| Nubbins | Credits | Transcript | Images |
| When a mating pair of cute and seemingly harmless abnormals is brought in for study the Sanctuary comes under threat when they begin to rapidly multiply. |
Cold open[]
[]
EXT. - ESTABLISHING SHOT - BODY OF WATER - NIGHT - FOG
HELICOPTER FLYING OVER A SHIP IN THE FOG
[Helicopter blades whirl]
MAGNUS:
Sanctuary One to Lophelia, do you copy?
ASHLEY:
Still no answer, Mom.
MAGNUS:
Take us down.
INT. - LOPHELIA - CARGO HOLD
[Magnus, Will, and Ashley are standing at the top of stairs looking down into the dark interior of the ship.]
WILL:
You see anybody?
MAGNUS:
Let's hope they're below.
ASHLEY:
What did the message say exactly?
[The Sanctuary team reaches the bottom of the stairs.]
MAGNUS:
Just that Eric was bringing back something we'd never seen before, and we were to meet him in the harbor.
WILL:
Only they never made it to the dock.
[Magnus sees something and walks forward.]
MAGNUS:
It's Eric.
ASHLEY:
Yeah.
MAGNUS:
Make sure Will is covered.
[Magnus is kneeling over the body and Ashley and Will move off.]
ASHLEY:
Come on.
[Ashley and Will find more bodies as Magnus comes up behind them.]
ASHLEY:
Ugh.
MAGNUS:
Six dead.
ASHLEY:
They weren't just killed, they were half devoured.
WILL:
Whatever it was, it was powerful.
[Magnus and Ashley move through to a different section with their guns drawn. Will notices a thermostat next to the hatchway and then follows them through.]
INT. - LOPHELIA - REFRIGERATED CARGO HOLD
[Empty cages are all around the room.]
WILL:
Whatever specimens were in these are long gone.
MAGNUS:
Makes you wonder what was in these cages.
WILL:
You think they could've broken their way out?
MAGNUS:
Looks more like something clawed or chewed its way in.
ASHLEY:
Mom, come check this out.
[Magnus steps over to where Ashley is standing. There is a cage with two transparent creatures in it. They materialize so the can be fully seen.]
[Nubbins squeaking]
[A growling sound is coming from a different part of the room and draws their attention away from the creatures.]
[Predator growling]
MAGNUS:
-Tranquilizer rounds only.
ASHLEY:
-Are you sure?
MAGNUS:
Eric paid with his life to bring this creature back. -We owe it to him to preserve it.
ASHLEY:
-We owe it to him to kill it.
[Magnus switches the ammunition in her gun to tranquilizer rounds. Then Ashley does the same.]
[Predator snarling]
[The nubbin predator rushes at them. Magnus fires twice and the nubbin predator falls to the ground.]
[Predator labored breathing slows]
Title sequence[]
["Sanctuary" theme plays]
Act I[]
EXT. - ESTABLISHING SHOT - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - DAY
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - SHU - CELL
[Predator growling]
[The nubbin predator paces about.]
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - MEDICAL SCIENCE RESEARCH LAB
[Magnus is sitting at table with a laptop in front of her.]
MAGNUS:
Now I know why Eric was so excited about these creatures. Their hyper camouflage makes them all but invisible.
WILL:
Plus the fact that it's present in both the predator and the smaller abnormal.
ASHLEY:
The nubbins.
WILL:
You going to make me ask?
MAGNUS:
Ashley's name for them. Scientific name Nubina atelerix, according to Eric's log.
WILL:
Do we know what triggers this camouflage?
MAGNUS:
It seems to be a function of both fear and aggression.
WILL:
That makes sense. Hide to avoid being stalked, and as an aid to the hunt.
ASHLEY:
So obviously it was the predator who was responsible for killing Eric and his crew.
MAGNUS:
Actually, track wounds of (on) each of the victims show biological evidence of both species.
ASHLEY:
Come on, there's no way those adorable things could have attacked anybody.
MAGNUS:
I'm not saying that they did.
WILL:
So how could they have left trace on the bodies?
MAGNUS:
I'm theorizing that some of the nubbins might have escaped and survived by feeding on the dead crew members, hence the mingling of the DNA.
WILL:
Well, that's creepy.
ASHLEY:
What's creepy is that a bunch of them were eaten by that nasty-ass monster.
MAGNUS:
All but our two little survivors, probably on their way to becoming the carnivore's next meal.
ASHLEY:
I'm going to go see how they're doing.
[Ashley leaves the room.]
WILL:
You okay?
MAGNUS:
Eric was one of the world's great hunters of abnormals. He called them "Evolution's experiments".
WILL:
Am I reading a personal relationship?
MAGNUS:
I don't want to see his (a) sacrifice go to waste.
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - NUBBINS ENCLOSURE
[Nubbins chittering and squeaking]
[Ashley is standing in front of observation window to the nubbins’ cell.]
[Henry sneezes violently while he walks in.]
ASHLEY:
Henry... Have you had a chance to check out my nubbins?
HENRY:
Oh, you mean the.... No, but I would like to.
[The nubbins turn transparent when Henry comes over.]
ASHLEY:
Hey. Oh, guys, come on, there's nothing to be afraid of.
[Henry sneezes]
HENRY:
Oh, man, I think I'm allergic.
ASHLEY:
Well, you better get used to them. They're the coolest thing we ever brought back.
[The nubbins rematerialize.]
HENRY:
Hey. Huh, well, I got to admit, your nubbins are pretty amazing.
ASHLEY:
Don't you just want to squeeze them?
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - UPPER LEVEL - MAGNUS’S STUDY
[Magnus is sitting at her desk reading a letter when Will comes in.]
WILL:
Hey. You find anything out about our predator?
MAGNUS:
I'm still running the DNA. It will take a few days before we can complete the analysis.
WILL:
So what's going on?
MAGNUS:
We have a rather odd situation on our hands.
WILL:
Isn't "rather odd" sort of your stock in trade?
MAGNUS:
A gentleman by the name of Maurice Macrae, recently deceased, stipulated in his will that I perform the autopsy on his remains.
WILL:
Why?
MAGNUS:
He spent the last years of his life in a psychiatric institution, convinced he was an abnormal.
WILL:
And how did he know about you?
MAGNUS:
That's a question I have as well.
WILL:
Well, I guess it's too late to ask him.
MAGNUS:
True, but his granddaughter, Sophie, has accompanied his body. I was hoping you could talk to her, put her at ease, while I examine her grandfather.
WILL:
What does she know about the Sanctuary?
MAGNUS:
Only the rumors that her grandfather passed along. Everyone was convinced that he was a few cups shy of a tea service. Everyone but Sophie.
WILL:
So you're gonna go through with the postmortem?
MAGNUS:
Of course. If his claims are unfounded, well.... There's no harm in fulfilling the man's final request.
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - UPPER LEVEL - LIBRARY
WILL:
Hi. You must be Sophie. I'm Dr. Zimmerman. Will.
SOPHIE:
You work with Dr. Magnus?
WILL:
I do. -My condolences.
SOPHIE:
-Thank you, Doctor.
WILL:
Do you mind if I ask you a couple of questions?
SOPHIE:
I already know what you're going to say, that my grandfather was an eccentric old man.
WILL:
Actually, no, I don't know anything about him.
SOPHIE:
Sorry. (I) It's just, all the doctors said he was suffering from advanced dementia, and my parents, all my relatives think he was crazy.
WILL:
But you didn't.
SOPHIE:
He just felt so strongly. I loved him very much.
WILL:
How did he come to this... decision?
SOPHIE:
Well, he always talked about a private research facility. He called it "The Sanctuary", a place where what he called "abnormals" were given refuge. Of course, no one took him seriously. Is that what goes on here?
WILL:
Well, we are a private research facility.
SOPHIE:
Research into what, exactly?
WILL:
A range of things.
SOPHIE:
A "range".
WILL:
Why don't you tell me more about your grandfather?
SOPHIE:
My grandfather could see things that other people didn't, that other people couldn't. When we spent time together, it was... ...it was like the world would open up.
WILL:
Sounds like an inspiring man.
SOPHIE:
I mean, he showed me what people were thinking, what they were feeling.
WILL:
So he actually imparted these thoughts or sensations?
SOPHIE:
Eh, you’re humoring me.
WILL:
No, I'm not. I'm just asking questions.
SOPHIE:
It's fine. I'm used to it. Dr. Zimmerman, look, I'm sorry, if you're going to be so evasive, I really don't see any reason to tell you more than I have.
WILL:
Okay. Dr. Magnus has made arrangements for you to stay here, as long as you're comfortable with that, until the autopsy results come in.
SOPHIE:
Thank you.
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - UPPER LEVEL - MAGNUS'S STUDY
[Magnus is sitting on couch reading as Will comes in.]
WILL:
You have something against sleep, don't you?
MAGNUS:
Just doing some reading. There's a recurring legend amongst equatorial rainforest cultures about nubbins.
[Will sits on the other end of couch.]
WILL:
Nubbins? I thought Ashley made that name up.
MAGNUS:
She did. They're most often called "amoratas". Apparently the species is highly prized as harbingers of fertility and a bountiful harvest. In some societies, they were a common wedding gift, to promote connubial bliss.
WILL:
Before the age of self-help books.
MAGNUS:
When they vanish, it's considered a portent of discord.
[Will moves closer to Magnus and puts his arm on the back of the couch.]
WILL:
How did the, uh... ...the autopsy go on Sophie's grandfather?
MAGNUS:
Sorry?
WILL:
Um... The autopsy?
MAGNUS:
Oh. There was a significant anomaly to the frontal lobe. I'll need to do more tests to determine if it's a tumor or... ...something else.
WILL:
So it's... it's possible that he's an abnormal?
MAGNUS:
Too early to tell, really.
WILL:
I'm, uh... I'm going to go to bed.
MAGNUS:
Sweet dreams.
WILL:
Don't forget to put out the fire.
MAGNUS:
I never do.
WILL:
All right. Okay.
Act II[]
EXT. - ESTABLISHING SHOT - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - DAY - NEXT MORNING
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - NUBBINS ENCLOSURE
[Magnus is already there looking through observation window. Will and Ashley walk in.]
ASHLEY:
Are the nubbins okay? Henry said the female kept going in and out of camo mode, and then swelled up like a blimp.
MAGNUS:
She gave birth just after dawn. They're all fine, all fourteen of them. It took them only minutes to adapt their camouflage.
[Nubbins squeaking and chittering]
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - MEDICAL SCIENCE RESEARCH LAB
[Magnus is sitting at her desk and Ashley and Will are on each side of her. Ashley is next to a baby nubbin that is in a glass cage.]
MAGNUS:
The juveniles are putting on weight so fast I'm projecting they'll reach maturation within a day.
WILL:
That rate of metabolic growth is scary. We should find a way to discourage their mating.
MAGNUS:
Not yet. I want to document a full reproductive cycle first.
ASHLEY:
I'm keeping this one as a pet, just so you know.
MAGNUS:
You know, in the throes of a breeding cycle, they may not be as docile as they look.
ASHLEY:
Oh, come on, I can handle a baby nubbin, mom.
ASHLEY:
[to nubbin] [Baby talking]: Right, wittle guy? You're so cute.
WILL:
What about the predator?
MAGNUS:
He showed marked signs of agitation throughout the night. Only came out of camouflage for all but a few moments.
[Predator growls]
WILL:
I don't think he likes the nubbins.
[Predator snarling]
[The nubbin predator is shown on Magnus’s laptop pacing his cell.]
SOPHIE:
[voice-over] -But you can't say
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - UPPER LEVEL - MAGNUS’S STUDY
SOPHIE:
for sure?
[Magnus is sitting at her desk. Will and Sophie are seated on the other side of her desk.]
MAGNUS:
-No, not yet. But I can say that I've never seen brain structures quite like your grandfather's. Sophie, the blood I took from you as a control sample, I should tell you, I found similar biochemical anomalies to your grandfather's.
SOPHIE:
Oh, my God.
MAGNUS:
It would be premature to read anything into it.
SOPHIE:
Yeah, but if he was an abnormal --
MAGNUS:
In twenty-four hours, all this will be much clearer.
SOPHIE:
Okay, well, look, since I've gotten here, no one has told me squat about what this place actually does, and now you're telling me I'm some kind of freak of nature, too? You guys are hiding something from me, both of you! Why should I believe a single thing you tell me?
MAGNUS:
Sophie, we find ourselves in a very rare situation. I'm about to do something that I normally wouldn't even consider.
SOPHIE:
I don't understand. What?
MAGNUS:
You will shortly. Will, would you be so kind as to show our guest around?
WILL:
Uh... Yeah, sure.
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - NUBBINS ENCLOSURE
[Nubbins squeaking]
HENRY:
Watch yourself there, Big Guy. You don't want to get between them and their breakfast. You could lose a hairy digit.
[Bigfoot quickly places food in the enclosure.]
[Nubbins squealing excitedly]
[Henry sneezes]
BIGFOOT:
I've never seen an animal with such a... ...big appetite.
HENRY:
It's not just food. They're not pairing up for square-dancing.
[Henry sneezes]
HENRY:
Oh, man.
BIGFOOT:
Maybe you shouldn't be exposing yourself unnecessarily.
HENRY:
Yeah, the allergy pills aren't working. I just hope these little dudes aren't permanent guests.
[Bigfoot knocks on glass.]
[Bigfoot barks softly at them.]
WILL:
[voice over] You look as queasy as I did
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - MAIN LAB
WILL:
when I first walked this floor.
[Will is showing Sophie around. A creature walks behind them.]
STEVE:
What’s up?
WILL:
Actually, you're taking it better than I did.
SOPHIE:
I sensed all of this before I got here. I mean, not the specifics, but....
WILL:
Even though your granddad was gone.
SOPHIE:
Maybe... ...he passed on his gift.
WILL:
Or maybe the feelings that you always saw as coming from him were coming from you.
[Sophie staggers and stumbles. Will grabs her arm to steady her.]
WILL:
Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa... You okay?
SOPHIE:
Yeah, just lightheaded is all. I tend to get these dizzy spells.
WILL:
-Why don't you sit down?
SOPHIE:
-I'm all right.
WILL:
You might be having a mild panic attack or something.
SOPHIE:
I just get like this.
WILL:
Well, we'll be sure to have Dr. Magnus check it out.
WILL:
What is it?
SOPHIE:
The new creatures... They're upset.
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - NUBBINS ENCLOSURE
[Nubbins squeaking]
WILL:
I know it may be hard to believe, but those aren't tricks of the eye. Those are flesh and blood creatures.
SOPHIE:
Of course they are.
WILL:
It's okay.
[The nubbins rematerialize.]
WILL:
Wow. They seem to be drawn to you.
[Sophie stumbles again.]
WILL:
Whoa. You okay? Is it coming back?
SOPHIE:
I think I should lie down for a while.
WILL:
Okay.
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - UPPER LEVEL - ASHLEY’S BEDROOM - ALMOST 2:00 PM
[Nubbin purring]
[Ashley is lying on bed petting a nubbin which is on her lap.]
[Knock on door]
ASHLEY:
Uh, come in.
WILL:
-Hey.
ASHLEY:
-Hey.
WILL:
The nubbins came out of camo mode, and we did a head count, and one of them was missing.
ASHLEY:
Yeah, I just couldn't stop myself. What time is it?
WILL:
-Uh, it's almost 2:00 [PM].
ASHLEY:
-Weird. I must have fallen asleep or something.
[The nubbin hisses as Will steps closer to Ashley.]
[Nubbin snarls]
ASHLEY:
Hey! That is not very nice. Will is a friend. Co-worker... Slash... Friend. That's all.
WILL:
Maybe you should, uh... Maybe you should put him back, just to be on the safe side.
ASHLEY:
Okay, little buddy, let's go.
[The nubbin sprays Will with urine.]
WILL:
-Oh! Oh, man!
ASHLEY:
-Oh, I'm so sorry.
ASHLEY:
[to nubbin] Get back in here.
[Ashley puts the nubbin in its container.]
WILL:
-Aw...
ASHLEY:
-Oh, let me, uh. Let me get that for you.
[Ashley unbuttons Will’s shirt.]
ASHLEY:
Uh... This, uh... Here.
[Becoming uncomfortable Ashley runs and grabs a hamper basket and a towel.]
ASHLEY:
Just... Toss it in here. Let me, um... Uh, do that.
[Ashley dries Will’s chest with the towel.]
WILL:
Uh y-you wouldn't have a... A man's shirt lying around, would you?
ASHLEY:
Medium, right?
WILL:
-Yeah. Yeah
ASHLEY:
-Yeah.
[Ashley takes one last look at Will's body before moving off to get the shirt.]
ASHLEY:
Yeah.
[Ashley goes to get a shirt out of closet.]
ASHLEY:
Can I ask you something?
WILL:
Sure.
ASHLEY:
Have you been feeling, um... -I don't know, uh, odd?
WILL:
-How do you mean?
ASHLEY:
Well, I'm not sure, but ever since we got back from the (that) ship, I've felt, uh...
WILL:
-Woozy?
ASHLEY:
-Is that how you're feeling?
WILL:
Uh... Yeah, kinda.
ASHLEY:
I think sometimes I can... be a little stand-offish. I mean, I know I can be snippy.
WILL:
No. No, not at all.
ASHLEY:
I don't want you to think that I'm, um... unappreciative, or unapproachable. I've been accused of that by guys.
WILL:
Yeah, me too. Not by guys, but... you know what I mean.
[Will breaks eye contact and rubs his eye.]
ASHLEY:
Are you okay?
WILL:
Yeah, it's just these new contacts. I'm just getting used to them.
ASHLEY:
I really like you.
WILL:
-Really?
ASHLEY:
-Without glasses.
WILL:
Yeah.
ASHLEY:
-Will?
WILL:
-Yeah?
[Clang]
[Will and Ashley are startled out of almost kissing by sound.]
ASHLEY:
Where's my nubbin?
[Will bends over forward, giving Ashley a view of his butt. As he straightens and turns to looks at her, she tries to act like she wasn't looking at him.]
WILL:
Uh... Oh no.
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - NUBBINS ENCLOSURE
[Nubbins squealing excitedly]
[The escaped nubbin is chewing a hole in the cell.]
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - NUBBINS ENCLOSURE - A LITTLE LATER
BIGFOOT:
At first I thought they were just camouflaging, but I swept the entire cell feeling for them.
MAGNUS:
Don't tell me they've escaped?
[Bigfoot shows Magnus and Henry the damage to the cell.]
BIGFOOT:
Something gnawed through the ventilation grate from the outside.
HENRY:
Mayday.
[Henry sneezes]
Act III[]
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - UPPER LEVEL - HALLWAY
[Magnus, Henry, Will and Ashley are walking down hallway.]
MAGNUS:
I'm going to err on the side of caution. I want the building sealed. Nobody goes in or out.
HENRY:
Threat level "holy crap". Check.
[Henry moves through another hallway as the others enter Helen’s study.]
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - UPPER LEVEL - MAGNUS'S STUDY
MAGNUS:
These creatures escape the Sanctuary, and we'll have much more than a pest control problem on our hands.
ASHLEY:
Can we not turn this into a planetary crisis just yet? -They're fourteen little furballs.
WILL:
-Invisible furballs.
ASHLEY:
We'll round them up, okay?
MAGNUS:
If they reach sexual maturity as fast as they've reached full size... Well, do the math.
WILL:
But they haven't overrun their native habitat, right?
MAGNUS:
Camouflaged or not, they wouldn't be much of a secret, and that's the one saving grace. Something must control their numbers.
WILL:
What about the predator Eric brought back?
MAGNUS:
That's one of a number of theories I'm working on. Though their shared trait of camouflage doesn't necessarily define their relationship on the food chain.
WILL:
Well, we could try to draw them out, if we could just figure out what they crave. You know, besides other nubbins.
ASHLEY:
Well, we know they're hungry little suckers. I'll make sure our food stores are protected.
BIGFOOT:
Too late for that. They've already wiped out the pantry and the walk-in.
WILL:
What, there's nothing left?
[Bigfoot hands Will a remaining scrap of food.]
MAGNUS:
Right, we go floor by floor. Snares, tranquilizers, whatever it takes.
[As they leave the room, Bigfoot stops Will for a second the take back the food scrap, jabbing Will in the process.]
WILL:
Ow.
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - UPPER LEVEL - HALLWAY
[Bigfoot is checking for nubbins with an animal trap]
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - CATACOMBS - HALLWAY
[Ashley is searching for nubbins with an animal pole noose and trap]
INT - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - OVERHEAD VENTILATION DUCT
HENRY:
Okay. Hey, little guy, it's okay. Here you go. That's Gouda. Yeah, nobody's going to hurt you, little fella. Nobody's gonna...
[Henry sneezes violently]
[Nubbin squeals aggressively]
[The nubbin runs up and bites his arm and scurries away.]
[Henry screams]
HENRY:
I lied! I'm going to hurt you! Oh... Ow... Your mother was a sewer rat!
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - UPPER LEVEL - MEDICAL EXAMINATION ROOM
MAGNUS:
I'm going to schedule a full rabies series, unless we can confirm its absence in every nubbin out there.
[Henry sneezes]
HENRY:
Isn't that, like, super painful?
MAGNUS:
-I'm not going to lie to you, Henry.
HENRY:
-No, it's okay, please. You can lie to me.
ASHLEY:
Those poor things must've been pushed to the (limit)s.
HENRY:
Hey listen, I know you're all about saving the whales and everything, but these guys just happen to be a pack of vicious, over-sexed, hyperthyroid, invisi-rodents.
ASHLEY:
Stop demonizing them. They were just afraid!
MAGNUS:
Ashley, we have no history with this species. We cannot take this attack lightly. Now, how many have we re-captured so far?
ASHLEY:
-Three, or so.
MAGNUS:
-Three?
HENRY:
-Almost four.
MAGNUS:
-Out of fourteen?
HENRY:
Actually, I'd go up about five... times.
[Henry sneezes]
MAGNUS:
What did you see?
HENRY:
I'm not sure "see" is the right word, but by the way they rippled, I'd say we're looking at several litters of newborns. But hey, they won't be doing the horizontal tango for, like, hours.
MAGNUS:
We need to corral them all as quickly as possible. Henry, I'm taking you off the front lines. I want you working on a more technological solution.
HENRY:
I'm good with that.
ASHLEY:
Tell me you're not talking about exterminating them.
MAGNUS:
I'd like nothing more than to see them all safely back in their cell unharmed.
ASHLEY:
-Yeah, but --
MAGNUS:
-We wouldn't even be having this discussion had you shown better judgment.
[Sophie knocks on the open door.]
MAGNUS:
Come in.
[Henry gets down off table and walks past Sophie out the door.]
HENRY:
-Hi.
SOPHIE:
-Hi.
MAGNUS:
-Could you give us a moment?
ASHLEY:
-Yeah, sure.
[Ashley gets up and goes to door to leave.]
MAGNUS:
Thank you.
ASHLEY:
-Hey.
SOPHIE:
-Hi.
SOPHIE:
Dr. Magnus...
MAGNUS:
Hello, Sophie.
SOPHIE:
Will said you might be able to help me.
MAGNUS:
[Nods] Yeah. Please, have a seat.
SOPHIE:
He told you about the headaches, and the spins and all that?
MAGNUS:
If it's all right with you, I'd like to conduct a few simple tests.
SOPHIE:
Simple, like brain scans?
MAGNUS:
Probably prudent under the circumstances.
SOPHIE:
I know you have more important things to deal with. You're in the middle of a crisis.
MAGNUS:
Actually, by Sanctuary standards, this is just another day at the office.
SOPHIE:
What did my grandfather die of?
SOPHIE:
Oh. And you said that we have similar anomalies.
MAGNUS:
Let's just see what's happens before we anticipate, all right?
SOPHIE:
Okay.
MAGNUS:
It's going to be okay, Sophie.
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - CATACOMBS - HALLWAY
WILL:
Okay, here's my idea. We capture a male nubbin, use it as bait and wait for the females to swarm.
ASHLEY:
Or we use a female as bait and watch the males swarm.
WILL:
Well, (we) want as many of the child-bearers back in captivity as possible.
ASHLEY:
As if the girls are going to go all weak-kneed over the right nubbin.
WILL:
I'm sorry, the "right nubbin"?
ASHLEY:
You know, smart, handsome, good sense of humor, go-getter, dedicated to the same things you are, loves long walks on the beach....
[Ashley stops dead in her tracks, realizing she's telling her own personal 'wants' in a man.]
WILL:
Are you okay?
ASHLEY:
Yeah. Yeah, I-I'm fine.
[Nubbin chittering]
WILL:
Johnny nub in the crosshairs.
[Nubbin squealing away]
[Will and Ashley spot a nubbin and give chase.]
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - UPPER LEVEL - MEDICAL EXAMINATION ROOM
MAGNUS:
There's nothing that threatens your health. You're fine, Sophie.
SOPHIE:
But you did find something.
MAGNUS:
It's completely benign, similar to what we found in your grandfather's brain, a tissue structure that bridges your frontal lobes.
SOPHIE:
-Like a tumor!
MAGNUS:
-No, no, nothing like that. There's a nerve bundle that links this unusual organ to the thalamus. I think it may be used in pre-verbal communication.
SOPHIE:
Oh, this is unbelievable.
MAGNUS:
I suspect it's some sort of empathic ability. In my world, it's a genetic expression that may well preview an evolutionary advance.
SOPHIE:
I just always attributed it to Maurice. It only ever happened when I was with him.
MAGNUS:
He wanted to bring out your gifts, no doubt. That's what the will was about.
SOPHIE:
This condition that I have, assuming that you're right, what... What does that mean I can do?
MAGNUS:
Well, that's for you to explore. With our help, if you'll trust us.
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - UPPER LEVEL - ATTIC
[Will and Ashley rise into the attic space, coming up from the access hatch.]
WILL:
Shh, shh, shh.
[Will and Ashley extend their nooses forward, and Will catches a nubbin.]
WILL:
Ha! Maybe this isn't going to be as tough as we thought.
[Nubbin squealing]
ASHLEY:
Hub... (Oh) I'm not so sure about that.
[A pulled-back wide angle view of the attic reveals several more nubbins.]
Act IV[]
EXT. - ESTABLISHING SHOT - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - DAY
WILL:
[voice-over] Well, I'm telling you, we have a nubbins explosion on our hands.
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - UPPER LEVEL - MAGNUS’S STUDY
MAGNUS:
I've found something that may well explain their popularity as a wedding gift.
WILL:
Wait, don't tell me. They can be returned?
[Magnus chuckles]
MAGNUS:
Actually, they have scent glands that emit powerful pheromones.
WILL:
Huh. Well, that explains their overactive mating instinct.
MAGNUS:
In fact, it may well extend beyond their own species.
WILL:
You're not saying that they're affecting us?
MAGNUS:
Haven't you noticed it?
[Will chuckles awkwardly]
WILL:
Are you asking me if I've been feeling... Randy?
MAGNUS:
I've made you uncomfortable.
WILL:
No, as a matter of fact, you've, uh... You've aroused my curiosity.
MAGNUS:
Oh. Well... Turnabout is fair play.
[Will laughs]
WILL:
Awkward.
MAGNUS:
Poor thing.
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - HENRY’S ARRAY
[Henry is at a computer screen typing.]
[Thumping keys]
HENRY:
-What the hey?
WILL:
-What's going on?
HENRY:
We've got problems.
WILL:
You mean beyond the fact that these things are spilling out like popcorn at a matinee?
HENRY:
Our systems are degrading. We got surges, reboots... Must be the step-down transformer.
[Circuitry zapping and blasting]
[Sparks fly from a nearby machine and the lights flicker.]
WILL:
Whoa!
HENRY:
Well, clearly that wasn't good.
[Will sniffing]
WILL:
All right, is it me, or does it smell like fried nubbin?
HENRY:
Dude, I haven't been able to smell anything since they got here.
[Henry removes the front panel on the machine and reveals two fried nubbins.]
WILL:
Oh, man.
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - UPPER LEVEL - MAGNUS’S STUDY
MAGNUS:
We have nubbins in four out of five infrastructure systems -- Computer, cooling, electrical, air purification. They're not in the water. Yet.
WILL:
I don't think it was an accident they brought down the computer system.
ASHLEY:
Come on, they're smart but they're not that smart.
WILL:
I don't know. A couple get sacrificed to bring down the entire server? Air vents clogged?
MAGNUS:
Drones sent out to protect the survival of the hive.
WILL:
-Yeah
ASHLEY:
-These aren't bees. They just reproduce as fast.
MAGNUS:
Hive mentality means tradeoffs between individual survival and that of the group. We've seen it in orders higher then insects.
WILL:
Yeah, like every time soldiers go into battle.
ASHLEY:
So, what does that tell us about what they'll do?
MAGNUS:
Everything they can to ensure inter-species domination.
WILL:
You know, this catching them one at a time is not working.
MAGNUS:
The more I watch our predator, the more I’m beginning to think that it is what controls the nubbins in their native habitat.
ASHLEY:
You're not talking about turning that killer loose?
MAGNUS:
Not loose, Ashley. We can implant it with a device so we could track it and control it. The vast majority of the nubbins would be stampeded into the open, and we could herd them to safety.
ASHLEY:
It's just not fair. I mean, the nubbins are only doing what their instincts tell them.
WILL:
All we'd be doing is replicating the predator-prey dynamic that already exists.
ASHLEY:
Of course. Yeah, like the lions and the Christians.
MAGNUS:
We have them contained right now, but if they get out and this expands beyond the Sanctuary, we could be ground zero for a plague of furry locusts. We have to act, and quickly.
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - SHU - PREDATOR CELL
[Device begins beeping]
HENRY:
Tracking device is active.
MAGNUS:
It's all right, Henry. He's quite sedated.
HENRY:
Mn-hmm.
MAGNUS:
Would you rather I do it?
HENRY:
No, I got it. Its okay, I’m just... Much better with computer bytes than animal bites.
[Dart fires]
HENRY:
-There. -Huh? Huh? See? What did I tell you? Easy peasy.
[Henry sneezes]
[Predator growling]
[The nubbin predator growls and Henry jumps up on a ledge.]
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - UPPER LEVEL - HALLWAY - AT WINDOW - VIEW OF OLD CITY - EVENING
WILL:
Sophie? Hey. I just wanted to see how you were feeling.
SOPHIE:
Did Dr. Magnus tell you? I... Told her it was okay if she did.
WILL:
Yeah. Yeah, she did.
SOPHIE:
She, uh... Gave me this bio-feedback device to use so I know when the supposed powers are working, and... I guess you're pretty used to dealing with freaks, huh?
WILL:
That's not how I see you.
SOPHIE:
I guess I'm just feeling sorry for myself.
WILL:
Well, I'm sorry that you're stuck here in the middle of a level-three bio-hazard.
DEVICE:
[Blips, then beeps steadily]
SOPHIE:
The beast. The one the nubbins are afraid of. It's waking up.
WILL:
How do you know that?
SOPHIE:
I don't know, I just... I -- Uh, I don't know.
WILL:
Listen, Sophie. These feelings that you're having, the connections with the creatures, you should trust them. It's a... It's a very special thing.
SOPHIE:
Well, I wouldn't wish it on anybody. I don't feel special. I... I feel like I should be in a sideshow.
WILL:
This sense, it doesn't happen to tell you where the nubbins are, does it?
SOPHIE:
No. But... I can... feel their hearts racing. Their fear... Their desire.
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - HENRY’S ARRAY
[Henry is working on some device.]
[Henry sneezes]
[Nubbin cheeping]
[Henry sees a nubbin on his work desk licking a food wrapper.]
HENRY:
Nature abhors a vacuum. That's because she's never seen mine.
[Henry picks up the vacuum he just created.]
HENRY:
Okay... Easy there, little nubbin...
[Henry flips the switch to turn the vacuum on.]
[Powerful whooshing, nubbin shrieking]
[Henry picks up a handle to the vacuum he was working on sucks up the nubbin into it.]
HENRY:
A-ha!
[Henry cackle victoriously]
[Henry hits the switch to turn the vacuum off.]
[Vacuum powers down]
HENRY:
I've got suction, and I'm not afraid to use it.
[Henry blows on the end of the vacuum like he's blowing away the smoke from the barrel of a recently fired gun.]
EXT. - ESTABLISHING SHOT - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - NIGHT
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - MEDICAL SCIENCE RESEARCH LAB
HENRY:
Releasing the predator...
[The door to the SHU cell opens and the predator immediately runs out.]
HENRY:
Wow. Look at him go.
MAGNUS:
[into walkie] Team one, predator moving from utility five, herding nubbins toward residential corridor. -Shut down air vents.
ASHLEY:
[over walkie] Copy that.
[Predator menacing growling]
[Nubbin squeals]
[Nubbins shrieking as predator chomps]
[The nubbin predator kills three nubbins.]
HENRY:
Predator three, nubbins zero.
WILL:
Hey, where's he gone?
HENRY:
I'm not seeing him.
MAGNUS:
Track the device.
[Henry punches key]
HENRY:
Level five, north corridor. He's moving fast!
MAGNUS:
Checking level five, north corridor, primary and secondary cameras.
HENRY:
Nothing on the primary corridor. -Negative on "B" and "C".
[Nubbins can be heard in the ceiling.]
WILL:
-Whoa. Nubbins on the move.
[Nubbins loud chittering and scratching above]
HENRY:
Oh, wait a second. Predator's stopped. -A dead stop.
MAGNUS:
-Where?
HENRY:
Just outside the library.
[Generator warbling and groaning]
[The lights flicker and the lights go out.]
HENRY:
We're losing power on the main grid.
MAGNUS:
Go to auxiliary.
[Henry punching keys]
[The lights come on reduced strength but then go out.]
HENRY:
And we have lost auxiliary.
HENRY:
Okay, women and geeks first. Oh, no, wait, that's all of us.
MAGNUS:
See what you can do, Henry. Will, let's go.
HENRY:
Okay.
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - UPPER LEVEL - HALLWAY - OUTSIDE LIBRARY
[Magnus and Will follow bloody tracks through the corridor where they see the nubbin predator move into the library.]
[Predator snarling]
[Predator growling and snarling]
[Outside the doorway to the room Magnus hands Will a gun.]
MAGNUS:
They're tranquilizer rounds. One shot won't do it.
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - UPPER LEVEL - LIBRARY
[Nubbins squealing]
[They enter the room and find the remains of the nubbin predator.]
WILL:
Looks like our predator just became prey.
MAGNUS:
Why do I have the feeling that we're next?
WILL:
Well, I guess we can skip the midnight feeding.
Act V[]
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - UPPER LEVEL - MAGNUS’S STUDY
WILL:
So we were wrong about our predator keeping the nubbins in check in the rainforest?
MAGNUS:
Well, not necessarily. I mean, sometimes predator becomes prey. Hyenas, for example, have been known to kill lions. Apparently we underestimated the nubbins' strength in numbers.
WILL:
Can you imagine what ten times the number of nubbins will do? Or a hundred times?
MAGNUS:
If they can rip a creature the size and strength of the predator to shreds, I've no doubt they'd give us no quarter. We may have just sealed ourselves in with our executioners.
WILL:
Their hive behavior isn't just intelligent, it's strategic. Sooner or later, they're gonna find a way out.
MAGNUS:
And they're reproducing faster than we can capture or eradicate them.
ASHLEY:
Doesn't anybody have some good news?
HENRY:
I've got wood.
[Henry has entered with a arm load of firewood.]
HENRY:
You know -- For the fire.
WILL:
Hey... When we were aboard the Lophelia, do you remember the hold -where we found the nubbins?
MAGNUS:
[nods] -The refrigerated dry hold.
WILL:
Yeah.
MAGNUS:
Although it was either turned off or malfunctioning. Cryogenic transport is fairly common for a bioresearch vessel.
WILL:
Yeah, but the thing is, is...
FLASHBACK TO EARLIER
INT. - LOPHELIA - CARGO HOLD
WILL:
The setting on the control panel... It was for fifty degrees,
RETURN TO PRESENT
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - UPPER LEVEL - MAGNUS'S STUDY
WILL:
which is cold, but well above freezing.
MAGNUS:
So maybe it was their intention to slow their metabolism, moderate their growth and mating cycles. Ashley, you and Henry round up as many fire extinguishers as you can.
ASHLEY:
On it.
[Will sighs]
[Henry, who is standing next to Sophie staring at her, is dragged away by his ear by Ashley.]
WILL:
Still, even if we are right about the cold, unless we can drive them into the open, I don't see how that by itself will do the trick.
SOPHIE:
You are right about the cold, Will. They don't like it.
MAGNUS:
Can you tell what they're feeling now?
SOPHIE:
Crowded... Afraid... Threatened... They're sending warnings.
MAGNUS:
They're sounding an alarm?
[Sophie nods]
WILL:
What are you thinking?
MAGNUS:
That we try and mimic the frequency of their distress call. If we're successful, we could strategically place emitters powerful enough to flush them out, stampede them, and funnel them towards capture.
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - MEDICAL SCIENCE RESEARCH LAB
MAGNUS:
What are you getting, Henry?
HENRY:
Just over 19 kilohertz.
MAGNUS:
Ultrasonic. Beyond the range of human hearing.
HENRY:
19.5... 20... 21.5... And stabilizing.
MAGNUS:
There's your distress call, 21.5 kilohertz.
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - CATACOMBS - HALLWAY
[Magnus carries sonic megaphones while Bigfoot carries two fire extinguishers as they walk down the hallway then split up. Magnus keeps walking straight and Bigfoot breaks off to travel down a passageway to the viewers left.]
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - UPPER LEVEL - MAGNUS'S STUDY
[Henry sneezes]
[Henry and Sophie are in Magnus's study looking at the fireplace.]
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - CATACOMBS - HALLWAY - AIR VENT
[Magnus turns on her megaphone.]
[Nubbins squeaking]
[Magnus 'shoots' the sound into the vent, scaring off an invisible nubbin.]
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - UPPER LEVEL - MAGNUS'S STUDY
[Henry turns on his megaphone and 'shoots' the sound at the fireplace.]
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - CATACOMBS - HALLWAY
[Bigfoot readies his fire extinguishers like weapons.]
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - CATACOMBS - HALLWAY - AIR VENT
[Magnus watches the nubbins corral and move down the air vent away from her.]
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - UPPER LEVEL - MAGNUS'S STUDY
[Nubbins starts dropped out of the chimney on the office floor. Henry uses his megaphone to direct them out of the room.]
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - UPPER LEVEL - HALLWAY
[Nubbins are herded down the hallway just outside Magnus's study by a megaphone placed on a stand.]
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - CATACOMBS - HALLWAY
[Nubbins drop out of an overhead air vent to the floor just in front of Bigfoot. He shoot them with a fire extinguisher and they fall asleep. He watches tons more of them jump out of the vent.]
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - UPPER LEVEL - HALLWAY
[Nubbins are racing down the hallway.]
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - CATACOMBS - HALLWAY - AIR VENT
[Dozens of nubbins race down to the end of an air vent.
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - CATACOMBS - HALLWAY
[They pop out of a vent where Ashley and Will are standing ready and waiting. They shoot them with their fire extinguishers.]
ASHLEY:
Time to chill, guys.
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - CATACOMBS - HALLWAY
[Bigfoot shoots the nubbins again with the fire extinguisher.]
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - CATACOMBS - HALLWAY
[Ashley and Will are still spraying them with cold.]
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - CATACOMBS - HALLWAY
[Bigfoot keeps sprays, clouding up the room.]
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - LOWER LEVEL - NUBBINS ENCLOSURE
[Nubbins are shown behind glass sleeping in a chilled room.]
INT. - OLD CITY SANCTUARY - UPPER LEVEL - MAGNUS'S STUDY - DAY
SOPHIE:
So what'll happen to the nubbins now?
MAGNUS:
Now that low temperature has slowed their reproductive cycle to a crawl, they can live out their days in relative peace.
SOPHIE:
They're not thrilled about the cold.
WILL:
Hey, thrilled nubbins is what got us into this mess.
MAGNUS:
It was very brave of you to share your gift.
SOPHIE:
Well, in the end, Henry's allergies were a better detector than any of my paranormal abilities.
WILL:
The difference is, is that you can sense a lot more than nubbins.
SOPHIE:
Yeah. I'm still not sure how I feel about that.
MAGNUS:
I think we know what your grandfather wanted for you.
SOPHIE:
Yeah. I guess, in a way, he'll always be guiding me.
MAGNUS:
And so will we.
End credits[]
[End credits music plays]
Nubbins/Credits
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