Hackers

MARGO

Precisely what you're paid to prevent.

PLAGUE

Someone didn't bother reading my carefully prepared memo on commonly used passwords.  Now, as I so meticulously pointed out, the for most used passwords are love...

(gesturing lewdly)

... sex, secret and...

(eyeing Margo)

... God. So would your holiness care to change her password?

Margo just blinks prettily.

PLAGUE

A hacker planted the virus.

MARGO

Virus?

PLAGUE

Yesterday, the ballast program for a supertanker training model mistakenly thought the vessel was empty, and flooded its tanks.

MARGO

Excuse me?

PLAGUE

(as if to a child)

The little boat flipped over. A virus planted in the Gibson computer system claimed responsibility.

MARGO

What, it left a note?

Plague hits a button on a remote control, and the virus – a long haired male model – appears on a large screen, in psychedelic colors. The virus speaks in a hammy Italian accent.

VIRUS

Unless five million dollars are transferred to the following numbered account in seven days,  I will capsize five tankers in the Ellingson fleet.

BOARD MEMBER

Is that...

PLAGUE

(interrupting)

That is the virus. Leonardo da Vinci. The problem is we have twenty six ships at sea and we don't know which ones are infected.

DUKE ELLINGSON

Well then, put the ships' ballasts under manual control.

PLAGUE

There's no such thing anymore, Duke. These ships are totally computerized. They rely on satellite navigation, which links them to our network, and the virus, wherever they are in the world.

MARGO

So what are we supposed to do?

PLAGUE

Well luckily, you have a gifted and talented security officer. I traced the hacker's call.  The secret service picked him up this morning.  I'll just search his files for the original virus code, and then I can eliminate it.

INT. ELLINGSON MINERAL ATRIUM

Plague, Margo and two suits from the boardroom are riding down an escalator.

SUIT #1

Now look, now we expect you to get onto this right away, yeah?

PLAGUE

Yeah!

SUIT #1

Well, how soon?

PLAGUE

Well, we're working on it as fast as we can.  This is a very common occurrence in corporations as large as ours. You have nothing to worry about.

SUIT #2

Yeah, right.

SUIT #1

Now, you're sure about that, Mr. The Plague?

PLAGUE

Yeah, the Secret Service is helping us out 100 percent. Okay?

SUIT #2

Yeah.

SUIT #1

Okay.

PLAGUE

We'll be in touch. Talk to you later.

The suits get off the escalator, Plague and Margo take the next one down.

MARGO

What the hell was that all about?

PLAGUE

I had to move fast. The hacker copied my garbage file.

MARGO

What?

PLAGUE

I created Mister da Vinci so we could call in the Secret Service. So they'd arrest the hacker, sieze his equipment, things that we can't do on our own.

MARGO

I don't want to go to jail for this.

PLAGUE

Relax. Think about the 25 million dollars.

MARGO

But you've created a virus that's going to cause a worldwide ecological disaster, just to arrest some hacker kid?

PLAGUE

Basically, uhmm, yeah. Mmm hmmm.

MARGO

Jesus. You know, you're sick, Eugene. You...

PLAGUE

Sh, sh sh sh sh.

Plague stops a passing secretary and snatches a piece of paper from her hand.

PLAGUE

I'll take care of this.

SECRETARY

Alright, sir.

PLAGUE

I can cancel it any time. I don't need any program code. But it's the perfect cover, to confiscate the disc and find out how much of that garbage file has been copied.

MARGO

Get it!

(walking away)

Why did I ever trust you?

(going back up the escalator)

Get the file. Otherwise you'll lose all your toys.

INT. SECRET SERVICE INTERROGATION ROOM

Joey is distraught over the dismantling of Lucy. Agent Ray examines the Mac's innards.

GILL

Did you find the program for the virus on any of the discs we confiscated?

PLAGUE

No. He's either very smart or very stupid.

GILL

Then he stashed it somewhere, or he has an accomplice. We'll release him until his indictment, keep tight surveillance, and see if he leads us to your disc.

EXT. OUTSIDE JOEY'S PLACE

Joey's apartment building is an L-shaped skyscraper about 30 storeys high, unimpressive by New York City standards.  Two Secret Service agents are staking Joey out in a car outside.

SECRET SERVICE AGENT BOB

Unit 3 outside suspect Joey Pardella's apartment. Nothing to report. Suspect still grounded... by his mother.

His radio crackles.

AGENT BOB

Listen to this bullshit.

(he reads)

"This is our world now. The world of the electron and the switch, the beauty of the baud. We exist without nationality, skin color, or religious bias. You wage wars,  murder, cheat, lie to us and try to make us believe it's for our own good, yet we're the criminals. Yes, I am a criminal. My crime is that of curiosity. I am a hacker and this is my manifesto." Huh, right, manifesto? "You may stop me, but you can't stop us all."

AGENT RAY

Now that's cool.

AGENT BOB

Cool?

AGENT RAY

Yeah, cool.

AGENT BOB

You think it's cool?

AGENT RAY

(not caring for where Bob is going with this)

It's cool!

AGENT BOB

It's not cool. It's commie bullshit!

INT. HIGH SCHOOL BOYS' ROOM

Dade, Cereal and Phreak check their faces. Cereal brushes his teeth.

CEREAL

(to Phreak)

So what do you think, can I crash at your place tonight?

DADE

What is it with this guy?

PHREAK

His parents missed Woodstock and he's been making up for it since. Hey, you hear about Joey's bust?

CEREAL

Yeah. Probably had something to do with that bank in Idaho.

PHREAK

Do you think he could hack a Gibson?

DADE

Did you talk to him?

PHREAK

Nope. His mom said he's grounded for his next three lifetimes.

(imitating her)

He isn't to consort with his computer friends.

(himself again)

The secret service is really out to get him.

(changes the subject)

Hey there's a big party tonight, you wanna go?

Dade shakes his head.

PHREAK

It's at Kate's...

Dade just smiles.

PHREAK

 Thought so!

Cereal and Phreak leave, Cereal dancing.

INT. PLAGUE'S OFFICE

Plague is wearing a VR helmet and gloves, playing some sort of action game. He is unaware that Gill has just entered the room.

GILL

What the hell are you doing? Plague!

He thumps the VR pedestal.

GILL

PLAGUE!

Plague finally notices, and takes off the helmet.

PLAGUE

Gill.

GILL

I think we've got something.

Gill hands Plague a folder. It has the logo of Stanton High.

PLAGUE

Uuugh, hard copy.

Plague looks it over and recognizes a name.

PLAGUE

Dade Murphy.

INT. DADE'S PLACE

It's after school. Dade's just unlocking the front door, only to find a Secret Service agent behind it. And one behind him in the hallway. Both point pistols at him.

AGENT RAY

Secret Service!

AGENT BOB

Don't move!

They slam Dade against a wall and start frisking him.

DADE

Christ! What is the...

AGENT BOB

Shut up!

DADE

What are you doing, man? Get off me!

They lead him into his room and throw him down on the bed.  Plague is there.

AGENT BOB

Just sit in the bed and keep your hands where we can see them.

PLAGUE

The year was 1988. And this nasty virus crashed fifteen hundred systems in one day.

Dade has a flashback.

DADE

Fifteen hundred and seven.