Brazil

LIME

It's a start isn't it.

SAM

(disbelieving)

But I already knew this!

LIME

Best to take it slowly where some women are concerned.

Sam sits on Lime's chair and deftly punches the computer keys.

LIME

Hey – that's my desk!

SAM

(working quickly)

Gillian Layton – Suspect S/5173. Truck driver! All enquiries, reference officer 412/L – Room 5001.

(switching off the machine and getting up)

That's what I wanted to know. Thank you very much.

INT. CORRIDOR – DAY

Sam heads off down corridor. WARREN & CO. appear.

WARREN

Ah, Lowry, glad I caught you...

(he continues to deal with expediters in between dealing with Sam)

No, send it back for... Are you settling down?... I want this order rescinded... There's a query on a personnel transporter you took out from the pool... Tell them no, tell them yes,... or was it a personnel carrier you took out from transportation... Send that up to Security... Some kind of eight-wheel- half-track, was it?... Tell him I want to see him... Send round the paperwork, Lowry... Arrange a conference on that one... Anyway, tidy it up, Lowry, there's a good chap – get a new suit. Did you want the lift?

The cavalcade is passing the lifts. Sam backs away into the open lift. The cavalcade passes on out of sight. The lift contains a CHARLADY with a bucket and mop. She remains in the lift as Sam joins her.

INT. THE LIFT

Sam presses the button for the 50th floor. The lift doors close on him and the Charlady. From somewhere far away there is the groaning shriek of a man in pain. Sam glances around the lift. There appears to be an air conditioning vent in the ceiling.

Sam glances enquiringly at the Charlady who merely smiles at him. Another scream is heard.

SAM

What's that?

The Charlady smiles again.

SAM

Doesn't that disturb you?

The Charlady fiddles with something in her ears and pulls out a pair of wax earplugs.

CHARLADY

Beg your pardon?

The lift arrives.

INT. 50TH FLOOR CORRIDOR – DAY

The lift arrives. Sam steps out. The Charlady remains in the lift. The doors close. Sam heads down surgically clean white-tiled corridor.

Passing a white-coated TECHNICIAN monitoring what appears to be electric meters, Sam comes to a door with 5001. Above the door a red light is glowing. Sam knocks. The red light goes out and a green light comes on. Sam enters.

INT. ROOM 500l – DAY

Inside there is a connecting door to he next door room but the only person in the immediate room is a pleasant-looking FEMALE TYPIST, wearing headphones, chewing gum and typing with great facility. Sam approaches the Typist who, busily typing, twinkles a greeting (mimed) and silently mouths the words...

TYPIST

It won't be long now.

(she carries on typing)

Sam nods, and stands quietly by her. He can hear tiny sounds coming through her headphones. He looks down at the piece of paper in the typewriter. He reacts a bit strangely, perhaps even winces. We see he close up of the words being struck crisply on paper.

ON TYPEWRITER

AHHHH, Oh God... No, don't... UHH, please... I... STOP!! I can't stand... AIIEEEE.

TYPIST

(quietly, still typing)

Can I help you?

She is looking at Sam helpfully, holding one of the earphones away from her ear. From this earphone we can just hear quietly...

EARPHONE

Oooooooh... aaaaaahhh... please... arrrrrghhhh no... please... Oh God, No... No, stop, I don't know...

SAM

I'm looking for Officer 412/L.

The Typist nods smiling. She puts back the earphone and carries on typing.

TYPIST

I'm sure he won't be long now.

She types a little more but suddenly stops.

TYPIST

I thought so!

She takes off the earphones and takes the paper and carbonums out of her typewriter and starts collating all the different copies.

Through the frosted glass door leading into the next area, Sam can see a FIGURE come through a double door and turn left, making a silly 'hi' sign to the Typist as he exits from sight. She is charmed. Almost immediately after them, a white-coated TECHNICIAN exits, but to the left.

TYPIST

You can go in now.

INT. JACK'S OFFICE – DAY

Sam goes through the glass door and is about to push open the double doors in front of him. He is halted by a noise from the Typist – she indicates that he is to go to the left. He does so and enters an office. An antique desk with a large collection of executive toys and other tastefully reassuring furniture fill the room which is a rather oddly shaped... distorted as it by the curved wall of the much larger room that Sam was stopped from entering. Nevertheless the feel of the room is confidently successful. A buzzing noise draws Sam's attention to the wash basin in the far corner. The Information Retrieval Technician is standing by a sink massing his temples with old-fashioned scalp vibrators. His back to us.

SAM

Excuse me. Are you office 412/L?

The Technician makes no sign of having heard this. He continues vibrating his temples.

SAM

(a bit louder)

Er, excuse me!

Getting no response Sam walks over to the Technician. As he passes the desk he notices a strange mask lying face down on the desk top. It seems strangely familiar – but as it is a negative concave image Sam isn't sure. He continues over to the Technician.

SAM

(louder)

Excuse me.

He touches the Technician on the shoulder, who jumps with a start. He spins around and turns out to be none other than Jack Lint. He is amazed to see Sam.

SAM

(surprised)

Jack!!

JACK

(recovering slightly)

SAM! What a surprise!

SAM

(even more surprised)

Are you officer 412/L?

Jack looks confused. He pauses, and then removes ear plugs.

JACK

(shaking Sam's hand)

Sorry about that... Mr. Helpmann told me you were coming aboard – congratulations!

SAM

Thanks. Are you officer 412/L?

JACK

For my sins. Are you settling in alright?

SAM

Yes, thanks.

JACK

Terrific. I'm really glad you dropped by. Unfortunately, I don't have any time right now I've got a queue of customers to deal with – er, why don't we have a drink tonight?

SAM

(diffidently)

Ah...

JACK

What?

SAM

I don't want to take up your time now, but I was hoping you could give me some information on somebody. It's a security level three matter and Information Retrieval records says to refer to you.

JACK

OK. Come back this afternoon, about four o'clock. If you give me the number of the case, I'll have the dossier here waiting.

(he pulls card from his pocket – pushes it towards Sam)

My tailor,... well worth the investment.

SAM

(taking print-out sheets from his pocket)

I've got numbers all over these – I'm not sure which is the one you want.

JACK

(looking at the print-out picture of Jill over Sam's shoulder)

Layton! Oh shit!

SAM

What is it?

JACK

You clever bastard! I might have guessed. You only moved in today and you're already hot on the bloody trail.

SAM

Am I?

JACK

Please, Sam, we're going to have to be open to each other on this one. If you make a reputation with this case, it'll be at my expense.

SAM

How do you mean?

JACK

How much do you know?

SAM

Not much.

JACK

Enough though, eh?

SAM

(getting sucked into this exchange)

Not really, no.

Jack goes over to the sink and turns on the taps full blast, splashing the water noisily into the basin.

JACK

OK. OK. Let's not fence around... This is the situation. Some idiot somewhere in the building, some insect, confused two of our clients, B58/732 and T47/215.

SAM

B58/732, that's A. Buttle isn't it?

JACK

Christ! You do know it all!

SAM

No, no, I don't. I'm just beginning Honestly. Sorry, carry on.

JACK

Well, your A. Buttle has been confused with T47/215, an A. Tuttle. I mean, it's a joke! Somebody should be shot for that. So B58/732 was pulled in by mistake.

SAM

You got the wrong man.

JACK

(a little heated)

I did not get the wrong man. I got the right man. The wrong man was delivered to me as the right man! I accepted him, on trust, as the right man. Was I wrong? Anyway, to add to the confusion, he died on us. Which, had he been the right man, he wouldn't have done.

SAM

You killed him?

JACK

(annoyed)

Sam, there are very rigid parameters laid down to avoid that event but Buttle's heart condition did not appear on Tuttle's file. Don't think I'm dismissing this business, Sam. I've lost a week's sleep over it already.

SAM

I'm sure you have

JACK

There are some real bastards in this department who don't mind breaking a few eggs to make an omelette, but thank God there are the new boys like me who want to maintain decent civilized standards of terrorist eradication. We've got the upper hand for the moment, but they're waiting for us to slip up, and a little slip- up like this is just the chance they're looking for.

SAM

So how...?

JACK

What I've got to do now is pick up Tuttle, interrogate him at the same voltage as Buttle, to the same meter reading to the last penny, and juggle the books in electrical banking.

SAM

What has Tuttle done?

JACK

We suspect him of freelance subversion.

SAM

(dumbly)

He's a freelance subversive?

JACK

He's a compulsive heating engineer. A maverick ex-Central Service repair man with a grudge against society. Now, fortunately, we're nearly out of the wood, I think. At least we will be when I get this Layton woman under arrest.

Jack turns off taps and goes behind screen.

SAM

(agitated)

What's she done?

JACK

You didn't know as much about this business as you pretended to, did you?

SAM

Er... no.

JACK

Very smart.

SAM

Er... but I would've found out anyway.

JACK

Yes. I'm impressed.

SAM

(playing the game)

Tell me about Layton.

JACK

She witnessed the Tuttle arrest – the Buttle arrest – and since then she's been making wild allegations, obviously trying to exploit the situation – she's working for somebody, and she's not working for us.

SAM

A terrorist?

Jack comes from behind the screen with a look confirming just what Sam fears, and hands him a suit.

SAM

Ah... thanks.

Sam begins to put the suit on.

SAM

(hesitantly)

But surely, I mean, perhaps she just happened to live above the Buttles, and...

JACK

(picking up photograph of wife and kids from his desk)

Look after that suit, eh. Barbara chose it for me.

SAM

Right. Er, you're not going to keep calling her Barbara, are you?

JACK

Barbara's a perfectly good name, isn't it?

SAM

(preferring to let his drop)

Look, about the Layton woman – maybe she's just trying to help the Buttle family.

JACK

Why?

SAM

Why? Hell, not for any reason...

JACK

(baffled)

I don't follow you.

SAM

Out of kindness.

JACK

(utterly baffled)

Kindness? What's the purpose behind this line of enquiry?