WHITEOUT
Written by
Jon Hoeber & Erich Hoeber
Based on the graphic novel by
Greg Rucka
December 22, 2006
SCROLL OVER BLACK:
Antarctica. Six million square miles of ice. The
coldest place on earth.
Forty-six countries have competing claims and maintain
outposts. The Antarctic Treaty holds these claims in
check.
There is no regular law enforcement. A single U.S.
Marshal is assigned to the territory.
END SCROLL
EXT. ANTARCTICA - DAY
Snow-covered hills thrust up out of a barren, white
wasteland. No buildings, no animals... nothing.
CLOSER: The hills are more defined. Rows of jagged
peaks and a crazed pattern of crevasses. A fine `mist'
of wind-blown snow whips about this jumble of glinting
ice.
STILL CLOSER: We track down through valleys, skirt
crevasses, climb peaks and finally pause on a flat
stretch of ice. HOLD on this scene of timeless, savage
beauty, then...
THUD!!!
A FACE, hooded and goggled in ECW (extreme cold weather
gear) drops into frame, smashing down on the icy surface
with such brutal impact, the shattered goggle shield pops
out --
-- EYES STARE BLANKLY into camera -- locked in death.
It's a man.
Camera slowly starts to PULL BACK to see his limbs have
snapped at unnatural angles, the head grotesquely twisted
-- bright red arterial blood seeps from the corpse and
spreads out down tiny cracks in the ice until, with
startling speed, it turns dark and freezes.
We PULL BACK further and look down on the body, a bizarre
shape in a spider's web of frozen blood. And SLOWLY WE
PULL BACK... further and further...until all is dazzling
white.
TITLE: WHITEOUT
DISSOLVE TO:
(CONTINUED)
2.
CONTINUED:
The sounds of lapping surf and distant seagulls serenades
us like a rhythmic lullaby.
-- CU on WOMAN'S TOES digging up soft, white sand. The
shadow of a palm tree cascading over top.
Widen slightly -- a pair of feminine hands, donning an
ANTIQUE SILVER ring on the left middle finger, are slowly
applying coconut tanning lotion onto firm, athletic
calves. Deep. Soothing. Then --
O.C. KNOCK KNOCK on a door.
The hands stop.
Another KNOCK KNOCK.
The lapping surf and seagull sounds come to an abrupt
halt.
WOMAN (O.C.)
(slightly annoyed)
...Yeah?
Widen to meet CARRIE STETKO, late 20's. Cargo pants --
rolled up, and an exercise top. She's kicking back, but
she's not at the beach.
In fact, she's in an office, sitting on a chair. A NEWLY
OPEN BAG OF KITTY LITTER sits next to a plastic tub she's
got her feet in. Two FLOOR LAMPS stand like sentinels
above her, blasting her with warm wattage. A fake palm
tree casts the shadow across her body. She's pulled the
earplugs out of her iPod -- back to the real world.
The door opens. Leaning into the room is JAMIE CLARK
(20's), African-American. She's dressed in a flannel
shirt, jeans. Carrie doesn't look entirely happy at the
intrusion.
JAMIE
Sorry, a Professor Sapperstein
needs to see you in biology. Said
it's urgent.
CARRIE
Alright --
Jamie leaves.
As Carrie gets to her feet, camera moves away from her,
panning around the small office. Half-packed up boxes
lay strewn about the floor.
(CONTINUED)
3.
CONTINUED: (2)
A CALENDER hangs crookedly before a desk. Each day has
been marked off with a large X. THREE DAYS REMAIN
unmarked. Last space reads: WINTER-OVER, and in the
space next to it, there's a cut out picture of a tropical
beach.
A dart board is next to it with A PHOTOGRAPH pulverized
with dart holes over the Bullseye. It's of a candy-
striped pole topped with a silver ball, surrounded by
international flags - the South Pole. Carrie is standing
next to the pole, smiling at the camera, arm-in-arm with
SAM MURPHY (30's). Looks like he's handsome, but his
face is a little more obliterated than the rest of him.
CUT TO:
EXT. MCMURDO STATION - ANTARCTICA - DAY
An ugly sprawl of prefab buildings, power-lines and above
ground sewage pipes. It looks more like a Siberian work
camp than Antarctica's largest research base and
logistics hub. In the background, smoke rises from Mt.
Erebus.
SUPER: MCMURDO STATION (USA)
POP: 2137 TEMP: -22°
An icy wind HOWLS, but the base swarms with PARKA-CLAD
FIGURES shuttling supplies and packing up equipment for
winter.
We PICK UP CARRIE AND FOLLOW her as she strides down the
icy, unmade street. Her hood is pulled up and she's not
enjoying the cold. She reaches a row of buildings and
checks the names - GEOLOGY LAB #2...ASTROPHYSICS -
BERKLEY...until she reaches BIOLOGY BUILDING #7 and
pushes through the double doors into...
INT. BIOLOGY BUILDING #7 - DAY
LONG BENCHES are covered with ANTARCTIC FLORA - MOSSES,
LICHENS and LIVERWORTS. They are being nurtured and
studied by SCIENTISTS who look like homeless people -
unkempt beards, bloodshot eyes and sun-damaged skin.
Carrie throws back her hood and unzips her jacket.
Approaches one of the scientists with familiarity, who is
in the process of EXTRACTING an ICE-CORE SAMPLE from a
stainless steel cylinder.
(CONTINUED)
4.
CONTINUED:
CARRIE
(SARCASTIC)
Hey Fred, unlock any secrets of
the Universe -- discover we're
Alien life forms?
FRED
Workin' on it.
CARRIE
Which one's Sapperstein?
SCIENTIST
Deschampsia Antarctica.
He indicates with a nod to a bench covered with tall
grass samples across the room. PROFESSOR SAPPERSTEIN,
young, thin and bearded, is studying them.
CARRIE
Okay, thanks.
She crosses to him --
CARRIE (cont'd)
Sapperstein?
He looks at her --
SAPPERSTEIN
Yeah.
CARRIE
Wanted to see me?
His face tenses -- this is serious.
SAPPERSTEIN
-- Follow me.
He leads her to a bench in the corner on which stands a
GLASS HERBARIUM containing only STALKS and a few HEAT
LAMPS. One of the GLASS PANELS has been smashed.
SAPPERSTEIN (cont'd)
They took it all.
CARRIE
All what?
SAPPERSTEIN
Cannabis Sativa.
She looks at him --
(CONTINUED)
5.
CONTINUED: (2)
SAPPERSTEIN (cont'd)
My weed, man. I've been growing
it all summer and they took it.
(BEAT)
It was just budding, too.
He sends an evil glare across the room to four glassy-
eyed scientists sitting around a desk, munching on potato
chips, candy bars, and drinking beer. Stifling laughter.
SAPPERSTEIN (cont'd)
(GLARING)
It's not funny!
Carrie looks back to him -- can barely stifle a laugh.
CARRIE
Professor Sapperstein, I'd like
you to read something for me.
She pulls out a small LEATHER FOLD chained around her
neck. Opens it up. Puts it in front of his face.
CARRIE (cont'd)
What's this say?
He's not sure what she's getting at --
CARRIE (cont'd)
C'mon, go ahead, read it.
SAPPERSTEIN
Carrie Stetko.
CARRIE
Keep reading.
SAPPERSTEIN
United States Marshal.
She closes the fold, lets it drop around her neck.
CARRIE
Very good.
(BEAT)
Now are you still sure you want to
report the theft of an illegal
narcotic?
He actually ponders the question for a moment. Carrie
puts an arm around his bony shoulder and steers him away
from the others.
(CONTINUED)
6.
CONTINUED: (3)
CARRIE (cont'd)
Professor...are you planning on
doing the winter-over?
SAPPERSTEIN
Not this year, no.
CARRIE
Good. And how are you feeling
right now?
SAPPERSTEIN
You think I'm crazy? Is that what
you're saying?
CARRIE
(PACIFYING)
No, no, not crazy. But this time
of year, down here, we're all
going a little toasty aren't we?
How about you plant a little
Cannabis when you get home?
She pats him on the back.
INT. MARSHAL'S OFFICE - MCMURDO - DAY
Carrie enters. Walks by a mirror. Takes a glance. Is
about to fix her hair, then stares at the reflection --
what's the point? We notice a slight scar on her right
temple.
She steps around the moving boxes to her desk, which is
bare except for a thick BINDER labelled,`DAILY REPORTS'.
She takes a seat, opens a binder and flips past dozens of
empty pages reading "INCIDENT: None. ACTION TAKEN:
None." On today's page she fills in the blanks with
"Theft of botany sample." And "None."
A pencil falls down onto the desk before her. Bounces.
Then rolls off. She doesn't even flinch, or look up.
Just stares unhappily at the binder.
Camera tilts up -- several pencils are stuck into the
cardboard tiles.
She closes the binder and puts it on the shelf beside a
row of framed photos: Carrie in a Marshal's uniform
graduation day; crisp, clean uniform. She and two other
girlfriends, all smiles, at a bar -- she's got a birthday
cake in front of her. Carrie on a beach somewhere,
sitting in a chair, feet in the sand -- shaded by a palm.
(CONTINUED)
7.
CONTINUED:
As she lifts the frames and moves to pack them in a
nearby box --
MURPHY (O.C.)
You busy?
She turns to see SAM MURPHY, base commander, the guy on
the DART BOARD. There's an awkward beat.
CARRIE
What do you think?
(BEAT)
I know you weren't in the area.
What's up?
He sees the photo on the dart board -- saunters over to
it.
MURPHY
I got a pilot at ASB who thinks he
spotted a popsicle out on the ice.
CARRIE
What flavor?
MURPHY
Don't know.
CARRIE
And we were doing so well.
(BEAT)
Where?
MURPHY
McClain Valley.
This throws her.
CARRIE
McClain Valley? What was he doing
out there? That's no man's land.
He takes a closer look at the photo -- almost seems
amused.
MURPHY
I've got a plane heading to ASB in
an hour with some supplies for
Winter-over.
(BEAT)
Can't get you back until tomorrow.
He looks at her with a smile --
(CONTINUED)
8.
CONTINUED: (2)
MURPHY (cont'd)
You leaving the dart board?
CARRIE
No -- just the picture.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. AMUNDSEN-SCOTT STATION (ASB) - DAY - ESTABLISHING
The red and white striped ceremonial south "pole" stands
surrounded by international flags.
SUPER TITLE: South Pole / Amundsen-Scott Station (USA)
P
opulation: 183 Temperature: - 55°
Ice as far as the eye can see. In the background is the
base. It's much smaller than McMurdo - a few dozen
specialist buildings surrounding four circular buildings
raised on hydraulic stands, interconnected by tubular
shaped walkways.
Off in the distance -- A SNOWCAT mounted with a plow,
pushes small drifts of snow off the runway onto a LARGE
BERM. It's been busy -- SEVERAL OTHER BERMS flank both
sides of the runway.
Camera pans to Carrie with a gear bag in tow, as she
deplanes a LC-130. A HALF-DOMED HANGAR rises up on the
other side of the plane.
The main ASB complex is before her.
Across the top of the entrance is a huge poster: 3 DAYS
TO WINTER-OVER EVAC. Piles of packed equipment are
everywhere.
Half a dozen NAKED MEN wearing only boots and face masks
blow out the front door screaming and yelling, run around
the South Pole, right past her, and back into ASB.
Carrie heads in --
CARRIE
Bottom of the frickin' planet.
CUT TO:
9.
INT. ASB - CORRIDOR - DAY
Music cranks. Carrie knows her way. People come and go
as she strides along a corridor decorated with PARTY
BALLOONS and signs that read: `DON'T FORGET THE EVE OF
EVAC PARTY' -- comes to an office door with a small
plaque on it that reads: MARSHAL. Pushes it open.
INT. MARSHAL'S OFFICE - ASB - CONTINUOUS
Carrie enters. It's smaller than her McMurdo office with
a HOLDING ROOM that has a viewing window in the door. A
fine layer of dust blankets a little desk with a computer
and lamp on top.
A map of Antarctica is spread across a wall with sub-
station positions marked in block letters. A window
gives view to the South Pole.
INT. SMALL ROOM - RIGHT AFTER
Carrie opens the door. Single bed. Tiny dresser. No
frills. She tosses her gear bag onto the bed. Closes
the door.
INT. MEDICAL CLINIC - ASB - DAY
Carrie pokes her head in. An examination table, cabinets
with drugs and first aid equipment. A couple of hospital
beds. Moving boxes are packed up.
CARRIE
Doc?
Another door in the back of the room is open, but the
light is off. Carrie turns to leave and --
INT. MAIN CORRIDOR - ASB - CONTINUOUS
-- almost bumps right into one of the runners from
outside, Aussie RUSSELL KELLER (late 20's) coming down
the corridor. He's naked, except for a towel wrapped
around his waste. Sports a goatee. Couple tats.
Flashes a cocky smile.
KELLER
Well, hello Marshal.
(CONTINUED)
10.
CONTINUED:
CARRIE
Keller.
She leaves. He falls into stride with her.
CARRIE (cont'd)
You seen Doc?
KELLER
Out back. What are you doing
here?
CARRIE
Checking the freezer for a
popsicle.
KELLER
No shit?
CARRIE
It got called in this morning.
KELLER
Who spotted it?
CARRIE
Delfy, one of the pilots here.
Keller half smiles.
KELLER
It's his first year down here.
You know how that goes. My bet it
was just debris, an old tent or
something.
CARRIE
Yeah -- probably.
KELLER
Here's an idea -- why don't you
stay here with me and we'll party,
just the two of us. Put those
cuffs of yours to work.
CARRIE
...Were you the second guy from
the front?
KELLER
Yeah.
CARRIE
Not interested.
(CONTINUED)
11.
CONTINUED: (2)
They come to the end of the hall. Keller stops. Carrie
goes right.
INT. OPERATIONS CENTER - ASB
A large room by base standards. Several windows. A
giant map of ANTARCTICA dominates one wall with the
International stations and research outposts flagged with
pins that have their countries flags on them. A grid of
EVAC TIMES of each STATION and OUTPOST is next to it. A
Tech is changing a few.
Another TECH sits as a console, lined with comm equipment
and computers. Others hustle about.
Talking into a headset is the Station Manager, RHONDA
STEWART (30's). Silky white skin. Irish. Long red hair
tied back. Perfunctory.
RHONDA
I'll have them boomerang back and
pick up the load -- just have it
ready.
The Tech at the console turns to her --
TECH
Guys got the science lab all shut
down.
RHONDA
Good, have them check all the
pressure levels on the hydraulics,
then clear the exterior storage
bins. Make sure we're not leaving
anything out there.
Rhonda sees Carrie coming in the doorway. There's a
flash of awkward tension that both mask with professional
demeanor.
RHONDA (CONT'D)
Sam told me you'd be coming up --
how's the sleigh ride?
CARRIE
Fine. I need a plane and that
pilot who saw the popsicle.
RHONDA
I'll have him meet you in the
hangar.
(CONTINUED)
12.
CONTINUED:
A moment of silence lingers as neither have anything else
to say.
CARRIE
Yeah, good.
Carrie leaves.
EXT. BACK OF ASB - DAY
Selecting a putter from a bag of golf clubs is DOC FURY,
60. Looks seasoned. Bearded. Wears the only non-red
parka we've seen: it's royal blue, trimmed with black fur
and emblazoned with dozens of emblems and patches from
years of Antarctic service.
DOC
In less than three days we begin
Winter-over. The sky will go
completely black and stay that way
for six months.
Camera pulls back to REVEAL five NEWBIES (first-timers);
an Asian, French, Brazilian, Danish and an American. All
are standing on their jackets, shivering uncontrollably
in the wind.
DOC (cont'd)
The sane ninety percent of the
population will be leaving the
ice. Extreme weather conditions
make it impossible for planes from
the outside world to land. You
have chosen, for your own
misguided reasons, to stay. And
it is my responsibility to teach
you beakers how not to die.
Doc lines up on a hot pink golf ball and putts.
The ball rolls across the glacier in an impossible, wind-
driven arc, approaches a flag, and sinks.
DOC (cont'd)
Time?
The Asian holds a stopwatch. He stares at it stupidly.
ASIAN
T... T... Three minutes.
(CONTINUED)
13.
CONTINUED:
DOC
Your core body temperatures have
fallen to approximately 97
degrees. You are shivering
uncontrollably -- losing basic
motor skills. You're having
trouble focusing on even the
simplest tasks. In short, you are
well on your way to dying, and it
has only been two-hundred seconds.
(BEAT)
Put your coats on.
The class struggles into their jackets. Doc assists
those who, in their diminished capacity, are having
trouble figuring out how to put them on.
DOC (cont'd)
Your life is dependent on your
awareness of the weather. So be
aware. There is a condition that
arises around here known as a
whiteout. Don't get caught in it.
Winds kick up snow that's lain on
the ice for thousands of years --
can't see six inches in front of
your nose. Temperature plummets
to triple digits. We found bodies
less than a foot from safety and
warmth.
Carrie walks up. Doc's eyes brighten.
DOC (cont'd)
Class, here we have another of the
many hazards found on Antarctica.
Say hello to Marshal Stetko.
Through a disjointed, chattering chorus --
CLASS
Hello Marshal Stetko.
DOC
Always a pleasure to see you.
Unlike most of the beaker-heads
down here.
(BEAT)
Social visit?
CARRIE
I wish -- We got a job. I need
you to take a ride with me.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
14.
CONTINUED: (2)
CARRIE (cont'd)
(BEAT)
Might be a body out on the ice.
DOC
Why's this crap always happen at
the end of the season?
Carrie pulls a Driver from Doc's golf bag. Lines up
another pink ball.
DOC (cont'd)
Too cold for driving.
Carrie swings -- WHACK! The ball shatters and pink bits
rain down around them.
CARRIE
So it is.
INT. ASB - HANGAR - DAY
Carrie and Doc cross the interior, which houses Three
double prop Twin Otters, two Snowcats, and six
snowmobiles. Keller and two other employees are busy
working on one of the Otters.
DOC
What's your gut say about this
body?
CARRIE
My gut and I don't talk anymore.
They continue, after a beat --
CARRIE (cont'd)
I saw your boxes packed up. What
was all that BS last month about,
"I'm never going back -- I'll die
here. Scatter my ashes over the
pole"?
He takes a beat --
DOC
People change, Carrie.
CARRIE
Not you.
Beat.
(CONTINUED)
15.
CONTINUED:
DOC
I got a card from my Granddaughter
inviting me to her fifth birthday
party. You know, I've never even
met her.
CARRIE
Or mentioned her. A grandchild?
Doc, that's great.
DOC
It got me thinking -- I need to be
a better Grandfather, than I was a
father. It's time I deal with my
life. I've been down here a lot
longer than I probably should
have.
They arrive at one of the Otters.
BYRON DELFY, a baby-faced, African American pilot leans
out the plane's door.
CARRIE
You Delfy?
DELFY
Yes, ma'am.
DOC
Where the hell they get these
thumb-suckers?
Delfy smiles graciously.
DELFY
Brooklyn. And unless your
wrinkled ass has a heart attack on
my plane, I think we'll be all
right.
Delfy disappears back into the plane. Doc looks to
Carrie.
DOC
-- I want Keller. He's my pilot.
(BARKS)
Keller, get over here!
CARRIE
Delfy's taking us, Doc. He's the
one who saw the body. C'mon,
you'll be fine. I'll even hold
your hand if you want.
(CONTINUED)
16.
CONTINUED: (2)
She ushers him in.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. TWIN OTTER - AIRBORNE - SAME
The plane soars through a cloudless sky, the sun
sparkling brilliantly on the endless ice sheet below.
Carrie's in the copilot's seat, wrapped up tight in her
ECW, just trying to stay warm. Delfy's at the controls.
Doc's in the back.
CARRIE
What were you doing out there?
DELFY
I went to evac a camp. Had to fly
off route to get around a storm.
Got down low to avoid some
turbulence, and there it was.
Carrie notices a picture of a young boy, around seven,
wearing a Yankees cap dangling from the instrument panel.
It's framed in popsicle sticks with I LOVE YOU DADDY
written around the perimeter.
CARRIE
That your son?
He lights up.
DELFY
Yeah, name's Nathan.
CARRIE
He's cute. Has your eyes.
DELFY
Lucky he got his momma's brain.
Kid's smart.
CARRIE
So why aren't you with him?
DELFY
The bonus pay. Trying to buy a
house. Give my boy a yard. His
own room. Stuff I never had.
He looks at Carrie, all bundled up.
(CONTINUED)
17.
CONTINUED:
DELFY (cont'd)
Don't like the cold, huh?
CARRIE
Hate it.
DELFY
Then why are you down here?
Carrie's eyes drift out the window --
CARRIE
We all make stupid mistakes.
Delfy tips the nose of the plane down. The ice below is
broken by jagged hills and yawning crevasses.
DELFY
It's right up here.
He spirals down among the icy hills, visibility is poor.
Heavy turbulence suddenly jars the plane sideways --
Delfy laughs at Doc's nervous reaction.
DELFY (cont'd)
I don't carry extra panties Doc,
so keep it tight.
(BEAT)
There it is.
He banks the plane and slips down into a valley.
DELFY (cont'd)
Three o'clock.
CARRIE
Yeah. Got it. It's a popsicle
alright.
Down below is the body sprawled on the icy ground next to
the crevice.
CARRIE (cont'd)
Red jacket. He's American.
EXT. ICE FIELD - LATER
The Twin Otter is in the distant background. Carrie, Doc
and Delfy, who has a gear bag slung over his shoulder,
weave their way around huge ice boulders -- skirt small
crevasses. Mid-conversation...
(CONTINUED)
18.
CONTINUED:
DOC
... It's always different when
they freeze. Some curl up. Some
stretch out. Some tear their
clothes off. They get delirious.
What was that guy's name?
CARRIE
Linger.
DOC
Yeah. He's lost in a storm. We
can't find him, but we hear him on
the radio going on and on about
the Serengeti heat and his wife,
Janet. Next day, we find him
frozen solid, wearing nothing but
his bunny boots.
Delfy stops. Grimaces. Drops the gear bag.
DELFY
Jesus.
The CORPSE is just ahead -- a frozen display of death.
They all stare at it - the body in unnatural angles, the
spiderweb of frozen blood. Delfy looks nauseous.
DOC
Never seen a dead guy?
Delfy slowly shakes his head, no.
Carrie moves up to it. Takes a look down the deep
crevice four feet away. Can't see the bottom. She walks
around to get a look at the face. Blanches slightly.
DOC (cont'd)
You know him --
CARRIE
So do you. Think his name's
Weiss. We Wintered-over last year
with him. Played cards a couple
of times.
DOC
The guy who cheated?
CARRIE
Yeah. Geologist, I think.
Doc takes a look.
(CONTINUED)
19.
CONTINUED: (2)
DOC
Damn --
Carrie pulls out a DIGITAL CAMERA from a pocket. Shoots
a couple of pics.
Doc takes a look up behind them. The ice steepens
sharply to a vast plateau, scattered with jagged boulders
of ice.
DOC (cont'd)
Looks like he fell from up there.
Carrie pauses with her camera, looks up -- doesn't seem
as convinced.
CARRIE
Then where's his crampons -- his
gear?
Doc looks around -- she's right.
DOC
Maybe down the crevasse?
CARRIE
Yeah, maybe --
Carrie glances to Delfy.
CARRIE (cont'd)
What's the closest camp?
DELFY
Brits -- about eighty miles west.
CARRIE
(looking at body - Soto)
What the hell where you doing all
the way out here?
Doc reaches down and tries to move the body -- doesn't
budge -- frozen solid into the ice.
DOC
Ah Christ -- he's a sticker.
Carrie unzips the gear bag. Digs out ice two axes.
TIME CUT TO
20.
LATER
A pile of chopped ice is off to the side of corpse.
Delfy, who looks very uneasy about all this, grabs the
feet as Carrie and Doc each grab an arm.
CARRIE
You going to be alright?
DELFY
No -- this is the kind of stuff
that scars you for life.
They all strain to lift the body from the frozen ground.
DOC
Gonna give myself a Goddamn
hernia.
They keep pulling and -- SNAP! The arm Doc is holding
BREAKS OFF at the elbow. Lands on his ass.
Delfy turns away and pukes.
CARRIE
Oh yeah -- I'm really going to
miss this place.
CUT TO:
A SUBJECTIVE POV - THROUGH HIGH POWERED BINOCULARS
is peering down at them from the top of an ice cliff.
Widen to see A MAN wearing a white camouflage parka.
Lowers the binoculars. Goggles shield his eyes. He
moves on.
CUT TO:
INT. MAIN CORRIDOR - ASB - DAY
LOUD MUSIC. A party is in progress. People are
mingling, some have drinks, others dance.
The VOLUME of the music dies, replaced by a repetitive
SQUEAKING NOISE emanating through the silence.
People stop what they're doing, and focus on where the
noise is coming from, which is --
(CONTINUED)
21.
CONTINUED:
-- Doc and Carrie ushering a pushcart with Weiss'
contorted, frozen body through the middle of the party.
His dismembered arm rests across his chest.
The festive mood evaporates quickly as all eyes stay
glued to the horrific state of Weiss' body.
Just as they pass OPERATIONS, Rhonda steps out with the
Brazilian and French Newbies at her side to see what's
going on. Her eyes immediately go to Weiss, then shift
to meet Carrie's. Before she can say anything --
CARRIE
Who manages the Post Stations?
RHONDA
Dinkle. Howard Dinkle.
Doc and Carrie keep moving. Everyone else just keeps
silent and watching. Squeaky wheel fades.
INT. MEDICAL CLINIC - ASB - DAY
CARRIE (O.C.)
One - two - three...
THUMP! Carrie and Doc set Weiss' body onto the
examination table.
CARRIE (cont'd)
How long to thaw him out?
DOC
Carrie, let's just bag him and put
him on a plane to McMurdo.
She moves over to a sink and gets a cup of steaming hot
water from a tap.
CARRIE
It bothers me no one's reported
him missing yet.
DOC
Because maybe no one thinks he is.
CARRIE
How'd he get out there? There
were no tracks.
DOC
Sounds to me like you and your gut
are talking again.
(CONTINUED)
22.
CONTINUED:
Carrie returns with the water. Goes to pour it on the
zipper, but Doc gently puts his hand on hers, stopping
her.
DOC (cont'd)
Let's ask ourselves if we really
need to do this.
They share a moment, Carrie understanding, but --
CARRIE
Nobody wants to get out of here
more than I do, trust me, but
right now -- we're all this guy
has.
She slides her hand away from his -- starts pouring the
water on the zipper.
TIME CUT TO:
CU ON CARRIE'S HAND TUGGING ON THE ZIPPER
Little by little, it starts to move -- then finally,
ZIIIIIIIIIIP. The jacket opens up, barely -- like sliced
skin.
Doc watches as she tries to pry it open further, but
can't.
CARRIE
Grab that side.
She takes one half, he the other, and begin to pull. The
jacket opens up, like bending metal -- slowly revealing a
frozen, but extremely bloodsoaked chest area surrounding
A DEEP PUNCTURE WOUND through the shirt.
Doc's face sags. Carrie stares at the wound.
FLASH CUT TO:
CARRIE'S MEMORY HIT: The well defined chest of a man
wearing a tight T-shirt. A BULLET HOLE dead center.
BACK TO SCENE
Doc looks at Carrie with deep concern -- he's tuned in.
DOC
Stirring up a few things?
(CONTINUED)
23.
CONTINUED:
CARRIE
...I'll be alright.
Both take a moment looking at the body.
DOC
You know, this means a Federal
Investigation, and we're
witnesses. We may get stuck here.
CARRIE
I know.
Doc looks to Carrie, gentle, like a dad would his
daughter.
DOC
We both want to do the right thing
Carrie -- but we also need to get
off the ice. Right now we don't
have to say a word. When they
find something later -- hey, we
didn't know. We were leaving, the
body was frozen, we didn't have
time to examine it. No one gets
murdered in Antarctica. Think
about it. Dead is dead.
He eyes her pleadingly.
CARRIE
Exactly, this is the first murder
in Antarctica, Doc -- and I can't
just pretend it didn't happen.
(BEAT)
I'm sorry.
DOC
Why did I know you were going to
say that?
INT. CORRIDOR - SOON AFTER
Carrie steps out into the hallway. Takes a moment,
leaning against the wall, this whole thing wearing on her
more than she's revealed. She tilts her head back. The
second it hits the wall --
THE SOUND OF A GUNSHOT RINGS OUT!
SMASH CUT TO:
24.
INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT (CARRIE'S MEMORY HIT)
Carrie's beat to shit, soul weary. She's on her knees,
full of blood. A man is on the floor between two beds
before her. She holds her gun at her side. He's dead.
BACK TO SCENE
Carrie refocuses. Pulls away from the wall. Leaves the
memory behind.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. CORRIDOR - ASB - LATER
Carrie has a NEXTEL phone/walkie to her ear, making her
way up the corridor. Moves past a couple of guys loading
a dolly with boxes from an adjacent room.
MURPHY (V.O.)
What camp was he with?
CARRIE
I'm on my way to find out.
MURPHY (V.O.)
This is all I need right now.
CARRIE
I'm sure his family's thinking the
same thing.
MURPHY (V.O.)
That's not what I meant.
(BEAT)
I'll contact the FBI -- see how
they want to handle this.
She hangs up. Approaches a closed door. Name plate on
it reads Dinkle -- SUB-STATIONS MANAGER.
O.C. MOANING and GROANING -- great sex. Carrie rolls her
eyes. Knocks on the door. No one answers. Moaning
continues. She doesn't have time for this. Opens the
door to see --
-- a large TV playing a locker-room porno where a
quarterback with no pants is giving it to a cheerleader
with no top. Half a dozen guys, oblivious to Carrie
standing there, CHEER the action.
(CONTINUED)
25.
CONTINUED:
CARRIE
I hate interrupting educational
programming, but --
The CHEERING dies as everyone turns to see Carrie
standing behind them. Only fake PORNO MOANING remains.
CARRIE (cont'd)
I need to talk to Dinkle.
Everyone gets up, thrilled for an excuse to leave. One
of them nods to Carrie on the way out.
LAST GUY
Marshal.
CARRIE
Chaplain.
Carrie flips a nearby wall switch. Lights kick on.
Small room. English flag. There's a Beckham poster and
an 8x10 framed photo, turned backwards, hanging on one
wall. A large map of Antarctica on another.
A proud assortment of tea bags are uniformly lined up
along a shelf.
One guy remains. HOWARD DINKLE. Thirties. English.
Bearded. On the heavy side.
DINKLE
Am I in some kind of trouble?
As he crosses to her, he flips the 8x10 framed photo back
around -- it's of THE QUEEN MOTHER.
INT. DINKLE'S OFFICE - SOON AFTER
A FILE FOLDER drops into frame onto a desktop, which is a
map of Antarctica, under glass. File reads: DELTA ONE
ONE.
Widen. Carrie opens it.
Three photos are stapled inside. One is of Weiss, the
other two have names written under them -- RUBIN and
MOONEY. Mooney is a runty looking guy with a mop of
blond hair. Rubin is a skinny, thin faced young guy with
a beard that hasn't filled in yet.
CARRIE
What are they doing out there?
(CONTINUED)
26.
CONTINUED:
DINKLE
Collecting meteorites.
(BEAT)
One One has an extremely old
surface with low sediment
deposition.
CARRIE
English, please.
DINKLE
Means it's a good place to look
for meteorites.
(BEAT)
It's right here.
Dinkle points to a location on the map. Delta One One is
labeled. Boasts an American Flag.
CARRIE
I don't get it -- Weiss was no
where near Delta One One.
She looks at Dinkle.
CARRIE (cont'd)
When are they scheduled for evac?
DINKLE
One sec --
He refers to a RADIO LOG SHEET hanging off the corner of
his desk. Gets uneasy -- can't find what he's looking
for.
Finally --
DINKLE (cont'd)
...They haven't arranged a pickup
yet.
CARRIE
Isn't that a little unusual this
close to Winter-over?
He hates to say it, but --
DINKLE
Yes, it is. Really unusual,
actually.
(SCRAMBLING)
I guess I should've contacted
them, but --
(CONTINUED)
27.
CONTINUED: (2)
CARRIE
-- You've been a little busy.
Yeah, I can see that.
She moves over to a LONG RANGE RADIO CONSOLE tucked up
against a wall.
CARRIE (cont'd)
What's their frequency?
DINKLE
Seventeen.
Carrie spins a dial to 17. Keys the microphone, drawing
it to her face.
CARRIE
(into microphone)
Delta One One, this is United
States Marshall Carrie Stetko,
come back, over.
Static crackles.
CARRIE (cont'd)
Delta One One, I repeat, this is
United States Marshal Stetko, come
in, over.
The dull constant static never wavers.
She puts down the mic. Thinks for a moment.
Suddenly, Carrie's NEXTEL RINGS -- takes it off her belt.
CARRIE (cont'd)
Stetko.
JAMIE (V.O.)
Marshal, it's Jamie. I've got
some guy holding from Vostok who
won't give his name, says he has
to talk to you.
CARRIE
Vostok?
(BEAT)
Patch it through.
JAMIE (V.O.)
You're on now.
(CONTINUED)
28.
CONTINUED: (3)
CARRIE
This is Marshal Stetko, who's
this?
MOONEY (V.O.)
John Mooney.
She's thrown.
CARRIE
Mooney?
MOONEY (V.O.)
You know who I am?
Carrie's eyes shift to his picture on the desk.
CARRIE
What happened out there, Mooney?
MOONEY (V.O.)
You come to Vostok and we'll talk.
Only you.
CARRIE
Where's Rubin?
MOONEY (V.O.)
Come to Vostok.
CLICK.
INT. CORRIDOR - RIGHT AFTER
Carrie is moving at a quick pace. Passes the open door
to the clinic. Sees Doc looking through some boxes, a
glass of Scotch in hand. She stops. Backs up.
CARRIE
Getting drunk already?
DOC
Just gearing my liver up in case I
have to stay the next six months.
CARRIE
Murphy's contacting the Feds.
He looks over to her. Raises his glass in a somber
toast.
DOC
You're making my day.
(CONTINUED)
29.
CONTINUED:
CARRIE
I'll do everything I can to get
you off this ice, promise.
DOC
I know you will.
(BEAT)
What's the hurry?
CARRIE
Going to Vostok.
He raises a curious brow --
CARRIE (cont'd)
One of the guys from Weiss' team
called. Wants to talk.
DOC
What's he doing in Russia?
INT. OPERATIONS CENTER - DAY
Carrie walks in. Rhonda has a phone to one ear, another
in her hand. Looks stressed. She's hovering over one of
the Techs who is sitting before a computer screen
displaying Satellite Weather Imagery -- think Doppler.
His focus is on a VAST STORM SYSTEM that is heading
toward ASB, which is marked in RED NEON. Other stations
are marked as well.
RHONDA
We're tracking it now.
CARRIE
I need a plane to Vostok.
Rhonda raises her finger -- putting her on hold. Carrie
doesn't like it.
RHONDA
(into phone)
I don't control the weather -- you
want to stay the winter, then
don't be ready for your evac.
She looks to Carrie --
RHONDA (cont'd)
Sorry, can't. All the planes are
committed.
(CONTINUED)
30.
CONTINUED:
CARRIE
I'm not asking.
RHONDA
What am I supposed to tell the
deep drill ice core team getting
picked up in four and a half?
CARRIE
Tell them I took their plane.
Carrie spins. Leaves.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. VOSTOK - DAY - ESTABLISHING
Squat Soviet-ugly buildings, some collapsing, others with
boarded up windows, are barely visible through the
driving ice.
STORM LINES of different colors interconnect all the
buildings.
Carrie and Delfy, wearing full ECW gear, lean hard into
the wind, making their way towards the compound. She's
carrying a duffle bag. Can barely see the Twin Otter
behind them.
SUPER: Vostok Station (Russian Federation)
Population: 46 Temperature: -73°
INT. VOSTOK - HALLWAY - DAY
Carrie leads the way up a decrepit, dimly-lit hall strung
with exposed pipes and wiring.
Gaunt, malnourished faces look up from the rooms they
pass. All stare. Silently. Looks more like death row.
DELFY
(WHISPER)
What's with this place?
CARRIE
The Russians barely supply Vostok
anymore. They have to barter with
other bases for supplies. Some of
these guys have been rotting here
for years.
31.
INT. VOSTOK - OPERATIONS ROOM - DAY
Carrie enters a grungy operations room that never made it
out of the 70's: ancient computers and steel-cased radios
fill one wall.
One man welds equipment off to the side. Four more
Russians sit at a table playing cards and drinking Vodka.
They all take their time looking her over.
CARRIE
Who's in charge?
YURI, a big bear of a man in his forties, gets up from
the table. Huge arms. Scruffy face. Bloodshot eyes.
YURI
(heavy accent)
Who's asking?
CARRIE
Stetko, US Marshal. I'm here to
talk to an American named Mooney.
Yuri smiles.
YURI
So many people come through
Vostok. Is hard to remember.
CARRIE
I figured.
Carrie hoists her duffel bag on the table and unzips it.
Yuri pulls it open. It's packed with steaks. The
Russians react with smiles and the mood lightens. Yuri's
grin widens further. Takes out a porno -- there's a
Cheerleader on the cover.
YURI
Mister Mooney, yes. I remember
now. He offers pay us to fly him
off Antarctica on our transport.
We give him very good price -
because plane leaves a week ago!
The Russians laugh.
CARRIE
Where is he?
(CONTINUED)
32.
CONTINUED:
YURI
Red storm line.
INT. VOSTOK - COAT ROOM - DAY
Carrie is suiting up in her ECW gear, rope harness and
crampons. Her jacket's open. Delfy has a steaming cup
of coffee in his hand. He looks to her gear belt; cuffs,
pepper spray, baton...
DELFY
You don't carry a gun?
CARRIE
Against the law -- Antarctica's
the only place in the world you
can't have one. Part of the
Treaty.
DELFY
Doesn't that make you feel kind of
naked?
CARRIE
All this crap on -- I prefer
naked.
She zips up her jacket. He glances to a temp readout by
the door.
DELFY
Gettin' worse. Minus eighty-one.
Wind at a hundred and ten knots.
He takes a sip from his hot coffee.
CARRIE
Do you have to do that in front of
me?
He sees that one of her leg straps on her harness needs
to be fastened.
DELFY
Give you a hand?
CARRIE
Sure.
Sets down his coffee on a nearby shelf. As he fastens
it, Carrie pulls on her goggles and a face mask. They
finish at the same time.
(CONTINUED)
33.
CONTINUED:
DELFY
Ever been on a rope-line in a
whiteout?
CARRIE
Nope. Thoughts?
DELFY
Yeah, hold on tight.
Delfy leaves as Carrie cranks the submarine-type wheel-
lock in the center of the door.
WHAM! The door is suddenly yanked from her grasp,
slamming open against the building. Wind knocks her
back.
The storm sings in an even DULL ROAR. A solid white wall
of wind-driven ice blows past. The light is oddly dim.
CRACK! The coffee mug Delfy left on the shelf, breaks in
half, exposing a cylinder of frozen coffee. It rolls
across the shelf, falls, and shatters on the floor.
Carrie struggles back to the door and clips a three-foot
tether from her harnesses to a RED STORM LINE attached to
the side of the building.
She steps into the storm.
EXT. WHITEOUT - THE LINE - CONTINUOUS
Carrie leans into the door, pushing it closed and locking
the wheel.
Two steps into the storm, the building behind her is
gone. Step after step, there's nothing but the guide
line and the ROAR of the storm.
A gust of wind lifts her off the ground. She's caught by
her tether and smacked down on the ice.
Slowly regaining her stance, she pushes onward. Finally
Carrie runs into something. It takes her a moment to
realize she's at a building.
She grabs the wheel-lock and turns, breaking ice, opening
the door.
34.
INT. OUTLYING BUILDING - READY ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Unclipping from the line, she closes the door on the
HOWLING behind her. Pulls off her mask. Teeth are
chattering.
She spins the wheel-lock of the door going out of the
ready room into the building.
CUT TO:
INT. OUTLYING BUILDING - HALLWAY - RIGHT AFTER
Carrie hits the lights: nothing. No power. Just a
sliver of light stabbing in through a window.
CARRIE
(calling out)
Mooney? Hello?
Only silence responds.
The hallway is long and dark, leading away from her in
both directions. She draws a flashlight from her pocket.
Thumbs the switch, sending a beam out through the dark.
Something doesn't feel right. Slides her baton out from
her belt. She decides to go left.
Walking the hall, she tries door after door. Finally one
gives.
CARRIE (cont'd)
Mooney?
She cautiously pushes it open: four stripped bunks in an
empty room.
Moves on down the corridor -- hears COUGHING, like
someone trying to clear their throat.
Looks ahead, and determines it's coming from behind a
closed door at the end of the hall.
It's confirmed when she hears it again.
Stops at the door.
She slowly opens it --
Now she can hear HEAVY, LABORED BREATHING --
(CONTINUED)
35.
CONTINUED:
-- Sweeps the inside with her light. It's a large lounge
type room: scattered chairs, tables, and an overturned
sofa on the other side -- where the heavy breathing's
coming from. Another cough.
She enters the room.
INSIDE THE LOUNGE - CONTINUOUS
Inching forward, she gets to the sofa. Looks over it to
see A BODY -- it's Mooney, lying in a pool of blood.
Struggling to breathe through a puncture wound to his
esophagus.
CARRIE
...My God.
She goes to him. As she kneels, he grabs her, GASPING
for air, trying to tell her something.
Carrie catches a REFLECTION OF MOMENT behind her in his
eyes -- someone's coming at her.
-- She instinctively rolls back over Mooney just as --
WHAM! An ICE AXE swings down at her. Just misses her
head by an inch, but the shaft nails her arm holding the
baton that goes clattering across the floor.
The killer, wearing ECW gear with hood and goggles, takes
another swing. She lunges to the side. Axe misses her,
but sinks into Mooney. Game over for him.
Carrie slices the floor with her light, looking for the
baton, but can't see it.
The killer yanks his axe free of Mooney as Carrie bolts
around the sofa, heading back out the door.
INT. OUTLYING BUILDING - HALLWAY - CONTINUOUS
Carrie blows back into the hallway at a full tilt run,
retracing her steps. Her light zigzags. The killer
emerges a few beats later on a run. It's going to be
close.
Halfway down the hall, she hangs a hard right toward the
Ready Room. Throws a glance over her shoulder -- he's
right behind.
She targets the ready room door -- the orb of her light
getting smaller and smaller as she nears.
(CONTINUED)
36.
CONTINUED:
Gets there. Doesn't even want to look back -- it's all
or nothing. She pulls open the door --
INT. OUTLYING BUILDING - READY ROOM - CONTINUOUS
-- Leaping in, she spins the wheel-lock closed.
SMACK! The killer HITS THE DOOR from the other side.
She SPINS OPEN the outside door wheel-lock, as the lock
on the INNER DOOR behind her starts SPINNING OPEN at the
same time. It's a race.
CARRIE'S door slams open first and the wind hits her
hard.
She pulls on her mask and goggles just as the door behind
her bursts open.
EXT. WHITEOUT - CONTINUOUS
Carrie jumps into the whiteout, catching the red storm
line and clipping in as she staggers forward. Glancing
back, she sees the killer in the doorway, then loses
sight of him as she's swallowed in the whiteout.
She struggles down the line, buffeted by the storm, but
HER HAND ON THE LINE moves erratically -- He's on.
She swivels a nervous whirl to see -- the Killer
materializing out of the whiteout right behind her. He's
clipped into Carrie's line. He raises the axe.
He swings. She jumps back, losing her footing. Hits the
ice hard -- face first. The killer towers over her,
raising the axe again. Carrie drives her heel into his
knee, knocking him off balance. He drops next to her.
He reaches for Carrie, grabbing her mask, pulling it off.
She cries out as the FREEZING WIND catches her face.
The killer gets to his feet and delivers a rib-cracking
kick, flipping Carrie onto her back.
SOUND FADES from Carrie's world.
There is nothing but her strained BREATHING. The killer
draws back the axe, shiny with frozen blood. He swings.
Carrie UNCLIPS her harness from the tether. THE WIND
grabs her, and Carrie SLIDES AWAY -- the killer
disappearing from view behind the swirling wall of white.
(CONTINUED)
37.
CONTINUED:
Sliding across the ice, Carrie SLAMS into a pole. Grabs
on.
EXT. WHITEOUT - POLE - CONTINUOUS
Cinching her hood down, she searches the storm with no
idea which way to go.
Carrie glances up the post. Barely visible through the
blowing ice are signs pointing different directions:
"Moscow 17,030 Tokyo 13,329 Fiji 7,877 Los Angeles
15,641"
She pulls herself up and heads out, leaning into the
wind. Carrie staggers blindly, trying to protect her
face. Falling, she gets up, and struggles on.
Her drunken gait increases as she continues to lose heat.
A rope catches her in the neck. It's another storm line.
EXT. WHITEOUT - SECOND LINE - CONTINUOUS
Carrie lurches forward, holding the line with one arm.
Finally, she bumps into something. It moves. It turns
to face her. IT'S THE KILLER AGAIN. He swings. She
deflects the blow with her free arm, and manages to grab
the axe head. The killer tears the axe free, taking
Carrie's glove with it.
He swings again, but Carrie pulls hard on the rope,
throwing him off balance.
The axe cuts through the line. The killer hits the
ground, and is immediately ushered away in the wind, as
Carrie, clinging to the rope, slides over the ice like a
pendulum.
The line goes tight; she's jerked to a stop. It takes
everything she's got to get to her feet. She slowly
struggles up the line.
EXT/INT. STORAGE SHED - CONTINUOUS
More dead than alive, Carrie stumbles against the door
and grabs the wheel-lock with both hands.
Unable to bend the frozen fingers of her left hand around
the wheel, she struggles to turn it. Finally it gives.
(CONTINUED)
38.
CONTINUED:
The door swings wide and she stumbles in. But she's
caught; her bare hand frozen to the metal.
Ripping it free, her SCREAM is lost to the wind.
Carrie falls, collapsing against the door. Blackout
SMASH CUT TO
INT. MOTEL 6 - BATHROOM - NIGHT (CARRIE'S MEMORY HIT)
A single bulb above casts a cone of light down onto
Carrie, who's leaning against a sink, staring at herself
in a mirror. She looks stressed. Her Marshal's badge
dangles around her neck. Wears a shoulder harness. The
bathroom door behind her is open.
She catches a REFLECTION of a shadow moving across the
room behind her. Body tenses.
As she turns --
CARRIE
Jack?
No answer.
She withdraws a 9mm from her harness -- eases toward the
door.
Gun ready, she rolls her back around the jam -- WHAM!
Carrie's blindsided by a fist that drives her into the
other door jam.
Before she can recover -- a guy, dark eyes, unshaven,
grabs her by the hair and runs her head first into the
bathroom mirror. SMASH. It's brutal. Shards fall into
the sink, as Carrie's RIGHT TEMPLE goes bloody. She
drops to the floor --
CARRIE'S POV - A BLURRY FIGURE stands over top of her.
She's still got some fight in her -- hands lash out in a
frenzy, like a cat in water.
CARRIE (cont'd)
Jack!
DELFY O.C.
Wo wo wo. It's okay, it's okay.
The figure materializes around her. It's Delfy, holding
her down.
(CONTINUED)
39.
CONTINUED:
Carrie slowly settles, then she's out again.
TIME CUT TO:
INT. OPERATIONS ROOM - VOSTOK - LATER
She's lying on a table, wrapped in blankets. An old,
WRINKLED FACED RUSSIAN MAN slowly lowers her wounded hand
-- pale white and missing some skin, back into a tray of
water next to her. Her silver ring glistens under the
florescent lights. A HUGE BRUISE runs across her arm.
CARRIE
What happened?
DELFY
When you didn't come back -- we
went looking for you. Found a
dead guy in the other building --
that Mooney?
CARRIE
Yeah. Someone got to him before I
did. Then went after me.
(BEAT)
How long was I out?
DELFY
A couple hours.
Carrie's eyes drift to the old man next to her.
DELFY (cont'd)
He's been looking after you.
He flashes a smile of crooked, yellow teeth.
CARRIE
Thanks.
As she starts to sit up, he protests, saying something in
Russian. She ignores him. He walks away, mumbling
something else.
She sits up. Lifts her hand out of the water -- fingers
are slow moving.
CARRIE (cont'd)
I need to get back in there.
40.
INT. OUTLYING BUILDING - HALLWAY - DAY
Delfy and Carrie, with her hand bandaged, both slice the
dark with flashlights. She's starting to get her
bearings back.
DELFY
Whoever it was, could have flown
out after the storm broke.
They walk a few silent beats, then --
DELFY (cont'd)
Who's Jack?
It's a moment before she responds --
CARRIE
Let it go, Delfy.
He lets it go.
THEY ENTER THE LOUNGE
Same as before. Carrie goes to the over-turned sofa.
Moves her light around -- searching. Passes over the
blood on the floor.
DELFY
Until I met you, I hadn't seen any
dead people. Now I'm at two.
Carrie gets on her knees -- looks under the sofa.
Low angles her light. Something reflects. Reaches in.
Retrieves her baton --
INT. OUTLYING BUILDING - HALLWAY - RIGHT AFTER
Just as Carrie and Delfy leave the lounge, her perifocal
vision picks up a wisp of light from a flashlight, which
bled out from a door's threshold halfway down the hall.
Delfy's eyes go wide -- Carrie's finger goes to her mouth
- Shhhhh.
She instinctively pulls her baton with her left hand, but
it hurts. She shifts it to the other.
She turns off her light. Delphy does the same. Motions
for him to stay put.
(CONTINUED)
41.
CONTINUED:
She heads to the source, keeping her baton ready and her
back tight to the wall.
Gets to the edge of the door. It's open just slightly --
looks in.
Sees a man in an ECW jacket with his back to her, holding
a flashlight in one hand and digging through a duffle bag
with his other. Items are strewn. Another bag has been
completely turned inside out.
She enters. Baton cocked.
CARRIE
Unless you want your head cracked,
I wouldn't move.
His body tenses.
MAN
Take it easy.
CARRIE
-- Let me see your hands.
He slowly raises them.
CARRIE (cont'd)
Now turn around.
He does. He's a guy in his 30's. Although he's clean
shaven, there's a rugged edge about him.
CARRIE (cont'd)
Who are you?
Delfy comes up behind her.
MAN
Robert Pryce. I'm a United
Nations observer for the Oceanic
and Antarctic section. If you
relax, I've got my ID.
CARRIE
Let's see it -- slowly.
As he reaches into his liner --
PRYCE
You must be Stetko --
This throws her.
(CONTINUED)
42.
CONTINUED: (2)
PRYCE (cont'd)
I was heading to ASB to talk to
you about Weiss when I was told
you had come up here.
He holds out his ID for her. As she reads --
CARRIE
How do you know about Weiss?
PRYCE
FBI notified us. Your base
commander called it in.
Carrie lowers her baton. He stands.
PRYCE (cont'd)
I thought I might find answers in
his gear, but there's nothing here
but clothes.
CARRIE
This is part of a crime scene.
PRYCE
I realize that, but considering
the time constraints we're up
against, let's be honest, taping
and bagging everything isn't going
to be an option.
CARRIE
I'll be sure to let the U.N. know
if I find out anything.
She starts to walk away -- he follows, he's not done at
all. Delfy brings up the rear.
PRYCE
You heading out to Delta One One?
CARRIE
Maybe.
PRYCE
I'll grab my bag.
She stops.
CARRIE
Don't take this personally, but I
don't need your help.
(CONTINUED)
43.
CONTINUED: (3)
PRYCE
If they've been digging out there,
that's a direct violation of the
United Nations treaty. We think
they were digging. That makes it
my business.
This stops her -- digging?
CARRIE
You don't dig for meteorites.
PRYCE
And you don't get killed for them
either. This is now a U.N.
matter. I am within my rights to
commandeer your pilot and plane if
I have to.
DELFY
He can, you know.
She knows and her patience is running thin.
CARRIE
Fine. But this is my
investigation, understand? If you
obstruct it in any way, I will
have you detained.
She continues with Pryce next to her.
PRYCE
Fine.
(BEAT)
Mind if I ask you a personal
question?
CARRIE
No, but I have the feeling you're
going to anyway.
PRYCE
Why do you smell like suntan
lotion?
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. VOSTOK - CORRIDOR - DAY
Carrie and Delfy are heading toward the Ready Room. She
has her phone to her ear. Two Russians trail behind with
Mooney in a bodybag.
(CONTINUED)
44.
CONTINUED:
CARRIE
Murphy, listen to me, it's got to
be Rubin who tried to kill me.
You have to shut down flights
leaving ASB and McMurdo -- search
for him.
MURPHY (V.O.)
That's not possible. We're still
bringing people in and resupplying
other bases for Winter-over.
She thinks about it --
CARRIE
Sam, I think these guys found
something out there at the camp.
I'm going to check it out. Until
I find Rubin, no one leaves the
ice. Not yet.
She clicks off.
Carrie opens the door to the ready room to find Pryce
standing there with a gear bag -- typing into a PDA (Treo
type).
PRYCE
We ready?
CARRIE
Guess so.
He finishes entering his text into the PDA. Sends. Puts
it away.
DISSOLVE TO:
EXT. OTTER - DAY
Delphy flies the plane over a labyrinth of deep, blue
crevices.
EXT. CAMP DELTA ONE ONE - DAY
Delfy's Twin Otter has landed beside the camp. There are
TWO BIG TENTS and some scattered equipment - a SNOWCAT, a
CHEST of TOOLS, DRUMS of GASOLINE.
The sky is dark with clouds and the wind MOANS. A haze
of wind-driven snow whips by.
(CONTINUED)
45.
CONTINUED:
Carrie, Pryce and Delfy climb out from the plane and make
their way toward the tents. Place looks deserted.
CARRIE
What time is it?
Pryce glances to a watch strapped to the outside of his
jacket.
PRYCE
Two thirty.
CARRIE
A.M. or P.M.?
PRYCE
A.M.
CARRIE
Wonderful.
(re: tent)
I'll take this one.
She moves toward tent one, Pryce the other.
EXT. FIRST TENT - DELTA ONE ONE - CONTINUOUS
Carrie peers in. It's too dark to see anything. She
goes to pull out her flashlight with her left hand --
stops herself. Reaches in with her right, extracts it
from her pocket. Turns it on.
INT. FIRST WORK TENT - DELTA ONE ONE - CONTINUOUS
Her FLASHLIGHT BEAM plays over a litter of personal
effects, then picks up a TRAIL OF BLOOD leading to a cot
between two others. Someone is huddled in a yellow
sleeping bag on it. Her body tightens.
CARRIE
Rubin?
She steps into the tent. Moves to the cot. There's a
pool of blood underneath. Her heart pounds. She uses
her flashlight, touches the sleeping bag. It doesn't
move. She pulls at it...
...and discovers A PAIR OF ECW PANTS -- the LEFT LEG is
soaked in blood. No corpse.
She steadies her breathing. She pulls out a small baggie
from her pocket.
(CONTINUED)
46.
CONTINUED:
Uses the end of the flashlight to chip away a frozen
blood sample from the pant leg. Puts it in the baggie.
Takes out her camera next. Starts snapping. Flash goes
off.
INT. SECOND WORK TENT - DELTA ONE ONE - RIGHT AFTER
Carrie enters with Delfy. Place is lit by a single dim
bulb. This is a work space; two tables, instruments on
top. Sample containers piled everywhere. Numerous
photos of meteorites are stuck to a board.
She finds Pryce reading the crew's DAILY LOG.
PRYCE
Anything?
CARRIE
Someone's left leg took a hit,
lost a lot of blood. What do you
got?
PRYCE
Their daily work log.
Delfy's drawn to a BIZARRE LOOKING PIECE OF EQUIPMENT;
it's a red box on wheels with a handle like a lawn mower.
A circular antennae sprouts from the front of the box.
DELFY
Looks like my dad's old lawn
mower.
PRYCE
It's ground penetrating radar.
Carrie moves over to a table with a MAP SPREAD OUT ON
TOP. The ice field is marked off into sections.
CARRIE
Looks like they were surveying
sections at a time.
PRYCE
Areas labeled?
CARRIE
Yeah --
He's flipping back and forth through the pages --
(CONTINUED)
47.
CONTINUED:
PRYCE
At Sections 101 and 102, they
spent one day.
Carrie finds them on the map.
PRYCE (cont'd)
103 two days.
Carrie finds it.
PRYCE (cont'd)
104 -- seven days. That was a
month ago.
They look at each other. Carrie finds it on the map as
Pryce moves up next to her.
CARRIE
Looks like they hit some really
big meteors.
PRYCE
How far?
CARRIE
About four miles.
PRYCE
Let's go see what they found.
CARRIE
I want to check something out
first.
INT. TWIN OTTER - SIDE CARGO DOOR - DAY
Carrie has Mooney's bodybag unzipped and is examining his
left leg. No cuts. No blood. She thinks on this non-
discovery for a moment, then zips it back up.
CUT TO:
INT. SNOWCAT - DAY - RIGHT AFTER
The CAT'S tracks CLANK and CRUNCH as it powers across the
featureless ice - the loneliest place on earth.
(CONTINUED)
48.
CONTINUED:
Pryce is in the backseat, Delfy is driving. Carrie is
next to him with the map and her GPS in hand. She stares
at a tiny blinking red light on the GPS --
FLASH CUT TO:
EXT. HOTEL 6 - LOBBY - NIGHT (CARRIE'S MEMORY HIT)
FLASHING POLICE REDS reflect off the glass of the front
doors of a hotel. Several squad cars are nosed up to the
entrance.
Patrons and bystanders are perched in various locations,
watching as A HANDCUFFED Carrie is escorted outside by
two uniformed officers. Her eyes are full of tears.
She's put into the backseat of one of the cars. As the
door closes, she stares out the window where Coroners are
loading a body under a sheet into the back of their
truck.
BACK TO SCENE
INT. SNOWCAT - DAY
Delfy's looking at Carrie like he's waiting for an
answer.
DELFY
I said "which way?"
She glances to the GPS.
CARRIE
North.
Pryce sees Carrie pause for a moment, massaging her
gloved left hand.
PRYCE
Hurt?
CARRIE
Yeah, a little.
He can see it aches more than she's letting on.
PRYCE
How long have you been down here,
Marshal?
(CONTINUED)
49.
CONTINUED:
CARRIE
Almost two years.
PRYCE
What brought you to the ice?
She pauses, humored.
CARRIE
(SARCASTIC)
The excitement, mostly.
PRYCE
Everyone down here is running away
from something.
CARRIE
Some shrink tell you that?
PRYCE
Yeah, and that I should call my
mother more often
CARRIE
And do you?
PRYCE
Every Sunday.
CARRIE
Where do you plant your boots?
PRYCE
They got me working out of
Christchurch, New Zealand.
Beautiful country. But this --
crazy place to make a living.
She takes a moment, gazing out the window to the endless
landscape of white.
CARRIE
I came down to fill in for a
Marshal for six weeks before
Winter-over. I met someone,
decided to stay.
PRYCE
He give you that ring I saw? Tell
you he was going to marry you?
CARRIE
No -- just gave me a headache.
(BEAT)
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
50.
CONTINUED: (2)
CARRIE (cont'd)
I didn't see a ring on your
finger.
PRYCE
Flattered that you even looked.
A faint beeping noise emanates from her GPS.
CARRIE
This is it.
All eyes go ahead as they drive on. Looking. Nothing
but an icy plateau.
After a couple of beats --
CARRIE (cont'd)
Stop.
DELFY
There's nothing here.
CARRIE
Just stop.
Delfy pulls to a stop. They exit the cat.
EXT. ICE FIELD - DAY
All three get cold-cocked by an invisible wind. Carrie
steps away from the Cat. Pryce does too.
Her eyes scan the ice with cool appraisal. It's
completely flat. Desert like.
PRYCE
You sure this is right?
CARRIE
Section 104. These are the
coordinates.
DELFY
Maybe you wrote them down wrong.
Carrie ignores him. Walks further away from the cat.
Ice CRUNCHES UNDER HER FEET as she keeps looking -- then,
she stops. Something's not right. Looks DOWN.
Kneels to the ice. Scoops some up. Checks it out.
Perplexed. Pryce approaches from behind.
CARRIE
This is shaved ice.
(CONTINUED)
51.
CONTINUED:
She gets to her feet. Walks further -- her eyes now
paying close attention to the texture of the ice. After
a dozen steps, texture changes. Ice is now smooth --
like it's supposed to be.
She turns around. Tries to get the bigger picture.
Looks at the ground all around her. Realizes a large
area has been blanketed with shaved pieces of ice a few
inches thick --
CARRIE (cont'd)
They were digging, Pryce. And
they tries to spread the ice to
hide it.
She heads back across the area. Scans the horizon.
Takes another step forward.
WHOOSH! In an instant, Carrie's gone! DISAPPEARS below
the ice. Only a four foot wide hole remains, that was
covered up with a white, iced-over tarp.
Pryce and Delfy move toward her -- each hesitating
slightly, unsure of their own footing.
Pryce gets to the hole. Looks down. Carrie is
precariously dangling in an ICE SHAFT that slopes at a
slight angle. She's managed to grasp a protruding piece
of ice, but she's fighting the pain in her left hand to
hold on. It slips off. Below her -- nothing but
darkness.
CARRIE (cont'd)
Grab me!
Pryce lays flat. Reaches his hand down -- six inches too
short. Delfy appears from behind.
PRYCE
(to Delfy)
Hold my legs!
Delfy does. Pryce inches closer.
CARRIE
I'm slipping!
PRYCE
Almost got you.
CARRIE
I'm losing my grip.
(CONTINUED)
52.
CONTINUED: (2)
He gets closer. Closer. Moves to within an inch from
hers --
-- She SLIPS. Falls away. Things become silent.
PRYCE
Carrie? Can you hear me?
Delfy peers over Pryce's shoulder into the abyss.
DELFY
(YELLING)
Marshal?
CARRIE (O.C.)
...I'm okay.
DELFY
Saw a rope in the Cat.
Delfy springs to his feet.
INT. ICE SHAFT - SAME
Darkness. A flashlight clicks on. Reflects off a wall
of ice with a frozen blood trail leading up. Carrie gets
to her feet. Sees that she's in a small dug out area.
As she slowly turns to get her bearings, her light falls
on an ESCAPE HATCH of some kind, maybe three feet high.
Carrie shines the light to her feet. The ground beneath
her is metal.
INT. ICE SHAFT - RIGHT AFTER
Pryce, with a flashlight in hand, lowers himself down a
rope to the bottom of the shaft where Carrie waits.
Delfy follows. Both take in the discovery.
Carrie moves over to the hatch. Pulls on it. Opens
easily. She and Pryce hit the interior with their
lights. Find themselves staring into...AN AIRPLANE!
INT. CARGO BAY - CONTINUOUS
Off their lights -- every surface scintillates with ice
crystals from the frozen atmosphere, undisturbed except
for recent tracks of footprints filing in and out -- they
go forward and aft, disappearing into darkness. Place is
tomb silent.
(CONTINUED)
53.
CONTINUED:
Twisted, and strewn with large containers scattered at
odd angles -- victims of an intense IMPACT. The plane is
pitched up at the nose, making their footing precarious.
CARRIE
Cargo plane, but I don't recognize
it.
DELFY
It's an Antanov-74. Russian made -
- late fifties. No one's put
these in the air for forty years.
Carrie shuffles her way forward into the darkness,
heading for the cockpit.
Something BRUSHES her leg. She spins. Shines her light -
- which illuminates a HAND, fingers in a clawed position -
- as if in excruciating pain. She whips her light past
the hand, up the arm -- captures the FACE of a man
staring at her! It takes a moment to realize -- he's
dead, pinned between two large metal crates.
Delfy stands still. Staring. Carrie throws a look back
over her shoulder --
CARRIE
Guess that makes three.
She continues on with Delfy staying close. Her light
targets the cockpit door. It's closed.
INT. COCKPIT - RIGHT AFTER
Carrie pushes the door open.
The beam of her light reveals frozen blood SPLATTERED
across a SHATTERED WINDSHIELD -- chunks of ice protruding
through it.
Continues over three dead men in flight suits still
strapped into seats, their broken bodies and ghastly
expressions perfectly preserved. Each have a sidearm
holstered around their waist.
DELFY
This isn't funny --
She looks back to Delfy -- gets confused.
CARRIE
Where's Pryce?
54.
INT. CARGO BAY - RIGHT AFTER
Trailing her beam of light, Carrie and Delfy climb
through a thick wall of nylon webbing. Enter a cluttered
cargo area.
Ransacked Antarctic gear is strewn everywhere in a tangle
of ropes and crampons, old ECW gear, and boxes of
supplies.
Dipping into a case of bottles, Delfy pulls one free,
sniffs, and drinks.
CARRIE
What is that?
Delfy grins.
DELFY
Vodka.
Carrie continues through the hold. Her FLASHLIGHT BEAM
flickers over more chaos of the crash. HUGE STEEL TANKS
TAKE UP MOST OF THE MID-SECTION.
Spots Pryce's flashlight holding on something just ahead.
Moves to it.
CARRIE
(SUSPICIOUS)
Find what you're looking for?
Her light hits Pryce, who is focused on a HEAVY STEEL
CAGE WELDED INTO THE AIRFRAME. Incredibly strong. And
inside it is a STEEL SAFE. Door is open.
Pryce takes a beat -- turns to she and Delfy.
PRYCE
Just answers.
(BEAT)
Those are fuel tanks behind you.
This plane was outfitted for long
range capabilities.
CARRIE
And by the looks of that safe,
must've been transporting
something pretty important.
Carrie moves in closer. Sees that the cage has been
breached.
(CONTINUED)
55.
CONTINUED:
Part of it has been damaged by the crash and this
weakness has been ruthlessly attacked by the previous
intruders until they forced an opening. Discarded tools
litter the floor.
PRYCE
They put some serious work into
this.
There's a pool of frozen blood near the opening -- where
one of the torn, jagged bars of the steel cage is covered
in blood --
CARRIE
Whoever got hurt, they dragged him
out of here. There's blood all
over the tunnel.
She uses her light to examine the interior of the safe
more closely -- the frost on the shelves exposes SIX
ROUND RUST RINGS where containers have been removed.
Each one roughly measuring a foot tall, four inches wide.
The PLANE SUDDENLY TREMBLES.
CARRIE (cont'd)
What is that?
The muffled ROAR of a diesel.
DELFY
It's the Cat!
CRASH! -- the unmistakable sound of FALLING ICE.
CARRIE
Go!
CRASHCRASHCRASH! More ICE.
They scramble back through the darkness, the flashlight
beams swinging wildly about the hold.
MORE ICE FALLS. It's getting louder as they're getting
closer to the source.
Carrie targets ahead with her light -- illuminates the
hatch as A LOAD OF ICE DROPS IN covering it completely.
Light fades.
DELFY
Sonofabitch!
The continual sound of falling ice grows MUFFLED and
DISTANT.
(CONTINUED)
56.
CONTINUED: (2)
Carrie and Pryce both pull out their phones.
CARRIE
No signal, you?
Shakes his head no.
CARRIE (cont'd)
Someone followed us.
INT. PLANE - AT THE HATCH - LATER
CHIPCHIPCHIP! Ice is flying.
Things are desperate as a single flashlight beam propped
up on a crate, illuminates Carrie, Delfy and Pryce hard
at it -- frantically chopping away at the ice filled
hatch with pieces of scrap metal from the plane. Efforts
are big-- but the progress minimal.
PRYCE
This isn't going to work, it's
like digging through concrete with
a spoon.
(BEAT)
We're going to suffocate before we
get out here.
CARRIE
How long do you figure we've got?
PRYCE
Three of us down here -- 12, 15
hours at the most.
Delfy looks at him with the intensity of a trapped
animal.
DELFY
No way. I'm not going out like
this. No way.
The light from the flashlight slowly begins to fade.
Carrie goes over to the crate, slaps it against her leg,
trying to get more juice going. Still fading. Light
goes out --
-- Screen goes black. Can't see a thing. A second
later, ANOTHER LIGHT KICKS ON -- Pryce is holding it.
Hands it over to Carrie --
(CONTINUED)
57.
CONTINUED:
DELFY (cont'd)
And when that one goes -- we're
screwed.
Carries mind whirls with her lack of options, then --
CARRIE
What about the Vodka -- we could
make some torches, maybe melt the
ice?
PRYCE
Fire will burn the O2 quicker.
CARRIE
What choice do we have?
Pryce knows she's right.
Delfy looks to them both. Desperate.
DELFY
Don't need my vote.
Pryce heads to the back, his body becoming barely visible
in the dissipating range of light.
Carrie takes a six-inch, pearl handled Buck knife from a
pocket, unfolds it-- starts cutting the liner of her
coat.
Delfy moves to a nearby wooden crate. Goes to lift it,
but it's frozen to the floor. Stomps on it. It breaks.
Pulls pieces from the siding for torch sticks.
Pryce comes back with a couple bottles. Stops dead in
his tracks.
Carrie looks over to see him staring at two LIFE JACKETS
attached to the wall near the hatch. He's thinking.
He moves to Carrie --
PRYCE
Hold these.
He exchanges the bottles for her flashlight.
He shines the light to the ceiling as he heads toward the
back, leaving Carrie and Delfy getting swallowed in the
dark.
CARRIE
What're you doing?
(CONTINUED)
58.
CONTINUED: (2)
PRYCE
All these planes used to have bail-
out hatches.
CARRIE
We came in through it.
Pryce goes back into the cargo area.
PRYCE (O.C.)
Has to be more than one.
DELFY
It'd be on the ceiling in case of
an ocean landing.
Carrie watches Pryce's flashlight moving about in the
cargo area of the aircraft.
PRYCE
Found it!
Carrie and Delfy get to Pryce. They follow his beam
straight up to expose an ESCAPE HATCH in the roof of the
fuselage.
PRYCE (cont'd)
With the angle of the plane, I
don't think we're that far from
the surface. Give me a hand.
Pryce moves to a large crate -- starts to push it over.
They join, sliding it over below the hatch.
He jumps up onto it -- examines the hatch area.
PRYCE (cont'd)
These are explosive bolts. If we
blow the hatch, maybe it'll smash
a hole up through the ice.
CARRIE
Or, if the ice is too thick the
blast will come right back at us.
PRYCE
We can be blown up, suffocate or
freeze to death. Take your pick.
Pryce hands Carrie the flashlight. She targets the hatch
area as he opens an electrical panel beside it; a
crisscrossing maze of wires.
(CONTINUED)
59.
CONTINUED: (3)
As he reaches up to examine the wiring, Carrie catches a
GLIMPSE of a SHOULDER HARNESS under his liner.
PRYCE (cont'd)
This could work -- give me the
battery from your phone.
As he looks down, Carrie masks her discovery. Hands over
her phone. He extracts the BATTERY.
PRYCE (cont'd)
When I connect these two wires,
hopefully there's going to be a
big bang. May want to take some
cover.
Pryce is nervous himself as he places one selected wire
onto the battery, and prepares for another.
He looks to Carrie and Pryce who have backed up against
the fuselage.
PRYCE (cont'd)
You guys ready?
Delfy nods.
Carrie is still running that shoulder holster through her
head.
Pryce touches the last wire to the battery. Nothing
happens. Hope freezes.
Pryce tries again --
-- KA-BOOM! The hatch EXPLODES INWARD, ricocheting
around the inside of the cargo hold like a giant bullet
coming in and out of their light.
SLAM, SLAM, SLAM, until...WHAM, it buries itself edge-on,
halfway into the fuselage, missing Carrie by a hair's
width.
They stand there, deafened and stunned, then a shower of
ice rains into the plane where the hatch used to be and a
THIN SHAFT OF LIGHT DROPS into the cargo bay like a gift
from God.
DELFY
Hallelujah --
Pryce drops down. Moves to another crate.
(CONTINUED)
60.
CONTINUED: (4)
PRYCE
Delfy, help me with this. We'll
need to get up higher.
Delfy moves forward to help. The two of them push it
over. It's a strenuous lift to get it on top of the
other.
Just as they finish, Pryce turns to find himself facing
Carrie holding one of the RUSSIAN'S GUNS TO HIS FACE.
CARRIE
Don't move.
Pryce stares at her in disbelief.
PRYCE
What's going on?
DELFY
Yeah -- what're you doing?
CARRIE
Our friend here isn't who he says
he is.
She reaches into Pryce's liner, pulls out his sidearm
from the shoulder holster.
Switches it with the one in her hand. Puts the Russian
gun in her coat pocket.
CARRIE (cont'd)
Didn't you know it's a direct
treaty violation to carry a
firearm down here?
PRYCE
I've been authorized because of
what's happened.
CARRIE
Stop lying to me --
She takes out her handcuffs.
CARRIE (cont'd)
Delfy, cuff him to the wall.
She holds out the cuffs.
PRYCE
Don't do this.
(CONTINUED)
61.
CONTINUED: (5)
DELFY
Man, the guy just saved our
lives...
CARRIE
He was saving his own. Do it.
Delfy takes the cuffs from her. Cuffs Pryce to some
exposed piping. Carrie lowers her gun.
CARRIE (cont'd)
You know what was in that safe.
(BEAT)
Now, who are you?
She sees a moment of contemplation on Pryce's face --
CARRIE (cont'd)
I swear I'll leave you here to
die.
Beat.
PRYCE
CIA.
CARRIE
Have you got an ID for that too?
PRYCE
Listen to me -- Forty eight hours
ago, we picked up chatter between
someone down here and Tahir
Soufian, a black market trader in
New York. It was all about
setting up a buy for cannisters
found in an old Russian transport
buried in the ice.
DELFY
Damn, I knew that government
eavesdropping was true.
PRYCE
There's been rumors for years that
the Russians had a second base --
a secret weapons research facility
under the ice that supposedly blew
up in the late sixties -- nothing
was ever confirmed.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
62.
CONTINUED: (6)
PRYCE (cont'd)
The fact is, before the treaty in
`72 they were strip mining all
over the place down here -- we
believe for uranium and other
specialized minerals for weapon's
use. It was the Cold War. No one
knows half the things the
Russian's were up to. This plane
could be the link between rumor
and truth. And if it is true,
what's in those cannisters could
be a prelude to another terrorist
attack.
CARRIE
Why did you lie to me?
PRYCE
Look, the U.N. carries a lot of
weight down here. Think about it -
- if I had told you I was C.I.A.,
you would have been on the horn
back to Washington in no time.
This is a very sensitive matter.
News travels fast down here, I
don't have to tell you that.
(BEAT)
Besides, I didn't know if I could
trust you.
Carrie wrestles with her emotions. She looks back
towards the open safe, the blood staining the airplane
floor. Makes a decision.
CUT TO:
EXT. SURFACE - DAY
Delfy wriggles out from the hole. He reaches back.
Helps Carrie to the surface. Pryce follows.
They look around. The weather has deteriorated - the sky
is dark with fast moving clouds. The wind is HOWLING.
The Snowcat is parked over the hole, blade lowered.
Delfy runs over, jumps onto the CAT. Looks inside the
cab.
DELFY
Keys are still in it!
Carrie notices a single set of an airplane's ski tracks
in the distance.
(CONTINUED)
63.
CONTINUED:
CARRIE
Plane could've gone anywhere.
There's forty-six countries here
all counting down to Winter-over.
Rubin could just disappear in the
mayhem.
Delfy starts up the Cat.
Carrie pulls out her Nextel as Pryce takes out his PDA.
She depresses the walkie button -- makes her way to the
Cat.
CARRIE (cont'd)
Rhonda?
Walkie crackles.
RHONDA (V.O.)
(PISSED)
Where the hell are you?
CARRIE
Heading back. How many fly-ins to
McMurdo in the last four hours?
RHONDA (V.O.)
You expect me to --
CARRIE
(SNAPS)
-- How many?
RHONDA (V.O.)
Fifteen.
CARRIE
I need a list of names.
Carrie clicks off.
DELFY
You think Rubin might try to leave
out of McMurdo?
CARRIE
He knows I'm on his ass, so he
might. Anything's possible. I
want to eliminate his options.
She massages her gloved hand. Looks to Pryce who's
talking on his PDA as he heads toward the Cat.
(CONTINUED)
64.
CONTINUED: (2)
PRYCE (INTO PHONE)
Six cannisters, maybe four inches
in diameter, about a foot high --
find out exactly what the Russians
transported in something that
size.
He looks to Carrie --
PRYCE (cont'd)
You have a photo of Rubin
anywhere?
CARRIE
Back at ASB --
PRYCE
(to Delfy)
How long to get there?
DELFY
When we get back to the plane,
I'll get ya there in forty
minutes.
As Pryce climbs into the cat --
INT. SNOWCAT - CONTINUOUS
And slides into the back --
PRYCE
(into phone)
I'll scan a picture of him and get
it to you. Meanwhile, contact
every non-American base down here
and put them on watch. He's got
some plan to get these off the
ice.
He hangs up. Carrie climbs in -- looks back at the
plane's ski tracks.
CARRIE
I know why Weiss was so far from
Delta One One.
Pryce and Delfy wait for the answer.
CARRIE cont'd)
He was dumped from a plane.
(CONTINUED)
65.
CONTINUED:
She closes the door to the Cat.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. CORRIDOR - ASB - DAY
Carrie strides along the corridor with Pryce. They pass
a window where we see that an LC-13O EVAC PLANE is parked
out front -- it's tail section open like the mouth of a
massive beast. Move past several people, balloons and
`Eve of Evac' signs.
Pryce sees Carrie really cradling her left hand, now.
PRYCE
You need to get that looked at.
CARRIE
I'll have the Doc take a peek when
we're done.
Dinkle's pulling a DUFFLE BAG toward them. Sees Carrie
and Pryce about to head up some stairs.
DINKLE
Murphy's looking for you.
Carrie stops.
CARRIE
Murphy? What the hell is he doing
HERE
DINKLE
Came in on the evac.
She pulls Dinkle's two-way off his hip. Hands it to
Pryce.
DINKLE (cont'd)
Hey -- I don't turn that in, I
have to pay for it.
Carrie ignores him.
CARRIE
I'm on 30 if you need me. Rubin's
picture is in a file on my desk.
Dinkle shoots Pryce the stink eye as he walks away --
DINKLE
Make sure I get that back.
(CONTINUED)
66.
CONTINUED:
PRYCE
Of course.
Pryce heads up as Carrie continues on down the main
corridor.
INT. OPERATION CENTER - ASB - DAY
Murphy and Rhonda are standing next to the COMMS TECH,
who is sitting in front of his COMPUTER. The screen
revealing the SATELLITE IMAGERY of the storm It's grown
and moving closer to ASB.
TECH
It's packing winds of a hundred
thirty knots.
Murphy looks stressed.
MURPHY
Shit -- we've got to move up the
evac.
RHONDA
How much?
MURPHY
Six hours at least.
RHONDA
Jesus, I got crew that's still not
in.
MURPHY
Then get them in!
Rhonda is thrown off by his tone --
CARRIE (O.C.)
You wanted to see me?
Murphy looks over. Sees Carrie coming in through the
door.
MURPHY
Where the hell have you been?
She doesn't like his tone --
CARRIE
Buried under 2 tons of ice. You?
(CONTINUED)
67.
CONTINUED:
MURPHY
Do me a favor, you find any more
bodies, mind not parading them
down the main corridor. I've got
Newbies afraid to winterover, for
Chirstsake. They want out on
seats I don't have. And next time
you want to take a Goddamn plane
anywhere, you ask me.
CARRIE
Sure thing, Chief.
MURPHY
We don't have enough supplies for
all of us to Winter-over if we get
stuck down here.
(BEAT)
And you wonder why it didn't work
out between us.
CARRIE
It didn't work, Sam, because you
couldn't keep your hands off every
new woman who stepped foot on the
ice down here. I was stupid
enough to be one of them. Now if
you could cut through your red
tape for just one second, you
would realize that someone's out
there with six cannisters,
possibly full of Uranium, and he
wants to get it into the hands of
some very bad people. And I'm
trying to stop it -- so fuck
asking you for shit, Sam.
MURPHY
This is ridic---
THE SOUND OF A LARGE BOOK dropping onto the floor, sends
a harsh reverb across the room.
DOC (O.C.)
Enough!
Everyone's attention goes to Doc standing at the door.
He's really pissed. Glares at Murphy.
DOC (cont'd)
What the hell's wrong with you,
Murph? I've got bodies piling up
in my lab, and she's the only one
doing anything about it.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
68.
CONTINUED: (2)
DOC (cont'd)
(BEAT)
Why don't you try helping her for
a change?
Murphy looks at Doc. Not giving in.
Carrie calms down -- she's had enough.
CARRIE
You know what Doc, it's alright.
Carrie looks to Rhonda --
CARRIE (cont'd)
You got my list?
Rhonda pulls it from her clipboard. Hands it to her.
Carrie walks out with Doc.
CUT TO:
INT. MAIN CORRIDOR - ASB - CONTINUOUS
A SUBJECTIVE POV - watching Carrie and Doc from behind
the crack of a door as they walk down the main corridor
and right by.
CUT TO:
INT. MEDICAL CLINIC - ASB - LATER
Carrie's sitting on the edge of an examination table as
Doc slowly unwraps her bandaged hand. She winces from
the pain.
DOC
I'm worried about you. Is it
going to take another attempt on
your life to get you to finally
slow down?
She looks at him warmly --
CARRIE
You worry too much -- but it's
what I like about you.
Doc smiles, continues to unravel the gauze-
CARRIE (cont'd)
Doc, did you notice if Weiss had a
wound on his left leg?
(CONTINUED)
69.
CONTINUED:
DOC
I striped him down to put him in a
bodybag. There's only the
puncture from the axe. No way, I
would have noticed it. Why?
CARRIE
Then it's gotta be Rubin.
(BEAT)
I don't know.
DOC
Any word from the FBI?
CARRIE
There's no way they're gonna make
it. Not with that storm coming in
over the peninsula.
The gauze finally comes off, revealing her middle TWO
FINGERS have turned COMPLETELY BLACK along with part of
the flesh of her palm. Her ring looks strangely out of
place.
CARRIE (cont'd)
Oh God.
Doc reaches over to a nearby drawer -- takes out a
sterilized syringe packet.
DOC
Jesus, Carrie, how long did you
let this go?
He opens up the packet.
CARRIE
When did I go to Vostok?
Doc puts the tip of the needle onto her blackened flesh.
DOC
Feel that?
He pushes hard -- penetrates the skin. We see the worry
begin to elevate further on Carrie's face.
CARRIE
No.
Doc tries the needle in another location.
DOC
Now?
(CONTINUED)
70.
CONTINUED: (2)
Slowly shakes her head. He holds her gaze evenly.
DOC (cont'd)
I have to amputate your middle two
fingers.
CARRIE
(STUNNED)
No way. Don't tell me that.
DOC
The fingers are dead, Carrie. If
I don't do it now, gangrene will
set in. You'll lose your hand.
Carrie is sickened.
DOC (cont'd)
I'm sorry.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. MEDICAL CLINIC - LATER
Carrie sits in sullen silence, the room dark around her.
The only light bounces in from a sterile, draped area
where Doc works on her hand. She can't watch as his
CURVED SUTURE and thread, rises and falls with every
stitch he makes. Carrie has her attention on BLOODY
GAUZE piled up in a tray --
SMASH CUT TO
CARRIE'S MEMORY HIT: AN IMAGE SHE SAW EARLIER: The well
defined chest of a man wearing a T-shirt. A BULLET HOLE
oozes dead center. This time we stay there a little
longer, watching the T-shirt absorb the blood around the
wound. As the stain widens, so does the camera...
slowly... bringing into picture THE MAN Carrie shot.
He's wearing a MARSHAL'S BADGE around his neck.
DOC (O.C.)
There, finished.
BACK TO SCENE
Carrie looks at him, sullen, afraid to look down. Then
slowly lets her eyes drift to her hand.
DOC (cont'd)
It's going to be an adjustment.
(CONTINUED)
71.
CONTINUED:
He rises. Goes to a medicine cabinet. Selects a pill
bottle. Shakes it. Only a couple inside. He returns
with the pill bottle.
DOC (cont'd)
Should ease the pain. I'll look
around, dig some more up for you.
She stares at the vacant spot where her fingers used to
be.
DISSOLVE TO:
INT. CARRIE'S BEDROOM - ASB - DAY
Carrie's bag is open on the bed with the Russian's gun
next to it.
She's trying to put on a clean flannel over a T-shirt,
but can't button it up with only one hand. Her
frustration mounts as she fights back every bit of
emotion that's trying to get out.
She finally gives up -- kicks over a nearby chair that
sweeps the stuff off her bed. Bag and gun go flying.
Carrie slumps to the floor. Silent tears.
After a beat -- she notices Pryce standing in the doorway
with some PAPERS in his hand. He's looking at her
compassionately.
PRYCE
I stopped by the clinic... Doc
told me.
Carrie nods, pulling herself together, swallowing her
emotion.
CARRIE
Pretty tough Marshal, huh?
He enters. Holds out her ring for her.
CARRIE (cont'd)
(holds up hand with missing ring
FINGER)
If you came to propose, now's not
really a good time.
He joins her. Hands over her ring. Takes a seat next to
her.
(CONTINUED)
72.
CONTINUED:
CARRIE (cont'd)
Anything?
PRYCE
Got Rubin's face all over
Antarctica, but nobody's seen him
yet.
They sit in silence together for a moment. Carrie sees
the Russian pistol that's ended up on the floor close by.
Picks it up. Examines it like a relic.
CARRIE
...You ever kill anyone?
PRYCE
...Unfortunately.
CARRIE
Anyone you ever trusted?
PRYCE
No.
Beat.
CARRIE
I hadn't held a gun in my hand for
over two years.
(LAUGHING)
Wasn't supposed to need one down
here.
She looks at him --
CARRIE (cont'd)
You asked what I was running away
from...I came down here to forget
my partner, Jack. Thought it
would be better than any therapy.
PRYCE
What happened?
CARRIE
We were on a stakeout at a Holiday
Inn in Miami, waiting for this buy
to go down. I was excited, we'd
been after this trafficker for a
long time. Thought this bust
would be my big chance to impress
the brass. Anyway, guy's a no
show. One hour went by, then two -
- nothing.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
73.
CONTINUED: (2)
CARRIE (cont'd)
Then Jack starting acting strange.
Next thing I knew my face was
being rammed into a mirror. My
own partner was trying to kill me.
Turns out the whole bust was a set
up from the start. Jack was dirty,
working with the guy we were
after.
Beat.
CARRIE (cont'd)
Four years together. I knew
things about him that his wife
didn't even know.
(BEAT)
But he was my partner and I killed
him that night. There's no
changing that.
Pryce takes it all in. Not the story he expected.
CARRIE (cont'd)
Marshall service cleared me --
ruled it self-defense, but I had a
real hard time getting over the
betrayal -- how little my life
meant to a guy I was willing to
take a bullet for.
Carrie shifts in her chair. Leans forward.
CARRIE (cont'd)
Know what the kicker is -- Jack
thought I was close to figuring
him out. Thought this hotel room
was the best place to get rid of
me -- make it look like a bust
gone bad. Truth is, I had no
idea.
(ANGRY)
God, I was young and stupid, and
in way over my head.
She stands. Pryce joins her.
CARRIE (cont'd)
You asked me why I smell like
suntan lotion -- Jack wore Aramis,
this cheap after-shave his wife
gave him. Some of the guys down
here wear it -- suntan lotion is
the only thing that keeps me from
smelling it.
(CONTINUED)
74.
CONTINUED: (3)
She notices the papers he's holding; faxed photos of
THREE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CANNISTERS WITH RUSSIAN WRITING
ON THEM.
CARRIE (cont'd)
What do ya got there?
He shows them to her. One-by-one.
PRYCE
It's what the Russians used to
transport weapons grade materials
in. They match the dimensions
inside the safe. We're looking
for six of these.
As Carrie studies them --
PRYCE (cont'd)
Langley's thinking it might be
Hexafluoride, which is a
derivative of Uranium. It's a
component for nuclear detonation.
CARRIE
These beakers where really in over
their heads.
The RADIO on Pryce's hip -- crackles...
RHONDA (V.O.)
Dinkle, it's Rhonda --
Pryce smirks.
PRYCE
I better get this back to him.
And we have to find Rubin.
CARRIE
Think you can you help me with
these buttons, first?
PRYCE
Sure.
He moves closer. Starts to button her up.
PRYCE (cont'd)
For what it's worth -- I think
you're pretty tough, Marshall.
CUT TO:
75.
INT. MARSHAL'S OFFICE - ASB - RIGHT AFTER
Carrie enters. Light streaming in through the window
hits her tired face. She reaches for the light switch on
the nearby wall --
-- A HAND GRABS HERS --
-- AGGRESSIVELY YANKS her away from the open door. It's
kicked closed as she's drawn backwards into a man's
embrace. A knife's brought to her neck.
MAN
(raspy, deep)
...You Stetko?
Carrie nods -- slides her hand toward her pocket...
MAN (cont'd)
Don't...
She stops.
CARRIE
Who are you?
He slowly turns her around to face him.
-- it's Rubin, but he looks beat to shit. Deep cracks
slice across his bloody, chapped lips. Peeling skin
flakes on his face. Desperate, despondent eyes. Shaky,
frostbitten fingers. He's having a hard time holding it
together as he can barely get the words out...
RUBIN
-- Did Mooney talk to you? I
didn't hear from him -- he was
supposed to call me after you
talked.
Carrie's confused.
CARRIE
Mooney's dead.
His eyes well.
RUBIN
No...
CARRIE
And so's Weiss.
(CONTINUED)
76.
CONTINUED:
He nods - he knew.
RUBIN
And I'm next, I know it.
CARRIE
It's okay, you're safe, just put
the knife down.
His shaking hands slowly lowers it -- she breathes a
little easier. He sets it down on an empty book shelf
next to him.
CARRIE (cont'd)
Who's after you? Where are the
cannisters?
He stares off blankly --
RUBIN
Weiss didn't want to go through
with it. Oh God. How did we let
this happen?
CARRIE
Rubin -- I need you to focus for
me.
He tries. Looks at her through tired, pinched eyes --
he's trying.
O.C. KNOCK. KNOCK on her door.
Rubin is spooked. Glares at her -- scared. Like a caged
animal.
DOC (O.C.)
Carrie, it's Doc -- got those
painkillers.
CARRIE
It's okay, he's a doctor, he can
help you.
It falls on deaf ears -- he goes for the knife. She
tries to stop him.
Rubin shoves her aside, throwing her against a chair.
She topples backwards.
He whips open the door, driving an unexpected shoulder
into Doc, who gets nailed so hard, he goes stumbling back
up against the wall behind him. Takes the wind right out
of him. Pills all over the floor.
(CONTINUED)
77.
CONTINUED: (2)
Rubin dashes off down the hallway -- it's an effort.
Carrie appears at the door. Catches a glimpse of Rubin
disappearing down a set of side stairs.
CARRIE (cont'd)
You alright?
Doc nods.
She takes off after him, pulling her phone off her hip.
AT THE STAIRS
She takes two at a time -- keys the two-way...
CARRIE (cont'd)
Pryce --
PRYCE (V.O.)
Yeah?
CARRIE
Rubin's here! He's on the run.
Level one. White T-shirt. Jeans.
CUT TO:
BOTTOM OF STAIRS - LEVEL ONE
As Carrie comes off the stairs -- looks left -- there's
three guys carrying boxes out of a room. Snaps a look to
the right --
-- Rubin's at the far end, slipping through a doorway
that leads into an INTERCONNECTING TUNNEL to another part
of ASB.
CARRIE (cont'd)
(into walkie)
He's heading for the Science Lab.
Carrie kicks it into high --
CUT TO:
EXT. ASB - OUTSIDE CONNECTING TUNNEL - SAME
A SUBJECTIVE POV - catches interval glimpses of Rubin
through the small windows that run along the side of the
tunnel as he dashes through.
CUT TO:
78.
INT. CONNECTING TUNNEL - SAME
Rubin is moving through to a door at the far end as
Carrie enters. It's lined with several free standing,
empty bookcases.
CARRIE
Rubin, wait!
INT. SCIENCE BUILDING - RIGHT AFTER
Carrie enters through the connecting tunnel's doorway.
Not a lot of light. Slows her pace. It's quiet.
Dormant. Vacant lab stations. Room's been shut down for
the winter. Eyes scan. Fall upon --
-- A DOOR ACROSS THE ROOM. A sign above reads: READY
ROOM.
She takes off again, slaloming her way around the lab
stations to get to the door.
OTHER SIDE OF ROOM
Carrie gets to the door. Pulls on the handle. Won't
open. Rattles. Looks in through a viewing window --
sees --
-- a panicked Rubin inside, grabbing ECW gear off a rack
mounted to the wall.
A DIGITAL READOUT ABOVE THE EXIT DOOR READS: -60.
He and Carrie exchange glances.
CARRIE
Rubin -- I can help you!
He shakes his head.
She tugs harder on the doors. Stuck. Looks through the
window to see he's tied them together with some climbing
rope.
In that same instant a shaft of brilliant daylight floods
half the room as the outside door is whipped open.
A MAN in full ECW - stands in the doorway. He's wearing
a FACE MASK and GOGGLES. Holds an ICE AXE poised, ready
to strike -- it's the same guy who attacked her.
(CONTINUED)
79.
CONTINUED:
Rubin bolts back toward the door separating he and
Carrie, but --
-- SWOOOSH! THE ICE AXE is buried into his shoulder,
gaffing him like a fish. The pain's excruciating for
Rubin, who spins on his attacker like a wild man.
BULLDOZES into him, driving him back out the door.
Both TUMBLE down a steep set of stairs -- the exposed end
of the ice axe gets stuck in a step's steel meshing on
the way down -- rips out of Rubin's shoulder.
EXT. READY ROOM - BASE OF STAIRS - CONTINUOUS
Rubin eats the pain as he gets to his feet. Takes off.
Runs blindly with panting intensity verging on hysteria.
Disappears around the contour of ASB before the other guy
can get to his feet.
His assailant rises. Goes back up a couple steps to
retrieve his embedded ice axe, but finds it wedged so
tight, it won't budge. Abandons it.
INT. SCIENCE BUILDING - SAME
Carrie shoulders the door, but still doesn't budge.
Hears FOOTSTEPS BEHIND HER. Turns to see it's Pryce.
CARRIE
Door's jammed --
Pryce latches on to a heavy SUPPLY CART filled with
beakers, micro-scopes and other gear, that's tucked
against one of the lab stations.
CARRIE (cont'd)
Pryce, it's not Rubin --
Off his confused look --
CARRIE (cont'd)
Someone's trying to kill him.
Pryce picks up speed as he targets the door. Hits it
like a freight train, busting it open! Cart goes
crashing. Contents scatter like buckshot.
INT. READY ROOM - CONTINUOUS
The two of them are hit with icy cold coming in through
the open exit door.
(CONTINUED)
80.
CONTINUED:
Carrie throws a look outside -- bottom of stairs are
vacant. Ice axe is still there.
CARRIE
Shit, Rubin doesn't have any gear
on.
Carrie immediately closes the outside door. Pryce goes
for the ECW wear. Scrambles to get a coat on. Carrie
joins. Same thing.
PRYCE
How long's he been out there?
CARRIE
Thirty seconds.
EXT. ASB - RIGHT AFTER
Rubin staggers as he follows a line of storage bins
tucked against the base of the main building. The blood
from his wound already frozen on his shirt.
The cold -- it's killing him. Body's shaking. The sun's
reflection off the ice is blinding.
CUT TO:
RUBIN'S POV -
-- His vision begins to cloud as the corneas are
literally being burned by the intense light. He tries to
shield them -- has little effect.
He looks over his shoulder -- gets a BLURRED IMAGE of his
attacker not far behind.
Rubin trips. Hands go to the icy ground to protect his
fall. Still hits hard. Starts to get up, but his palms
are frozen to the surface. Doesn't have time to care --
pulls hard, tearing the skin right off. Stands. Spins
around in a panicked whirl -- he's lost ground.
Continues to the end of the storage bins. Moves under
ASB, using the enormous HYDRAULIC LIFT COLUMNS to conceal
his movement.
81.
EXT. UNDERNEATH ASB - CONTINUOUS
Up ahead -- forty yards away -- hope. He continues
toward some storage containers and the SNOW MELTER on the
other side, where TWO PEOPLE, CLAD IN ECW are finishing
filling an insulated container with water from an
insulated hose mounted to the Melter. A snowmobile is
parked next to them.
He tries to scream, but only a dull, raspy, muffled voice
escapes...
RUBIN
...Help me.
The guys -- oblivious.
EXT. READY ROOM - STAIRS - DAY
Carrie and Pryce, now bundled up in ECW, exit the room
and head down the stairs. Split up -- go opposite
directions around the complex.
EXT. UNDERNEATH ASB - SAME
Rubin's pace is slowing -- he's exerting himself to get
to the people as they climb into snowmobile with the
container. Frostbite is chewing up his lungs. He's too
slow, they take off. He coughs up blood.
RUBIN
W..wa..wait.
He turns around to check on his pursuer. Twenty feet
away and closing.
Rubin's eyes desperately search for some kind of weapon --
anything. Sees the insulated hose on the SNOW MELTER.
Heads for it.
EXT. ASB - OTHER SIDE - SAME
Carrie passes a gap between storage containers where
several snow shovels are stuck into a mound of snow --
through their vertical slats, SHE CATCHES A GLIMPSE OF
RUBIN at the Snow Melter across on the other side of the
main building. Sees the ECW guy closing in.
82.
EXT. ASB - UNDERNEATH - SAME
Pryce is moving under ASB. Passes a hydraulic support
leg. Spots Carrie on the other side moving toward Rubin.
Also sees the ECW guy in pursuit. Heads toward them.
EXT. ASB - SNOW MELTER - SAME
Rubin's frostbitten hand reaches for the hose. Grabs it,
but he doesn't have the strength to turn it on. Throws a
defeated glance over his shoulder to see --
-- THE VILLAIN in ECW gear right on him! Shoves Rubin
against the tank. Grabs the hose from him. Turns it on -
- SPRAYING him head to toe.
Rubin's clothes turn to ice. One eye freezes shut. Lips
go cobalt blue. He tries to escape, but several stiff
steps away, he slows and finally stops: a prisoner in his
ice-locked clothing.
The man moves to Rubin. Grabs his head, and - SNAP -
breaks his neck.
Rubin's body topples stiffly to the ground.
INT. OPERATIONS ROOM - ASB - SAME
Rhonda crosses the busy room. Reaches for a clipboard
hanging next to the window. Something outside catches
her attention.
RHONDA
Sam!
She looks to Murphy, who is on the phone.
Murphy and the others join her at the window. They see
Rubin on the ground, but the Snow Melter blocks any view
of the killer.
SMASH CUT TO:
EXT. ASB - SNOW MELTER - SAME
The Killer turns to leave the crime scene and --
-- WHACK! He's blindsided by a SHOVEL to his head.
Goggles shatter.
(CONTINUED)
83.
CONTINUED:
He drops.
Carrie pulls his parka hood away from his head -- snaps
the goggle from his face.
It's KELLER!
Blood trickles from the fresh wound to his head.
The shovel's courtesy of Carrie, who stands over top of
him. Holds the shovel to his neck like a guillotine
blade.
Pryce approaches. Glances to Rubin's frozen body -- neck
askew. Carrie is wound up. Keller's still recovering
from the impact --
KELLER
I sh... sh... shoulda killed you
at Vostok.
CARRIE
Where are the cannisters?
KELLER
Go to hell.
PRYCE
Wrong answer.
CARRIE
Help me drag him over here.
They each take his jacket by the shoulder -- pull him
back over to the Snow Melter.
CARRIE (cont'd)
Keep him still.
She hands the shovel to Pryce, who puts it to Keller's
neck.
Carrie pulls her Buck knife from her back pocket, then
whips off Keller's gloves. Tosses them aside. The cold
makes him more coherent. Sees Pryce at this throat.
PRYCE
Who's Tahir selling it to --
what's the intended target?
Keller shifts his attention to Carrie, who's using her
knife to SLICE open his ECW jacket and pants, exposing
bare arms and legs.
(CONTINUED)
84.
CONTINUED: (2)
KELLER
What're you doing, you crazy
bitch?
Keller instantly starts to shake.
CARRIE
Why did you kill those scientists,
Keller? Was a four-way split too
much for you?
KELLER
Fuck you.
Carrie grabs the hose from the Snow Melter.
She brutally stomps on Keller's exposed arm, douses him
with water from the hose, welding his arm to the ground
as it freezes instantly.
CARRIE
Where is the uranium?
KELLER
(almost smug)
You have no idea what's going on
here, do you?
Keller begins to shiver violently.
PRYCE
Hit the sonofabitch again!
Carrie releases more water, freezing more of the arm. He
screams. Pain is too much. He caves.
KELLER
The plane, they're in the fucking
plane.
Carrie's suddenly grabbed from behind. It's Murphy.
Furious. Two other guys at his side.
MURPHY
Have you completely lost your
mind?
CARRIE
Let go of me.
She twists free of his grasp. Gets in Keller's face.
CARRIE (cont'd)
Where in the plane?
(CONTINUED)
85.
CONTINUED: (3)
KELLER
Find them yourself.
MURPHY
What the hell's going on?
She glares at him.
CARRIE
The cannisters are on the plane.
She looks to the guys that came out with Murphy.
CARRIE (cont'd)
Throw him in the holding cell.
The two guys go to Keller, but his arm is stuck to the
ground. Carrie kicks it free. It's painful. Keller
screams.
The guys lift him to his feet. Haul him away.
Murphy looks to Pryce --
MURPHY
Who the hell are you?
Carrie looks at Pryce.
PRYCE
Name's Pryce.
Pryce looks at Carrie.
CARRIE
He's with the UN. We have to
search that plane now!
Murphy looks to Carrie with an intense glare --
MURPHY
We don't have time. We'll just
search it in Christchurch when it
lands.
Pryce steps in --
PRYCE
It's a twelve hour flight to
Christchurch. Anything can happen
in that time. Keller is here, so
we know it's still on the ground.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED)
86.
CONTINUED: (4)
PRYCE (cont'd)
Once that plane is in the air,
we've as good as lost it. Just
give us 10 minutes.
Murphy looks to Carrie, softens slightly --
CARRIE
Sam, do what is right here. Come
on.
MURPHY
Do what you have to, but that
plane takes off in one hour.
CARRIE
We'll need some help.
MURPHY
I'll send what I can.
He leaves.
TIME CUT TO:
INT. LC-130 - DAY
Carrie is near the cockpit, searching under a row of
seats. Pryce approaches. A handful of ASB employees
tear through every inch of the fuselage and cargo.
PRYCE
It's clean.
Carrie gets to her feet. Pissed off.
PRYCE (cont'd)
You check the cockpit?
CARRIE
Nothing. That bastard.
What the hell are you up to,
Keller?
PRYCE
I don't get it, why lie to us --
we have him either way. He's
stuck here.
Carrie's suddenly chilled with the ominous reality that --
CARRIE
He's buying time.
Carrie races off the plane. Pryce tries to keep pace.
87.
INT. CORRIDOR - RIGHT AFTER
Carrie is slaloming her way through the corridor, which
is packed with ASB employees carrying their bags for the
evac. Pryce is close behind.
CARRIE
Out of the way!
INT. ASB - MARSHAL'S OFFICE - RIGHT AFTER
Carrie enters. Pryce at her side. Her face goes white.
The door to the holding room is wide open. Keller's
GONE.
CARRIE
Shit!
PRYCE
He's got nowhere to go, nowhere to
hide.
Then it hits her --
CARRIE
He won't try. He's a goddamn
pilot.
As the two of them take off for the door --
INT. ASB - HANGAR - DAY
Delfy walks across the floor. Hangar is minimally lit.
Still. Silent. Void of personnel. The Otters are lined
up. The Snowcats and snowmobiles on the other side. He
heads toward an Otter.
INT. TWIN OTTER - HANGAR - DAY
Delfy reaches in and gets his son's picture, which is
still hanging on the console. Then, something catches
his attention through the windshield of his plane. He
sees a FUEL HOSE running to another plane -- and it's
pumping.
Curious, he gets out of the Otter. Eyes dart about the
hangar. Doesn't see anyone. Heads to the other plane.
Discovers that a door is open on the other side. Takes a
another look around. Doesn't see anyone. Moves closer.
(CONTINUED)
88.
CONTINUED:
Gets to the plane. Takes a look inside, and --
THUD! He's nailed with a giant Crescent wrench to the
head. Stumbles back.
Keller leaps out, grabbing hold of a staggering Delfy.
Ruthlessly runs him head first into a standing tool
chest. Delfy collapses to the ground in a heap.
Unconscious.
EXT. ASB - HEADING TOWARD THE HANGAR - RIGHT AFTER
Carrie and Pryce, dressed in ECW are making their way
toward the hangar.
INT. LC-130 - SAME
Employees are trudging up through the back entrance into
the plane. Get checked off a list by the LOAD MASTER.
Toss their gear into a netted cargo area. Find a seat.
Plane is nearly full.
INT. TWIN OTTER - HANGER
Keller has the engine going. It's loud. Preps the
console for flight, flipping switches -- suddenly sees
Carrie and Pryce enter the hangar. Guns drawn.
CARRIE AND PRYCE
Shift their attention to the plane. Blades turning. They
stalk forward. Slowly. Carefully. Eyeing for any
betrayal of movement.
Then, with a nod from Carrie, they move in. Fast.
Ready. Look into the plane. It's empty, except for a
duffle bag in the back. Carrie nods to Pryce. Motions
for him to go one way, she'll go another.
INTERCUT CARRIE AND PRYCE
Carrie eyeballs a Snowcat. It's door is slightly open.
She heads for it. Gun poised.
Pryce moves to check the next plane. Eyes dart to every
dark corner.
Carrie gets to the Cat. Springs toward the door.
Inside's empty.
(CONTINUED)
89.
CONTINUED:
Pryce walks under THE WING of the next plane. Spots
Delfy just ahead on the ground by the tool chest. Looks
like he's stirring into consciousness. Then --
SWOOSH!! An ICE AXE swings down from above, embedding in
his Pryce's chest. Deep. It sticks. Gun goes flying.
Keller drops down from the wing above. Pryce staggers.
Keller kicks him hard.
Pryce goes down. Keller grabs the gun.
Points it right at Pryce -- before he can shoot --
BANG!BANG! Bullets zip by Keller, who rolls for cover
behind SOME EQUIPMENT. Another rips into his shoulder.
Keller spots Carrie over by the Cat. She fires
continually, forcing him to stay behind cover. The shots
go wide -- she's not yet used to firing with the right
hand.
Keller blindly reaches his gun around the chest -- shoots
back, which --
-- Gives Pryce enough time to painfully crawl for cover
beneath the plane. He's losing blood quick.
Carrie keeps shooting. Bullets PING OFF THE TOOL CHEST.
They stop. Carrie has to reload.
Keller makes his move. Fires at Carrie and sprints for
his plane. Runs right by pole with a large red button
attached to it. Slams it.
HANGAR DOORS BEGIN TO RUMBLE OPEN
The TEMPERATURE immediately begins to PLUMMET as winter
is let inside.
Keller keeps shooting. Runs out of bullets. Leaps into
the idling Otter.
Carrie makes her move. Dashes toward him, firing away.
Bullets PLANT in the WINDSHIELD, but can't penetrate --
glass is too thick -- protection from the cold.
Keller throttles. Begins to move the Otter forward
toward the opening doors.
Carrie dashes to Pryce. Sees Delfy get to his feet.
Face bloody. He moves to Pryce.
(CONTINUED)
90.
CONTINUED: (2)
She gets over to the guys quickly, giving Delfy a visual
once over. He'll be fine, but things look bad for Pryce.
He's bleeding profusely.
She kneels beside him -- pulls the tip of the axe out of
his chest.
Delfy looks to the hangar doors, which are nearly open.
PRYCE
...I didn't see him.
His eyes flutter shut. Carrie slaps his face --
CARRIE
No! You stay awake!
Puts her hand directly on the wound. Applies pressure.
Blood continues to ooze.
She looks over to Keller just as his plane exits the
hangar.
Looks back to Pryce's wound -- won't stop bleeding.
CARRIE (cont'd)
Damn it!
(to Delfy)
Come on. We're getting him up.
They lift him to his feet. Haul ass to the front of the
hangar the best they can. Go outside.
EXT. HANGAR - CONTINUOUS
The two of them place the now unconscious Pryce to the
ground.
Carrie grabs Delfy's hands. Puts them directly on the
bloody wound. Surprisingly, he stays focused.
CARRIE
Press here. Hard. Hard or he
will die!
DELFY
It won't stop!
Looks Delfy right in the eye.
CARRIE
He's not going to be number four!
(CONTINUED)
91.
CONTINUED:
Pryce moans.
Carrie rips open Pryce's jacket and liner.
Scoops up an armful of wind-blown ice. Starts packing it
around him. Keeps repeating the motion.
She keeps shooting looks to Keller's departing plane
moving toward the runway.
The cold hits Pryce, shocking him awake.
PRYCE
(GASPING)
What are you doing? Get Keller.
She holds him down.
CARRIE
You're bleeding out. Freezing
drops your pulse. We have to slow
it down.
(BEAT)
You hold on.
Carrie snags the two-way off her hip like it's a quick
draw. Keys it.
CARRIE (cont'd)
Sam -- is Doc on the plane yet?
Beat.
MURPHY (V.O.)
No -- what's going --
CARRIE
Keller got out. He hurt Pryce --
he's bleeding bad. Where's Doc?
MURPHY (V.O.)
In the clinic. About to bring the
bodies out. What's --
CARRIE
Tell him to stay put, and I need
your help getting Pryce there.
We're at the hangar. I've got to
stop Keller, he's got the
cannisters.
Carrie doesn't wait for an answer. Gives Delfy the two-
way.
(CONTINUED)
92.
CONTINUED: (2)
CARRIE (cont'd)
Don't let him die.
Carrie stands. Determined. Sprints back into the
hangar.
INT. HANGAR - CONTINUOUS
On a full sprint, Carrie dashes over to the Snowmobiles.
Coughs. Spits blood. Doesn't stop her. She jumps on
one. Fires it up. Uses her left palm to steer -- blood
starts to seep through the gauze. She quickly bundles
up, then guns it.
Rubber treads grip. Smoke rises. She races it across
the cement floor and out the hangar.
EXT. HANGAR - CONTINUOUS
Off in the distance, Keller's heading for the front of
the runway -- has to turn around to take off into the
wind.
Carrie veers off, targeting the tunnel to ASB. Hits her
light as she races in.
INT. TUNNEL - CONTINUOUS
Carrie's light silhouettes Murphy and a couple of his
guys as they head toward her. She doesn't even slow down
as she blows right by them.
CUT TO:
INT. KELLER'S PLANE - SAME
Desperation clings to his face as he turns the plane onto
the runway. His wound oozes blood -- eats the pain as he
gives it full throttle. Starts to pick up speed. Heads
down his strip of freedom.
CUT TO:
EXT. SIDE OF RUNWAY - OPPOSITE END - SAME
A funnel of bumpy light spreads across the ice before
Carrie on the snowmobile.
(CONTINUED)
93.
CONTINUED:
She holds tight as she burns a big U-TURN around one of
the berms and onto the runway. Heads straight for the
lights of Keller's plane.
INSIDE KELLER'S PLANE
He sees Carrie.
KELLER
Crazy bitch.
INTERCUT:
She targets him like a Japanese zero. Hundred yards and
closing.
He's pushing to get airborne. Seventy-five yards between
them.
Gap narrows fast. Fifty yards.
Stay on Carrie. Looks like suicide. She suddenly
swerves a hard left, disappearing behind a berm --
INSIDE WITH KELLER
He bears a momentary sense of triumph, starts to get
airborne -- until -- LAUNCHING UP OFF THE BERM is
Carrie's snowmobile! She bails, letting it continue
right toward him like a heat seeking missile as she
tumbles down the berm.
Keller's pov - a THOUSAND POUNDS of snowmobile comes at
him fast -- obliterates the cockpit.
SMASH CUT TO
CARRIE'S POV - AS THE IMPACT
Cripples the plane, pitching it sideways. A wing catches
the runway, CATAPULTING the entire plane into a cartwheel
of disaster as it veers off the runway and --
-- EXPLODES INTO A FIERY ERUPTION OF FLAME AND DEBRIS!
Resume -
Carrie slowly gets to her feet. The flames reflecting
off her goggles. She heads to the wreckage. The cold
and blowing snow extinguishing the flames quickly.
AT THE WRECKAGE
(CONTINUED)
94.
CONTINUED:
Carrie approaches. Only a sputtering of flame remains on
the front of the twisted remnants of the Otter's cockpit.
The aft seems relatively intact. Carrie looks in.
Sees the charred and already frozen remains of Keller.
In the back -- the charred duffle bag. She moves closer.
Reaches in through a broken window. Pulls it out to the
runway.
Unzips it. Is confused. No cannisters. Only survival
gear.
CUT TO:
INT. MEDICAL CLINIC - SOON AFTER
Delfy, along with Murphy and his two guys, carry Pryce
in. Doc's in the back room with two others, loading the
BODYBAGS onto a cart.
MURPHY
Doc!
Doc quickly moves into the front room. The other two
follow. Curious.
Doc springs into action, pulling on gloves. Pryce's
face, ashen.
DOC
Get him on the table!
They usher him onto one. He looks to Delfy who still has
his hand on Pryce's wound.
DOC (cont'd)
Don't move that hand.
DELFY
I know, I know, he'll die!
Doc shifts his attention to one of Murphy's guys --
DOC
You, four units O-pos in the
warmer. Second shelf, fridge.
The guy heads for it.
Carrie enters. She's still in her ECW gear. Heart sinks
when she sees Pryce.
(CONTINUED)
95.
CONTINUED:
Doc leans over Pryce's pale form. Examines.
As Doc gets an IV going, he looks to Carrie --
DOC (cont'd)
What happened?
CARRIE
Keller hit him with an ice axe.
MURPHY
He get away?
CARRIE
No.
Murphy's walkie on his hip CRACKLES to life.
INT. LC-130 - SAME
Rhonda's standing up front with the pilot and Copilot,
watching the horizon where dark storm clouds are coming
at them like a tidal wave. Brings a walkie to her
lips...
RHONDA
Sam, it's Rhonda -- we gotta go.
Now.
MURPHY (V.O.)
I know. I know.
INT. MEDICAL CLINIC - ASB - SAME
Murphy looks to Doc.
MURPHY
Can you do this on the plane?
It's your call, but I need to know
now.
Doc, who's wrestling with deep contemplation, looks to
Carrie -- she sees the answer's no.
CARRIE
I'll stay with you --
MURPHY
(to his guys)
Grab the bodies and get them on
the plane.
(CONTINUED)
96.
CONTINUED:
The guys head for the back --
As Doc looks at Pryce -- knowing he needs him...
DOC
Leave the bodies -- you don't have
time. Dead is dead.
(BEAT)
Pick them up in six months. Go.
Doc looks to Carrie, who's thankful --
CARRIE
I'm sorry.
The guys after the bodies look to Murphy for a decision.
MURPHY
Leave'm. Let's go.
Murphy and Carrie exchange a quick look -- closure.
CARRIE
Thanks.
MURPHY
Take care of yourself.
He takes off with the others.
EXT. LC - 130 - RIGHT AFTER
The wind is hurricane fierce as Murphy and his two men
are just about to board the plane. Murphy looks to the
storm -- a forboding darkness getting closer by the
second. He realizes they might not make it.
EXT. RUNWAY - ASB - RIGHT AFTER
The LC-130's jet engines roars as he gains speed down the
runway -- faster and faster, then it suddenly gets
swallowed in the storm -- like an avalanche covering a
skier.
Camera stays on the fast moving storm, the plane, nowhere
in sight, until --
The LC-130 finally pushes out the front of it --
AIRBORNE. Takes off into the horizon, where we see that
the sun is just about to set.
DISSOLVE TO:
97.
INT. MEDICAL CLINIC - ASB - LATER
Carrie is standing next to Pryce on the examination
table. He's been bandaged up. Eyes closed. Looks
thrashed. An IV drip hangs from a stand on wheels.
She's looking at him with soft, caring eyes -- been
through a lot. He slowly opens his. Tries to smile, not
easy.
PRYCE
Hey --
CARRIE
Hey back.
PRYCE
You get him?
CARRIE
Um-hm.
PRYCE
(EXCITED)
The cannisters?
She shakes her head --
CARRIE
Nope.
They both think on it for a moment.
PRYCE
What did we miss? Think Keller
cut and run without the stuff?
CARRIE
After all this, no way. Keller
didn't have it on the plane
because he's got it hidden
somewhere.
(BEAT)
Where would he hide something for
six months. Somewhere he could be
sure no one would ever look.
PRYCE
If he had made it out, he wouldn't
have been crazy enough to come
back for it.
(CONTINUED)
98.
CONTINUED:
CARRIE
True -- what the hell was his
plan...
Pryce thinks hard -- he's got nothing.
PRYCE
We've got six months to figure it
out.
A SQUEAKY NOISE in the back of the room draws their
attention. It's Doc coming through with the cart -- a
bodybag on top.
DOC
Eyes open -- that's always a good
sign.
He continues pushing the gurney toward them --
PRYCE
Hey, Doc -- thanks.
DOC
Thank her -- if she hadn't slowed
your bleeding.
Doc rolls the gurney behind her --
DOC (cont'd)
I'm going to hunt me down a bottle
of scotch --
Carrie turns, looks at Doc as he wheels the gurney by.
CARRIE
Need any help?
DOC
I'm good.
She sees it's Weiss' name on the tag, but something
disturbing catches Carrie's eye -- it's Weiss' LEFT LEG
pressing against the bag. Although the plastic is
clouded, she'd swear his LEFT CALF has a LONG LINE OF
STITCHES running down the side.
DOC (cont'd)
You okay?
His voice pulls her focus. She masks her startle...
(CONTINUED)
99.
CONTINUED: (2)
CARRIE
(COVERING)
Just thinking where it all began.
DOC
Yeah, it's a damn shame, isn't it.
Doc continues on out the door.
Pryce sees that she's bothered --
PRYCE
What is it?
CARRIE
Nothing -- I'll be right back.
She heads out the door.
CUT TO:
INT. CONNECTING TUNNEL TO SCIENCE BUILDING - LATER
Carrie slips in. We've been here before -- this is where
she chased Rubin.
Darkness creeps in, phantom like, as the remaining
daylight FADES OUT through the row of windows that run
along the side. Carrie's plunged into inky black.
WINTER HAS SET IN.
She HEARS the Science Lab door open before her -- peers
through the dark blanket to see Doc walking toward her.
Carrie slips in between two bookcases, trying to stay
tight against the wall. Doc walks right by and out the
door.
She rises to her feet. Hurries down to the end.
Disappears into the science building.
INT. SCIENCE LAB - CONTINUOUS
Carrie enters. Turns on the light. Illuminates the lab
stations, and the busted open doors of the Ready Room.
Heads for the freezer.
INT. WALK-IN FREEZER - SCIENCE LAB - CONTINUOUS
Carrie opens the door. Illuminates the interior with her
light.
(CONTINUED)
100.
CONTINUED:
Storage racks of frozen science samples line the three
walls. Lying on the floor are the bodies of Mooney,
Rubin, Weiss and Keller.
Carry goes to Weiss' body. Kneels next to him. Goes to
unzip the bodybag, but sees that it's been locked with a
plastic cinch.
Pulls out her knife. Holds the light steady in her mouth
as she cuts the cinch. Unzips the bag.
Her light travels down his body to his left leg. She
rolls it slightly for a better look. The truth hits her
like a sledge hammer. There it is, like standing center
stage in her light, the ROW OF STITCHES holding a deep
gash tight together.
She's about to stand and walk out, but she stops herself.
Thinks about that leg, those stitches. The fact that Doc
lied to her. Pans her light over at the other bodies on
the floor. Her light pans back, explores the rest of
Weiss' upper body -- sees a dried river of blood that's
run out from under his armpit.
CARRIE
(to herself)
Someplace no one would ever think
to look.
She raises Weiss' arm. More stitches.
She cuts through them. Skin splits to reveal the BOTTOM
OF A CANNISTER that's been stuffed inside his chest. She
reaches in and pulls it out. Even has rust on the
bottom. Carrie's confused -- IT'S NOT LIKE ANY OF THE
CANNISTERS PRYCE SHOWED HER PHOTOS OF. It look more like
THE ICE CORE CONTAINER SHE SAW AT MCMURDO.
She contemplates opening it for a moment, then places her
hand on the top. Begins to twist. It loosens easily.
Pulls the lid off. Looks at it. Whatever it is, it's
frozen. Tilts the can slightly, and out slides a FOOT
LONG ICE CORE SAMPLE. Can't quite figure it out, until
she shines her light on it --
The freezer DANCES WITH GLISTENING LIGHT. The core
sample is PACKED FULL OF DIAMONDS. She looks to the
other two bodies.
She opens Mooney's bag. Sees his chest is uneven -- more
cylinders inside. Repeats the action with Rubin. Same
thing.
Carrie slowly stands -- the betrayal almost too much.
(CONTINUED)
101.
CONTINUED: (2)
DOC (O.C.)
If they had just gone along with
it.
She turns -- Doc is standing right BEHIND HER.
DOC (cont'd)
Those fools found a plane -- had
no idea what they stumbled onto.
Turns out the Russians had
discovered a diamond field while
drilling for core samples in the
sixties.
CARRIE
And we thought it was nukes the
whole time.
DOC
Keller said he knew someone in the
states who could move the diamonds
for us. It was a hell of a lot of
money.
CARRIE
How did you get wrapped up in
thing, Doc?
DOC
Weiss got hurt on the plane. They
were afraid to move him, so Mooney
called me. Keller and I flew out.
But they couldn't get the safe
open -- Keller found a way.
CARRIE
Then Weiss got cold feet. It got
ugly, didn't it -- and Keller
killed him at Delta One One.
Everything went to hell after
that, didn't it, Doc.
DOC
Keller thought he could kill his
way out of this whole thing.
(ANGRY)
If those idiots hadn't panicked,
none of this would have happened.
He turns and walks out of the freezer.
102.
INT. SCIENCE LAB - CONTINUOUS
Carrie carefully follows. Sees he's heading for KELLER'S
ICE AXE in the ready room, that someone's removed from
being wedged outside, onto the now uprighted LAB CART
Pryce used to bust open the door.
CARRIE
Doc -- stop.
He does. Turns back to her. But there has been a subtle
shift inside him -- something illogical.
DOC
I'll cut you in, Carrie. There's
at least 5 million in diamonds in
there. That can buy both of us a
nice life back in the world. How
many times have we both talked
about having a fresh start. Well,
this is it. Those beakers finding
that plane was a sign. A sign
telling me it was time to go back.
Now I have something to go back
for.
She has a realization.
CARRIE
There is no granddaughter, is
there? This was about greed,
plain and simple.
DOC
No one will ever know. It's just
me and you. We can take care of
Pryce.
His callus disregard for human life rocks her.
CARRIE
Dead is dead, right?
DOC
Yes, yes, now you're getting it.
CARRIE
What's happened to you? There are
four people dead! Four! People
we knew.
Doc looks at her. She's not sure if it's registering.
(CONTINUED)
103.
CONTINUED:
CARRIE (cont'd)
Where you going to stuff my body
too? Huh? Was I going to be
five?
He turns back to the ice axe and starts walking towards
it.
She pulls the gun out from inside her liner, her mind a
whirl of limited options and grim solutions.
He nears the ice axe on the cart --
Carrie cocks back the trigger --
CARRIE (cont'd)
I won't go through it again.
Don't make me shoot you, please.
Her knuckle on her trigger finger goes white as she
wrestles with her emotions.
DOC
It's either ignore all of this or
kill me -- and you and I, we're
too good of friends for me to
force you to make that choice.
With that...he walks right past the ICE AXE and into the
READY ROOM. She's confused.
CARRIE
Doc, your not thinking straight.
But he's not listening.
DOC
Ya know, it's really warm. I'm
gonna take a walk -- try and cool
off.
The TEMPERATURE GAUGE on the wall reads: -82.
He looks at her.
CARRIE
Doc, please.
Carrie crosses the room as he grabs onto the outside
door's latch.
He musters a smile --
(CONTINUED)
104.
CONTINUED: (2)
DOC
Remember, Carrie -- freedom's just
a sunrise away.
Using both hands on the latch, he pulls. THE DOOR BLASTS
OPEN, filling the space between Carrie and Doc with
violent winds and blowing snow.
Doc's throws one last look to Carrie, then takes two
steps out the door.
Disappears into the blanket of white.
Wind and cold storm into the room against Carrie, who
remains standing still like a statue. Emotionally
drained. Numb. Freezing to death -- tears frozen to her
cheeks.
A shadow passes by her -- it's Pryce. He's hunkered over
in pain, but forcing himself against the driving force of
the wind into the Ready Room.
Latches onto the door. It takes everything he's got, but
he manages to get it closed. Instant silence.
Cold to the bone, he grabs a jacket off the racket.
Approaches Carrie, who remains staring at the closed
door. The effects of the chill and Doc's decision
apparent.
Pryce wraps the coat around her shoulders. Gently leads
her away.
DISSOLVE TO:
Super: THREE MONTHS LATER
INT. CARRIE'S OFFICE - ASB
The sounds of lapping surf and distant seagulls serenades
us like a rhythmic lullaby as we --
CU on sand with a shadow of a palm tree casting over top
of two pairs of feet -- intertwined.
Slowly widen -- to see Carrie and Pryce, kicking back on
lawn chairs, side-by-side. Two heat lamps pouring out
bright, warm light. A cut out piece of paper in the
shape of a palm leaf is taped to one of the lamps --
throwing the shadow.
Pryce has a small bandage over his shoulder.
(CONTINUED)
105.
CONTINUED:
Carrie lies back, rests, eyes closed.
PRYCE
How's the weather where you are?
CARRIE
Hot. But there's a gentle breeze.
Fiji's beautiful this time of
year.
PRYCE
Yeah, St. Barts ain't bad either.
They lie there quietly, relishing the moment.
PRYCE (cont'd)
Six months. Six long months.
Carrie turns over on her stomach -- lets the heat warm
her back.
CARRIE
Nah. Freedom's just a sunrise
away.
There's a new calender on the wall, where the days of
Winter-over have been marked off -- long way to go.
EXT. ASB BASE - ESTABLISHING - NIGHT
Pull away from the building, which fades into the icy
darkness and howling wind of the Antarctic winter.
THE END
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