"Absolute Zero"
Characters:
Zeta/Zee (Diedrich Bader)
Ro (Julie Nathanson)
Agent Bennett (Kurtwood Smith)
Agent West (Michael Rosenbaum)
Agent Lee (Lauren Tom)
Agent Rush (Erica Alexander)
Andrea Donoso (Grey Delisle)
Colonel Lemak (Michael Dorn)
Commander (John Rubinow)
Dr Eli Selig (George Segal)
Dr Wilhelm (Michael T. Weiss)
NOTE: Waugh! You’ve found me out! Alright, alright, this is NOT an official script. This is merely a transcript disguising itself as one in order to deal with self-esteem issues. (Although I am willing to juggle cats to get my hands on a real script! ^-^) Per usual, The Zeta Project is copyright Robert Goodman, Warner Brothers Entertainment, Atomic Studios, Kids WB!, YTV, Cartoon Network LA & AU, and other people in dark glasses trying to take over the world.
[The episode title appears and fades over an outside shot of the Advanced Research and Development building. A man exists and passes RO, who is carrying a large bag of groceries. An ATTACKER pops out of the bushes and begins fighting with her for her purchases.]
RO
Aaa! Help!
[Two SECURITY GUARDS exit the building to aid her.]
SECURITY GUARD #1
Hey! Hold it!
[The ATTACKER drops the bag and runs. The other SECURITY GUARD chases after him.]
SECURITY GUARD #1
You okay?
RO
Yeah, but the food! My mom’s gonna kill me!
[The other SECURITY GUARD follows the ATTACKER around the corner, to discover he has disappeared. He spots an OLD LADY waiting for a bus.]
SECURITY GUARD #2
Ma’am, did you see anyone?
OLD LADY
A man ran by. That way!
[The GUARD continues on. The OLD LADY changes appearances to reveal herself as ZEE. Seeing that RO is keeping the other one busy, he disguises himself as a SECURITY GUARD and enters the building. Outside, RO finishes repacking the bag.]
RO
Thanks!
[She gives the groceries to a nearby homeless woman.]
RO
Here you go.
[The GUARD is surprised. Meanwhile, ZEE enters into a computer room and downloads some retinal files. Another SECURITY GUARD enters.]
SECURITY GUARD #3
Hey!
[ZEE throws some chairs in his way and runs out. RO is waiting outside in a parked hovercar.]
RO
Aww, they’re playing our song.
[RO starts up the car, while ZEE continues to avoid the guards.]
GUARD #1
You! Freeze!
[ZEE cuts a hole in a nearby window and jumps through. As he’s falling, he catches a ledge on another building and swings up.]
GUARD #2
How the-
[The other guard shoots the stone the android is holding on to. He plummets to the ground but is caught by RO at the last minute.]
RO
Did you forget you can’t fly again?
[They take off. The scene cuts to an NSA boot camp where various agents are in training. LEE and WEST finish a run and begin crawling under a field of laser fire.]
WEST
Aaauuaah!
LEE
Stay down!
[They exit the field and head to a large climbing wall. LEE offers WEST a boost.]
LEE
Hurry!
[He makes it up but ignores his partner.]
LEE
Huh?
[WEST heads to the end of the platform and hits the button on a large timer reading 10:13.]
WEST
Woohoo! We did it! We...
[He realizes that LEE is not next to him. The rest of the agents- including LEE- glare at him from the ground. BENNET appears from the back.]
BENNET
Forget your teammate, Mr West?
WEST
I uh...
BENNET
Teamwork! When your team falls apart, your mission falls apart! And no one gets the goal.
[He pushes WEST off the platform. LEE continues to glare at him. AGENT RUSH runs up to BENNET.]
RUSH
Agent Bennet! Sir, security breach at an R and D building this morning. Right over in Restton. Sounds like an infiltration unit.
BENNET
Zeta. Well, why are you still standing here? Find out what he was doing! Move it!
[The scene moves to the outside of a building marked Cryobin. ZEE, wearing a lab coat over his usual shirt and slacks, is holding a large red container. RO’s head pops out of it.]
RO
What is this place?
ZEE
It’s a cryonics lab for freezing and preserving living tissue.
[A guard (Ed. Note: who has an eerie resemblance to the actor playing Ro’s Brother in "Ro’s Reunion" 0.o) does a retinal scan of several scientists entering the building.]
ZEE
Dr Selig reserved it for the day. Whatever he’s doing, it’s very secret.
[RO re-enters her hiding place. ZEE begins to approach the guard.]
ZEE
All the usual staff have been given the day off except the one man he’s meeting.
[He shifts his hologram to incorporate the retinal data from earlier. The guard scans ZEE’s eyes. His machine beeps.]
CRYOBIN GUARD
Dr Wilhelm? You’re clear.
[ZEE enters the building. A blonde woman rushes over to the guard.]
ANDREA DONOSO
Who was that?
[ZEE ducks into a side room where he removes the hologram from RO.]
RO
Let me get this straight: You’re posing as the guy Selig’s here to meet. What happens when the real guy shows up?
ZEE
He’s not expected for hours. That gives us plenty of time.
[RO grabs a nearby lab coat. They exit into the main hallway.]
RO
Yeah, plenty of time to get busted. Look, I’m just saying that Selig might not be thrilled that one of his killer robots is stalking him.
ZEE
I have to risk it. He’s the one person who can prove I’m not a threat.
[The blonde woman comes up behind them.]
ANDREA DONOSO
Hey! Wait there!
RO
Uhn, made already.
ZEE
Keep walking. I just need enough time to find-
[RO smacks into DR. SELIG]
RO & SELIG
Uhn!
ZEE
Dr Selig...
ANDREA DONOSO
Dr Wilhelm! We didn’t expect you yet. Andrea Donoso, Dr Selig’s assistant.
SELIG
Dr Wilhelm, it’s good to meet you.
ZEE
It is. I mean, I’ve been wanting to meet you for a long time.
SELIG
Oh, please.
[Everyone looks generally pleased.]
SELIG
Come on, we’ll get started.
ZEE
Dr Selig? I need to- You were the head of the Zeta Project.
SELIG
Were you on that? You seem young.
ZEE
I was... just starting out.
SELIG
Must be a bright young man.
[SELIG punches in a security code and they enter a lab.]
SELIG
Shame the way that turned out.
[It’s a cryogenics lab with scientists bustling everywhere. SELIG interests himself in a freezing machine.]
ZEE
What I’m trying to say is- Could we speak privately?
SELIG
I hear you solved some of the risk of tissue damage during the freezing process. Tell me about that.
ZEE
I, uh...
ANDREA DONOSO (o.s)
Excuse me, Dr Wilhelm? Come with me a second. We have a problem.
[ZEE follows ANDREA back into the hallway. Security guards step aside to reveal a man with a goatee and a lab coat.]
DR WILHELM
Dr Wilhelm?
ZEE
Yes?
DR WILHELM
I’m Dr Wilhelm.
ZEE
That is a problem.
[ZEE dashes back towards the lab.]
ANDREA DONOSO
Get him!
ZEE
Dr Selig!
GUARD 1
He’s after the Doc! Fire!
[The guards begin firing into the room. The various scientists scream.]
DR WILHELM
No, no, don’t shoot in there!
[A couple of laser shots hit the freezing machine activating it and trapping SELIG inside.]
SELIG
Huh?
COMPUTER
Danger: Contamination imminent. Evacuate all sectors.
DR WILHELM
Oh no.
ANDREA DONOSO
Everybody out!
[There’s general screaming and running as everybody heads for the exits. RO stops and looks around.]
RO
Zee!
[He’s stopped to figure out where DR SELIG is.
RO
C’mon!
ZEE
Where is he?
[The doors close as the last generic scientist leaves the room. Our heroes finally find their target- struggling to get out of the cryogenic chamber.]
ZEE
Dr Selig!
[The process finishes and the good doc is turned into a chunk of ice. ZEE is stunned.]
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]
[ZEE notices that one of the nearby machines is sending out a plume of sparks. He runs over to stabilize its program with his wrist thingie. RO attempts to open one of the sealed doors.]
RO
Rrrr... What’s going on? Why did the doors shut?
ZEE
It’s a safety precaution, in case contaminants are released in an accident.
RO
Contaminants?! You mean poison?!
ZEE
Yes, but don’t worry. There’s nothing dangerous in the air.
RO
Tell the computer that. Maybe it’ll let us out.
[A nearby monitor begins to spark again, sending up smoke.]
RO
Or not.
[The cryo-chamber begins beeping. Zee rushes over to examine the wiring. He rips out one of the cords.]
RO
What are you doing?!
ZEE
The computer is too damaged to keep Dr Selig stable. I’ll have to do it myself.
[He plugs his wrist cord into the now empty hole.]
RO
What? Why not just thaw him out?
ZEE
It’s too risky. The temperature shifts have to be precisely balanced. If not, he could die.
[The scene shifts to outside the Cryobin building, where the guards are equipping themselves with laser guns.]
ANDREA DONOSO
Explain this to me again: are there poisons in the air or not?
DR WILHELM
You tell me! What did the mysterious Doctor Selig have in those cases? No one will even tell me what he’s experimenting on!
[ANDREA confers in whispers with an attendant and then turns back to DR WILHELM.]
ANDREA DONOSO
N, nothing we brought is hazardous. That’s all I can say.
DR WILHELM
Then your guards must have set off the lockdown. They shouldn’t have opened fire in there!
ANDREA DONOSO
Fine! It’s our fault. Just tell us how to get back in, and fast. Who knows what those people want with him!
DR WILHELM
The system is supposed to sample the air and give the All Clear itself. Obviously, it’s malfunctioning.
[ANDREA glares at him.]
ANDREA DONOSO
You’re not helping yet.
DR WILHELM
(Sigh) Cut through enough airlocks to get me into my office. I can get us in from there.
[She nods. The guards begin using the guns as laser cutters on the doors. The camera pans back to reveal RO watching the action on a monitor.]
RO
Zee, we have to find a way out of here. They’re coming back in. Let them keep Dr Selig stable!
ZEE
He’ll never survive long enough for them to get here, Ro. I’m his only hope.
RO
So what are we supposed to do? Just sit here and keep him alive until they come in and arrest us?
ZEE
[Beat.] Yes.
[RO is stunned by his statement. Cut to outside of the building, where an NSA cruiser is arriving. BENNET is pacing the length of the ship, while agents WEST and LEE stare blankly at computer screens.]
LEE
We’ll be at the R&D building in two minutes.
RUSH
Sir! Incoming call.
[He takes the call, revealing an image of COLONEL LEMAK.]
BENNET
Colonel Lemak. I step on somebody’s toes?
LEMAK
Not yet, but you’re close. You have to back off this one. It’s above your clearance.
BENNET
Sir, with all due respect, I’m after a renegade Infiltration Unit. Every minute it’s out there, lives are at stake. Is something more important than that?
LEMAK
We’re not changing your orders, Jim. Just sit this one out and go after the synthoid next time. Forget about the break-in at R&D.
BENNET
[Beat.] Yes sir.
[The viewer switches off.]
BENNET
You have the exact terminal Zeta accessed?
RUSH
Yes sir.
BENNET
Fine, give it to me. Hard copy only. None of you heard any of this. I’ll take the heat myself.
LEE
Sir?
BENNET
Something wrong, agent?
LEE
I’ve just... never seen you disobey orders before.
BENNET
Is that it, or are you just disappointed for your synthoid friend?
[LEE looks down pensively.]
BENNET
It may be time to rethink your assignment here, Ms Lee.
[He returns to the bow of the ship. WEST swivels to face LEE.]
WEST
[Whispered.] You are so busted.
[The scene switches to the R&D building from a the beginning of the episode. A janitor pulls his cart over to the room where ZEE was before. He turns to the camera to reveal himself as AGENT BENNET. BENNET takes a small scarab-shaped devise from the cart and places it over the lock. It is unlocked, and BENNET enters the room. He quickly hacks into the terminal and searches for recent downloads. He pulls a voice recorder from his pocket.]
BENNET
Doctor Fredrick Wilhelm, Cryobin labs. [Beat.] He’s only a level two clearance. So what’s going on at Cryobin that’s so much more secret?
[He attempts to search further but receives an ‘Access Denied’ message.]
BENNET
Access Denied? Yeah right.
[He bypasses the message. A picture of DR SELIG appears.]
BENNET
I’ve seen this name before, Dr Eli Selig. Double check attendee records: the Gotham Symposium, the Genetics Conference of Texas, that museum in Grandview... I think I’ve found what Zeta’s after.
[The scene fades from the photo of DR SELIG to the real guy frozen in thee cryo chamber. ZEE stares in worriedly while continuing to regulate the machine. RO has taken a seat on a nearby desk.]
RO
Ever grow tired of just staring? Of course not; you’re you.
ZEE
It’s so strange. I’ve come so far to talk with him, and here we are finally alone, and still...
[He looks down. The machine starts to beep.]
ZEE
The machine is breaking down. Help better get here soon.
[RO watches the outside guards attacking the doors with laser cutters on the monitor. They get through the outer layer and into the hallway.]
RO
They’re comin’. I can’t believe after running for so long, now you’re in a rush to get captured.
ZEE
It’s a simple equation, Ro. If Dr Selig doesn’t survive, I’ll be hunted forever. If he lives, and if he believes me, I have a chance for freedom.
RO
That last one’s a big If.
[A console blows. Various explosions go off, and RO is flung off.]
ZEE
Ro!
[He looks frantically between his two choices, trying to decide whom to save.]
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]
[There’s a quick repeat of what happened just before the commercial break.]
ZEE
Ro!
[He looks frantically between his two choices, trying to decide whom to save. He ruefully de-attaches himself from DR SELIG. Just then, RO pulls herself back onto the desk.]
RO
Owww... I don’t suppose any of these cases has aspirin...
[ZEE smiles and hooks himself back up to the machine. There is a sudden clang of sirens.]
RO
What’s happening?!
[The graphs on the side of the machine are fluctuating wildly, and the light is flicking on and off. ZEE peers in to examine DR SELIG. Smoke filters in from the ceiling.]
ZEE
The chamber’s gone into failure! Dr Selig is dying!
[Some of the cryogen gas leaks out onto a tool cart. The cart is suddenly frozen and then shatters into a million pieces.]
RO
Woah!
ZEE
The cryo-gas! The cart couldn’t handle the extreme cold.
[Part of the cryo-chamber start exploding. ]
ZEE
I have to get him out of there.
RO
But you said he’d die from the temperature shift.
ZEE
There is one chance. I may be able to control his warming with my own internal heat element.
[He starts disassembling parts of the machine.]
RO
Hold it! You’re going to walk into the gas to get him?!
ZEE
I have to.
RO
You saw what happened to that cart. How do you know it won’t happen to you?
ZEE
I don’t.
[He drops his hologram.]
ZETA
Stay back!
[RO runs behind the desk. ZETA opens the doors and enters. Ice starts to form on his body. RO looks on worriedly.]
RO
Zee! Are you okay?
[The is an explosion, and the cryogen gas begins to fill the room. It dissipates, and ZEE emerges with DR SELIG in his arms. His chest panels are open, casting a warm glow on the doc.]
RO
Zee!
[She runs to him as he last DR SELIG on a cart.]
DR SELIG
Aaah...
ZETA
Don’t try to speak. There’s been an accident. But you’ll be okay.
DR SELIG
[Weakly] Who are you?
[ZETA looks nervously at RO. She smiles encouragingly.]
ZETA
My name is-
[He is cut off by a klaxon. The guards have been able to cut their way in. DR WILHELM deactivates the locks.]
COMPUTER
Containment cancelled.
[The doors open. ZETA and Ro look nervous.]
GUARD #1 (o.s.)
C’mon!
GUARD #2 (o.s.)
This way!
GUARD #1(o.s.)
They’re still in the lab!
[The rush in. DR SELIG is alone. ANDREA DONOSO runs to his side.]
ANDREA DONOSO
Dr Selig!
[Outside, military has arrived. Various troop pile out of futuristic tanks. A medical van pulls up. An EMT emerges from inside the building with a stretcher.]
COMMANDER
Out of the way! Injured man coming through.
[The EMT goes to the back of the van, where he is revealed as ZEE and his patient as RO.]
RO
Let’s go!
[They start to flee, but are cut of by the arrival of the NSA ship. ZEE grabs RO’s hand and pulls her in another direction.]
ZEE
This way!
[They jump into a military cruiser, where ZEE disguises himself as a soldier. They breeze past the NSA ship. BENNET’s crew exits and approaches the soldiers.]
COMMANDER
They’re not in there. Stand down. Building secure.
[The military leaves. DR SELIG is rushed out on a stretcher, accompanied by his assistant.]
ANDREA DONOSO
Stay still. We need to get you stabilized.
BENNET
Hold it! I need to speak with that man.
ANDREA DONOSO
He’s too weak!
BENNET
I just have a few questions-
LEMAK (o.s.)
Jim!
[DR SELIG is lifted into the ambulance. COLONEL LEMAK exits a car and heads over to AGENT BENNET.]
LEMAK
What did I expressly tell you?
BENNET
Sir, that man is the key to all this. He could be Zeta’s target. He deserves to know!
LEMAK
I told you, you don’t have the clearance!
BENNET
He builds infiltration units! Imagine him in the hands of terrorists. What they could do with his knowledge!
LEMAK
You focus on the synthoid- we’ll protect Selig.
[LEMAK heads to his car. AGENT LEE approaches AGENT BENNET.]
LEMAK
Now leave it be.
[He nods briefly to LEE and then leaves.]
BENNET
You told him I was coming.
LEE
Just doing my job, sir.
BENNET
Your job is to retrieve that synthoid.
LEE
Not any more.
[She hands him her badge and pistol, then turns to leave. She passes AGENT WEST.]
WEST
But, Lee-
[AGENT RUSH directs him away.]
RUSH
Come on, hotshot.
[The scene changes to the inside of a bus. ZEE and RO are staring out the window. It starts to rain.]
RO
Hey. Stop thinking so loud.
[He turns to look at her.]
ZEE
I hoped all this running would end today.
RO
You saved Selig’s life! Not what you’d call a good day? Besides, the running hasn’t been so bad. We met each other. And thanks to me, ya haven’t gotten your head blown off yet. You found Selig once. We’ll find him again.
ZEE
We’ll both find what we’re looking for. You’ll see.
Ro
You think?