"Hackers" Movie Script
Typed by Lo Wang


                     UNITED ARTISTS PICTURES

                             presents

                       an IAIN SOFTLEY film

                            "HACKERS"

                         JONNY LEE MILLER

                          ANGELINA JOLIE

                          FISHER STEVENS

                       and LORRAINE BRACCO

                      music by SIMON BOSWELL

           edited by CHRISTOPHER BLUNDEN  MARTIN WALSH

                  production designer JOHN BEARD

              director of photography ANDRZEJ SEKULA

                 executive producer IAIN SOFTLEY

                     co-producer JANET GRAHAM

                     written by RAFAEL MOREU

             produced by MICHAEL PEYSER  RALPH WINTER

                     directed by IAIN SOFTLEY





                             SEATTLE 1988


EXT. FRONT YARD.  DAY.

        Slow motion. Armed troops in black uniforms pour out of
        unmarked vans and swarm across a lawn in a middle class
        residential neighborhood. Yuppie neighbours look on in
        shock, confused. Two of the troops carry a battering ram
        to the front door of a white two-storey house. A leashed
        Rottweiler snarls and barks. In position, their comrades
        point M-16s into first-floor windows, ready to be
        ambushed. Pan into a window in the kitchen. An
        attractive woman in her thirties is making breakfast.

        Now, in regular motion, the battering ram breaks open the
        front door. The woman, startled, drops her spatula.

INT. MURPHY RESIDENCE. DAY.

                                WOMAN
                                (screams)
                    Oough! Ahhh!

                                SECRET SERVICE AGENT
                                (to others)
                    Upstairs.

        Troops pour into the house.

                                WOMAN
                    What's going on? What's the matter?
                    Who are you?

        The troops, and one or two trenchcoated agents, continue
        entering the house and heading upstairs, still with rifles
        ready.

                                WOMAN
                    Hey!

        Upstairs, crowded in the narrow hallway, the troops
        descend on a bedroom.

                                WOMAN
                                (off camera)
                    Dade! Dade!

                                AGENT
                    Knock it down.

        The battering ram knocks down a bedroom door.


INT. COURTROOM.

        The prosecutor, a woman of about forty, gives her closing
        argument blandly. She'd rather be somewhere else.

                                PROSECUTOR
                    The defendant, Dade Murphy, who calls
                    himself "Zero Cool", has repeatedly
                    committed criminal acts of a malicious
                    nature. This defendant possesses a
                    superior intelligence, which he uses to a
                    destructive and antisocial end. His
                    computer virus crashed one thousand five
                    hundred and seven computer systems,
                    including Wall Street trading systems,
                    single handedly causing a seven point drop
                    in the New York Stock Market.

        As she speaks, the camera pans across the court, panning
        down and stopping on the defendant: eleven year old Dade
        Murphy.

        Fast forward to the sentencing.

                                JUDGE
                    Dade Murphy, I hereby fine your family
                    forty-five thousand dollars...

        The court gasps, Dade's father winces

                                JUDGE
                    ...and sentence you to probation, under
                    which you are forbidden to own or operate
                    a computer or touch tone telephone, until
                    the day of your eighteenth birthday.

        Now Dade winces, in fact we almost expect him to cry.

        Opening credits roll to a backdrop of Dade and his family
        and lawyer fighting through a gaggle of journalists and
        photographers, in slow motion, and driving away.




                        SEVEN YEARS LATER.




        Aboard a jetliner, Dade Murphy is staring blankly out the
        window, wearing headphones. Exterior view from the
        aircraft of approaching New York City. The view becomes a
        direct overhead of the buildings and streets of the city,
        which then metamorphoses (through animation) into chips
        and digital signals on a stylised computer board. The
        title logo.

INT. DADE'S ROOM.

        Segue to Dade Murphy, now 18, wearing mirrorshades indoors
        and at night, working on his new computer. His mother
        calls him.

                                MRS. MURPHY
                                (off camera)
                    Dade?

                                DADE
                    Yeah, mom?

                                MRS. MURPHY
                    What are you doing?

                                DADE
                                (after a semi-pregnant pause)
                    I'm taking over a TV network.

                                MRS. MURPHY
                    Finish up, honey, and get to sleep. And happy
                    birthday.

INT. OTV STUDIOS.

        In the OTV Studios security department, a phone rings, a
        man answers nervously.

                                NORM
                    Security, uh Norm, Norm speaking.

                                DADE
                    Norman? This is Mr. Eddie Vedder, from
                    Accounting. I just had a power surge here at
                    home that wiped out a file I was working on.
                    Listen, I'm in big trouble, do you know
                    anything about computers?

                                NORM
                    Uhhmmm... uh gee, uh...

                                DADE
                    Right, well my BLT drive on my computer just
                    went AWOL, and I've got this big project due
                    tomorrow for Mr. Kawasaki, and if I don't get
                    it in, he's gonna ask me to commit Hari
                    Kari...

                                NORM
                    Uhhh.. ahahaha...

                                DADE
                    Yeah, well, you know these Japanese management
                    techniques.
                                (pause)
                    Could you, uh, read me the number on the
                    modem?

                                NORM
                    Uhhhmm...

                                DADE
                    It's a little boxy thing, Norm, with switches
                    on it... lets my computer talk to the one
                    there...

                                NORM
                    212-555-4240.

        Dade goes to work on OTV. He closes his eyes and a flurry
        of half-second video clips from old TV shows flashes by.
        He opens his eyes. His screen says ENTERING ARPS 331 and
        then wipes to another screen. Automated Record Playback
        System. There is a graphic representation of the
        station's automatic videotape changer. Dade turns on his
        TV set and turns to OTV. It is running a Rush-Limbaugh
        type TV show.

                                COMMENTATOR
                                (on TV)
                    ...so-called American Indians, Latinos and
                    Blacks come from a genetically mediocre
                    stock...

                                DADE
                    Yak yak yak. Get a job!

        Dade presses a key on his keyboard. The Video Changer
        diagram lights up in red. At the station, a robotic arm
        selects a videotape from a huge rack of thousands of
        tapes.  The "America First" tape slides out of the VTR and
        is replaced by an episode of "The Outer Limits" as Dade
        watches, drinks Coke and smiles, full of himself.

                                TV
                    You are about to experience the awe and
                    mystery, which reaches from the inner mind,
                    to... The Outer Limits.

                                DADE
                    Yesssss!

        Suddenly, the ARPS screen is replaced by an ominous
        message:

                        U HAVE TREAD
                        UPON MY DOMAIN &
                        MUST NOW SUFFER
                        WHO R U?

                                DADE
                    Hey! What?

        He starts to type ZERO...

                                DADE
                    No, wait.

        Dade types:

                        CRASH OVERRIDE.
                        WHO WANTS TO KNOW?

        Dade's screen dissolves into:

                        ACID BURN

                                DADE
                    Unbelievable. A hacker!

        Then the screen changes again:

                        ACID BURN
                        SEZ LEAVE B 4
                        U R EXPUNGED

        "The Outer Limits" suddenly flashes off.

                                DADE
                    Yeah, okay "Acid Burn", that's enough.

        Dade starts hacking. Apparently so does Acid Burn. The
        tape changer machines at OTV are swamped, sometimes
        fighting over the same tape. The program on TV keeps
        changing.

        The message comes up on Dade's computer screen:

                        I WILL
                        SWAT U LIKE
                        THE FLY U R

        More dueling tape changers, more half second video clips.
        Another message.

                        I WILL
                        SNAP YOUR BACK
                        LIKE A TOOTHPICK

        As the duel continues, Dade types back a taunt of his own:

                        MESS WITH THE BEST
                        DIE LIKE THE REST

        One last from Acid Burn:

                        YOU ARE
                        TERMINATED

        Then his own computer confirms for him that the connection
        is terminated.

                                DADE
                    Shit on me!



        Next morning. Mrs. Murphy is unpacking. Dade emerges
        from his room in a housecoat. He makes a beeline (dodging
        moving boxes) for the fridge.

                                MRS. MURPHY
                    Good morning. You unpack your stuff yet?

                                DADE
                    Mm-hmm.

                                MRS. MURPHY
                    Up all night again, huh?

                                DADE
                    Can this wait until both my eyes are open,
                    please?

        Dade's mom picks up the phone, mocking a call to the
        building superintendent.

                                MRS. MURPHY
                    Can I cut the electricity to his room so he'll
                    sleep normal hours? He's been playing with
                    his computer all night for a solid week.
                                (pause)
                    Well yes, he could be playing with himself.
                    Mmm hmm. Yes I'll ask. Dade, you like girls,
                    don't you?

                                DADE
                    Well, yeah, I just haven't found one as
                    charming as you yet.

                                MRS. MURPHY
                    You haven't been doing anything stupid, right,
                    Dade?
                                (louder)
                    Right, Dade?!

                                DADE
                    Right, mom. And I'm still a virgin!

        Dade slams the bathroom door. Mrs. Murphy quickly checks
        his room. Dade is showering.

                                MRS. MURPHY
                                (angry, through the bathroom door)
                    You hooked it up to the phone, didn't you?
                    Dade! Turn the shower off! You screw up
                    again and you won't get into college!

        She pauses and regains some of her cool.

                                MRS. MURPHY
                    I'm sorry we had to move in your senior year.
                    I didn't want to sell the house but I had to
                    take this new job, you know that. You're
                    going to love New York, it's the city that
                    never sleeps!


EXT. NEW YORK CITY.

        We enjoy several views of New York, the morning sun
        shining between skyscrapers, neon signs that stay lit day
        and night. Dade emerges from the ground-floor apartment
        on rollerblades and skates down the street to school.

INT. HIGH SCHOOL.

        At school, hundreds of teenagers converse, move around,
        head to class.  Dade looks lost among them. He walks up
        to a skinny latino kid in a faux leopard-skin muscle
        shirt. The kid is on a pay-phone, speaking in Spanish.

                                DADE
                    Excuse me.

                                KID
                    Yo, chill man, I'm talking to Venezuela.

                                DADE
                    Yeah, I'm sorry, I was just looking for the
                    principal's office.

                                KID
                    Sorry, I can't help you, okay?

        Now Dade really looks lost. He heads off in search of the
        office.


INT. OFFICE.

        Dade is filling out a form.

                                GIRL
                    Do you have your transfer forms?

        Dade stares at her, stunned. The girl has a decidedly
        unconventional appearance, yet is a first-rate beauty.

                                GIRL
                    It's a relatively straightforward question.

        Dade notices her lips, and in his imagination launches
        into a flurry of half-second video clips and art bites,
        all involving lips and kissing.

                                GIRL
                    Do you speak English?

                                DADE
                    Sorry, you wanted...?

                                GIRL
                    I wanted transfer forms.

        He gives them to her.

                                GIRL
                    Thank you.

        She starts leaving. He doesn't.

                                GIRL
                    Are you coming?

        Dade clues in, gets up and follows her. She takes him on
        a brief tour.

INT. HIGH SCHOOL CORRIDOR.

                                GIRL
                    The gym is through there, and the cafeteria is
                    through there.

                                DADE
                    Great. Cool.
                                (pause)
                    What's your name?

                                GIRL
                    Kate. Kate Libby.

        They arrive at a classroom.

                                KATE
                    Here's your class.

                                DADE
                    My... class. You mean I'm not in your class?

                                KATE
                    No, you're not in my class.

        Kate starts away.

                                DADE
                    Give me time!

        A guy in the halls notices Dade.

                                GUY
                    Hey, you new?

                                DADE
                    Yeah.

                                GUY
                    Tell him about the pool, Kate.

                                DADE
                    Pool?

                                KATE
                    Yeah, there's an Olympic size swimming pool up
                    on the roof. Take the stairs over there.

                                DADE
                    Yeah! Sure.

        Kate starts away again.

                                DADE
                    Thanks!


EXT. SCHOOL ROOFTOP.

        Dade enters, and lets the door slam behind him. Across the
        roof, a dozen or so geeky looking kids are looking over
        the edge, apparently trying to get someone's attention.
        One of them notices Dade.

                                GEEK
                    Hey! Hold the door!

        He's too late. The geeks look pretty angry. There is no pool.

                                Dade
                                (realizing he's been had)
                    No pool.

        Dade tries the door but it's locked. He hammers it with
        his palm, furious. Above, thunder roars and it begins
        raining.


INT. SCHOOL CORRIDOR.

        Dade is soaking wet, and trudges among his classmates
        leaving a muddy trail. A three-second video clip rolls
        through his mind: it is a screaming woman being strangled
        in an old movie. He walks past Kate, who giggles.

                                KATE
                    Oh my God! He found the pool.

INT. SCHOOL COMPUTER LAB.

        The kids are all seated at computer workstations. Dade
        is hacking, the latino kid who was on the phone to
        Venezuela is running a demo involving dirty-dancing
        skeletons.

                                TEACHER
                    I'm Mr. Simpson. And I'm subbing for Ms.
                    Bayliss who was arrested at the anti-fur
                    rally. I know some of you kids got computers
                    at home. But these are school property,
                    people, and I don't want to see any gum stuck
                    to 'em. Chapter 1. Designing graphical
                    interface...

        Meanwhile, the latino kid notices that Dade has been
        looking up Kate Libby's school records. And hacking
        himself into her advanced English class.

EXT. SCHOOL QUAD.

        It's after school, kids are heading home, Dade too. The
        latino kid notices Dade and catches up with him.

                                KID
                    So, um, what's your interest in Kate Libby,
                    eh? Academic? Purely sexual?

                                DADE
                    Homicidal?

                                KID
                    What's up, man? I'm the Phreak!

        The name rings no bells with Dade.

                                PHREAK
                    The Phantom Phreak? The king of Nynex? I
                    know you play the game.

        Another kid, younger and a little geeky looking, runs up
        to Dade and The Phantom Phreak.

                                JOEY
                    Phreakphreakphreakphreakphreak,
                    dudedudedudedudedudedude... I gotta...

                                PHREAK
                                (slaps Joey)
                    Joey, Joey...

                                JOEY
                    What? whatwhatwhat?

                                PHREAK
                    One more "dude" out of you and I'm gonna slap
                    the shit outa you, okay? Now I'm trying to
                    save you from yourself but you gotta stop
                    letting your mama dress you, man!
                                (To Dade):
                    Check it...

        Phreak starts to hand Dade a flyer.

                                JOEY
                                (interrupting)
                    I need a handle, man. I don't have an
                    identity until I have a handle.

                                PHREAK
                    You know, you're right about that.
                                (to Dade)
                    Check it, Friday.

        Phreak hands Dade a flyer for Cyberdelia.

                                JOEY
                    Alright. How about the Master of Disaster,
                    huh?

                                PHREAK
                    You're hopeless, man, utterly hopeless.

        Phreak walks away.

                                JOEY
                    Ultra Laser.
                                (desperate)
                    Doctor Doom!

EXT. NEW YORK CITY STREET VILLAGE. NIGHT.

        Dade rolls in on rollerblades.  Street vendors hawk
        computer parts and bootleg software. A bootleg music
        vendor catches Dade's attention.

                                CEREAL
                    Check this out, each and every one of you.
                    Compilation tape, of my own making. I call
                    this the "Greatest Zooks Album". Featuring
                    artists like, well I got some Hendrix on
                    there, some Joplin, Mama Cass, Belushi... all
                    great artists that asphyxiated on their own
                    vomit!

        The small crowd around him finally gets the joke.

                                CEREAL
                    Can't get this in stores, man, I made it!

        Dade wheels into Cyberdelia, which just happens to be
        equipped with a ramp down to its main floor for the
        benefit of skaters. The place pounds with loud, bassy
        techno music and coloured light. Video monitors with
        psychedelic patterns complete the atmopshere. There is a
        video game with a huge screen.  Phreak is at a pay phone.

                                OPERATOR
                                (on phone)
                    Please deposit five dollars for the first
                    minute.

        Phreak holds a small box up to the receiver, presses a
        button, and the box emits a series of tones.

                                OPERATOR
                    Thank you.

                                PHREAK
                    Nonono, thank YOU!

        Dade checks out the scene. Kate is playing the big video
        game. Dade skates up to her. She loses her last man.
        She's got the high score, in fact her name dominates the
        top-10 list.

                                DADE
                    That's a nice score for a girl.

                                KATE
                                (irritated by Dade's presence)
                    Think you can do better?

                                DADE
                    I'll give it a shot.

        Kate yields the controls to Dade, who begins playing.
        Kate's boyfriend looks on from a mezzanine several feet
        above.

                                CURTIS
                    Is this kid bothering you, Kate?

                                DADE
                    Sorry, can I get some room here?

                                CURTIS
                    Yeah.
                                (to Kate)
                    Why don't you come up here?

        Kate obliges and joins Curtis.  Dade continues playing.
        He plays brilliantly. The game is a flashy 3-D high-speed
        chase game with lots of surprises. Dade loses, but his
        high score is about to come up.

                                CURTIS
                    He's good!

        Dade's score comes up. He's in the #1 position. Phreak
        is amazed.

                                DADE
                                (to Kate)
                    Well, it looks like I'm on top.

        Kate, defeated, leaves. Curtis follows.

                                PHREAK
                    Congratulations. No one's ever beat her
                    before. You just made an enemy for life.
                                (to someone else)
                    Boy meets world. Let's go?

EXT. OUTSIDE CYBERDELIA. NIGHT.

        Kate and Curtis are sucking face, oblivious to the busy
        world around them. Dade and Phreak watch, more than a
        little disgusted.

                                DADE
                    Who's that?

                                PHREAK
                    Curtis.

                                DADE
                    And what's he do?

                                PHREAK
                    That's it, you're looking at it, he just looks
                    slick all day.

        Kate and Curtis start to take off on Curtis' motorcycle.
        Kate and Dade make eye contact briefly. The motorcycle
        speeds off into the night.

INT. DADE'S ROOM.

        The clock says it's 4:16. As the camera pans up to Dade,
        it changes to 4:17. Dade is hacking again. It's the
        school's administration system. Dade schedules a test of
        the school sprinkler system for 9:30am.

INT. HIGH SCHOOL CORRIDIR.

        Dade stands alone in the hall, watching the time closely.
        Phreak rounds a corner and meets Dade.

                                PHREAK
                    What's up?

        Dade doesn't answer. He watches the time a couple of more
        seconds, then opens an umbrella. Immediately the fire
        sprinklers turn on. Phreak starts getting drenched. He
        realizes what is happening.

                                PHREAK
                                (amused and highly impressed)
        Oh my God. You...

        A bell rings and students pour out into the halls by the
        hundreds. They're all being showered on. A tall
        cheerleader bounces by Phreak, pushing her pom-pom in his
        face.

                                PHREAK
                    Way cool!
                                (to Dade)
                    You saw that?

        Dade nods in the affirmative.

        Kate walks up to Dade, also understanding what has
        happened.

                                KATE
                    What the hell is going on?

                                DADE
                    Pool on the roof must have a leak.

        Kate gives Dade a look that could kill and skulks away.

        Dade walks away under his umbrella, smug and dry.

                                PHREAK
                    Man, oh man, this is gonna be good.

INT. HIGH SCHOOL CLASSROOM.

        Dade, Kate, and a couple of other students are writing on
        the chalkboard. Kate finishes first.

                                KATE
                    If God gave men brains bigger than dogs',
                    they wouldn't hump womens' legs at cocktail
                    parties.

        The class giggles.

                                KATE
                    Ruth Libby.

                                TEACHER
                    I'm not so sure your mother qualifies as a
                    significant author of the twentieth century.

                                KATE
                    Her last book sold two million copies.

                                CLASS
                                (almost in unison)
                    Woooooo!

        The teacher reads Dade's quotation.

                                TEACHER
                    "Angel-headed hipsters burning for the ancient
                    heavenly connection to the starry dynamo in
                    the machinery of the night."

                                DADE
                    That's Ginsburg.

                                TEACHER
                    Nice. Very nice.

                                KATE
                    He's not in this class.

                                DADE
                    I said give me time.

                                KATE
                    He's not enrolled in this class.

                                TEACHER
                    Well, he's on my list.

        Kate leaps across a desk and snatches the list from the
        teacher. Dade is on it. She gives Dade another filthy
        look, both Dade and the teacher just shrug. The teacher
        moves on to Cereal.

                                TEACHER
                    "Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind
                    the most?"

                                CEREAL
                    Ozzy Osbourne!

                                TEACHER
                    You. What is your name?

        The teacher grabs the list back from Kate.

                                CEREAL
                    Uh, Emmanuel Goldstein, sir?

                                TEACHER
                    You, however, are not on my list.

                                CEREAL
                                (in mock shock)
                    Whoa, this isn't wood shop class?

        The class cracks up. Kate and Dade exchange looks as the
        teacher escorts Cereal to the door.

INT. DADE'S PLACE.

                                MRS. MURPHY
                    How was school?

                                DADE
                                (eating)
                    Hmmm.

                                MRS. MURPHY
                    What did we learn in school today?

                                DADE
                    Revenge.

                                MRS. MURPHY
                    Aaaah. Did we meet someone special?

                                DADE
                    No. No one special.

                                MRS. MURPHY
                    Okay, I gotta get back to work. I'm gonna be
                    home late.  And would you try and please fill
                    these out?

        She indicates a pile of college applications.

                                MRS. MURPHY
                    Oh don't worry, it's only the rest of your
                    life.

        She starts to the door.

                                DADE
                    Right. Anything else, you want me to mow the
                    lawn? Oops, forgot. New York. No grass.

                                MRS. MURPHY
                    And unpack.

        She leaves. Dade looks over the college applications for
        a second, and pushes them away. He'd rather not do this
        now.


INT. CYBERDELIA.

        Dade, Phreak and Joey are sitting at a table. Joey is
        giving a dull account of his hacking adventures. Enter
        Cereal.

                                CEREAL
                    FYI, alright man, you can sit at home, and do
                    like absolutely nothing and...

        Cereal pauses, notices Dade, whom he has never met
        formally but seen around, and then continues.

                                CEREAL
                    ...and your name goes through like seventeen
                    computers a day. 1984, yeah right man, that's
                    a typo. Orwell's here and now, he's living
                    large. We have no names, man, no names. We
                    are nameless. Can I score a fry? Thanks.

                                PHREAK
                    Meet Cereal Killer. As in Froot Loops? But
                    he does know things.

        Dade and Cereal acknowledge each other.

                                JOEY
                    Anyways, guys, guys, listen, listen to me.
                    I'm in this computer right? So I'm looking
                    around...

                                PHREAK
                                (to Cereal)
                    D'you bring those Crayola books?

                                CEREAL
                    Oh yeah, technicolor rainbow.

         Cereal brings a book out of his bag.

                                CEREAL
                    Green one.

                                JOEY
                    What is that, what is that? Lemmie see. What
                    are these?

                                DADE
                    International Unix Environments.

        Cereal pulls out another book.

                                CEREAL
                    Luscious orange?

        Cereal hands the orange book to Phreak.

                                DADE
                    Computer security criteria, DOD standards.

        Another book comes out.

                                DADE
                    The Pink Shirt Book, Guide to IBM PCs. So
                    called due to the nasty pink shirt the guy
                    wears on the cover.

        Another one.

                                CEREAL
                    What's that?

                                DADE
                    Devil book. The Unix Bible.

        Another one.

                                CEREAL
                    What's that?

                                DADE
                    Dragon book. Compiler design.

        Cereal brings out a large red book.

                                CEREAL
                    Oh yeah? What's that?

                                DADE
                    The Red Book. NSA Trusted Networks.
                    Otherwise known as the Ugly Red Book that
                    won't fit on a shelf.

        By now Phreak has made a pile of the books, and the Red
        Book looks wholly out of place on the top of the pile.

                                JOEY
                    Anyway, anyway, guys guys guys, come on. I'm
                    in this computer, right. So I'm looking
                    around, looking around, you know, throwing
                    commands at it, I don't know where it is or
                    what it does or anything. It's like, it's
                    like choice, it's just beautiful, okay. Like
                    four hours I'm just messing around in there.
                    Finally I figure out, that it's a bank.
                    Right, okay wait, okay, so it's a bank. So, this
                    morning, I look in the paper, some cash
                    machine in like Bumsville Idaho, spits out
                    seven hundred dollars into the middle of the
                    street.

                                CEREAL
                    That's kinda cool.

                                JOEY
                    That was me. That was me. I did that.

                                DADE
                    You did this from your house.

        Joey takes a drag from his cigarette and just nods, with a
        big grin on his face.

                                PHREAK
                    What are you, stoned or stupid? You don't
                    hack a bank across state lines from your
                    house, you'll get nailed by the FBI. Where
                    are your brains, in your ass? Don't you know
                    anything?

                                CEREAL
                    Stupid, man. It's universally stupid.

                                JOEY
                    You guys always think I should know
                    everything, and you never tell me anything.
                    Am I right?

                                PHREAK
                    Alright, what are the three most commonly used
                    passwords?

                                JOEY
                    Love, secret, and uh, sex.  But not in that
                    order, necessarily, right?

                                CEREAL
                    Yeah but don't forget God. System operators
                    love to use God. It's that whole male ego
                    thing.

                                PHREAK
                    Look, you wanna be elite? You gotta do a
                    righteous hack. None of this accidental shit.

                                CEREAL
                    Oh yeah, you want a seriously righteous hack,
                    you score one of those Gibsons man. You know,
                    supercomputers they use to like, do physics,
                    and look for oil and stuff?

                                PHREAK
                    Ain't no way, man, security's too tight. The
                    big iron?

                                DADE
                    Maybe. But, if I were gonna hack some heavy
                    metal, I'd, uh, work my way back through some
                    low security, and try the back door.

                                CEREAL
                    Yeah but oh man,
                                (starts rubbing one of his
                                own nipples in mock sexual
                                excitement)
                    wouldn't you just love to get one of those
                    Gibsons, baby? Ooooh!

                                PHREAK
                    Yo, who ate all of my fries?

        Cereal pauses a second.

                                CEREAL
                                (pretending to be enraged)
                    Joey?!

                                JOEY
                    What, no, nonononono, I didn't touch your
                    fries. I did not touch your fries.

                                PHREAK
                    Cereal, man, you owe me a pack.

                                CEREAL
                    It was him, man!

                                PHREAK
                    You're psyched. You need to lay off of that
                    shit.

                                CEREAL
                                (to Joey)
                    I'm gonna hit you!



INT. JOEY'S ROOM. NIGHT.

        Joey is hacking. A Gibson. He gets in. Using GOD as a
        password. Nice graphics represent the machine's vast
        systems.

                                JOEY
                    YES! Home run, home run. You and me Lucy.
                    We're gonna show em baby.

INT. COMPUTER ROOM, ELLINGSON MINERAL.

        A system operator at Ellingson Mineral Corporation, a
        large oil company, notices the intrusion. He gets on the
        phone.

INT. PLAGUE'S LOFT.

        The place is a mess, typical of the hacker bachelor pad.
        Empty chinese food boxes and Jolt Cola cans litter the
        place.

        Plague's phone is ringing, waking him.

                                HAL
                                (on phone)
                    Mr. Belford?

                                PLAGUE
                                (sleepily)
                    My name is the Plague.

                                HAL
                    Uh, Mr. The Plague, uh, something weird's
                    happening on the net.

                                PLAGUE
                    As in what, you hapless techno-weenie?

                                HAL
                    Uh, the accounting subdirectory in the Gibson
                    is working really hard. We got one person
                    online, the workload is enough for like ten
                    users. I think we've got a hacker.

INT. JOEY'S ROOM.

                                JOEY
                    Okay, okay, we need proof that we were here.
                    Right, uh...

        Joey starts looking for something to download as proof he
        was there.

                                JOEY
                    Yeah, Garbage, okay, give me Garbage.

        He selects a Garbage file and starts the download. His
        screen becomes a psychedelic mind trip.

INT. COMPUTER ROOM, ELLINGSON MINERAL.

        The Plague glides in on a skateboard. Short and thin,
        bearded, about 35 but still trying to be a teenage
        anarchist, yet not consciously realizing he sold out that
        ideal years ago.

                                PLAGUE
                    Never fear. I is here.

                                HAL
                    I've narrowed the activity to terminal 23.

                                PLAGUE
                    Let's echo 23, see what's up.

        The huge monitor lights up with the display of the
        Gibson's resources. Hal and the Plague watch. Plague
        starts "surfing" around.

                                PLAGUE
                    "God" wouldn't be up this late.

        He sees what Joey is downloading. A file called
        "Garbage".

                                PLAGUE
                    Shit! Get me the switching control center.

        He puts on a telephone headset. Hal dials for him.

                                PLAGUE
                                (into the headset)
                    I need to trace a call that's in progress.

INT. JOEY'S ROOM.

        Joey is sneaking a cigarette while his computer downloads.
        There is a knock at the door. It's his mother.

                                JOEY
                                (whispering)
                    Shit!
                                (loudly, panicked)
                    Uh yeah... hold on, mom. Hold on one second.

        He puts out the cigarette and sprays the room with air
        freshener.

                                JOEY'S MOM
                    I mean it! Open the door, Joseph.

                                JOEY
                    Yeah, uh, yeah, okay.

        He unlocks the door. Joey's mom bursts in. He's still
        clambering into bed.

                                JOEY
                    There you go.

                                JOEY'S MOM
                    Bed. Sleep. Now!

        She turns off the computer. It wasn't finished
        downloading.

                                JOEY'S MOM
                    Sweet dreams, Joey.

INT. COMPUTER ROOM, ELLINGSON MINERAL.

                                HAL
                    He's gone!

                                PLAGUE
                    Did you get a trace?

                                OPERATOR
                                (on phone)
                    Yeah, we got him.

                                PLAGUE
                                (smiling)
                    Good.

INT. JOEY'S ROOM. DARK.

        Joey takes a disk out of his computer and stashes it in an
        air vent in the cieling.

INT. TENEMENT HALLWAY.

        Phreak, Dade and Cereal are rollerblading through the
        halls of an apartment building that is filled with
        graffiti. It appears that most of the spray-bomb art was
        created by the residents.

                                CEREAL
                    Nice place, huh.

        Cereal knocks on a door spray-painted "Hackstock"

                                DADE
                    You heard of a hacker called Acid Burn? You
                    know who he is?

                                PHREAK
                                (surprised)
                    No, don't know who he is.
                                (to Cereal)
                    Do you?

        Cereal shrugs.

        A hooded black man in his early twenties answers the door.

                                PHREAK
                    Nikon! Lord Nikon this is...

        Phreak motions to Dade.

                                DADE
                                (finishing)
                    Crash Override.

                                NIKON
                    Never heard of you. Done anything?

                                DADE
                    No.

        Nikon slams the door.

                                PHREAK
                    Come on!

        Phreak knocks the door again. Nikon opens again.

                                NIKON
                    What, your mom buy you a 'Puter for Christmas?
                                (to Phreak)
                    Does he know anything?

                                PHREAK
                    Sure man, he's elite.

                                NIKON
                                (pausing, checking Dade out)
                    Come in.

                                CEREAL
                    Uh... Nikon, can I... can I crash at your
                    place tonight?

                                NIKON
                                (removing his hood)
                    Again?
                                (pauses, then grins broadly)
                    Yeah sure.

        Nikon and Cereal do a fake Kung-fu move together.

                                BOTH
                    Ooka-pow!

INT. NIKON'S PLACE.

        Later, the four are watching TV. On TV is a secret
        service agent giving a news interview.

                                GILL
                                (on TV)
                    Hackers penetrate and ravage delicate public
                    and privately owned computer systems,
                    infecting them with viruses, and stealing
                    materials for their own ends. These people,
                    they are terrorists.

                                CEREAL
                    Agent Richard Gill, You're hacker enemy number
                    one, man. You're a boner!

                                NIKON
                    Yo, showtime, showtime!

                                DADE
                    What's going on?

                                ALL BUT DADE
                                (in unison)
                    4...3...2...1...

        Cheesy music plays. Razor and Blade, androgynous asian
        brothers, have a community access TV show. "Wayne's World"
        in eye liner.

                                RAZOR
                    Welcome to our show!

                                BLADE
                    Hack the Planet!

                                ALL BUT DADE
                    Hack the Planet!

                                RAZOR
                    For those late night hacks...

                                BLADE
                    Jolt Cola! The soft drink of the elite
                    hacker.

                                DADE
                    Who are these guys?

                                NIKON
                    That's Razor and Blade.

                                DADE
                    Razor and Blade.

        Now Razor and Blade have a disconnected payphone in their
        studio.

                                RAZOR
                    That's right, this IS a payphone.

                                RAZOR AND BLADE
                                (in unison)
                    Don't ask.

                                BLADE
                    As you can see, this is just a simple
                    microcassette recorder. (shows the
                    microcassette recorder)  Hook it up to the
                    phone and drop in five bucks in quarters.

                                RAZOR
                    Record the tones that the coins make. And
                    hang up and get your money back!

                                BLADE
                    And never again have to pay for a service that
                    would be dirt cheap...

                                RAZOR
                    ...IF it weren't run by a bunch of
                    profiteering gluttons!

                                BLADE
                    Remember, hacking is more than just a crime.
                    It's a survival trait!

INT. JOEY'S PLACE.

        Joey is taking a shower, wearing walkman headphones,
        singing along with the music. Joey finishes, turns off
        the shower, still singing. He draws open the shower
        curtain to find two secret service agents with shotguns
        pointed at him.


                                SS AGENT
                    FREEZE!

                                JOEY
                    What? What? What did I do? What?

        The agents drag Joey, still naked and wet, out of the
        shower and into the living room. His mother is
        hysterical..

                                JOEY'S MOM
                    Joey!

                                AGENT
                    Get in there! Sit down!

                                ANOTHER AGENT
                    Stay down there. Don't move.

        Joey is pushed into a sofa. He sees his computer, "Lucy",
        being carried away.

                                JOEY
                    Lucy!

        Joey dives onto the agent carrying Lucy away, losing his
        towel.  His mother, seeing his exposed buttocks, is
        shocked.

                                JOEY'S MOM
                    JOEY!!!

EXT. OUTSIDE JOEY'S PLACE.

        A police-type vehicle pulls up. It's Agent Richard Gill
        of the Secret Service.  He stops a young agent for an
        update.

                                GILL
                    How's it going, Ray?

                                AGENT RAY
                    It looks good, sir. We've got an uncorrupted
                    hard drive.

                                GILL
                    In English, please. I didn't spend ten years
                    protecting the president so I could finish my
                    career feeling like an idiot.

                                AGENT RAY
                    I'm sorry, sir. We caught him by surprise, so
                    we don't think he had time to erase his
                    computer files.

                                GILL
                    Good. Good man. Alright, let's finish up
                    here, and take him in for interrogation.

                                AGENT RAY
                    Alright sir.

        They split up.  A reporter and her sound man run up to
        Gill.

                                REPORTER
                    Agent Gill, can you spare a moment of your
                    time?

                                GILL
                    Why of course, Jennifer.

        While Jennifer conducts the interview, agents lead Joey
        into an unmarked car. His mother is behind him, still
        hysterical.

                                JOEY'S MOM
                    Joey!

                                JOEY
                    Mom...

                                JENNIFER
                    Just how dangerous are hackers?

                                GILL
                    Well, hackers penetrate and ravage delicate
                    public and privately owned computer systems,
                    infecting them with viruses...

                                JOEY'S MOM
                    Joey!

                                GILL
                    ...and stealing sensitive materials for their
                    own ends. These people, they're terrorists...

                                JOEY'S MOM
                    Joey!

INT. ELLINGSON MINERAL CORPORATION.

        A tall, impressive building. A cavernous atrium filled
        with busy people.

INT. ELLINGSON BOARDROOM.

        A handsome looking woman in her late thirties walks in.

                                MARGO
                    Good morning, Gentlemen. Please be seated. I
                    see we're still dressing in the dark, Eugene.

                                PLAGUE
                                (to Margo)
                    Once again, don't call me Eugene.
                                (to the board)
                    A recent unknown intruder penetrated, using a
                    superuser acount, giving him access to our
                    whole system.

                                MARGO
                    Precisely what you're paid to prevent.

                                PLAGUE
                    Someone didn't bother reading my carefully
                    prepared memo on commonly used passwords.
                    Now, as I so meticulously pointed out, the for
                    most used passwords are love,
                                (gesturing lewdly)
                    sex, secret and...
                                (eyeing Margo)
                    ...God. So would your holiness care to change
                    her password?

        Margo just blinks prettily.

                                PLAGUE
                    A hacker planted the virus.

                                MARGO
                    Virus?

                                PLAGUE
                    Yesterday, the ballast program for a
                    supertanker training model mistakenly thought
                    the vessel was empty, and flooded its tanks.

                                MARGO
                    Excuse me?

                                PLAGUE
                                (as if to a child)
                    The little boat flipped over. A virus planted
                    in the Gibson computer system claimed
                    responsibility.

                                MARGO
                    What, it left a note?

        Plague hits a button on a remote control, and the virus -
        a long haired male model - appears on a large screen, in
        psychedelic colors. The virus speaks in a hammy Italian
        accent.

                                VIRUS
                    Unless five million dollars are transferred to
                    the following numbered account in seven days,
                    I will capsize five tankers in the Ellingson
                    fleet.

                                BOARD MEMBER
                    Is that...

                                PLAGUE
                                (interrupting)
                    That is the virus. Leonardo da Vinci. The
                    problem is we have twenty six ships at sea and
                    we don't know which ones are infected.

                                DUKE ELLINGSON
                    Well then, put the ships' ballasts under
                    manual control.

                                PLAGUE
                    There's no such thing anymore, Duke. These
                    ships are totally computerized. They rely on
                    satellite navigation, which links them to our
                    network, and the virus, wherever they are in
                    the world.

                                MARGO
                    So what are we supposed to do?

                                PLAGUE
                    Well luckily, you have a gifted and talented
                    security officer. I traced the hacker's call.
                    The secret service picked him up this morning.
                    I'll just search his files for the original
                    virus code, and then I can eliminate it.

INT. ELLINGSON MINERAL ATRIUM.

        Plague, Margo and two suits from the boardroom are riding
        down an escalator.

                                SUIT #1
                    Now look, now we expect you to get onto this
                    right away, yeah?

                                PLAGUE
                    Yeah!

                                SUIT #1
                    Well, how soon?

                                PLAGUE
                    Well, we're working on it as fast as we can.
                    This is a very common occurrence in
                    corporations as large as ours. You have
                    nothing to worry about.

                                SUIT #2
                    Yeah, right.

                                SUIT #1
                    Now, you're sure about that, Mr. The Plague?

                                PLAGUE
                    Yeah, the Secret Service is helping us out 100
                    percent. Okay?

                                SUIT #2
                    Yeah.

                                SUIT #1
                    Okay.

                                PLAGUE
                    We'll be in touch. Talk to you later.

        The suits get off the escalator, Plague and Margo take the
        next one down.

                                MARGO
                    What the hell was that all about?

                                PLAGUE
                    I had to move fast. The hacker copied my
                    garbage file.

                                MARGO
                    What?

                                PLAGUE
                    I created Mister da Vinci so we could call in
                    the Secret Service. So they'd arrest the
                    hacker, sieze his equipment, things that we
                    can't do on our own.

                                MARGO
                    I don't want to go to jail for this.

                                PLAGUE
                    Relax. Think about the 25 million dollars.

                                MARGO
                    But you've created a virus that's going to
                    cause a worldwide ecological disaster, just to
                    arrest some hacker kid?

                                PLAGUE
                    Basically, uhmm, yeah. Mmm hmmm.

                                MARGO
                    Jesus. You know, you're sick, Eugene. You...

                                PLAGUE
                    Sh, sh sh sh sh.

        Plague stops a passing secretary and snatches a piece of
        paper from her hand.

                                PLAGUE
                    I'll take care of this.

                                SECRETARY
                    Alright, sir.

                                PLAGUE
                    I can cancel it any time. I don't need any
                    program code. But it's the perfect cover, to
                    confiscate the disc and find out how much of
                    that garbage file has been copied.

                                MARGO
                    Get it!
                                (walking away)
                    Why did I ever trust you?
                                (going back up the escalator)
                    Get the file. Otherwise you'll lose all your
                    toys.


INT. SECRET SERVICE INTERROGATION ROOM.

        Joey is distraught over the dismantling of Lucy. Agent
        Ray examines the Mac's innards.

                                GILL
                    Did you find the program for the virus on any
                    of the discs we confiscated?

                                PLAGUE
                    No. He's either very smart or very stupid.

                                GILL
                    Then he stashed it somewhere, or he has an
                    accomplice. We'll release him until his
                    indictment, keep tight surveillance, and see
                    if he leads us to your disc.

EXT. OUTSIDE JOEY'S PLACE.

        Joey's apartment building is an L-shaped skyscraper about
        30 storeys high, unimpressive by New York City standards.
        Two Secret Service agents are staking Joey out in a car
        outside.

                                SECRET SERVICE AGENT BOB
                    Unit 3 outside suspect Joey Pardella's
                    apartment. Nothing to report. Suspect still
                    grounded... by his mother.

        His radio crackles.

                                AGENT BOB
                    Listen to this bullshit.
                                (he reads)
                    "This is our world now. The world of the
                    electron and the switch, the beauty of the
                    baud. We exist without nationality, skin
                    color, or religious bias. You wage wars,
                    murder, cheat, lie to us and try to make us
                    believe it's for our own good, yet we're the
                    criminals. Yes, I am a criminal. My crime is
                    that of curiosity. I am a hacker and this is
                    my manifesto." Huh, right, manifesto? "You
                    may stop me, but you can't stop us all."

                                AGENT RAY
                    Now that's cool.

                                AGENT BOB
                    Cool?

                                AGENT RAY
                    Yeah, cool.

                                AGENT BOB
                    You think it's cool?

                                AGENT RAY
                                (not caring for where Bob is going
                                with this)
                    It's cool!

                                AGENT BOB
                    It's not cool. It's commie bullshit!

INT. HIGH SCHOOL BOYS' ROOM.

        Dade, Cereal and Phreak check their faces. Cereal brushes
        his teeth.

                                CEREAL
                                (to Phreak)
                    So what do you think, can I crash at your
                    place tonight?

                                DADE
                    What is it with this guy?

                                PHREAK
                    His parents missed Woodstock and he's been
                    making up for it since. Hey, you hear about
                    Joey's bust?

                                CEREAL
                    Yeah. Probably had something to do with that
                    bank in Idaho.

                                PHREAK
                    Do you think he could hack a Gibson?

                                DADE
                    Did you talk to him?

                                PHREAK
                    Nope. His mom said he's grounded for his next
                    three lifetimes.
                                (imitating her)
                    He isn't to consort with his computer friends.
                                (himself again)
                    The secret service is really out to get him.
                                (changes the subject)
                    Hey there's a big party tonight, you wanna go?

        Dade shakes his head.

                                PHREAK
                    It's at Kate's...

        Dade just smiles.

                                PHREAK
                     Thought so!

        Cereal and Phreak leave, Cereal dancing.


INT. PLAGUE'S OFFICE.

        Plague is wearing a VR helmet and gloves, playing some
        sort of action game. He is unaware that Gill has just
        entered the room.

                                GILL
                    What the hell are you doing? Plague!

        He thumps the VR pedestal.

                                GILL
                    PLAGUE!

        Plague finally notices, and takes off the helmet.

                                PLAGUE
                    Gill.

                                GILL
                    I think we've got something.

        Gill hands Plague a folder. It has the logo of Stanton High.

                                PLAGUE
                    Uuugh, hard copy.

        Plague looks it over and recognizes a name.

                                PLAGUE
                    Dade Murphy.


INT. DADE'S PLACE.

        It's after school. Dade's just unlocking the front door,
        only to find a Secret Service agent behind it.  And one
        behind him in the hallway. Both point pistols at him.

                                AGENT RAY
                    Secret Service!

                                AGENT BOB
                    Don't move!

        They slam Dade against a wall and start frisking him.

                                DADE
                    Christ! What is the...

                                AGENT BOB
                    Shut up!

                                DADE
                    What are you doing, man? Get off me!

        They lead him into his room and throw him down on the bed.
        Plague is there.

                                AGENT BOB
        Just sit in the bed and keep your hands where we can see
        them.

                                PLAGUE
                    The year was 1988.  And this nasty virus
                    crashed fifteen hundred systems in one day.

        Dade has a flashback.

                                DADE
                    Fifteen hundred and seven.

                                AGENT RAY
                                (astounded)
                    Wow, huh!

                                GILL
                    It got you seven years probation. No
                    computer, couldn't even use a touch tone
                    phone.

                                PLAGUE
                    Must have been hell, huh? Zero Cool?
                                (getting to the point)
                    A virus has been planted in the Ellingson
                    Mineral computer system. You were our prime
                    suspect, till we trashed your stuff and found
                    no trace of it.

                                GILL
                    However, we have come to believe that one Joey
                    Pardella is involved in this Ellingson virus.
                    He or perhaps his accomplice has a disk that
                    Mr. Belford needs to disable that virus. We
                    want you to help us find it.

                                PLAGUE
                    Gill.

        The three secret service agents leave Plague and Dade
        alone.  Plague shuts the door behind them.

                                PLAGUE
                                (of Gill)
                    Loser.
                                (continues)
                    I can't believe you were only eleven when you
                    wrote this. It's quite an impressive virus.
                    Dade, I know how you might feel about narking
                    on your friends, but, we're hackers. For us,
                    there's no such thing as family and friends.
                    We're each our own country, with temporary
                    allies and enemies. I'd like to make a treaty
                    with you.

                                DADE
                    I'm sorry. Who are you?

                                PLAGUE
                    I'm the one who understands you. Now, can we
                    be allies?

                                DADE
                    Nah. I don't play well with others.

        Plague is holding Dade's baseball bat. He shrugs, turns
        around, and smashes Dade's stereo to smithereens.

                                DADE
                    Shit! Come on!

                                PLAGUE
                    Watch which friends you do play with. A
                    record like yours could land you in jail, get
                    you kicked out of school, no colleges would
                    take you. No future. Exiled from everyone and
                    everything you love.

        Plague replaces the baseball bat.

                                PLAGUE
                    I'll be in touch.

        Plague leaves.

                                PLAGUE
                                (to agents)
                    I'm fine.
                                (to Dade)
                    Oh, and Dade, try to stay out of trouble, okay?

                                DADE
                    Blow me.

                                PLAGUE
                                (smiles)
                    Thank you!

INT. DADE'S ROOM. LATER.

        Dade is lying in bed. A door opens. It's Kate. She opens
        her motorcycle jacket, revealing her bare breasts. Dade
        starts to get up, she pushes him back own on the bed and
        starts kissing him passionately. He responds in kind.
        Then, Gill, Agent Ray and Agent Bob burst into the room,
        handcuff him, break the two up and haul them away as
        Plague looks on smugly.

        Then Dade wakes up in a sweat.  It was only a dream. He
        regains his composure.  The sound of New York City at
        night surrounds him. He goes back to sleep.


INT. KATE'S PLACE.

        The party. A large, well-furnished apartment in an
        elegant old skyscraper in the fashionable part of town.
        Teenagers dance and writhe to loud, bassy music. Dade and
        Phreak arrive.

                                PHREAK
                    Her mom makes big bucks writing self-help
                    books for women. Stuff like "Women Who Love
                    Men Who Are Emotional Amoebae"

        Phreak shows Dade the book.

                                DADE
                    That explains a lot.

        Kate, the lovely and gracious hostess, mingles and greets
        her many guests, not noticing Dade or Phreak. Cereal
        offers Dade a drink from a plastic bottle. Dade, not
        knowing what he's in for, drinks. Nikon is the Deejay.

                                PHREAK
                                (loudly)
                    Yo, what's up Nikon!

                                NIKON
                    Yo Phreak! Dade, man, you made it.
                                (to Cereal)
                    Houston, we have liftoff, 3 o'clock,
                    check it... don't look right away, what's
                    wrong with you! Look at her man...

        Nikon and Cereal are checking out a truly fine babe.

                                NIKON
                                (concentrating)
                    Look out, man. Lisa Blair, 26 East 7th St.,
                    apartment 16, 555-4817, BOOM!

                                DADE
                    How did you know that?

                                NIKON
                    I got photographic memory.
                                (Smiling)
                    It's a curse!
                                (Into the crowd)
                    Lisa!

                                LISA
                    Hey, how do you know my name?

        Cereal and Phreak move through the crowd. Cereal notices
        something.

                                CEREAL
                    Oooo, look at that pooper man. Spandex, it's
                    a privilege, not a right!



INT. MEETING HALL.

        A 12-step recovery group. Addicts, including Joey
        Pardella, sit in a semi-circle.

                                VICKIE
                    Hi, my name is Vickie, and I'm an addict.

                                HANK
                    Hi, my name is Hank, and uh, I'm an addict.

                                JOEY
                                (smoking)
                    Uh, my name's Joey but, uh, I'm not an addict.

        Joey takes a drag. The group reacts indignantly.

                                JOEY
                    Nono, really, really, listen, listen to this.
                    I got in trouble with my computer, right,
                    okay, and my lawyer told the judge that I'm an
                    addict, but I'm not addicted to my computer!
                    No really, really,

        Joey takes another drag.

                                JOEY
                    I'm not an addict. I'm not, I'm not.

        Joey downs his coffee.

                                JOEY
                    Can I get some more coffee?


INT. KATE'S BEDROOM.

        Phreak is checking out Kate's computer.

                                PHREAK
                    Yo. Check this out guys, this is insanely
                    great, it's got a 28.8 BPS modem!

                                DADE
                    Yeah? Display?

                                CEREAL
                    Active matrix, man. A million psychedelic
                    colors. Man, baby, sweet, ooo!

                                NIKON
                    I want it.

                                PHREAK
                    I want it to have my children!

                                CEREAL
                    Yeah, I bet it looks crispy in the dark.

                                PHREAK
                    Yo, hit the lights.

                    Dade hits the lights. The four ooo and ahh at
                    its graphics. Kate and Curtis walk into the
                    room and hit the bed, unaware of the hackers
                    in the corner by her laptop.

                                DADE
                                (whispering)
                    Shit!

                                CEREAL
                    Shh!

                                DADE
                    Was that her top?

                                PHREAK
                    One-handed!

                                CEREAL
                    Difficulty rating?

                                NIKON
                    Seven. Wow! Burn's wetware matches her
                    software!

                                DADE
                                (loudly)
                    Burn!

        Their cover is blown.

                                NIKON
                    What the f...

        Cereal hides under the desk.

                                KATE
                    Hey! What are you guys doing in here?

                                PHREAK
                    I'm sorry, we're sorry, just checking out your
                    fly laptop!

                                NIKON
                    Yeah, it's hyped, you know... you're in the
                    butter zone now, baby.

                                PHREAK
                                (smiling)
                    Uh-huh!

                                KATE
                                (her tone changing)
                    Yeah, it is...
                                (she comes over to it)
                    I wanna triple the RAM...

                                CURTIS
                    Oooh, Leopard Boy... AND the Decepticons. Uh,
                    Kate, Kate, you're not going into that
                    computer shit now, right?

        Kate barely acknowledges him.

                                CURTIS
                                (cynically)
                    Humm, yeah.

        Curtis leaves.

                                CEREAL
                                (mockingly)
                    Right.

                                DADE
                    The sensitive type.

        Kate finally notices that Dade, whom she didn't invite, is at her
        party and in her bedroom.

                                KATE
                    What is he doing in here?

                                PHREAK
                    Relax, Burn, he's my guest.

                                DADE
                    Burn. You're Acid Burn. You booted me out of
                    OTV!

                                KATE
                    What?

                                DADE
                    I'm Crash Override.

                                KATE
                    You're the moron that's been invading my turf?

                                CEREAL
                    Whoa, whowhowhowhoa.
                                (motioning to Dade)
                    Crash...
                                (motioning to Kate)
                    and Burn!

        Cereal breaks into hysterics.


INT. PLAGUE'S LOFT.

        Plague is hacking.

                                MARGO
                    Murphy kid turn you down?

                                PLAGUE
                                (in a hammy southern accent)
                    I disguised myself as an Alabama State Trooper
                    and penetrated the FBI NCIC.

                                MARGO
                    Pervert! What are you talking about?

        She turns her back to him. He does up the zipper on her
        dress. Their relationship becomes apparent.

                                PLAGUE
                    The FBI computer holds files on twenty million
                    Americans.  I just hacked into it.

                                MARGO
                    Congratulations.

                                PLAGUE
                    From here I got access to every piece of data
                    ever stored on Dade Murphy's parents. His
                    parents separated five years ago, reconciled
                    two years later, filed for divorce last year,
                    custody battle, boy chose to go with his
                    mother. Hmm.

                                MARGO
                    So?

                                PLAGUE
                    So, we get the mother, we get the boy.



INT. KATE'S ROOM.

        Kate's room is empty, and Dade can't resist going back in
        to play with her laptop, which far outclasses his own,
        some more. On the balcony, Kate notices and comes back
        in.

                                KATE
                    What the hell are you doing?

                                DADE
                    It's cool, I'm just looking.

                                KATE
                    It's too much machine for you.

                                DADE
                    Yeah?

        Dade starts working furiously on it.

                                KATE
                    I hope you don't screw like you type.

        Dade slows to a two-finger keypoke, not missing a beat.

                                DADE
                    It has a killer refresh rate.

                                KATE
                    P6 chip. Triple the speed of the Pentium.

                                DADE
                    Yeah. It's not just the chip, it has a PCI
                    bus. But you knew that.

                                KATE
                    Indeed. RISC architecture is gonna change
                    everything.

                                DADE
                    Yeah. RISC is good.

        They uncomfortably exchange glances.

                                DADE
                    You sure this sweet machine's not going to
                    waste?

                                KATE
                    Crash Override. What was it. "Mess with the
                    Best, Die Like the Rest?"

                                DADE
                    Yeah.

                                KATE
                    Are you challenging me?

                                DADE
                    Name your stakes.

                                KATE
                    If I win, you become my slave.

                                DADE
                                (intrigued)
                    Your slave?

                                KATE
                                (realizing his mind is in the
                                gutter)
                    You wish. You'll do shit work, scan, crack
                    copyrights, whatever I want.

                                DADE
                    And if I win?

                                KATE
                                (giggles)
                    Make it my first born.

                                DADE
                    Make it our first date.

                                KATE
                    You're not gonna win.

                                DADE
                    And you have to smile.

                                KATE
                    I don't do dates. But I don't lose either, so
                    you're on.


MONTAGE: Scenes of Dade and Kate preparing for the challenge.

                                PHREAK
                                (voice over)
                    So here's the deal. The chosen contest: To
                    hassle Secret Service Agent Richard Gill, and
                    get one back for Joey.

        Dade spray paints camouflage onto his keyboard.

                                NIKON
                    Our decisions are final, by a vote of 2 to 1.
                    No appeals.

        Kate rifles through her address book.

                                CEREAL
                    The duel will last until we declare a winner.

        Dade plays quick-draw with disks.

                                PHREAK
                    Use only the dialups, access codes and
                    passwords in your collection. Can't ask for
                    any help from us.

        Dade, having mastered the quick-disk-draw in the mirror,
        looks satisfied.

                                DADE
                                (into mirror)
                    Talking to me?

        All five are together at the beginning of the challenge.

                                PHREAK
                    Any questions?

                                KATE
                    Yeah. Whose gonna notify his next of kin?

        Dade and Kate shake hands and the challenge begins.

EXT. NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC PHONE.

        At a public phone, Kate hacks into Concourse Bank, looks
        up Richard Gill, and has his credit card maxed out.
        "Destroy Card" is the final instruction. The other
        hackers look on.

INT. RESTAURANT.

        A waiter runs a credit card through a validation machine,
        sees the message and returns to the patron's table. It is
        Richard Gill. Right there, the waiter chops the
        MasterCard in two with a pair of scissors, to Gill's
        horror.

EXT. NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC PHONE.

        Dade hacks into an electronic personal ads system and
        changes an ad.

                                KATE
                    Alright, he's in the personal ads.
                                (reading Dade's ad)
                    "Disappointed white male, crossdresser, looking
                    for discreet friend to bring dreams to
                    reality. Leather, lace, and water sports.
                    Transvestites welcome."

INT. GILL'S OFFICE.

        At his office, Gill is on the speaker phone with someone
        responding to the ad.

                                GILL
                    I... I... I know where you can stick it... I
                    know where you can stick it...

        Gill punches a button on the phone, another caller comes
        on.

                                CALLER
                    ...wanna lick your earlobes... I wanna lick
                    your lips... I wanna lick your toes... I
                    wanna lick your ankles...

                                GILL
                    Awww, yeah, you wanna lick something? Lick this.

        Gill punches another button, another caller comes on.

                                CALLER
                    That's why they call me Stallion...

                                GILL
                    Aw, that's disgusting!

        Gill punches another button.

                                CALLER
                    My heart is steaming for you...

        Gill punches another button. He is becoming quite flustered.

                                CALLER
                    ...spank you with my...

                                GILL
                    Aww, Spank your ass...

        He punches another button.

        Another caller comes on, and Gill hangs up the phone,
        disgusted, offended, and distraught. The Plague is there,
        witnessing the whole thing.

                                PLAGUE
                    Animal!


EXT. EMPIRE STATE BULDING OBSERVATION DECK.

        It's Kate's turn. Kate is hacking into the Department of
        Motor Vehicles. She adds 113 traffic violations and DUI
        offender status to Gill's record.

EXT. NEW YORK CITY, BUSY STREET.

        Gill is being arrested quite forcefully by a NYC police
        grunt.  He is thrown onto the hood of his car and
        handcuffed.

                                GILL
                     Hey! Hey, ow! Do you know who I am? Do you
                     know who I am?

EXT. CHINATOWN, PUBLIC PHONE.

        Dade's turn. He hacks into the Secret Service's personnel
        file, and changes Gill's status to "Deceased."


INT. GILL'S OFFICE.

                                EMPLOYEE
                                (on phone)
                    This is accounting, sir. You enquired about
                    an employee of ours, an Agent Richard Gill?

                                GILL
                    Yes.

                                EMPLOYEE
                    Our records indicate he's deceased.

                                GILL
                    I'm what?


INT. CYBERDELIA.

        The five are playing pool.

                                DADE
                    Dead.

                                PHREAK
                    Dead?

                                DADE
                    Yeah. Like Rigor Mortis, Habeas Corpus.

                                NIKON
                    Very impressive.

                                CEREAL
                    Super hero like even.

                                KATE
                    Yeah, whatever. What's the score?

        Phreak clicks the pool scoreboard so it says 60 - 60.

                                PHREAK
                    Tie.

        The other four protest.

                                PHREAK
                    Due to Mr. Gill's untimely demise and
                    everything, I guess you two will have to
                    improvise the next round.

                                DADE
                    Right. If I win, you wear a dress on our
                    date.

                                KATE
                    And if I win, so do you.

        Dade thinks about it a second.

                                DADE
                    Deal.

        Kate gives Dade a look that says "I'm going to hold you to
        that."


INT. KATE'S BED. NIGHT.

        A shapely figure wearing a red leather legless suit with a
        zipper that goes all the way around the crotch. Hands
        caress the sultry figure as the camera pans up. The body
        belongs to Dade Murphy.

        Kate wakes up gasping.  It was only a dream. She pants
        and regains her breath. Then she smiles. She enjoyed
        that dream.

                                KATE
                    Oooohhhh...



INT. HIGH SCHOOL HALLWAY.

                    Kate, at her locker, stops Dade.

                                KATE
                    Dade. I didn't know your size, so I guessed.

        She opens her locker to reveal a red leather bustier and
        bikini bottom.

                                KATE
                    You are man enough to stick with the deal,
                    aren't you?

        Dade walks off.


INT. DADE'S PLACE.

        Dade signs an electronic pad for a package from UPS. He
        takes the package.

                                DADE
                    Thanks.

        He closes the door and opens the package. It is a laptop
        computer, clear plastic shell, full colour screen. Very
        high-end, perhaps the equal to Kate's machine. He turns
        it on. The Plague's face, distorted, appears. It speaks.

                                PLAGUE
                    You wanted to know who I am, Zero Cool? Well
                    let me explain the New World Order.
                    Governments and corporations need people like
                    you and me. We are samurai. The keyboard
                    cowboys. And all those other people out there
                    who have no idea what's going on are the
                    cattle. Mooo! I need your help, you need my
                    help. Let me help you earn your spurs. Ahh,
                    think about it. Enjoy the laptop, "Cool"!
                    Tell me where the disk is.

        Plague's face vanishes.


INT. JOEY'S ROOM.

        Joey lies on his bed with a comic book, looking
        despondent. His mother enters.

                                JOEY'S MOM
                    You look pitiful. Okay, okay, you're not
                    grounded anymore.

        She kisses his forehead and leaves. He springs back to
        life, gets up and gets the disc from where he stashed it
        in the air vent.


EXT. PARK.

        Joey is nervously waiting on a park bench. Phreak arrives.
        Agents Ray and Bob still have Joey staked out.

                                PHREAK
                    Yo, what's up?

                                JOEY
                    Dude dude dude, I gotta talk to you a minute,
                    listen listen listen. I copied a garbage file
                    from...

                                PHREAK
                    Big deal. A garbage file's got shit in it,
                    Joey, come on.

                                JOEY
                    Nono, it's like hot or something. I don't know.

                                PHREAK
                    Joey, a garbage file holds miscellaneous data.
                    Junk. Bits of stuff that's been erased, man.

                                JOEY
                    I copied it from Ellingson, okay? They're
                    asking me about it, alright? Will you take a
                    look for me?

        Joey hands Phreak the disc. Agent Bob is taking pictures,
        and Phreak notices.

                                PHREAK
                    Oh shit, Joey, you've got a tail.

        Joey sees, and runs for it.

                                JOEY
                    Shit!

        The agents split up, one runs after Joey, the other after
        Phreak.


INT. HIGH SCHOOL BOYS' ROOM.

        Phreak has lost his tail. He puts Joey's disc behind a
        condom machine in the boys' room at school, and sticks it
        there with gum.


INT. PHREAK'S ROOM.

        Phreak frantically destroys all records of his hacking
        career. He knows he's about to be busted.


DREAM SEQUENCE.

        The Secret Service is about to burst in on Phreak. He
        still hasn't destroyed any records, and starts manically
        going through everything. Gill is on his laptop screen.

                                GILL
                    I'm watching you...

INT. PHREAK'S ROOM. MORNING.

        A knock on the door. Phreak awakes. It's his mother.

                                PHREAK'S MOM
                    Ramon? Wake up. Ramon! Wake up! Vamano.
                    Time for school, come on.

        The secret service bursts in through the window just as
        Phreak's mom opens the blind. She screams, Phreak leaps
        to his feet.

                                AGENT
                    Secret Service, don't move!

                                PHREAK
                    Deja vu!

                                AGENT BOB
                    Ray Sanchez, you are under arrest, under the
                    Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986.

        Phreak's mom becomes very angry and starts slapping
        Phreak, cursing in Spanish.

                                PHREAK
                    What are you waiting for, arrest me already!


INT. POLICE STATION LOCKUP.

        The undersized Phreak is just a morsel to the hardened
        thugs behind these bars and they taunt him viciously as he
        is led to his one phone call.

                                COP
                    You get one call. Uno. Understand?

        The cop locks the dial on the phone.

        Phreak waits for the cop to leave, and hangs up. He
        starts rapidly pushing the hangup hook, and he hears a
        ringing tone.

                                OPERATOR
                    Hello, operator services.

                                PHREAK
                    Hello, operator? I'm having trouble dialing a
                    number.

                                OPERATOR
                    What number please?

                                PHREAK
                    555-4202.

                                OPERATOR
                    Just one moment.

                                PHREAK
                    Thank you.

        Kate answers.

                                KATE
                    Hello?

                                PHREAK
                    Hey, it's me.

                                KATE
                    Phreak?

                                PHREAK
                    I'm freaking! Joey wasn't making it up! He
                    really hacked into Ellingson! He gave me the
                    disc with a file he copied and now I'm in
                    jail! They're charging me with some serious
                    shit! And there's stuff I didn't even do,
                    like inserting some virus called Da Vinci, and
                    they keep asking about you guys.

                                KATE
                    You think they're going to bust us?

                                PHREAK
                    Yeah! You better figure out what's on that
                    disc, cause we're being framed. It's in that
                    place where I put that thing that time?

        He hangs up just as the cop returns.


INT. SCHOOL BOYS' ROOM.

        Kate is entirely out of place in the boys' room, as the
        boys look on amusedly.  She finds the disc behind the
        condom machine and pockets it. Then she buys a condom from
        the machine and struts out, smiling sweetly, hot as fire.

INT. DADE'S PLACE.

        Kate knocks. Mrs. Murphy lets Kate and Cereal in.

                                MRS. MURPHY
                    Hi!
                                (looking Kate over)
                    Well, now I see what all the fuss is about.
                                (she shows them to Dade's room)
                    Dade... you have company.

                                CEREAL
                    It's a nice room.

                                KATE
                    We need your help.

                                DADE
                    Do my ears deceive me?

        Kate starts to leave.

                                CEREAL
                    Nonononono. Truce, you guys. Listen, we got
                    a higher purpose here, alright? A wake up
                    call for the Nintendo Generation. We demand
                    free access to data, well, it comes with some
                    responsibility. When I was a child, I spake
                    as a child, I understood as a child, I thought
                    as a child, but when I became a man I put away
                    childish things.
                                (pause)
                    What... It's Corinthians I, Chapter 13, verse
                    11, no duh. Come on.

                                KATE
                    Phreak and Joey are being framed. We need
                    your help to figure out what's on this disc.

                                DADE
                    I can't. Everybody who touches that thing
                    gets busted, I can't afford to get arrested,
                    I'm sorry.

                                CEREAL
                    Maybe I should just go to the bathroom or
                    something.

        Cereal leaves the room.

                                KATE
                    What is it with you? I know we've been
                    playing games, but, we're supposed to be on
                    the same side and we really need your help. I
                    really need your help.

                                DADE
                    I'm sorry, I can't.

                                KATE
                    Well, could you just make a copy of the disc?
                    And just hide it in case we get busted, so we
                    have something to give our lawyers, something
                    that hasn't been tampered with? Can you do
                    that?

        A knock on the door. Dade's mom peeks in.

                                MRS. MURPHY
                    Listen you guys, help yourself to anything in
                    the fridge. Cereal has.

        She leaves.

                                KATE
                                (to Mrs. Murphy)
                    Thank you.

                                DADE
                    Okay. I'll copy it.

                                KATE
                    Okay, thank you.


        Later.  Plague phones Dade. Plague has Lauren Murphy's
        records on his screen.

                                PLAGUE
                    The girl. The girl has the disc I need.

                                DADE
                    I told you, I don't play well with others.

                                PLAGUE
                    Turn on your laptop. Set it to receive a
                    file.

        Dade does.

        An extensive criminal record with a strange woman's
        picture comes up. The strange woman transforms into
        Dade's mother.

                                PLAGUE
                    Lauren Murphy is now a wanted felon in the
                    state of Washington. Forgery, Embezzlement,
                    two drug convictions, plus she jumped parole.
                    When she's arrested, she will not have a
                    trial, she will not pass go, she will go
                    directly to jail. Then I change this file
                    back to the original, and your mom disappears.

                                DADE
                    That's bullshit.

                                PLAGUE
                    What can I tell you. Computers never lie,
                    kid. Your mom will be arrested at work,
                    she'll be handcuffed, and later, strip
                    searched.

                                DADE
                    You lay a finger on her and I'll kill you.

                                PLAGUE
                    Kid, don't threaten me. There are worse
                    things than death and, uh, I can do all of
                    them!

        Dade emerges from his room. His exhausted, overworked
        mother is asleep on the couch. He pulls a blanket over
        her.


EXT. PUBLIC PHONE, WET STREET, NIGHT.

        Shortly after, Dade is outside on a payphone.

                                PLAGUE
                    Talk to me.

                                DADE
                    I got it. But listen, Kate didn't know what's
                    on it. I mean, she came to me to figure it
                    out. She's not the one who planted the virus.
                    You leave her alone.

                                PLAGUE
                    Hey, don't worry, kid. If she's innocent,
                    she'll be fine. Your mommy's safe now, okay?

        Dade hangs up and waits for some time.  A limousine drives
        by, with a skateboarder tailing. Plague grabs the disc,
        jumps in the limo and speeds away. Dade tries to chase
        but gives up quickly.


INT. KATE'S ROOM.

        Dade shows up.  Kate, Nikon, and Cereal are working on the
        disc.

                                DADE
                    Kate, listen.

                                KATE
                    Uh, hold on...

                                DADE
                    I have to tell you something.

                                CEREAL
                    Hold on a second!

                                NIKON
                    Look at this, it's so lean and clean.

                                CEREAL
                    Looks like a hacker wrote it.

                                KATE
                    Come here, look at this. This thing is dense.

        Nikon points out part of the code.

                                NIKON
                    But that's ill, man. It's incomplete. This
                    is taking forever and a day to figure out.
                    I'm gonna make some coffee.

        Dade takes Nikon's place.

                                CEREAL
                    Tag, you're in.

        Hours pass. Dade studies and reverse engineers the
        garbage file. The other hackers watch, and do just about
        anything but be hackers. Finally, over boxes of
        half-finished pizza, Dade makes an announcement.

                                DADE
                    This isn't a virus. It's a worm!

                                NIKON
                    What's this one eat?

                                DADE
                    It nibbles. You see this?

        Dade indicates a rapidly scrolling data display.

                                DADE
                    This is every financial transaction Ellingson
                    conducts, yeah? From million dollar deals to
                    the ten bucks some guy pays for gas.

                                KATE
                    The worm eats a few cents from each transaction.

                                DADE
                    And no one's caught it because the money isn't
                    really gone. It's just data being shifted
                    around.

                                KATE
                    Right. And when the worm's ready, it zips out
                    with the money and erases its tracks.

                                DADE
                    Joey got cut off before he got to that part.
                    Check it out. By this point, it's already
                    running at, what, twice the speed as when it
                    started.

                                KATE
                    Right, and at this rate it ends its run in...

                                NIKON
                    Two days.

                                DADE
                    And judging by this segment alone, it's
                    already eaten about...

                                CEREAL
                    21.8 million bucks, man.

        Nikon whistles.

                                KATE
                    Whoever wrote this needs somebody to take the
                    fall. And that's Phreak, and that's Joey, and
                    that's us. We've got to get the rest of the
                    file, so we can find out where the money is
                    going before the worm disappears, so we can
                    find out WHO created it.

                                DADE
                    I know, I know who wrote it.

                                KATE
                    What?

                                DADE
                    This Ellingson security creep. I gave him a
                    copy of the disc you gave me.

                                KATE
                    You what?

                                DADE
                    I didn't know what was on it.

                                CEREAL
                                (agitated)
                    Oh man. That's universally stupid, man!

                                NIKON
                    Yo, man, you an amateur, man.

                                KATE
                    Why did he come to you?

                                DADE
                    I got a record. I was Zero Cool.

                                NIKON
                    Zero Cool? Crashed fifteen hundred and seven
                    systems in one day?

        Nikon closes his eyes and access his photographic memory.

                                NIKON
                    Biggest crash in history, front page, New
                    York Times, August 10th, 1988. I thought
                    you was black, man! Yo, man, this is Zero
                    Cool! Oh, shit!

                                CEREAL
                    That's far out!

                                NIKON
                    This is Zero Cool, man! Whooo, haha!

                                KATE
                                (coldly)
                    Well that's great. There goes MIT.

                                DADE
                    I'll make it up to you!

                                KATE
                    How?

                                DADE
                    I'll hack the Gibson.

                                NIKON
                    They'll trace you like that
                                (snaps his fingers)
                    man, cops are gonna find you, they're
                    gonna find you with a smoking gun.

                                DADE
                    Fucked if I care, man.

                                NIKON
                    Look, even if you had the passwords, it'll
                    take you ten minutes to get in, and you've
                    still gotta find the files, man, I mean, the
                    cops will have you in... five minutes.

                                CEREAL
                    Oh wow, we are fried.

                                KATE
                                (suddenly lighter-hearted)
                    Never send a boy to do a woman's job. With
                    me, we can do it in seven.

                                CEREAL
                    You're both screwed. I help, we can do it in six.

                                NIKON
                    Jesus, I gotta save all your asses. I help,
                    we can do it in five minutes, man.

                                DADE
                    Okay. Let's go shopping.

                                CEREAL
                    Woo hoo! Boom!


EXT. OUTSIDE ELLINGSON BUILDING.

        Dade and Kate cut through a chain link fence and jump into
        a dumpster at Ellingson. Kate lands on Dade.

                                DADE
                    You know, if I didn't live by a strict code of
                    honor, I might take advantage of this
                    situation.  Erotically, as it were.

        Kate fishes around in her pants, never breaking eye
        contact with Dade. She pulls out a flashlight. They
        start trashing. They get up to leave and are spotted by a
        security guard.

                                GUARD
                    Alright, hold it right there!

        Kate pulls out a flare gun and fires it at the security
        guard.  He ducks.

                                DADE
                    Shit!!

                                KATE
                    It's my subway defense system.


EXT. NEW YORK CITY STREET.

        Nikon is staring down a manhole, Cereal is fishing through
        an adjacent phone company truck.

                                NIKON
                    He's way down there.

        Cereal emerges with a beltload of equipment and a hard hat.
        But he forgot the most important thing.

                                CEREAL
                    Ta-da!

                                NIKON
                    Yo, brain dead, the manual!

        Cereal goes back to the truck and gets a thick manual. The
        phone company technician comes up from the manhole.

                                PHONE COMPANY TECH
                    Hey!

                                CEREAL AND NIKON
                                (in unison, pointing down the street)
                    TRUCK!!!

        The phone company tech jumps back in the hole, Cereal and
        Nikon take off.


INT. SECRET SERVICE BULDING.

        A woman is seated at the desk.  Agent Gill walks by.

                                WOMAN
                    Find it?

        Cereal emerges from the desk, between her legs. His tool
        belt dangles obscenely from his crotch.

                                CEREAL
                    Phone's alright. The problem must be
                    somewhere else.

        Cereal walks away with his buttcrack seriously showing.


INT. ELLINGSON MINERAL OFFICES.

        Nikon poses as a flower delivery boy. He winds his way
        through the offices of Ellingson Mineral, "shoulder
        surfing", watching the workers entering passwords. His
        photographic memory captures everything.  The Plague walks
        past him, noticing briefly but not making the connection.

INT. PLAGUE'S LOFT.

        The Da Vinci virus' launch/cancel prompt is up.

                                MARGO
                                (pacing)
                    They had a large chunk of the garbage file?
                    How much do they know?

                                PLAGUE
                    Not everything. But enough to implicate us.

                                MARGO
                    You said the worm was untreaceable!

                                PLAGUE
                    Yeah. To civilians. But they're hackers.
                    But don't worry. All we have to do is launch
                    the Da Vinci virus, and then they'll all be
                    put away.

                                MARGO
                    Launch the Da Vinci virus? You can't do that!

                                PLAGUE
                    No one believes the guilty. Besides, by the
                    time they realize the truth, we'll be long
                    gone with all of our money.

        Margo starts to protest.

                                PLAGUE
                    Look, there is no right and wrong.  There is
                    only fun and boring. A thirty year prison
                    sentence sounds pretty dull to me.  Who do you
                    prefer serves it, us? Or them?

        Plague clicks on "Launch". The virus repeats its demand.

                                VIRUS
                    Unless five million dollars are transferred to
                    the following numbered account in seven days,
                    I will capsize five tankers in the Ellingson
                    fleet.

EXT. OPEN SEA.

        As the virus speaks, a supertanker sails on a choppy sea.

INT. PLAGUE'S LOFT.

        Plague leaves a message on Gill's answering machine.

                                PLAGUE
                                (sternly)
                    The virus goes off tomorrow morning at 10:30,
                    and those hackers tried to get into our system
                    again. At this point I insist you take more
                    strenuous action, or Ellingson Mineral will
                    hold the Secret Service responsible.

        Gill gets on the phone.

                                GILL
                                (grimly)
                    Get me arrest warrants on Kate Libby, alias
                    Acid Burn, Emmanuel Goldstein, alias Cereal
                    Killer, Dade Murphy, alias Crash Override,
                    also known as Zero Cool, and Paul Cook, alias
                    Lord Nikon. We pick them up tomorrow morning
                    at nine o'clock.

        As Gill gives the order, a mysterious device under his
        desk blinks. Cereal put it there.


INT. NIKON'S PLACE.

        Nikon and Cereal taped Gill's orders.

                                CEREAL
                    Snoop onto them...

                                NIKON
                    ...as they snoop onto us.

        Nikon calls Kate.

                                KATE
                    Yeah, it's Kate.

                                NIKON
                    Hey, Burn. We got a little problem here.


INT. SUBWAY.

        Cereal, Nikon, Dade and Kate skate through a run down
        subway platform and get on the "A" Train. They go over
        the results of their password gathering spree.

                                KATE
                    Alright, so what have we got?

                                DADE
                    Well, we have fifty passwords, plus whatever
                    Polaroid head here got inside Ellingson.

                                NIKON
                    Well, I got a lot, alright? I don't know how
                    many but... my head hurts.

                                CEREAL
                    Yo, everyone check this out. Hey, what's the
                    Da Vinci virus?

                                DADE
                    What?

                                CEREAL
                    Check this out. It's a memo about how they're
                    gonna deal with those oil spills that happened
                    on the fourteenth.

                                KATE
                    What oil spills?

                                NIKON
                    Whoa, whoa. Yo, brain-dead, today is the
                    thirteenth.

                                CEREAL
                    Well this hasn't happened yet.

                                KATE
                    Wait a minute, the fourteenth, that's the same
                    day the worm ends its run.  I mean... Da Vinci
                    virus, didn't Phreak say that's what he was
                    being charged with? Look...
                                (quotes the memo)
                    "Infecting ballast programs of Ellingson
                    tankers" - they blame hackers!

                                NIKON
                                (angry)
                    Damn!

                                CEREAL
                    A worm AND a virus? The plot thickens.

        Kate gets ready to get off the subway.

                                NIKON
                    Whoa, whoa whoa whoa, where are you going,
                    huh?

                                KATE
                    I got an idea. We've got a few hours, right,
                    till we get arrested. So just stay low. I'm
                    gonna go get some help. I'll beep you, okay?
                                (to Dade)
                    Are you coming?

        Dade gets up.

                                CEREAL
                    May the Force be with you, man.


INT. INDUSTRIAL DANCE CLUB.

        Weird music plays, lots of weird people dance.  Razor and
        Blade are on stage, dancing in front of a huge speaker.

                                KATE
                    There they are!

                                DADE
                    Razor and Blade! They're flakes!

                                KATE
                    They're elite! Let's get 'em.

        Dade and Kate push through the crowd. The song changes to
        a fast industrial rap number, Razor and Blade leave the
        stage, and Dade starts getting moshed. He climbs on the
        stage to follow Razor and Blade. For his trouble, he is
        thrown back onto the crowd, who pass him around overhead.

        Finally the crowd lets him go.  He catches up with Kate.

                                KATE
                    I lost 'em. Where were you?

        Dade tries to explain, but is at a loss for words.

        They make their way to the entrance to Razor and Blade's
        lair. Video monitors are everywhere.

                                DADE
                    I don't like this.

        A robotic arm with a revolver swings around to point at
        Dade.

                                DADE
                    AAAAAUGH! I definitely don't like this!

                                BLADE
                                (through video intercom)
                    What do you want?

                                DADE
                    Ummm... we come in peace?

        Dade winces at his own corniness.

                                KATE
                    We need your help.  If you're up to it.

                                RAZOR
                    She's buff. Ballsy.

                                BLADE
                    Let's keep her.

                                RAZOR
                    Waste the dude.

        The gun goes off. It's only a cigarette lighter! No one
        can accuse Razor and Blade of not having a sense of humor.


INT. RAZOR AND BLADE'S PLACE.

                                KATE
                    A virus called Da Vinci will cause oil spills
                    at 10:30 AM Eastern Time tomorrow.

                                DADE
                    It's somehow connected with the worm that's
                    stealing the money.

                                KATE
                    We need your help to overload the Gibson so we
                    can kill the Da Vinci virus and download the
                    worm program.

                                RAZOR
                    She's rabid, but cute.

                                BLADE
                    See, we're very busy. A TV network that
                    wishes to remain nameless has expressed an
                    interest in our show.

                                DADE
                                (noticing the stench of sellout)
                    Let's go, Kate.

                                RAZOR
                    Wait. Nobody said no. But you are going to
                    need more than just two media icons like us.
                    You need an army.

                                BLADE
                    That's it! An electronic army! If I were us,
                    I'd get on the internet, send out a major
                    distress signal.

                                RAZOR
                    Hackers of the World, Unite!

                                BLADE
                    How are you going to take care of the cops?

        Dade just smiles.

INT. DADE'S ROOM.

        Dade hacks into the city traffic light control system.
        Suddenly there is gridlock on the streets of New York
        City.

EXT. CENTRAL PARK.

        Nikon is playing chess against two Hassidic Jews.
        Cereal's beeper goes off. It displays the message:

                       GRAND CENTRAL
                       HACK THE PLANET

                                CEREAL
                    Yo. I'm blowing up. It's Kate, Grand
                    Central. Let's hit it!

        Nikon checkmates his opponent and the two leave.

        Dade, Cereal, Nikon, and Kate skate through the streets.
        Dade's program to freeze all the traffic lights on green,
        runs on schedule at 9:00:00 precisely. Picture New York City in
        morning rush hour, and every traffic light is green. Instant
        gridlock ensues. The four skate through the traffic easily, while
        the Secret Service, now pursuing them, is stuck. Gill punches a
        parked car in frustration. Its alarm goes off.

INT. GRAND CENTRAL STATION.

        The four hackers skate into Grand Central Station and head
        to the lowest level. They meet up with Joey.

                                CEREAL
                    Hey Joey, you made it!

INT. GRAND CENTRAL PUBLIC PHONES.

        The hackers are now setting up laptops at a bank of pay
        phones.  Dade is wearing a "Pirate Eye" eyepiece.

                                KATE
                    Now listen up, use your best viruses to buy us
                    time, we have to get into Plague's file and
                    copy the worm.

        Cereal screams.

                                CEREAL
                    Ai! Boom boom aiaiaiaiaee! Alright, that was
                    a little tension breaker, that had to be done,
                    alright?

                                KATE
                    Cereal.

                                CEREAL
                    Yeah?

                                KATE
                    Go fix the phones.

                                CEREAL
                    Roger.

        Cereal takes off to fix the phones.

                                KATE
                    Joey, take his place.

                                JOEY
                    What, me?

                                KATE
                    Take his place, man, do it. You can do it.

        Joey takes Cereal's place.

                                KATE
                    Ready?

                                DADE
                    Yeah.

                                KATE
                    Alright, let's boot up.

        The four boot up their machines. Various vanity screens
        come up on the laptops. They begin to hack. We see the
        inside of the Gibson. Viruses of all kinds begin to pour
        in. In the offices and data processing rooms, the
        Ellingson staff are in pandemonium. Happy faces with eye
        patches appear on their screens. "Sit on my interface."
        "Shit for Brains." "Arf Arf Arf!" Cookie monsters.


INT. COMPUTER ROOM, ELLINGSON MINERAL.

        The big monitor shows the attack in progress.

                                MARGO
                    What is it? What's wrong?

                                PLAGUE
                    Nothing, it's just a minor glitch.

                                MARGO
                    "Minor glitch" with you seems to turn into a
                    major catastrophe.

        The main screen is filled with:

             I WANT A COOKIE. GIVE ME A COOKIE NOW!

                                HAL
                    There's a new virus in the database.

                                MARGO
                    What's happening?

                                HAL
                    It's replicating, eating up memory. What do I
                    do?

                                PLAGUE
                    Type "Cookie", you idiot. I'll head 'em off at
                    the pass.

        Another virus appears.

                                HAL
                    We have a Zero Bug attacking all the login and
                    overlay files.

                                PLAGUE
                    Run anti-virus. Give me a systems display!

        The systems display comes up. Red flashes everywhere,
        signifying new attacks. Plague presses a key.

                                PLAGUE
                    Die, dickweeds!

                                HAL
                    The rabbit is in the administration system.

        Rabbit icons start to fill the systems display.

                                PLAGUE
                    Send a Flu-shot.

                                MARGO
                    Rabbit, Flu-shot, someone talk to me.

                                HAL
                    A rabbit replicates till it overloads a file,
                    then it spreads like cancer.

                                MARGO
                    Cancer?

        The Da Vinci Virus sings "Row Row Row Your Boat".
        Tanker ballasts start filling - for real.



INT. GRAND CENTRAL PUBLIC PHONES.

                                KATE
                    It's the Gibson, it's finding us too fast.

                                DADE
                    Man, there's too many garbage files, I need
                    more time.



INT. COMPUTER ROOM, ELLINGSON MINERAL.

                                PLAGUE
                    They're at Grand Central Station, lower level.
                    Don't screw up.



EXT. GRIDLOCKED STREETS.

        The Secret Service and NYPD are stuck.  They turn around
        and head for Grand Central Station.

INT. GRAND CENTRAL PUBLIC PHONES.

        The public phone next to Dade's rings.  Dade answers.
        It's The Plague.

INT. COMPUTER ROOM, ELLINGSON MINERAL.

                                PLAGUE
                    Game's over. Last chance to get out of this
                    without a prison sentence.  You're not good
                    enough to beat me, you little shit.

INT. GRAND CENTRAL PUBLIC PHONES.

                                DADE
                    Yeah, maybe I'm not. But we are, you asshole.


INT. COMPUTER ROOM, ELLINGSON MINERAL.

                                PLAGUE
                    Give it up! Just give it up.


INT. GRAND CENTRAL PUBLIC PHONES.

        Kate's phone rings. It's Razor.

                                RAZOR
                    Are we fashionably late?


        Hackers in England, Italy, Japan, Russia, everywhere
        mobilize and start attacking the Ellingson Gibson. The
        English hacker looks and talks suspiciously like Annie
        Lennox's husband. Our heroes relentlessly search for
        the right garbage file.


INT. COMPUTER ROOM, ELLINGSON MINERAL.

                                SYSOP
                    We have massive infection.  Multiple GPI and
                    FSI viruses.

                                HAL
                    They're coming in from remote nodes. They're
                    going after the Kernal!

                                MARGO
                    Colonel who?

                                HAL
                    The System Command Processor, it's the brain.

                                MARGO
                    Cancer, brain... Brain Cancer?

        Duke Ellingson arrives.

                                DUKE ELLINGSON
                    Belford, what's going on?

                                PLAGUE
                    In short, Duke, a shit storm.


INT. GRAND CENTRAL STATION.

        Dozens of armed Secret Service and SWAT troops push
        through the crowded station looking for the hackers.


INSIDE THE COMPUTER.

        The garbage file lights up.  The familiar psychedelic
        swirl of equations and fractal graphics returns.


INT. GRAND CENTRAL PUBLIC PHONES.

                                DADE
                    I found it! I found it!


INT. COMPUTER ROOM, ELLINGSON MINERAL.

                                PLAGUE
                    This is the end, my friend.
                                (smiling sickly)
                    Thank you for calling!


INT. GRAND CENTRAL PUBLIC PHONES.

        Dade is disconnected.

                                DADE
                    Oh, shit! He got me.

                                NIKON
                    Joey's getting stupid busy.

        The SS and SWAT are still closing in on the hackers.

                                DADE
                    Joey. I need you to drop your viruses, go
                    after the worm. You're the closest.

        The SS and SWAT push through crowds.

                                DADE
                    It's root slash period workspace slash
                    period garbage period.

        The SS are nearly there.

        Joey has found the file.

        The SS arrive.  Gill himself has his .357 drawn.

                                GILL
                    Freeze!

        It's an empty bank of payphones, the receivers are linked
        together and taped up. No hackers. They keep going.

                                GILL
                                (pissed off but determined)
                    Ahhh Come on!

        Joey completes the download.

                                KATE
                                (to Razor and Blade)
                    Kill the Gibson.

                                RAZOR
                    Roger that.


INT. COMPUTER ROOM, ELLINGSON MINERAL.

                                PLAGUE
                    Come on you son of a bitch, is that all you
                    got, huh? Come on, let's see what else you
                    can do! You talking to me? Huh? Hahahaha.
                    Are you nuts? Come at me!

        Margo and Duke are awed by Plague's imminent failure and
        total unprofessionalism.

                                HAL
                    They're in the kernal.

                                DA VINCI VIRUS
                    Help... me...

        The Da Vinci virus dies. The tankers stop capsizing and
        right themselves.

                                WOMAN
                                (off screen)
                    The tankers have stopped capsizing.

                                SOMEONE ELSE
                                (off screen)
                    Ballast tanks are emptying. It'll be okay.


        The main screen lights up:

                     ARF ARF!
                     WE GOTCHA!

                     MESS WITH THE BEST
                     DIE LIKE THE REST


                                PLAGUE
                    Little pissant!

        The Gibson dies in a flash of light.

INT. GRAND CENTRAL PUBLIC PHONES.

        The hackers cheer and congratulate each other.

                                NIKON
                    Yes!

                                DADE
                    We did it!

                                KATE
                    Let's get out of here!

                                GILL
                    FREEZE!

        The SS have caught up with the hackers. Agent Bob seems to
        be choosing which pore on which hacker's face to blow away
        first. Only Joey thinks to put his hands up.

        As they are led away, a handcuffed Dade surrreptitiously tosses the
        disc with the worm into a trashcan.

EXT. GRAND CENTRAL STATION.

        Outside, he notices Cereal, who wasn't present to be
        arrested. He yells to the crowd, but really is
        addressing Cereal.

                                DADE
                    They're TRASHING our rights, man! They're
                    TRASHING the flow of data! They're TRASHING!
                    TRASHING! TRASHING! HACK THE PLANET! HACK
                    THE PLANET!

                                GILL
                    Shut up and get in the car!

                                CEREAL
                                (understanding the hidden message)
                    HACK THE PLANET! HACK THE PLANET!


INT. GRAND CENTRAL STATION.

        Later, Cereal is trashing through the garbage cans in
        Grand Central Station. Eventually he finds the disc.
        To Cereal's disgust, it has gum stuck to it.



INT. GILL'S OFFICE.

        Gill phones The Plague to report the successful takedown.

                                PLAGUE
                    Hello?

                                GILL
                    We caught 'em.

                                PLAGUE
                    Good.

                                GILL
                    Red handed! You won't be having any more
                    trouble from them.

INT. PLAGUE'S LOFT.

        At Plague's place, Plague and Margo toast with champagne,
        giggle, and then scurry off to bed...


INT. GILL'S OFFICE.

        Dade and Kate are there.

                                DADE
                    Me, alright? I did it. She knows shit about
                    computers. She... she's just my girlfriend.

                                GILL
                                (laughing)
                    I suggest you modify your attitude. Because
                    you are floating. And I'm about to flush your
                    ass.

        The intercom beeps.

                                AGENT
                    You've got a Mrs. Murphy to see you, sir.

        Gill leaves.

                                KATE
                    Are you crazy? What are you doing?

                                DADE
                    I'm trying to help you.

        She pauses, realizing his gesture.

                                KATE
                    Dade.

                                DADE
                    What?

                                KATE
                    Thanks for your help.

        Dade turns on the intercom. Gill can be heard through it.

                                GILL
                                (grimly)
                    Your son is in big trouble. He has violated
                    his probation and he has engaged in criminal
                    activity.

                                MRS. MURPHY
                    My son happens to be a genius. He understands
                    something happening today that you won't
                    comprehend if you live to be a hundred, and he
                    would never use what he knows to harm a living
                    soul.

        Agent Bob enters.

                                AGENT BOB
                    The news crew you requested is here.

                                MRS. MURPHY
                    Oh good. Cause I have a few things to tell
                    them.

                                GILL
                    Your son is facing thirty felony counts in an
                    ongoing investigation. You face possible
                    arrest if you do that.

                                MRS. MURPHY
                    Mister, I don't care if I face certain death.

                                GILL
                    Mrs. Murphy stays right here.

                                KATE
                    Oh, wow, she's great.

                                DADE
                    Yeah.

INT. SECRET SERVICE OFFICES.

        The news crew interviews Gill.

                                REPORTER
                    ...and attacked the Ellingson's computer
                    network. Is the last we've seen of this type
                    of high-tech espionage?

                                GILL
                    Well, I'm afraid not. Hackers are a grave
                    threat to the national security. This
                    incident just proves without a doubt that we
                    need increased funding to stop...

        Nikon and Joey are led in.

        The monitors cut into static, then Cereal appears.

                                SOMEONE
                    That kid cut him off!

                                CEREAL
                    Hold on, boys and girls. It is I, the Cereal
                    Killer, making my first coast to coast, world
                    wide, global television appearance. Yes,
                    that's right, I'm here to tell you about this
                    heinous scheme hatched from within Ellingson
                    Mineral.

        Razor and Blade busily work on keeping him on the air.

                                CEREAL
                    But for what, you ask? World domination?
                    Nay. Something far more tacky. A virus called
                    Da Vinci, that when launched, would cause
                    Ellingson Mineral tankers to capsize was to be
                    blamed on innocent hackers. But this virus was
                    really the smokescreen, right. What could be
                    so vitally important to protect that someone
                    would create such a nasty, antisocial, very
                    uncool virus program?

        Cereal is now seen and heard on the big screen in Times
        Square.

                                CEREAL
                    But why? Could it be to cover the tracks for
                    this worm program? A worm that was to steal 25
                    million bucks. The password for this hungry
                    little sucker belongs to Margo Wallace, head
                    of public relations at Ellingson Mineral...


INT. PLAGUE'S LOFT.

        Margo watches this and sits bolt upright in bed.

                                MARGO
                    Oh my God!

                                CEREAL
                                (continuing)
                    ...and Eugene Belford, Computer Security
                    Officer.


INT. SECRET SERVICE OFFICE

                                GILL
                                (finally understanding what's been
                                going on all along)
                    Son of a BITCH!

                                CEREAL
                                (continuing)
                    What's this? Is this the unnamed account in the
                    Bahamas where the money was to be stashed? I
                    think so!

        An account number scrolls below Cereal's chin.

                                CEREAL
                    Yo. I kinda feel like God!

        His voice echoes across the earth and among the
        satellites.

                                MARGO
                    Plague?
                    Eugene?

        Almost supernaturally, Plague is already gone. He was
        right next to her, stark naked in bed a second ago.

INT. SECRET SERVICE OFFICES.

        The hackers embrace and congratulate each other again,
        Lauren Murphy hugs her son.

INT. POLICE STATION, WOMEN'S LOCKUP.

        Margo Wallace has been arrested, and is being led into the
        women's lockup. Some of the other women grab at her
        expensive Italian leather jacket as she is led to her cell.

                                MARGO
                    I don't even know how to work a VCR, let alone
                    a computer! Get off! Look, listen, I'll make
                    a deal. Eugene Belford! I know where his
                    mother is, I promise you. Get offa me! I need
                    a lawyer!


INT. AIRLINER CABIN.  IN FLIGHT.

                                STEWARDESS
                    Here you are, Mr. Babbage.  Flight time to
                    Tokyo should be about 14 hours today. Can I
                    get you anything else?

        "Babbage" is The Plague in disguise; he now appears about
        60 years old.

                                PLAGUE
                    Just a pillow please.

        The pillow slides in behind his head, he reaches up to
        adjust it.

                                PLAGUE
                    Thank you.

        A handcuff snaps onto his wrist. It's Gill.

                                GILL
                    You're welcome.

                                PLAGUE
                    What's going on? Let go of me! Stewardess!
                    I'll never fly this airline again!


EXT. NEW YORK CITY SIDEWALK. NIGHT.

        Dade and Kate are on their date. Dade is smartly,
        somewhat androgynously dressed. Kate is heavily made up,
        and yes, she is wearing a dress.

                                DADE
                    You look good in a dress.

                                KATE
                    You would have looked better.

                                DADE
                    Wanna go for a swim?


EXT. ROOFTOP SWIMMING POOL.

        Dade and Kate swimming, fully clothed, in a pool on a
        roof.

                                KATE
                    I can't believe they decided you won.

                                DADE
                    They didn't. The guys felt it was the only
                    way I'd get a date. Anyway, you're pretty
                    good. You're elite.

                                KATE
                    Yeah? You know if you would have said so in
                    the beginning, you would have saved yourself
                    a whole lot of trouble.

        They look out at the skyline. Suddenly, the lights in
        three buildings change. They spell out:

                    C         B
                     R    A    U
                      A    N    R
                       S    D    N
                        H


        Kate laughs, honestly impressed.

                                DADE
                    Beat that!

        Kate continues laughing.

                                DADE
                    You know, I've been having these really
                    weird..

                                KATE
                                (finishing his sentence)
                    Dreams?

        They kiss passionately.

        The credits roll.

Associate Producer
          Selwyn Roberts

Penn Jillette as Hal

London Casting
          Michelle Guish

Unit Production Manager
          Selwyn Roberts

First Assistant Director
          Simon Hinkly

Second Assistant Directors
          Jerry Daly
          Steve Robinson

Music Supervisor
          Bob Last

Visual Effects Supervisor
          Peter Chiang

Supervising Sound Editor
          Glenn Freemantle

Re-Recording Mixer
          John Hayward, A.M.P.S.


        Dade and Kate emerge from their underwater kiss, the view
        rises above the pool and into the night.  Fade to black.


                                       CAST
                                       ----
                              Dade   Jonny Lee Miller
                              Kate   Angelina Jolie
                              Joey   Jesse Bradford
                            Cereal   Matthew Lillard
                             Nikon   Laurence Mason
                            Phreak   Renoly Santiago
                        The Plague   Fisher Stevens
                     Lauren Murphy   Alberta Watson
                             Razor   Darren Lee
                             Blade   Peter Y. Kim
                            Curtis   Ethan Browne
                             Margo   Lorraine Bracco
                   Agent Dick Gill   Wendell Pierce
                         Agent Bob   Michael Gaston
                         Agent Ray   Marc Anthony
                               Hal   Penn Jillette
                             Laura   Liza Walker
                     Mr. Ellingson   Bob Sessions
               S.S. Agent, Seattle   Blake Willett
                        Young Dade   Max Ligosh
                          Attorney   Felicity Huffman
                    Michael Murphy   Paul Klementowicz
                             Judge   Richard Ziman
                              Norm   Bill Maul
                              Jock   William DeMeo
                            Denise   Denise George
                  Freshmen on Roof   Jeb Handwerger
                                     Mitchell Nguyen-McCormick
                       Mr. Simpson   Gary Klar
                        Joey's Mom   Terry Porter
             1st Sysops Technician   Johnny Myers
             2nd Sysops Technician   Kevin Brewerton
                   English Teacher   Sam Douglas
                          1st V.P.   Kal Weber
                          2nd V.P.   Jeff Harding
                    2nd S.S. Agent   Tom Hill
                          Reporter   Jennifer Rice
                       Addict Hank   Douglas W. Iles
                     Addict Vickie   Annemarie Zola
                  Tow Truck Driver   Michael Potts
                      Phreak's Mom   Nancy Ticotin
                   Ellingson Guard   Mike Cicchetti
                   Phone Repairman   Mick O'Rourke
                     London Hacker   Dave Stewart
                      Tokyo Hacker   Naoko Mori
                    Italian Hacker   Roberta Gotti
                   Russian Hackers   Ravil Isyanov
                                     Olegario Fedoro
                   News Technician   Eric Loren
                  Flight Attendant   Kristin Moreu
                   Second Reporter   Ricco Ross
                        Jail Guard   Tony Sibbaldi
                    Talk Show Host   Richard Purro
                    Da Vinci Virus   Enzo Junior
                          3rd V.P.   Yoshimori Yamamoto
                          4th V.P.   Ralph Winter
                      Receptionist   Kimbra Standish
                      Rollerblader   Steven Angiolini

                             STUNTS - U.K.
                             -------------
                        Glen Marks   Andreas Petrides
                       Nick Powell   Tony Lucken
                       Jim Dowdall   Peter Pedrero
                        Tom Delmar   Seon Rogers

                             STUNTS - U.S.
                             -------------
                 Stunt Coordinator   Jerry Hewitt
                           Stunt Performers
                    Mike Cicchetti   Danny Downey
                     Mick O'Rourke   Don Picard
                     Jennifer Lamb   Mark Webster

                             "CYBERSPIRITS" and SKATERS
                             --------------------------
                   Jennifer Badger   Melissa Barkan
                     Don J. Hewitt   Christo Morse
                    Felix Santiago   Christopher Walker
                              Joseph Lloyd




               Hacking Consultants   Jack Hitt and Paul Tough


                      Art Director   John Frankish
                     Set Decorator   Joanne Woolard
            Assistant Art Director   Ben Scott
                   Camera Operator   Mike Proudfoot
                      Focus Puller   David Morgan
                    Clapper Loader   John Ferguson
                       Camera Grip   Tony Turner
              2nd Camera Assistant   Andrew Banwell
                Still Photographer   Mark Tillie
                 Script Supervisor   Diana Dill
            Production Coordinator   Jo Bunn

         Chief Lighting Technician   John "Biggles" Higgins
     Assistant Lighting Technician   Kevin Edland
                    Rigging Gaffer   Wayne Leach

                  Location Manager   Richard Sharkey
        Assistant Location Manager   Piers Dunn

        Visual Effects Coordinator   Tim Field
 Senior Visual Effects Technicians   Andrew Eio
                                     Justin Owen
                                     Joe Bruton
          Visual Effects Assistant   Matthew Kok

             Visual Effects Editor   Martyn Robinson
           First Assistant Editors   Steve Maguire
                                     Fabienne Rawley
          Second Assistant Editors   Christian Wheeler
                                     Julian Pryce
            Third Assistant Editor   Jonathan Mann

                   Dialogue Editor   Philip Alton
              Sound Effects Editor   Peter Baldock
           Assistant Sound Editors   Timothy Vine
                                     Keith Lowes
                                     Ed Stabile
                      Foley Editor   Polly Aitken

                        ADR Editor   Peter Elliott
     Assistant Re-Recording Mixers   David Anderson
                                     Richard Pryke
                       Foley Mixer   Nic LeMessunier A.M.P.S.

                       Sound Mixer   Peter Lindsay
                 Sound Maintenance   Mervyn Moore
                   Sound Assistant   Steve Finn

                      Music Editor   Paul Rabjohns
       Post Production Coordinator   Jo Human
 Post Production Music Coordinator   Gale Wright

        Assistant Costume Designer   Kate Forbes
               Wardrobe Supervisor   Anne Gorman
                Wardrobe Assistant   Abigail Hicks
         Hair and Make-up Stylists   Christine Blundell
                                     Liz Danauer
         Assistant Make-up Stylist   Marese Langan

                  Production Buyer   John O'Shaugnessy
                   Property Master   Keith Vowles
                     Prop Storeman   Brian West
          Changehand Dressing Prop   John Moore
                    Dressing Props   Kevin Wheeler
                                     Marion Cole
           Changehand Standby Prop   Joe Dipple
                      Standby Prop   Stanley Torbett
                   Props Carpenter   Paul Lawlor

              Construction Manager   Craig Hillier
                 Standby Carpenter   Richard Jones
                   Standby Painter   Roy Martin
                    Standby Rigger   Peter Hawkins
                 Standby Stagehand   David Jones

                 Storyboard Artist   Jane Clark

          Visual Effects Cameramen   Ingrid Domeij
                                     Mark Gardiner
                                     Peter Field
                      Focus Puller   Alex Howe
                    Clapper Loader   Mark Millsome

           "City of Text" Model by   Artem, Ltd.
                       Modelmakers   Robert Thomas
                                     Adam Howarth
                                     Bob Thorne
                                     Julian Eyres
           Motion Control Operator   Martin Kelly
          Motion Control Assistant   John Duffy

                   Computer Screens and Graphics by
                             Research Arts
          Art Direction and Design   Simon Staines
                        Consultant   Neville Brody
                         Animation   Mike Williams
                                     Tony Campbell
                                     Shamshul Rosunally
                                     Toby Inwards
                    Office Manager   FWA Richards

                            Digital Film at
                       The Moving Picture Company
                Computer Animation   Paul Franklin
                                     Keith Roberts
                                     Nigel Hardwidge
                                     Jane O'Callaghan
                       Programmers   Peter Grecian
                                     Simon Robinson
            Digital Visual Effects   Charlie Noble
                        Production   Matthew Holben
                                     Alex Hope
                                     Arthur Windus

                      Optical & Digital Effects
                      The Magic Camera Company
                  Effects Producer   Antony Hunt
               Effects Coordinator   Brenda Coxon
                 Optical Cameramen   Andy Jeffery
                                     Alan Church
         Optical Effects Animation   Helen Ball
       Digital Effects Supervision   Alan Marques
         Digital Effects Animation   Evan Davies
                                     Richard Scarlett
                                     Philippe Montagny

                          Matte Paintings by
                         Matte World Digital
                               Marin, CA
           Visual Effects Producer   Craig Barron
 Executive in Charge of Production   Krystyna Demkowicz
         Visual Effects Supervisor   Chris Evans
                Digital Compositor   Paul Riviera
             Motion Control Camera   Cameron Noble
                 Effects Editorial   Martin Matzinger
                          Key Grip   Todd Smith

                              Opticals by
                                  GSE


                   Unit Publicists   Graham Smith
                                     Julia Jones
             Production Accountant   Tony Miller
             Assistant Accountants   Sarah Miller
                                     Justin Miller
         Assistant to Iain Softley   Gale Wright
       Assistants to the Producers   Jo Human
                                     Trip Pierson
             Production Assistants   Donal Heath
                                     Nick Cornwell
                                     Paul Ellison
                                     Jo Sexton
                                     Kenny Stewart
                   2nd Second A.D.   Pippa Harrison
                     2nd Unit A.D.   Cordelia Hardy
  2nd Unit Director of Photography   Zoran Djordjevic
                 Casting Associate   Barbara Collins
                 Casting Assistant   Michelle Arthur
                 Crowd Coordinator   James Fowlds
                       Draughtsman   Andrew Nicholson
                Junior Draughtsman   Ray Chan
         Assistant to Set Director   Eliza Solesbury
          Art Department Assistant   Hannah Coupland
                      Video Assist   Penny Skuse
                          Catering   Anglia Catering Services
                        Unit Nurse   Sophie Rayner
                          Security   Lew Morgan
                     Unit Vehicles   Micky Webb
                        Facilities   Luna
                           Drivers   Phil Allchin
                                     Maurice Newsome
                                     Jeff Oldman

                             NEW YORK UNIT
                             -------------
          Unit Production Manager/
            1st Assistant Director   Joel Tuber
            2nd Assistant Director   Glen Trodiner
                      Art Director   Chris Shriver
                     Set Decorator   Alyssa Winter
                   Camera Operator   John Sosenko
            First Assistant Camera   Gerrard Sava
           Second Assistant Camera   Pamela Rittelmeyer
                Still Photographer   Jim Bridges
                             Video   Howard Weiner
                                     Michael Neil Fallon
                 Script Supervisor   Martha Pinson
            Production Coordinator   Michael Boonstra
     2nd Second Assistant Director   Dean Garvin

         Chief Lighting Technician   Michael Palmer
     Assistant Lighting Technician   Kevin Janicelli
                          Key Grip   Billy Miller
                        Dolly Grip   David Lowry, Jr.

                  Location Manager   Nick Bernstein
        Assistant Location Manager   Isabelle Kostio-Crosby
               Assistant Locations   Laura Barnett

                     Boom Operator   Tommy Louie
                             Cable   Alexandra Baltarzuk

     Assistant to Costume Designer   Dean Bright
              Wardrobe Supervisors   Anne Gorman
                                     Marcia Patton
                    Make-up Artist   Bernadette Mazur
                      Hair Stylist   Judith Goodman

                   Property Master   Jeff Butcher
              First Assistant Prop   JoAnn Atwood
           Assistant Set Decorator   Chandra Kochie
                    On-Set Dresser   Rochelle Edelson
        Art Department Coordinator   Crocus Bever
                     Scenic Artist   Elizabeth Linn
                     Draughtswoman   Patricia Woodbridge
                          Lead Man   Timothy Metzger
          Construction Coordinator   Tom Costabile
Construction Foreman/Key Carpenter   Rudy Pelikan
                   Special Effects   Steve Kirshoff
            Transportation Captain   Jimmy Nugent

                    Unit Publicist   Reid Rosefelt
  Assistant Production Coordinator   J. Lauren Buckley
                        Accountant   Margaret Ann McCourt
             Assistant Accountants   Ron Wahl
                                     Holly Rymon
                    Extras Casting   Judy Fizler
                     Dialect Coach   John Tammi
      Computer Hacking Consultants   Dave Buchwald
                                     Emmanuel Goldstein
                                     Pete Hoyes
                                     Omar Wason
                 Rollerblade Coach   Christo Morse
                     Craft Service   Kitty Witwer
                      On Set Nurse   Carolyn Baxter

                       The Producers Wish to Thank
                           Apple Computer Inc.
                                  AT&T
                               Radius Inc.
                            Jay Presson Allen
                              William Latham

                     Wipeout Game from Sony Psygnosis
                     for Playstation & Computer PC CDs


                   Title Design by   Richard Morrison
                                     Plume Productions, Ltd.

                 Title Opticals by   Capital FX
                       Color Timer   Tom Gibson
                    DTS Consultant   John Taylor

                 Cookie Monster is a Jim Henson Muppet
                      Featured on Sesame Street
             A production of Children's Television Workshop

                       "Conscience of a Hacker"
                        quoted with permission
                         of Loyd Blankenship
                        mentor@blankenship.com

                         Sound Re-Recorded at
                           Pinewood Studios
                            London, England

                Lighting Equipment by AFM Lighting, Ltd.

                            Film Processing
                Rank Film Laboratories, London, England
                   Duart Film Laboratories, New York

                      Motion Control Equipment by
                        Granada Television Ltd.

                         Filmed in PANAVISION

                            Color by deluxe

                        Produced on Kodak Film

        Production Services by United Artists Corporation Ltd.