HOT ZONE

Peter shys, almost sheepish.

PETER (TALK PORT)

Actually, I've been sleeping here --

in the lab. I don't want to expose

my family...

Karl is impressed by his protege's discipline.

JOHNSON

You know you're not contagious

unless you have symptoms, Pete.

Don't woof me. How's your blood?

PETER (TALK PORT)

(crossing his gloved

fingers)

No Ebola antibodies yet. The test

tube-witch willing -- I can go home

for Thanksgiving.

He points to: THE CALENDAR: THANKSGIVING; five more

days. Peter smiles hopefully. Karl sees the fear in his

eyes.

JOHNSON

Reese still doesn't believe the

bug's airborne. All that red tape

must've choked off the air supply to

his brain.

Peter pushes his glasses back up on his nose through his

plastic visor -- he motions Karl inside.

CUT TO:

MICROSCOPIC VIEW - MONKEY SHOT

Crawling with the virus. Armies of it. A huge Ebola

brick shaped like a shark fills the view.

PETER (O.S.) (TALK PORT)

Monkey snot -- Look at that big

honker. Definite airborne threat.

INT. HOT SUITE - BL3 SIDE - CONTINUING ACTION

Karl peers at the monitor scope wearing surgical mask,

visor, gloves and scrubs. He sits back depressed.

JOHNSON (FM MIC)

I hate being right sometimes. The

monkey house is not the end. It's

the beginning.

He muses -- eyes fixed on some other horizon.

JOHNSON (FM MIC)

How are you fixed for Sister

Genevieve?

PETER (FM MIC)

Gold plated stuff. Her immuno

plasma is still the strongest

therapy we've got against Ebola...

At least in my guinea pigs.

Peter reverently holds up a packet of plasma to the glass

marked "Sister G." Johnson savors it. A long lost

friend.

JOHNSON (FM MIC)

Sister "G"... she beats Ebola -- She

beats it -- then dies of AIDS three

years later she picked up in the

same hospital... Hell, nobody said

life was fair.

PETER (FM MIC)

We're down to less than four units.

JOHNSON (FM MIC)

That's not quite enough to fight an

epidemic.

PETER (FM MIC)

If Sister "G" was alive, I could

clone her immune cells for my

synthetic antibody trials. We could

crank out anti-ebola serum like a

Chinese noodle factory. We could

immunize our troops -- dogs -- cats

-- even politicians --

The two men share a moment of hopeful laughter.

JOHNSON (FM MIC)

C'mon. Let's blow this fishtank.

Beer and Pulitzer Pizza on me.

Peter doesn't move. He shakes his head reluctantly "no."

JOHNSON (FM MIC)

You're a good virologist, Pete.

Karl puts his gloved hand on the glass by Peter's.

PETER - AT THE WINDOW

This funny little man in a blue spacesuit smiles shyly

from the BL4 lab window like a big lonely blue fish.

CUT TO:

INT. JAXX'S VET CLINIC - LATE NIGHT

Gerry checks the leg cast on a BIRDDOG. Blackhawk snoozes

at his feet. Suddenly the Big Bouvier is up -- alert --

JAXX ENTERS from the house carrying a couple of beers

still in her traveling clothes. Ever up. Tireless.

JAXX

Room service.

She hugs Gerry from behind rocking to and fro.

GERRY

I'll give you about an hour to stop

that --

She plops beside him and pops the beers.

GERRY

How's the legendary Dr. Johnson?

Still the "ladies man"?

JAXX

I wouldn't kick him out of bed.

She's pricking him. Gerry punches her half-jealous.

GERRY

So? You're going to nuke the monkey

house?

JAXX

No. Just one room. About a hundred

"cynos." Synergy's stonewalling.

They're still arguing. CDC is low

keying the whole thing to "John Q."

Gerry whistles his disapproval.

JAXX

C.J. put me in charge of the monkey

operation. I'm looking for "a few

good men -- AND women."

GERRY

What about Army S.W.A.T.?

JAXX

They won't touch it.

GERRY

What about Special Forces?

JAXX

They won't touch it.

GERRY

Colonel, Jaxx, you don't need the

Green Berets. I've got more

military experience handling

diseased animals than even anybody

at RIID. I'm your first volunteer.

Gerry takes her in his arms. She breaks off troubled.

GERRY

I've seen this look on you before.

This is the "our daughter needs a

training bra stare." You're worried

about the kids?

JAXX

They're growing up so fast. I was

thinking -- if anything happens...

to either of us, I'd feel better if

the kids where someplace safe...

GERRY

We can send them down to my folks

for an early holiday... So they miss

a couple of days of school before

Thanksgiving. They won't mind --

Gerry holds her to him. She gets a chill.

JAXX

This is "closehold" info. We can't

even tell Jason and Jamie why.

CUT TO:

EXT. JAXX'S HOUSE - MORNING

Gerry loads the kid's duffels in his pickup. Jaxx says

goodbye to Jamie. Jason hangs back.

JAMIE

Mom? What's going on?

JAXX

Don't worry, Hon. We're going to be

real busy at the lab and --

Jamie instantly goes on the offensive.

JAMIE

-- and you just don't want me around

when you off a bunch of defenseless

guinea pigs. Right?

Jamie pulls away from their embrace.

JAXX

Jamie -- I'll explain it all --

JAMIE

(not interested)

Dad got out of the army. Why can't

you?

Silence. Jamie climbs in and slams the door glaring at

her mother through the windshield.

Jaxx puts on a braveface --

JAXX

See you Thanksgiving. Tell Popsy

and Mama to bring their appetites.

Love you...

-- watching them leave. Blackhawk barks them away.

CUT TO:

EXT. USAMRIID ANIMAL FARM - AFTERNOON

A pastoral farm. Sheep and Goats graze. Several horses

roam the corral. The oddity is the ARMY MEN AND WOMEN

assembled at the barn in camouflage fatigues. Officially,

they are classified as "91 Tango Animal Handlers." The

Veterinarians Corps. Jaxx addresses them.

SUPER: FRIDAY, NOV. 19 - USAMRIID ANIMAL FARM - 0800 HRS.

JAXX

The General Public pretty much

believes we're into biological

warfare and torturing animals for

research -- I know my daughter

does --

Laughter ripples.

JAXX

We know our mission is to save human

lives on the battlefield --

Most are in their "teens." Klages is there with SGT.

PIERRA, her boyfriend. Godwin holds a baby goat feeding

it milk from a bottle.

JAXX

Now we have a chance to do just that

right where we live. This operation

involves a high degree of risk.

You'll be working in a densely

populated area under close quarters

to euthanize diseased animals

infected with a rare and most deadly

pathogen.

Grave faces stare back at her. She tries to lighten up.

JAXX

Hey -- the Green Berets passed.

Fighting viruses doesn't suit their

image, they say. The Navy Seals

chickened out. You're 91 Tango

Animal Care Specialists! You're

better trained for this operation

than any branch of the military!

Big reaction from the young group. Klages and her

Boyfriend lead the whoop.

JAXX

This is on a volunteer basis. I

can't tell you how important our

success is to the safety of

thousands of innocent people.

This brings everyone down to earth. Klages squeezes her

Boyfriend's hand and steps forward.

KLAGES

I'd like to help, Colonel.

Jaxx nods. Klages is only a few years older than Jamie.

Immediately her boyfriend "volunteers" too. Then another.

JAXX

Thank you. This is closehold info.

We don't want a panic before the

operation. No discussion with

family or friends. Am I clear?

Godwin pipes up with her goat.

GODWIN

Colonel, Jaxx, M'am. My folks had

to sign a waiver for me to get in

the Army. I'm still 17. I don't

want to miss this --

Jaxx beams with pride at the bravery of these kids.

JAXX

I'd be proud to have you, Pvt.

Godwin. But you need a note from

your mother.

Laughter. Godwin is embarrassed. Jaxx gives her a Mom

hug.

INT. BARN - MORNING

Jaxx spots Johnson feeding a big Clydesdale. She enters.

JAXX

Well, we have the first bio-hazard

team in U.S. history --

JOHNSON

Doesn't matter what kind of war it

is -- we still send kids to do the

fighting.

JAXX

I sent mine to Grandma's house.

Johnson grins, then sees Jaxx isn't trying to be funny.

Silence. He handfeeds more oats to the horse.

JOHNSON

We're looking at one of life's true

mysteries.

Jaxx eyes him, puzzled. He leads the horse out.

JOHNSON

Ebola won't even make this horse

even a little sick, a dumb animal.

But the same bug can wipe out the

most intelligent species on Earth.

EXT. BARN - CONTINUING ACTION

JOHNSON

Makes you wonder who's the smarter

species -- Us or Them...

Johnson turns the horse loose. It bolts into the pasture.

Jaxx looks at him long and hard.

JAXX

You find the viruses beautiful,

don't you...

It's not a question. It's her scientific observation.

JOHNSON

(softly, gently)

Oh yeah. Looking at Ebola under an

electron microscope is like looking

at a gorgeously wrought ice castle.

The thing is so cold. So totally

pure.

THEIR POV - THE PASTORAL SETTING AROUND THEM

The upper Potomac gleams before the Appalachians.

JOHNSON

These viruses have been on Earth a

long, long time. Along comes the

human invasion. Too many people

violating the habitat.

He picks up a handful of hay to illustrate --

JOHNSON

We clear a forest, the virus comes

out. It doesn't "emerge." We crash

right into the bugs. Bam.

Epidemic. Our population gets

thinned out. This is nature.

-- tossing strands away until the last straw remains.

JAXX

Wiping us out? It can't get that

far -- can it?

JOHNSON

Nobody's safe from this bug, Nancy.

None of us --

Jaxx reaches out taking the last straw.

CUT TO: