CHILDREN OF DR. MOREAU

by Jared Battaglia

From the world of H.G. Wells

EXT. PUGET SOUND, PACIFIC NORTHWEST - ESTABLISHING

Sweeping over spectacular fjords and watery channels. A patchwork of oak forests robe the mountainside.

A MAN’S VOICE (PRE-LAP) DNA is the wellspring of life, determining the nature of all living organisms from the amoeba to the human being...

EXT. MOUNTAINOUS ROADWAY - DAY

A prism of mist stretches across coast-hugging road. As we TRACK the route of a SPRINTER VAN. Cold gray sky.

A MAN’S VOICE (O.S.) Genetic corruption is not a threat but a gift.

INTERVIEWER (O.S.) So, when we untie the bow what can we expect to find, Dr. Moreau?

INT. SPRINTER VAN - TRAVELING

CU: hands on the wheel, driving steady. Windshield wipers beat back and forth. Reveal, a podcast is playing.

DR. MOREAU (O.S.) A breakthrough. Our world has been convulsed by perpetual conflict. People fighting over creations of the human imagination. This is not a part of the natural order. But it helps us do our best to forget.

INTERVIEWER (O.S.) Forget what?

DR. MOREAU (O.S.) That we’re animals, much less supreme than we think. The thought repulses us. Morality curbs and denies our true nature, the wild beast within us. Yet humans are inextricably bound to nature.

INTERVIEWER (O.S.) What do you suggest we do instead?

A silent beat.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

DR. MOREAU (O.S.) Evolve. We weren’t supposed to stop. There’s been so many advances in technology but how many in the human being? We’re a slave to form. But for Darwin a species was simply a statistical abstraction.

The driver turns the podcast off. This is ELLIS TRIPLER, an edgy freelance journalist for Rogue Stream, an independent news org. He’s a guy that goes all the way.

ELLIS Last time Dr. Moreau spoke. Hasn’t been heard from in years.

His videographer, HARRY SEVERO, scraggy beard and unkept hair, not as hip, pieces together a large lens camera in the passenger seat.

HARRY Maybe he likes his anonymity.

ELLIS Privacy doesn’t exist anymore, Harry. Didn’t you get the memo?

HARRY Guess they don’t call it investigative journalism for nothing.

Ellis keeps his gaze steady on the road.

ELLIS This could be our biggest get yet. We’ve come a long way since News of the Weird. My hits are going up everyday, people dispense my videos on more mainstream sites than ever --

Harry nods.

HARRY Why it’s time I got equity.

ELLIS We can talk about equity later, haven’t been able to monetize my channel to the extent I’d like to.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: (2)

HARRY I’ll go with your gut. You think Moreau made his breakthrough?

ELLIS What we need to find out. He made himself scarce after activists got him dismissed from the university he had tenure with.

Harry raises an eyebrow.

HARRY What he do to piss them off?

ELLIS Read up.

Ellis reaches behind his seat, hands him a file-folder.

ELLIS Rumors of vivisections on strays are what really pushed them over the edge.

Harry makes a face.

ELLIS All in the name of science.

Harry leafs through the pages.

HARRY So where does he go after slicing and dicing Fido?

ELLIS Former colleagues think he went off the grid, started an alternative “back to the earth” community on one of the islands.

HARRY Where he can play god?

ELLIS Behind every rumor is some truth.

Ellis turns off the main drag.

EXT. FRIDAY HARBOR, SAN JUAN ISLANDS - ESTABLISHING

A small float plane sits in the water. Ellis and Harry head down the dock towards an office bungalow.

HARRY (thrown for a loop) You chartered us a flight?

ELLIS You get sea sick.

Harry gapes.

HARRY Said this was a day trip.

ELLIS Doubt we’ll be invited to spend the night.

HARRY I don’t know, man. Feels like motivated blindness.

ELLIS You know what you signed up for. I get to the root of the story by any means necessary. That’s my brand.

Harry exhales.

HARRY Don’t have to be reminded.

With a flicker of a smile --

ELLIS Buy a toothbrush just in case.

Off Harry’s look, in over his head.

PILOT (PRE-LAP) I know this island, been privately owned for years.

INT. AVIAN FLIGHT CENTER - DAY

Ellis and Harry sit across from a seasoned PILOT, tucked behind a desk, sucks a drag from his cigarette.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

PILOT I’d be putting my neck on the line and my commercial license at risk.

HARRY Ellis, it’s not too late to rent a boat. I’ll pop a Dramamine.

ELLIS It’ll take too long. There’s a reason Moreau didn’t make it easy to access this place. I’m confident we can work something out.

Ellis narrows his gaze, ready to negotiate. The Pilot leans back in his chair.

PILOT Looked you up on Google. Saw that hit piece ya did on the congressman. Got him kicked out of office.

On Ellis, not sure where this is going.

ELLIS I did what I had to.

PILOT Guy was a sleaze with those girls.

HARRY Ellis wouldn’t be doing this if he didn’t think something was there.

PILOT If I take you, you both sign a release of liability and my quote goes up double.

Ellis absorbs the blow.

ELLIS Half now. Rest when we get back.

The Pilot weighs the offer.

PILOT Deal.

Off Ellis, mission accomplished. A satisfied smile.

EXT./INT. SEAPLANE - IN THE AIR

Mid-flight. Fair conditions, cloudy skies. The cabin shakes. Ellis is belted in tight, earmuffs on.

ELLIS Check out that view!

He glances over at Harry, green about the gills.

HARRY I don’t know why I agreed to this.

ELLIS ‘Cause you trust my instincts. All your pretentious friends are gonna sit up and take notice once we get Moreau to agree to talk.

The Pilot calls back from the cockpit.

PILOT Everyone holding up back there?

ELLIS So far.

PILOT Should be nearing the island soon.

HARRY (under his breath) Thank God.

PILOT Still don’t know what you’re expecting to find out there.

ELLIS I want to know what Moreau has been up to all these years.

The Pilot shrugs, steering us along.

PILOT Long as I get my money.

Right when a vee-shaped flock of LARGE BROWN PELICANS appear in the sky, emerging from hazy clouds on a collision course with the plane. Harry sees them, instantly alarmed.

HARRY Watch out!

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

Steely-eyed, the Pilot grabs hold of the control wheel.

PILOT Don’t need that right now.

MULTIPLE BIRD STRIKES! A Pelican shatters through the windshield, flapping its bloody wings in a heap of broken glass. Another gets sucked into the craft’s engine.

PILOT Son of a --

An alarm sounds off. Beep, beep, beep.

ELLIS Gotta be kidding me.

The Pelican twitches, fighting until its last breath. Unusually aggressive, almost predatory.

PILOT Hold tight!

The Pilot attempts to perform a semi controlled landing.

HARRY (anxiety kicks in) This is not happening... This is not happening.

PILOT Can you shut him up?!

The plane drops altitude. They hang on for dear life as the Pilot deftly maneuvers the plane. Ellis looks over --

ELLIS Harry, don’t panic. We can make it through this. Just stay calm.

HARRY Stay calm?!

Ellis and Harry exchange a look, bracing for the plunge. They smell smoke from a fuel fire.

PILOT Damn it!

Harry releases a yell. Loose baggage flies through the air. The plane goes down, making a crash landing on the water. The Pilot hits his head on the instrument panel.

-- BLAM!

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: (2)

Everything goes dark.

INT. SEAPLANE - UNDERWATER

Ceiling panels crash down. Icy cold water pours in. Ellis snaps back to life, gasping for air above the surface.

ELLIS Harry, you there?!

Ellis struggles to unbuckle his seat belt. Harry rises up in shock. Blood drips down from a cut above his brow.

ELLIS You okay?

In a daze, Harry manages a nod.

ELLIS We gotta get out of here. Now.

Dejected, Harry lifts up the strap of his soaked camera bag. Ellis calls out to the Pilot slumped in his chair.

ELLIS Sir, can you hear me?

No response. Ellis fishes a clasp-knife from his pocket. Cuts through his seat belt, pulls it over his head.

HARRY He’s knocked out.

Ellis climbs over the seat, goes over and checks the Pilot’s pulse. Face bruised and blue. Visible signs of a broken neck.

ELLIS No, he’s dead.

HARRY Are you sure?

He stares back at the dead pilot. Regretful.

ELLIS I’m sure. Help me get him out.

Feeling terrible, Ellis unbuckles the Pilot’s seat belt. Harry notices the water is rising fast.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

HARRY We need to go, we’re taking in too much water, Ellis.

ELLIS Can’t just leave his body here.

HARRY We’ll call for help. They’ll find him. Don’t get out now, they’ll be recovering three bodies.

Ellis knows he’s right.

ELLIS Come on.

They quickly grab life vests from overhead, secure them on. The plane is sinking fast. They scramble for their lives. Hold their breath, heads dunk underwater.

Ellis swims down to the door, tries to open it. No dice. He backs up, throws his weight against it.

Success! Ellis pushes through, Harry follows behind him. But his leg brushes up against a piece of jagged debris.

A mash of twisted metal slices his pants, flaying the flesh of his thigh. He cries out underwater.

Blood plumes from the wound. The fabric of his pants gets stuck. Ellis sees, goes back and helps pry his leg free.

Both running out of oxygen, swimming in a hurry to the surface. Sunlight flickers up above.

As Ellis miraculously catches sight of the bottom of a DIVE BOAT floating over them against the blue water.

CUT TO:

A BODY OF WATER

Ellis breaks the surface, bobbing in undulating waves. Disoriented, everything hazy in mist-shrouded blue-green water. Something catches onto his life vest.

A WOMAN’S VOICE I got you.

He sees a WOMAN in a white robe and shawl, reaching out over the edge of the Dive Boat with a telescoping hook. She drags him closer, grabs hold of his vest.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: (2)

WOMAN IN WHITE On three, one, two -- three.

The Woman In White uses all her strength to pull Ellis up and safely into the boat.

EXT./INT. DIVE BOAT - CONTINUOUS

Ellis flops onto the floor of the boat. Chokes up a mouthful of water. Exhausted, dazed and dizzy.

ELLIS Thank you.

A sigh of relief. She gives him a steadfast look.

WOMAN IN WHITE You’re lucky I saw the plane go down and got to my boat in time.

He takes in her face. Shocked. Long beat. Can’t take her eyes off her. Then remembers:

ELLIS (wave of panic) Did you see my friend?

Harry utters a pitiful moan. He’s shivering, curled up on the other side of the boat.

WOMAN IN WHITE He’ll be okay. Which one of you was the pilot?

A somber beat.

ELLIS He didn’t make it. We tried to get his body out. Wasn’t enough time.

She hands Ellis an emergency water pouch from the first aid kit. He glances back, can’t believe she’s here.

WOMAN IN WHITE We’re not too far from the island.

WIDEN TO REVEAL a MOUNTAINOUS ISLAND, virgin woodlands spread across it in the distance, seemingly uninhabited.

ELLIS Which island?

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

WOMAN IN WHITE Doesn’t have a name but I like to call it, the Island of Dr. Moreau.

Her mouth twists into a wry grin. Ellis cuts Harry a look. Unspoken code. What are the chances? She motors up the boat, riding up and over the waves:

EXT. REMOTE ISLAND - ESTABLISHING

Cloaked in wilderness. Ferns and shaggy trees slope steeply up a ridge. Waves batter the rocky coast.

EXT. DIRT ROAD - SOON AFTER

A bumpy ride. Ellis drifts in and out of consciousness. Now finds himself hauled by an ATV in the bed of a utility trailer next to Harry.

EXT. HIGH ABOVE A CLIFF FACE - REVERSE ANGLE

A FIGURE IN SHADOWS crouches in a shallow cave against the cliff side, staring down sharp-eyed at them.

EXT. DIRT ROAD - CONTINUOUS

GATES OPEN on an electronic chain-link fence tucked away from shore. The ATV rumbles in, rolls onto a gravel road.

EXT. THE ENCLOSURE - ESTABLISHING

An isolationist oasis, seamlessly blending into its surroundings. The facility is completely self-sufficient lined with solar photo voltaic installations.

The ATV slows to a stop. The Woman in White removes her helmet, shakes out her hair and steps onto the ground.

WOMAN IN WHITE Welcome to the Enclosure.

Dead silent. Ellis and Harry dance their eyes around well- camouflaged prefab modular buildings, all constructed from re-purposed shipping containers.

WOMAN IN WHITE We can find you some dry clothes and make arrangements to return you to the Main Land.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

ELLIS What is this place?

She follows his gaze.

WOMAN IN WHITE We’re biologists. It’s a biological station of sorts.

HARRY There a first aid kit anywhere?

Harry regards the wound on his leg.

WOMAN IN WHITE Let’s go see the medic. Should get that taken care of.

She leads the pair forward towards the Main Building.

INT. MEDICAL STATION - SOON AFTER

The Woman in White ushers them in. NURSE LING, a trained medic and dedicated staff member is there. Also wears the island’s standard white, hair-tied up in a neat bun, diminutive stature with a calm Zen-like demeanor.

MONTGOMERY Ling, we have guests. And one that needs some serious patching up.

Ling smiles politely.

LING I can take it from here, Montgomery.

Ellis clocks her name. As if it’s a puzzle piece he’s been looking for. On the topic of introductions --

MONTGOMERY Come to think of it, I didn’t catch your names.

She shoots a glance their way. A hesitant beat.

ELLIS I’m Ellis.

Harry raises his hand.

HARRY Harry.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

MONTGOMERY Got it.

LING I’ll start by cleaning the wound. Please, lay down Harry.

Ling motions Harry to a cot bed. He staggers over, flops on the mattress.

MONTGOMERY They were in a small plane that went down near our shores.

LING (surprised) That’s a first for us.

MONTGOMERY I radioed the coast guard. They should be starting their search and recovery operation for the pilot’s remains.

This gives Ellis pause.

ELLIS Do they need to speak to us?

MONTGOMERY I’m sure they’ll be in touch if need be. They’re aware of how capable we are on the island.

Unusual. Before he can give it anymore thought, Montgomery snaps her fingers.

MONTGOMERY And I did promise dry clothes.

Ling retrieves two matching pairs of light-weight poplin shirts and pants folded up from an overhead cabinet.

LING These haven’t been worn yet. Should fit you both.

She removes the clothes from Ling’s hands and gives Ellis a set, places the other on the bed at Harry’s feet.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: (2)

MONTGOMERY Harry should sleep it off in here. Ellis, you can have the guest cabin. A good night’s rest will do you both good.

ELLIS You’ve done so much already. I can find someone with a boat to come pick us up if there’s a phone I could use or an internet connection?

Harry is already dozing off.

LING Harry should rest through the night after I stitch him up.

MONTGOMERY Ling’s right, we can go through the logistics of getting you back in the morning. Which is important for us too, given the confidential nature of our work on the island.

ELLIS Completely understandable. That would be great.

They share a smile. A slight sense of familiarity. But Montgomery can’t put her finger on it.

INT. BATHROOM POD - SERIES OF DISSOLVES

Ellis removes his shirt, takes off his pants and steps over to a wall of shower heads.

He reaches for a pull-chain switch. Steamy water pours over his body, washes down the drain. Been a long day.

Ellis changes into his pristine whites. He checks himself out, clears up a foggy mirror above the spotless sink. Not sure about the monochrome theme but goes with it.

EXT. THE ENCLOSURE - NIGHT FALL

Ellis walks with Montgomery towards the opposite side of the ring of buildings. Not a soul in sight.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

MONTGOMERY This is our guest cabin. But in all transparency, we don’t have many visitors to the island.

Ellis follows her gaze ahead.

ELLIS Where is everyone?

MONTGOMERY This is a research facility. Not a Club Med.

A cheeky smile. Ellis doesn’t press further.

ELLIS You mentioned Dr. Moreau.

Dash of surprise --

MONTGOMERY You’re familiar?

ELLIS Was a bit of a science geek in school. Remember reading a Smithsonian article about him.

MONTGOMERY He’s kept a decidedly lower profile since that profile ran.

Ellis perks up.

ELLIS You work with him here?

MONTGOMERY Technically, I’m his assistant but wear a lot of different hats within the community.

The revelation hits Ellis.

ELLIS The community?

Montgomery nods.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: (2)

MONTGOMERY A group of us live here full-time. We’re a small but dedicated collective, focused on advancing Dr. Moreau’s research and work. (then) Kind of like groupies.

A smirk.

ELLIS Never expected a place like this to actually exist.

MONTGOMERY We’re far enough away from the city. And most people are too consumed with their own lives to notice. We like that.

Montgomery thinks for a moment.

MONTGOMERY What were you doing on that plane?

Quick beat.

ELLIS Last minute sight-seeing trip. Harry’s birthday is coming up. He does a lot of deferred payment work for me, thought it’d be fun.

Almost believing his own lies. She thinks about that.

MONTGOMERY (unreadable) There is a lot to see.

Montgomery steps up to the porch of a modular guest house and unlocks the door.

INT. GUEST CABIN - NIGHT

Montgomery flips on a light. Monk-like, minimalist decor. A single bed, night stand with a lamp.

MONTGOMERY Should be some snacks in the fridge if you’re hungry.

She motions to a mini-fridge in the corner.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

MONTGOMERY Everything’s organic, we grow all our own fruits and vegetables. Soap and toilet paper in the bathroom. I do a supply run every month. Can’t think of anything else at the moment.

He scans the room.

ELLIS This is perfect.

MONTGOMERY All I ask is that you don’t go wandering off.

ELLIS ‘Course not.

MONTGOMERY You had a tough day. Least you’re ending it alive.

On Ellis, a conflicted smile.

ELLIS Feel horrible about what happened to our pilot.

MONTGOMERY Don’t blame yourself. Accidents happen. Sleep in if you want.

Montgomery smiles, steps back outside. She closes the door. Ellis heads to bed, collapses on top of the covers.

INT. MAIN HOUSE - NIGHT

Lights out. Moonlight shimmers in from a glass skylight above. Spacious with four rectangular rooms centered around an interior courtyard.

Montgomery pours herself a glass of water from a pitcher in the kitchen, complete with high-end appliances. She drinks her water.

A MAN’S VOICE You’re impulsive.

We recognize the voice. She turns around, stares at a MAN IN THE SHADOWS behind her.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

MONTGOMERY What did you want me to do, watch them drown?

She meets his gaze.

MONTGOMERY I’m dealing with the situation, best I can.

DR. MOREAU, 40s, steps into the moonlight. A brilliant but eccentric scientist. Intense eyes. Preternaturally handsome with equal parts magnetic charisma and an air of something unsettling.

DR. MOREAU You and I both have a great responsibility to this place.

MONTGOMERY I’ve never lost sight of that Dr. Moreau.

A note of regret accompanies her response. Reveal, a tumbler of scotch in his hand.

DR. MOREAU I want them gone by morning.

MONTGOMERY Or we can use the situation to our advantage...

Dr. Moreau considers. Off Montgomery, a world of possibilities opening up.

INT. GUEST CABIN - LATE AT NIGHT

Ellis lies in bed, fast asleep. A blood curdling scream pierces the night. His eyes pop open. He sits up.

More screams. As if all the pain in the world has found its voice. Is it even human?

Ellis swings his legs out of bed, jumps into his clothes. The ambiguous screams grow louder then fainter.

He goes for the door, turns the knob and pulls it open. The grounds are completely empty. No sign of anyone.

EXT. THE ENCLOSURE - CONTINUOUS

Thick fog. Ellis walks out into a bluish haze. He speaks softly, trembling under his breath.

ELLIS Anyone out here?

He picks up his pace, heads towards the Med Station. Curtains shut tight. He tries the door. It’s locked.

All the other windows around him are darkened. The entire facility is soundless. He hears a rustling, homes in on the under bush camouflaging the perimeter.

ELLIS Someone there?

A feeling, as if he’s being watched.

Ellis turns.

ELLIS Harry?

A chain swings off a door in the electronic fence. He moves forward, slips through the door.

REVERSE TO REVEAL from a rooftop, an UNKNOWN POV watches as he leaves the Enclosure.

EXT. THE WOODS - CONTINUOUS

Ellis catches a glimpse of a black-tailed JACKRABBIT hopping off, vanishing down a slope. He follows its path.

At this moment, Ellis strides down the spine of a ridge, pushing through a tangle of trees at the bottom.

Then steps in something.

Ellis lifts his foot, sees a patch of vivid scarlet on the ground. He leans down for a closer look.

ELLIS Oh, man.

It’s the rabbit’s dead body, covered in shining flies. Still warm. Head torn off. Blood scattered everywhere.

ELLIS What the hell?

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

Ellis flips around, becoming out of touch with his surroundings. Spooked, he keeps moving through the forest, navigating over ruins of a huge fallen tree.

ELLIS (calls out) Harry? That you? What happened?

Silence. Ellis stops dead in his tracks. Up ahead, beneath a shroud of ferns, a FIGURE concealed in shadows appears on the banks of a shallow stream.

The Figure crouches down, head bowed, touches its lips to the water and drinks from the stream on all fours.

Ellis stares quizzically, soiled clothes hang off its body like rags. This is definitely not Harry.

The Figure freezes. Cocks its head, a flash of emerald in its eyes. Then gets up, slinks off among the bushes. Baffled, Ellis stares in the direction of his retreat.

EXT. GLADE IN THE FOREST - MOMENTS LATER

Ellis moves fast onto more open ground, pushing through the woods. As if he’s still being watched.

Feels its glance from the shadows of the trees. A twig snaps behind him. Hair on his neck leaps straight up. He glances over his shoulder.

ELLIS I won’t hurt you, I heard someone screaming. I’m just staying here the night.

A rustling in the trees. Suddenly, Ellis sees the Shadowed Figure twenty yards ahead. An astoundingly agile body with lean, sinewy muscles.

ELLIS Are you okay?

Ellis starts walking towards it. The Shadowed Figure’s restless eyes travel over Ellis.

ELLIS I can help you.

He meets its gaze. Uncanny eyes sparkling out of the dusk from under the trees. Snarls.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

FIGURE No!

The Figure bounds away, disappearing into the darkness. Freaked out, Ellis retreats, trying to retrace his steps.

In his peripheral vision, realizes he’s being stalked along rows of Douglas firs on his route back. Two legs amongst the trees, moving parallel with his course.

Head and upper half hidden by a thick tangle of trees. Ellis stops abruptly. So does the Figure.

A quick flash of what appears to be patches of fine silk- like spotted fur below its collar bone.

Ellis’ heart beat races.

A surge of fear sweeps through him. Only instinct now is to run. And that’s just what he does. RUNS LIKE HELL.

Ellis takes off, barreling through a maze of thorny plants ahead, stabbing through his pants like penknives.

The Figure jumps out of the bushes, lunges behind him as he takes headlong flight towards the sound of the sea.

EXT. WILDERNESS BEACH - CONTINUOUS

Ellis emerges from the woods, sprints onto wet sand near the water’s edge. Swift patter of soft feet in pursuit.

He redoubles his pace. Splash, splash! The determined Figure crashes after him, making gains in the sea foam.

Ellis catches a glimpse of his pursuer, now running on all fours. Gates of the enclosure in sight.

The Figure rises to his feet. Almost out of breath, Ellis dives for a rock poking out of the sand, he grabs hold of it and wheels around to STRIKE --

-- THWACK!

Hits its skull like a missile. The Figure staggers back and goes down, falling headlong in the sand. Lays still in the shoreline. Water ripples around its body under the star lit sky.

Ellis stumbles, picks himself up off the ground. Seemingly out of nowhere --

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

FEMALE VOICE You shouldn’t be out here.

He stops, peers up at a striking YOUNG WOMAN, quiet confidence, sure of herself with a pixie crop haircut. Ellis is struck by her brilliant green eyes.

ELLIS I heard screaming, thought someone needed help.

YOUNG WOMAN Turned out to be you. Come on, let’s go.

She guides him onto a faint pathway behind a veil of twisted trees. Ellis tries to process.

ELLIS Who was that?

YOUNG WOMAN (unfeeling) Leopold.

Ellis stares back, the body is gone.

ELLIS He went after me. I didn’t know what else to do.

She keeps moving, eyes trained on the gates ahead.

YOUNG WOMAN He’ll survive.

ELLIS What’s he doing in the woods?

YOUNG WOMAN You sure ask a lot of questions.

ELLIS (wigged out) Not everyday I get chased down like... prey.

YOUNG WOMAN He chose to live outside the Enclosure. No one’s forcing him to stay out here.

ELLIS I don’t understand.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: (2)

YOUNG WOMAN Wouldn’t expect you to.

Their path is soon illuminated by a flashlight up ahead. Montgomery approaches, accompanied by Ling at her side.

MONTGOMERY Ellis, I see you’ve met Cleo.

CLEO Not officially.

He stops, offers his hand. An awkward moment.

ELLIS I’m Ellis.

She gives Montgomery a look, unsure how to respond. Montgomery nods, “go ahead.” Cleo takes his hand.

MONTGOMERY What are you two doing out here?

CLEO I saw him leaving the Enclosure.

The disclosure is unsettling.

MONTGOMERY Ellis, you shouldn’t have explored the island without telling us.

Enough. On Ellis, about to lose it.

ELLIS I wasn’t exploring. I woke up to someone screaming. Like they were begging for their life. I thought it was Harry.

LING Harry’s asleep in the med station. He may have an infection.

On Ellis, paranoia creeps in. Montgomery explains.

MONTGOMERY One of the children is epileptic.

ELLIS (puzzled) Children live on the island?

Ellis’ eyes dart to Cleo for answers. She stays mum.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: (3)

MONTGOMERY Cleo, go back to your cabin.

CLEO Fine.

Before she goes, Cleo locks eyes with Ellis, as if there’s so much she could tell him.

EXT. THE ENCLOSURE - SOON AFTER

The sun rises in the bg. Montgomery guides Ellis forward.

MONTGOMERY This island means everything to us. We’ve had our share of complications but through everything Dr. Moreau has always stood by us.

ELLIS Doesn’t make him a saint.

They head towards the Main House.

MONTGOMERY You’re not much of one either.

A look of betrayal. Cat’s out of the bag.

MONTGOMERY I found your information. Your wallet fell out in the boat. I know what you do. You being here isn’t a coincidence.

She hands his wallet over. He takes it back.

ELLIS It’s my job.

MONTGOMERY To make a name for yourself without thinking about who you may be hurting in the process?

ELLIS I’m not here to hurt anyone. (then) I came here to find you.

Montgomery goes cold.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

MONTGOMERY Excuse me?

Ellis tries to find the words, coming clean:

ELLIS People have been worried about you. After college you dropped out of sight and disappeared with the man whose island you call home.

She looks at him funny. Defensive.

MONTGOMERY Which was not anyone’s decision other than my own.

ELLIS You’re still someone’s daughter. Who’s been gone for years.

MONTGOMERY What difference does that make? My parents divorced when I was three. I was raised by a single mother with a string of bad boyfriends. I hardly saw my father, he started over with a new family.

ELLIS And eventually left that one too.

MONTGOMERY Who are you?

ELLIS I’m your brother. Half-brother. Dad passed away in the spring. That’s how I found out about you. About this place.

Montgomery is speechless. Then, finally:

MONTGOMERY I don’t care. You’re leaving.

She opens the door to the Main House. They go in.

INT. CABIN ROOM - REVERSE ANGLE

Cleo has the curtain pulled back a tad, gazes outside to observe. Unblinking, her slit-like pupils expand.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

A SHY VOICE (O.S.) You met one of them?

Cleo turns around, that voice belongs to AVES, 17, slim- bodied with bright yellow eyes, sitting up in lotus position on her bed.

CLEO Sort of.

Aves self-consciously covers up her delicate shoulders with a shawl.

AVES He’s a man?

Cleo makes a subtle smile.

CLEO Yeah.

AVES Like father?

CLEO Younger.

Aves confesses.

AVES I saw them when they arrived.

Cleo realizes.

CLEO Aves, you shouldn’t go up in the cliffs alone.

She closes the curtain, steps back.

AVES I like it. It’s my special place.

Her voice drops to a whisper.

AVES And I made a nest. But please, don’t tell anyone.

Cleo turns to face her. A hint of a smile.

CLEO I won’t. You know I never would.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: (2)

A trickle of light slips into the room, revealing a carmine-red crescent shaped band etched around Aves’s throat. A molted feather lies under the bed.

INT. MAIN HOUSE - CORRIDOR

The entire floor plan is designed to evoke feelings of serenity. Yet it’s sterile. The air is tense.

MONTGOMERY What did you expect to get out of coming here? A family reunion?

Ellis and Montgomery pass the interior courtyard. Ambient music plays from a room down the hall.

ELLIS Answers.

DR. MOREAU (O.S.) And what are your questions?

All eyes jump ahead, Dr. Moreau appears by an opened door at the end of the hallway. Ellis knows exactly who he is.

ELLIS Me being here is now beside the point, I wanna know what you did to that kid in the woods.

DR. MOREAU If you want to talk, we can talk. But you’re going about it the wrong way.

Montgomery objects.

MONTGOMERY No, he’s getting off this island.

DR. MOREAU If your brother wants to stay then let him stay. He went through an awful lot to get here.

The last thing she wants.

INT. MAIN HOUSE - LIBRARY

Cozy and comfortable. Shelves lined with vintage tomes; a Text-Book of Biology, the Descent of Man, editions of Latin and Greek classics.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

ELLIS I didn’t know how else to get into contact with you.

Ellis sits across from him, psychologically exhausted. Dr. Moreau is at a desk, looking upon him with curiosity, like a researcher studying a specimen.

DR. MOREAU Being left in peace to conduct our research was the point of this place. I’m sorry if our contact information was elusive to you.

Ellis remains uneasy. Montgomery enters, carries in a tray of tea. She pours a cup for Dr. Moreau, her hand a little shaky. Brings it over to the desk.

DR. MOREAU Some for Ellis too.

Dr. Moreau motions for her to fill his glass. Ellis thinks better of it.

ELLIS I’m not a tea drinker.

Dr. Moreau realizes.

DR. MOREAU Oh, you think she put something in it?

Amused, Dr. Moreau picks up his cup and takes a sip.

DR. MOREAU Look I’m drinking it. We’re not that diabolical.

MONTGOMERY He just doesn’t want the tea.

Montgomery leaves, shuts the door.

DR. MOREAU Montgomery is one of the best employees I’ve ever had. Really knows her stuff. Should be proud.

ELLIS None of this has anything to do with the fact that I was attacked.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: (2)

DR. MOREAU That’s a bit dramatic. Leopold didn’t even get any hits in from what I saw.

Dr. Moreau picks up a remote on his desk, flips on a wall- mounted monitor, replays security footage of Ellis striking Leopold on the beach with a rock.

DR. MOREAU But I would’ve recommended that you not leave the Enclosure.

The clip only shows Ellis.

ELLIS What everyone’s been saying. Who is he?

Dr. Moreau pauses for a moment. A sensitive topic.

DR. MOREAU My son.

ELLIS (dubious) Your son?

DR. MOREAU Unfortunately he’s developed an inimical temperament. I’ve been trying to heal him through therapy but had some bumps in the road. There’s a very small staff here, just myself, Montgomery and a few researchers who go home on weekends and sign a non-disclosure before their arrival. The rest of the community is comprised of my children.

Ellis listens, all ears. Not sure what to make of this.

ELLIS You adopted children?

DR. MOREAU There’s been no adoptions.

Ellis explains.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: (3)

ELLIS It was like he was hunting me. That’s not normal. And his movements were unnatural.

DR. MOREAU Unnatural to you.

Ellis glances up. A noticeable quiver in his voice:

ELLIS Dr. Moreau, are you experimenting on people?

Dr. Moreau looks him squarely in the eyes.

DR. MOREAU That’s not what we do here.

ELLIS Then what is it that you do?

Dr. Moreau considers for a moment. Measures his next words very carefully:

DR. MOREAU Could show you. Would that put you more at ease?

ELLIS Suppose it would.

DR. MOREAU The truth is, I knew someone would show up here one day. (then) They say, every secret has an expiration date.

He rises from his chair, heads for the door, plucks a clementine off a tray of fresh fruit. Ellis, doesn’t know what to make of him.

EXT. THE ENCLOSURE - DAYBREAK

Ellis follows Dr. Moreau across the woodsy grounds down a stone pathway leading towards a LABORATORY BUILDING.

ELLIS I honestly wasn’t convinced this place even existed.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

DR. MOREAU You were intrigued by the rumors. It’s ingrained in you to be. You’re a series of predictable behaviors. That’s the core of the human identity.

ELLIS But why the secrecy?

DR. MOREAU My work has always been divisive. One contentious issue after the next, red tape holding us back. I chose to no longer conduct my research in the court of public opinion.

He starts to peal the clementine in his hand.

ELLIS Modern medicine thinks before it acts.

DR. MOREAU But science moves fast.

Dr. Moreau uses a security card dangling around his neck to swipe open the door.

INT. BUILDING 9 - RESEARCH LAB

They continue down a flight of stairs into a fluorescent lit room where a collection of LAB TECHNICIANS work.

DR. MOREAU This is Building 9. Where we do the bulk of our research.

Ellis dances his eyes around the full-floor space.

ELLIS What is it?

DR. MOREAU A transgenic lab.

Dr. Moreau picks off a clementine slice and pops it in his mouth.

DR. MOREAU Now tell me something Ellis, do you like clementines?

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

Ellis looks at him strangely.

ELLIS They’re fine.

DR. MOREAU A clementine is a cross between a mandarin and an orange. Does that bother you?

Not knowing where he’s going with this --

ELLIS It doesn’t.

DR. MOREAU And you’re not alarmed by mules are you? The offspring of donkeys and horses.

ELLIS No, I’m not alarmed by mules.

A flicker of a smile on Dr. Moreau’s face.

DR. MOREAU You’re not alone in that. Yet I’ve always had so much push back.

ELLIS Push back on what?

DR. MOREAU The subject of hybrid organisms.

Ellis wracks his brain.

ELLIS What kind of hybrid organisms?

DR. MOREAU Should it matter? We’re all made up of different combinations of the same blueprint. Even mice share ninety-percent of our DNA.

Ellis takes pause.

ELLIS Why don’t you tell me what goes on down here?

Dr. Moreau steps forward.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: (2)

DR. MOREAU The work is versatile. But our greatest breakthroughs have come through exploring the plasticity of living forms.

ELLIS Meaning?

DR. MOREAU We’ve had some success in micro- injecting human stem cells into animal embryos.

The revelation hits hard.

ELLIS You’ve made a human-animal hybrid?

DR. MOREAU Several.

Ellis is thunderstruck.

DR. MOREAU All born through ectogenesis.

Barely able to process --

ELLIS Can I see one?

DR. MOREAU You already have.

Ellis pales.

ELLIS That’s what Leopold is?

DR. MOREAU Correct.

Ellis arches an eyebrow. Then, thinks:

ELLIS And Cleo?

The look on his face is the only admission he needs.

DR. MOREAU I can show you another.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: (3)

On Ellis, never imagined to be witnessing a scientific breakthrough unlike anything the world has seen before.

ELLIS Please do...

Dr. Moreau hits a remote. A screen rises up. They approach an OBSERVATION TANK.

DR. MOREAU The source of the screaming you heard last night. I’ve been trying to treat a seizure disorder.

Moth drawn to the flame.

ELLIS What’s in there?

DR. MOREAU Have a look for yourself.

Ellis steps closer to the glass. A fusiform BODY is curled up in the corner at the other end.

ELLIS What is it?

DR. MOREAU His name’s Sirenian. The only marine on the island. Partially human, partially dugong.

Ellis is slack-jawed. Can hardly believe his eyes. Dr. Moreau lives for moments like these.

ELLIS You put human DNA in the embryo of a sea cow?

They watch this curiosity floating in the tank.

DR. MOREAU Cool, huh?

On Ellis, thoroughly perplexed.

ELLIS Among other things.

DR. MOREAU It all began as a hit and miss affair but then we really found our stride.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: (4)

Dr. Moreau retrieves a headset microphone dangling from a hook against the tank that connects wirelessly to speakers underwater in the tank.

ELLIS What are you doing?

DR. MOREAU Introducing you.

ELLIS He can understand English?

DR. MOREAU I made sure of it. Education’s the great equalizer, right? Now watch.

Dr. Moreau hits a switch, speaks into the mic.

DR. MOREAU Sirenian, sorry to wake you. There’s someone here I’d like you to meet.

He covers the mic with his hand.

DR. MOREAU (to Ellis) He’s unable to speak but communicates with so much empathy and kindness.

Sirenian slowly awakens, turns his body from the other side of the tank, cautiously starts to swim towards them.

DR. MOREAU No need to be scared.

An uncanny-in-between, spindle-shaped with malformed hands. They watch silently as he swims over.

DR. MOREAU This is our guest, Ellis.

From behind the glass, Sirenian mouths, “Ellis.” He watches them with shining eyes.

ELLIS He’s incredible.

Sirenian does a back flip in the water. Moreau grins.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: (5)

DR. MOREAU (whispers) And likes to show off. (then) Sirenian, be sure to eat your breakfast. I want you to stay strong and healthy.

He regards a bed of sea grass and aquatic plants arranged at the bottom of the water tank. Sirenian grins, raises his arms and flexes.

DR. MOREAU Now I’ll leave you to it.

Sirenian waves his hand, mouths “Bye, Ellis.” As they move past the tank.

DR. MOREAU He’s getting bigger. Needs a new tank. But our financiers have been tightening their belts lately.

Ellis blinks.

ELLIS Other people know about this place?

DR. MOREAU We have a small, open-minded group of investors. An organization of high-net individuals that support and protect our studies. The Renaissance had the House of Medici, we have our benefactors who help make all this possible.

Breathless. Then, he says slowly.

ELLIS And what do they get in return?

DR. MOREAU To be part of history. These denatured children who may seem strange to you, have grown into indisputable persons who seek guidance and compassion with hopes and dreams to one day have a place in this world like you and me.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: (6)

He leads Ellis on as video plays across a large mounted screen, a greatest hits collection of home movies, giving more insight into these unique persons. Humans in shape, each with a strange air of some familiar animal.

DR. MOREAU I’ve seen them grow. Witnessed as they’ve formed a family of cross- species hybridity.

The footage shows a snippet of YOUNG LEOPOLD stalking back and forth in a play pen.

DR. MOREAU From the Ocelot.

Quick Pop: YOUNG CLEO pumps her legs on a tree swing.

DR. MOREAU To the Lynx.

A clip of Montgomery encouraging YOUNG AVES to open up her wings. She jumps off a raised platform and attempts to fly. Wings extend to full spread.

DR. MOREAU And the Avian.

Ellis stands transfixed by what he sees on screen.

DR. MOREAU Remarkable aren’t they?

ELLIS They are... but why did you do it?

A moment, as they watch more unbelievable videos play.

DR. MOREAU To reconsider our relationship with our evolutionary neighbors.

ELLIS You think the world’s ready for this? You know how people would react, they’re inherently evil.

DR. MOREAU People are only inherently animal.

Dr. Moreau remains in place, himself in awe of his work come alive. Watching memories replay on screen.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: (7)

At this moment, Ellis notices a door at the end of the hallway with a sign that warns: Restricted Area, No Unauthorized Entry. OFF this, CUT TO:

EXT. THE ENCLOSURE - SOON AFTER

Dr. Moreau ushers Ellis outside. Morning light bathes blades of wild grasses spread across this eco-habitat.

DR. MOREAU My children are not something to fear. We’ve had our difficulties through the years but at the end of the day, everyone does their part to contribute and we solve our problems together. Their curiosity is boundless.

RUNNIN’ WITH THE DEVIL starts to blast out the window of a cabin room. Ellis gives Moreau a look.

DR. MOREAU Some have even discovered the music of Van Halen.

Ellis is mildly amused. But still rattled.

ELLIS I can’t believe you did this.

DR. MOREAU We did. And it’s bigger than you and I. You being here could be an important step for our community. Join us today in the courtyard, we do all our meals together.

ELLIS I’d like that.

Dr. Moreau smiles pleased.

DR. MOREAU Then we’ll see you at noon.

A diplomatic understanding between them.

ELLIS I better go check on Harry.

DR. MOREAU Keep this between us.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

Ellis nods.

ELLIS Of course.

He watches Ellis go. Not once taking his eyes off him.

INT. CABIN ROOM - CONTINUOUS

STOAT, 17, is slaying on air guitar. A live-wire with inexhaustible energy. Athletic with a shock of ginger-red hair and displaying traces of more overt animal traits, most notably a tail.

STOAT I love this song!

Low-key PANGOLIN, visibly nervous, 17, tough hairless skin covers his body in overlapping sharp-edged scales like bracts of a pine cone.

PANGOLIN She’s gonna be pissed.

Stoat shrugs, what of it? Footfalls sound marching down the hallway.

PANGOLIN (conflict averse) Here it comes...

The door flies open. Cleo storms in.

CLEO Have you heard of headphones?!

Pangolin curls up tightly on his bed flat in a ball, which tightly snaps shut.

STOAT You scared Pangolin.

She thrusts her face close to Stoat’s.

CLEO Don’t care. Can hear your noise pollution from all the way down the hall.

Stoat puts his hands up, goes over and turns the music down on his vintage boom box.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

STOAT Should really cage that rage. It’s not a good look.

Cleo shakes her head.

CLEO You’re such a little weasel.

Low blow. He makes a gesture. Pangolin sees. Nervous laugh. Cleo rolls her eyes.

CLEO Idiots.

She whirls around, smacks right into GRIZ, 18, tall, broad and powerfully built with a slight hunch. The shape of his skull is bearish yet distinctively human.

GRIZ Cleo, you’re certainly more excitable than usual this morning.

He tosses a football over her head to Stoat, who leaps up and swiftly catches it.

CLEO I’m not in the mood, Griz.

GRIZ Is this because you met a non gene- edited man this morning?

STOAT Mhmm.

Cleo lifts her hand up, pops razor-sharp claw-like finger nails in his face.

CLEO Don’t start.

She shoulder checks past him. Walks off.

INT. COMMON AREA

A co-living space. Cleo groans, goes over to Aves on a couch next to ZOILA, 17, well-tempered, sure of herself, exotically beautiful with stealth iguana-like qualities.

CLEO They’re unGrizable.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

ZOILA Don’t get yourself so worked up.

Zoila can subtly change the color and patterns of her skin to blend into her environment. Rows of sleek spines are pulled back on her head like natural braids.

AVES Come hang with us. Montgomery delayed group study this morning.

Cleo plunks down on the other couch.

CLEO My moods are all over the place lately. I need space.

ZOILA ‘Cause you’re solitary.

CLEO Yeah, wish I had your DNA.

She sighs, leans her head back against the couch.

AVES Everything will work itself out.

CLEO Leopold’s gotten worse.

ZOILA He’s always been volatile. That’s just who he is.

AVES They can still help him.

CLEO This time feels different. Like he’s reached the point of no return.

AVES I believe in rehabilitation.

Zoila nods.

ZOILA So do I.

Cleo stares off at the window with a clear view of the mountains beyond the Enclosure.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: (2)

CLEO Maybe.

Off Cleo, not so sure.

INT. MEDIC STATION - DAY

Harry’s body rises and falls with tremors from his breathing. Ellis stands next to the bed, then steps away to join Ling’s side.

ELLIS (keeps his voice down) Hasn’t woken up since last night?

They step out.

LING He’s been in and out.

ELLIS I should get him back to the city, have him checked out by a specialist, don’t you think?

Ling pulls an overhead curtain closed behind them.

LING The antibiotics will help with the infection. He has some abdominal swelling. Best thing you could do is to let him rest.

ELLIS Montgomery wants me gone.

LING She’ll come around.

Ellis, trying to makes sense of everything he’s seen.

ELLIS We’ll see.

LING We’re not used to visitors. But you’re her family. And so are we.

A tacit understanding between them.

EXT. THE ENCLOSURE

Ellis steps outside. Montgomery crosses over to the Main House from Building 9. The air is tense.

ELLIS Got a sec?

MONTGOMERY How’d you sleep? Oh wait, I already know the answer to that.

At least she’s got a sense of humor about the situation.

ELLIS Wanted to say I’m sorry I wasn’t more forthcoming.

MONTGOMERY You don’t even know me. Why would you go to such great lengths to come here?

Ellis thinks about this himself.

ELLIS It was more than the story. I didn’t have much of a family growing up either. Was surprised as you are to have someone else out there. I thought maybe I could help you.

MONTGOMERY I didn’t need help then, I don’t need it now. This was my choice. Always has been.

A long beat. He glances around.

ELLIS It really is ambitious in scope, what you’ve built here.

MONTGOMERY We’ve had to operate in secrecy for so long. Couldn’t take any chances. We’re talking about gene- edited embryos. Wouldn’t exactly fly with certain segments of the voting population.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

ELLIS Still don’t understand, why you do it?

She stops, considers this statement.

MONTGOMERY To build a science of all possible bodies.

This doesn’t sit well with Ellis.

ELLIS And overthrow human essentialism while you’re at it?

MONTGOMERY With time, I think you’ll start to realize what we’re trying to accomplish here. But if it was up to me, you’d be gone already.

ELLIS Guess I deserve that.

Montgomery leaves his side. But before she goes --

MONTGOMERY Dr. Moreau left his materials in your cabin. For reasons unknown, I think he’s beginning to trust you. Hopefully, he won’t regret that.

Off Montgomery, an enigmatic glimmer in her eye. As if that could be a warning.

INT. GUEST CABIN - DAY

Ellis goes inside, finds an old portable TV/DVD combo propped up on the night stand.

He picks up a signed note next to it from Dr. Moreau, reads: “The New Era Begins.”

There’s a folder of enveloped DVDs, hours of video and several bound notebooks with documentation. Jackpot.

EXT. WOODS BEYOND THE ENCLOSURE - LATER

A place where the silence itself sings. Montgomery treks up a steep slope. The events of the early morning hours still wearing heavily on her mind.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

MONTGOMERY Leopold, please...

Montgomery digests her surroundings. She calls out:

MONTGOMERY I know you’re out here.

As if she can feel him watching.

MONTGOMERY You’ve been on the fringes long enough. Come home.

BEAT. Leopold steps out from a dense undergrowth of ferns. Stands to face her.

A stoic expression on his face. Up close, black dappled spots are seen subtly etched over his body/coat.

LEOPOLD So he can do to me, what he’s done to his other unnatural creations?

MONTGOMERY I won’t let him.

Leopold sneers.

LEOPOLD Didn’t stop you before.

She takes a step closer, places his face in her hands.

MONTGOMERY I know. And I’m sorry. But this isn’t who you are. You’re capable of more than you know. You could offer so much good to the community if you came back to us.

Leopold is unmoving. Eyes wild, angry.

LEOPOLD Not after what he did.

MONTGOMERY Forgive him.

He goes cold.

LEOPOLD That’s not in my nature.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: (2)

Leopold backs away, turns and takes off running with everything he’s got, thrashing through lush vegetation and dense forest. Montgomery watches him go. Regretful.

EXT. THE ENCLOSURE

Cleo sits under a tree, quietly reading a book. Griz sees her from across the way and goes over. His big shadow blocks the sun. She glances up.

CLEO Is there something you want?

Clearly not happy to see him. He sits down next to Cleo, dwarfs her with his formidable size.

GRIZ You can’t stay mad at me.

Griz smiles. She eventually returns it (sort of).

CLEO Don’t be so sure.

GRIZ What’s going on with you?

Cleo takes a moment, decides to level with him.

CLEO Ever feel like an animal that’s outgrown its cage?

Off Griz, irony of it.

GRIZ Sometimes. Why, you got a case of island fever?

This makes her smile. She stares ahead. Aves and Pangolin are painting on canvases at an easel outside.

CLEO Maybe it’s time we saw what else is out there.

GRIZ I don’t know if the powers that be would ever sign off on an official field trip.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

CLEO Or Montgomery could let us join her on one of her supply runs.

GRIZ You could pass and get away with it. Not many of the rest of us. Especially not me. I’d be able to hold my own out there but how would I explain this slightly ursine appearance?

He sweeps his hand over his face and body. Cleo smirks.

CLEO Might be a little more than slightly, if I’m being honest.

A moment of levity between them. Cleo considers.

CLEO Maybe they could learn we’re not so different from them.

GRIZ With what little information we’ve gotten about the world and the people in it, they don’t seem like they’d ever adjust to the existence of Crossbreeds. We’d be freaks. Here we’re just... (thinks a beat) Us. There is no them.

CLEO Or they might have to get used to us sticking around.

Off Cleo, a determined glimmer in her cat-like eyes.

INT. GUEST CABIN - DAY

Ellis takes the portable TV/DVD player over to a small table and chair. He sits down, places it in front of him, slips a DVD in and turns on the player. Dr. Moreau appears in front of a camera.

DR. MOREAU (V.O.) Unsettling the boundaries between human and animal has always presented a paradox...

EXT. BEYOND THE ENCLOSURE

Conflicted, Leopold races on all fours through the woods, a stunning hybridized human-ocelot.

DR. MOREAU (V.O.) Nature is remorseless. Well- adapted animals must either perish or come up with new genes that make possible new traits. We can take control of our evolution and broaden our potential.

Leopold uncovers a path that leads to an abandoned RUSTIC TRAPPER’S CABIN ahead.

EXT. WILDERNESS BEACH

Ling trains with Stoat and Zoila on the sands, swinging two rattan sticks. Each memorizing different systems of striking in graceful combat.

DR. MOREAU (V.O.) The use of human and non-human animal genetics to create a hybrid species have led to extraordinary results...

EXT. THE ENCLOSURE - DAY

Montgomery teaches the students, gathered together on the grass. Each have hard copies of Dr. Moreau’s published academic journals.

DR. MOREAU (V.O.) They behave like us, having human thoughts, feelings and speech.

INT. TRAPPER CABIN - CONTINUOUS

Leopold goes inside. Slams the door behind him.

DR. MOREAU (V.O.) But in this community we’ve built, we recognize that indiscernible zone between human and animal.

Heart beat racing. Emotions running high.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

DR. MOREAU (V.O.) Still, there are certain prohibitions woven into the community since its beginning...

Holding back rage, Leopold FLASHES TO:

INT. LAB ROOM - NIGHT (FLASHBACK)

Leopold is strapped down to a table. Dr. Moreau injects an unknown serum into Leopold’s arm, slowly seeping into his blood stream. The effect causes extreme pain.

Leopold glances over, sees a LIMP FEMALE BODY on a table nearby. Her lustrous dark eyes go blank.

LEOPOLD (softly) You killed her...

PULL OUT on more lifeless bodies in the room.

DR. MOREAU This wasn’t my choice. I failed them. But won’t fail you.

Dr. Moreau administers another dose. As Leopold cries out in pain. Screams echo into the night.

INT. TRAPPER CABIN - AS BEFORE

Leopold snaps out of it. Breathes hard. The haunting memory so vivid and clear. He goes to the middle of the room, turns over a rug.

There’s a trapped door underneath, which leads to a shelter beneath the floorboards.

INT. TRAPPER CABIN - COLD STORAGE

Leopold drops down below, feet hit the floor. It’s filled with stock piled goods from another era. He stares ahead at a glistening rifle mounted on a wooded gun rack.

Leopold goes over, removes it, opens up the chamber, retrieves a box of bullets and slips one inside.

LEOPOLD You haven’t fail me. You helped me realize what I am --

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

He holds the rifle up to his shoulder, lets it drift to its natural point of aim as he peers through the scope.

LEOPOLD Unhuman and unafraid.

PRE-LAP a knock at the door.

INT. GUEST CABIN - MATCH

Ellis gets up from the table, goes over and opens the door. Dr. Moreau awaits him on the front step.

DR. MOREAU We still on?

Ellis checks his watch.

ELLIS Sorry, lost track of time. Went through everything, the amount of insight into your work, it’s more than anyone’s ever given me.

DR. MOREAU Glad you’re finding it useful. Let’s head over. Get to know everyone. They might surprise you.

He follows him out the door. Raises an eyebrow.

ELLIS Thoroughly surprised already.

DR. MOREAU Stay a few days, be our guest on the island.

Not what Ellis was expecting --

ELLIS You mean it?

DR. MOREAU Think it’s time to open up their world.

EXT. PICNIC AREA - DAY

The Community is gathered at a long wooden table. Montgomery puts down a bowl of rustic salad next to a plate of braised sweet corn and grain dishes.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

MONTGOMERY Dig in.

They do. Stoat stares down at his plate.

STOAT Can’t we try something different for once? We’ve never had tacos, they sound awesome.

MONTGOMERY You know the rules, Stoat but I think we could look into coming up with some version of tacos that fits everyone’s needs.

Stoat makes a fist. It’s a start. Griz scoops up a plump raw oyster from a serving tray, slurps it down. Mouthful:

GRIZ I’ve had to adjust to our communal diet. We haven’t had salmon in weeks, don’t see me complaining.

PANGOLIN Our diet keeps us balanced.

MONTGOMERY That’s right Pangolin.

Dr. Moreau brings Ellis over to discover a hidden world of humanimals living together in careful community. Each with unusual appearances, distinctive personalities.

ZOILA (on the sly) We’ve got company.

Zoila casts her eyes on Ellis as he approaches the table. No one is sure what to make of him.

DR. MOREAU I’d like you all to meet our guest, Ellis.

MONTGOMERY Who unbeknownst to me up until this morning, is my brother.

Ellis gives a wave. Takes in the sight of them, their ambiguous nature, challenging autonomous boundaries of the natural world. Some subtly, others not so subtly.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: (2)

ELLIS Hello, everyone.

Zoila picks up on his uneasiness.

ZOILA You can stare. We get it. We’re not what you’re used to.

A gurgle of nervous laughter. Stoat eyes him skeptically.

STOAT Been the buzz around here all day. Heard you just crash landed off shore. Way to make an entrance.

GRIZ (under his breath) Give it a rest, Stoat.

Ellis sits down across from Cleo, he can’t tear his eyes away from her. Human partly. Human enough.

ELLIS Good to see you again, Cleo.

She ignores him, then suddenly declares.

CLEO He’s here to expose us. Show people that despite all their bans, someone actually did this.

ELLIS That’s not true. No story I follow ever goes exactly how I planned. But I could never have anticipated all of you being here.

STOAT Mind blown, huh?

ELLIS My world view has definitely been turned on its head.

He and Montgomery share an uneasy look.

ZOILA Change is the only permanence. Uncertainty the only certainty.

DR. MOREAU That’s right.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: (3)

Dr. Moreau smiles, pleased with Zoila.

DR. MOREAU Zoila is an apt pupil. Much like the rest of our family, you met Cleo earlier, we also have Griz, Pangolin and Stoat.

He points everyone else out.

DR. MOREAU All the children are dedicated to their studies and learning about the outside world.

CLEO Which they do their best to keep us sheltered from.

Montgomery explains.

MONTGOMERY We try to be as open and honest as we can about everything out there.

Cleo stabs her salad with a fork.

CLEO Not always. And can we just pull back on the whole “children” thing? It’s stifling.

Off this --

DR. MOREAU Cleo is very independent minded. The lynx is a solitary animal.

CLEO So I’m told.

ELLIS Well, in any event, it’s nice to meet you all.

PANGOLIN Nice to be met.

Pangolin smiles, extends his sticky tongue from out of his mouth and picks up a roasted carrot off his plate.

DR. MOREAU And here comes Aves.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: (4)

Aves joins them, carrying over a pitcher of cucumber water. Charmed, Ellis acknowledges her.

ELLIS Hi, Aves.

She shyly sits down next to Cleo. Not used to strangers.

AVES Hullo.

Dr. Moreau breaks the tension.

DR. MOREAU Let’s do our best to make Ellis feel welcome here.

CLEO So he can study us like he’s on safari?

MONTGOMERY (exasperated) Enough, Cleo.

DR. MOREAU It was my idea to cooperate with Ellis and explore the possibility of one day publishing an update of my work that would eventually include revealing our family to the scientific community.

The table is instantly uneasy. Montgomery more so than anyone else. Ellis picks up on this.

ELLIS We could move at our own pace. All of us. There’s no rush. But revealing this to the rest of the world could one day lead to assimilation.

GRIZ Cleo, would be into that.

On Cleo, if looks could kill.

CLEO Guess I’d have to be. It’s what’s been decided for us.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: (5)

MONTGOMERY Ellis, one thing you’ll learn about our community is that we make all our decisions by consensus.

ELLIS Which I intend to honor.

DR. MOREAU Good to hear.

CLEO You know what, I don’t have much of an appetite anymore.

Cleo gets up and leaves.

EXT. THE ENCLOSURE - A SHORT TIME LATER

In a far off training corner on the property, Cleo takes out her frustration on a freestanding punching bag.

Lays into it with one kick boxing technique after another. Works up a sweat. Ellis draws near. On instinct, Cleo stops what she’s doing. Feels him approaching.

ELLIS Sorry to interrupt.

Cleo faces him, wipes sweat off her forehead.

CLEO Then don’t.

ELLIS Realize I’m the interloper here.

CLEO You are.

ELLIS If there’s anything I can do to put you more at ease about me being here --

She shoots him a look.

CLEO Why do you care?

ELLIS Because you’re amazing.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

Off Cleo, unsure how to take that. Ellis recovers quick.

ELLIS All of you. I don’t want to disrupt what you have. But the more I’m here, the more I want to know more.

CLEO That’s what you don’t get. Life on this island is all we know. You can’t possibly understand. You’ve had freedoms. Choices. You’re human, just human.

ELLIS I’m not like you. You’re right. But we could have more in common than you think.

CLEO We’re taught most people are self- serving in the world. You’re proof of that coming here. Uninvited.

ELLIS I came to find a sister I never knew I had. But never expected any of this, what she’s been involved in over these years. Your creation. It’s mind-boggling.

Cleo relents.

CLEO You want to know what it’s like to be a part of this community? That’s what you’re after?

ELLIS If you let me.

Cleo considers. Meanwhile, Dr. Moreau watches them from his office window, curious to see how they interact. Two subjects in his ever evolving experiment.

EXT. MAIN HOUSE - ROOFTOP

A magnificent view of the mountainous backdrop. Cleo guides Ellis upstairs onto a rooftop deck gazing out upon the woods of the Enclosure.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

CLEO This is my favorite spot. We call it the Perch. We’re completely cut off from the rest of the world. But up here, sometimes it’s like I can look out there and imagine what’s waiting for us.

He joins her side. They take in the sight. Perfect mix of peaceful isolation and breathtaking views.

ELLIS Now that’s a view.

Cleo agrees.

CLEO Can see most of the island. Come up here sometimes to clear my head.

ELLIS You think about what’s happened with Leopold?

Pensive.

CLEO In the back of my head, there’s been this lingering threat that someone could come here and take us all away. Because of that, I’ve always wanted to keep everyone here safe, including Leopold. Despite everything he’s done and everything I know he’s capable of.

Ellis chews on that.

AVES (O.S.) Can I show Ellis?

They turn, both surprised as Aves lands on the ledge behind them.

CLEO Aves, you can’t sneak up on people like that.

AVES But the look on his face!

Ellis doesn’t seem to mind.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: (2)

ELLIS Show me what?

On Aves, a puckish smile.

AVES Watch.

Cleo gives her a nod.

CLEO Go ahead. Not too high.

ELLIS (clandestinely) She really can fly?

Cleo slides him a look.

CLEO What did you expect? She’s Avian.

AVES Never met anyone new to the island before. I was nervous. We’re not supposed to interact with the researchers. But now that you’re here, feels like our world has already gotten bigger.

On Cleo, contemplative.

CLEO It is liberating, knowing other people could adjust to being around us, after the initial shock wears off.

ELLIS I think they could too.

Aves slips her shawl off, allows it to slide down her shoulders, exposing wings rising behind her in all their glory. She rushes forward, legs reaching high speeds.

AVES Look up in the sky, Ellis!

Aves takes a running leap over the edge and flies, slicing through the air, soaring across the Enclosure. Ellis can’t believe his eyes. He watches her glide higher and higher over the Enclosure. Cleo calls out.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: (3)

CLEO That’s enough, Aves!

After another lap around the Enclosure, Aves returns. She flies above their heads with slow wing beats and hovers down onto the rooftop deck.

AVES See me?

Aves smiles broadly.

ELLIS Couldn’t have missed it. Color me impressed, Aves.

She folds her wings back up behind her, takes a bow.

CLEO Aves’s not allowed to fly too high. In case there’s a boat in the area. Last thing we need is more rumors about this place.

AVES So much for flying free, huh?

Off Aves, endorphins released. PULL OUT TO REVEAL, they’re not the only ones that saw her flight.

Leopold watches with contempt, hidden among a series of natural rock formations outside the Enclosure.

INT. DR. MOREAU’S OFFICE - SOON AFTER

Dr. Moreau flips through a series of security channels on a monitor. An all-seeing eye. Montgomery joins him.

MONTGOMERY Have you lost your mind? He can’t stay here any longer. Harry can recover elsewhere. I’m taking them back tonight.

DR. MOREAU He’s your brother, Montgomery.

MONTGOMERY I don’t care who he is. This facility and the people in it are what matters to me.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

Dr. Moreau keeps his attention rapt on Ellis, Cleo and Aves together on screen.

DR. MOREAU You said it yourself, we can use these circumstances to our advantage.

MONTGOMERY If the firm found out that we willingly let someone stay here, they could shut us down. They’ll come after them. Blood will be on your hands.

DR. MOREAU He’s our outlier. And there’s a reason his friend can’t leave yet.

Off Montgomery, what’s he keeping from her?

EXT. BEYOND THE ENCLOSURE - LATER

The moon rides up the edge of a ravine. As Ellis and Cleo head onto a path leading into a patch of lush forest.

ELLIS You and Aves seem close.

CLEO Ironic, right?

Ellis gestures, “a bit.”

CLEO Most of us get along but not all the time.

ELLIS They ever resent you?

Elephant in the room --

CLEO Because of how I look?

ELLIS There is a clear distinction.

CLEO I blend in better. I can “pass” for human if I wanted to. More than the others. (MORE)

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

CLEO (CONT'D) We’re expected to only show our best traits. Control those unsavory primal instincts. We’re liminal, you can’t place us in one category.

ELLIS Were there others like him?

Cleo’s face is riddled with concern.

CLEO Some I was close with. They couldn’t help being who they were.

He feels for her.

ELLIS I’m sorry.

CLEO So am I.

They arrive at an opening against a rocky wall concealed by an overgrowth of moss-covered trees.

CLEO Check it out.

Delighted, she leads him to the mouth of a cave. Stares.

CLEO Forgot about this place.

ELLIS What is it?

CLEO The hideout.

He watches her crawl into a dark hole at the top of the ridge line. She looks back behind her.

CLEO Come on.

Ellis follows after her.

INT. CAVES - CONTINUOUS

Cleo and Ellis inch their way through a narrow opening passage along the interior walls.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

A single beam of sunlight above illuminates a series of cave paintings depicting crudely drawn Crossbreeds, each captivating in their own way.

ELLIS You made these?

Cleo studies them fondly.

CLEO We did. This one was mine.

She points, touches her hand against a painted figure on the rocky wall. Recalls:

EXT. CAVES - (FLASHBACK)

YOUNG CROSSBREEDS gather together. Not a care in the world. Childlike innocence shinning through.

CLEO (V.O.) Found this place when we were younger during a game of hide and go seek. We had learned about how prehistoric humans would draw these to keep a record of everything they’d see. Wanted to tell a story of our own.

EXT. CAVES - BACK TO PRESENT

With a hint of regret --

CLEO Then we started to grow up, things got complicated. Our so-called animalistic tendencies became more apparent in others. Certain combinations more challenging.

She wrinkles her nose. Detects a scent.

LEOPOLD (O.S.) Or we decided to embrace who we truly are.

Cleo takes a step back, her exceptional night vision sees Leopold from across the way, standing in the shadows.

CLEO Leopold.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

She stands protectively in front of Ellis. The fierce look in his eyes. As if her worst fears have come true.

LEOPOLD Your friend got lucky last night. They say I’ve got a killing bite.

Both Crossbreeds’ eyes shine in the dark.

CLEO No one’s killing anyone. It isn’t too late, we can do things differently. All of us.

LEOPOLD I’m the most aware of any of you. You’re the ones who suffer, stumbling around this island trying to find yourselves. Questioning who you are. What you are. Father had a name for it --

Leopold tilts his head for the answer.

CLEO Species dysphoria.

LEOPOLD Such is the crux of the trans- animal conundrum.

Leopold regards the cave paintings in their midst, depicting Crossbreeds we don’t recognize.

LEOPOLD There was so much diversity among us. We had some of the finest crosses.

ELLIS You still do.

Leopold snaps.

LEOPOLD No one’s speaking to you.

He moves towards them. A flash of pointed fangs.

LEOPOLD Father destroyed them. Injected the ones he couldn’t control with one fatal dose of anaesthetic after the next.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: (2)

CLEO To protect the others.

LEOPOLD Everyone left in that enclosure is weak. Not you though, Cleo. We both know, the two of us are two sides of the same coin.

Cleo remains defiant.

CLEO I’m nothing like you.

LEOPOLD You don’t believe that. You recognize shades of yourself in me. It’s what unsettles you.

He takes another step. A warning snarl --

CLEO Don’t come any closer.

LEOPOLD See? There’s that wild impulse. Let it out. You really will feel better.

She grabs Ellis by the arm.

CLEO Let’s go.

LEOPOLD That’s right. Run back home. Make daddy proud.

Cleo gives him a sincere look.

CLEO It doesn’t have to be like this.

A hint of regret in Leopold’s gaze.

LEOPOLD I’m trying to help you overcome your human limitations. That’s the gift of our unnatural selection. You’ll learn.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: (3)

CLEO I know who I am. And if it makes any difference, they’re not all gone. There’s still hope.

She leaves with Ellis. Off Leopold, caught off guard by the reveal.

INT. MEDIC STATION - NEXT MORNING

Harry sits up in bed. Good spirits, a full turnaround.

HARRY I’m feeling a lot better. My energy levels are back up.

Ellis pulls a chair up next to him.

ELLIS You should still have a doctor take a look at you in Seattle.

HARRY Wish you would’ve been honest with me. Montgomery’s your sister? That’s what got this whole thing started?

ELLIS Doesn’t matter. She wants me gone.

HARRY Then why take Moreau up on his offer to stay?

ELLIS He trusts me. Maybe I can get him to open up.

Harry studies his face. Knows there’s more.

HARRY Something tells me he already has. But I told myself before we left this was the last time. Besides, my camera and all my equipment are completely ruined.

ELLIS Know I’ve let you down.

He has.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

HARRY Guess the less I know the better. This has always been your thing. I’ve had time to think, decided I’m going back to grad school.

ELLIS Good for you. We’ve been through a lot together. One adventure after the next. Certainly hasn’t always been easy. If no longer colleagues, then still friends?

Ellis extends his hand. Harry diplomatically accepts it.

HARRY Sure. Just whatever you’ve found, hope it turns out to be worth it.

EXT. ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU - BOAT DOCK

Harry is in the boat. Montgomery at the helm, ready to go. Ellis sees them off with Ling on the dock.

MONTGOMERY I have some meetings in Seattle with our investors. I’ll be back by the end of the week.

Ling waves.

LING Goodbye, Harry.

HARRY Bye, Ling. Thanks for everything.

LING I was more than happy to help.

Harry and Ellis exchange a hesitant glance.

HARRY Stay out of trouble, Ellis.

LING We’ll make sure he does.

ELLIS See ya around buddy.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

A bittersweet farewell. Montgomery starts up the boat. She takes off, speeding off across the horizon.

TIME CUT:

MONTAGE

1) Griz and Stoat cut fire wood and pile the pieces into a wheel barrel to be stored for the winter months.

2) Zoila, Pangolin and Aves work in the garden. Everyone putting in their fair share.

3) Cleo and Ellis visit Sirenian in his tank. She puts on a swim suit and goes in the water with him. Ellis observes fondly as she holds his hand, swimming together underwater like his big sister.

4) Dr. Moreau and Ling work in the soy dairy. Ling makes tofu for the community’s meals.

5) As the week drifts by, heavy rains befall the island. Tucked under a rock outcrop amid the dense wilderness, Leopold keeps a close eye on the Enclosure.

END OF MONTAGE

EXT. MAIN HOUSE - THE PERCH - TWILIGHT

Dr. Moreau sits with Ellis. A bottle of aged collector- grade scotch with a hand-written label is at a small table nearby, he pours them both a drink.

DR. MOREAU To new friendship. And new discoveries.

Two peas in a pod. They raise their glasses.

DR. MOREAU ELLIS Cheers. Cheers.

Each takes a sip, savoring the single-malt taste.

ELLIS That’s good stuff.

DR. MOREAU Imported from the island of Orkney. I splurge on good scotch once a year. That’s about it. I’ve got everything else I need here.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

Ellis reflects.

ELLIS Probably lost dozens of subscribers on my channel. Doesn’t matter anymore. Like a priest discovering there’s no god. After this place, my job seems obsolete. There’s nothing left that could ever come close.

DR. MOREAU The truth is always waiting for us. And there is no religion higher than truth. Maybe there is a God, who knows. If God made us in his image, so what we create is also his will. To free ourselves from this genetic bondage.

Ellis is a believer.

ELLIS Pretty lofty goals.

DR. MOREAU The Hybrid Project all began to create human organs for transplants. But I wanted more. (then) To uplift the animal itself. Decode the secrets of our DNA. Plato thought we should curb the wild beast within us but those instincts are what have kept us going, that natural born drive to survive at all costs.

ELLIS If this comes out, you know they’ll say you crossed a line.

DR. MOREAU Every science has been an outcast at some point.

ELLIS But this is the transgenic creation of a new hybrid species. It changes everything we know.

DR. MOREAU Biological species have always been fluid. (MORE)

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: (2)

DR. MOREAU (CONT'D) Humanity always influx. It’s a porous figure continually interacting with its environment. (then) Which makes us a perfect candidate for DNA resequencing.

A devil-may-care smile flickers across his face.

ELLIS We’d be something new entirely, something post-human.

DR. MOREAU We need to change if we want to continue life. Insects are the most successful animals on the planet because of their adaptability.

ELLIS You might not be able to put the genie back in the bottle.

Dr. Moreau places his glass down.

DR. MOREAU I don’t want to.

Ellis, trying to grapple with his new reality.

DR. MOREAU I haven’t found all the answers. But am confident in one thing.

ELLIS What’s that?

DR. MOREAU Cleo. She’s our game changer.

Off Dr. Moreau, he might be the smartest guy in the room but may also be the craziest. There is an UNEARTHLY WAIL.

INT. UNDERGROUND LAB - SOON AFTER

Montgomery pulls Sirenian’s lifeless body from the water tank. She unravels, crying out with grief. As Dr. Moreau hurries into the room with Ellis.

DR. MOREAU What happened?

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

She cradles his child-like body.

MONTGOMERY I came back, he was floating at the top of the water.

Dr. Moreau goes over, takes Sirenian from her arms and places him on a table. Checks his pulse.

DR. MOREAU His heart gave out.

Tears stream down her face.

MONTGOMERY Save him.

Dr. Moreau stares down at Sirenian. As if his ego has been deflated by this tragic turn.

DR. MOREAU I can’t. He’s gone.

EXT. THE ENCLOSURE - NEXT NIGHT

The Crossbreeds gather together, releasing glowing sky lanterns into the air. A tribute to Sirenian. Ellis and Cleo watch them light up the darkness. The tension between Dr. Moreau and Montgomery is palpable.

EXT. WILDERNESS BEACH

The moon rests reflected in the water. Ellis and Cleo take a walk down the craggy shore.

CLEO I’ve never thought of myself as some kind of experiment.

ELLIS You’re not.

CLEO To them I am. We all are.

A contemplative beat. He searches for the right words.

ELLIS Maybe you’re what the world needs. Sometimes I think humans themselves are the greatest obstacle to Utopia.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

CLEO We’ve got our own bad apples.

ELLIS Might still be hope for Leopold.

CLEO They said it’s his disproportionate species identification. Maybe I’m next to go off the rails.

ELLIS I don’t know, think they got it right with you. Maybe we really are meant to change, direct our own evolution towards a better, more advanced form.

Cleo furrows her brow.

CLEO You sound like our father.

ELLIS Guess I drank the Kool-Aid.

He keeps walking with her. Off Cleo, torn.

INT. MAIN HOUSE - LATER

Dr. Moreau enters his bedroom, removes his coat.

DR. MOREAU He should be archived before the weekend. Sirenian will always be an incredible specimen.

Montgomery is seated at the edge of the bed, taking her shoes off. She shoots daggers at him --

MONTGOMERY Your disregard for their lives never ceases to amaze me.

DR. MOREAU (unfeeling) He was meant to be studied, that’s why we created him. Why we created all of them.

Dr. Moreau unbuttons his shirt in the mirror.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

MONTGOMERY The board doesn’t endorse your control methods.

DR. MOREAU Leopold is an agitator. But we also have those among us like Cleo. Everyone has their role.

She fumes.

MONTGOMERY They’re not pieces on a chessboard.

DR. MOREAU The Tuscans grew stronger by conquering each other.

Montgomery, incredulous.

MONTGOMERY Are you forgetting everything we set out to do when we left our lives to move to this island?

She reflects.

MONTGOMERY Climate change had already started to make parts of the earth uninhabitable. We looked at the world around us, saw we needed to make a change. For the longest time animals couldn’t speak for themselves. We gave them a voice.

DR. MOREAU But realized it’s not a tree of life but a web.

Montgomery thinks about this.

MONTGOMERY Or maybe we just met the monster and found out it was us.

The moment is interrupted by a high-pitched BLEEP. BLEEP. BLEEP. OFF this --

EXT. RIPRAP, WILDERNESS BEACH - LATER THAT NIGHT

An UNSEEN CREATURE is noiselessly and stealthily on the move. REVEAL, our POV belongs to Leopold.

With heightened awareness, he comes upon a bunker door which leads to a network of tunnels under the Enclosure.

He picks up a rock off the ground and bashes the lock on the door. STRIKES it open. Keen sight zeroes in on a video surveillance camera overhead.

Leopold leaps up and SMASHES the lens. A strong sense of smell draws him deeper into the cavernous tunnel.

INT. BUNKER SYSTEM

Leopold rushes forward on all fours, turning down twisting corners of the underground complex.

INT. REHABILITATION - UNDERGROUND

A secret wing cut off from the rest of the Enclosure. FOUR CROSSBREEDS are in isolated pod-like rooms.

Among them is TYPHON, white-ringed eyes and skin like a sheet of overlapping scales. The doors slide open.

TYPHON Leopold, we’ve missed you.

He faces them.

LEOPOLD Our moment has come.

KATAVI stares coldly, (spliced with jackal DNA), lean muscles, tough looking with an undercut pony tail and the sides of his head shaved.

KATAVI Bout time.

Get a glimpse of HYRAX, straw-colored with a black mask- like mark around his eyes. Then ram-like SATYR, subtle horns poke out from the sides his head.

INT. BUILDING 9 - COMMUNICATION CENTER

Dr. Moreau checks the monitor. Disturbed by what he sees.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

MONTGOMERY (O.S.) What is it?

DR. MOREAU There’s been a breach.

Montgomery steps up next to him, gazes at the live- stream. Leopold leaps up and smashes another security camera to pieces. Footage cuts out.

MONTGOMERY No, this is an insurrection.

DR. MOREAU I’ll find them.

He grabs his jacket, starts to go. She follows.

MONTGOMERY I’m coming with you.

He turns back.

DR. MOREAU Stay here. The others can’t know.

Dr. Moreau brushes past her, heads out. Off Montgomery, as if her worst nightmare has come true.

EXT. WOODS BEYOND THE ENCLOSURE

WIDEN ON THE FIVE charging through muddy swamps and briary thickets. A gleam of true animalism.

CUT TO:

Gasoline is spilled, spreads out across wood floors.

INT./EXT. TRAPPER CABIN - CONTINUOUS

Leopold empties out a red gas can, creating a trail leading out the front door.

A burning match falls to the floor and ignites a fire.

EXT. THE WOODS - SOON AFTER

Leopold watches the flames grow into a bonfire consuming the entire Trapper Cabin. The others surround him, faces aglow in the flames.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

LEOPOLD We’re more in tune with our environment than any of them. But now it’s time for us to stake out new territory --

Leopold raises his arms.

LEOPOLD Unity is strength. Unhuman, unafraid. They can try to stop us. But one way or the other, the Future is Hybrid.

EXT. LIGHTHOUSE - SOON AFTER

A lighthouse built on the island. On the rocks, Typhon stares out at the wind-whipped sea, watching the waves.

TYPHON I’m done waiting to be fixed.

LEOPOLD We never needed to be.

TYPHON We’ll be free out there. Even if we’re living in the shadows, we’ll have each other.

LEOPOLD This place has always been a tinderbox waiting to explode.

TYPHON And now we’ve lit a match.

She gives him a look, a mutual understanding.

EXT. BEYOND THE ENCLOSURE

Dr. Moreau drives an ATV down a path coiling into a narrow ravine.

INT. MEDIC STATION - SIMULTANEOUS

Montgomery raps on the door. Ling answers.

MONTGOMERY I need your help.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

As if Ling knows why before she says anything else --

EXT. THE ENCLOSURE

Smoke rises from behind the Enclosure. The Crossbreeds hurry outside from their cabins.

ZOILA Smell smoke.

Pangolin reaches out his hand, bits of ash flit down from the gray sky like snowflakes.

PANGOLIN Must be coming from the woods.

AVES I’ll look.

CLEO (O.S.) No, Aves. Stay here.

Cleo and Ellis head towards them.

GRIZ Cleo, what’s going on?

CLEO I don’t know.

AVES I can help us. You have to let me.

Before Cleo can stop her, Aves heads off, takes a running leap and launches herself off the ground.

She unleashes her full twelve-foot wingspan, soaring up above the buildings of the Enclosure.

With her binocular-like vision, Aves spots the conflagration, growing larger spurred by fierce winds. She calls down to them.

AVES The fire’s coming down the hillside!

EXT. OUTSIDE THE ENCLOSURE - REVERSE ANGLE

Leopold has Aves firmly in his sights, peering at her in the sky through the misty and dark underbrush. Typhon stands by his side.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

LEOPOLD He wants us to be more like them. So now we can do as humans do.

Leopold lifts a rifle up in his arms. FIRES -- Ka-Pow! A bullet strikes Aves in the shoulder. On Aves, a nasty shock. Rivulets of blood crawl down her chest.

EXT. THE ENCLOSURE - SIMULTANEOUS

Quick as a flash, Aves drops from the sky and hits the interior ground below with a thud. Cleo rushes over.

CLEO Aves!

She crouches down by her side, sees the gunshot wound.

AVES I don’t know what happened but it hurts...

CLEO Hang on. Ling will help you.

AVES I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you.

Aves is lividly pale, struggling to breathe.

CLEO It’s okay. Just stay with me.

Aves is motionless, scarcely breathing. On Cleo, like her heart might explode.

EXT. WOODS - SIMULTANEOUS

Dr. Moreau speeds along the off road. Accelerating, continuing to build speed. Up ahead, a sharp bend -

Crash! Dr. Moreau’s ATV hits a rock, kicks up a cloud of dust and flips over, he tumbles off and onto the ground. His head hits a rock. He’s dazed, vision gets blurry.

EXT. THE ENCLOSURE - SOON AFTER

Cleo releases an anguished wail of loss, collapses to her knees. Screaming MOS, as her world starts to fall apart.

EXT. WOODS - SIMULTANEOUS

Dr. Moreau regains his faculties, gasping for air. He turns to see HAZY FIGURES IN SHADOWS appear around him, disappearing in and out of the trees.

EXT. THE ENCLOSURE - A SHORT TIME LATER

They all look to Montgomery. She solemnly exits the Medic Station. Ling by her side. On Cleo, feeling powerless.

CLEO You should’ve killed him when you had the chance.

Montgomery regards them, still shaken from losing Aves.

MONTGOMERY We have to go now.

CLEO And leave her body in there, like she’s nothing?!

MONTGOMERY There’s not enough time.

ELLIS She’s right, the fire could take out the entire enclosure before we know it.

They reluctantly comply. All except for --

CLEO I’m not coming with you.

She shoves past them.

ELLIS Cleo, where are you going?

She stares ahead determinedly at the forested jungle-like surroundings stretching out beyond the Enclosure.

CLEO To kill Leopold. He’s close.

Cleo takes off running. Ellis tries to stop her but she’s too fast. Griz gives him a reassuring look.

GRIZ She can hold her own.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

Montgomery shakes her head.

MONTGOMERY He’s not alone.

The Crossbreeds know what this means. Zoila’s eyes widen.

ZOILA They’ll kill her.

STOAT Then we go too.

As Zoila retrieves two rattan sticks from the training corner, places them in a holder she straps to her back

LING Everyone needs to get to the dock. I’ll follow after her.

Off Ellis’ surprise, Ling starts towards the gates and heads out. Now suspecting Ling may be more than meets the eye. As they evacuate --

EXT. THE ENCLOSURE - SIMULTANEOUS

CUT WIDE on the fast moving blaze tearing through the back of the Enclosure.

Lights up a cluster of buildings. Blood-red flames start to consume everything in sight.

The Crossbreeds look back, watching the only home they’ve ever known go up in smoke.

EXT. BEYOND THE ENCLOSURE - SIMULTANEOUS

Cleo charges up the scarred face of the cliff, crashing in leaps and bounds through a gauntlet of trees.

The layer of mirror-like cells in her eyes cause them to shine in the dark with her exceptional night vision.

Meanwhile, Ling tracks Dr. Moreau’s route on foot in headlong pursuit, running with incredible speed.

EXT. THE WOODS - AS BEFORE

Dr. Moreau hears someone mimicking the call of a distressed animal. Strange. He gets up off his feet.

CUT TO:

Not far away, Cleo’s acute hearing picks up on it too.

At the same time, Ling moves into a clearing, instinctively tracking Dr. Moreau’s scent. He zeroes in on the toppled ATV on its side in the dirt.

INT. CAVES - CONTINUOUS

Dr. Moreau follows a narrow streamlet pouring into the caves. In a few seconds, MOVING SHADOWS scatter and break out all around him.

Soon, he finds himself in a very vulnerable predicament, surrounded at every angle by THE FIVE.

EXT. THE WOODS - CONTINUOUS

Ling is now running on all fours, twisting and dodging through the forest. Using his keen bloodhound-like sense of smell to track Dr. Moreau and Leopold.

INT. THE CAVES - AS BEFORE

On Dr. Moreau, a moment of hesitancy, before he addresses the Children he had cast off.

DR. MOREAU All I ever wanted was what’s best for you.

Leopold draws closer, shotgun in hand.

LEOPOLD I mastered everything you taught me. You once wrote, “a rat placed in a skinner box will quickly learns how his surroundings work.”

DR. MOREAU (hopeful) That’s right, Leopold.

(CONTINUED)

CONTINUED:

LEOPOLD But now it’s time for a bigger box.

He raises the shotgun.

DR. MOREAU You don’t have to shoot anyone.