this point is human.
No trace of any animal parts. Dr. Fleming, go
ahead and start removing the organs.
The dissection begins at the neck and proceeds downward, Fleming
removes all the organs of the trunk in one bloc. The diaphragm is cut
away from the body wall, and the abdominal organs are pulled out
and down. Fleming hands the organ bloc to Wasser.
FLEMING
Here you go Dr. Wasser.
Wasser takes the organ bloc to a dissecting table mounted over the
patient's legs and dissects it. Meanwhile, Fleming proceeds to
remove the brain. Fleming uses a scalpel to cut from behind one ear,
over the crown of the head, to behind the other ear. The whole top
hemisphere of the skull is now exposed. He looks at Dr. Wasser.
FLEMING
Dr. Wasser, ok to go ahead!
WASSER
Go for it!
Fleming takes the electric saw and makes cuts around the equator of
the cranium. After this cut, the skull top is removed and set aside.
As it's lifted off, a sucking sound and the sound of rubbing two
halves of a coconut together. He cuts the spinal cord and the
brain is lifted out.
FLEMING
Ok, I'm all done, the balls in your court!
Wasser dissects and isolates the esophagus from the rest of the
chest organs. The chest organs are then cut away from the
abdominal organs and esophagus with scissors. The lungs
are cut away from the heart and trachea and weighed. The
bloc containing the abdominal organs is turned over so
that the back side is up. The adrenal glands are located in
the fatty tissue over the kidneys and are removed and
weighed. The liver is removed, examined and weighed.
The stomach is opened and the smell of gastric acid is
unforgettable.
WASSER
(Excited)
Oh my, what do we have here!
CUT TO:
EXT. CROWLEY LAKE CALIFORNIA DAY
EXT. CONVICT LAKE TURNOFF
EXT. US FOREST TRUCK PULLING OVER ON HIGHWAY
INT. INTERIOR OF TRUCK
CLOSE ON GMC SUBURBAN
JEFF STONE is in conversation with RICHARD HAMILTON.
HAMILTON
(Smiling)
This is good enough Jeff, I cross
the meadow here to Long Valley
airport.
STONE
Be careful, it looks like there's
FUMAROLE activity now.
In the distance smoke is billowing up near the HOT CREEK Caldera
location.
HAMILTON
I'll be careful. Jeff thanks again
for the lift!
STONE
My pleasure.
Stone turns on the red lights and siren and digs out of the soft
shoulder in the road and is seen disappearing down the highway.
HAMILTON
Ok DICKIE boy what now. Let's go steal
a plane from Long Valley Airport!
Hamilton jumps over the barbed wire fence surrounding the large
meadow between Highway 395 and the Long Valley Airport. He's
seen crossing the meadow and he arrives at the edge of the
asphalt strip and heads for a CESSNA 210 TURBO sitting on the
front line of the airport parking area. He removes his lock
pick tool from his jacket pocket and opens the door.
INT: INSIDE OF CESSNA 210
Closing the door he picks the ignition switch and the electrical
lights up. He notices that all the fuel tanks are full. Looking
at the registration slip on the Airworthiness Certificate it
says KEVIN IRISH CONSTRUCTION COMPANY. He smiles
and fires up the engine.
EXT. MAMMOTH LAKES CALIFORNIA DAY
EXT. LONG VALLEY AIRPORT
The stolen Cessna 210 Turbo is seen running up the engine in the
run-up area. The plane pulls out on the main runway and is seen
doing a high speed run and half way down the strip the plane
lifts up. As he circles the airport the Volcanic activity is seen
near the Hot Springs. A huge cloud of smoke and hot rocks is
blasted up just barely missing the plane. He flies through the
smoke and is seen coming out on the other end. The plane heads
west to the SIERRA NEVADAS.
INT: INSIDE OF CESSNA 210
CLOSEUP OF HAMILTONS HANDS
Hamilton is seen looking at a sectional chart and placing his
finger on the MONANCHE MEADOWS US Forest Service mountain
airstrip. HE STARTS TALKING TO HIMSELF.
HAMILTON
Monanche Meadows, 1200 feet long. This baby can
make it in there, EASY. Let's see come in and land
uphill. Piece of cake!
Hamilton looks at the altimeter and it reads 11000 feet.
The outside temperature gauge reads 23 degrees.
HAMILTON
Thank you Mr. Irish for buying a
Turbo, it's the only way to go.
He looks at his chart again and checks the location as he references
it down below in the mountainous landscape.
HAMILTON
Let's see, were doing about a hundred
and thirty knots, so estimated time of
arrival is about five minutes. Start
descending now!
EXT: OUTSIDE OF CESSNA 210
In a shallow bank the Cessna starts to descend into a small
mountain valley. He cranes his neck to try and finds the strip
marked with a large X in carefully places stones.
HAMILTON (V.O.)
Oh shit, the strip is closed!
He starts to circle around the closed airstrip and sees the only
obstruction is a large tree fallen across the last 200 ft uphill.
HAMILTON (V.O.)
Hell, I can do this.
He maneuvers the plane closer and makes a pass just over the
treetops and circles again. He comes around again and lowers
full flaps and gear down. The huge flaps are seen coming down
and the tricycle gear resembling a undercarriage of a bird comes
down and locks. The plane is seen coming over the tree tops
straight in to the gravel strip. As the plane touches down he
pulls up the nose for a minute and cycles the landing gear up.
The gear goes up and the plane settles into ground affect and
makes a belly landing. The planes skids across the short
mountain strip and comes to a rest in front of the fallen tree
missing it by ten feet. In a huge dust cloud the plane is seen
with smoke coming from the engine compartment. The door
opens on the aircraft, Hamilton jumps out with a small fire
extinguisher in his hand and pulls open the engine cowl
covers and sprays CO2 on the smoking engine. The smoking
stops and he closes the covers. In a few minutes a huge cloud
comes across the small valley and it starts to rain. He goes
back to the plane and closes the door. He runs across the
strip to a small cabin hidden in the dense forest. He takes
his key out and opens the door. Outside the front of the cabin
the words DANGER EXPLOSIVES is written in big bold letters.
He goes in and the door closes.
HAMILTON (V.O.)
Home sweet home! When it stops raining
I'll cover the plane with tree branches
to hide it from all my friends!
CUT TO:
EXT. LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA DAY
EXT. UCLA PATHOLOGY LAB 4
INT. PATHOLOGY LAB AUTOPSY ROOM
Wasser and Fleming are seen examining the back of the unknown
species of man found in Africa. Wasser is speaking into the
overhead microphone.
WASSER
Abnormalities of the external body surfaces
are SIX FINGERS ON BOTH HANDS, and
six feet two inches tall. And now, a tail!
Pointing to an unusual extremity at the bottom of the spine.
The bone is about nine inches and is covered with skin,
tucked in between the buttocks.
FLEMING
A fucking tail, now I've seen
everything. So with a tail
feathers and wings it's an
angel, right?
WASSER
Ten Thousand years ago, during the
last stages of the Pleistocene Epoch
Earth's climate was vastly different
than today, who knows what that
environment spawned.
FLEMING
This is the tallest prehistoric man I've ever seen. Most of them
are barely five feet.
WASSER
During the Pleistocene Epoch we were really big, Human beings
were about 12 percent larger ten-thousand years ago.
FLEMING
(Laughing)
So your saying because evolution made him
so big, he was unable to fly anymore so he
shed his wings and tail-feathers. And I say
bullshit to that!
WASSER
Roger, don't you have any other way to express
yourself other than using profanity.
FLEMING
(Still laughing)
Fuck no! (A BEAT). I think what we have here
DR. FRANKENSTEIN is a freak of nature!
Probably man, ten thousand years ago got
horny and fucked ostriches! And, of course
this is the offspring.
WASSER
You're a sick man Mr. Fleming!
Will you please indulge me?
FLEMING
(Snickering)
Ok. I'll play along with you. (A beat). Oh, but
Dr. Wasser the Neanderthals, who peaked
around 20,000 years ago, were 30 percent
bigger than the modern average. Most folks
would assume the opposite namely, that
the size of Homo sapiens has increased over time.
WASSER
Yes, but rigorous new body-mass estimation
techniques applied to fossil skeletons found
about 10,000 years ago shows that we reached
our maximum size around 15,000 years ago.
FLEMING
Wasn't the Pleistocene characterized by the
presence of distinctive large land mammals
and birds. MAMMOTHS, their cousins the
MASTODONS and Great TERATORN birds
with 25-foot wingspans. Forget the ostrich,
maybe it's mother was a TERATORN!
WASSER
Get serious Roger, this is not what we need
now is a bunch of sarcasm! Look, around the
end of the Pleistocene, all these creatures
went extinct.
Wasser covers the creature with a white sheet and pulls his gloves off.
WASSER (Cont.)
And it was during this time that the most recent
episodes of global cooling, or ice ages, took place.
Much of the world's temperate zones were alternately
covered by glaciers during cool periods and
uncovered during the warmer interglacial periods
when the glaciers retreated.
FLEMING
Did this cause the Pleistocene extinction's?
WASSER
I'm not sure, but the large mammals of the Pleistocene
weathered several climate shifts. This Epoch also
saw the evolution and expansion of our own species,
Homo sapiens, and by the close of the Pleistocene,
humans had spread out through most of the world.
FLEMING
And?
WASSER
According to a controversial theory, human hunting
around the close of the Pleistocene caused or
contributed to the extinction of many of the large
Pleistocene mammals.
FLEMING
Like the buffalo during our time frame?
WASSER
Yes, and it's true the extinction of large animals on
different continents appears to correlate with the
arrival of humans, but questions remain as to w
hether early human hunters were then sufficiently
numerous and also technologically advanced
enough to wipe out whole species.
FLEMING
So, where does all this dialog leave us with this thing?
WASSER
It has also been hypothesized that some DISEASE
wiped out species after species during the Pleistocene
Epoch.
FLEMING
So the issue remains unsolved?
WASSER
Yes, the issue remains unsolved and perhaps
the real cause of the Pleistocene extinction
was a combination of these factors.
FLEMING
(Laughing)
Maybe they all got AIDS and became extinct?
WASSER
Many paleontologists study Pleistocene
fossils in order to understand the climates
of the past. The Pleistocene was not only
a time during which climates and temperatures
shifted dramatically but Pleistocene fossils
are often abundant, well-preserved, and can
be dated very precisely.
FLEMING
I need to get out of here and go for a walk!
WASSER
Today, there is concern about future climate change,
like global warming and how it will affect us.
FLEMING
I need to climb another mountain!
WASSER
Paleontologists who work on Pleistocene fossils
are providing a growing amount of data on the
effect of climate change on the Earth's biota,
making it possible to understand the effects
of future climate change.
FLEMING
Dr. Wasser, I need to go up to Vancouver for
a few days, is that a problem?
WASSER
Not a problem, but please do one more thing for me.
FLEMING
(Laughing)
Get some feathers and glue?
WASSER
No of course not. What I want you to do is sample
some of the crystallized blood from this creature
and do a blood work-up to see if there is a trace
of some disease, like AIDS!
FLEMING
You got it, my dear Dr. Frankenstein!
CUT TO:
EXT. LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA TWO WEEKS LATER
EXT. UCLA PATHOLOGY CONFERENCE HALL
INT. PATHOLOGY CONFERENCE ROOM
Wasser and Fleming are seen discussing unknown species of
man found in Africa with their guest researcher DR. DAVID
CHANG from the CDC. He's a young man in his early forties.
WASSER
Thank you Dr. Chang for coming down here
to give us your findings on out African find.
CHANG
The blood you sent me has opened a new page
into retrovirus research, frankly it's unlike
anything we have ever seen.
FLEMING
Is it AIDS?
CHANG
Well yes and no. Let me give you a little history on
the retrovirus strain we found. My researchers
raced the first HIV case to 1909 in the Belgian Congo.
We traced the very first case of HIV infection to
a woman living in what was then the Belgian Congo
in 1909. The scientists found HIV in a blood sample
taken from the woman, who was a member of the Bantu
tribe. The HIV in the sample looks like an ancestor
of several subtypes of HIV now found around
the world, suggesting that HIV evolved from a single
entry into the African population in a time frame long
before 1909.
FLEMING
So where does that leave us?
CHANG
HIV's earliest origins is important to scientists
because it offers a much clearer picture of the
evolution of the virus and a better way to
predict its future evolution. The ancestral HIV-1
must have existed at least 10,000 years ago.
WASSER
Pleistocene Epoch!
CHANG
Exactly. The 1909 victim, who then lived in
LEOPOLDVILLE, now KINSHASA in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, had first
turned up at a clinic with symptoms
resembling sickle cell anemia a hereditary
blood disease that primarily affects Africans
in which oddly-shaped red blood cells clump
together, causing anemia, blood clotting
and joint pain.
FLEMING
Shit that was over 90 years ago!
CHANG
Doctors kept samples of the man's blood, and
the CDC analyzed it. Using well-established
genetic dating methods, we determined that
the virus could have existed for at least
10,000 years ago. This research refutes various
conspiracy theories that HIV is the by-product
of Cold War germ warfare tests.
FLEMING
I for one have never believed that crock!
CHANG
Scientists have yet to learn how HIV first
infected humans. Many viruses come
from animals, and HIV is believed to have
come from monkeys but it's not clear how.
We found a strain of HIV that seemed to
be halfway between the human and the
ape versions of the virus.
WASSER
Like what we have here in our discovery!
CHANG
Monkeys and chimpanzees get a disease
known as Simian Immuno-deficiency
Syndrome, caused by a version of the
HIV virus known as SIV. But chimps and
monkeys infected with human HIV do not
get AIDS in the same way as people,
meaning the virus mutated at some point.
FLEMING
When, 10,000 years ago?
CHANG
We analyzed the blood of an African woman
who died of AIDS in 1909. Her strain of the virus
was unique and fell halfway between HIV and SIV
genetically. It was identical to an odd strain taken
from a chimpanzee.
FLEMING
(Laughing)
Maybe she was having sex with her pet chimp!
WASSER
Oh please get serious Roger!
CHANG
The finding strongly supports the hypothesis
that HIV came from a simian virus. Yes Dr.
Fleming maybe she did have sex with her pet
chimp, however, little is known about the
women, her family or history. It's not possible
to say how she might have caught the virus
from a chimpanzee.
FLEMING
So actually, she was patient Zero!
CUT TO:
CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 5
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Dr. David Wasser 
Richard Hamilton
Detective Arnold Negrete 
Pilot Jane Smith