ACT THREE

FADE IN:

INT. LOS CASTILLOS COMMUNITY POOL - DAY

The two men are silent. Nick's breathing is slightly shallow and he's pallid. Greg has the onset of the flu.

NICK
You don't sound so good.

GREG
Neither do you.

Nick looks at a point of sunlight coming through the holes in the paint. Greg looks into a camera with a blinking light.

GREG (CONT'D)
Do you think there's sound?

MATCH CUT:

INT. CSI - A.V. LAB - DAY

ARCHIE is working on a computer. He hears the two talking and rolls his chair over to the computer with the website up.

ON THE MONITOR

The angles of the camera view are rotating. The current one is from the edge of the pool aimed down at the two.

NICK
Maybe. Not that it would do much
good. We don't even know where we at.

Greg looks at the floor, looking at something on it.

BACK TO SCENE

Archie moves back a little. He looks across the room into another lab. A large screen has the website up. Archie slowly rises, seeing something he hadn't noticed before.

GREG (ON MONITOR)
I know where we're at.

Archie whirls around. He grabs his phone and dials.

ARCHIE
Catherine.

CATHERINE (ON PHONE)
Yeah?

ARCHIE
Get to a computer. Greg knows where
they're at. I think he's going to
tell us.

CATHERINE (ON PHONE)
I'll be right there.

Archie hangs up and slowly sinks back into his chair

ARCHIE
Come on. Tell us, Greg.

NICK (ON MONITOR)
Lotta good that'll do.

ARCHIE
No! No, no, no. Ask him Nick. Greg
tell him. Tell him!

On the monitor

It looks as if the conversation won't go any further. Nick looks at the crossbow.

NICK
Where are we?

BACK TO SCENE

Catherine comes up behind Archie but the lab tech is focused on the monitor.

ON THE MONITOR

GREG
We're at Los Cas--

A door slamming makes him stop talking. Footsteps on cement can be heard. Both look in the direction of the noises.

BACK TO SCENE

ARCHIE
No. No! Greg, where are you!?
(grabs monitor)
WHERE ARE YOU!

ON THE MONITOR

Blaine comes into the light, carrying a syringe in each hand that has different colored bands.

BACK TO SCENE

Archie slowly sinks into his chair, his eyes glued to the screen.

INT. LOS CASTILLOS COMMUNITY POOL - DAY

Blaine stops next to them, holding up the syringes.

BLAINE
One has a light sedative. The other
is a little pick-me-up. Eat me.
Drink me. And since you got your
friend into this, pick a color...
(meets Greg's eyes)
CSI Sanders.

Greg just coughs. It makes Blaine grin.

BLAINE (CONT'D)
Are you feeling under the weather,
Greggy waggy? Head hurt? Achy all
over? Tummy feel bad?

GREG
I feel fine.

Blaine moves close to Greg, careful to stay out of the line of fire of the shotgun. Greg tries to lean away from him but is limited by the strings.

BLAINE
But you're not fine, Greg. In fact,
if your friends don't find you in
four days, you'll die. And in
another three, you'll have killed Nick.

Blaine looks right into the flashing camera.

BLAINE (CONT'D)
Oh silly me! I just put a time
limit on my movie. Oops!

Greg glares at him. Blaine presents the syringes again.

BLAINE (CONT'D)
Pick a color Greg. Get this over with.

GREG
Burn in hell!

Blaine stands, shrugging.

BLAINE
I guess I'll choose. Eenie, meenie,
minee, moe...

He puts the syringes in a shirt pocket on each word.

BLAINE (CONT'D)
And Nicky dies.

Suddenly he digs his fingers in around Nick's windpipe. Nick can't fight back and gags for air.

GREG
RED! I CHOOSE RED!

Blaine lets go and pulls out the syringe. He jams it into Nick's arm.

GREG (CONT'D)
No! I chose for me!

BLAINE
Not up on the rules, yet, I see.

Blaine yanks the needle out, then jams the other into Greg's arm and injects it. Blaine turns and walks a few steps. He spins back around.

BLAINE (CONT'D)
Oh. And feel free to talk amongst
yourselves. After that last close
call, I decided to try a silent
movie instead.

Singing 'Come-On-A My House', Blaine disappears back into the darkness. The effects of the shots are fast. Nick falls asleep. He injected Greg with a hallucinogenic. Slowly the strings are pulled tighter and tighter on both weapons.

INT. CSI - A.V. LAB - DAY

Archie is on the edge of his chair, watching the triggers.

ON THE MONITOR

The screen suddenly goes blank. There's a gunshot and the sound of the crossbow releasing. 'Intermission' appears on the screen.

BACK TO SCENE

Archie gasps.

ARCHIE
What happened? What the hell just
happened? Did he kill them?

Catherine lays his hand on Archie's shoulder. It effectively calms Archie.

CATHERINE
They aren't dead.

ARCHIE
How do you know that?

CATHERINE
Because he wants us to watch them
die. That wasn't it.

Archie looks back at the screen. Catherine leaves.

Archie suddenly remembers what he saw earlier. He rolls over to another computer and brings up the footage. He rewinds to a shot of the pool from above and freezes the video. He prints out the image, grabs a permanent marker, and slowly draws on the paper.

INT. CSI - LAB - DAY

Riley is going through evidence from the triple murder. She jerks back when Archie slaps a photograph in front of her. It's a blurry photograph of the pool. In permanent marker, an outline has been traced around the visible colored tiles but it's not clear what the image is. Riley looks up at Archie.

ARCHIE
What does the outline look like to you?

RILEY
This like the pool they're in?

ARCHIE
It is. It looks familiar, but I
can't put my finger on it. What
does it look like to you?

Riley picks up the photograph, staring at it. She slowly shakes her head, handing it back.

RILEY
It looks familiar, but I can't tell.

Archie takes it, leaving.

RILEY (CONT'D)
Try Catherine too.

Archie waves. Riley turns back to her work.

INT. LOS CASTILLOS COMMUNITY POOL - NIGHT

Nick is slowly coming too. Somewhere water is dripping. There's a steady beeping. A clock tick keeps time underneath it all. Nick opens his eyes, shakes off the sedative.

His breathing has become worse and the hand he gave the epinephrine shot in is trembling. He stares at the crossbow lying on its side. Only now is he able to tell it had always been a child's toy.

NICK
Greg?

Greg doesn't respond. Nick unties the strings from his wrists. He leans over to untie his ankles and stops, staring at the gray mat. Slowly he leans over some more, staring at the bright red digits counting down on the bomb under their chairs.

He finishes untying his ankles, and then sits back, clutching the arms of the chair. He jumps when a camera focuses. All around him, the cameras start recording.

INT. CSI - NIGHT

Throughout the building the black computer monitors fade to a dozen images of Nick and Greg. People drop what they're doing to watch.

INT. CSI - BREAK ROOM - NIGHT

In the break room a large monitor shows the website. Catherine, Doctor ROBBINS, and Riley push to the front of the people.

BLAINE (V.O.)
The show doesn't always go on. The
end is near. The center does not
hold. Apocalypse now. Twelve hours.
Six minutes. Time is of the
essence. Will you figure out where
they are in time?

ON THE MONITOR

A countdown timer is superimposed over the images. One by one the images disappear, until a camera in front of Nick is left. It zooms in on Nick and the counter moves underneath the image

BACK TO SCENE

Nothing happens for several seconds. Nick moves around in the chair, rubs his wrist, checks on Greg, but he doesn't get up from the chair.

ROBBINS
Why hasn't Nick gotten up?

Riley moves closer to the screen. She sees the reason and it pisses her off.

RILEY
Because there's a bomb under their chairs!

ROBBINS
I really hate this bastard.

INT. LOS CASTILLOS COMMUNITY POOL - NIGHT

Greg's symptoms are worse. He starts coughing hard as he comes around.

NICK
Greg?

GREG
Yeah?

NICK
Listen, man, he tricked us with the
weapons. They weren't real, but we
are sitting on a bomb and it's
attached to a pressure pad.

Greg begins coughing hard again. Nick reaches around and helps untie his arms. Greg leans over suddenly and vomits. Nick lays his hands on Greg's shoulder, holding him in the chair.

NICK (CONT'D)
You're burning up.

Greg sits back in his chair, closing his eyes.

GREG
No. I'm freezing.

Nick turns back around, and tries to draw a deep breath, but it's only a short wheeze. In the background water starts running. Greg opens his eyes.

GREG (CONT'D)
Do you hear that?

Nick turns his head.

Water gushes out from the darkness, falling short of Greg. He turns sideways so he can pull himself into the chair.

NICK
What is it?

GREG
The water's ice cold.

NICK
What is he up to now?

Greg closes his eyes, rubbing his temples. His eyes slowly open. He moves so he can dig into his pocket and pull out his keys. Nick turns.

Greg isolates a blue key and then looks around until he finds the camera that's recording. He turns in his chair to face it and holds the key up.

NICK (CONT'D)
What are you doing?

GREG
Riley.

NICK
What about her?

GREG
Riley, you gotta know what this
means. Come on. Think, Riley!

NICK
What would that mean?

GREG
I can't tell you.

Nick looks at the camera. He understands why Greg can't tell him.

MATCH CUT:

INT. CSI - BREAK ROOM - NIGHT

At first, Riley is as confused by what Greg's doing as everyone else. Suddenly she makes the connection and digs her keys out, isolating a matching blue key. Realization hits her. She turns to run out of the room, but Catherine stops her.

CATHERINE
Where are you going?

RILEY
That's his front door key. I think
he wants me to look for something there.

CATHERINE
What?

RILEY
I dunno, but I'm gonna find out.

Riley pushes through the people. Catherine follows her.

ON THE MONITOR

Already water can be seen in the pool. Greg drops his keys when he starts coughing.

INT. GREG'S CONDOMINIUM - NIGHT

The dark condo waits for its occupant to return. A large fish tank dimly lights the living room. A key rattles the lock and the door opens. Riley and Catherine walk in, Riley flipping the two light switches next to the door. The light reveals a decent sized, split level condo. The place is nice, considering who the owner is.

CATHERINE
Greg lives here? Alone?

Riley laughs.

RILEY
I was shocked too. I expected
something more like a college dorm
room. But you should see this place
after he's pulled doubles for a week.

CATHERINE
Not pretty, I bet. So why do you
have a key to Greg's place?

RILEY
When he was out of town last time
he asked me to feed his fish. He
said keep it for next time. Lucky
for us, huh?

CATHERINE
It would be if we knew why he sent
you here.

RILEY
I dunno. There's a den through
there. And two bedrooms upstairs.
I'll start up there if you want to
take the den.

Catherine nods. Riley jogs up the stairs.

Catherine walks over to the den and flips on the light. What she finds stuns her.

CATHERINE
I found what he sent us here for,
Riley.

The walls of the den are covered with newspaper clippings and Post-it notes scrawled with Greg's barely legible handwriting. But the disorder stops there.

There is a large sewing table in the center of the room that has been converted into a lighted layout table with a map of the U.S. taped to it. Along the top is a neat timeline that outlines Blaine's life from childhood to adulthood. His name as a child, Jack O'Connor, is noted until he's in high school.

Then the pictures stop and the remarks cross reference paper flags on the map. The last note on the timeline is of him being Petra O'Connor's accomplice. There are several folder boxes sitting along the wall, each labeled in somewhat neat handwriting.

Riley comes around the corner.

RILEY
Oh wow!

Riley raises eyebrows.

CATHERINE
If this is what Greg has, Nick
probably has investigation files at
his place too. We'll need all of
them if we're ever going to find
them in time. Call Ray or Hodges
and tell them to go to Nick's. I'm
betting they'll find something like
this at his place. I'll start going
through this here.

Riley pulls her phone from its holster and dials as she leaves.

CATHERINE (CONT'D)
And get me a box.

RILEY
Okay.

Riley disappears around the corner to make the call.

Catherine walks over to the desk, picking up Greg's iPod. She puts an earbud in her ear and pushes play. The recordings of Blaine issuing fake dispatches play.

CATHERINE
Why didn't you just tell me he was
after you, boys?

INT. LOS CASTILLOS COMMUNITY POOL - NIGHT

Water is up to the seats of the chairs, sloshing up on the two. Greg sits slumped over, shivering and coughing. Nick is pulled up on his chair as best he can. Panic has made his breathing more labored.

NICK
I have an idea. Let's stand up and
straddle the chairs. It'll keep us
out of the water for a while longer.

Greg just stares at the water.

NICK (CONT'D)
Greg.

Nick grabs his arm, shaking it.

GREG
(whisper)
Go away.

NICK
You're not giving up. Not like
this. Come on, stand up.

GREG
I can't.

NICK
Why not?

GREG
I can't feel my legs.

NICK
That's just your imagination. The
flu doesn't cause numbness.

GREG
I don't think I can stand very long.

NICK
Greg, the water's going to lift up
the chairs if we don't distribute
our weight better.

GREG
The water will disperse the explosion.

NICK
Not until it's at least four or
five feet deep. At best.

GREG
I don't think I can stand very long.

Nick lays his hand on Greg's shoulder.

NICK
I won't let you fall.

Greg slowly rises, with Nick's help. They move around so they're straddling the chairs. Greg sways and he starts to sink down. Nick grabs him, pulling him back up.

NICK (CONT'D)
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Greg, look up.
Look at me.

Greg tries to focus on Nick.

NICK (CONT'D)
This isn't working.

GREG
Ya think?

Nick smiles.

NICK
I have another idea. Hold onto my shoulders.

Greg obeys. Nick pulls his belt off, turns it around and loops it back through the belt loops. He unbuckles Greg's belt and fastens them together.

GREG
This idea sucks.

NICK
It'll keep you up.

GREG
If I fall, we both fall.

NICK
If one of us falls, we're both
dead, so it won't matter much.

Greg sways again and passes out. Nick tries to hold him up but he's too weak. He has to hug Greg to keep him from falling.

INT. CSI - LAYOUT ROOM - DAY

The room is stacked with boxes. Files and photos are spread out on the table. The timeline and map are taped up on the wall lightboards.

The layout table has Greg or Nick's notes, photographs, and computer printouts on it. Catherine, Langston, Riley, and lab techs Hodges, WENDY, and Henry are sifting through the files.

WENDY
They have been researching Petra
O'Connor's accomplice for three
months! And no one knew they were
doing this?

HODGES
They were protecting us from this
guy. They must have thought if we
knew about it, we'd help, and the
guy would go after us to get to them.

Catherine and Riley are the only ones that don't stop to stare at Hodges. Hodges finally notices when he looks up.

HODGES (CONT'D)
I'm guessing.

Riley picks out an e-mail print out just as Archie comes in brandishing a photograph.

RILEY
I have a name.

ARCHIE
I have a name!

RILEY
Blaine Juhl?

ARCHIE
Huh?

CATHERINE
Archie, what name do you have?

Archie shows them the photograph of the pool he had earlier. This time the permanent marker lines have traced out a full image.

ARCHIE
I have this friend that's a comic
book artist and--

CATHERINE
Skip to the name.

ARCHIE
Right. Titan, god of the ocean. And
a dolphin. And I've seen this pool
before. My grandma was looking at
that retirement community north of
Las Vegas. The one that was closed
because of the uranium mine nearby?

Catherine places a call.

CATHERINE
Brass, we need to check out Los
Castillos Lujosos. We'll meet you
in the parking lot in five minutes.

The CSI leave, leaving the lab techs behind. Catherine returns suddenly.

CATHERINE (CONT'D)
You three will stay with the
paramedics until the scene is
secured. Understood?

Lab techs

Yes.

They follow him out.

FADE OUT.

END OF ACT THREE