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"Netstorm" Screenplay written by Peter
Layton
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MEYER
Three strikes, you're out. We're
not coming back a fourth time.
Get these alarms fixed.
CLANCY
Still, we should check it out.
CLANCY
Oh baby...
MEYER
Tell me Clancy, do you even remember
what a woman looks like?
CLANCY
Sure. They're all over the Net.
MEYER
Ah, you computer guys...now me, my
VCR flashes 12 all day...
MEYERClancy's flashlight plays along a dark wall.
...my phone has a cord...
MEYERBoxes of computer equipment lie piled up under a broken window. Clancy yanks out his gun at
...and I use a stove to heat my--
CLANCY
Meyer!
CLANCYCRACK! CRACK! CRACK! Gunshots knock both cops to the floor, Clancy's gun flying down the
Look out!
YOUNGER PUNKINT. TWO AISLES OVER - NIGHT
Shit! You say they don't come back
three times!
OLDER PUNK
Shut up! C'mon, that other muvahfuker got a radio.
OLDER PUNKGiving the younger, scared looking teen a shove, the older gangbanger runs low to the exit.
I'll block him off. You OJ him!
Do it!
INT. COMPUTER TABLE - NIGHT
Bleeding profusely, Clancy quickly clicks on the Games icon on a Mac laptop
and loads up "Blaster Boy".
Cranking up the speaker volume to MAX, Clancy crawls off with the long wired
joystick remote control.
INT. CLOSE BY - NIGHT
Wide-eyed, the young punk pads down the dark aisles, then steps past the computer
table.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
YOUNG PUNKThe punk spins, fires back, pumping five bullets into the Blaster Boy video game, blowing apart
Holy shit!
INT. SECURITY DESK DOWNSTAIRS - NIGHT
The gunshots sound faintly against the pounding rap beat coming from the security
guard's radio.
Frowning, he snaps off the radio and starts up the stairs.
INT. COMPUTER TABLE UPSTAIRS - NIGHT
The punk stops, gazes stunned at the shot up computer. From behind, Clancy jumps
out, smashes
the punk over the head with a heavy keyboard, scoops up the loose gun and jams
it into the punk's ear
with a trembling hand.
CLANCYThe lights suddenly blaze on. The security guard stands in the doorway.
Get up!
GUARDBANG! BANG! Shot in the head, the security guard topples backwards down the stairs. Clancy
Yo! Wha's happ'n?
CLANCYClancy's voice fades out as he sways, nearly loses his balance, then hangs tightly onto the punk.
You! Drop your weapon...and...
YOUNG PUNK
He hurt bad! Help me!
OLDER PUNK (O/S)
Chill, bro. I ain't leaving you.
YOUNG PUNKThe older gangster rushes forward, closer to Clancy and his hostage. Gasping, a sagging Clancy clings
Come on! He be losing it!
YOUNGER PUNKThe older punk steps outs, smiles as he sees Clancy just barely hanging on to his hostage. Gun held out
He's got my piece! I shot five!
YOUNGER PUNKSweating, gasping, Clancy presses the gun into the back of the young punk's soft neck, lining up his shot,
Only one bullet left!
YOUNG PUNKClancy fires. The bullet goes through the young punk's neck, out his open, yelling mouth, and into the
Can't shoot us both!
FADE IN
INT. SMALL COMPUTER ROOM - NIGHT
Right arm in a sling, an electric pad strapped to the bicep, Clancy sits in
front of a computer in a small
room littered with wires, disks, computer magazines and junk food wrappings.
CLANCYClancy holds up his arm to a video camera secured to the computer. On screen, the image of counsellor
Morning, doctor Tessier. Hey, see
my new bionic arm here?
TESSIERClancy pats the computer on its side.
A muscle stimulator?
CLANCY
Yeah. A good set of batteries and
I'll be Mister Universe. So, one
machine for physio ...
CLANCYTessier nods jerkily, smiles politely. Biting his lip, Clancy leans toward his microphone.
...and another for psycho.
CLANCY
Um...thanks for continuing to see me this way,
rather than face to face.
TESSIER
Peter, we are face to face...just the
screen between us is different.
TESSIER
How are you doing? The Prozac help?
CLANCY
No. It'll never bring my partner
back. Or that guard.
CLANCY
I know, I know...survivor's guilt.
But I should have been paying more
attention in that store.
CLANCYThere's a short silence before Tessier speaks gently.
One of those kids wasn't even old
enough to drive yet. They found his
learners licence on him.
TESSIER
You're going back to work, I hear.
CLANCY
Yeah, transferring into forensics...
as a computer specialist, surprise,
surprise. I'll still go after the
bad guys...
CLANCY'S VOICE
...just nobody will get shot and no
kids will die.
SWAT MEMBERS
Police! On the floor! Now!
SWAT MAN
Hey, Clancy, over here.
CLANCY
Making some nachos?
FAT MAN
What do you guys want?
CLANCY
Stolen software. We hear you're
selling it big time.
CLANCY
(to fat man)
Going to tell me your password? Or
do I give your computer a lobotomy?
FAT MAN
Do whatever you want, sonny boy.
FAT MAN
Looking for deleted files in the hard drive?
No chancy, Clancy.
FAT MAN
I know who you are, I've heard about
you. But I've forgotten more about
computers than you'll ever know.
NEARBY COP
What's all this junk?
CLANCY
Encryption. He's sending something
out to somebody.
CLANCY
Stolen cell phone accounts? Corporate
security programs?
The nearby cop looks questioningly at Clancy.
CLANCY
Damn. He's using an anonymizer.
CLANCY
It's a blind server. Some free-
speech-on-the-Net geek sets up a
web-site, then walks away. Nobody's
watching, nobody's monitoring, I can't
follow where he's sending this to.
FAT MAN
Aw, no video, no files, no proof.
You boys came all this way for
nothing. So sorry.
JENNIFER
Sal, a two year pre-nup is too long!
Even all his money isn't worth it!
JENNIFERComing around a corner, Jennifer slams the brakes, drops the cell phone. The car just stops short of the
Hey! Jerk!
(to cell phone)
No, not you. One of the thousands
of goddamned workers turning that
house into goddamned Star Wars just
passed me in a--Oh shit!
JENNIFER
(screaming at biker)
See? You were going too fast!
SAL
Jennifer? You all right?
JENNIFER'S VOICE
Some idiot just crashed! I almost
hit him!
(shouting)
You okay? Want me to call 911? No?
You sure?
JENNIFERThe biker suddenly spins around, rushes up to the convertible.
Sal, I hate motorcycles. No, I hate
the morons who ride motorcycles.
(loudly)
Hey, come on! Let's go!
JENNIFER'S VOICE
Ahhhhh! He's got a gun!
SAL
Jenn! What's happening?
SAL
Jennifer! Jennifer!
COP
Whaddya doing?
CLANCY
I've hijacked the bad guy's feed,
dicking it around. The Netstormers
are watching to see who reacts to
this.
COP
The what stormers?
CLANCY
Netstormers. It's an on-line Internet police
force, something I've organized.
CLANCY
There's a lot of Dick Tracy wanna-bes
out there who spend their days hacking,
cracking, and tracking.
COP
(muttering)
Instead of living.
(normally)
But isn't this like a needle in a haystack?
CLANCY
A field of haystacks. But here we go,
Netstormers reporting three people,
Greeneyes, R2D2, and Termin8,
with intermittent feed problems. So...
CLANCYGrimacing, Clancy hunches over, massages his shoulder.
R2D2 just thanked me. I--uhhh...
COPNodding curtly, Clancy pops down a pair of heavy duty painkillers, then resumes typing.
You okay?
CLANCY
Anyway, a nickname search...who is
R2D2?...tells me that his server is
CompLine. He's local, I know him.
He has R2D2's real name and address.
COP
Will he give it to you?
CLANCY
Sure, he's a good citizen who doesn't want
thieves on the Net.
(muttering)
Or a virus in his date-base.
COP
What?
CLANCY
Uh...nothing.
COP
There's a chopper coming down. From
Microcorp...you know, that computer company?
CLANCY
Trust me, I know who Microcorp is.
REMICK
Mister Clancy, I'm Tex Remick, FBI.
Y'all come with me, please?
CLANCY
But I'm in the middle of something.
REMICK
Son, you're in the middle of cow
pies compared to where we're going.
COP #2Nodding, the two cops then wander over to Jennifer's abandoned red sports car, checking it out admiringly.
Yeah. See the third, smaller tire track?
A side-car. She gets stuffed
in there, covered in a tarp, and
nobody sees nothing.
CLANCY
Has Microcorp just purchased the
Bureau?
REMICK
Listen up serious, son. There's been
a sky high-level VIP kidnapping.
CLANCY
Kidnapping? But that's not my area.
REMICK
Nope, but, boy, you're such a four-squared,
jut-jawed he-man from the get-go, that the
head honcho asked for you personally.
CLANCY
And who's that?
CLANCY
Paul Galens? Oh my God, Paul Galens
has been kidnapped?
REMICK
Nope. His wife, Jennifer.
Flipping up his laptop briefcase computer, Remick starts tapping in keypad instructions.
REMICK
An hour after she went missing, this
showed up on the Internet.
Remick spins his laptop to face Clancy.
CLANCY
Holy shit.
CLANCYRemick points out the window down to a monster house under construction on a huge estate.
Where is this coming from?
REMICK
I'm sure that's what Mister Galens
is going to ask you.
CLANCY
I can't believe...Paul Galens asked
for me? Really?
REMICK
I take it this man is God to you computer types.
Well...
REMICKINT. HI-TECH OFFICE - DAY
...you're going to heaven.
GALENSGalens abruptly whirls towards Remick.
Call Bob at AT&T, get access to his local
relay stations. Tell Ben at AOL I need
password data-bases for all his regional
accounts here.
REMICK
Mister Galens? Tex Remick, FBI.
Galens spins around, stares at Remick and Clancy, then steps past Remick to shake Clancy's hand.
GALENS
Peter Clancy! The Netstorming
Internet detective!
CLANCY
You? You know me?
GALENS
I know of you.
GALENSGalens gestures up at the two video cameras in the room corners.
And I know I'm a suspect! I'm the
husband, you must suspect me, you
have to. But see those?
GALENSSlipping out a vial, Galens pops a tablet in his mouth, then holds up the vial as if posing for a commercial.
Video with burned in time code.
You'll see I've been here all day.
And night. Hell, I live in here!
REMICK
All right, sir, just stay calm now.
GALENS
Done!
GALENSGrabbing a note pad, Galens quickly sketches out a small TV camera hooked up to a computer.
Lithium...takes the man out of manic.
Galens' laugh is brittle and short. He walks Clancy over to a laptop showing Jennifer Galens.
GALENS
They're IP masking false PP-TP trails
with ghost servers and mirror sites.
Clancy nods in understanding. Remick looks at Galens as if he was speaking in Swahili.
REMICK
Uh, fellas, this computer stuff...
you're going to have to take me
by the reins and walk me slow.
GALENSGalens draws out a spiral line leading out from the video camera computer to another computer.
My wife is in front of a video camera
plugged into a computer.
GALENSGalens draws a thick line out of the second computer.
It's sending the picture to another computer,
which we can't find yet.
GALENSGalens quickly slashes in dozens of lines from all directions coming back onto the paper.
This computer is sending the picture
to another computer...in North Korea.
GALENSGalens points at the video of Jennifer on screen.
Her web-site is coming back on the
Net from foreign servers in Asia,
Africa, and Europe.
GALENSPeering at the sketch, Remick traces the spiral line between the two computers.
This is the original feed, straight
from the kidnappers. We paid off a
government official in North Korea
to relay it back to us. He'd get shot
if he's caught, so that's all the
help we'll get from those paranoid
bastards.
REMICKClancy holds out his hands cupped close together.
This is a phone line, right?
GALENS
Right. If we can find it, we can
trace it back and find my wife.
CLANCY
But it could also be a satellite
link. You'd hook the camera up
to a dish, no bigger than this...
CLANCY
...aim it out a window line of sight
to another dish somewhere else. Be
almost impossible to intercept.
GALENS
And if they're using a cell phone
like this to transmit...
GALENSClancy taps the second computer on the sketch pad.
...they're probably using a stolen number
from a big corporate account. A back trace
would just take us to an innocent source.
CLANCYSighing heavily, Remick shakes his head.
Also, this may not be stationary. It
could be in a car driving around, or
in a plane flying somewhere. Be damn
hard to get a fix on it.
GALENS
And if the feed's encrypted...well,
even if we could find it, all we'd
see and hear is noise and garbage.
REMICK
Okay, okay. Enough.
REMICKClearing a desk, Remick unrolls out a map.
Sweet prairie dogs, who'd a thought
computers would be so complicated?
My seven year old runs one.
Remick snaps open his briefcase.
REMICK
Well, shoot, boys, these bad guys
may be high tech, but the crime is
old-fashioned.
REMICKRemick traces a large circle on the map.
We got a one hour gap from when your
wife went missing to when she appeared
on the Net.
REMICKGalens shakes his head no. Frowning, Clancy looks at the computer screen image of the bound Jennifer.
You can only go so far in an hour,
say, a hundred mile radius of the
kidnap site. So we search and we
wait for the ransom demand.
CLANCY
You've had no ransom demand yet?
CLANCYGalens swallows, goes pale.
And why do the kidnappers want the
world to see this? This isn't a
hostage taking for political reasons.
GALENSClancy winces as Remick suddenly grabs his shoulder to lead him away from Galens.
Oh God, maybe they don't want money.
Maybe they want to kill her, knowing
I'll be watching and helpless.
REMICK
Now, sir, we don't know that.
GALENS
And you don't what my life is like.
You make a billion dollars, you make
a billion enemies.
REMICK
Just relax, they'll contact you.
Excuse us. Clancy...
REMICKJust as Clancy nods curtly in agreement, a loud metallic, robotic voice comes on the speakers.
Son, that man is shakier than a
heifer in rutting season. So you
stick to your knitting with these
computers, keep your thoughts and
wonderings to yourself. Comprende?
VOICEAll eyes turn to a giant web-site monitor showing Jennifer Galens bound in her chair.
The dictatorship of the Net is over.
VOICEThe screen falls silent. Remick looks over at the pale, ill-looking Galens.
Access must not be controlled by the
elite. Microcorp must surrender Odin
to the people. That is all.
REMICKGalens walks away, heading to the washroom. Clancy motions Remick over to his computer.
That's the ransom? What's Odin?
GALENS
Odin is this company...my life. I...
I feel sick.
CLANCYA click on the mouse and the animated, bearded face of the Norse God Odin appears. Clancy speaks
This is Odin.
CLANCYOn screen, Odin glowers, lightening flashes, thunder rumbles. His voice is deep, God-like.
Hello, Odin.
ODINbleached blonde hair. Her brown eyes are magnified by thick glasses.
Hello, human. You have summoned me?
CLANCY
Odin, I know nothing about computers,
can you show me around the Internet?
ODIN
Speak and Odin will guide you.
REMICK
Son of a buck. That's amazing.
CLANCY
Odin is the first Net guide with UVR
...universal voice recognition. It'll
dominate the Net, put Explorer and
Netscape out of business. Except...
Shaking his head, Clancy rolls his eyes.
CLANCY
...there's a big lawsuit over Odin. Galens
invented it, his ex-partner has the rights,
someone else patented it, his wife's in the
middle, it's a mess. If Galens loses,
Microcorp is toast.
FEMALE VOICE
Excuse me. You're FBI?
Remick and Clancy turn around in the direction of the voice to face VICKI, a heavy-set woman with short
REMICKVicki glances over at a computer screen showing Jennifer. Blinking back tears, she swallows heavily.
Yes, ma'am.
VICKI
I'm Vicki...Jennifer's sister.
VICKIAbruptly, Vicki spins to face Clancy.
I want to find her.
Remick puts a strong sympathetic arm around Vicki.
REMICK
Vicki, we all do.
VICKIVicki pauses, glances at the listening, frowning Remick.
You're Peter Clancy, the Netstormer.
It's not a question, but Clancy nods in agreement.
VICKI
I can help you.
CLANCY
Okay...how?
VICKI
My sister swore me to secrecy, but I
know she wrote back doors all along
the Net. I can guess her passwords,
they're most likely family things.
We can crack server data bases and...
REMICKSilence, guilty silence. Vicki looks away.
Is that legal?
REMICKRemick sweeps his hand at the computers.
I'll take that as a yes.
REMICKClancy and Vicki sit side by side on twin computers. Vicki enters commands in quick, experienced moves.
Get to work.
VICKIOut of the corner of her eye, Vicki catches Clancy glancing from the computer image of Jennifer to her.
Let's start with the major servers,
I know Jenn slipped through their
fire walls on a regular basis.
VICKIVicki grins slightly at Clancy.
Yeah, I know, she got all the good genes.
CLANCY
(startled, caught)
What? No, I wasn't thinking...
VICKI
Ah, it's okay, no big deal.
VICKI
...too. And she diets forever. Makes
her cranky as hell. Me, I'd rather
eat and be healthy.
CLANCY
Vicki, I wasn't--
CLANCYOn screen numbers have appeared under Jennifer. They stay frozen at 2:00:00:00, then suddenly start
Uh oh.
GALENSAs Remick reassures Galens across the room, Clancy notes with surprise the look of hatred that flashes
Oh shit! We've got two hours, then
they kill her at zero!
REMICK
Whoa, easy, sir, we don't know that.
They could be just jerking our reins
a bit.
VICKI
Don't mention me to Galens.
CLANCY
You guys don't get along?
VICKI
He doesn't even know I exist. I
prefer to keep it that way. I was
so against this business merger they
called a marriage that I boycotted
their wedding.
REMICK
(answering)
Remick. What? Okay, good.
(to Galens)
We might have something.