EPISODE 1: The Assignment
Scene: AKME Factory. A nondescript building that looks just like an ordinary factory on the outside.
Mark pulls in his motorcycle in front of the security kiosk. He takes his helmet off and he shows the security guard his badge who points his desktop equipment at him. The device scans his face. This facility is actually The Philippine Bureau of Investigations (PBI) top secret offices.
Security guard: (After hitting some buttons) Come right in, sir.
Mark: Thanks.
Mark puts his motorcycle helmet back on. The gate opens and he drives inside. The gate closes quickly behind him after he goes through.
Scene: Office of Mark's boss. Chief Josefa Tapang is sitting behind a neat desk. She's a small woman and the large executive chair dwarfs her but she projects an air of confidence and authority. The stern expression on her face suits her very well. It's as if she came out of her mother wearing this expression.
Chief: Have a seat... Great job on your last mission,
Mark: (sitting down) Thanks ma'am.
Chief: You are one of our best, Agent 1337. I hope you had enough rest from your well deserved vacation. I regret that I had to ask you to cut it short.
Mark: That's okay. I was ready to leave anyway.
Chief: Are you ready for your next assignment?
Mark: Ready as I'll ever be.
Chief: I called you back in early because this mission is very critical and you are uniquely qualified for this particular job.
Mark: Chief, I know you are not prone to exaggeration. You got my attention. I'm all ears.
Chief: For the past 5 years, a few universities, research facilities and companies around the world have been working together to develop a powerful device. None of them know that what they are working on is a piece of the puzzle. The most important piece is being developed in one of the companies right here in our own country, Our Intelligence Department just found out that someone is planning on stealing this research.
Mark: What is the “device” being built? What does it do?
Chief: I cannot give you this information at this time.
Mark: (Nodding understanding) Who commissioned it?
Chief: Several governments, including ours. It's a joint international project...
Mark: Like the International Space Station?
Chief: Something like that..
Mark: Why do you say that I'm uniquely qualified?
Chief: Our plan is for you to infiltrate the local company, Atis Corporation. You need to gain the trust of the key scientists who are working on this project. We want you to be one of the team members. This way, we have someone in the inside who can tell us precisely what is going on. You have a masters degree from MIT in Engineering. Well, here's your chance to be able to use all that education. I daresay this might actually be the kind of job you would have been doing if we didn't recruit you. Now you see why you were the person for this mission?
Mark nods.
Chief: Here are the people we want you to befriend and protect. Remember that they do not know exactly what their project will be used for.
Chief shows Mark a picture on the large flat screen TV of three men and one woman who look like nerd stereotypes. One is very chubby and short, one skinny and tall with large ears, one an albino with extremely pale skin, pink eyes and white hair. The lone female is attractive in a brainy girl way, but has unkempt hair. They all wear thick glasses.
Chief: Dr Albert Espiritu, Doctorate in Robotic Sciences. Dr. Stephen Lawin, Doctorate in Biometric Sciences. Dr Pascal Blas, Doctorate in Computer Science and Doctorate in Mathematics. Dr. Ada Lopez. Doctorate in Software Engineering. You will find everything about them, their family, friends, personality, their preferences and proclivities, etc, in your mission packet. Here, try this on..
Chief hands Mark a pair of thick eyeglasses.
Chief: They're non-prescription. Just part of your disguise. Go ahead, try them on.
Mark puts on the glasses and has to squint. The thick lenses distorts his eye sight a bit.
Chief: Perfect! As usual, we have a car and apartment for you that's appropriate for your new life. Procurement has already filled it with furniture, clothing and other essentials. Your mission packet has already been downloaded to your phone using the advanced encryption method that Prof Y will explain to you later when you see him. He also has a few new inventions for you to try.
Mark: Sounds good. I'm always interested with what our mad scientist has developed. I'm glad he's in our side and not the enemies.
Chief: Well, he would be far too dangerous to let live if he was one of the enemies.
Mark coughs uncomfortably at what the Chief said.
Mark: Do we have any idea who is planning on stealing the project?
Chief: Perhaps, its other countries who are not in on the plan. Or perhaps it's their chief competitor. Atis Corp has had a long standing rivalry with Makopa Corp. Both had been guilty of stealing company secrets from each other. That's just it. We are not sure so everyone is a suspect at this point.
Mark: I understand, Ma'am.
Chief: Lastly, this mission is at the highest level of security classification. No one other than you, me and your handler knows.
Mark: Who is my handler? The usual?
Chief: Not this time. You have a new handler that you'll meet when the time is right.
Mark: Okay. No problem.
Chief: Good luck, Agent 1337, you may go.
Scene: Atis Corporation. Mark's first day of work.
Mark has been walking with his new manager Mr. Alva for several minutes now. They have taken several turns through the dreary, gray painted hallways of the basement of the building.
Mr. Alva: I'm very glad you can start immediately, Mark. The person you are replacing had a job offer he said he couldn't refuse and left us right when we needed him the most. You came highly recommended.
Mark: Thank you, sir. I'll do my best.
They stop outside a plain looking double door in the basement of a building.
Mr. Alva: Here's where you will be working. We call it the 'Basement'. This area requires more security. To get in, you must have a badge that you swipe here. You enter your pin number. Then you put your right hand here and it reads your fingerprints.
The door clicks and the manager opens the door and they enter. Mark sees a very large room that is divided into several smaller rooms that look like offices on one side. There's a large open area in the middle with a large table and chairs. He points to one of the offices on the side.
On the other side, are high tech looking laboratories paneled by glass. Mark recognizes several of the equipments such as high powered microscopes and centrifuges, but there's some that he had no idea what it did. He's fascinated by a crazy looking contraption that dominates one side of the room. In one of the labs, Mark sees 4 people dressed in white full body jumpsuits. They also have white caps, gloves, face masks, shoe covers. The manager waves at them to come out.
Mark: That must be the Clean Room?
Mr. Alva: Yes. Those are your co workers.
Several minutes later, the 4 people come out of a door on the far end of the lab dressed in their regular clothes.
Mr. Alva: I want to introduce Dr. Isaac's replacement. This is Mark. Mark, this is Dr Albert, Dr Stephen, Dr Pascal, Dr Ada.
Mark: Hi everyone.
Albert, Stephen, Ada: Hi Mark. Welcome to the “Basement”
Mark: Thanks. Uh..I have to ask.. What is that? What does it do? (pointing at the machine he noticed earlier)
Albert: Let me show you...
Albert walks over to the one end of the machine and flips a switch. The Rube Goldberg machine has various unnecessary tubes and pulleys and gears and made pops and whizzing sounds and some steam. Then he takes a cup and fills it with steaming liquid from the other end of the machine and hands it to Mark.
Mark: Coffee?
Albert: Cappuccino. Try it.
Mark takes a sip.
Mark: (amazed) This, is the best cappuccino I've ever tasted in my life.
Albert: (pointing at the machine) I made this baby myself. I call it The Javanator. Who needs Starbucks! Ha ha
Mark: Impressive!.
Albert: Thanks.
Pascal: So, just “Mark”? You have no Doctorate degree?
Manager: Ahem, his masters degree is from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and he came highly recommended. He's worked on several cutting edge projects....
Pascal: I suppose that will do. I still can't believe Isaac left us all in a lurch like this. How can anyone's dream job include living in Antarctica by themselves !
Albert: I think it's 'cool' in more ways than one. There's a lot to be learned there especially with Global Warming.
Stephen: That job is perfect for someone like Isaac who prefers to be alone.
Ada: (shrug) To each their own.
Pascal: Hmph! How do we even know he's telling the truth? For all we know Isaac's now working for the competition. I heard Makopa Corp pays extremely well.
Stephen: Uhh. Ahem... Mark, come with us to the cafeteria. We were just on our way there to have lunch.
Albert: Yeah, and we better leave now so we can avoid those jerks. C'mon.
Mark: Sure, I'm getting hungry.
Mr. Alva: Great! The guys can fill you in on Isaac's work and show you around. If you need me, I'll be in my office.
Stephen: (under his breath) ... doing as little as possible.
As they walk away, Pascal took Ada's hands deliberately as he looks at Mark to make sure the newcomer knows Ada is taken.
Scene: Just outside the cafeteria. Ada and Pascal are way ahead. Stephen, Albert and Mark are walking and chatting. Mark is still getting used to wearing his thick fake eyeglasses. He suddenly collides with someone. Boom! The other person gets knocked to the wall and Mark falls on the floor. Papers fly all over the place.
Angel: Eeeeekkkk!!
Mark looks up from the floor to see red high heel pumps, nice legs, tight black skirt several inches above the knee. It's Angel. He hears several people laughing hard as he stands up.
Douchebags: ha ha ha ha! Nerd!!! ha ha ha
Mark: I'm really sorry.
Angel: Next time, please watch where you are going! I'm late! Help me pick this stuff up..
Stephen, Albert, Mark and Angel quickly pick up the papers. Mark hands the papers to Angel. She barely even looks at him as she takes the papers and leaves.
Mark: Sorry again, Miss...
Mark is still staring at Angel who is half running to catch the elevator.
Albert: That's Angel. She's the CEO's Executive Assistant.
Stephen: Arguably, the hottest girl here. She'll never give the likes of us the time of day.
Scene: Atis Corporation. Late that night.
Mark is on the top floor of the building where the executive suites are. He finds the door he is looking for. The sign on the door says “Chief Executive Officer” He knocks tentatively and when no one answers, Mark uses a key card to unlock the door.
Mark: (thinking) Yes! This is too easy.
Later, Mark is looking through the laptop on the desk when he hears someone coming. He very quickly dives under the large desk to hide.
The lights get turned on.
(4/10/11)
From under the desk, Mark recognizes the red pumps and pair of woman's legs sitting in the chair where he was sitting earlier.
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