FADE IN.
[EXT. VARIOUS LAS VEGAS CITY (STOCK) -- NIGHT]
CUE MUSIC: (PRE-LAP)
["Lucky Too", Bob Neuwirth, from the album "Look Up"]
[INT. NICK'S CAR (MOVING) - NIGHT]
(As Nick drives, he sings along enthusiastically with the music.)
Nick: (singing)
It was Christmas in Las Vegas / when the locals take the town
Theresa hit a streak / and laid her waitress apron down
[EXT. LAS VEGAS STREET - NIGHT]
(TOP VIEW DOWN of the stretch of street that Nick is driving on.)
Nick: (singing) she was playing penny poker
[INT. NICK'S CAR (MOVING) - NIGHT]
(As Nick drives, he sings along with the music.)
Nick: (singing)
over at the old Gold Spike
she's tired of Texas hold 'em
so she switched to let it ride
(Outside view of Nick driving his car.)
Nick: (singing)
then over on Fremont Street
six pits won her a car
she rode it up the strip to where the flashy hotels are
(Nick's car moves out of camera frame.)
[EXT. TROPICANA HOTEL/CASINO (STOCK) - NIGHT]
[EXT. PARKING LOT (FLAMINGO AND KOVAL) - NIGHT]
(Nick pulls up into the empty parking lot.)
Nick: (singing)
at first, she hit a royal
not a dirty one this time
and then she drew four deuces ...
(Nick shuts off the car. The music shuts off. Nick gets out of his vehicle, putting his camera around his neck. He shuts the door and gets his kit out of the back seat.)
(He heads over to the crime scene.)
(He spits on the ground on his way there.)
D.A. (officer): (o.s.) Nick.
(Nick meets up with the officer at the scene.)
Nick: D.A. What's going on out here?
D.A. (officer): Well, anonymous 9-1-1 caller reported body parts in this area. I rolled and found this.
(The officer points his flashlight down at some insides in a bloody puddle on the concrete.)
Nick: Hmm. Tasty.
(The officer nods. Nick puts his kit down and snaps several photos. He opens his kit and tosses out an evidence marker.)
D.A. (officer): Have any idea how long it's going to take you to get this stuff out of here?
Nick: Well ... I can't move the, uh ... the "body" until the coroner releases the scene. It's a busy night. It's probably gonna take a while, man.
(Nick snaps another photo.)
D.A. (officer): Great. Hey, you mind if I step away for a second? I need to get some fresher air.
Nick: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, sure, take your time.
(The officer turns and walks away from the scene leaving Nick with "the body".)
[OTHER POV]
(Someone is standing away from them and watching Nick and the officer. He sees the officer walking back to his car.)
[RESUME VIEW]
(Nick snaps another photo. He straightens and takes a whiff of the smell.)
Nick: Whew!
(Nick turns and sees the officer retching near his car door.)
Nick: Hey, you, uh ... want some gum?
D.A. (officer): No, thank you.
(Nick pops a piece of gum in his mouth and smiles as he tucks the rest in his pocket.)
(Nick takes more evidence markers out of his kit and starts looking around the area. The officer continues to cough and retch in the background near his car.)
(Nick walks around the lot and finds a broken cigarette, the tobacco spilled out on the concrete.)
(Nick puts evidence marker #4 out near the cigarette and snaps a couple of photos.)
[OTHER POV]
(Someone watching Nick moves, ducking behind his cover.)
[RESUME VIEW]
(Nick continues to look around the area.)
(He finds some tire tracks near the area. He puts his things down.)
[OTHER POV]
(A far shot of the area shows that Nick has moved a distance away from the initial crime scene, the police car and the officer.)
[RESUME VIEW]
(Nick snaps a photo of the tire tracks with evidence marker #3.)
(Nick looks around and sees an evidence bag with a Styrofoam cup inside sitting on the concrete sidewalk near the red fire hydrant.)
(Nick puts his flashlight down on the ground, takes out and puts on a couple of latex gloves.)
[OTHER POV]
(The person watches as Nick stands up.)
[RESUME VIEW]
(Nick heads toward the cup. He turns and looks back as he hears the officer still coughing and retching in the background. Nick smiles and shakes his head. He continues toward the cup.)
(Nick reaches the cup near the fire hydrant and puts his camera down. He looks at it, then turns to look back at the officer.)
Nick: Hey ...
(We hear the officer still coughing off screen.)
(Nick looks at the cup. He picks up the bag and notices that it's actually an evidence bag.)
Nick: Well, that's peculiar.
(Suddenly, a huge, dark figure appears behind Nick as he looks at the cup.)
FLASH CUT TO:
[EXT. PARKING LOT (FLAMINGO AND KOVAL) - NIGHT]
(A car pulls up into the parking lot now filled with officer cars. Catherine and Grissom both step out of the vehicle and head over to Brass, who is grilling the officer at the scene.)
Brass: Think! Did you see anybody else in the area?
D.A. (officer): (shakes his head) I didn't see anything, sir. (Brass sighs.)
I mean, I only took my eyes off him for a couple seconds ...
Brass: You're not supposed to take your eyes off him ever.
(Grissom and Catherine walk over to the initial crime scene and pass Brass on their way.)
Brass: He's been gone maybe twenty-five minutes.
(Grissom takes out his flashlight and shines it on the bloody innards on the concrete paving next to evidence marker #1.)
(He looks to the side and finds the tire marks next to evidence marker #2.)
(Continuing the evidence trail, they pass more tire marks and evidence marker
#3.)
(At evidence marker #4, they find Nick's vest and things. Catherine steps forward and puts her bag down and takes out a couple of gloves. Grissom continues on.)
(She puts the gloves on and picks up her flashlight to examine the vest. Looking at the vest, Catherine sees something white. She picks it up and looks at it.)
Catherine: I got some white fibers on Nick's vest.
(She smells it.)
Catherine: Smells like alcohol.
(She puts it in a bag.)
(Meanwhile, Grissom has reached the red fire hydrant and sees the Styrofoam cup in the evidence bag. He considers it for a moment, something appearing off to him.)
(He walks over to it and puts his kit down. He takes out a pair of gloves and puts them on.)
(Catherine is still looking at the vest.)
(Grissom picks up the evidence bag and looks at it.)
(Catherine sees him. She stands up and walks over to him.)
Catherine: Why'd you bag that?
Grissom: I didn't.
(Catherine kneels down next to Grissom and looks at the bag.)
Catherine: It's the wrong color tape. No initials on the seal. That's not Nick's evidence.
Grissom: Maybe it's a message.
FADE TO END OF TEASER ROLL TITLE CREDITS
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FLASH IN.
[EXT. VARIOUS LAS VEGAS CITY (STOCK) - NIGHT]
[CU: b*llet]
(The b*llet is standing straight up. Someone picks up the b*llet.)
[EXT. LAS VEGAS CITY (STOCK) - NIGHT]
[WORKSHOP]
(The b*llet is placed in a mounted clamp. Someone tightens the clamp, squeezing the b*llet.)
(CLOSE-UP: A knife.)
(Someone wearing black gloves twists the sharp end of an Xacto knife.)
(A blonde-haired woman with her mouth taped stares off to the side and whimpers with fright.)
(The new knife tip is tightened.)
(A second blonde-haired woman watches and whimpers.)
(The person cuts into the tip of the b*llet. The clamp is released and the b*llet removed.)
(The b*llet is placed in the top of the cartridge.)
(We see there are two blonde-haired women tied and taped up, their backs to the other.)
(The person loads the cartridge into the g*n.)
(He cocks the g*n.)
(The women's screams are muffled. He places the muzzle of the g*n against the forehead of one of the women.)
(He squeezes the trigger.)
HARD CUT TO:
[INT. CSI - LAB - NIGHT]
LEGEND: EARLIER THAT NIGHT
(The g*n fires. Red and blue colored ink spatters against the wall as the b*llet hits the dummy.)
(Grissom smiles.)
(He picks up the photo of the blood spatter and walks up to the wall to compare the two. Camera does a quick pan of the blue ink spatter into the red ink spatter on the wall.)
(Grissom looks at the dummies. There are two dummies back to back much in the way the two women were sitting.)
Grissom: Two heads are better than one.
CUT TO:
[INT. CSI - HALLWAY - NIGHT]
(Grissom shares his findings with Sara as they walk through the hallway.)
Grissom: Spatter patterns are a match. One b*llet, two victims.
(Sara follows him, the open file folder in her hands. They walk into his office.)
[INT. CSI - GRISSOM'S OFFICE - NIGHT -- CONTINUOUS]
(Grissom sits down behind his desk.)
Sara: No, no, no, no. Grissom, that isn't possible. I sampled every square inch of that scene, and there was only one DNA type on the bloodstains.
Grissom: How 'bout that? Our mystery vics are identical twins.
Sara: (surprised) Twins?
(Grissom nods smugly.)
Sara: Well, that's different.
Grissom: Technically, it's the same.
(Sara looks down and sees something new on Grissom's desk.)
Sara: What's this?
(She picks up the framed certificate.)
Grissom: (excited) I just got it. It's a certificate of honorary ownership of Trigger, "The Smartest Horse in the Movies," issued by Roy Rogers to the Children of America. Roy felt that the children of America were the true owners of Trigger, so any kid that would write him, he'd send 'em one of those.
Sara: And where did you get it?
Grissom: The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum, which used to be in Victorville, California, and is now in Branson, Missouri.
Sara: Roy Rogers, the cowboy?
Grissom: King of the cowboys. (Sara nods, oh.) I wrote to him when I was four. He sent me one of those. I lost it, so I thought I'd replace it.
Sara: (amused) And then you thought you would frame it.
Grissom: Yeah.
(Grissom clears his throat and holds his hand out for the certificate. He takes it back from her.)
CUT TO:
[INT. CSI - BREAK ROOM - NIGHT]
(Hodges and Greg sit at the table, a Dukes of Hazzard board game between them. Greg listens as Hodges explains the game to him)
Hodges: The object of the game is to be the first one to make it to Uncle Jesse's farm without running into Roscoe. Now, there's two ways to do that. You can either take the dirt road or the highway. Dirt road is slower because you can only roll with one dice, but it's safe because you don't run into any of the Hazzard cards that you would find on the highway, right?
(Hodges scoops up the dice from the board.)
Hodges: But when you are on the highway, you get to roll two dice, which makes you go faster.
(He drops the dice on the board.)
Hodges: Pretend I'm gonna take the highway, so I'm gonna move General Lee eight spaces. (He moves his red plastic car piece.) One, two, three, four, five ... eight.
(His piece lands on a TAKE A HAZZARD CARD square.)
Hodges: I hit a Hazzard card. (He picks up a Hazzard card.) Now, Hazzard cards you don't want. (He reads.) "Cooter splashes mud on your windshield."
You lose one turn, all right?
(He puts the card down and looks at Greg.)
Hodges: Think you got it?
Greg: I think I got it.
Hodges: All right, cool.
Greg: All right, well, I've never been one to take the path of least resistance, so I'm going for the dirt road. One dice.
Hodges: You know, far be it from me to wax nostalgic, but, uh, I kind of miss the old Greg. Ugly t-shirts, goofy hair, semi-pornographic magazines ...
Greg: Yeah, well, at least I had a style to change. (Greg blows on the dice and rolls.) Four. (He moves his green plastic car piece.) One, two, three, four. "Take a Duke card." What's a Duke card?
Hodges: Duke cards are good. You want one of those 'cause it gets you through the dirt road a lot faster.
Greg: Okay, so Duke cards, good; Hazzard cards, bad.
Hodges: Correct.
(Greg picks up a Duke card.)
Greg: (reads) "You jumped over a pile of rocks. Move five extra spaces."
Hodges: Nice.
Greg: Yeah-hoo.
(Greg moves his piece.)
Hodges: Oh, and by the way, uh ... this is just the work me. You haven't had the full David Hodges experience.
(Hodges smiles and nods.)
Greg: I think I'm having it right now.
CUT TO:
[INT. CSI - HALLWAY -- NIGHT]
(Archie Johnson follows Conrad Ecklie through the hallway.)
Archie Johnson: Aw, come on, you can't unfund me now. I ... I'm committed to presenting the paper at SWAFS next month.
Conrad Ecklie: If it means that much to you, pay your own way. Show a little dedication to your discipline.
(Ecklie grabs his messages and continues down the hallway.)
Archie Johnson: Oh, yeah. Tragically, my banking account isn't as dedicated as I am.
Conrad Ecklie: One word: Plastic.
Archie Johnson: Wait. How 'bout you kick me a little overtime under the table, huh?
Conrad Ecklie: Over my dead body. Have you been to Grissom's office? You think the City of Las Vegas pays for his etymology library, his insect collection, his shrunken head collection? No. Take initiative. People notice.
(And with that, Ecklie leaves.)
CUT TO:
[INT. CSI - LOCKER ROOM -- NIGHT]
(Warrick and Nick are in the locker room.)
Warrick: ... So I took my girl to that Ultimate Fight Championship on Saturday night.
(Warrick grabs his shirt and puts it on.)
Nick: Oh, yeah, yeah, down over at the, uh, Spur?
Warrick: Yeah. Almost ended up getting into a smackdown of my own.
Nick: No way. You almost got into a beef?
Warrick: You know, Tina doesn't like me carrying a g*n. I play down the fact that I'm a cop when I'm with her anyway.
Nick: Yeah, yeah, you play the scientist card. (Warrick takes his g*n out of the locker.) You're a "copologist."
(They chuckle.)
Warrick: So, uh, we're standing out in front of the hotel, making out and this guy walks up to me, gets in my face, and asks me how she is.
(Warrick puts the cartridge in the g*n, checks the chamber and tucks the g*n in his hip holster.)
Nick: No, he didn't.
(Warrick nods.)
Nick: So?
Warrick: I tell him to get lost. He says, "Make me." (Nick chuckles.) So I took a step forward and out of nowhere his big, fat bodyguard, looking like wimpy from Popeye, walks up and starts to close in on me.
Nick: So, this is out in front of the hotel?
Warrick: It was at the valet parking, which might as well be in Arizona, it's so far away from the lobby. This fat boy is looking like he's obviously carrying some sort of w*apon. And I'm standing there naked as a porn star with my girl.
Nick: Did you tell them you're a "cop"?
Warrick: They didn't seem to care. One of the guys sounded Russian, like he was wanna-be Mafia.
Nick: Mm-hmm.
Warrick: Fat boy was obviously his bodyguard.
Nick: Mm-hmm.
Warrick: So, uh, you know, I wasn't physically afraid of the guys, but something was kind of sinister about them. They were provoking me, but they weren't making a move. It was almost like they were waiting for me to make a move. Say if I smacked big-mouth, fat boy would've came over and stabbed me or something. Even fat boy was vibing me not to take the bait.
(Nick checks his g*n and tucks it into his holster.)
Nick: So what happened?
Warrick: Well, valet finally brought Tina's car up. So, I maneuver her around these guys and I put her in her car, and I turn my back to them and let 'em talk this smack. I'm calming Tina down. Tell her everything is fine. She drives off and I walk away. I called Tina later on and I tell her, uh, you know, if she got any problem with me being a cop, she needs to get over it, 'cause now I'm packing.
Nick: Yeah. Yeah. What'd you do on Sunday?
Warrick: Scoured the hotel looking for these punks.
(Nick laughs.)
(They turn and leave the locker room.)
[INT. CSI - HALLWAY -- CONTINUOUS]
(Nick and Warrick walk down the hallway. Catherine exits her office and sees them.)
Catherine: Oh, my two favorite guys. So, I've got an as*ault at Stripperama and a trash run at Flamingo and Koval. I'm too busy to play favorites, so duke it out.
(Catherine gives both job slips to Warrick. She turns and heads back to her office.)
Nick: Duke it out.
(Nick shakes his fist at Warrick.)
Nick: Boy! Better flip a coin. I'll hurt you.
(Nick digs in his pocket for a coin.)
Warrick: Yeah, you better flip that coin.
(Nick flips the coin up.)
Nick: Call it in the air.
Warrick: Heads.
(Nick catches the coin and they look at it. Warrick hands Nick the assignment.)
Warrick: Have fun at the trash run.
(Nick sighs. He smiles as he backs away.)
Nick: You know, I'd do two out of three, but you got a gambling problem.
(Warrick laughs. Before he leaves, Nick turns.)
Nick: No, hey, you know what? (He holds up the coin.) You keep this. It's bad luck.
(Slow motion. Nick tosses the coin to Warrick.)
CUT TO: RESUME TO PRESENT
[CU: NICK]
(Nick is knocked out and just coming to. There's red and morning light reflected off his face. He rocks to and fro as if he's being moved somewhere.)
(Nick slowly opens his eyes. He tests his hands and finds his wrists bound behind him.)
(We see that Nick is in the back seat of a vehicle. He tries the plastic tie around his wrists and can't get out of it.)
(Nick looks up and around. We hear the crunching sounds of tires as it reaches a dirt road of sorts.)
(Nick sits up.)
(The vehicle stops and we hear the sounds of the brakes engaging. We hear a door open and close.)
(Nick looks at the dark partition in front of him dividing the back seat from the front seat. He raises his legs as if to kick the partition.)
(Suddenly, a white-gloved hand appears and presses a white cloth against Nick's nose and mouth.)
(Nick puts up a struggle.)
(Nick passes out.)
FADE OUT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FADE IN.
[THE DUMPSTER]
(We hear rustling coming from the dumpster. Catherine stands up inside. She looks around and sighs.)
[EXT. PARKING LOT (FLAMINGO AND KOVAL) - NIGHT]
(Grissom looks up.)
Catherine: Dumpster's clean.
(We hear Catherine getting out of the dumpster. She walks over to Grissom.)
Catherine: No apparent blood or body parts.
Grissom: (points) Take a look at this.
(He indicates the pool of blood he's been staring at.)
Grissom: This seems contrived to me. The blood pool is too perfect. There's no splatter. Like somebody placed these entrails.
(Quick flash to: The entrails are placed in the pool of blood. End of flash.)
Catherine: A lure. To grab Nick.
(Catherine glances back at David Phillips standing quietly on the side.)
Catherine: David, get this stuff to the doc.
David Phillips: Look, I'm ... I'm really sorry I didn't get here sooner. Maybe if I had ...
Catherine: We're going to get him back, David.
(Ecklie ducks under the crime scene tape and heads over to them.)
Conrad Ecklie: Gil, Catherine. I want you to know, as far as I'm concerned, lab's only got one case tonight. Same for the rest of the department.
(In the background, we see more personnel there.)
Grissom: Thanks, Conrad.
(Warrick drives up to the scene, his siren and lights flashing. He gets out of his car.)
Warrick: Hey.
(Warrick walks up to them.)
Warrick: What do you need me to do?
(A dog barks.)
(The scent dogs sniff at Nick's vest.)
Officer: That's it, boy. Here you go. Here you go.
(The officers and the scent dogs search for the scent.)
Voice: (o.s.) That's it. Whatcha got. Here you go.
(Warrick follows the dogs. They pass the fire hydrant and promptly lose the scent. The dogs whimper.)
Officer: They've lost the scent. Might be as far as it goes.
(A dog barks. Warrick notes the large patch of dry concrete.)
Warrick: Yeah, there was some sort of large vehicle here.
(Quick flash of: Various view of rain hitting a large vehicle. The water drips off its sides and onto the concrete, leaving a large dry patch under the vehicle. End of flash.)
CUT TO:
(Warrick uses a tape measure and measures the width and length of the dry patch of concrete.)
(He takes out his notebook and opens it. He digs in his pocket for a pen and freezes. He pulls out the bad luck coin and looks at it.)
(Quick flash of: The person who kidnaps Nick has him slung over his shoulder as he gets the door open. He puts Nick in the back of the car and shuts the door. End of flash.)
(Camera holds on Warrick. He looks up at the sky, then back down at the coin.)
CUT TO:
[INT. CSI - FORENSIC AUTOPSY - NIGHT]
(Robbins goes over his findings of the intestines with Catherine.)
Robbins: Well, there are a lot of intestines here, but no appendix, which made sense when I saw this. A cecum.
Catherine: Dog entrails.
Robbins: Yeah.
Catherine: That's not going to help.
(Catherine turns to leave.)
Robbins: I'm sorry. Catherine ... has Nick's family been informed?
Catherine: No, that would be my job.
(Catherine leaves. Robbins looks at the entrails and sighs.)
CUT TO:
[INT. CSI - LAB / HALLWAY -- NIGHT]
(Sara goes over her findings of the cup and fake evidence bag with Grissom.)
Sara: I swabbed the seal for epithelials, but there were no prints on the outside of the bag.
Grissom: What about Nick's camera?
Sara: No fingerprints. There were some photographs, mostly generals. There were a few detail sh*ts of entrails and trash. But no lucky grabs of anybody else at the scene.
Grissom: I don't think we're gonna get lucky with this guy. He knows how to work clean.
(Grissom heads out of the lab and rushes through the hallway where Greg catches up with him.)
Greg: Grissom, I pulled all of Nick's active and recent cases.
Grissom: I want to know anyone who had a grudge against him. Civilian complaints, death threats ...
Greg: Got it.
Grissom: There was a guy a couple of years ago that stalked him. He may be back.
Greg: I remember. Top of the pile.
(Grissom heads down the hallway to the right. The camera follows Greg to the left past the trace lab.)
[INT. CSI - TRACE LAB - NIGHT -- CONTINUOUS]
(In the trace lab, Hodges goes over his findings with Warrick.)
Hodges: I'm using your track and wheelbase measurements plus or minus five percent to account for rain-shadowing and/or drying effects.
(He runs the database and finds a short list.)
VEHICLE RESULTS:
01 FORD EXPLORER REF: 012-
99 CHEVY SUBURBAN REF: 045-
05 FORD EXPEDITION REF: 057-
02 FORD F150 REF: 025-
03 CHEVY AVALANCE REF: 04--
04 CHEVY TAHOE REF: 02--
02 GMC DENALI XL REF: 01--
Warrick: All right, print it out.
CUT TO:
[INT. POLICE DEPARTMENT - DISPATCH -- NIGHT]
(Warrick is in the police department looking over the dispatch officer's shoulder. The dispatch officer is running the LAS VEGAS POLICE DEPARTMENT DISPATCH TRACKING software.)
Warrick: I need you to bring up the traffic cameras in a three-block radius between Flamingo and Koval in the last 24 hours.
Dispatch Officer: We only buffer the video for the past few hours. I can take you back as far as 10:37 P.M.
(Warrick sighs and sits down.)
Warrick: That's good enough. Our guy was taken around 11:00.
(Various views of the video traffic cameras appear on the monitor.)
Warrick: Scan forward. We're looking for a big truck.
(She finds something on the video.)
Dispatch Officer: How about that one? Looks like a Suburban.
(Warrick checks his list.)
Warrick: It's on the list.
(The dispatch officer nods. She follows the Suburban on other traffic cameras.)
Warrick: Whoa, he's really moving.
(Warrick sees something else.)
Warrick: Wait a minute. That one, the big Ford.
(She stops the video and backs it up.)
Warrick: Follow it.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN.
[CU: NICK]
(Nick's eyes are closed. A flashlight shines on Nick's face. The flashlight runs down Nick's body and we see that Nick is in a box with vents on the side.)
(The person takes out a pair of cutters and cuts the plastic ties around Nick's wrists.)
(The person breaks a glow stick and shakes it. He tosses it into the box with Nick. It lands on Nick's chest. Nick starts to stir, but doesn't wake up.)
(The person puts a loaded g*n near Nick's left hand.)
(The person puts a cassette tape recorder near Nick's right hand.)
(The person drops in several more glow sticks into the box with Nick.)
(The person shuts the plexiglas box cover on Nick, then proceeds to cover the box with dirt.)
CUT TO:
[INT. CSI - BREAK ROOM -- NIGHT]
(Warrick reports his findings to the group.)
Warrick: The Expedition truck left the area around 11:15. Definitely in a hurry. Took a right off Koval onto Tropicana, crossed Las Vegas Boulevard onto
215 east. And then it drove off the grid.
Grissom: At least we have a general direction.
Sara: Great, so Nick could be anywhere from Green Valley to Seven Hills to Arizona.
Greg: Assuming he was in that truck.
Catherine: Well, according to Hodges, the white fibers on Nick's vest were cotton with traces of ether ...
(Quick flash of: Nick struggles against the kidnapper. Nick passes out. End of flash.)
Sara: Ether?
Catherine: Yeah.
Sara: That's old school.
Warrick: Yeah, stuff is volatile. Flammable. Outside of meth cooks, no one uses it anymore.
Grissom: People use what they know.
Catherine: All right, so, where are we on possible suspects?
Greg: So far, none of Nick's active or recent cases stands out. And his old stalker's still bend bars.
Sara: Maybe it's a random act.
Catherine: Well, that's possible. Because whoever staged the crime scene couldn't have known that Nick was going to respond.
Warrick: Yeah, it was just bad luck he did.
(Grissom looks at the photo of the coffee cup.)
Grissom: Sara, what about the coffee cup?
Sara: No DNA or prints on the cup or in the bag.
(Sara turns to look out at the hallway at the rising voices outside. We hear Hodges and another man yelling in the hallway.)
Hodges: (o.s.) Don't touch the edge of it!
Delivery Man: (o.s.) You got to sign ...
Hodges: (shouts) (o.s.) Security! Security!
(Grissom stands up.)
[INT. CSI - HALLWAY - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS]
(Hodges has a hold on a package while the delivery man tries to get it away from him.)
Delivery Man: (shouts) Get your freakin' hands off me, man!
(The security guard has the delivery man in a hold while Hodges takes the package from him.)
Hodges: Hold still. Hold still. Hold still.
(The delivery man holds out his electronic board.)
Delivery Man: (shouts) Hey, I told you, you got to sign for that!
(Hodges puts the package on the nearby counter just as Grissom, Catherine and the others round the corner.)
Grissom: What are you doing, Hodges?
Hodges: Guy comes in here with a package with no return address.
Delivery Man: (interrupts) You're violating my rights! I want a lawyer!
Catherine: Shut up.
Hodges: Way the guy was pawing that envelope, I figure I better get it away from him before he wipes off all the trace.
Grissom: What trace?
Hodges: (exasperated) It's about Nick.
(Hodges steps back and shows Grissom the envelope. The label reads:
CRIME LAB
3657 WESTFALL AVE
LAS VEGAS, NV 89109
RE: STOKES
(Grissom puts on his gloves and picks up the package. He turns to Catherine.)
Grissom: Let me do this.
(Catherine nods.)
(Grissom leaves with the package.)
(Hodges sighs.)
[INT. CSI - HALLWAY - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS]
(Grissom carries the package into the lab while everyone waits outside.)
(Grissom feels the package, puts it down on the tabletop and slices the edge open. He turns on a flashlight and looks inside. He sees a tape cassette.)
(He turns off the flashlight and sets it aside. He empties the package on the table. The tape and an oblong shaped item slip out.)
(He sets the oblong-shaped item aside and puts on his goggles as he ALS's the tape. He finds nothing.)
(Everyone continues to wait out in the hallway.)
(Grissom runs the ALS over the second item. Again, he finds nothing. He turns on the light and removes his goggles.)
(Grissom picks up the oblong-shaped item.)
(Camera quick zooms inside the item to show the electronics board and blinking lights inside. It's a flash drive.)
FADE OUT.
FADE IN.
[NICK]
(The light of the glow sticks casts an eerie green hue on Nick as he lies in the dark box. Nick starts to stir.)
(Instinctively, Nick tries to sit up and hits his head on the box top.)
(He lies back down and puts a hand to his forehead.)
(Again, he tries to sit up and finds that he can't. Nick tries moving around and finds himself confined. He looks around and picks up the green glow stick.)
(He looks down and around and sees the box. He sees the light on the bottom of the box between his feet.)
(He looks around and finds the g*n near his left hand. He picks up the g*n and checks the cartridge. It's loaded. He puts the cartridge back in the g*n and cocks it.)
(He uses the glow stick and looks at the box again. He taps the stick to the side of the box.)
(He looks around near his head and through the glass sees the dirt packed around the box. Nick's breathing becomes labored as he realizes that he's inside a box. He feels around and finds the tape recorder near his right hand.)
(He turns the tape recorder on.)
Walter Gordon (voice): (taunting) Hi, CSI guy. You wondering why you're here? Because you followed the evidence. Because that's what CSIs do. So breathe quick, breathe slow, put your g*n in your mouth and pull the trigger. Any way you like, you're going to die here. Okay.
(The tape shuts off.)
(In a burst of panic, Nick struggles in the box - pounding his fists against the box top, flipping over, trying to find a way out.)
(He winds up on his back again and tries to push the box cover open with his strength. It doesn't budge. Nick panics and screams.)
(His screams dissolve into sobs.)
CUT TO:
[INT. CSI - NIGHT]
(Grissom slips the cassette tape into a player and presses "PLAY". Music plays.)
["Outside Chance" by The Turtles]
Lyric: You can try to please me
but it won't be easy
stone walls surround me
I'm surprised that you even found me
and you don't stand an outside chance
don't stand
an outside chance
you don't stand an outside chance
but you can try ...
Catherine: Son of a bitch. He's screwing with us.
(Grissom picks up the USB flash drive and moves to the computer. The music continues to play in the background.)
Lyric: Whatever you do, girl
you know you can't get through, girl
can't bring me down
(Close-up of the address: http://183.172.201.254.5/vid/index.asp)
Lyric: Hang me up or even hang around
and you don't stand an outside chance
you don't stand
an outside chance
you don't stand an outside chance
but you can try
... try
(A message appears on the monitor:
ONE MILLION DOLLARS IN 12 HOURS.
OR THE CSI DIES.
DROP-OFF INSTRUCTIONS TO FOLLOW.
(The music continues.)
AND NOW FOR YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE
" YOU CAN ONLY WATCH "
(Grissom clicks on the button, "WATCH".)
[NICK]
(The light at Nick's feet turns on.)
(Nick grimaces at the sudden burst of bright light.)
[MONITOR]
(On the monitor, Nick is inside the box. The video camera appears to be near Nick's head.)
(Grissom reacts to seeing Nick on the monitor.)
(The time at the bottom of the screen reads: 11:59.59. The counter starts ticking down from the 12-hour mark.)
(Camera holds on Grissom, then back to Nick on the monitor.)
(One by one, we get the CSIs reactions - Warrick, Catherine and Grissom.)
Lyric: I know you think you'll get me
I'm only flesh and bone
but you may as well forget me
(Warrick stares at the monitor. Sara's eyes well up with tears as they watch Nick in the box.)
Lyric: 'cause my heart is stone
you better leave me alone
yeah!
You can try to please me
but it won't be easy
FLASH CUT TO:
[NICK]
(Nick struggles in the box, panting. With the lights on, he can see exactly where he is. He again tries to push the cover open with his strength. It doesn't budge. He pounds his fists on the glass trying to get out.)
Lyric: Stone walls surround me
I'm surprised that you even found me
[OUTSIDE THE BOX]
(He grunts and screams hysterically inside the box, kicking and screaming within the small, confined space.)
Lyric: And you don't stand an outside chance
you don't stand an outside chance
(Camera pulls back further and we see the box buried underground with Nick struggling inside.)
[MONITOR]
(On the monitor, Nick continues to scream.)
Lyric: But you can try
yeah, keep on trying
(Camera holds on Catherine.)
Lyric: Stand an outside chance
come on and show me you love me, baby
(Camera holds on Grissom and his grim look of determination as he watches Nick on the monitor.)
Lyric: Stand an outside chance
you got to try, love ...
FADE OUT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FADE IN.
[NICK]
(Nick is panting. The light in the box is still on. Nick appears to have calmed down. We hear the whirring sound of a fan in the background.)
[INT. CSI - LAB -- NIGHT]
(The timer on the monitor beeps. Sara, Warrick, Catherine and Greg stand in front of the monitor watching. Grissom sits at the table behind them.)
Catherine: I don't think he knows we can see him.
Sara: How can we be sure it's a live feed?
Warrick: We've got to assume that it is.
Grissom: The space in that box looks like 2x2x6, which would be 24 cubic feet.
(Grissom punches the buttons on his hand-held calculator.)
Grissom: That would hold approximately 600 liters of air. If you figure half a liter per breath.
(Grissom checks his watch as he times his own breathing. It's 12:37a.)
Grissom: Slow breathing ...
(The timer on the monitor continues to beep. Grissom looks at them.)
Grissom: Maybe 12 breaths per minute. Panic breathing would be, what, twice that much.
(On the monitor, Nick puts a hand to his forehead.)
Grissom: Well, if the math is right, he's got about an hour and 15 minutes of air left in that box.
Catherine: But if they're going to keep him alive for 12 hours, it must mean that he's got an additional air supply.
[NICK]
(Inside the box, Nick notes the light near his feet. He turns to his right and sees the air vent. He tries to remove the vent.)
(The light turns off.)
[MONITOR]
(The feed ends and it returns to the screen:
"YOU CAN ONLY WATCH"
Archie Johnson: We lost the feed.
(Warrick clicks on the button.)
[NICK]
(The light turns back on. Nick squints at its sudden brightness.)
[WARRICK]
Warrick: Looks like a live feed to me. I say we keep the light on.
CUT TO:
[INT. POLICE DEPARTMENT - INTERVIEW ROOM - NIGHT]
(Open on a couple of legs and feet under the table. Someone taps his foot as he waits.)
(The door opens and Brass walks in.)
(With both hands planted on the table in front of him, Brass looks at the delivery man and his lawyer.)
Brass: I'm gonna get right to it, because time is of the essence here. (to the delivery man) Where'd you get that package, bud?
Lawyer: (Texas drawl) I'd like to advise my client. Careful how you answer that, son. This man here's slicker than a snake in the curly green grass.
Brass: He's right, so you better be careful.
Delivery Man: I got called out to a pickup on Viking Circle. W-when I got there, I didn't talk to an actual person. I just found an abandoned package with some cash taped to it.
Brass: How much cash?
Lawyer: Whoa, whoa, whoa. That's confidential business 'tween me and this here buckaroo.
Brass: Easy, boots. I'm gonna need those bills.
Delivery Man: It was a hundred bucks. If you want it back, you're gonna have to ask Steve Wynn.
Brass: What's the address?
HARD CUT TO:
[INT. 625 VIKING CIRCLE RESIDENCE - MORNING]
(The door is smashed open and officers rush inside. They find a fat drunk sleeping on the recliner, his snores heard over the television set.)
(Brass sighs and puts his g*n down.)
Brass: Code four. Code four.
(The far drunk wearing a "Godfather of Gore" t-shirt continues to snore, sleeping through the entire incident. Brass turns and leaves the room.)
CUT TO:
[EXT. 625 VIKING CIRCLE RESIDENCE - MORNING --CONTINUOUS]
(Brass is on the phone.)
Brass: (to phone) Yeah, the address was a waste of time. Nothing here but a fat drunk and a bad smell.
INTERCUT WITH:
[INT. CSI - HALLWAY - DAY]
(Grissom walks through the hallway.)
Grissom: (to phone) The guy probably picked the house at random, 'cause he knew we'd chase it.
Brass: (to phone) Any news on the web cam location?
Grissom: (to phone) Archie's trying to narrow it down. The feed stays active for two minutes every time you press the "WATCH" button. But I got to go. I got people to see.
Brass: (from phone) Okay.
(Grissom walks past Ecklie talking with the staff.)
Conrad Ecklie: Everybody, I have some bad news. Uh, a little while ago, I spoke with the mayor directly. The City of Las Vegas is not going to finance a ransom. It's-it's against department policy to negotiate with t*rrorists. No exceptions.
CUT TO:
[INT. CSI - OFFICE - DAY]
(Grissom enters the office. Catherine makes the introductions.)
Catherine: Judge Stokes, Mrs. Stokes, Gil Grissom.
Grissom: Your honor. Mrs. Stokes. I'm, uh, sorry that we're meeting under these circumstances.
Judge Bill Stokes: Have you been able to make contact with the animals who took my son?
(Grissom sits down.)
Catherine: No, we haven't yet, but ... they should be contacting us in roughly four hours.
Jillian Stokes: We were able to rustle up $20,000 cash. Our bank's prepared to wire another $100,000. Now, we can sell the cars. We can hock the ranch ... we can make the number, but it's gonna take at least another day.
Grissom: Judge Stokes ...
(Mrs. Stokes pushes the envelope across the table toward Grissom and Catherine.)
Jillian Stokes: (interrupts) Can we give them ... the money we have now, try to buy more time?
(Catherine looks at Grissom.)
Grissom: I don't think that will help.
Judge Bill Stokes: There's got to be something we can do.
Catherine: You've already done it by coming here, by showing your support ...
Jillian Stokes: We're not here to show support. We're here to get Nick home.
Grissom: We're not sure who has your son ... or why.
Judge Stokes: Well ... what the hell do you know?
Grissom: Very little.
Judge Bill Stokes: Let's just cut to the gist. What proof do you have that my boy's still alive?
(Grissom and Catherine look at each other.)
CUT TO:
[MONITOR]
(Nick is on the monitor, his right arm thrown across his eyes as he waits.)
(The timer on the monitor beeps as it counts down with 04:02:06 left.)
[INT. CSI - A/V LAB - DAY - CONTINUOUS]
(Judge Stokes and Mrs. Stokes stare silently at the monitor. Grissom and Catherine are nearby.)
(Mrs. Stokes' eyes well up with tears as she watches her son on the monitor. After a long moment, Mrs. Stokes turns and leaves the room. She stops in the hallway and leans against the wall, her back to us, her head bowed.)
(Judge Stokes continues to watch the monitor.)
Judge Bill Stokes: Pancho ... What the hell you got yourself into?
(Judge Stokes leaves the room. He walks past Grissom and Catherine.)
(He walks out into the hallway and puts his arms around his wife.)
(Inside, the beeping timer continues.)
(Catherine stares at the monitor, a quiet look of steely resolution seeps into her eyes as she comes to a decision.)
(Camera holds on the timer: 04:01:28 ... and counting ... )
(This isn't right. Catherine turns and leaves the room.)
[INT. CSI - HALLWAY - DAY]
(With determination, Catherine walks quickly out through the hallway and out of the building.)
FADE OUT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FADE IN.
[EXT. LAS VEGAS CITY (STOCK) - DAY]
[INT. CSI - HALLWAY -- DAY]
(Undersheriff McKeen, Conrad Ecklie's boss, is walking through the hallway finishing up a phone conversation when Ecklie finds him.)
Undersheriff McKeen: (to phone) If the mayor wants a briefing, tell him I'll give him one after the press conference so I don't have to brief him twice, okay? Set it up.
(Undersheriff McKeen hangs up. Ecklie walks up to him.)
Conrad Ecklie: Sir.
Undersheriff McKeen: Tell me you found him so I can tell the sheriff when his plane lands.
Conrad Ecklie: I wish I could. Listen, I've been looking over my budget. There are a number of things we can do within the lab itself to raise the ransom.
Undersheriff McKeen: There's no way -- not even a situation like this -- that's going to make the sheriff cut back on services to our taxpayers.
Conrad Ecklie: We wouldn't have to. I'm proposing we eliminate all overtime on lab work except for priority cases, stop hiring based on attrition, reassign existing personnel based on peak staffing needs. Over the next fiscal year, that should clear at least a million.
Undersheriff McKeen: Assuming any of those measures actually saves money, which isn't really the issue here, is it?
Conrad Ecklie: I'll take the heat.
Undersheriff McKeen: (nods) You want to do something for your people? Get 'em ready for a funeral.
(Undersheriff McKeen leaves. Camera holds on Ecklie.)
CUT TO:
[INT. CASINO - BAR - DAY]
(Sam Braun sits at the table with Tony Curtis, Frank Gorshin and a blonde-haired woman.)
Tony Curtis: You should have seen this town in the early '70s. Gamblers were kings.
Frank Gorshin: Yeah, not the same anymore.
Tony Curtis: Showgirls were showgirls. Everybody knew your name in those days.
Frank Gorshin: You could dress up in drag, huh?
Tony Curtis: Me, dress up in drag? Who do you think you're talking to, Jack Lemmon?
(The group laughs.)
Frank Gorshin: That's good.
Tony Curtis: Anyway, we had a good time in those days, you know? You could walk down the streets in this town 15, 20 years ago with 50,000 bucks stacked on the top of your head in singles, and nobody would bother you. (He points to Sam Braun.) Except this guy. He would bother you.
Sam Braun: It's either your money or it's my money.
Frank Gorshin: Hey, w-w-w-w-w-w ... I gave you that line. It's bad enough you're on top of that casino saying, "come into my place." That's the other guy -- the richer one.
Tony Curtis: Take it easy.
Frank Gorshin: Easy? What do you mean easy? You talking about yourself? (as Rodney Dangerfield) Or her? I'll tell you, if she's easy, I've got my whole day planned. (as himself) You ought to come and see my show, Tony. I invited Jack Nicholson; he said, (as Nicholson) "I'd rather stick needles in my eyes."
(The group laughs.)
(Catherine walks into the bar area.)
Frank Gorshin: (as Dangerfield) What do you think of that?
Tony Curtis: Weren't we in the Vikings together?
Frank Gorshin: (as Burt Lancaster) Oh, I remember it well, Tony.
(Catherine walks up to the table.)
Tony Curtis: That's the best Burt Lancaster I ever heard.
(Frank Gorshin laughs.)
Catherine: Sam?
Frank Gorshin: (as Ed Sullivan) Oh, miss, I like my coffee with cream and sugar, and I want you to give the r-r-really big check to really big Sam over here.
Catherine: Sam, I need to talk to you.
Showgirl: He's already got someone to talk to, ma'am.
Catherine: Zip it, sweetheart. Sam ...
Sam Braun: Everyone, I'd like for you to meet my daughter, Catherine.
Frank Gorshin: (as Ed Sullivan) Well, you can cancel the coffee.
Sam Braun: Excuse us for a minute, all right?
(Sam stands up.)
Tony Curtis: Certainly.
CUT TO:
[INT. CASINO - BAR - DAY -- CONTINUOUS]
(Catherine talks with Sam Braun.)
Catherine: One of my guys is in trouble. He's been kidnapped. I need a million dollars in cash. Large bills. And I need it now.
Sam Braun: Let me guess, Mugs. The department won't pay the ransom.
Catherine: No.
Sam Braun: Why should I?
Catherine: Considering the problems that you've had with the law, you could use some good publicity.
Sam Braun: Do I look like a man that needs publicity? If you're coming to me like a cop with a tin cup in your hand, the answer is no.
Catherine: I'm not here as a cop.
Sam Braun: Then ask me like you were my daughter.
CUT TO:
[INT. CSI - GRISSOM'S OFFICE - DAY]
(Catherine walks into Grissom's office with a large leather bag. She puts the bag on Grissom's desk in front of him.)
Catherine: I got the money.
Grissom: From where?
Catherine: Where do you think?
(Grissom opens the bag. Inside are stacks of cash.)
Grissom: Catherine, if the press finds out about this, it'll look like Sam Braun bribed the lab.
Catherine: He's a casino owner. A leader of industry. Never convicted of any crime. And right now, I don't care about the integrity of the lab at the moment. I care about Nick.
Grissom: Yeah, well, so do I, but nonetheless ...
Catherine: (interrupts) Well, you're sitting here like Jack Handy with your deep thoughts, staring at a coffee cup. You got a better plan, I'm all ears.
(Grissom looks at the stack of money and sighs.)
Grissom: All right. But I make the drop. You're hands off.
Catherine: That's my money.
Grissom: You can't be seen anywhere near this money. It was given to the lab anonymously. Agreed?
Catherine: (nods) Agreed.
CUT TO:
[MONITOR]
(Nick is still in the box.)
(The connection breaks and a message appears on screen.)
4672 CARNEY LANE - BOULDER HWY
BE THERE IN 20 MINUTES
OR DON'T BOTHER COMING.
WHITE FLASH TO:
[EXT. CARNEY LANE - DAY]
(Grissom stands in front of the dilapidated building, a tight grip on the heavy leather bag in his right hand. He stands there a moment looking around.)
(Grissom heads for the building. He climbs up the front steps and slides the door open.)
[INT. CARNEY LANE - DAY]
(Inside the building, we see the Ford parked inside. Grissom takes his sunglasses off and notices the Ford. He puts the leather bag on the floor near the door and takes out a flashlight. He looks around the sparse building. On the side is a dead dog.)
Grissom: Las Vegas Crime Lab.
Walter Gordon: (o.s.) Through the door.
(Grissom picks up the bag and heads inside. As he gets closer to the dog, he hears flies buzzing.)
(He continues forward past the dog feeding dishes and over to the file box on the floor. He walks past it toward the door to the next room.)
(In the next room, a man sits behind the desk and watches Nick through the live feed on the computer monitor.)
Walter Gordon: Pretty quiet outside. Almost sounds like you came alone.
Grissom: I've got your money.
(The man stands up behind the desk.)
Walter Gordon: Put it down.
(Grissom puts the bag down on the ground. The man walks around the desk.)
Walter Gordon: Slide it over.
(Grissom kicks the bag over to the other side of the room. The bag stops a couple yards away from the man.)
(Walter Gordon walks up to the bag and turns on his own flashlight.)
Walter Gordon: You're telling me there's a million dollars in here.
Grissom: Yes.
Walter Gordon: Along with some cute little booby traps? Which is it -- a tracer, a dye pack?
Grissom: (interrupts) Normally, you'd be 100% right, but this time, you're
100% wrong. We want Nick back, no tricks.
(Walter Gordon kneels down and zips the bag open. He looks at the $10,000 pack of $100 bills. He chuckles.)
Walter Gordon: This looks real.
Grissom: It is real. Where is Nick?
(He tosses the money back into the bag.)
Walter Gordon: You know, I was under the impression it was against departmental policy to negotiate with t*rrorists.
Grissom: Are you a t*rror1st?
Walter Gordon: Depends.
(He shines his flashlight on Grissom's face.)
Walter Gordon: Are you terrified?
Grissom: Look, I really don't want to talk to you. Where is my guy?
Walter Gordon: Oh, so ... he is 'your guy', huh?
Grissom: Yes, he is. Where is he buried?
Walter Gordon: Are you two close?
Grissom: That's none of your business.
Walter Gordon: What does Nick Stokes mean to you? How do you feel when you see him in that coffin? Does your soul die every time you push that button? How do you feel, knowing that there's nothing you can do to get him out of that hell? Helpless ... useless ... impotent?
(Grissom doesn't say anything, but his look says it all.)
Walter Gordon: Good. Welcome to my world.
(Walter unbuttons his jacket and shows the two red bars of HIGH expl*sives /
SEMTEX hooked up around his waist, his thumb over the detonator.)
Walter Gordon: Uh, if I were you, I'd back up a little.
(Grissom takes a couple of steps back.)
(Walter Gordon presses the button and explodes.)
[EXT. CARNEY LANE - DAY]
(The building's windows explode outward.)
DISSOLVE TO:
[INT. CARNEY LANE - DAY]
(Smoke and debris swirl around in the room. The camera starts on the bloodied floor and rises up to the desk, focusing on the open laptop.)
(Dissolve to: Camera pans around the blood-spattered walls.)
(Grissom takes a couple of breaths and stirs. His face is cut and bloodied from the expl*si*n. He sits up and looks at the bills fluttering in the empty building.)
(Camera holds on Grissom as he realizes that they're left with nothing and no way to find Nick.)
FADE OUT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FADE IN.
[EXT. LAS VEGAS CITY (STOCK) - DAY]
[EXT. CARNEY LANE - DAY]
(Officer cars and other emergency personnel are parked in front of the building. The EMT checks Grissom.)
EMT: Pupils are even.
Grissom: (thinking) He blew himself up and left us with nothing.
EMT: Sir, are you experiencing any ringing in your ears?
(Camera pans over to the building entrance. Brass is stepping out of the building. He's on the phone.)
Brass: (to phone) We got the kidnapper's truck. Nevada tags: 374-Robert-
Charlie-David. Run the plate.
(Camera continues into the building. Warrick and Greg are under the Ford's hood. Greg is trying to attach the computer to the black box while Warrick is at the laptop.)
Warrick: That's the wrong box, Greg.
Greg: Well, pick one. There's three.
Warrick: (points) That one right there.
Greg: Give me a break. I haven't done this before.
Warrick: All right, let's go over it again. The diagnostic unit gets attached to that black box, which gives us the mileage of his last trip. Like an airplane.
Greg: That gives us the radius for the search area.
Warrick: Right.
Greg: Got it.
(Warrick keys it in; the laptop beeps.)
Warrick: Twenty-three miles. We know he was heading east on the 215.
Greg: I'll get a map.
(Greg moves away from the Ford to get a map.)
(Camera moves over to Catherine walking across the empty building, a bill stuck to the underside of her covered feet. She looks down as she walks and grabs the bill. She holds it up to the officer as she passes by on her way to the inner room.)
Catherine: Somebody bag this money, please? Don't get any funny ideas, either.
(She walks into the inner room and sighs.)
Catherine: (mutters) What I had to do to get this money and for what.
(She walks over to Sara and David Phillips examining the lump of flesh on the floor.)
David Phillips: There's no ID on him.
(Sara stands up and carefully walks through the bills on the floor. She looks around the floor and finds something. She picks it up.)
Sara: I got a thumb.
CUT TO:
[EXT. LAS VEGAS CITY (STOCK) - DAY]
[INT. CSI - A/V LAB - DAY]
(Warrick walks up to Archie Johnson sitting at the computer.)
Warrick: How's he doing?
(Warrick sits down next to Archie.)
Archie Johnson: (shrugs) Hard to say. About the same, I guess.
(The monitor shows Nick in the box.)
Archie Johnson: I'm gonna get some coffee.
Warrick: Yeah.
(Archie stands up and leaves the lab.)
(Warrick puts his cup down and watches the monitor.)
INTERCUT WITH:
[NICK]
(Inside the box, Nick is sweating from the heat and quiet. He turns and looks longingly at the vent.)
(After a moment, the light goes off. The fan starts to kick on.)
(Warrick clicks the "WATCH" button on the monitor.)
(The light inside the box goes back on.)
Nick: (irritated) Enough ... enough with the damn light!
(Nick pants and turns his head toward the vent. The fan at the end of the vent slows down and Nick notices something.)
(Camera zooms in through the vent toward the fan inside. The fan starts to slow down once the light is on. The light clicks off, the fan starts up again.)
(Camera zooms back out of the vent. It's dark in the box, but the fan is on. Nick turns toward the vent.)
(Warrick clicks on the "WATCH" button and the light goes on in the box.)
Nick: (groans) No.
(Nick looks at the vent and he can hear the fan shutting down. He looks at the light and closes his eyes.)
Nick: (softly) The fan's connected ... the fan's connected to the light.
CUT TO:
[INT. CSI - LAB - DAY]
(Sara opens the container and takes out the large piece of thumb and partial palm.)
(She looks at the print and cleans off as much of the dried blood as she can. She looks at the print under the light. She prints the thumb.)
CUT TO:
(Sara runs the thumb print through the database.)
NO MATCH FOUND
(Sara sighs.)
CUT TO:
[INT. CSI - A/V LAB - DAY]
(Warrick sits in front of the computer monitor. He picks up his cup and drinks.)
(He reaches for the mouse and clicks it back on.)
INTERCUT WITH:
[NICK]
(Inside the dark box, the light goes back on. Nick looks at the vent as the fan shuts off.)
Nick: No.
(Panting, Nick looks down at the light near his feet. He looks at the light, then back to the vent. He's got to do something about this.)
(Nick reaches into his back jeans pocket and takes out a pack of gum. He unwraps the gum and pops it into his mouth. He chews.)
(Warrick watches Nick chew the g*n.)
(Nick puts the gum in his right ear.)
(Warrick watches as Nick puts the gum in his left ear.)
Warrick: What are you doing, Nicky?
(On the monitor, Warrick watches as Nick takes out the g*n and cocks it.)
(Warrick gets to his feet, his eyes glued to the monitor.)
Warrick: (alarmed) What are you doing, Nicky?
(On the monitor, Warrick sees Nick rest the g*n on his chest, the muzzle pointed near his own head. Nick turns to the side.)
Warrick: (to the monitor) Don't do it, Nicky!
(In the box, Nick looks down at the light, the tip of his g*n muzzle near his chin.)
(Warrick grows alarmed and stands up.)
(Nick takes a breath and aims the g*n down at the light beneath his feet.)
(He fires.)
[WARRICK]
(Warrick jumps back as the monitor goes completely black.)
Warrick: (shouts) You son of a bitch!
(Warrick sees nothing on the screen.)
[NICK]
(Inside the box, Nick laughs triumphantly.)
(He breaks open a glow stick and casts the box in a green hue. He turns his face toward the fan, relishing the wave of fresh air.)
[WARRICK]
(Warrick sees Nick moving inside the box and laughs with relief.)
Warrick: Oh.
(He watches the monitor and nods.)
Warrick: You're still alive.
CUT TO:
[INT. CSI - LOCKER ROOM - DAY]
(Warrick opens his locker and looks inside. For a moment, he appears as if he's looking for a change of clothes.)
(But suddenly, he stops.)
(He appears lost and deeply contemplative as something has just occurred to him. He slams the locker door shut and sits down abruptly on the bench behind him.)
Warrick: (softly) No.
(Alone in the quiet locker room, he covers his face with his hands.)
CUT TO:
[INT. CSI - A/V LAB -- NIGHT]
(Archie shares his findings with Grissom as they sit side-by-side in front of the monitor.)
Archie Johnson: The light and the fan must have been running off the same battery.
Grissom: Well, at least Nicky's keeping it together. That's good. What about the web cam trace?
Archie Johnson: Signal's running through an anonymizer. Different ISP each time we click the button. But I think I've got a handle on the pattern. I'm getting closer.
CUT TO:
[CU: SARA]
(Sara has a hand to her forehead as she stares silently out in front of her. Off screen, we hear the sound of running water. Sara stirs.)
(Sara stands at the water fountain rubbing her forehead with her free hand while she lets the water fountain run. She's agitated, silently worried and barely keeping it together.)
[INT. CSI - HALLWAY -- NIGHT]
(In the background, Mia pushes the lab door open and calls out.)
Mia Dickerson: Sara? (excited) I got something off your thumb.
(Sara turns and runs to the DNA lab.)
SHORT TIME CUT TO:
[INT. CSI - DNA LAB - NIGHT]
(Mia sits in front of the computer showing Sara what she's found.)
Mia Dickerson: So when you struck out on prints, I ran DNA through CODIS, hoping maybe the guy was in the system off an open case or a prior felony. I got no straight-up match, but ...
Sara: ... but you got a moderate stringency match for a Kelly Gordon.
Mia Dickerson: Yeah, seven alleles in common, and based on the age, I'd say it was his daughter.
Sara: Good work, Mia.
(Sara turns and leaves.)
CUT TO:
[INT. CSI - GRISSOM'S OFFICE -- NIGHT]
(Open on the following record:
ATTN: --
LVMP RECORD
LAS VEGAS METRO RECORD
III NEVADA ONLY RECORD
CII/A05309258
DOB/07-15-59 SEX/M RAC/CAUCASIAN
HGT/ WGT/155 EYE/BRO HAI/ POB/CA
NAM/01
MON/MONCHIE
GORDON, KELLY CURRENTLY IN STATE PRISON SERVING YEAR
YEAR SENTENCE // ACCESSORY TO m*rder
- - - -
COURT: NAM:01
02/25/98 CAMC LAS VEGAS
CNT:01 #M73118
-ATTEMPTED
487.2
*DISPO-CONVICTED
SEN: 2 YR SUMM PROB W/OUT SUPV, 90 DS JL 7--
(Sara sits across Grissom's desk going through the file. Grissom goes through another file.)
Sara: Kelly Gordon is currently in state prison serving year three of a five-year sentence for accessory to m*rder.
(She looks at a map of the crime scene.)
Sara: The address of her crime scene is 625 Viking Circle. That's the same place where the messenger picked up the package. It wasn't random.
(Grissom looks through his file. He finds it:
EVIDENCE
ITEM #66 ELECTRICAL CORD
PACKAGE #4531-7
ITEM #67 STYROFOAM CUP WITH LID, PROCESS FOR DNA
ITEM #68 TELEPHONE BILL
ITEM #69 HAIRBRUSH
ITEM #70 TOOTHBRUSH
(Quick flash close-up of the item on the list: STYROFOAM CUP.)
(Quick flash to: A woman drinks from a Styrofoam cup. A man appears.)
Man: Hey, baby, let's go.
(He opens the door for her. She gets out of the car.)
(Together, the two walk to the building. The man knocks on the door. The door opens and they enter, greeted by a second man.)
Man 2: Hiya. How ya doing?
(The door closes.)
(Two g*nshots are fired in the house.)
(End of flash. Resume to present.)
(Grissom looks at Sara.)
Grissom: Neither was the Styrofoam cup.
CUT TO:
[INT. POLICE DEPARTMENT - INTERVIEW ROOM -- NIGHT]
(Brass and Sara interview Kelly Gordon.)
Brass: So at trial, you testified that you went with your boyfriend to visit a buddy of his. And when you went in the house, your boyfriend blew the guy away.
Kelly Gordon: He wasn't my boyfriend. I knew the guy two weeks. Why am I here?
Sara: A Styrofoam cup with your DNA on it was found in that house. You claimed you dropped it running for your life.
(Quick flash of: The Styrofoam cup hits the ground, spilling its contents on the floor.)
(Quick flash to: Kelly Gordon runs out of the building.)
(End of flash. Resume to present.)
Kelly Gordon: My word against a cup, and the next five years, I'm being traded for cigarettes by my cellmate.
(She looks at them. They say nothing and she gets the feeling that they don't care about her story.)
Kelly Gordon: You're not reopening my case. What do you want?
Sara: Your father took it pretty hard.
Brass: He was an aerospace engineer, right? Good with expl*sives?
Kelly Gordon: So, this is about my dad?
Brass: (sighs) You know, we had your visitor's log. Your father stopped coming to see you six weeks into your sentence.
Kelly Gordon: Seeing your daughter turned into some ... hood rat's lesbian sex sl*ve can be rather emotional.
Sara: Why did he come see you last week? Did you know what he was planning to do?
Kelly Gordon: I don't know. What did he do?
Brass: He kidnapped a friend of mine. A CSI. And then he blew himself up. Tried to take some cops with him.
Kelly Gordon: How many did he get?
Brass: Hey, we're all still here.
Sara: (interrupts) Nick is still missing.
Kelly Gordon: Who's Nick?
Sara: The CSI is still missing. Do you know where he is?
Kelly Gordon: That's pretty funny -- you guys not being able to find something.
Brass: Yeah, look, if you cooperate, we can get your sentence reduced.
Kelly Gordon: (nods) You know what I used to do before this? Back when I was alive? I used to grow things. Outside. I was studying horticulture. Flowers. My cellmate, Trish, gave me one for Valentine's Day.
(She puts her left hand palm open on the table to show a white flower tattoo on her palm.)
Kelly Gordon: Want to smell it? (harshly) I hope your friend dies.
(Camera holds on Sara.)
FADE OUT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FADE IN.
[NICK]
(Trying to keep it together, Nick sings softly to himself.)
["Lucky Too", Bob Neuwirth, from the album "Look Up"]
Nick: It was Christmas in Las Vegas / when the locals take the town / Teresa hit a streak / and laid her waitress apron down / she was playing penny poker / over at the old Gold Spike / she tired of Texas hold 'em / so she switched to let it ride ...
CUT TO:
[INT. CARNEY LANE - NIGHT]
(Catherine snaps photos of the Ford from inside the front seat.)
(She opens the glove compartment and snaps more photos.)
(Greg sits inside the empty warehouse and goes through the different items in the large plastic bin. He picks up what looks like a tooth and looks at it. He drops it in the red bucket just behind him.)
(He reaches into the tub for the next piece.)
(A distance away from them, Warrick is sketching a layout of the scene. He's doing it half-heartedly, his mind elsewhere. Frustrated and unsatisfied with the sketch, he rips the paper out of the book and tosses it aside.)
(Greg continues to sift through the tub, writing down what he finds.)
(He picks up a wire and holds it up.)
(Camera zooms in for a close-up of the wire ends.)
Greg: (thinking out loud) Hey, I found a trigger wire. Maybe ... once we reassemble all the components, we'll be able to tell where the b*mb came from. Maybe that ...
Warrick: (interrupts) Yeah, maybe, maybe, maybe. (losing it) Maybe if we count up all the damn "maybes," maybe Nick will be alive!
(Angry, Warrick kicks the plastic container toward Greg. It hits the floor, spattering liquid near him. Greg stands up.)
Warrick: (shouts) You know what I'm saying?!
(Catherine stops and stares at Warrick.)
Greg: (irritated) Was that necessary? Never mind my clothes. Look at the evidence.
(Greg puts the clipboard down.)
Warrick: Damn.
(Warrick throws his clipboard on the floor and walks away.)
(Catherine gets out of the car and follows Warrick.)
Catherine: Sorry, Greg. I'll go talk to him.
(Catherine catches up with Warrick near the doorway.)
Catherine: Hey, Warrick, hey. Hey, how you holding up?
Warrick: I'm not.
Catherine: I know.
Warrick: I just can't help thinking that could have been me in that box, you know? We flipped a coin for that trash run.
Catherine: Hey, Nick is not inside a box because of the flip of a coin.
Warrick: If that was me, I would have ...
(He presses his two fingers against the side of his forehead as if it were a g*n, his implications clear.)
Catherine: (firmly) Hey, you know what? I know you. I don't believe that. Okay?
Warrick: (upset) No. You're wrong. I wouldn't have lasted this far. Catherine, if something happens to Nick, if we don't bring him back in one piece ...
(Before he can finish that sentence, Greg calls out from off screen.)
Greg: (interrupts) Hey, guys, come here. I found something.
(Catherine and Warrick head over to Greg.)
Greg: Look at this.
(Taking the bent-out-of-shaped jug that Warrick kicked, Greg pours some of the liquid on the ground and we see the outline of something there just under the dirt.)
Greg: There's something underneath there.
(Warrick, Catherine and Greg start brushing away the dirt form the lid.)
Warrick: Oh, got an edge right here. All right.
Greg: Another over here.
Catherine: Greg, get some crowbars.
(Greg runs to get the crowbars. Warrick and Catherine continue to brush the dirt away from the lid. Greg returns with the crowbars.)
(He hands Warrick one.)
Greg: Do you think Nick could be under here?
Warrick: I don't know, man. It would have to be at least six feet long.
(They lift the concrete lid up and off the patch of dirt.)
Catherine: Yeah, but if he buried him lengthwise, and who's to say he didn't ... he could be.
(Suddenly, there's a very real urgency and they start to dig. Catherine puts her mask back on and starts digging.)
SHORT TIME CUT TO:
(Warrick and a couple of others dig out the area with shovels. Catherine and Greg stand on the side just behind some lights and watch.)
INTERCUT WITH:
[NICK]
(In the darkness, Nick hears something - scraping, scratching sounds - coming from outside and above the box.)
(He immediately breaks another glow stick and looks around. The noises continue and get louder.)
Nick: (shouts) Hey!
[WARRICK]
(Warrick and the others continue to dig.)
[NICK]
(Nick shakes his glow stick for more light.)
Nick: (shouts) I'm in here!
(He knocks on the Plexiglas in front of him.)
Nick: (voice cracking) Hey!
(Nick starts to sing, louder than before. The scraping, scratching, crunching noises continue.)
Nick: (singing) It was Christmas in Las Vegas / when the locals take the town ... Teresa hit a streak / and laid her waitress apron down ...
[WARRICK]
(Warrick hits something and stops.)
Warrick: I hit something.
(He uses the tip of the shovel and taps at it. There's a hollow thumping noise.)
[NICK]
(The scraping, scratching, crunching noises continue. Nick taps on the Plexiglas with his knuckles.)
Nick: (singing) She was playing penny poker / over at the old Gold Spike ...
[WARRICK]
(Warrick puts the shovel aside. He sits in the hole and starts digging with his hands. Catherine and Greg stand just outside the hole and watch.)
[NICK]
(The crunching sounds continue.)
Nick: The air.
[CATHERINE]
(Catherine leans forward.)
Catherine: It's Plexiglas.
(Catherine reaches into the hole and helps dig out the dirt.)
Warrick: Nick!
Catherine: Nick?
[NICK]
(Nick knocks on the Plexiglas.)
Nick: (yells) Hey, I'm right here!
(The crunching sounds continue.)
[INSIDE THE BOX POV]
(The dirt covering the top of the box is brushed away.)
Warrick: Nick! Hold on there, buddy!
(Warrick and Catherine brush the dirt aside.)
Catherine: Nick?
(They continue to brush the dirt aside.)
[RESUME VIEW]
(They look inside the box and see a dead dog.)
Catherine: It's a dog. (upset) It's a dog.
(Warrick shakes his head in frustration, stands up and gets out of the hole.)
[NICK]
(Meanwhile, the crunching sounds inside the box continue. Nick looks down at the g*n shot holes near his feet. The pressure of the dirt around the coffin is causing the Plexiglas to crack.)
(Helpless to stop it, Nick watches the glass surrounding him crack.)
Nick: (pleads) Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop.
(The cracking continues.)
Nick: Oh, my God.
SMASH CUT TO:
[EXT. FOREST (STOCK) - NIGHT]
[INT. CSI - GARAGE - NIGHT]
(Warrick puts his pen down. He picks up the fan unit and looks at it. Next to him is the open Plexiglas coffin, it's lid open.)
(Warrick takes the hose off the fan and looks inside the unit.)
(He takes the hose off the coffin and looks at the attachment there.)
(He walks around the coffin and looks inside.)
(He peels off the vent piece and looks at it.)
(He walks around the unit and looks at the battery attached to the side.)
(He puts the fan back together and attaches it to the fan. The light inside the coffin goes on and the fan runs.)
(He looks at the monitor reading. It goes from 9.3 to 15.4.)
[NICK]
(Meanwhile, the Plexiglas at Nick's feet has broken inward under the pressure. His legs are partially covered with dirt.)
(The Plexiglas continues to crack around him.)
(Nick has the tape recorder in his hand. He clicks it on.)
Nick: My name is Nick Stokes. If anybody finds this tape, turn it in to the Las Vegas ... PD. There should be a reward.
INTERCUT WITH:
[INT. CSI - A/V LAB - NIGHT]
(Sara and Archie are in front of the main monitors while Grissom watches from the laptop in the back.)
[CU: NICK'S MOUTH]
Nick: Mom ... (voice cracks) ... Cisco ... well, this is a lousy way to say good-bye, but it's all I've got.
(Grissom watches.)
Nick: I love you. You raised me right ... and I'm going to miss you.
(swallows) As for the rest of you guys, I know you did the best you could to find me.
(Grissom watches, his mouth moving as he reads what Nick's saying on the monitor.)
Nick: Grissom ...
[CU: GRISSOM'S EYES]
[MONITOR ON NICK]
(With no audio available on the live-feed, Nick continues speaking into the tape recorder as Grissom watches, reading and understanding. He responds quietly to what Nick's saying.)
Grissom: (quietly) No, you never did, Nick.
(Grissom continues to watch the monitor. Suddenly, Nick looks down at his feet and appears to lose it. He drops the tape recorder and it falls near his head. He's looking down at his feet.)
(Sara and Archie watch the monitor.)
Sara: He's going into convulsions. (louder) He's losing it.
(Sara turns and looks back at Grissom. Grissom looks at the monitor.)
(Nick appears to be in full-mode panic.)
Sara: What's going on?
(Grissom's just as puzzled as she is.)
Grissom: What is -- ?
(Staring at the monitor, he sees something.)
Grissom: Wait a minute.
(Grissom enhances the view on the live-feed, zooming the camera's focus on the wall near Nick's head. He sees it: The ants on the side of the glass coffin.)
(Sara turns and looks back at Grissom.)
Grissom: Ants.
(Nick isn't panicking. He's screaming.)
Grissom: My God, he's being eaten alive.
[NICK]
(Nick struggles in the box, his pants legs covered with ants as the insects make their way into the box.)
(Nick screams in pain.)
FADE OUT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FADE IN.
[GROUND]
(The camera view starts low to the ground following the ants' movement. We hear the scraping, crunching sounds the ants are making. The camera continues along the dirt up to the Plexiglas hole.)
[NICK]
(The ants are all over Nick's shoes, pants and clothes.)
(The camera continues to pan slowly up. Nick digs into his pocket and takes out a latex glove.)
INTERCUT WITH:
[INT. CSI - A/V LAB-NIGHT]
(Sara is standing just behind Grissom as they both watch Nick over the monitor. We can see the ants covering Nick's face. He keeps his eyes shut tight and tears off something to shove into his nose.)
(Although he's in pain, Nick forces himself to stop moving. Grissom approves.)
Grissom: (smiles grimly) That's it, Nicky. Stay still. (beat) They won't bite. (beat) As much.
CUT TO:
[INT. CSI - GARAGE - NIGHT]
(Catherine, Warrick and Greg continue to work on the Plexiglas coffin, hoping that there's some clue as to where Nick is buried.)
Catherine: This has got to be a prototype. It was probably built to test how long he could keep somebody alive inside.
(Greg is under the coffin. He swabs a circular pressure indention on the bottom, under it. Hodges leans forward, peering at Greg. He points to the circles.)
Hodges: Now, what are those?
Greg: I don't know.
Hodges: Hmm.
(Hodges stands up.)
Warrick: All right, based on this battery and what's running off of it, and the fact that we kept the damn light on for as long as we did, I figure Nick's got another ninety minutes left, now.
(Greg and Catherine remain quiet.)
(Warrick sets his watch to countdown from 1:30 hrs.)
CUT TO:
[INT. CSI - A/V LAB-NIGHT]
(Grissom's eyes are glued to the monitor. He sees an ant walk quickly past the lens.)
Grissom: (murmurs encouragingly) Oh, come on, pal.
(Another ant barely walks over the lens, but not much.)
Grissom: Yeah. That's it.
(Grissom sits in front of the monitor.)
Grissom: Come on. Little more.
(Sara steps up behind Grissom and watches what he's doing.)
Grissom: (coaxing) Keep coming. Show me what you're made of. Come on, buddy.
(An ant dances across the edge of the lens.)
(Finally, it lands dead center on the lens.)
(Grissom hits the print button.)
Grissom: Gotcha!
(The printer whirls.)
CUT TO:
[INT. CSI - GRISSOM'S OFFICE - NIGHT]
(With the photo in his hand, Grissom rushes back to his office. He heads for his library and pulls down the large book. He flips through the pages ... and finds it.)
(He compares the book drawing to the photo. It's a match.)
Grissom: Solenopsis invicta.
CUT TO:
[INT. CSI - BREAK ROOM - NIGHT]
(Grissom briefs the team.)
Grissom: (talking quickly) They're fire ants, very rare in Nevada. They don't like our soil. The only places you find them around Vegas are in plant and tree nurseries.
(Grissom stops walking behind Catherine who is in front of the computer.)
Catherine: There's eleven nurseries in the greater Las Vegas area.
(Archie has the map of the area spread out in front of him.)
Archie Johnson: Okay, I've got the web cam trace down to here.
(He draws a large circle in black ink on the map.)
Greg: And the data from the black box in Walter Gordon's truck gave us a 23-mile travel radius.
(Greg adds another circle, cutting the area down even more. Warrick walks out with the printout of the nurseries. He quickly scans the list.)
Warrick: Okay, I've got two nurseries within the overlap area. Here and here.
(He adds two 'X' marks to the map within the overlapping area. Sara remembers something.)
Sara: Wait, wait. Wait, wait. Kelly Gordon, the daughter, worked with plants. Hold on. Hold on.
(Camera follows Sara as she runs out of the lab and down the hallway to Grissom's office. She picks up the file folder from his desk and checks the information. She runs full circle back to the break room.)
Sara: You guys, Nick is here.
(She points to the left-most blue 'X' on the map.)
HARD CUT TO:
[EXT. ROAD - NIGHT]
(A long line of officer cars rush down the long stretch of highway - lights flashing, sirens blaring.)
(The lead car pulls off the road to the right.)
(Inside one of the cars, Grissom drives.)
(The long line of officer cars and other emergency personnel vehicles follows.)
(In his car, Warrick glances at his watch: 0:10 minutes left.)
(They reach the nursery where the owner is waiting for them.)
[EXT. NURSERY - NIGHT -- CONTINUOUS]
(Grissom exits his car and walks up to the owner.)
Grissom: You said on the phone you had a fire ant mound. Where is it?
Nursery Owner: People usually prefer to stay away from it.
(The owner of the nursery shows them the fire ant mount. Grissom turns and looks at the rest of his team.)
Grissom: All right, look. Fan out. Look for loose soil. Anything that might've been dug up recently.
(They disburse. Brass walks up to Grissom.)
Brass: That's the whole place.
(The officers jog down the road, looking for anything recently dug. Catherine walks slowly down the side of the road. At her hip, she has an electronic emitter. She points the wand end down on the ground as she walks by. The unit gives of an electronic hum and a very slow, steady beep.)
(More officers disburse through the trees.)
Voice: Right down there. Let's go! Right now.
[CATHERINE]
(Catherine continues following the main road through the nursery. The unit at her hip starts to beep a little more rapidly.)
Catherine: (shouts) He-e-ey! I'm picking up the web cam transmitter.
(Sara, Warrick and other officers turn and rush toward Catherine.)
(Catherine continues down the main road.)
(She turns the corner and continues walking. She nearly trips on the vent pipe as she steps on something hollow just below the dirt.)
(She turns and sees the coffin's vent pipe sticking straight up out of the ground.)
(She points her wand down at the pipe and it beeps a little faster. Just a few yards away from the first vent pipe is another vent pipe sticking out of the ground.)
(She walks over to the second vent pipe and the beeping speeds up.)
(Catherine puts her things down and starts digging near the vent pipe, pushing the dirt away with her bare hands.)
(In the dirt, she finds a plastic bag with the small video transmitter unit inside.)
Catherine: (shouts) This is it! I found it! It's here.
(The others run to Catherine.)
Catherine: (shouts) I found it! This is it!
(Catherine leans in close to the vent pipe and shouts inside.)
Catherine: Nick! Nick, we're here. Hang on!
(Camera zooms in through the vent pipe, down through the vent and into the coffin where Nick is sealed up tight.)
Catherine: (o.s.) Nicky!
(Nick's face is covered with ants. Nick gives a muffled groan.)
(Camera zooms in extremely close showing one ant biting him.)
(Camera zooms over to another ant biting him.)
(Camera zooms over for an extreme close-up of another ant in the process of biting him, its mandibles sinking in through his skin.)
(Quick CGI POV to: Camera view zooms under Nick's skin, through his blood vessels, following the path of the red blood cells as it heads straight to his heart. His heart beats faster.)
FADE OUT.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FADE IN.
[COOLER TABLE POV]
(The cooler table slides out. VIEW FROM THE TABLE UP, Robbins and David Phillips stand next to the table, looking down at the person on it.)
Robbins: (sighs & shakes head) It's a damn shame they didn't get to him sooner.
TOP VIEW DOWN
David Phillips: I sure will miss him.
(Nick is on the table. He's dead.)
Robbins: You know, David, I've seen fire ant bites in my time, but never anything like this.
(He picks up Nick's hand and arm to show the large welts and discolored pustules.)
David Phillips: Do you think he suffered?
Robbins: Do I think he suffered? Yes. Definitely.
CUT TO:
[CU: NICK'S FACE]
(Black and white view. Nick's eyes open wide.)
Cue Sound: (echo-y) HYSTERICAL LAUGHTER
[INT. CSI - FORENSIC AUTOPSY - NICK'S HALLUCINATION]
(Black and white view. As they prepare to cut him open, David Phillips and Robbins stand around the autopsy table laughing hysterically at Nick, presumably dead and naked on the table in between them.)
(Finally, Robbins and David control themselves enough to stop laughing.)
Robbins: All right. On three.
David Phillips: (enthusiastically) Uno ...
(Robbins holds up two fingers.)
Robbins: Dos ...
Robbins & David Phillips: Tres!
(With a whirl, David turns around and puts the tape player on. It starts playing Nick's song.)
["Lucky Too", Bob Neuwirth, from the album "Look Up"]
Lyric: It was Christmas in Las Vegas when the locals take the town ...
(Robbins turns and looks at David.)
Robbins: Would you care to do the "y" incision?
(On NICK, eyes wide open and wide awake and on the table. A large butcher's knife is passed across the table right in front of him.)
David Phillips: Well, "Y" not?
(David takes the large butcher's knife from Robbins. David turns and sinks the knife into Nick's chest. We hear a lovely squishy sound of flesh being cut.)
(Nick doesn't flinch.)
(David puts the large butcher's knife aside as Robbins peels the flesh over the left side of Nick's chest open. The music continues in the background.)
(David peels back the flesh over the right side of Nick's chest open.)
(CLOSE-UP OF NICK'S FACE. Nick's eyes open.)
Robbins: (o.s.) Mind your hands and feet.
(The saw starts whirring.)
(Both David and Robbins are wearing face protection as Robbins wields the huge chain saw over Nick's chest.)
(He sticks the tip of the huge chain saw in Nick's chest, blood spurts everywhere.)
(Nick doesn't flinch and watches dispassionately. Nick blinks. Blood spatters on his chest.)
(The chain saw continues to whir as Robbins uses it to cut through Nick's rib cage. Blood is everywhere. Robbins turns the chain saw off.)
(Nick blinks and looks over at Robbins.)
(Having sufficiently covered much of their clothing and everything else with a thick layer of Nick's blood and mulched flesh, Robbins puts the chain saw aside and removes his face protection. Robbins looks at the cut he's just made.)
Robbins: (appreciatively) Yes.
(Robbins reaches in and cracks open Nick's chest, removing the rib cage with a grunt. He holds the piece and looks at David before tossing it carelessly over his shoulder. It hits the floor with a thunk.)
(He looks inside Nick's chest.)
[CU: NICK'S FACE]
Robbins: He won't be needing this anymore.
(Nick watches as his organ is passed across the table in front of him. David takes it.)
[RESUME VIEW]
(Robbins reaches in and starts pulling out Nick's intestines like one very long sausage.)
Robbins: (appreciatively) Nice.
[CU: NICK'S FACE]
Robbins: Lung.
(Nick watches as Robbins passes his lung across the table in front of him. David takes it.)
[RESUME VIEW]
(In living color. Suddenly, where David used to be standing, Judge Stokes leans across the table.)
Judge Bill Stokes: (cheerfully) So, Doctor. How did my son die? Anaphylactic shock?
Robbins: No, no, he didn't live long enough for that. COD was asphyxiation.
Judge Bill Stokes: Oh.
Robbins: (teaching mode) When the blood oxygen drops to less than 16% and the CO2 builds up, there's a rapid loss of consciousness. Death within minutes with no disfiguring physical findings.
Judge Bill Stokes: He'll look great at the funeral.
Robbins: Oh, yes.
Judge Bill Stokes: His mother will appreciate that.
Robbins: Good.
(Robbins reaches into the chest cavity and pulls out Nick's beating heart.)
[CU: NICK'S EYES]
(Nick watches them. We hear Nick's heart beating.)
(Robbins holds Nick's heart in his hand.)
Robbins: Your son had a good heart.
Judge Bill Stokes: Hmm.
(Robbins puts Nick's heart in Judge Stokes' hand.)
HARD CUT TO: END OF NICK'S HALLUCINATION RESUME TO PRESENT
[NICK]
(Suddenly, Nick's eyes open. He's still in the box, his face is cast in the greenish-colored hue from the glow sticks. Ants cover his face.)
(Camera pulls back.)
(Nick's still in the box. His eyes widen with panic. He's on the verge of losing it.)
INTERCUT WITH:
[EXT. NURSERY - NIGHT]
(Warrick and other officers dig quickly in the area surrounding the vent pipe. Grissom and the others stand off to the side, watching.)
(Warrick continues to dig.)
(Suddenly, his watch beeps. He stops digging and looks at his watch: 0:00.)
(Time's up.)
[NICK]
(Inside the box, the whirring sound of the fan slowly stops as the battery runs out of juice. Nick hears it and realizes what's happening.)
Nick: (groans softly) Oh, my God. No, no, no, no.
(The hand holding the g*n shakes as he screams weakly. He slowly pulls the g*n up toward him.)
[WARRICK]
(Meanwhile, outside, Warrick glances back at Catherine. He goes back to digging.)
(Then he hits the coffin cover.)
Warrick: I hit something.
Catherine: (shouts) We got you, Nicky!
(Warrick puts the shovel aside and starts clearing off the dirt with his hands.)
[NICK]
(Inside the box, Nick struggles against the ants and his sudden lack of fresh oxygen.)
(He presses the muzzle of the g*n against his chin.)
[WARRICK]
(Warrick quickly brushes the dirt away from the edges of the coffin, trying to clear the cover.)
[NICK]
(Inside, Nick grimaces and screams weakly, the g*n still pressed to his chin.)
Warrick: (muffled) Hey!
(Light from outside the box reflects off of Nick's face, but Nick has his eyes tightly shut.)
Warrick: (muffled) Hey!
(Warrick clears off more dirt and we can see his blurry figure just outside the box glass.)
(Warrick works furiously, brushing the dirt away from the cover.)
Warrick: We got you, man! Hey, Nicky!
(Inside the box, Nick wipes the condensation off the glass with his hands.)
Warrick: Nicky! Yeah. Hey, hold on there.
(Warrick gets a good look at Nick.)
Warrick: Hey, put that down. Put that down.
(The end of the box is cleared and we see Nick shaking uncontrollably inside.)
Warrick: Put that down. We got you. We're gonna get you out of here.
(Inside, Nick is in pain as the ants continue to attack him.)
Warrick: Hang in there. (shouts) Oh, my God. We need that fire extinguisher! Give me that fire extinguisher.
[GREG]
(Greg runs back to the vehicle and removes the fire extinguisher from the back.)
Warrick: (o.s.) These ants are getting at him, man.
(Greg runs back with the fire extinguisher.)
[WARRICK]
(There's a commotion as people scramble.)
(Warrick wedges the shovel under the coffin cover and lifts it up a crack as Greg kneels down with the fire extinguisher.)
Warrick: Oh.
Grissom: Short bursts, Greg. Don't suffocate him!
(Greg sh**t a couple of bursts from the fire extinguisher into the coffin.)
(Camera zooms in and follows the burst along Nick's arm and we watch the ants freeze and die on the spot.)
Warrick: Hang on, buddy. Hang on. Almost had him.
(Warrick motions for the others to help clear off more of the coffin cover.)
(Sara, standing on the side, turns and shouts over her shoulder.)
Sara: Get the paramedics!
Warrick: (to Nick) Hang on. Hang on. We'll k*ll those ants, okay? You listen to me.
(Again, they lift up the cover as Greg sh**t more CO2 into the coffin to get the ants off Nick.)
Warrick: Yeah.
(Catherine's phone rings. She answers it.)
Catherine: (to phone) Willows.
INTERCUT WITH:
[INT. CSI - GARAGE - NIGHT]
(Hodges is on the phone as he stands over the prototype Plexiglas coffin in the garage.)
Hodges: (to phone) Yeah. Hey, boss ...
Catherine: (to phone) (interrupts) We found him. We're getting him out now.
Hodges: (to phone) That's great. Wai-wait. Don't-don't hang up. Just-just listen.
Catherine: (to phone) What? What?
Hodges: (to phone) (carefully) Those dimples on the bottom of the prototype. GCMS found traces of semtex on each one.
Catherine: (to phone) You got to be kidding me.
(Meanwhile, they've cleared the coffin cover and are getting ready to open it.)
Warrick: One, two, three.
(But before they move, Catherine stops them.)
Catherine: (shouts) Everyone out of the hole. That box is ready to explode!
Brass: Are you kidding?
Catherine: Get out of there now!
(Everyone but Warrick clears the hole. Warrick doesn't move.)
Warrick: I'm not leaving without Nick.
Catherine: There are charges under the box!
(Grissom stands out on the side, thinking. Suddenly, he turns and sees the backhoe nearby. We can see him thinking, his mind working out a solution.)
Warrick: (stubbornly) I'm not leaving here without him.
(TOP VIEW DOWN. Warrick is the only person remaining in the hole, his hands just under the coffin cover - refusing to move, refusing to abandon Nick.)
(Grissom gets an idea.)
Grissom: Warrick, Catherine's right. Get out of the hole now. (firmly) I know what we're gonna do. Just trust me.
(Warrick looks back at Grissom. He slowly releases his hold on the coffin cover. He turns back and looks at Nick.)
(Inside the box, Nick screams and thumps weakly on the cover as he sees everyone leave his line of vision.)
Nick: Help!
(Nick sees Warrick leave.)
(Outside, Grissom shouts the instructions to the officers.)
Grissom: We need 200 pounds of dirt over here right now, and we're gonna use that backhoe to get it.
(The group of officers run to the backhoe.)
(Grissom jumps into the hole. Nick is screaming and hitting the coffin cover.)
(Grissom lands on the cover and brushes the dirt away from the glass.)
Grissom: Nick!
(Nick can see Grissom.)
Grissom: Can you hear me?
(Inside the box, Nick quivers and shakes.)
Grissom: It's gonna take us a minute to get you out of there, okay? Nick!
(But Nick's not listening. All he wants is out of the box. He continues to hit the box cover with his hands.)
Grissom: Pancho!
(Reacting to the familiarity, Nick stops struggling.)
Grissom: Listen to me.
(Grissom puts his right hand flat on the box cover.)
Grissom: Put your hand on my hand.
(Nick concentrates and puts his left hand flat on the box cover directly under Grissom's.)
Grissom: Good. Now listen. There may be expl*sives under the box. They're probably set on pressure switches.
(Camera zooms into the box and past Nick's head. It zooms down deeper past the box to the expl*sives lined up under it.)
(Resume to present.)
Grissom: We need to equalize your body weight before we can pull you out, okay?
(Nick breathes heavily inside the box.)
Grissom: Pancho, nod your head if you understand me.
(After a brief moment, Nick slowly nods his head.)
(Grissom stands up and yells back to the officers.)
Grissom: Okay, we're gonna use the dirt from the backhoe to equalize his weight. (He turns and looks at Sara.) I need a rope and a caribiner.
(Sara takes off running to get the items.)
Voice: You got it.
(Grissom kneels back on the coffin to talk with Nick. He puts his hand back flat on the glass over Nick's hand.)
Grissom: All right, Pancho, we're gonna open the lid and get you out, but I need you to stay lying down. Okay? Or else you'll blow us all up. (Nick nods.) You understand that?
Nick: (o.s.) Yeah, yeah.
Grissom: Do you promise?
(Nick nods. The backhoe engines get louder as the machine approaches.)
Grissom: Pancho, say, "I promise."
Nick: (crying) I promise.
(Catherine directs the backhoe over toward Nick.)
Catherine: (motions) Bring it over. This way!
(The backhoe arrives. Grissom looks at the cover.)
Grissom: (to Nick) Don't move.
(Grissom and Warrick open the coffin lid.)
(Nick lets out a loud sob as he cries. He reaches out his hand blindly, grasping Grissom's arm as he reaches into the coffin to place his hand over Nick's chest.)
(Warrick reaches into the coffin to grab Nick.)
Warrick: (softly) I got you. I got you.
(Nick grabs Warrick's hand, all the while talking quietly to him.)
Warrick: (softly) Lay still. Lay still. It's okay. It's okay.
(The initial wave of panic subsides. Nick calms down.)
Nick: (panting) Okay, okay.
(Nick looks at Grissom and nods. Grissom turns and shouts over his shoulder.)
Grissom: All right, bring that over.
(The backhoe, filled with dirt, is driven over to where Nick is.)
(Grissom latches the hook and rope around Nick's belt buckle. He stands outside the hole and holds the end of the rope.)
Grissom: Okay, Pancho, I want you to close your eyes and hold your breath.
(Nick nods.)
Grissom: (to the driver) Now!
(The dirt is dropped into the hole, filling it.)
(Grissom and everyone standing behind him hold onto the rope.)
Grissom: Ready? Go!
(A beat later, they tug hard and jerk Nick right out from the loose dirt and out of the coffin. Nick comes flying out of the dirt, landing on the ground hard.)
(A moment later, the coffin explodes sh**ting dirt straight up into the air; the dirt and dust billows around the area.)
(Warrick steps past Grissom toward Nick who remains twitching on the ground, his eyes shut.)
(But, he's alive.)
SHORT TIME CUT TO:
(Nick is wrapped securely on the gurney, lifted up and placed in the back of the ambulance.)
(Warrick and Catherine climb into the back of the ambulance while Ecklie, Grissom, Sara, Brass and Greg remain outside.)
(Nick reaches out and Warrick grabs Nick's hand. Catherine places her hand on Nick's leg as the EMTs shut the ambulance doors.)
(The ambulance drives away. Sara, Brass and Greg stare at the ambulance.)
(Grissom sighs heavily.)
Grissom: I want my guys back.
(Ecklie turns and looks at Grissom.)
FADE OUT.
FADE IN.
[EXT. LAS VEGAS CITY (STOCK) - DAY]
[EXT. HIGHWAY (STOCK) - DAY]
(A lone vehicle travels up the long stretch of desert highway.)
[EXT. WOMEN'S CORRECTIONAL FACILITY (STOCK) - DAY]
[INT. WOMEN'S CORRECTIONAL FACILITY - VISITOR'S ROOM - DAY]
(A guard escorts Kelly Gordon, #2232, to her chair. She sits down. Nick sits on the other side of the window and waves to her.)
(He motions to the phone. He picks his side up and after a moment, she reluctantly picks up her side.)
Kelly Gordon: You the one?
Nick: (smiles) Yeah. (clears his throat) Yeah, back at you.
Kelly Gordon: What do you want me to say? I'm sorry?
Nick: No, you didn't do anything to me. And what your dad did, I ... I guess it's 'cause he loves you so much.
(Not believing it for a moment or perhaps she just doesn't want to hear it, she hangs up. Nick tries to stop her.)
Nick: Hey, Kelly. Kelly.
(Nick is barely holding it together. He motions to the phone again.)
Nick: Pick it up.
(Kelly picks up the phone. Nick leans forward.)
Nick: In a few years ... when you get out of here ... don't take it with you.
Kelly Gordon: That's it?
Nick: Yeah. Yeah, that's it.
(Kelly hangs up and looks to the guard off screen.)
Kelly Gordon: We're done.
(Kelly stands up and leaves Nick with the phone in his hand. He takes a moment and takes a breath.)
Nick: That's it.
(Nick hangs up the phone. He wipes his nose.)
Nick: (quietly) That's it.
(He stands up and leaves.)
CUT TO:
[INT. WOMEN'S CORRECTIONAL FACILITY - HALLWAY - DAY]
(The guard escorts Kelly Gordon down the long hallway back to her cell. She puts Kelly in her cell and locks the door.)
(Kelly climbs up on her bunk and clutches her pillow to her. She hunkers down in a corner of her bed and stares out in front of her. Camera holds on her and we can see that she's thinking about what Nick said.)
FADE TO BLACK.
End
05x24 - Grave Danger (1)
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An elite team of police forensic evidence investigation experts work their cases in Las Vegas.
An elite team of police forensic evidence investigation experts work their cases in Las Vegas.