Hackers

PHREAK

You know, you're right about that.

(to Dade)

Check it, Friday.

Phreak hands Dade a flyer for Cyberdelia.

JOEY

Alright. How about the Master of Disaster,  huh?

PHREAK

You're hopeless, man, utterly hopeless.

Phreak walks away.

JOEY

Ultra Laser.

(desperate)

Doctor Doom!

EXT. NEW YORK CITY STREET VILLAGE – NIGHT

Dade rolls in on rollerblades. Street vendors hawk computer parts and bootleg software. A bootleg music vendor catches Dade's attention.

CEREAL

Check this out, each and every one of you.  Compilation tape, of my own making. I call this the "Greatest Zooks Album". Featuring artists like, well I got some Hendrix on there, some Joplin, Mama Cass, Belushi... all great artists that asphyxiated on their own vomit!

The small crowd around him finally gets the joke.

CEREAL

Can't get this in stores, man, I made it!

Dade wheels into Cyberdelia, which just happens to be equipped with a ramp down to its main floor for the benefit of skaters. The place pounds with loud, bassy techno music and coloured light. Video monitors with psychedelic patterns complete the atmopshere. There is a video game with a huge screen. Phreak is at a pay phone.

OPERATOR

(on phone)

Please deposit five dollars for the first minute.

Phreak holds a small box up to the receiver, presses a button, and the box emits a series of tones.

OPERATOR

Thank you.

PHREAK

Nonono, thank YOU!

Dade checks out the scene. Kate is playing the big video game. Dade skates up to her. She loses her last man.  She's got the high score, in fact her name dominates the top-10 list.

DADE

That's a nice score for a girl.

KATE

(irritated by Dade's presence)

Think you can do better?

DADE

I'll give it a shot.

Kate yields the controls to Dade, who begins playing.  Kate's boyfriend looks on from a mezzanine several feet above.

CURTIS

Is this kid bothering you, Kate?

DADE

Sorry, can I get some room here?

CURTIS

Yeah.

(to Kate)

Why don't you come up here?

Kate obliges and joins Curtis. Dade continues playing.  He plays brilliantly. The game is a flashy 3-D high-speed chase game with lots of surprises. Dade loses, but his high score is about to come up.

CURTIS

He's good!

Dade's score comes up. He's in the #1 position. Phreak is amazed.

DADE

(to Kate)

Well, it looks like I'm on top.

Kate, defeated, leaves. Curtis follows.

PHREAK

Congratulations. No one's ever beat her before. You just made an enemy for life.

(to someone else)

Boy meets world. Let's go?

EXT. OUTSIDE CYBERDELIA – NIGHT

Kate and Curtis are sucking face, oblivious to the busy world around them. Dade and Phreak watch, more than a little disgusted.

DADE

Who's that?

PHREAK

Curtis.

DADE

And what's he do?

PHREAK

That's it, you're looking at it, he just looks slick all day.

Kate and Curtis start to take off on Curtis' motorcycle.  Kate and Dade make eye contact briefly. The motorcycle speeds off into the night.

INT. DADE'S ROOM

The clock says it's 4:16. As the camera pans up to Dade,  it changes to 4:17. Dade is hacking again. It's the school's administration system. Dade schedules a test of the school sprinkler system for 9:30am.

INT. HIGH SCHOOL CORRIDIR

Dade stands alone in the hall, watching the time closely.  Phreak rounds a corner and meets Dade.

PHREAK

What's up?

Dade doesn't answer. He watches the time a couple of more seconds, then opens an umbrella. Immediately the fire sprinklers turn on. Phreak starts getting drenched. He realizes what is happening.

PHREAK

(amused and highly impressed)

Oh my God. You...

A bell rings and students pour out into the halls by the hundreds. They're all being showered on. A tall cheerleader bounces by Phreak, pushing her pom-pom in his face.

PHREAK

Way cool!

(to Dade)

You saw that?

Dade nods in the affirmative.

Kate walks up to Dade, also understanding what has happened.

KATE

What the hell is going on?

DADE

Pool on the roof must have a leak.

Kate gives Dade a look that could kill and skulks away.

Dade walks away under his umbrella, smug and dry.

PHREAK

Man, oh man, this is gonna be good.

INT. HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOM

Dade, Kate, and a couple of other students are writing on the chalkboard. Kate finishes first.

KATE

If God gave men brains bigger than dogs',  they wouldn't hump womens' legs at cocktail parties.

The class giggles.

KATE

Ruth Libby.

TEACHER

I'm not so sure your mother qualifies as a significant author of the twentieth century.

KATE

Her last book sold two million copies.

CLASS

(almost in unison)

Woooooo!

The teacher reads Dade's quotation.

TEACHER

"Angel-headed hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of the night."

DADE

That's Ginsburg.

TEACHER

Nice. Very nice.

KATE

He's not in this class.

DADE

I said give me time.

KATE

He's not enrolled in this class.

TEACHER

Well, he's on my list.

Kate leaps across a desk and snatches the list from the teacher. Dade is on it. She gives Dade another filthy look, both Dade and the teacher just shrug. The teacher moves on to Cereal.

TEACHER

"Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most?"

CEREAL

Ozzy Osbourne!

TEACHER

You. What is your name?

The teacher grabs the list back from Kate.

CEREAL

Uh, Emmanuel Goldstein, sir?

TEACHER

You, however, are not on my list.

CEREAL

(in mock shock)

Whoa, this isn't wood shop class?

The class cracks up. Kate and Dade exchange looks as the teacher escorts Cereal to the door.

INT. DADE'S PLACE

MRS. MURPHY

How was school?

DADE

(eating)

Hmmm.

MRS. MURPHY

What did we learn in school today?

DADE

Revenge.

MRS. MURPHY

Aaaah. Did we meet someone special?