I am Legend

INT. NEVILLE'S HOUSE - GREENHOUSE - DAY

Neville tends to the garden. Anna picks strawberries.

ANNA

I mean, there could be more like you.

Like me. Uninfected. Surviving.

Aren't you curious? Don't you want to know?

There's a whole country... A whole continent...

NEVILLE

How old are you?

ANNA

Nineteen.

NEVILLE

I'm forty-two. When you're forty-two,

you like staying put.

INT. NEVILLE'S HOUSE - GARAGE - DAY

Neville fills the generators, checks the Land Rover, the back-up car, the motorcycle. Anna eats strawberries.

ANNA

Are you gonna rape me?

Neville looks at her with disbelief.

NEVILLE

Hadn't planned on it, no.

ANNA

Those guys in Eureka, that's what they

had in mind.

NEVILLE

I figured as much.

ANNA

Why are they like that?

NEVILLE

Who?

ANNA

Men. Most men are like that.

NEVILLE

Not me. So don't worry.

ANNA

Yeah, but you're... weird. Not normal.

NEVILLE

I'm not normal? (re the strawberries)

Not too many of those. You'll get sick.

EXT. NEVILLE'S HOUSE - ROOF - DAY

Neville replaces bulbs in lamps. Anna searches the surrounding area with a pair of binoculars.

ANNA

Why do you think this happened?

My dad thought it was God. God got

so pissed off at what people were doing,

He decided to end it. Once and for all.

NEVILLE

This isn't about punishment. God doesn't

want us to suffer.

ANNA

Oh yeah? Why then? Why let this happen?

NEVILLE

We let this happen. Not Him.

ANNA

How do you know?

NEVILLE

I don't. That's just what I believe. If

I didn't, I would've blown my brains out

a long time ago.

INT. NEVILLE'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - DUSK

Anna and Neville sit down to dinner. Neville whispers a blessing, then serves the food.

ANNA

Robert?

First time she's called him that. He looks up.

ANNA

Can I stay here?

He analyzes her beautiful, youthful face. Her tough exterior has vanished like so much vapor.

NEVILLE

If you want.

ANNA

I do. Thank you.

He nods and shyly returns to his plate. They sneak glances at each other as they share the rest of dinner in silence.

EXT. NEVILLE'S HOUSE - ROOF - NIGHT

Neville shows Anna how to switch on the powerful exterior lights. He lifts a pair of binoculars to his eyes and surveys the area. Again, no Hemocytes.

NEVILLE

Have you gone? Have you?

He retreats inside. Anna hesitates on the roof. Looks at the barren area beyond the compound fences. She waits for a moment, apparently deeply torn, then follows.

INT. NEVILLE'S HOUSE - SURVEILLANCE CENTER - NIGHT

He shows her the various closed-circuit screens and computer.

NEVILLE

For movement outside the far fence, your

best vantage point is the roof. Beyond that,

you're better off down here. (re the monitors)

Visual checks here, (re the computer) sensor

checks here. The area surrounding the house is

monitored for changes in heat, sound, movement.

If one gets inside the fence, you'll know.

The computer displays the electronic mines.

NEVILLE

If you can't take them out with a shot from the

roof or one of the windows, use these. Each

spot on the screen corresponds to a keyboard

command. Press it and it ignites a mine.

Just make sure you have the right one.

ANNA

Kind of cold-blooded isn't it?

NEVILLE

There are hundreds of them and just one of me.

(rethinks) Two of us. It's just the way it has to

be.

Anna thinks she sees the system's fatal flaw, a weakness.

ANNA

What happens if they all come-over the

fence? All at once?

NEVILLE

They won't.

Neville hits a button on the computer keyboard. All the "mine" symbols start blinking red. He throws a switch and an ALARM sounds. A RED LIGHT FLASHES. Anna panics.

NEVILLE

In thirty seconds, the whole thing goes up.

The house, the yard, the hill. All of it.

ANNA

Turn it off!

Neville enjoys her discomfort.

ANNA

TURN IT OFF!

He pushed it too far. Shuts the system down.

NEVILLE

Two years ago, I captured one of them.

Brought him inside and showed him just

what I showed you. Then I let him go.

They know. (remembering) Do you remember

the old Cold War? No, you were too young.

ANNA

I read about it.

NEVILLE

Well then. During the Cold War, there was

an unspoken understanding. If any of the

major powers launched an all-out assault,

the target country would retaliate in equal force.

It would mean total destruction. The attack

would be rendered meaningless. So peace was

maintained. I guess you could call it peace,

even what I have with Cortman--(MORE)

NEVILLE (cont'd)

it's a sort of peace. We have our border

clashes, skirmishes. But we both know...

ANNA

Where are they now?

NEVILLE

I have no idea. It could be a trick.

They might be gone. Once and for all.

Most of them--when things began to

settle down--became nomadic. When a food

supply became depleted, it became necessary

for them to move on, to find new sources.

But he remained. Laying his claim.

Establishing a power base.

ANNA

Who?

NEVILLE

Cortman.

ANNA

Who's Cortman?

Neville almost laughs. Can't believe she doesn't know.

NEVILLE

Who's Cortman?

INT. NEVILLE'S HOUSE - MEDIA CENTER - NIGHT

TVs litter the floor. Like an obsessed librarian, Neville searches for the perfect assortment of videotapes. Anna sits in a chair like a moviegoer waiting for the show.

NEVILLE

How old were you? Sixteen?

Anna nods.

NEVILLE

Where were you living? Portland?

ANNA

No. We lived in the mountains.

About two hundred miles east.

NEVILLE

You didn't see any of this?

ANNA

My dad didn't allow TV. My brother...

My brother and I used to sneak into the

car to listen to the radio sometimes...

NEVILLE

But you never saw?

ANNA

Not until after. Not 'ti1 it was all over.

When they came our way. From the cities.

My father thought cities were Sodom and

Gomorrah. And they were the offspring.

The damned.

He inserts the first cassette.

NEVILLE

You know what I did? I taught history.

I've kept all this as a record. A document

of the truth. Someday, it might help.

Someone, someone in the future...

They can see. See for themselves what

happened.

He presses PLAY. TV NEWS FOOTAGE.

NEWS ANCHOR

(ON TAPE)

... a disturbing occurrence at Berkeley.

Our John Sanchez is on the scene...

The tape now shows a herd of REPORTERS, FIREFIGHTERS, and POLICE OFFICERS outside the KRIPPEN CENTER at Berkeley.

SANCHEZ (ON TAPE)

Three doctors and two security guards were

murdered as ten patients fled the Krippen Center

for Genetic Research. We have no information on

the nature of the work being done here, but...

He sees a wounded DR. KRIPPEN escorted from the Center by two policemen. Blood drips from his forehead.

SANCHEZ (ON TAPE)

Dr. Krippen? Dr. Krippen?

Can you tell us why the C.D.C. was alerted?

Is there a public danger?

Krippen looks shell-shocked. He hides his face and slinks into the rear of a police car.

Neville shuts off the tape. Presses PLAY on another deck, another TV springing to life. VIDEO FOOTAGE of the San Francisco CHIEF OF POLICE at a PRESS CONFERENCE filled with ANGRY REPORTERS. Blown-up PHOTOS of the "Krippen Ten" rest on easels behind him. Most prominent is a photo of CORTMAN. Neville points to it for Anna.

NEVILLE

That's him. That's Cortman.

CHIEF OF POLICE

(ON TAPE)

These men and women are considered extremely

dangerous. They have now killed twenty people

in just forty-eight hours. Including four police

officers.

REPORTER ONE

(ON TAPE)

Chief, we've gotten no clear answer on this...

Are these people carrying some kind of virus?

We have a right to know.

CHIEF OF POLICE

(ON TAPE)

I'm going to turn that over to Dr. Petersen

from the C.D.C.

DR. PETERSEN steps up to the microphone.

DR. PETERSEN

(ON TAPE)

Upon the CDC's review of Dr. Krippen's

research, Washington has given us the authority

to term this a Code Red situation. Each of the

ten is carrying a potentially lethal virus-type agent.

SHOUTS AND CRIES FROM THE PRESS.

REPORTER TWO

(ON TAPE)

Is it contagious?

REPORTER THREE

(ON TAPE)

What are the symptoms?

DR. PETERSEN

(ON TAPE)

Listen, we're still trying to get a handle on

this ourselves. The Berkeley campus is under

quarantine. For the moment, we have no plans

to implement such containment in the city itself.

Neville shuts off the tape.

NEVILLE

No, but you should have.

(to Anna)

You don't know what it was like.

The fear. The panic.

He starts another. VIDEO FOOTAGE of the GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA reading a statement. The poor man looks absolutely distraught.

GOVERNOR (ON TAPE)

... just spoken to the President. Although it

grieves me to do so, for the safety of our citizens,

the National Guard has declared a state of martial

law in the State of California. I am told such

considerations are underway in Arizona, Nevada,

Utah, and Oregon. Under the statutes of martial law,

and in accordance with the extreme circumstances of

this situation, all personally-owned firearms will be

confiscated by the military. Also, a mandatory curfew

--for all civilians--is instated. The curfew will begin at

sunset and last until sunrise the following day. Anyone

on the street during this period is considered dangerous.

A "shoot-to-kill" order has been issued. Anyone exhibiting

symptoms of infection must admit themselves to the

nearest medical facility for treatment. If a child is

symptomatic, the parent or parents will be held responsible.

Noncompliance in this request is a punishable offense.

Punishable by death. Finally, all bodies... All victims...

must be properly disposed of. If you see a corpse, do not

touch it. Call the 800 number at the bottom of the screen

and a disposal unit will be alerted.

God have mercy on us all.

Neville switches off the tape. Turns to Anna.

NEVILLE