"Thanatopsis" story by Ryan Thomas written by Megan Reilly (eponine119@worldnet.att.net) TEASER EXT. CAMP - NIGHT So quiet you can hear crickets chirping. HOBBES, FLORENCE and PINOCCHIO sleep near a dead campfire. A LITTLE GIRL, perhaps 5 years old, blond, blue-eyed, innocent, sneaks into their camp. Without hesitation she walks directly to Hobbes. Her feet make no sound against the ground. ANGLE ON HOBBES: His eyes open HOBBES' POV: Up on the little girl He blinks, confused, but he gets up. She holds out her hand and he takes it. He smiles tentatively down at her. EXT. WOODS - NIGHT The little girl leading Hobbes by the hand. They aren't hurrying. We can HEAR the sound Hobbes' boots make tromping on the ground, through mud, over fallen branches. At the edge of the woods they cross through an old gate into a clearing. The GATE is entwined with branches, almost indistinguishable from the trees all around them. Hobbes and the little girl DISAPPEAR. ACT ONE EXT. CAMP - DAY Florence looking about. DEXTER at her feet, moving anxiously. PINOCCHIO (bellowing) Hobbes! There's no answer. Florence circles back around the fire to where Hobbes was lying the night before. She makes a quick jerk of her head. Pinocchio walks over to join her. Footprints. One set. From Hobbes' boots, leading away. Pinocchio looks at Florence, who nods. They begin to follow the tracks. EXT. EDGE OF WOODS - DAY Pinocchio and Florence following the tracks. A split second before Pinocchio unwittingly walks through the GATE, Florence catches his arm and stops him. He glares at her. She points up at the gate and he sees it. PINOCCHIO I'll be damned. Pinocchio crouches. The last footprint is incomplete, the back half of a boot print. At no point have there been any little girl prints. Pinocchio glances up, lining up the edge of the print with the threshold of the gate. He looks to Florence. PINOCCHIO Glitch? Dexter starts BARKING. Frowning, Florence shakes her head. Suddenly a BIG UGLY DOG lunges at Pinocchio, snarling and biting. Dexter's high-pitched barking intensifies. Pinocchio stumbles back, the ugly dog biting at his legs. Florence smacks it in the head with the butt of her gun. The dog yelps, stunned, and runs into the woods. Florence moves to look at Pinocchio's wounds. PINOCCHIO It didn't get me. He looks in the direction it ran. PINOCCHIO If that thing killed Hobbes, he'd digitize. There wouldn't be a body. Dexter stops barking. PINOCCHIO It ran off when you hit it. It was only supposed to scare us away from this. He puts his hand on the gate and looks at the footprints. PINOCCHIO You know what this is. Florence nods. INT. CAVES - DAY Dark and gloomy. Hobbes is alone, feeling along the walls. Trying to find his way. He turns a corner and sees an entrance to the cave, something like a square floor-to-ceiling window. Bright sunlight shines on the other side, but none seems to penetrate the cave. On the other side stand Pinocchio and Florence. HOBBES Hey, Pinocchio! He waves at them, and tries to go through the opening. It's solid wall. He's perplexed. He runs his hand across it and there's a little ZINGY HUM like touching the television screen. He watches Pinocchio and Florence turn and walk away. HOBBES Hey...come back. He smacks the window-wall with his hand and turns his back on it, appraising his situation. INT. CAVES - NIGHT Hobbes walks along, grazing the wall with the knuckles of his hand. He hears WATER trickling. INT. RIVER - NIGHT Hobbes rounds the corner and ducks back instantly, hiding himself. On the other bank of the river are REPUBLICAN GUARDSMEN, exhausted and bloody. Hobbes reaches for his gun as he watches them. Each man walks up to a MAN NOT IN UNIFORM and they exchange words, too low to Hobbes to hear. Then they get into the man's boat. GRETCHEN (O.S.) Hobbes? He turns and sees her. GRETCHEN (disturbed) What are you doing here -? HOBBES Ssh! He gestures to the Guardsmen and tries to pull her down. She has a very strange look on her face. The next GUARD steps up to the BOATMAN. GRETCHEN They can't hurt you here. The Guard turns. He is missing half of his skull in a gory mess. Hobbes turns to Gretchen, trying to get a handle on this. HOBBES Pinocchio said...they digitize and there's no... He looks at her for help. HOBBES You aren't dead. GRETCHEN No. HOBBES And I'm not...? He's not so sure. She puts her hand on his shoulder, as though testing the result. GRETCHEN You aren't dead. Hobbes lets out a relieved breath, but then looks at the Guardsmen. HOBBES They're dead. GRETCHEN Yes. HOBBES I don't understand. He looks again at the guardsmen and she leads him back around the corner where he can't see them any more. INT. CAVE - NIGHT Gretchen looks at him, words failing her. GRETCHEN I don't know why you're here. HOBBES What is this place? Pinocchio said when you die in the game, that's it. There's no after life. You digitize, you're gone. She doesn't say anything. HOBBES Why would he lie? GRETCHEN How did you get here? HOBBES This is some kind of afterlife? GRETCHEN (mumbling) Not quite. Hobbes' eyebrows shoot up. HOBBES What are you doing here? She doesn't answer. He takes her wrists in his hands. She's not going anywhere. HOBBES Gretchen. GRETCHEN This is where the dead come. After they're deleted from the game. HOBBES Why? GRETCHEN We have to get you out of here. A COMMOTION is rising on the other side of the river. HOBBES (barely a whisper) Sophie. GRETCHEN (raising her voice) Before something bad happens to you. Hobbes lets her go, starts to look around the corner. The boat filled with the rowdy, dead Republican Guard has arrived. GRETCHEN Before you get trapped here. Her words are almost lost as the battalion passes between them. When the battalion is past, Hobbes is gone. EXT. THE GATE - DAY Florence is giving Pinocchio an intense look. He runs his hand through his hair, exasperated. PINOCCHIO This is Harsh Realm. You die, you're dead. That's all you get. Florence shakes her head. Very stubbornly. Looks from him to the gate with meaning, and back again. PINOCCHIO If Hobbes... She's not believing it. PINOCCHIO The underworld is nothing more than a nice story, something to make the GI's stuck here feel like there might be some hope. Like there might be some chance of going back. Of something to go back to. He folds his arms. Turns away from the gate. Dexter whines and stays with Florence. Pinocchio glanes back at them. PINOCCHIO I'm going back to the car. He's stopped walking. PINOCCHIO Hope that devil dog doesn't... He breaks off the ruse. Gives up. PINOCCHIO We don't even know if we can get him back. Florence looks at him hopefully. Gestures at the gate with her gun eagerly. Pinocchio puts his hands firmly on her shoulders. Stopping her. PINOCCHIO You have to stay here. She frowns. PINOCCHIO Someone has to stay on this side. He moves to cross through the gate. Walks under its arch. He does not disappear as Hobbes did. He turns around, hands up, not understanding. Walks back through the gate. PINOCCHIO We're going to have to do this the hard way. TIME CUT TO: EXT. THE GATE - DAY Florence has her bag open on the ground, crouching over it. Her hand closes on a small, tinted plastic vial. Pinocchio stretches out in the grass next to her, folding his hands behind his head. He shoots her a confident grin. Her expression is grave as she passes the vial to him. He looks for a label. PINOCCHIO What is this stuff? She just watches him. He twists off the cap. Looks into the bottle apprehensively, then meets her eyes. PINOCCHIO You can bring me back. A long moment passes between them. Then she nods. PINOCCHIO Cheers. He upends the bottle, reacting to its bitter taste. Gulps it. The bottle falls into the grass. Pinocchio lets out a hard breath and his eyes close, maybe visibly fighting for consciousness, but it's a battle he loses. Florence rushes to his side instantly, but stops herself before she touches him. He looks like he's asleep, and she sits back, keeping watch over him. They are alone at the edge of the woods. From this desolate shot, we: FADE OUT ACT TWO INT. CAVES - NIGHT Hobbes, walking. He looks into the faces of the people he passes. A WOMAN, bedraggled, her feet bare. A SOLDIER, in US Army uniform, his young face confused. AN OLD MAN, unable to walk any farther. A LITTLE GIRL, with blond hair. Hobbes stops, circling around as the child passes him. But it's not the little girl who lead him into the caves. He watches her as she starts to run and is scooped up into the arms of a blond WOMAN who must be her mother. ERIN What're you gaping at? Hobbes jumps at the loud voice. Turns. He is: INT. CLIFF - NIGHT He stands in a cavern split between two large cliffs. Atop one of the cliffs is ERIN, a pale woman in a long black dress. HOBBES Where am I? ERIN Nowhere you ever imagined. He turns away, to continue on between the caverns. An INVISIBLE FORCE stops him. Hobbes looks back up at her. ERIN Did you think passage would be so easy? HOBBES You're the gatekeeper? ERIN Something like that. HOBBES What do I have to do? ERIN You don't belong here. Go back to where you came from. She turns her back on him. HOBBES My girl's in there. Erin raises her hand dismissively. HOBBES You don't understand. I've come all this way...to find her. Erin rolls her eyes. ERIN Your "girl." HOBBES Yes. Sophie. We were to be married. I...she was killed because of me, because of something I did. Something I caused. She never even had a chance here. Erin is silent. Waiting for more. HOBBES She's all alone. You say I don't belong, but there has to be a reason why I'm here. A little girl led me here-- Erin's expression changes. HOBBES ... a little girl I'd never seen before but was somehow familiar to me... He looks up at her. HOBBES You know what that means. Erin nods. Hobbes waits. She makes a small gesture toward the gate. Hobbes walks through. Surprise on his face. He turns back, but Erin is no longer standing on the cliff. INT. CAVES - NIGHT Pinocchio looks lost. He stands still as a crowd of MEN engulfs him, ragtag civilians and Republican Guard alike. They jostle him along. He blinks, stops staring. Seems to come to his senses. Looks around. PINOCCHIO (whisper) Hobbes! Hobbes! But there's no sign of him. He moves along with the crowd. A HAND on his chest stops him short. Pinocchio looks down at it, then looks at its owner. The boatman, from before. He wears a hooded robe. His face is lined, fowl, horrible. BOATMAN You want to cross? Pinocchio arranges himself with confidence. PINOCCHIO Yeah. BOATMAN You have to pay. His rotted teeth display in a terrible grin. The Guardsmen have no trouble passing the Boatman. PINOCCHIO What are they paying with? BOATMAN Their souls. PINOCCHIO Yeah, well I lost mine a long time ago. The Boatman leans in close, looking into his eyes. He is just about to pass his judgement when -- Pinocchio hits the Boatman with the butt of his gun. The Boatman falls and Pinocchio shoves his way onto the boat. It moves away from the shore and he settles in between two recently killed Republican Guard. INT. CAVES - NIGHT Hobbes, still walking, searching every face for Sophie. There are WAILING WOMEN here. A hand catches him on the shoulder. Hobbes spins around. HOBBES Gretchen. GRETCHEN You have to come with me. Right now. He breaks away from her. HOBBES No! GRETCHEN Do you understand where you are? What you're risking? HOBBES I don't care. He stomps off. GRETCHEN Do you intend to stay dead? He stops in his tracks. GRETCHEN Do you think you can get out of here without me? Hobbes returns. Angry. HOBBES I have to find Sophie. GRETCHEN She's not worth it, Hobbes. She doesn't know you, can't know you. She's VC. HOBBES You sound just like him. GRETCHEN Because he's right. She grabs his arm. GRETCHEN This isn't worth your life. HOBBES If there's a way out for me, there's a way out for Sophie. You know how. You have to help me. She shakes her head, upset. HOBBES Please. I need her. GRETCHEN I can't. HOBBES What's stopping you? GRETCHEN Alexander. He doesn't understand. GRETCHEN There's more to this place, more than you understand. You have to come with me. Now. Before it's too late. HOBBES No. He walks away. Gretchen stands a moment, deliberating. Watching him go. Then she RUNS back the way she came. EXT. GATE - DAY Gretchen comes running through the gate. Florence jumps to her feet, gun drawn. Gretchen stops, breathless from running. Gestures to the gate. GRETCHEN Hobbes -- Florence nods. GRETCHEN He won't listen to me. He'll listen to Pinocchio. Florence looks over at Pinocchio, whose skin is pale as he lies in the grass. Gretchen crawls over to him, puts her hand against his face, and looks up at Florence. GRETCHEN He went in after him. Florence nods. GRETCHEN Hobbes is looking for Sophie. He says he won't come without her. Even though he might die. We need Pinocchio... Florence nods again. She begins to peel off her gloves. GRETCHEN Wait. Florence stops. GRETCHEN Pinocchio will find him. INT. CAVES - NIGHT Hobbes, wandering, increasingly lost. HOBBES (to himself) Alexander... ALEXANDER (O.S.) I don't believe we've met. Hobbes stops at the authoritative voice and sees ALEXANDER, an imposing man dressed all in black. He has a guarded expression that he never drops. HOBBES Hasn't been the most social place. (beat) He holds out his hand. HOBBES Tom Hobbes. ALEXANDER Alexander. He says it like he's a movie star. They shake hands. HOBBES You're in charge of this place? Alexander cracks a sort of insincere smile. ALEXANDER I'll show you around. They walk. HOBBES How'd this come about? Alexander shoots him a hard look. ALEXANDER I'm a natural-born leader. They come upon a group of PEOPLE. They're happy to see Alexander and smile for him, looking at Hobbes with interest because he's with Alexander, despite their ragged appearance. ALEXANDER These are my people. Hobbes looks at him sharply. Alexander reacts to his look: ALEXANDER I take care of them. Alexander and Hobbes move away. ALEXANDER There didn't used to be an afterlife for them, at all, before I came. HOBBES Why is that? Alexander gives him a look, judging him. ALEXANDER (low voice) You were sent here to play the game. Harsh Realm. Hobbes nods. Watching him. ALEXANDER Your mission was to kill Santiago. Like these others'. He casts an eye at the other PEOPLE around, men in the ragged clothes of those who live outside the fence, and those dressed in the Republican Guard uniform. ALEXANDER (bragging, only slightly) I was here before Santiago. I was the high scorer. HOBBES Why are you here? ALEXANDER I lost. He puts his hand on Hobbes' shoulder, friendly. ALEXANDER It's a good place here. Better than in the game. You'll like it here. HOBBES (bristling) I have to find someone. That's why I'm here. Alexander looks at him like he's crazy. INT. CAVES - NIGHT The dead guardsmen push and shove their way off the boat. Pinocchio slips from their ranks and moves quickly away from them. He looks around as he walks. A WOMAN, with disease sores on her exposed skin. A MAN IN UNIFORM, standing in the middle of the walkway, sobbing. TWO CHILDREN. One with a knife stabs the other, who falls down, giggling, but cannot die. When he gets up again, the kid with the knife stabs him again. How long have they been playing this game? They stop and look at Pinocchio as he walks past. He quickly averts his eyes, puts his head down, walks on. INT. CLIFFS - NIGHT Pinocchio stops, looking up at ERIN. PINOCCHIO I'm looking for somebody. Guy named Hobbes. He come this way? She smiles, a sly, evil grin. ERIN Come in. He passes between the cliffs. ERIN We've been waiting for you. Pinocchio frowns at her words and turns back, but she's gone. INT. CAVES - NIGHT He isn't looking where he's going, and he walks directly into a WOMAN, who grabs his shirt as he tries to duck away. WOMAN You've got to help...you've got to help us. She looks at him with imploring eyes as he tries to get her hands off him. PINOCCHIO I've got my own problems to worry about, lady. WOMAN Please. The men...burned down my house. My baby's gone - you have to help me find her. Pinocchio's expression goes hard. PINOCCHIO Look around. You're not home any more. He pulls her hands away. WOMAN There was no one to help us... He keeps walking. A REPUBLICAN GUARD blocks his path. Pinocchio rolls his eyes. Tries to get past the man. GUARD You left because you thought you could help them. PINOCCHIO (muttering) I only help myself. He pushes past. GUARD Then why are you looking for him? Pinocchio looks back, but the Guard has moved on. The Guard starts to glance in his direction and Pinocchio quickly looks away, starts moving again. He trips, falling face-first into the grey sandy ground. Gets up, dusts himself off, hearing them LAUGHING at him. PINOCCHIO Damn it, Hobbes, where are you. ACT THREE EXT. THE GATE - DAY Gretchen sits cross-legged, frowning into the grass. She's picking blades of it and shredding them. Florence watches over Pinocchio. At the sound of TRAFFIC in the distance, Gretchen jumps to her feet. Florence pulls her gun, but doesn't leave Pinocchio's side. GRETCHEN Republican Guard. Damn it. We have to go. Now. Florence looks from Pinocchio to the gate, worried. GRETCHEN Come on. She looks over her shoulder. The HUMVEES are getting closer. EXT. THE WOODS - DAY Florence lets Pinocchio down onto the ground. Gretchen tries to watch the Guard from through the trees. GRETCHEN They'll try to take me alive. She looks back at Florence, who is tending to Pinocchio. GRETCHEN That can't happen. If they got control of the underworld... Florence looks at her sharply. Gretchen turns and walks over to her. GRETCHEN You believe in it. Florence just eyes her back. GRETCHEN You wouldn't have sent him there if you didn't know how important it is. Santiago may rule our lives, but he can't take control of our deaths. EXT. CAVES - NIGHT Alexander assesses Hobbes. ALEXANDER Who are you looking for? Hobbes doesn't trust him. ALEXANDER Maybe I can help you find her. It is a her...isn't it? HOBBES My fiancee. Sophie. ALEXANDER What do you propose to do once you find her? Hobbes glares. ALEXANDER Just curious. HOBBES There's a way out of here. I don't belong here, and neither does she. Gretchen - Alexander's look changes, and Hobbes stops, realizing he's said entirely too much. ALEXANDER Gretchen's here? Hobbes, edgy, says nothing. Fingers his gun. ALEXANDER That won't work here. Hobbes drops his hand. ALEXANDER I told you, this is a better world than Harsh Realm. No one can be hurt here, no one suffers. No one dies. HOBBES Because you're already dead. ALEXANDER But Gretchen has the power to change that. He's half-asking. ALEXANDER Do you realize what good we could do if we went back into the Realm? With Gretchen's help. Defeat Santiago. Set free the people he's enslaved. Hobbes is beginning to look more amenable. ALEXANDER You wouldn't need to find your Sophie. You could be together. In the real world. HOBBES I have to find her. ALEXANDER Listen to me, Hobbes. With your help...yours and Gretchen's - Hobbes breaks away from him. HOBBES You don't need my help for that. He starts walking away. ALEXANDER Where are you going? HOBBES I have to find her. EXT. CAVES - NIGHT Pinocchio, worse for the wear, continues on. He stops at a stream. Looks for a second at his reflection, then scoops up water to wash the dirt from his face. A FIGURE appears behind him, reflected in the water. He turns quickly, drawing at his gun. A moment later, he cautiously lowers the weapon. Standing opposite him is SOPHIE, giving him a hard look. SOPHIE You ended up here too. She moves past him, washes her hands in the water. PINOCCHIO I've been trying to find you. SOPHIE Why? PINOCCHIO Hobbes. SOPHIE The man who said he was my husband. She looks down at the gold wedding band she's wearing. SOPHIE Who's responsible for me being here. PINOCCHIO Listen to me, honey, and listen good. The person responsible for you being here is Waters. He's the one who shot you. Not Hobbes. He's a crazy, mixed up kid who doesn't understand the way things work around here, but he loves you, or thinks he does. SOPHIE You're looking for him. PINOCCHIO And you're coming with me. He grabs her arm. She protests, trying to twist away from him. But he won't let her go. EXT. WOODS - DAY GRETCHEN This is taking too long. She looks over at Florence and Pinocchio. GRETCHEN I have to go back for Hobbes. Before he gets trapped. Gretchen climbs halfway up one of the trees to get a better vantage point. Gretchen's POV: EXT. THE GATE - DAY The Republican Guard are still crawling all over the area. RESUME: Gretchen jumps down silently. Florence puts her hand on Gretchen's arm. Looks at Pinocchio. Conveying: It's okay. GRETCHEN It's taking too long. You can bring him back. But not Hobbes. Hobbes' body went into the underworld, too. Even though he's not dead. She paces, agitated. GRETCHEN I'm going after him. Florence stops her, gestures toward the gate. Gretchen nods, giving in. She pulls out her handheld computer. Florence looks interested for about a second as Gretchen goes to work on the computer, then goes back to keeping watch over Pinocchio. GRETCHEN If things get hairy, bring him back. Florence looks up as Gretchen slowly PIXELLATES and FADES. (Different from digitizing.) INT. CAVES - NIGHT Pinocchio's holding Sophie, who fights mightily to get away from him. SOPHIE Help! Somebody! Gretchen APPEARS from nowhere. Sophie takes advantage of Pinocchio's startle and slips away from him. PINOCCHIO Stop her! Gretchen grabs Sophie, to Sophie's surprise, then looks to Pinocchio for why. He looks down at his arm, which is bleeding. PINOCCHIO She bit me. He looks at Gretchen. PINOCCHIO Where did you come from? GRETCHEN You haven't found him. PINOCCHIO I had my hands full. He glares at Sophie. GRETCHEN Republican Guard. At the gate. They're after me. PINOCCHIO So you thought you'd pop in and help? How'd you manage that? Or is there some easy passage between life and death everybody knows about but me? SOPHIE Will you SHUT UP and LET ME GO? They both glare at her, and continue their conversation as though she hadn't spoken. GRETCHEN I know things you don't. PINOCCHIO You've got your little fingers in every circuit, don't you? GRETCHEN Let's just find him before we all get killed. Sophie puts up a renewed fight, but Gretchen holds her. GRETCHEN She's a fiesty one. HOBBES (O.S.) (commanding) Let her go! They turn and see him. HOBBES Let her go now! PINOCCHIO There's a warm welcome. Gretchen lets go of Sophie. With nothing to struggle against, Sophie falls on the ground. Hobbes rushes to her side, pushing back her hair. HOBBES Are you all right? SOPHIE Get away from me. Hobbes shoots Pinocchio a look that clearly says: what have you been doing to my Sophie? Pinocchio points at his elbow as though in self-defense. HOBBES It's okay, you're safe now. I won't let anyone hurt you. He's petting her hair and she shoves him away. SOPHIE You're the reason why I'm here. Mel was shooting at you. Hobbes is torn. HOBBES He - Sophie, no. SOPHIE He was my husband! HOBBES There are things going on here, Sophie. Things you don't understand. SOPHIE Explain them to me. HOBBES All you need to know is you're safe now. He grasps her hand. She looks at him in disbelief. PINOCCHIO Okay. Let's go. He looks at Gretchen pointedly. She already has her palm pilot out, frowning at its small screen. GRETCHEN Their only passage is back through the gate. HOBBES Not so fast. They look at him. HOBBES There was a little girl. She led me here. We have to find her. PINOCCHIO (warning) Hobbes. HOBBES I'm not leaving without her. ACT FOUR RESUME: INT. CAVES - NIGHT GRETCHEN There's no time. It's dangerous for you here. I can get you out through the gate. (glances at Sophie) Her, too, probably. HOBBES Probably? PINOCCHIO What are you gonna do, Hobbes? Give up your life to stay here with her? Hobbes doesn't say anything for a long moment. HOBBES We have to find the little girl. She doesn't belong here either. Gretchen has been typing on her palm pilot. Stops and looks up. GRETCHEN Okay. She can come. But she has to be with you. PINOCCHIO You can program the dead back into the game? REVEAL standing behind him: Alexander. ALEXANDER That must be convenient. When did you learn to do that, Gretchen? There's tension in the group as he walks over to her, his manner relaxed but threatening somehow. ALEXANDER When were you planning to let me know about this new development? You were planning to tell me. GRETCHEN Alexander - ALEXANDER I'm going with you. Pinocchio raises his gun. PINOCCHIO Over my dead body. ALEXANDER That could probably be arranged. GRETCHEN (quietly) It won't work. Alexander looks at her. ALEXANDER You have the power of life and death in your soft little hands. What are you saying, it won't work? She shakes her head. ALEXANDER You're lying. GRETCHEN No. ALEXANDER Why don't I come with you, then? Just to make certain you're not mistaken. Uneasy silence. ALEXANDER I know where to find the little girl. Reluctantly, they set off. EXT. CAVES - NIGHT They walk, clumped into groups. Hobbes won't let go of Sophie. Gretchen's keeping an eye on Alexander, who's keeping an eye on Gretchen's palm pilot. Pinocchio moves up alongside Hobbes. They keep their conversation low. PINOCCHIO What the hell is wrong with you? Hobbes gives him a look. Doesn't answer. PINOCCHIO Don't you understand what this place is? It's death, Hobbes. And you might be giving up your only ticket out. HOBBES Who is this man, Alexander? You know him. PINOCCHIO He was the high scorer in the game. HOBBES Santiago beat him. PINOCCHIO Something like that, yeah. He glares at the back of Alexander's head. Drops his voice more. PINOCCHIO You think Santiago's bad. Wait and see what happens if he gets out of here. Hobbes looks at Pinocchio, not understanding. Pinocchio glances at Sophie. PINOCCHIO Ask her. Hobbes' expression changes and he looks at Sophie, who looks away quickly. Hobbes is about to pursue it when: PINOCCHIO Who's this kid we're looking for? HOBBES She led me here. It was like I knew her...like she was a part of me. I can't explain it. There is sufficient intensity on his face to keep Pinocchio from scoffing. ALEXANDER You want to know who she is? Both men look at him, wondering just how much of their conversation he overheard. ALEXANDER She's something special, all right. He smiles and begins to move away. HOBBES Just tell me. They stop walking. HOBBES I want to know who she is. And where she is. ALEXANDER She's a possibility. A being that doesn't exist - who never got the chance. HOBBES I don't understand. ALEXANDER We're close. You will. GRETCHEN We can't go there. It's a probability calculator. I have no idea what would happen to someone who wasn't dead if they got pulled into it. ALEXANDER She's your daughter, Hobbes. The daughter you'll never have in Harsh Realm because her mother is dead. Hobbes is stunned. Sophie looks beyond horrified. PINOCCHIO Hobbes - Hobbes tries to break away from them, even dropping Sophie's hand. Pinocchio stops him bodily. GRETCHEN If you go in there, you'll die. HOBBES I have to - GRETCHEN Even if you find her, I can't bring her out of there. It's a calculation, a sector that doesn't even exist other than hypothetically. PINOCCHIO Listen to her, Hobbes. GRETCHEN ` (glancing at Sophie) I can get her out. But not if you pursue this. Hobbes looks to Pinocchio for help or understanding. PINOCCHIO It's up to you. He backs off. A long moment. HOBBES Okay. Gretchen consults her computer, and they start walking again. Now she is leading rather than Alexander. GRETCHEN (to Hobbes, gravely serious:) Whatever you do, don't look back. INT. CAVES - ROCKY TERRAIN - NIGHT They're hiking, scaling the cliffs. Hobbes has Sophie's hand. Alexander has fallen behind, the better to keep an eye on everyone. Pinocchio moves next to Gretchen. PINOCCHIO Is it even possible? He glances sidelong and back at Alexander as he pretends to assist her. GRETCHEN In theory. PINOCCHIO We can't let it happen. He and Santiago... She nods. GRETCHEN He's better off here. He's needed here. Pinocchio nods. PINOCCHIO Just make sure Hobbes gets out. She looks at him, startled, but he's moving away, letting himself fall behind the entire group. Gretchen watches him for a second. GRETCHEN Hobbes. He looks up. GRETCHEN Stay close. It's dangerous. She holds out her hand and he drags Sophie over to be closer to Gretchen. Pinocchio slips, silently, sliding down the cliff, opening a long bloody gash in his arm. He winces and looks. ALEXANDER Let me give you a hand. Pinocchio glares at him, but his feet slide as he loses his grip. Alexander puts his hand on Pinocchio's back, trying to steady him. Pinocchio jerks away, his eyes on Hobbes. PINOCCHIO I don't need your help, Alexander. ALEXANDER Let the past be. Pinocchio backslides a bit more, grimacing as the cut on his arm deepens. ALEXANDER We're going to need bandages. Up ahead: GRETCHEN (urgently, to Hobbes) Remember what I told you. He looks blank for a second, then tightens his grip on Sophie's hand. Back behind: PINOCCHIO (quickly) Aren't any. No one gets hurt here, remember? ALEXANDER Not the dead anyway. PINOCCHIO You take care of them. You should stay here. Alexander gives him a hard look, then touches the deep cut, intentionally inflicting pain. ALEXANDER It's not as deep as I thought. (calling) Gretchen! Up ahead: GRETCHEN (under her breath to Hobbes) Don't look back. Then she turns. Alexander leaves Pinocchio's side. ALEXANDER Wait up! He hurries after them. Pinocchio lets himself slide back a little farther. PINOCCHIO Alexander! Hobbes jumps at the sound of Pinocchio's voice. Alexander doesn't stop moving. PINOCCHIO HELP! Hobbes drops Sophie's hand and turns back to help his friend. Instantly he realizes what he's done. He turns back to Sophie, eyes wide, but it's too late. Gretchen seizes Hobbes' shoulders and pushes him ahead of her. GRETCHEN There's no time. HOBBES Wait -- No -- Sophie - The gate is just ahead. HOBBES NO! He turns on Gretchen, filled with violence, and she shoves him through the gate. EXT. GATE - DAY A flash of light as Hobbes tumbles through the gate. For a second, the Underworld is visible through the archway. Gretchen tumbles out on top of him. HOBBES Sophie! Frantic he scrambles to his feet, ready to pass back through the gate, but the view from the underworld closes. He turns to see Gretchen running into the woods. GRETCHEN Florence! EXT. WOODS - DAY Hobbes follows Gretchen. Florence gets to her feet at the sight of him, relieved. GRETCHEN Pinocchio - get him back. Now. Hobbes sees Pinocchio. He drops to his knees beside his friend, in shock, touching skin that's waxy and white. HOBBES He's dead --? Florence pushes in next to him, dropping her gloves to the ground. She puts her hands against Pinocchio's chest. He doesn't open his eyes. Florence looks worried. The same gash he suffered in the underworld has appeared on his arm, but it's not bleeding. It seems as though energy is seeping from him. HOBBES He's weak. GRETCHEN Alexander's going to try to keep him there. If you're going to make this happen, it's got to be now. INT. CAVES - NIGHT Alexander stands at the gate, looking out into the empty field. His heartbreak turns to fury as he whirls on Pinocchio. ALEXANDER You stole this from me. PINOCCHIO She created a whole world, just for you. Why isn't that enough? Alexander seethes. PINOCCHIO You're dead, don't you get it? You can't go back. ALEXANDER If it's such a great place... The gate blinks closed, the light streaming through extinguished. The two men face each other in the darkness. ALEXANDER ...You won't mind staying. EXT. WOODS - DAY They all look worried. The static is getting worse. Florence looks at Hobbes - the kind of expression doctors wear to say the patient's not gonna make it. HOBBES You can do this. He puts his hand on her shoulder. Instantly Pinocchio's image grows stronger. A second later he opens his eyes, and groans. Florence removes her hand and looks at Hobbes, amazed. He doesn't notice. He helps Pinocchio sit up. PINOCCHIO I feel like hell. HOBBES You almost didn't make it. Pinocchio looks at Gretchen. PINOCCHIO Alexander? GRETCHEN I can't bring him back. She puts her palm pilot away. GRETCHEN There was a time when I would have. But I didn't create the afterlife protocol until he was dead. I could shelter his files from being overwritten, but not retrieve them. She looks at them. Pinocchio is unsteadily on his feet. GRETCHEN Computers work off logic. There's limits to what they can do. To what I can do. She takes a step back. Glances over her shoulder toward the gate. GRETCHEN The Republican Guard will be back soon. HOBBES Please, stay. She shakes her head. GRETCHEN If they capture me, Santiago will gain control over who lives and dies. It's too dangerous. HOBBES We can protect you. GRETCHEN You have other work to do. She gives him a meaningful look, then slips off into the woods. Leaving the three of them standing there, motionless. Overwhelmed by what's happened. END