INT. SOUNDSTAGE - DAY
A large, windowless room, cluttered with various props and lighting equipment. A large table lies off to one side, with a lamp set up next to it and scientific equipment piled on top. A pair of hands sets a heavy-looking box on top of it.
MISHA (20), a severe-looking young woman with starch-straight hair and glasses at the tip of her nose, unloads bags and bottles full of colourful powders and liquids. She picks up one of the bags and scrutinizes the white powder inside.
MISHA
This is lithium peroxide?
LEO (19), a tired young man slightly taller than Misha, with curly hair and band-aids on his hands, drags a heavy cooler next to the table. He takes a small notepad out of his pocket and scans a page.
LEO
Um, hydroxide. I couldn't find the peroxide.
Misha raises one eyebrow and puts the bag on the table.
LEO (CONT'D)
Is it okay?
Misha sighs and continues to unpack.
MISHA
The reaction won't be as effective, but… it's fine. Just make a note of it.
Leo nods and scribbles in his notepad. He places it back in his pocket and looks around the soundstage.
LEO
Are you sure this room will work?
Misha takes a vial of liquid from one of the stands on the table and holds it up to the light.
MISHA
It's not exactly the most sterile of conditions, but it’ll have to do. Make a note: dark solids collected at the bottom of yesterday's hydroxymethyl solution. I’ll filter it- shouldn't interfere with the effectiveness of the tetrodotoxin.
Leo nods and scribbles obediently again, pausing to think about spelling for the longer words. Misha pulls a blue rubber glove onto one of her hands with a SNAP.
MISHA (CONT'D)
Okay, let's get to work.
MONTAGE - THEY GET TO WORK
-- The two stand opposite each other over the table, both mixing chemicals in beakers.
-- Blue liquid drips into an empty flask from a thin rubber tube.
-- Misha holds a vial up to the light and peers at it from the side.
-- Panicked, Leo rifles through his notepad with one hand, holding a bubbling test tube with forceps in the other.
-- The flask from before, now nearly half full.
-- Broken glass and scattered powder underfoot, Misha paces back and forth, reading from a textbook.
-- The same flask again, the blue liquid now only a couple inches away from the top.
-- Misha, hair disheveled, holds a lighter under a test tube full of something yellow.
-- Leo sniffs at a beaker full of liquid and reels back, coughing.
-- The flask, now brimming with blue liquid and threatening to spill.
-- Misha’s hands remove the tube from the flask and fill a syringe with the liquid.
END MONTAGE
Stethoscope around her neck, Misha pulls her phone from her pocket and turns on the screen. A photo appears- Misha, holding a brown terrier in her arms and smiling, celebrating a red ribbon at a dog show. She breathes deeply and bites her lip.
MISHA
(under her breath)
See you soon.
Misha puts her phone away, her face set with determination. She flicks the syringe to get rid of the bubbles and breathes deeply again, then turns to Leo.
MISHA (CONT'D)
Ready?
Leo is lifting something out of the cooler; a small mass of brown fur- TOBY, now a lifeless, motionless lump.
LEO
If you are.
Gently, he places the dog on the table and pulls a blood bag with an IV line out of the cooler as well, hanging it off of the lamp next to him. Misha rolls Toby onto his back and hands Leo the blue syringe. She pulls another- pale yellow- out of her pocket.
MISHA
You first. Right into the heart.
She taps a spot on the dog's chest.
MISHA (CONT'D)
Don't be scared.
Leo swallows and nods. Misha holds the end of the IV line in her other hand. She strokes the dog's head once and closes her eyes, then nods decisively. Leo's needle plunges swiftly into its chest.
As soon as he removes it, she injects the yellow liquid into its arm, detaches the syringe, and attaches the IV line to the needle. Misha’s watch ticks as she holds the stethoscope’s chest-piece over the dog's heart.
A few tense seconds pass, then Misha breaks the silence by yanking the stethoscope off and throwing it across the room. It hits a beaker with a CLANK.
MISHA (CONT'D)
FUCK!
Leo stumbles, trying to move towards Misha. She yells and slams her fist on the wall. He corrals her and puts a hand on her shoulder.
LEO
Misha, it's alright.
MISHA
I really thought this would work. I'm sorry for even making you do all this bullshit. I should have known. I'm such an idiot.
Misha pulls her safety goggles off and falls to her knees. Leo crouches down too.
LEO
You're not. You're the smartest person I know. We can… We can try again! It's fine. Right?
Misha pauses, then peeks up at him through her fingers.
MISHA
The smartest?
LEO
The smartest ever.
INT. SOUNDSTAGE - THE NEXT DAY
The chemistry equipment has been mostly put to the side, replaced by stacks of books on the table.
MISHA
(muttering)
I was drawn to the tetrodotoxin because of it being mentioned in texts about resurrection, but I probably should have used epinephrine after all… At the very least, it would have been easier to obtain…
LEO
I thought you said if Epi-Pens could bring back the dead, we'd know that by now.
She chuckles.
MISHA
Yeah, I did say that.
The two return to their books. Leo taps his fingers on the table.
LEO
Hey, I have kind of a stupid idea.
MISHA
I could use any kind of idea right now. What is it?
LEO
Well, you know, I'm not… Science-y. I don't know as much as you. But I figure… Like, when I think about bringing back the dead, I think about Frankenstein, right?
Misha looks up, interested.
MISHA
Sure.
LEO
And like, the metal knobs, and the lightning or electricity or whatever, and- zzt-
Leo mimes being struck by lightning.
LEO (CONT'D)
Like, "It's alive!" and whatever. Right? So I figure… Why not electricity?
Misha scoffs and leans back in her chair.
MISHA
Well, I'm not an electrician, Leo. Or a physicist.
LEO
You're not a biologist either.
MISHA
…That's true.
LEO
Well… You're smart, anyway. Maybe it's worth a shot?
Misha looks at her facedown phone and raises an eyebrow.
MISHA
Yeah. Maybe.
INT. SOUNDSTAGE - NIGHT
RAIN and THUNDER are heard from outside. The room is entirely dark except for an emergency lantern. A car battery is connected to a power strip with wires sprouting from it. Toby's body lies on the table.
Misha holds an end of a jumper cable in each hand.
MISHA
So, it seems like… Well, the heart is the best spot for resuscitation… obviously… Just get ready to connect when I say go, okay?
Leo nods, and crouches down beside the power strip. Misha stands over the table, clamps hovering over the body.
LEO
Don't be scared.
Misha scoffs at him, then clamps the cables to Toby's chest. She takes a step backwards.
MISHA
Go.
Leo plugs the power strip into the wall. It SPARKS and he jumps backwards with a yelp. Thunder CLAPS outside.
Leo looks over to Misha beside Toby’s smoking body. Her face starts to glow with orange- the body is alight. Leo scrambles to get a fire extinguisher and puts out the fire.
The two of them stare at the smoking remains. The thunder rumbles low and long.
LEO
Shit.
Misha picks up a beaker and throws it at Leo. He flinches in surprise and it SHATTERS against the wall behind him.
MISHA
You fucking dumbass.
LEO
What?
On the verge of tears, she picks up another beaker and hops onto the table.
MISHA
You did that on purpose, didn't you?
LEO
What are you talking about?
Misha throws the beaker, barely missing this time. Leo flinches again and drops the fire extinguisher.
LEO (CONT'D)
(frantic now)
Misha!
Grabbing a half-full syringe out of a beaker, Misha steps off the table, advancing towards him. He backs up towards the wall, broken glass crunching beneath his feet.
MISHA
You're damn right you don't know as much as me. You really thought you could sabotage me like this? What, does that make you feel better? Ruining MY subject, my whole experiment? Out of, what, jealousy? I could have done it, if it weren’t for you!
She backs him up against the wall and raises the needle to his neck. Outside, thunder CLAPS- it’s incredibly close.
LEO
I didn't do it on purpose. I swear. I'm not jealous. You're being unreasonable! Please-
MISHA
You've presented me with a problem, Leo. I don't have a subject now. Will you provide one? Or will I have to find my own?
The door creaks open, flooding light into the room from the hallway. A STUDENT peeks in through the doorway and looks at their lab setup.
STUDENT
Hi… Um, sorry to bother you guys… Are you rehearsing something?
Misha and Leo stare at the open doorway in silent shock.
STUDENT (CONT'D)
We're studying in the hallway, I just wanted to ask if you could keep it down? Sorry. Uh, good luck with your rehearsal. Later.
The door slams, drowning the two in relative darkness again. Leo looks back at Misha, terrified. Misha puts the syringe in her pocket, steps back, and clears her throat, apparently brought to her senses.
MISHA
Well. Despite the loss, I would like to continue the experiments, so… Please bring another subject in tomorrow morning. I don't want to have to make do.
She turns to leave, then pauses before she opens the door.
MISHA (CONT'D)
Make a note of that, will you?
She leaves, the open door illuminating Leo's shocked face for just a moment.