HOT ZONE

Johnson abruptly casts off. Jaxx almost falls in.

FOLLOW THE BOAT - DOWNRIVER

Through the rapids. Jaxx whoops hanging on.

JOHNSON

There's never been a case of Ebola

isolated on this continent! How in

the hell did it get to Virginia?!

He guides the Drifter expertly up a swell and crashes down

into a chute. Jaxx yells again.

JAXX

That's why I came to find you!

CUT TO:

EXT. RIVER BEND - MORNING

Johnson and Jaxx pull the Drifter ashore in the calm of a

backwater. His Cabin is visible set back in the trees.

JAXX AND JOHNSON - TRACKING

He's pumped annoyed and angry all in the same moment. The

world has intruded on him here in paradise.

JOHNSON

What about exposure? Anybody died

yet? Anybody spiked fever?

JAXX

Just the monkeys. And one exposure

at our lab so far.

He stops Jaxx in her tracks -- getting right in her

face --

JOHNSON

You don't know that for sure -- do

you? Do you? You don't know how

many people this bug could be

incubating in do you? And I'll bet

my hat the CDC doesn't know either.

She doesn't. He doesn't wait for an answer. He stalks

on.

JOHNSON

I warned them this would happen.

They didn't see what I saw in

Africa. As long as these viruses

are killing black people and yellow

people and red and brown in far off

places -- why should we give a big

woolly damn here at home?

EXT. JOHNSON'S CABIN - CONTINUING ACTION

He bumps the door open and enters. Jaxx hesitates,

bristling, pumping herself up, she follows him inside.

It's an eclectic collection of fishing gear, Indian art,

African and South American artifacts, carvings, photos --

JAXX

Dr. Johnson, I think you should know

the Ebola vaccine has been a

priority at RIID --

JOHNSON

And you haven't got one yet, do you?

Do you?

Jaxx shakes her head "no" guiltily.

JOHNSON

Do you know where Ebola comes from?

Huh? The natural host? The

reservoir? After all these years?

-- Take a wild guess --

Jaxx angrily shakes "no." He opens the Dewars --

JOHNSON

Don't say monkeys. The Virus kills

them too quick for a monk to be a

host. Twelve years and we still

don't know what animal, vegetable,

mineral or insect Ebola comes from.

-- fishing a glass from a shelf, he fills it and knocks it

back. No sympathy from Jaxx.

JAXX

So what are you hiding out here for?

He shoots her a lethal look.

JAXX

Okay, "fishing." I mean -- why did

you retire? Quit your research?

He pours another and one for her. His voice calms.

JOHNSON

Why? Because nobody really wants to

cure these diseases. The

Bureaucrats and Doctors would rather

fight over who gets credit -- and

who patents the cure.

(hands her a drink)

The world's got a gun to it's head

and there's nothing I can do to keep

it from pulling the trigger.

It absolutely predestined truth the way Karl says it.

Jaxx heard Peter say it. She heard enough.

JAXX

-- You don't remember me, but I

remember this about you -- I heard

you say the best place to be in an

outbreak is at the epicenter...

trying anything possible to stop it

-- I guess I was mis-informed...

She returns the full glass, completely disillusioned.

JAXX

Go... fishing.

She shakes perfunctorily and heads for the door. Johnson

watches her go with profound regret.

JOHNSON

Hey -- Jaxx. We found another virus

in a lot of the blood samples we

took in Zaire. AIDS.

Jaxx stops. Chilled.

JAXX

We had AIDS samples back in '76?

JOHNSON

Yeah. But it wasn't killing anyone.

Ebola was.

He chokes it off. Pain and sorrow in his eyes.

JOHNSON

We could've been ready for AIDS. We

could've saved some lives.

Jaxx stares at him in stunned silence, reeled by the

ramifications. She has a better understanding of this

man's pain -- and a deeper respect.

JOHNSON

Everyone knows "it's not nice to

fool with Motha Nate-cha." Now

she's got us by the --

He gestures squeezing with a cupped hand -- He cuts

himself off, suddenly an embarrassed gentleman --

JAXX

"Balls," Karl. She's got us by the

balls.

Their eyes meet. She's pried him loose. He's ready. He

offers her the full scotch glass. She clinks it against

his. They knock the Scotches back. Warriors going to

war.

CUT TO:

EXT. FT. DETRICK - USAMRIID - AERIAL VIEW - NIGHT

SUPER: THURSDAY, NOV. 18 - FT. DETRICK, MD - 1100 HRS.

INT. WAR ROOM - NIGHT - ROVING POV

The CAMERA GLIDES THROUGH: THIRTY FIVE CIVILIANS AND

MILITARY PERSONNEL caucusing and buzzing with the mission.

A HUGE PROJECTION SCREEN - THE WAR ZONE

It's not a recon photo -- but the Ebola cellscape.

A WAR MAP fills another screen. It's of Washington D.C.

and vicinity. A series of expanding circles fan out from

Reston, Virginia right over Washington D.C.

GENERAL RUSSELL makes his point to a small group including

COL. TAKAFUJI of the Surgeon General's and an ASSISTANT

from the Dept. of Interior.

RUSSELL

If we have a respiratory threat --

and it gets loose -- up to ten

million people could be exposed.

TO C.J. - ACROSS THE ROOM

Coffeed out and hot tempered, makes his point to GIRARD

and some SUITS from Synergy along with CDC REPS.

C.J.

This virus could jump and start

burning through the human population

right now. Today. We've got to get

in there and depopulate the entire

primate colony before that happens.

Instant reaction. All focus turns to C.J.'s group.

GIRARD

What about my company's investment?

Not all the monkeys have symptoms.

I'm not going to euthanize perfectly

healthy specimens --

C.J.

The Army will handle the operation.

C.J. is about to blow. A familiar voice speaks up.

REESE

The Army's done a great job --

CHUCK REESE separates the Army and Girard's contingent.

Chuck hasn't changed much since that day 12 years ago with

Johnson in Africa. Now in his late 30's, he's risen to

the top of the heap at CDC.

REESE

-- up to now. And everyone at CDC

is really grateful, C.J., to your

team for sounding the alarm. We'll

take over from here. So if you'll

give us virus samples and your

data --

C.J. bristles at Reese's tone. No love lost here.

C.J.

Chuck, that sounds a little like

"give the big boys the sharp objects

before we hurt ourselves." Synergy

called in the Army and we will

maintain our alert status.

REESE

C.J. -- c'mon. We don't need to

start a war here.

Battle lines drawn. The room buzzes.

REESE

I was in Africa with Karl Johnson

during the Zaire event. I worked in

close contact with Ebola victims at

Kinshasa for two months and was

never infected.

Reese grabs Peter's micrographs waving them around.

REESE

There was no data in Africa to

support aerosol transmission -- We

don't even know if it's the same

strain.

C.J. and the USAMRIID team argue in disarray.

REESE

I recommend we low-key the press and

media. We can't afford to "cry

wolf" to the American public --

A commotion at the back of the room disrupts everyone --

JOHNSON (O.S.)

You can't afford not to --

TO JOHNSON AND JAXX - ENTERING THE ROOM

A major stir. Raised eyebrows and confusion around.

Johnson's name ripples through the room.

Karl shakes C.J.'s hand as he dumps his bag on the table.

JOHNSON

Sorry I'm late --

C.J. glares at Jaxx -- then nods a private "thank you."

Jaxx lets out a huge sigh of relief.

C.J.

Karl -- glad you're here.

Gen. Russell shakes his head waiting for the fireworks.

Reese looks like a deer caught in the headlights.

REESE

Dr. Johnson -- Karl, we were just

wrapping up --

JOHNSON

Well, I'm just beginning --

FOLLOW JOHNSON - WORKING THE ROOM

Like Merlin and Clarence Darrow merged.

JOHNSON

Monkeys, separated in cages with no

social contact, are dying days and

weeks apart from the first outbreak.

That indicates a strong airborne

transmission threat --

He illustrates the transmission pattern on a standup

diagram of the monkey house.

JOHNSON

Do you, all of you, want to take the

chance with innocent people?

He fixes on Girard who can't hold his piercing gaze.

JOHNSON

You have to quarantine the Monkey

Handlers and anyone who had

unprotected contact -- NOW. They

could be exposed and incubating.

You have to put a surveillance plan

into action to watch their families

and co-workers for symptoms --

Lots of reaction here. Jaxx is mesmerized watching Karl

ignite the room. Girard has had it --

GIRARD

Is this man in charge here?

General Russell pulls C.J. aside --

RUSSELL

You better control him, C.J.

C.J. just grins and nods, loving every minute of this.

Reese jockeys for the floor.

REESE

Look, we don't know if the virus can

jump species from monkeys to people.

Nobody's sick. Right?

Girard nods confirming this fact. Reese scores points --

REESE

The monkeys with Ebola are going to

die anyway. We'll harvest the

infected ones and save the rest.

Girard and the Synergy contigent audibly approve. The

power has shifted visibly in the room.

REESE

Karl -- I think you're

overreacting --

Wrong thing to say. Karl drills Reese with his eyes --

JOHNSON

I am...? It only takes seven days

to find out once you've got it.

First come the headaches -- followed

by a relentless fever. Then the

hemorrhaging begins. Your skin goes

pulpy and tears easily. It speckles

with petechiae -- erupts is a rash

that turns your flesh to tapioca

pudding. Your bowels fill up

completely with blood. So do your

eyeballs. You vomit a thick black

fluid -- After bloody diarrhea, you

pass your intestines, what's left of

them --

JAXX SURVEYS THE ROOM - SHE SEES:

Disgust, horror, fear. One Man leaves the room nauseated.

JOHNSON

A man's testicles swell up the size

of footballs. And if you're not

dead by then or comatose, you've

become hostile -- acute psychosis --

dementia --

A Preacher's pause...

JOHNSON

At the end, you're leaking blood and

huge quantities of virus from the

nose, mouth, anus, eyes, nipples --

rips in the skin...

-- letting the images sink in.

JOHNSON

The black plague killed four out of

ten people. When the white man and

the red man exchanged diseases,

seven out of ten died. Ebola wipes

the slate -- nine out of ten people

in this room won't be here.

He turns, making eye contact with everyone in the room.

JOHNSON

You have no choice -- but to cry

wolf.

... Dead fucking silence.

CUT TO:

INT. BL3 LAB - NIGHT

Peter draws his own blood with a syringe.

DISSOLVE TO:

PETER IN HIS SPACESUIT - MINUTES LATER

He places his blood slide under the microscope and studies

it on the monitor. He sits back relieved. He swivels in

his stool to a wall calendar.

THE CALENDAR - CLOSER

He marks another day off in red. Two down, five to go to

the day he's marked "E-DAY"... Thanksgiving.

TO JOHNSON - AT THE HOTSUITE TALK PORT

JOHNSON (TALK PORT)

Anybody home?

His voice vibrates through thin diaphragms set in the

thick glass enabling communication into the suite.

Peter walks to the glass happy to see his old mentor.

PETER (TALK PORT)

Just us flesheaters.

Karl gets a good look at Peter close to the glass. Guinea

Pigs fill the wall behind him. His followers.

JOHNSON (TALK PORT)

I heard about your little flask

sniffing episode. How're you doing?

Peter looks at the non-existent watch on his suit wrist.

PETER (TALK PORT)

Let's see, I was exposed two days

ago. Incubation takes about a week;

therefore. If I'm infected, I

should be getting my first headaches

in, oh, about five days. If I spike

a fever, seven days later -- the

guys around here will be flipping

coins to see who gets my vacation

days --

Karl doesn't laugh. Peter sobers under his stern eye.

JOHNSON

If the bug spreads by aerosol, you

won't be the only one with a

headache.