HARSH REALM
"Labyrinth"
by Anthony J Fuchs
TIGHT SHOT on a closed human eye. It opens slowly, fluttering.
CLOSE SHOT of its owner. We find a man, CHRIS, dressed in standard
Republican Guard garb. He was apparently knocked unconscious, as he lays on
a red-brick floor.
INT. ROOM
Chris occupies a small room, perhaps ten feet square, built entirely of
red-brick. There is an open doorway on each wall.
Slow and strained, Chris struggles to his feet, shaking his head as if
trying to rid himself of a nasty hangover. He looks around the room,
confusion setting in.
CHRIS
What the...
He slowly starts out of the room, not knowing what to expect.
INT. HALLWAY
Chris pokes his head out of the room to examine the hallway. He looks first
right, then left. The hallway stretches for what looks like miles to his
left. He turns back to the right, venturing carefully out of the room and
heading down the hallway.
He heads down a few yards of hallway before reaching a junction at which he
has three options; left, straight or right.
CHRIS' POV as he checks his options. To the left, the hallways makes a
right about ten yards in. Up ahead, the hallway makes a left not far from
his current position. To the right, the hallway also makes a right, perhaps
20 yards down.
Not wanting to commit, Chris tentatively heads down the hallway to his left.
Quickly covering the ten yards to the corner, he looks down the new
corridor to the right. He is surprised to find a solid corridor, with no
entrance where there should be an intersection on the right wall. Confused,
he heads back to the four-way intersection.
Down the hallway he was just in, that ended in a left turn, he no longer
finds a left, but rather a right turn.
With ever-growing confusion, he starts down the corridor to his right. At
about 20 yards, the corridor makes a right turn. Chris makes the turn to
find another immediate left. He stops, looking at the new turn. He looks
over his shoulder, at the turn he just made, and the straight hallway behind
it. With a look of apprehension, he starts around the new corner.
Around the corner is another immediately corner, this one a right. He
continues, finding another immediate right. He presses on, turning corner
after corner, finding nothing but more corners to turn.
CHRIS
(to no one)
Is there an end to this, or should I just keep double-
backing on myself forever!?
He turns the next corner, finding a slight hallways that ends in another
left. He reaches the left turn that immediately makes another left. He
heads around the next corner, stopping at what he sees. We follow him
around both corners to find what caused his desist; A DEAD END.
CHRIS
(frustrated disbelief)
No...
He steps forward toward the wall cautiously. When he comes within arms
reach, he extends a palm to test the wall. His fingers brush the brick
surface; it's real. He retracts his arm, backing away from the wall and
turning the corners that brought him to it. What he finds makes his stop in
his tracks again.
CHRIS' POV, as he looks down a perfectly straight hallway, stretching a good
50 feet away.
BACK TO CHRIS, who cocks his head slightly to the side, his brow furrowed in
confusion. He sidesteps to look at the dead end he just encountered, and is
equally stunned by what he finds there.
CHRIS' POV, as he looks down a hallway identical to the one he just saw.
BACK TO CHRIS, his eyes widening. He looks back around the corner into what
should be an identical hallway, and there, he is shocked to find the dead
end that should be where the other hallway is.
CHRIS
What the hell...is this place?
Chris starts down the hallway, walking slowly at first, watching his steps.
After a few yards and a couple of moments to get his bearings, he picks up
his pace, starting a mild trot down the hallway.
CHRIS' POV as he heads down the hallway. Suddenly, up ahead on the right
wall, the bricks DIGITIZE and a new doorway opens up into a new hallway.
SHOT FROM BEHIND CHRIS, as he skitters to a stop, surprised by the
appearance of this formerly nonexistent doorway. He turns around to
backtrack the other way, toward us.
REVERSE SHOT from behind Chris, as he runs SMACK into a brick wall that
previously had not been there. He steps back cautiously, looking at the
wall suspiciously. Slowly, cautiously, he extends his hand toward the wall.
Chris' hand comes in contact with the wall. Pushing against it. It's real
and solid. He pulls his hand back, looking around.
CHRIS
Come on...get a grip, Chris...just part of a game...
He turns back around and slowly steps toward the new opening on the right
wall.
>From around the corner, Chris turns into the new hallway.
CHRIS
...just a game...
Slow at first, the quicker as panic gets the better of his, Chris soon finds
himself breaking into a full-out sprint down the hallway. He's running so
fast that he doesn't even notice it when the space around him SNAPS, the
obvious effects of a glitch. He continues his maddened dash down the
hallway until he reaches a T-junction.
To the left is a dead-end, while the right takes him a few yards down to a
left. Identical to the other end of the hallway, as if he's been turned
back on himself. He snaps his head around to look back down the hall. The
other end leads to a T-junction just like the one he's at now.
He slowly heads back down the hall, until he reaches the middle where once
again, the space around him SNAPS. He stops at the feeling, recognizing it,
knowing what it is. He steps back, causing the same effect again. He
reaches his arm out, watching as the rippling effect is triggered by his
fingertips.
CHRIS
Damn glitches...
With those words, he turns away from the glitch, bolting down the hall to
the T-junction where he darts around the right corner and sprints to the end
of the new hallway, dashing around the left corner at the end of it.
In this new hallway, Chris' pace doesn't ease up as he sprints headlong down
the corridor.
CHRIS' POV, as up ahead he sees the hallway being closed off by a wall that
slowly appears.
BACK TO CHRIS, who picks up his speed.
CHRIS
Not this time...
Chris lays on all the strength he can muster and barrels down the hall, the
last few feet into the materializing wall. Only half-constructed and still
appearing translucent, the unfinished wall is no match for Chris' growing
momentum. He forces his weight headlong into the incomplete structure,
crashing through it in a burst of sparks.
CUT TO:
TIGHT SHOT of Chris' face, as he lays on the ground, not moving. After a
moment, he coughs once, hard, his body racked by the force.
WIDER SHOT as Chris pushes himself up, strained from the impact he just
endured. He looks behind him to find the finished wall, unscathed by his
encounter with it. He smiles widely, proud of himself for beating it.
He struggles to his feet, heading down the remaining length of the corridor
to the T-junction at the end. There, he turns left, heading down another
few yards of hallway before reaching a right turn leading now into another
hallway, but to a doorway with white light streaming in.
MEDIUM SHOT of Chris as he stops, relieved. His right arm is bent at the
elbow and held up in a wounded position, but a smile still creeps across his
face at the sight of the doorway. He slowly heads for the door, content not
to rush his victory.
EXT. WHITE LIGHT
All that appears in the midst of the white light is a singular doorway,
through which we can see the red-brick hallway. After a moment, Chris'
tired but strong form appears, stepping through the doorway into the light.
He blinks heavily a couple of times, trying to readjust his eyes to the
strength of the light before taking a few more steps out into it.
Slowly growing more accustomed to the brightness, Chris opens his eyes,
basking in the glow of the light. A wide smile takes his face as he begins
laughing.
CHRIS
(ecstactic)
I did it!! I beat the unbeatable maze!!
Suddenly, as though prompted by his words, the white space around him begins
to dull, a background slowly appearing. The soldier's face is taken by an
expectant expression, waiting to see his glorious victory.
As the background materializes, though, the expression on his face slowly
fades away.
TIGHT SHOT on his face, as it is taken by horrified disbelief.
PAN LEFT to see what he sees: A large circular cobblestone patio, perhaps
30-feet in diameter, with walls about ten feet tall and topped with a large
white dome. The room contains four doors, one of which the soldier is
standing in front of.
BLUR PANS to see closer shots of the doors and where they lead; through one,
we find a tall green hedge. Through the next, a mirror, reflecting the
image of the soldier. Through the third, a tall wood panel.
BACK TO CHRIS, in a spinning shot from knee level, as he starts breathing
heavily, his face a twisted contortion of fear, anger and hysteria. Slowly,
his expression cracks, and a hail of laughter leaks through. Not the happy
laughter from before, but a razed, maniacal laughter; the anquished sound of
a mind slipping free of its bindings. The type of laughter that only comes
out when its host is nanometers from going insane.
Chris collapses to the ground as we FADE TO BLACK.
EXT. FOREST ROAD (NIGHT)
TIGHT SHOT on the opened gas tank of a camoflagued vehicle. After a moment,
one end of a plastic hose enters the tank.
TIGHT SHOT on the lower portion of a man's face. He opens his mouth and
places the other end of the plastic hose between his lips, drawing the air
out of the tube to syphon the gas from the tank.
TIGHT SHOT on a gas can standing upright on the dirt roadway by the man's
feet. A moment passes before the hose suddenly enters, a few spews of
gasoline spilling into the dirt as it quickly finds the opening and pours
the gas into the can.
WIDE SHOT of the road, on which we now find a Republican Guard Humvee,
obvious from the Crossed Swords emblem painted on the doors. In the palest
of moonlight, we find three dark figures surrounding the vehicle; one next
to the gas tank in a leather jacket, one by the back with short-cropped hair
and a rifle, and the last in the flatbed wearing cargo pants and a t-shirt.
We quickly recognize them as Pinocchio, Florence and Hobbes.
=OUTSIDE CHARLOTTE=
=NORTH CAROLINA=
=HARSH REALM=
In the flatbed of the vehicle, Hobbes is routing through stacks of crates,
prying the lids off with the blade of a broad hunting knife. Florence is
waiting off the tailgate of the truck, rifle tight in her grip as she keeps
an anxious watch.
Hobbes rips the lid off of a crate, finding half a dozen military-issue
rifles packed in straw for protection. With a broad smile, he overturns the
crate, sending its contents crashing to the floor of the flatbed.
PINOCCHIO (oc)
(whispered shout)
Hey!! Wanna keep it down!?
HOBBES
(whispering)
Sorry...
Hobbes quickly sets to the weapons, grabbing three of them and dusting away
the straw before placing them back inside the crate. He then removes the
clips from the remaining rifles, dropping them into the crate as well before
passing the box off to Florence at the back of vehicle.
Hobbes continues with the next few crates, passing stacks of ammunition off
to Florence, who then consolidates it into the crate on the ground by her
feet. In the next crate he opens, he finds handguns, standard issue Beretta
92FS pistols, which he deals with in the same manner; three guns, the rest
in ammunition.
Meanwhile, Pinocchio continues syphoning gas from the vehicle into the gas
can, which is quickly filling. After a moment, the liquid spills over the
cap slightly and Pinocchio quickly moves the hose from the first can to a
second one nearby, losing only a few ounces of the fuel onto the ground.
Back in the flatbed, Hobbes has finished with the crates of weapons and
moves on to a stack of boxes marked with large blue X's. Wedging the blade
of the knife under the lid of the crate, he pries it off forcefully to find
rows of canned food; corn, peas, baked beans and other assorted delicacies.
The grin on his face doubles in width as he tears the packing straw out of
the box to make room for the food contained in the two crates under this
one. He quickly sets to condensing the three crates down to a single box
before hauling the fully loaded crate to the back of the truck to pass to
Florence.
Handing the crate over to her, she eyes the contents, her stare snapping
back to his face with disbelief.
HOBBES
(grinning)
Starvation'll just have to wait.
Giving her the crate, Hobbes heads back into the truck to find a final stack
of crates, these marked with large red X's. He tears the lid off the first
one to find lines of bottled water, prompting another mile-wide grin from
him.
At the back of the truck, Pinocchio strides quietly over to Florence just as
Hobbes emerges from the flatbed with another crate in tote.
PINOCCHIO
Anything useful?
HOBBES
Just enough food, water and weapons for about a
month.
Pinocchio hands the gascans off to Florence, picking up one of the handguns
from the crate on the ground.
PINOCCHIO
Good.
(drops the clip)
Just one more loose end to cut.
Pinocchio slides the clip back into the grip and snaps it into place. He
pulls the slide back sharply, chambering a round before taking long strides
across the roadway to the edge of the dirt where we find, for the first
time, a Republican Guardsman, unconscious, sitting with his back propped up
against a tree to which he is then tied.
Pinocchio takes one last step to come before the Guardsman, looking down at
the uniformed man with obvious contempt, and perhaps a glimmer of jealousy.
After a moment of blank staring, Pinocchio lifts the gun to level it at the
man's forehead, gently rocking the hammer back into position. Before he can
pull the trigger, though, he hears Hobbes' voice, low but strong.
HOBBES
Pinocchio...
Pinocchio turns his head to face his partner.
HOBBES
Don't...
PINOCCHIO
What???
HOBBES
You don't have to kill him. He's not a threat.
PINOCCHIO
They're all a threat. One less Guard is one less
person trying to kill us.
Pinocchio turns back to the Guardsman, gazing down the barrel of the gun at
his helpless victim.
TIGHT SHOT on Pinocchio's hand, his finger tight around the trigger. He
begins squeezing.
PINOCCHIO'S POV, as he looks at the face of the unconscious soldier. He's
just a kid, no older than 22. Like a Guardsman Pinocchio once knew who had
joined Santiago's ranks to escaped his own scarred past. Just a kid,
looking to become a hero.
BACK TO PINOCCHIO, hesitating.
TIGHT SHOT on Pinocchio's hand, the pressure on the trigger not increasing,
but not letting up either. After a moment, a wool-gloved hand enters
slowly, applying pressure to the top of Pinocchio's arm, pushing it down.
BACK TO PINOCCHIO, who turns around to find not Hobbes, but Florence,
pushing the gun out of alignment. She gently shakes her head no, not so
much telling him not to do it, as much to tell him that she knows he doesn't
want to. Hobbes' voice drifts from behind Florence.
HOBBES
Santiago will have him executed when he finds him.
Why waste the ammunition?
Pinocchio turns to Hobbes, then looks back at the Guard.
EXT. FOREST
Through the darkness, a stream of moonlight casts barely enough light to
make out the three forms trudging heavily through the rough terrain, each
lugging their own crate.
HOBBES
Did we really have to hide it this far off the road?
PINOCCHIO
You'd rather he found it and called for back-up?
I mean, I can take one guard. Maybe four or five
when the adrenaline gets going. But not even the
three of us could handle an entire unit.
Florence casts a glance accompanied by a grin over her shoulder to Pinocchio
that implies she might not have such a bad time trying. The group continues
on a few more moments before Pinocchio's grumblings can be heard again.
PINOCCHIO
I shoulda rezzed that guy. He's a liability...
HOBBES
He didn't see us; doesn't know who we are. He
won't be able to identify us.
PINOCCHIO
Stupid, Hobbes. It was a risk, and a big one. Too
big to take when we're stealing his stuff.
HOBBES
He wasn't the one we were sent after. It was the
right thing to do.
Florence glances at Pinocchio, knowing his hatred for that phrase.
PINOCCHIO
What's your obsession with that arcane notion?
There IS no such thing as right or wrong here,
Hobbes; how many corpses is it gonna take for
you to understand that?
HOBBES
(frustration)
You claim there's no right or wrong, but how can
you fight a battle if you believe that? How do you
know you're fighting for the right side?
PINOCCHIO
I don't care which side I'm fighting for, as long as
I can take care of myself.
HOBBES
Then why don't you go back to work for Santiago?
Pinocchio stops dead in his tracks, about one word from knocking Hobbes out
cold. He takes a moment of concentration to get his anger under control
before lifting his eyes to give Hobbes a cold, hard stare to accompany his
answer.
PINOCCHIO
Because he wanted me to do things I didn't want
to do.
HOBBES
Because they weren't right?
PINOCCHIO
(through gritted teeth)
No. Because I didn't want to do them.
Pinocchio turns to follow Florence, attempting to end of the conversation.
Hobbes, however, follows after him, continuing.
HOBBES
(playing devil's advocate)
Okay, so there's no such thing as right or wrong
here. It's just a free-for-all, take what you want,
every man for himself? Total anarchy?
Pinocchio stops again, annoyed, turning to face Hobbes.
PINOCCHIO
Tell me something, Plato. Where do you get your
notions of good and evil, of what's right and what's
wrong?
HOBBES
You're serious?
PINOCCHIO
Enlighten me.
Hobbes opens his mouth to speak, but closes it again, brow furrowed in
thought. At first, he doesn't seem to know how to answer.
HOBBES
Fundamentally...I guess I'd have to say family and
religion. I was raised in a Presbyterian household,
taught to love my fellow man, to do unto other as
I would have them do unto me. That what's right
by God is right by Man, and we have no place to
question that.
PINOCCHIO
Well that doesn't work here. In Harsh Realm, the
men with the guns are the ones who make the rules.
There is no God here, no Heaven, not even a gold
star or a "job-well-done." Might makes right here,
and might is something you don't have here.
HOBBES
You do?
Pinocchio pauses, a look of pained loss flashing across his face before his
hard exterior takes over once more.
PINOCCHIO
Not anymore.
Pinocchio turns, heading back to Florence and effectively ending the
discussion.
Florence, however, is no longer walking. Now she stands, her rifle tight in
her grip, feeling the air around her as if she senses something in it. A
moment later, Pinocchio arrives next to her, looking first at her, and then
to the air in front of her.
PINOCCHIO
What is it?
Florence looks at him, then slowly extends her hand in front of her. About
a foot and a half in front of her body, the air shimmers as he hand
disappears into it. Hobbes approaches the pair from the back, looking at
Florence's now missing hand.
HOBBES
A glitch?
Florence retracts her hand from the glitch. A semifrightened look has taken
her face.
PINOCCHIO
Whatever's on the other said ain't good.
HOBBES
That wasn't here last time we came through.
(looks to Pinocchio)
Where'd it come from?
Pinocchio, looking at Florence, reaches for the glitch, pushing his own hand
through.
PINOCCHIO
More important; where's it go?
TIME CUT:
EXT. FOREST (AROUND MIDNIGHT)
Around a small fire, the group has set up a quick make-shift camp. The
crate marked with the large blue X is sitting open, the lid on the ground
next to it, with several cans missing.
TIGHT SHOT on the ground where we find two open, empty cans of corn. One is
standing upright, while one has fallen to the will of gravity.
CRANE UP a few feet to find Hobbes, sitting on the ground with his legs
pulled in tight to his body, his chin perched on his knees, a deeply
insightful look etched through his face. Undoubtedly composing another
mental letter to his betrothed.
Across the fire, Florence has her weapon temporarily dismantled and is
examining one of the many parts.
Pinocchio, meanwhile, is seated on a toppled tree, his steaming can of baked
beans seated on the log next to him as he concentrates his attention on a
small device in his hands. After a moment, Hobbes drops next to him, his
eyes also fixed on the small object.
HOBBES
What is it?
PINOCCHIO
It looks like a digiwand, but more advanced.
Hobbes' eyes find their way from the device to Pinocchio face, showing his
obvious confusion.
PINOCCHIO
While I was still in the Guard, Santiago's R&D
team created what they so creatively deemed
a "digiwand." It was designed to repair game-
inflicted code corruption.
HOBBES
It heals wounds?
PINOCCHIO
Among a few other quaint tricks.
Pinocchio pauses, turning back to the device, which he holds up to examine
in the firelight.
PINOCCHIO
God only knows what *this* thing is capable of.
Hobbes, gazing blankly into the campfire, is stricken with a thoughtful
look. After a moment, though, his demeanor breaks and a laugh leaks
through. Pinocchio looks away from the device with a hint of confusion
topped with his 'knock-it-off' tone.
PINOCCHIO
What?
HOBBES
(beat)
Every time we've made a fire, it felt like something
wasn't quite right. I could never figure out exactly
what it was until just now.
(looks to Pinocchio)
There's no smoke.
With a look that implies Hobbes' just might be losing his mind, Pinocchio
turns back to the fire. He notices, as the flame flick skyward, that there
is in fact no smoke emitting from the top. With a slight shrug, he turns
back to his baked beans.
PINOCCHIO
When you're creating an entire realm of existence,
I guess you cut corners. No salt in the ocean, no
smoke from the fire.
(matter-of-factly)
I'll bet you didn't notice you don't have a pulse.
Hobbes snaps a look back to Pinocchio, half expecting it to be a joke.
Pinocchio only looks at him, gesturing for him to check. Quickly, Hobbes
presses his fingertips to his wrist to check for his pulse.
After a few moments, a stunned look takes his face as his fingers move up to
his jugular, just below where his jaw meets his. Again, his face displays
the same shock as he finds no pulse. Slowly, he looks up to Pinocchio, who
has just filled his mouth with food, for an explanation. Pinocchio only
looks back for a second, shrugging his shoulders as he chews and speaks
around the food.
PINOCCHIO
I didn't write the program. I just find the bugs.
Hobbes turns back to the fire, now a bit more than slightly disconcerted.
TIME CUT:
EXT. FOREST (NEARING FOUR AM)
The group lies sleeping, each protectively clinging to their respective
crates.
After a few moments, Dexter, who is curled up in the nook of Florence's bent
knees, stirs. He stretches his short limbs, yawning silently before his
attention is suddenly captured by some unseen
REVERSE on the glitch as it twitches slightly, a digital hum echoing through
the still air.
BACK ON DEXTER, his attention undivided as he watches the glitch. Waiting.
Hobbes, laying a few feet away, stirs quietly, almost waking up.
Dexter perches atop Florence's crate, ears pert and eyes glued to the
glitch. He quietly begins baring his teeth, a low rumbling working its way
out of his throat.
Hobbes slowly wakes up to the sound of his dog growling. He looks off to
see what has caused the animal's guardian instincts to kick in.
HOBBES' POV, as the glitch shimmers in the pale moonlight.
BACK ON HOBBES as he looks back to Dexter just in time to see the dog lunge
toward the glitch, growling deeply.
HOBBES
DEXTER!
Hobbes is quickly on his feet in an attempt to catch his dog before he
passes through the glitch to God-knows-where. His bellowings were more than
sufficient to wake his companions, who are now snapping looks to, fro and
every which way to find the source of Hobbes' distress.
Finally they find it, as Dexter jumps, popping through the glitch.
Hobbes, in pursuit, doesn't even realize he's headed right for it.
PINOCCHIO
Hobbes!
Only half the word reaches the sprinting soldier though, as he too
disappears into the glitch. Pinocchio and Florence are up quickly,
approaching the glitch cautiously.
PINOCCHIO
Damnit, Hobbes. I swear, when I find you, that dog
is dinner.
Pinocchio looks to Florence with a defeated sigh, turning back to the glitch
and slowly extending his hand toward it.
TIGHT SHOT on Pinocchio's hand, as it disappears into the glitch.
INT. BRICK HALLWAY
Hobbes is crouched on the floor, holding Dexter with his right hand while
scratching his ears with his right. All the while, he is looking at his
surroundings with utter bewilderment.
After a few moments, a hand pops through the wall to his left. The hand is
followed by an arm which is followed by its owner, Pinocchio. He is, in
turn, followed by Florence, who shoots Hobbes a maternally reprimanding
glare before beginning to examine her new environment.
Pinocchio's confusion, though, is different from the others'. His mouth is
hung open in horror as he looks down the hallway, slowly treading away from
the group. From the background, Hobbes' voice drifts to him.
HOBBES
Where are we?
PINOCCHIO'S POV as he looks down the long hallway with sporadic openings in
the walls.
BACK TO THE GROUP in WIDE SHOT as they stand in the completely red-brick
hallway.
PINOCCHIO
Oh crap...
RESUME SCENE:
In a hallway comprised entirely of red-brick walls and a ceiling, Hobbes and
Florence are in close proximity with Pinocchio a few yards away.
PINOCCHIO
This can't be happening, this can't be *freakin' hap-
pening!!*
HOBBES
What?? Where are we??
PINOCCHIO
(oblivious to Hobbes)
I cannot be back in this Hellhole!!
HOBBES
Pinocchio, calm down!
Pinocchio shoots Hobbes a look. Hobbes has never had the nerve to yell at
him before, and it comes as quite a shock.
HOBBES
We're not getting anywhere if you don't keep your
head.
PINOCCHIO
(laughing)
We're not getting anywhere regardless.
HOBBES
Why not? What is this place?
Pinocchio doesn't answer immediately, looking around the hallway as if he
expects it to suddenly change. Finally, he turns to Hobbes, dispair written
on his face.
PINOCCHIO
Welcome to Hell.
Hobbes looks at Pinocchio for a moment, knowing he doesn't make a habit of
overreacting, but thinking he has to be this time.
HOBBES
We're still alive; we can't be *that* bad off...
PINOCCHIO
No?
(faces Hobbes)
You got any idea where you are?
(Hobbes nods no)
This is no universal Hell. No licking flames, no little
bastards with pitchforks nipping at your heels. This
is a personalized Hell, where every victim gets his
own dose of torture. I'd take the eternal barbeque
over this in a heartbeat.
(turns away, looking around)
This is true Hell.
HOBBES
You still haven't told me what *this* is.
PINOCCHIO
(eyes Hobbes petulantly)
It's Santiago's last training sim; the Labyrinth. All
new recruits have to go through it.
(more to himself)
The unbeatable maze.
HOBBES
Unbeatable?
PINOCCHIO
No way out.
(beat, slight laugh)
It became the Republican Guard motto. It's what
we used to tell the new recruits on their way to boot
camp. Strike a little fear in the hearts of the weak.
After long enough, though, I started to wonder if
we were talking about the maze, or the Realm.
HOBBES
So what's the objective...
PINOCCHIO
There is no objective.
HOBBES
You said it was a training sim...
PINOCCHIO
*Psychological* training. A test of mental strength. The
Labyrinth was designed to gauge a soldier's emotional
response to a no-win situation.
HOBBES
No-win?
PINOCCHIO
You know, you got a bad habit of repeating every-
thing I say.
HOBBES
Seems like the only way to get any answers out of
you.
(beat)
So if it's unbeatable, how do you get out?
PINOCCHIO
You lose.
HOBBES
How's that?
PINOCCHIO
The only way out is to lose.
HOBBES
And how do you lose?
PINOCCHIO
Not how. What.
HOBBES
Okay, then *what* do you lose?
Pinocchio turns back to Hobbes with a grave look of impending defeat.
PINOCCHIO
Your mind.
TIME CUT:
INT. RED-BRICK HALLWAY
Our protagonistic trio is still wandering aimlessly.
PINOCCHIO
For most, it's a matter of hours. The strongest can
sometimes go for about a day. But it always feels
like an eternity; the minutes stretch like elastic, and
eventually, you give up trying to count the seconds.
HOBBES
How do you get out?
PINOCCHIO
You break down. Your mind starts to give. You
don't know what's what anymore. Nothing makes
sense, everything's a blur. Your brainwaves change
from alpha to delta patterns and that's when they pull
you out. *After* the ability to tell the difference be-
tween what's real and what's not has abandoned you.
And the worst part is, it's not even what's real and
what's not; it's what's not real, and what's less real.
HOBBES
Why would Santiago put his soldiers through that?
Why would he create such a program?
PINOCCHIO
He didn't.
Pinocchio looks back to see the confusion in Hobbes' face.
PINOCCHIO
The U.S. military created it, as part of the original
Harsh Realm project. It was part of the program
code, meant to test its player's mental stability bet-
ter than any psych eval ever could. To see how a
soldier would stand up to a real-world scenario, a
practical application of theory.
HOBBES
The Pentagon created this?
PINOCCHIO
(looks at Hobbes)
You know, you're not quite as simple as they say.
(looks away)
It was a throw-away program. Too many people,
too many minds, and most importantly, too many
dollars were lost over this to prove it's value, so it
was scrapped.
HOBBES
And Santiago salvaged it...
PINOCCHIO
He had the program restored to one of the empty
gamespace pods when he set up his army. Said
the strongest mind was one that had already seen
its worst day. If you survived a mental breakdown,
you were as emotionally and mentally fit as possible.
HOBBES
Every soldier has to go through this?
PINOCCHIO
Every *enlistee*. Sixty percent never made it past
basic, and twenty percent of those who did lost it
here.
(beat)
Santiago's rationale, what he told us to placate our
consciences, was that a man can lose everything he
owns and still know the fear of losing more. Take
his sanity, and he hits bottom. Fear is no longer an
option, because there is nothing that he has that has
not already been lost.
HOBBES
What about his life? The fear of death...
PINOCCHIO
Insanity hurts more.
HOBBES
How can that possibly be...?
PINOCCHIO
I wouldn't expect you to understand.
Hobbes is taken aback by Pinocchio's apparent insult.
HOBBES
Why not?
PINOCCHIO
(not wanting to get into this)
Hobbes...
HOBBES
You know, you think because you've been stuck
here for so much longer than me, you somehow
earned that chip on your shoulder.
(getting personal)
Whatever it is; *let it go*. You're useless to us if
all you can do is dwell in your own past.
PINOCCHIO
Try pulling yourself off that pedestal you've taken
so much time and energy to climb up on, Hobbes.
You're just another GI here, another fly in Santiago's
ointment.
HOBBES
At least I'm willing to do something about it.
PINOCCHIO
You think you're here to save Harsh Realm? Con-
gradulations; so do half the sorry, hopeless bastards
we run into everyday. You're no different than the
rest of us. Just more idealistic.
HOBBES
And what's wrong with that?
PINOCCHIO
Nothing. If you're ready to die because of it. Half
your brain is stuck in that dreamlife you call the Real
World, and you can't keep your head straight here
because of it.
Hobbes goes silent at the explanation. Pinocchio's right.
The trio continues on for a few more seconds, turning a few more corners
before Hobbes stops in the middle of the hallway.
HOBBES
If there's no way out of here, why are we walking?
PINOCCHIO
Because it's something to do.
HOBBES
So is sitting, and it doesn't require nearly as much
energy.
Hobbes drops to the floor, content to sit and wait for an answer to present
itself. After a moment, Pinocchio returns to him.
PINOCCHIO
Hobbes, get up.
HOBBES
Why?
PINOCCHIO
Because, sitting around isn't gonna get us anywhere.
HOBBES
Neither is walking around. You said it yourself. No
way out.
PINOCCHIO
This from the insuppressible optimist.
(sarcastically)
I thought you found the good in everything.
HOBBES
I find the good that can be found. But if this game is
what you say it is; if this really is a no-win situation,
then there is no good to be found. No hope. No
escape.
PINOCCHIO
Knock it off, Hobbes. You're starting to sound like
me.
(Hobbes snorts)
Besides, there may *be* a way out.
Hobbes snaps his look to Pinocchio, who gestures for Hobbes to follow.
HOBBES
How?
(Pinocchio doesn't answer)
A glitch? Some kind of programming error?
PINOCCHIO
Almost.
HOBBES
What is it then?
PINOCCHIO
A jump port.
HOBBES
You just said there *was* no jump port.
PINOCCHIO
(straining to explain)
Technically, there isn't. Least there's not supposed
to be.
(turns, grinning)
I added one.
HOBBES
(laughing)
You cheated?
PINOCCHIO
Damn right I did. I heard one of the enlistees talk-
ing about a rumor he heard. Something about an
unbeatable maze. So I hacked the program and
added an exit.
(beat)
Santiago was so impressed, he put he at the head
of his army.
Pinocchio follows his words with a look that implies it wasn't exactly the
greatest thing that's ever happened to him.
PINOCCHIO
At the time, I thought it was the greatest thing that
could have happened to me. Get me close to the
top, give me a chance to figure out his plans, then
take him out.
HOBBES
What went wrong?
PINOCCHIO
(almost ashamed)
He turned my allegiances around. Convinced me
that what he was doing was for the greater good,
that the American government was trying to des-
troy his dream. The dream they were supposedly
built on.
HOBBES
(understanding)
Of a perfect society and a beautiful way of life,
free of strife.
PINOCCHIO
He makes it sound pretty good, huh?
The group turns another corner and see, up ahead, light pouring into the
hallway through a doorway on the right.
HOBBES
What's out there?
Pinocchio doesn't answer as he heads for the door.
EXT. WHITE LIGHT
With Pinocchio in the lead, the trio exits the doorway into the vast
whiteness we recognize from the teaser. They wander a few steps into the
light, almost expectantly.
Hobbes looks around the blank brightness that surrounds him, his initial
thoughts betraying the information Pinocchio has already given him.
HOBBES
(unsure)
We're out?
PINOCCHIO
No...
HOBBES
Then where are we?
PINOCCHIO
We're in the core. A megabyte of unprogrammed
game space at the center of the maze. It connects
the four primary playing spaces.
Slowly, almost unnoticeably at first, the whiteness begins to fade, a
background digitally materalizing within it.
HOBBES
What's happening?
PINOCCHIO
(calmly)
Rez up. The core only activates when someone's in-
side it.
Soon, our heroes find themselves in a large circular cobblestone patio with
wooden walls about ten feet tall and topped with a large white dome. The
room contains four doors, each leading into a different section of the maze.
PINOCCHIO
(more to himself)
The only part of the game that doesn't change...
Hobbes wanders away from the group momentarily, heading for the door leading
into the hedgemaze section. As he approaches the door, though, he catches a
glimpse of a set of scratches carved into the wooden frame near the ground.
Hobbes leans down to examine the scratches. Upon closer inspection, they no
longer appear to be the random markings he formerly thought.
TIGHT SHOT in HOBBES' POV, as he scrutinizes the carving. It reads "NO WAY
OUT - MPW."
HOBBES
Waters...
On Hobbes' words, Florence and Pinocchio join him, leaning in to see what
he's found. Florence looks quickly at the words, then to Hobbes for an
explanataion.
Hobbes' eyes linger on the engraved letters for a moment before he speaks to
her without looking at her.
HOBBES
MPW. Melvin Patrick Waters. He was here,
just like us. He got out somehow.
Hobbes finally looks to Florence, who only shrugs her shoulders to imply
that she has no clue what to make of their new discovery.
Hobbes looks back to the carving, looking at it as if it might yield some
unseen answer.
HOBBES' POV as he stares at the engraving; "NO WAY OUT - MPW."
RESUME SCENE:
Hobbes and Florence are standing by themselves in the middle of a hedgemaze
corridor.
HOBBES
(nearly frantic)
Where the hell did he go??
Florence, who is looking around the corridor almost as frantically as
Hobbes, turns back to her companion. Her composure almost, but not quite,
covers the fear in her eyes as she shakes her head "no" and shrugs to
indicate that she has no idea.
Hobbes turns back down the corridor in the direction that Pinocchio was
headed, reaching out as he takes tentative steps forward. After a few feet,
his hand disappears behind a digital haze, slipping into a glitch.
HOBBES
...No...
He pulls his hand out of the glitch, heading back to Florence.
HOBBES
...no, no, no...
(takes Florence by her arms)
...he couldn't just disappear like that...just slip through
a glitch without us knowing...
(panicked look)
...could he??
Florence stares into Hobbes' eyes and Hobbes soon realizes that Florence
really doesn't know.
Trying not to panic outright, Hobbes prompts Florence toward the glitch.
HOBBES
Is it safe?
Florence digs her heels against the tile floor, snapping a look back over
her shoulder at Hobbes. On eye-contact, Hobbes realizes that he's being too
forceful and eases off.
Florence turns back to the glitch, slipping her arm through and reading the
sensations. After a moment, she pulls back and turns to Hobbes; she gives
only a little shrug that says "it's fine."
HOBBES
Then we have to follow him...
Hobbes is about to push past Florence to get to the glitch, when she cuts
him off, adamantly shaking her head no.
HOBBES
Why not?
Florence gives Hobbes a hard look before pointing to the glitch, indicating
Pinocchio. She then traces her right hand upward and off to her right.
With her left hand, she taps Hobbes' chest, then traces her left hand upward
and to the left.
Hobbes sighs dejectedly, nodding.
HOBBES
Break up groups, hit each player individually. We
won't even end up in the same place he did.
Hobbes turns away from Florence for a moment, thinking. At least, in his
disheveled state, conducting the activity that most closely resembles
coherent thought.
Finally, Florence reaches out for Hobbes, placing a hand on his shoulder to
turn him around. Hobbes looks up to meet her eyes with resolve in his.
HOBBES
We have to follow him.
Florence gives Hobbes another hard look to express her disapproval.
HOBBES
(defiant)
You can putz around here if you want to, but the
Army taught me never to leave a man behind, and
my mother taught me never to let a friend down. I
refuse to do either, after all he's done for me; I
won't lose him, and especially not here.
(looks to the glitch)
We have to TRY.
Hobbes looks back to Florence, who sees the determination in his eyes. She
looks to the glitch for a moment, dropping her gaze to the floor before
returning it to Hobbes.
She purses her lips, about to do something she doesn't really want to. She
nods gently in the affirmative, knowing that abandoning Pinocchio is simply
not an option.
Florence turns back to the glitch, taking Hobbes by the arm and taking the
few steps between them and the scrambler.
The pair steps through the glitch, disappearing from the hallway.
INT. MIRRORED HALLWAY
The hallway remains empty for a moment, comprised of panelled mirrors four
feet wide to construct a hallway with no apparent ceiling or floor.
Instead, a white light eminantes from both.
The reflection of mirrors creates a most distorting effect, the illusion of
incredible space within the narrow hallway. After a few moments, Pinocchio
pops around a corner, his dark clothing contrasting heavily with the white
light and mirrors. Because of the reflective properties of the walls, we
see literally dozens of images of the soldier.
Gun drawn, Pinocchio cautiously makes his way down the hallway, occasionally
glancing back over his shoulder.
PINOCCHIO
(whispered yell)
Hobbes??
He receives no reply.
PINOCCHIO
(whispered yell)
Florence...
Again, no answer.
PINOCCHIO
Damnit...
Finger on the trigger of his precious MP5K, Pinocchio takes careful steps
down the hallway.
Ahead, he finds a hallway splitting off to the left, and he takes it.
Immediately around the corner, though, he hears some inaudible noise that
catches his attention. He backs around the corner into the previous
hallway, looking for the disturbance and finding a flutter of cloth at the
end of the hall.
As soon as he sees it, it's gone again and he starts after it.
PINOCCHIO
Who's in here??
He receives no answer as he dashes down the hallway to the end, rounding the
corner smoothly and stopping dead in his tracks. A few yards ahead of him,
in a dead end that splits into a T-junction, a young boy of no more than
11-years-old is standing still, staring him in the face.
PINOCCHIO
(confused)
Who are you?
(no answer)
How'd you get here??
Pinocchio starts toward the boy, who quickly turns to his right and takes
off down the hallway, leaving a digital afterimage trail behind, like a
ghost image on a VCR.
Pinocchio confusedly shakes his head at the sight, bolting after the boy.
He rounds the corner with the boy a few yards ahead, before remembering that
he's carrying a vicious-looking weapon.
Pinocchio slows his pursuit, calling out instead.
PINOCCHIO
Hey kid, I'm not gonna hurt you!
Pinocchio drops the weapon to his side, taking his finger off the trigger as
the boy slows down and turns around to face the older man. Pinocchio slows
down considerably, taking smaller steps toward the boy.
PINOCCHIO
How'd you get in this place?
ALAN
Same as you.
PINOCCHIO
(beat)
What's your name, kid?
ALAN
Alan.
There is a hint of recognition in Pinocchio's expression, before the boy
speaks again.
ALAN
(matter-of-factly)
After your father.
The recognition is instantly gone from Pinocchio's face, replaced with utter
shock.
PINOCCHIO
What'd you say?
ALAN
You were gonna name me after your father.
Pinocchio stares the kid in the face, horror taking the place of shock as a
realization mixes with memories and slowly dawns on him.
PINOCCHIO
No...how do you know about...
ALAN
She lied to you.
PINOCCHIO
(beat, absolute terror)
She told me she miscarried. Her doctor backed
her up.
ALAN
(coy grin)
You didn't actually believe her...did you?
Pinocchio is still staring at Alan, slowly shaking his head no as if it will
somehow convince him this isn't real.
ALAN
We both know that woman can be thrown farther
than she can be trusted.
The shock and horror in Pinocchio's face is slowly wearing away, now to be
replaced by suspicious.
PINOCCHIO
(raising his gun)
Who are you?
Alan doesn't flinch at the sight of the weapon, only cocks his head
curiously. Pinocchio advances on him, grabbing for his arm. Immediately on
contact, though, he DIGITIZES in a haze of blue static.
Confusion and anger burned across his face, Pinocchio stares at the empty
spot the boy previously occupied, his hand still hung in midair. Just as he
is about to drop his hand, though, he notices something amiss.
TIGHT SHOT on Pinocchio's right hand. On his ring finger, where none has
ever been, resides a GOLD WEDDING BAND. Pinocchio flips his hand over to
look at his palm.
BACK TO PINOCCHIO, his confusion deepening. In a frantic rush, he pulls the
band off, tossing it down the hallway.
INGA FOSSA (vo)
(whisper)
...Michael...
Pinocchio wheels around to find the source of the voice, but once again, he
finds none.
INGA FOSSA (vo)
(whisper)
...I'm here, Michael...
Pinocchio looks at his hand again.
TIGHT SHOT on his ring finger. The band is back on his finger.
BACK TO PINOCCHIO as he pulls the ring off again, struggling this time in
his eternal frustration. He hurtles the ring down the length of the
corridor, listening to it clink down the walkway.
Heaving, he turns to look at the mirror to his right, staring his reflection
in the eyes.
INGA FOSSA (vo)
(whisper)
...I'm always here, Michael...
PINOCCHIO
No you're not...
INGA FOSSA (vo)
...yes, Michael...
Tension in Pinocchio's eyes. He stares himself in the face.
PINOCCHIO
You're not here, you're not in my head...
INGA FOSSA (vo)
...I'm always with you...
PINOCCHIO
You're...not...HERE!
INGA FOSSA (vo)
...You won't let me go...
PINOCCHIO
I wouldn't keep you around!
A pause.
Pinocchio looks like he might have won.
And then hears it.
INGA FOSSA (vo)
...I love you, Michael...
Pinocchio's face twists with rage.
PINOCCHIO
You lying murderer!
INGA FOSSA (vo)
...I love you...
PINOCCHIO
Not after what you did!
INGA FOSSA (vo)
...Michael...
Pinocchio jerks the barrel of his MP5K to his own temple, his hand shaking.
PINOCCHIO
GET THE HELL OUTTA MY BRAIN!!!
TIGHT SHOT on Pinocchio's trigger finger, twitching slightly.
INGA FOSSA (vo)
...Mi...
BACK TO PINOCCHIO as he pulls the trigger, a deafening thunder erupting.
Pinocchio's digital image shimmers for a moment, flickering lightly before
restoring itself to normal.
He stares his reflection in the face, slowly dropping his trembling hand and
letting the barrel of the weapon graze the floor without dropping it. He
leans forward into the mirror, his eyes dropped to the floor as he places
his hand against the glass, closing to within inches.
PINOCCHIO
Whole lotta good that did...
He sighs heavily, realizing that everything he just encountered ~ Alan, Inga
and the wedding band ~ were all constructs of his own mind, used by the game
to break him.
TIGHT on Pinocchio's face, his eyes still floor-bound as he leans back from
the mirror. He takes a moment, but he finally looks up. When he does,
though, his face goes ghost white, pure terror in his eyes at what he sees.
TIGHT on Pinocchio's reflection. Not the normal reflection we'd expect to
see, but his Real-World-reflection; half of his face disfigured from the
blast in Yugoslavia.
BACK to Pinocchio with such horror in his eyes that what he does next could
be considered the only logical solution.
He lunges at the mirror with a spine-chilling shreik, spearing the butt of
his gun at the glass. The first impact sends a vicious crack streaking down
the pane, but Pinocchio refuses to let up, impaling the relfective panel
with half a dozen more full-force blows.
Finally, one last crushing impact sends a spiderweb of tears through the
mirror. Pinocchio instinctively backs away from the glass as it erupts,
spraying out into the corridor toward him.
Turned away from the mirror on his knees with his face in his arm for cover
from the flying glass shards, Pinocchio only now peeks out from behind his
sleeve to examine his handiwork.
PINOCCHIO's POV as he looks at where a broken mirror should stand. What he
sees instead is a full-length mirror without a single crack in it.
BACK TO PINOCCHIO, as he drops his arm to reveal the confused look on his
face. He stands slowly and steps toward the mirror, examining his
reflection.
TIGHT on Pinocchio's reflection, which now bares the same unscathed face as
the man looking at it.
BACK TO PINOCCHIO, as he quickly reaches his fingers to his cheek, touching
the skin on the left half of his face to ensure that he is in fact seeing
what he believes he's seeing. He pulls down lightly on his cheek to open
his eye further, looking deeper into the image before him.
After a moment, he retracts his hand from his face, running his fingers
through his hair as if to convince himself that he is still real. As he
looks into the mirror, a quick laugh spreads his mouth into a wide smile,
but is instantly gone again as confusion returns.
He narrows his eyes as his stare intensifies and his hand finds its way
toward the mirror. On contact, the glass surface begins a slight
undulation, rippling as if it were a liquid shield as Pinocchio's hand eases
through it with an electronic hum.
CLOSE SHOT on Pinocchio's face, as a subtle grin works its way across his
mouth.
Quickly, he pulls his hand back through the glitch, reaching into his
right-side vest pocket and removing its contents; THE DIGIWAND he lifted
from the guard before entering this nightmare.
He looks at the device for a moment, his mouth twisting further into what
might be the first real smile we've ever seen from this man. He flips the
device over, examing its apparently seamless shell, rotating it until he is
looking at the bottom.
He holds the device close to his face, running his thumb lightly over the
black arcylic steel. There is a moment of hesitation before he presses his
thumb more firmly to the particular spot, watching as it slowly depresses
into the device. When he can't press it any further, he lifts, peeling the
back panel off the device to reveal its inner components.
He looks through the array of literally hundreds of chips, switches and
wires, prodding carefully through the device. He slowly begins working,
pulling wires out of their plugs and replacing them in others, flipping
random switches and popping occasional chips out of place and moving them.
After working for only a few moments, he is satisfied that the device has
been properly modified and snaps the panel back into place. He presses the
activation switch, bringing the device to life. He smiles proudly to
himself before reaching for the glitch again.
He places the prods of the digiwand to the surface of the mirror, watching
as the ripples undulate outward from the point of contact. He hesitates
just a moment before pressing the activation switch again.
The device gleams to life, sending a surge of energy through the
mirror-bound glitch. The surface flashes blue for a moment, fading slowly
back to normal a few seconds after Pinocchio releases the button on the
device.
With a mischievious grin, Pinocchio places the digiwand back in his vest
pocket as he steps toward the glitch, disappearing through the mirror.
INT. HEDGEMAZE CORRIDOR
Back with Hobbes and Florence, we find ourselves between a pair of shrubbery
hedges that form walls on either side about five foot apart. The tops of
the plants overgrow the hallway, forming a ceiling of sorts, and the path
underfoot is lined with dirt.
Hobbes is laying on the dirt floor of the hallway, staring at the shrubbery
ceiling blankly as Florence leans back against one of the hedges. It is
apparent they've been here for quite a while.
HOBBES
(without sitting up)
I can't wait to get home, throw on some old Lone-
some Dove reruns, and get drunk like Bailey Sal-
inger.
(beat, looks to Florence, smiles)
Do you have any idea what I'm talking about?
Florence nods, shrugging to imply that she has a vague notion. Hobbes
finally sits up, propping himself up on his elbow to look at Florence.
HOBBES
You've always been here, right?
(Florence nods yes)
What'd you do before the game? I mean, before
the bomb. Did you have a job?
Florence nods yes again, leaning toward Hobbes and reaching her index finger
toward the dirt. In quick strokes, she fingerwrites three letters; VET.
Hobbes flicks his eyes back to hers.
HOBBES
You were in the military?
A smile nearly takes Florence's lips as she leans back down adding letters
to the sequence. After a moment, Hobbes looks back down at the ground to
find a new word; VETERINARIAN.
Hobbes laughs at himself when he realizes his error, laying back in the dirt
with his hands to his forehead.
HOBBES
My God, I've been stuck here WAY too long.
EXT. BLACKNESS - UNPROGRAMMED GAME SPACE
In total darkness, we find one lone figure. Its identity is obscured by the
surrounding void, but after a moment we track in on the face and find
Pinocchio, his attention secured by the small display screen on the modified
digiwand.
PINOCCHIO'S POV as he concentrates on the streaming series of green 1's and
0's flashing across the screen. He has apparently altered the device to
read game code.
He heads through the darkness of the section of unprogrammed game space,
watching the display closely. After a few more steps, the display shifts,
showing a binary series in light blue. In a flash, though, it is gone
again.
Pinocchio backsteps quickly to his former location, finding the series
again. He checks the display screen, finding a string of 1's and 0's in
blue, indicating a virtual character, along with a lone blue numeral 1.
Hobbes.
Pinocchio reaches the digiwand out at arms length again, depressing the
activation switch. A dull hum richochets through the emptiness as he swipes
the device and disappears from the darkness.
INT. HEDGEMAZE CORRIDOR
Florence and Hobbes are still strewn out on the floor, having succumb to the
lure of boredom long ago. Hobbes is fidgetting with his hair at the moment,
looking more like a bored toddler than an Army lieutenant. Dexter is
sniffing around his owner, looking almost as bored.
Both individuals are shocked to their feet, weapons drawn, as the hedge that
Florence is leaning on suddenly twitches, fazing as a glitch opens. They
quickly avert their guns, though, when Pinocchio steps through, leaving one
foot on the other side to keep the portal open.
Pinocchio looks at the two soldiers, both weary with fear in their eyes,
before cracking a wry grin.
PINOCCHIO
Coming kids?
In an instant, Hobbes and Florence are on their feet and following Pinocchio
through the glitch, disappearing from the hallway.
EXT. FOREST (DAWN)
The group's camp, just as they left it except that the fire has long since
gone out. There is stillness for a moment until the same glitch that began
this nightmare opens up again, allowing Pinocchio, Hobbes and Florence to
slip through.
Pinocchio heads across the camp to the crates, but is caught by Hobbes. He
turns to face the man, finding a deathly serious look in his eye.
HOBBES
(glancing at the digiwand)
Seal it.
Pinocchio glances down at the digiwand as well, nodding. He cross back to
the glitch, reaching the device out to contact the surface. He quickly
snaps the activation button, sending a slight electronic twitch through the
space that once lead to the Labyrinth.
He retracts his arm, looking back to Hobbes as he swings his left hand
through the space to prove that the glitch is no longer there. Hobbes nods
as he heads for the crates with Florence, followed slowly by Pinocchio, who
gives one last look to the space where the glitch used to be.
The trio quickly packs up camp, heading off in the direction they had
formerly been going to get back to the Chevelle.
INT. MILITARY INFIRMIRY
In the sterile confines of a large room, very similar to the Harsh Realm
Players Bay in the Real World, we find a row of soldiers lain out on
stretchers, visors covering their eyes and wires connected to their temples.
=3 HOURS LATER=
CLOSE SHOT on one of the soldiers, as the top portion of the computer screen
next to him shows a brainwave pattern of smooth undulating waves. Delta
waves, unlike the sharply irratic waves of an Alpha pattern.
After a moment, a technician steps to the computer, tapping at the keyboard
until the screen displays a percentage bar in the empty lower half. The bar
quickly descends from 100% to 0% before beeping and turning green.
DOWNWARD SHOT on the soldier as the wire is removed from his temple and the
visor slid off of his face to reveal his identity; it is Chris. His eyes
slide heavily open, as if he's been drugged, though we now know it was
something much worse.
MEDIUM SHOT of Chris as the technician steps back to allow Santiago through,
followed by two uniformed bodyguards. Santiago steps to Chris' side,
looking down at him with a slight twinge of respect.
SANTIAGO
Welcome back, soldier.
Chris looks at Santiago with only vague recognition, until his mind suddenly
clicks and he remembers who the man is.
CHRIS
I...I failed, General. I couldn't beat it.
SANTIAGO
That was the point, soldier.
CHRIS
(confused)
But...I broke, sir.
SANTIAGO
Of course you did. I might be more concerned
if you didn't.
Still not understanding, Chris tries to form a response, but can only force
out one word.
CHRIS
Sir?
SANTIAGO
Rest up, soldier. Your training is complete. You
ship out tomorrow on assignment at oh-six-hun-
dred for Charlotte.
Chris only stares at the General, nodding his head affirmatively after a few
moments. Santiago grins wryly back at him, turning curtly and heading out
of the room with his bodyguards in tote. As he exits, we see Chris watching
him leave