08
INT FACILITY MEN'S BARRACKS


CLOSE UP: AS THE ALARM CONTINUES TO SOUND, WE CAN SEE THAT THE ALARM CLOCK'S BRIGHT BLUE LCD DISPLAY CLEARLY READS 4:17 AM.

DAVE, jerked awake by the alarm, sits upright in bed and looks at the alarm clock, trying to decide if the ear-shattering sound is in fact emanating from such a small device.

RECORDED FEMALE VOICE (V.O.)

Condition Orange: containment breach in Hot Lab Three. Hazardous specimens detected beyond Hot Lab perimeter.

As DAVE shakes his head trying to clear the confusion, FRANK hustles to the door and punches the green button to open it. FRANK - a former Chicago SWAT cop - is a barrel-chested, paternal-looking, fortysomething Italian with close-cropped salt-and-pepper hair and a bushy moustache. He peers out into the hallway, then ducks back in, pulling the door shut behind him.


AARÓN

What's out there?


FRANK

I dunno, but there's a lot of activity in the corridor. Looks like security personnel to me.


RECORDED FEMALE VOICE (V.O.)

Condition Orange: containment breach in Hot Lab Three. All available security personnel to Orange stations.

Everyone is up and pulling clothes on except for a very confused DAVE. ZEKE hustles over and pulls DAVE out of his bed.


ZEKE

Let's go, man!

DAVE hurriedly pulls on the blue jeans he's worn since two nights ago at the bar, then rummages in the footlocker beneath his bed. As he suspected, he finds several of his own shirts - short-sleeved work shirts - and another pair of shoes there, as well as a number of other things from his apartment. He dons a dark-blue shirt and a pair of athletic shoes as the other four men (already fully dressed) wait impatiently.


RECORDED FEMALE VOICE (V.O.)

Alert: Escalating to Condition Red. Escalating to Condition Red. All available personnel to Red contingency locations.


HAYDEN

I wonder what contingency locations they're talking about.

HAYDEN rushes to the nearest computer and, within a few keystrokes and mouse clicks, pulls up a map of the facility with the title CONTINGENCY LOCATIONS/ROUTES: RED. There are a number of lines crisscrossing the screen, many marked with alphanumeric codes of some sort, but none of it seems to make sense. AARÓN looks at the screen from over HAYDEN's shoulder.


AARÓN

(pointing)
There. See that stairwell? "Training Sector Evacuation". That's probably where we're supposed to go.


ZEKE

(astonished)
How'd you find those maps so quickly?


HAYDEN

(nonchalantly)
Couldn't fall asleep, so I started looking through the papers they gave us and familiarizing myself with what I could find in their databases.

HAYDEN and AARÓN head for the door, followed closely by the others. DAVE brings up the rear, still unable to shrug off his fatigue and confusion. There's no noise of footsteps or voices in the corridor now, just the persistent clamor of the alarm.


RECORDED FEMALE VOICE (V.O.)

Condition Red: Multiple hostile entities within facility perimeter. All available personnel to Red contingency locations.

HAYDEN opens the door and the men file out of the room just as the door to the women's dormitory directly across the corridor bursts open and SABRINA - an athletic-looking, thirtysomething black woman with her short hair in a ponytail - charges out into the hallway with GRACE and KAT following at a distance. SABRINA and HAYDEN look at each other, then at the rest of the group.


SABRINA

Did you figure out where they want us?

HAYDEN nods.


SABRINA

Good. Let's head that way. You and Chalmers take point. I'll be right behind you with Espinosa and Conti.

SABRINA looks at DAVE doubtfully.


SABRINA

Giles, hang back with Shanahan and Mitchell. Watch our six. Got it?
DAVE nods and looks over at KAT and GRACE, both of whom look at least as nervous as he feels. ZEKE and HAYDEN start off down the corridor as the others fall in behind them.


RECORDED FEMALE VOICE (V.O.)

Condition Red: Multiple hostile entities within facility perimeter. All available personnel to Red contingency locations.
The hallway looks deserted, but the lighting is dimmed except for harsh emergency lights every fifty feet or so, and the group is still cautious as they move down toward an intersection with another corridor. As they pass the junction, ZEKE halts in his tracks and points.


ZEKE

Check it out.

A cleverly-disguised access panel hangs down from its hinges and beneath it, the door of a slate-grey steel cabinet stands open, revealing three standard-issue sidearms and a handful of spare magazines. SABRINA dashes to the cabinet before ZEKE can reach in and starts to retrieve the weapons.


SABRINA

These might come in handy. Who's the best shot with a pistol here?

FRANK and HAYDEN step forward. SABRINA hands them each a sidearm and a pair of magazines, keeping the final weapon and last two clips for herself. The three move to the front of the formation and spread out to cover the entire corridor as the group resumes its progress toward the evacuation point.


DAVE

(nervously)
Guys? Anyone else a little worried that we haven't seen any security people since leaving our rooms?


AARÓN

They're probably off containing whatever broke loose - successfully, I hope.

The party approaches an open door on the right at a bend in the corridor. From the ceiling on the near side of the doorway hangs a sign with a staircase icon that pulses with a flashing red light. ZEKE starts to make for the door, but HAYDEN grabs his shoulder and points to the light.


HAYDEN

(almost whispering)
If the doorway were clear that light would be solid green or solid yellow, depending on the contingency codes. Flashing red means there might be something on the other side.

ZEKE nods and steps back. The three armed members of the group step forward and take aim at the doorway, waiting to see if anything comes through. After a moment, the shadow of a slight humanoid form appears on the floor. The party tenses and only slightly relaxes when ALICIA steps through and looks around at them. She seems mildly amused by their anxiety.


ALICIA

Good job - you're all here.

ALICIA moves to the access panel by the door and presses a few buttons, then places her thumb over a scanner plate. The alarms fade instantly and the lighting in the corridors returns to normal.


RECORDED FEMALE VOICE (V.O.)

Alert cancelled. Condition Green, contingency procedures terminated. All personnel please return to your previous locations. Thank you for your cooperation.


ALICIA

Good morning, recruits. Thank you for joining me so quickly; now we can get started with a very busy day.


ZEKE

(puzzled)
A drill?


ALICIA

(scornfully)
Very observant.


KAT

(dismayed)
But... I thought... 0800...


ALICIA

Oh, there'll still be a briefing at 0800. But first, I'm going to give you a brief tour of the parts of the facility you're allowed to see. And then, you each get to take an oral exam of the material we gave you last night. Any time you have left in between is yours - and trust me, you're gonna want as much downtime as you can get before your first turn on the hazard course.

DAVE looks over at HAYDEN apprehensively.


DAVE

(silently)
Hazard course?

HAYDEN shrugs. ALICIA looks the group over, smirks to herself, turns back the way she came, and leads the group through the doorway.


ALICIA

Looks like a long day ahead. Right this way.

CUT TO COMMERCIAL