Arcade

all around them flicker on, static-laced IMAGES fading in. They are the
faces of their friends...Greg, Laurie, and many others.  All those that
have disappeared.  The VOICES fade in and out, merging with one another,
tinged with the same mechanical edge of ARCADE's voice.

    VOICES
   (eerie)
  Nick...Alex...save us...

    ALEX
   (horrified)
  Oh God...

Nick grabs Alex and pulls her into the canter of the room.

    NICK
  Put it out of your head, Alex.  It's just
  trying to psyche us out.

Despite Nick's words, we can tell that the VOICES are having a
disheartening effect on him.

THE ARCADE

prototype stands in front of them now, and surprisingly, the machine is
not on.  The eyes in the leering black face are quite dead.

Around Alex and Nick, the faces of their friends continue to fade in and
out, casting the whole room in a strange shimmering blue light.

Nick moves to the back of the machine and opens the access panel,
revealing the internal circuitry.  He pulls a small penlight from his
pocket and flips it on.

    ALEX
  What are you looking for?

    NICK
  A way to hook this helmet into the game.
  I'm sure there are interfaces...

NICK'S P.O.V.

And indeed there are.  Parallel interfaces, where you might hook a printer
cable into a computer.  Nick takes the cable from the CyberHelmet and
secures it into one of the interfaces.

    NICK
  There.  Now we're wired in.

He stands and moves around front, pressing the "START" button of the game.

Nothing happens.

He presses it again.  Nothing.

    ALEX
  Is the game plugged in?

Nick checks.  It is.

    NICK
   (frustrated)
  I don't understand.  It wants us to play
  the game.  It's been taunting us ...

    ALEX
  Put in a quarter.

    NICK
  It can turn itself on, Alex!  It doesn't
  need a quarter.

    ALEX
  Yes it does.  Don't you see?  We have to
  play by the rules.  That's what it wants.

Nick rifles through his pockets.  He doesn't have a quarter.  Neither does
Alex.

    NICK
  Change machine.

Nick moves over to the change machine and picks up a nearby chair.  He
SMASHES the chair into the face of the machine again and again,
obliterating the lock.  Nick opens the front of the machine and tears out
the coin box, spilling quarters all over the floor.  He grabs a handful
and returns.

    NICK
  There.

He shoves one in ARCADE's coin-slot and pulls on the CyberGloves.

    ALEX
  Two players, Nick.  You need to put in
  another quarter.

Nick straps the goggles over his eyes.

    NICK
  You're not coming, Alex.

    ALEX
  Yes I am...

    NICK
   (snapping)
  I know how to do this!  I'm good at these
  games.  You never play, you'd be nailed in
  an instant.

    ALEX
  And what if something happens to you? Am I
  suppose to go in after you alone?!

    NICK
  No.  If you're smart, you run like hell.

Alex grabs a second quarter and shoves it in the coin slot.

    ALEX
  I'm going.

Nick stares at her a moment, then nods tiredly.  She reaches for the
second pair of CyberGloves and pulls them on.

    NICK
  You don't get it, do you?

    ALEX
   (strapping on goggles)
  What?

    NICK
  I don't want anything to happen to you.  I
  care about you.

    ALEX
  I already have a boyfriend, Nick.

    NICK
  I know.
   (beat)
  It sucks.

The two of them stand there a moment, looking at one another.  After a
moment, Nick laughs tiredly.

    NICK
  What can I say?
   (pulls on the CyberHelmet)
  Tough being a hero, isn't it?

Nick reaches out for the joy-stick and hits the "START" button.

    NICK
   (grim)
  Here goes nothing.

As before, the screen comes to life.  Darkness and sparks. Then we hear
the BREATHING.

ARCADE'S FACE

spins into view, grinning at Alex and Nick.

    ARCADE
  NICK.  ALEX.  I MISSED YOU SO MUCH. ALL
  YOUR FRIENDS ARE HERE.

    ALEX
  Fuck-you.

    ARCADE
  ANY TIME.

    ALEX
  We know what you are.

    ARCADE
  A HEARTLESS MONSTER, OF COURSE.
   (incredibly evil)
  OH SAVE ME, ALEX, SAVE ME FROM MYSELF.

ARCADE laughs and it's not a sound you'd want to hear twice.

THE LIGHTBEAM

clicks on, playing over their faces and analyzing their features.

ON SCREEN

ARCADE'S face spins away and computer-generated versions of Alex and Nick
appear.  As before, they are suited up in video game armor, each carrying
a thrasher board.

    ARCADE
  KISS REALITY GOODBYE.

The video versions of Nick and Alex hop onto their thrasher boards and the
world around them curls in upon itself.

The process is similar to what we've seen before, but even more extreme.
LIGHTS and SOUNDS are pouring out of the ARCADE machine in almost
unbearable intensities.  It seems as if the "real" world is going to be
shaken apart.

    NICK
   (over noise)
  Hold on!

    ARCADE
  SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE.

ANOTHER FLASH OF LIGHT AND...

Alex and Nick disappear from the real world completely. Their equipment,
gloves and goggles, fall to the floor, empty.  They've been physically
sucked inside the game!

The light from the screen dies down now and everything is oddly quiet.

ON SCREEN

BOOM!  Suddenly a circuit grid is rushing up to meet them!

(Note:  As we move through each level, video legends will appear on the
screen as title cards, enhancing the effect that we are actually inside a
video game.)

The words "LEVEL ONE -- BLOOD RED SKY" flash across the screen and we...

        CUT TO:

EXT.  LEVEL ONE, THE PLAINS -- DAY

Alex and Nick slam into the ground like twin meteors, splashing up water
and muck.

THE RED SKY

crackles with LIGHTNING.  Smoke obscures everything. Alex and Nick pull
themselves up, a bit dazed.

    ALEX
   (looking around)
  You feel it?  It's different this time.

    NICK
  We're actually inside, aren't we?

Alex nods.

    NICK
  Okay.
   (deep breath)
  Give us a kiss?

    ALEX
   (after a moment)
  One.  In case...

    NICK
  Don't even say it.

Nick leans over and gently kisses Alex on the lips.  It's over in a
moment, but he'll savor it the rest of his life.

    NICK
  Thanks.  Always wanted to do that.

    ALEX
  Yeah, well I figure these are unusual
  circumstances.

    NICK
   (grins)
  That's what I was hoping you'd say.

Nick flips the visor on his helmet down and checks the digital read-out on
his CyberGlove.  When he speaks, his VOICE is filtered through a radio
headset.  Nick looks good in his armor, tough.  Hell, they both do.

    NICK
  I'll take the lead and handle the physical
  threats.  You watch the elapsed time and
  look for exits.

    ALEX
  Got it.

Nick tosses his thrasher board down and it hovers above the water.  He
steps onto it, comfortable.  Alex does the same. She's a little shaky, but
she maintains her balance.

    NICK
  You steer by pivoting your back foot...
   (he demonstrates)
  Okay?

Nick turns, looking around.  The land seems identical in every direction.

    NICK
  Which way do you think Level Two is?

    ALEX
  You've got the schematics, check.

Nick panics for a moment, patting his uniform, checking pockets.  He can't
find them.

    NICK
  Oh shit!  What if they didn't come with us?!

He stops.  Reaches into a pocket, and pulls out the schematics.  Breathes
a sigh of relief.

    NICK
   (looking at them)
  Okay.  It's West.

    ALEX
  The keys are supposed to be at the end of
  each level.  Once we get all the keys, we
  can unlock ARCADE's heart. And then...

She looks at Nick, uncertain.

    NICK
  ...and then we go to the Final Level.
   (off her look)
  Hey, don't worry about it.  It's a game.
  How bad could it be?

Alex glances at her wrist display.  The "ELAPSED TIME" bar is made up of
ten blocks of light stacked upon each other. The top block has
disappeared.  One tenth of their time is gone.

    ALEX
  The clock's already ticking.

    NICK
  Right, then...

Nick leans forward and the board starts to float.  Alex does the same, and
in seconds, they're gliding over the plains.

FROM ABOVE,