Episode Five

Text Only Version

THE SHOW OPENS. NUEVO LAREDO, U.S./MEXICAN BORDER. A MEXICAN FLAG FLUTTERS IN THE BREEZE ABOVE A TILE-ROOFED GUARDHOUSE. A BOX TRUCK BUMPS OVER THE DUSTY TERRAIN, FOLLOWED CLOSELY BY AN SUV WITH A MAN HANGING OUT THE PASSENGER WINDOW, SHOOTING AT THE TRUCK. THE TRUCK MAKES THE ROAD AND THE SUV PULLS UP ALONG SIDE IT. THE TRUCK SWERVES TOWARDS THE SUV, TRYING TO RUN IT OFF THE ROAD. MEN HANG OUT OF ALL THE WINDOWS NOW, SHOOTING AT THE TRUCK. A BULLET HITS THE TRUCK TIRE JUST AS IT NEARS THE GUARDHOUSE. MEXICAN COPS WAIT, GUNS DRAWN, BLOCKING THE ROAD WITH THEIR VEHICLES. THE COPS FIRE AT THE TRUCK THAT IS BEARING DOWN ON THEM, AND IT VEERS FROM THE ROAD BLOCK AND CRASHES THROUGH THE GUARDHOUSE, REACHING AMERICAN SOIL. THE TRUCK PASSES A WAITING CAR. ATTWOOD SITS IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT, WATCHING THE WHOLE SCENE UNFOLD.

NEXT SCENE
SLOAN’S APARTMENT. TOM IS SLEEPING FITFULLY IN SLOAN’S BED. THE CAMERA PANS BACK AND WE SEE SLOAN WATCHING HIM FROM A CHAIR AT THE FOOT OF THE BED. SHE RISES FROM THE CHAIR AND TURNS TOWARDS THE KITCHEN.

Tom: Don’t go.

SLOAN WALKS OVER TO THE BED AND SITS NEXT TO TOM.

Sloan: How are you feeling?
Tom: I’m a little sore.
Sloan: Oh, your shirt’s soaked through. Let me get you another one.

HE NODS AND SHE GETS UP AND RETRIEVES A SHIRT FROM HER DRESSER. TOM SLOWLY PULLS HIMSELF INTO A SITTING POSITION.

Tom: How long have I been asleep?
Sloan: Almost a day.
Tom: Whew...

SLOAN BRINGS THE SHIRT AND SITS ON THE BED AGAIN, NEXT TO TOM. TOM GRABS SLOAN’S HANDS. SHE LOOKS UP FROM THE SHIRT AT HIM.

Tom: You saved my life.

HE REACHES UP AND CARESSES HER CHEEK.

Tom: I’ll never forget looking up, seeing you in that place.








Sloan: (stricken at the memory) Neither will I.

HE NODS AND SLOWLY DROPS HIS HAND FROM HER FACE.

Sloan: It was so dangerous for you to....I just hope it was worth it.

TOM CLOSES HIS EYES AND EXHALES.

Sloan: Did you get any of the answers you were looking for?
Tom: Some. I learned that uh, wiping put my childhood memories was part of my training.
Sloan: Why would they do that?
Tom: If something went wrong on one of my assignments, I couldn’t betray any secrets.
Sloan: Did you learn that from your mother?

TOM TILTS HIS HEAD AND WEIGHS WHAT SLOAN HAS JUST SAID.

Tom: How do you know about my mother?
Sloan: I met her. Would she have killed you?

TOM EXHALES IMPATIENTLY, ROLLING HIS EYES, HIS LIPS DRAWING INTO A THIN LINE, CLOSING THE CONVERSATION.

Sloan: Here, let me help you.

SLOAN PULLS TOM FORWARD TO REMOVE THE SOAKED SHIRT. IN DOING SO, SHE AGAIN SEES THE TATTOO UPON HIS BACK. SHE STROKES HER HAND OVER IT.

Sloan: Did you find out anything about the tattoo?

SHIRT OFF, TOM SITS BACK TO ANSWER SLOAN. HE SIGHS. (SO DO I, FOR THAT MATTER.)

Tom: We didn’t get that far.

THE PHONE RINGS. SLOAN GETS OFF THE BED AND GOES TO ANSWER IT. SHE PICKS UP THE PHONE AS TOM GETS OUT FROM UNDER THE BEDCOVERS AND UNFOLDS THE SHIRT.

Sloan: Hello?
Ed: (frantically) Sloan, you are not going to believe it. It’s incredible.
Sloan: Whoa, whoa! Ed! Slow down.
Ed: Ok, you know the storage warehouses down on Roscoe, right near Sherman Way?
Sloan: Uh, I’ve driven by them.

CUT TO ED, STANDING IN A PARKING LOT IN FRONT OF A LARGE, FEATURELESS BUILDING.

Ed: Well, drive by them again, now. Number 38. And Sloan....bring Tom.

CUT BACK TO SLOAN ON THE PHONE. TOM IS JUST PUTTING THE SHIRT ON. (DARNIT!) SHE LOOKS BACK AT HIM. (TOO LATE, SWEETHEART, HE’S FULLY CLOTHED!)

CUT TO THE INSIDE OF A WAREHOUSE. WE SEE A LARGE PILLAR, THE PILLAR FROM OAXACA.
IT HAS BEEN UNEARTHED. THE CAMERA PANS UP IT AND WE SEE IT IS STILL ENCRUSTED WITH SAND AND DIRT. A MAN IN A CHERRY PICKER STANDS NEAR THE TOP, WRITING ON A CLIPBOARD.

NEXT SCENE
OUTSIDE THE WAREHOUSE. SLOAN AND TOM PULL UP AND GET OUT OF HER CAR. HE LOOKS GOOD. REAL GOOD. BLACK PANTS (A BIT TOO BAGGY, BUT BEGGARS CAN’T BE CHOOSERS) AND A FANTASTIC BLACK HEATHERED SWEATER, WITH JUST THE SLIGHTEST V-NECK. TOM PACES OVER TO THE DOORS AS SLOAN RUNS UP AND RINGS THE BELL. ED PEEKS HIS HEAD OUT.

Ed: Hey. Thanks for coming.
Sloan: (with a smile) So what’s the big mystery?
Ed: Come on in.

THEY ENTER THE WAREHOUSE AND SLOAN SLOWLY WALKS TOWARDS THE PILLAR, MOUTH AGAPE. SHE STOPS DEAD.

Sloan: Oh, my God. I don’t believe it.

TOM PASSES HER AND STRIDES OVER TO THE PILLAR. ATTWOOD IS IN THE CHERRY PICKER WITH THE CLIPBOARD. SLOAN SEES HIM AND RACES BACK TO ED.

Sloan: What is Attwood doing here?
Ed: He got us the pillar.
Sloan: (flustered) You, you should’ve told me! It’s too dangerous for Tom!
Ed: We need Tom.

TOM PAUSES IN FRONT OF THE PILLAR. SLOAN AND ED WALK TOWARDS IT.

Sloan: This is amazing. Ed, if we could just decipher what’s on there, it could tell us so much.
Ed: I know. I know--about them, about what they’re planning.
Sloan: It could be a Rosetta stone for the entire species.
Ed: If we can decipher it.

TOM STEPS FORWARD AND TOUCHES AN EXPOSED PORTION OF THE PILLAR. IMMEDIATELY HE FLASHES ON IMAGES OF THE MAN BY THE CAMPFIRE, THE WOMAN IN THE WHITE DRESS--HIS MOTHER.










ATTWOOD DESCENDS FROM THE CHERRY PICKER. TOM REMOVES HIS HAND. SLOAN WALKS OVER TO TOM.

Sloan: What is it?

TOM IS EXAMINING HIS FIST.

Sloan: Do you know what that marking means?

SHE GESTURES TO THE SPOT ON THE PILLAR THAT TOM HAS JUST TOUCHED.

Tom: No.
Sloan: Could it be some kind of language?
Attwood: Quite possibly.

ATTWOOD STEPS FROM AROUND THE PILLAR, WRITING ON HIS CLIPBOARD.

Attwood: Sloan. Mr. Daniels, what brings you here?
Sloan: I asked him to come. Walter, this is incredible. I can’t believe you got it here.

TOM STEPS AWAY FROM THE PILLAR.

Attwood: It wasn’t easy.
Sloan: Well, we should get to work cleaning it so we can see the entire surface.

ED PIPES UP FROM IN FRONT OF A COMPUTER.

Ed: Uh, that’s not gonna be possible.

SLOAN LOOKS BACK AT ED.

Attwood: We tried cleaning a test area. It nearly destroyed the markings on the surface.
Sloan: What are we gonna do?
Attwood: Well, we’ll read through the layer of rock and debris to the uh, surface underneath.
Ed: (at Sloan’s questioning look) Laser scanner.

SLOAN GIVES ED A ‘WELL, WHATDYA KNOW’ LOOK.

Attwood: We’ll have to work fast. They’ll do whatever it takes to get this back.
Sloan: That must mean that there’s something pretty significant about the pillar. Or what’s inscribed on it.
Attwood: Mm-hmmm. Mr. Daniels, have you ever seen this object before?

ED LOOKS UP FROM THE COMPUTER. TOM TILTS HIS HEAD AND STUDIES ATTWOOD.

Sloan: Walter, I don’t know--
Attwood: (ignoring Sloan’s protestations as he fixes his gaze upon Tom) I think you know about the pillar and where it comes from and I also suspect you are not one of us.

EVERYONE PAUSES AND LOOKS AT ONE ANOTHER AT THIS STATEMENT. TOM CONTINUES TO STUDY ATTWOOD.

Sloan: Walter, he’s done nothing but help us.
Attwood: I know, Sloan. And I knew he was no FBI agent. I knew he was traveling with you in Mexico. I knew he brought the mummy back. And I knew he was on our side.

ATTWOOD WALKS OVER TO TOM.

Attwood: I’m delighted to have an expert on our team.

ATTWOOD EXTENDS HIS HAND. TOM TILTS HIS HEAD, GAGING ATTWOOD’S INTENT, THEN EXTENDS HIS OWN HAND TO SHAKE ATTWOOD’S. (NICE SHOT OF A VERY NICE HAND...)

Ed: (relieved the tension is over) Alright, uh, first step--scan everything into the computer.

ED TURNS IN HIS CHAIR AND FOCUSES HIS ATTENTION ON THE SCREEN. ATTWOOD STEPS AWAY FROM TOM.

Attwood: And there may be another aspect we should try.

TOM GIVES SLOAN A ‘WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT’ LOOK AS HE GIVES A SMALL FLICK WITH HIS HAND.

Attwood: The village this pillar came from was not the only one in the area.
Sloan: But all the other villages were abandoned a long time ago.
Attwood: And where do you think those inhabitants went? The INS gave me a list of people from that area who have immigrated to Los Angeles between 1949 and 1956...

TOM LOOKS UP AT THIS. HE’S BEEN STUDYING THE PILLAR AGAIN AS THE SCIENTISTS CONGREGATE AROUND THE COMPUTER.

Attwood: ...when that region dried up.
Sloan: Then some of those people could’ve seen the pillar.

ATTWOOD OFFERS SLOAN A PAPER.

Attwood: This is a list I’ve pre-screened. You should have at least one hit.

SLOAN TAKES THE PAPER.

Sloan: Some of these names--
Attwood: Could be members of the new species, yes.
Sloan: Well. I can’t afford to be scared off.

SHE TURNS TO GO. ED CALLS TO HER.

Ed: Sloan, come on. You can’t go!
Sloan: It’s gotta be me, I’m the only one who knows any Spanish! But I’ll take Ray Peterson with me, okay?
Attwood: Excellent idea.

SLOAN LOOKS AT TOM. HE NODS A GOOD-BYE. SHE RUSHES OUT.

NEXT SCENE
AT THE POLICE STATION IN RAY’S OFFICE. RAY SITS AT HIS DESK AND SLOAN SITS IN THE CHAIR OPPOSITE.

Ray: Aren’t you scared Attwood’s gonna throw a net over Tom?
Sloan: (thinking about it) Actually, no.
Ray: How is Tom? He took quite a beating.
Sloan: Better. How’s your shoulder?
Ray: (making a derisive sound) I took harder hits trying to block the plate in high school. So, now you wanna get us into more trouble.
Sloan: (smiling) I count on you to keep us out of it.
Ray: (standing up from his desk) Let’s go.

RAY GRABS HIS COAT AND THEY LEAVE HIS OFFICE. ANOTHER DETECTIVE POINTEDLY WATCHES THEM LEAVE.

NEXT SCENE
RAY AND SLOAN WALK DOWN A BUSY RESIDENTIAL SIDEWALK.

Sloan: You told your wife about the new species yet?
Ray: I’m working up to it.

WE SEE THAT SOMEONE IS TAKING PHOTOS OF THEM AS THEY WALK DOWN THE SIDEWALK. RAY AND SLOAN ARE UNAWARE OF THIS.

Sloan: There’s no reason not to, you know.
Ray: Sure there is. It’s frightening and there’s nothing she can do.
Sloan: You can’t let it come between you.

RAY STOPS, ENDING THE CONVERSATION.

Ray: This is the address.

SLOAN SHAKES HER HEAD, THEN FOLLOWS HIM.

NEXT SCENE
ATTWOOD STANDS OUTSIDE THE WAREHOUSE. A LIMO PULLS UP. ATTWOOD APPROACHES THE VEHICLE AS THE WINDOW LOWERS, REVEALING LIMO LADY.

Limo Lady: Any luck deciphering the pillar?
Attwood: Not yet.
Limo Lady: Who do you have working on it?
Attwood: Ed and Sloan.
Limo Lady: Anyone else?
Attwood: No.
Limo Lady: I’d like to see it.
Attwood: This wouldn’t be a good time. They have to keep working.
Limo Lady: Well, I’d rather see it sooner than later.
Attwood: Oh, of course.

THEY GIVE EACH OTHER SMUG SMILES, ACKNOWLEDGING THE POWER STRUGGLE BETWEEN THEM, THEN THE WINDOW IS RAISED AND LIMO LADY IS DRIVEN AWAY.

NEXT SCENE
RAY AND SLOAN ARE AT AN APARTMENT COMPLEX, SPEAKING TO A WOMAN OF MEXICAN DESCENT IN HER 50S.

Woman: We left when I was 10.
Sloan: Why did you go?
Woman: The fields, they dried up. The crops, they wouldn’t grow. Everything turned to dust. It’s been a long time.
Sloan: Did you search the area for water?
Woman: Oh, we walked in every direction. There was none.
Sloan: Have you ever seen this?

SLOAN SHOWS HER A PHOTO OF THE PILLAR IN THE EXCAVATED CRATER.

Sloan: You have seen it, haven’t you?
Woman: I don’t know this, but I hear stories.
Sloan: From whom? Where can we find them?
Woman: Camina con dios.

RAY LOOKS QUESTIONINGLY AT SLOAN.

Sloan: She says they walk with God.

THE THREE TURN AS A CAR SUDDENLY SQUEALS UP TO THE CURB. TWO MEN POINT GUNS OUT THE WINDOWS, SHOOTING AT RAY, SLOAN AND THE WOMAN. RAY GRABS THE WOMAN AND PUSHES HER TO THE WALL, COVERING HER.

Ray: Everybody down!

THE GUNMEN CONTINUE FIRING. GLASS SHATTERS, WOOD SPLINTERS AND SHARDS FROM CLAY POTS FLY THROUGH THE AIR. THE CAR SPEEDS OFF, TIRES SQUEALING.

Ray: (to Woman) You ok?
Woman: (breathlessly) Yes.

RAY RUSHES OUT ONTO THE SIDEWALK TRYING TO FOLLOW THE CAR, BUT IT IS TOO FAR AWAY. RAY CATCHES SIGHT OF IT SPEEDING AROUND A CORNER, THEN IT IS GONE.

Ray: (grabbing his portable radio) Look, this is Unit 2. I have shots fired at nine-twelve Duncan.

SLOAN JOINS HIM OUT ON THE SIDEWALK.

Sloan: Was that for us?
Ray: I don’t know. It’s hard to tell in this neighborhood.

NEXT SCENE
BACK AT THE WAREHOUSE. ED IS STANDING BEFORE THE PILLAR, PUSHING BUTTONS ON A SMALL HANDHELD DEVICE. WE HEAR TOM’S VOICE. (SIGH)

Tom: Height--five meters. Circumference--three meters.

WE SEE TOM SITTING BEFORE THE COMPUTERS, READING THE RESULTS OF THE LASER SCANNING OF THE PILLAR.

Tom: Diameter--one meter. All prime numbers.
Ed: Approximate weight, uh, three metric tons. Seeing that this thing was carved in Mexico, you’d think there’d be Aztec or Mayan influences but these are like nothing I’ve ever seen.
Tom: (studying the computer screens) I think that was the plan.
Ed: (walking away from the pillar and towards Tom) Symbolic anthropology’s not my field. Man, I got a friend at Dartmouth who would love to get his hands on this.
Tom: Fewer people that know about it the better.
Ed: Yeah, you say that uh, you don’t remember anything abut the pillar, yet, you know, you’re just spitting off these grave predictions.
Tom: (turning to look at Ed) They put up a fight for it. Anyone who knows about it must be at risk.
Ed: And how do you know they put up a fight?
Tom: (looking back at the computer screen in front of him) I’ll take Dr. Attwood at his word.
Ed: I knew you two’d hit it off.

TOM FLASHES ON AN IMAGE OF HIS MOTHER BY THE FIRELIGHT AS ED WALKS AWAY FROM HIM.

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