Close...so close...so here's how it all begins..
----------------
FADE IN:
INT. UNIVERSITY OFFICE - DAY
Cubicles in an old, dark room. ADAM VERLAIN, 30, bookish, glasses, and fussy, works at his computer, neat stacks of paperwork and an ancient book in dark leather on his clean desk. A note is taped to his computer -- VINCENT 3:30!!
He types as he speaks.
ADAM
Dies ist ein ausgezeichnetes Beispiel für eine frühe gedruckte Volumen.
(British)
Talk about poetic license...
He saves the document into a folder on the server, rises and carries the book into
A SHELF ROOM
VINCENT
Have you been down here all this time?
ADAM
Just a bit. Our meeting’s not till half-past three.
VINCENT
And it’s now four.
Adam looks at his watch.
ADAM
Oh. Sorry, sir. I’ll be right up.
VINCENT
Why’re you down here, anyway?
ADAM
Oh, um -- getting some information on the Liber Chronicarum and -- .
VINCENT
Elizabeth’s doing provenance on the Schedel, isn’t she?
ADAM
Yes, sir, but -- .
VINCENT
You’re helping her when there’s your own work to finish?
ADAM
Um, I...I’m done, sir. The Erasmus-Russworm. Just waiting for Hakim to review my provenance and then -- .
VINCENT
Then you’re free the rest of the week.
ADAM
Yes, sir. I’m ready for more -- .
VINCENT
Come on. Upstairs.
Adam starts down the aisle.
VINCENT (cont’d)
Oh, and leave the catalogue -- there’s a good lad.
Adam jolts and shoves it back in place...and puts more of them in order.
ADAM
Vincent, whoever does the shelving down here apparently knows neither the alphabet nor numeric sequence. The books are in deplorable -- .
VINCENT
Adam! Come!
ADAM
-- Yes, sir.
But he quickly switches the positions of two catalogs that are out of sequence.
----------------
FADE IN:
INT. UNIVERSITY OFFICE - DAY
Cubicles in an old, dark room. ADAM VERLAIN, 30, bookish, glasses, and fussy, works at his computer, neat stacks of paperwork and an ancient book in dark leather on his clean desk. A note is taped to his computer -- VINCENT 3:30!!
He types as he speaks.
ADAM
Dies ist ein ausgezeichnetes Beispiel für eine frühe gedruckte Volumen.
(British)
Talk about poetic license...
He saves the document into a folder on the server, rises and carries the book into
A SHELF ROOM
to set it amongst similar antiquarian books.
IN A KITCHENETTE
Adam pours hot water into two mugs.
UNIVERSITY OFFICE
Adam enters with two steaming mugs of tea. He passes an office with two awkward-looking men in it -- HAKIM and JEREMY.
HAKIM
(British)
Hold on, Adam -- have you finally finished that bloody Erasmus? Jeremy’s ready to scan it.
ADAM
Just put it on the shelves, Hakim.
JEREMY
(Cockney)
Oy, is that tea? None for us?
ADAM
Maybe next time, Jer.
He stops at a cubicle holding an attractive woman, ELIZABETH, who pays him little attention. He offers her a cup.
ADAM (cont’d)
Here you go, Elizabeth. Just the way you like it.
ELIZABETH
(British)
No, thanks.
He shrugs and sets the teas in his cubicle and looks at a book on Elizabeth’s desk. He carefully picks it up to examine.
ADAM
Is this the Shedel? The one found in Romania?
ELIZABETH
Vincent just dropped it off.
ADAM
Why didn’t he give it to me? I have nothing going on.
ELIZABETH
Probably because of the questions you raised about it.
ADAM
I still say the binding’s not contemporary to the book and -- .
(looks inside)
Oh -- it is a later printing.
ELIZABETH
Adam, stop it.
ADAM
Here! On the first verso page of text; two of the words are reversed and --.
ELIZABETH
Give it here! Half the time you’ve no idea what you’re talking about.
She snatches the book away. He huffs and storms off.
INT. UNDERGROUND LIBRARY VAULT - DAY
Row after row of shelving units holding books, catalogues, and papers under a gentle light. Adam rummages through a shelf and pulls out an auction catalog.
ADAM
It’s in here...I saw it...I know it...AHA! Fifty-eight. Aisle seven. Dummes Mädchen denkt, ich weiss nicht, wovon ich rede?
VINCENT (O.S.)
Adam?
He shoves the catalog back and bolts to another aisle to rummage through more catalogs.
ADAM
Nein, das is zwei-und-sechzig. Forty-seven!? Oh, for god’s sake, people -- learn how to count!
VINCENT (O.S.)
Adam?
ADAM
Sixty-two comes after sixty-one comes after sixty comes after fifty-nine comes after fifty-seven -- wait, wait, wait, where’s fifty-eight?
He notices a catalog is jammed behind the rest. He pulls it out and tenderly twists it back into shape then looks inside.
VINCENT (O.S.)
Adam?
ADAM
Hier sind Sie. I was right. You’ll thank me for this, Elizabeth.
A man peeks around the far end of the aisle -- VINCENT, 60, too precise.
VINCENT
(Veddy British)
Adam! I’ve been looking for you.
ADAM
Oh, Vincent, we’ll need to revisit the Shedel and find out what that seller’s trying -- .
IN A KITCHENETTE
Adam pours hot water into two mugs.
UNIVERSITY OFFICE
Adam enters with two steaming mugs of tea. He passes an office with two awkward-looking men in it -- HAKIM and JEREMY.
HAKIM
(British)
Hold on, Adam -- have you finally finished that bloody Erasmus? Jeremy’s ready to scan it.
ADAM
Just put it on the shelves, Hakim.
JEREMY
(Cockney)
Oy, is that tea? None for us?
ADAM
Maybe next time, Jer.
He stops at a cubicle holding an attractive woman, ELIZABETH, who pays him little attention. He offers her a cup.
ADAM (cont’d)
Here you go, Elizabeth. Just the way you like it.
ELIZABETH
(British)
No, thanks.
He shrugs and sets the teas in his cubicle and looks at a book on Elizabeth’s desk. He carefully picks it up to examine.
ADAM
Is this the Shedel? The one found in Romania?
ELIZABETH
Vincent just dropped it off.
ADAM
Why didn’t he give it to me? I have nothing going on.
ELIZABETH
Probably because of the questions you raised about it.
ADAM
I still say the binding’s not contemporary to the book and -- .
(looks inside)
Oh -- it is a later printing.
ELIZABETH
Adam, stop it.
ADAM
Here! On the first verso page of text; two of the words are reversed and --.
ELIZABETH
Give it here! Half the time you’ve no idea what you’re talking about.
She snatches the book away. He huffs and storms off.
INT. UNDERGROUND LIBRARY VAULT - DAY
Row after row of shelving units holding books, catalogues, and papers under a gentle light. Adam rummages through a shelf and pulls out an auction catalog.
ADAM
It’s in here...I saw it...I know it...AHA! Fifty-eight. Aisle seven. Dummes Mädchen denkt, ich weiss nicht, wovon ich rede?
VINCENT (O.S.)
Adam?
He shoves the catalog back and bolts to another aisle to rummage through more catalogs.
ADAM
Nein, das is zwei-und-sechzig. Forty-seven!? Oh, for god’s sake, people -- learn how to count!
VINCENT (O.S.)
Adam?
ADAM
Sixty-two comes after sixty-one comes after sixty comes after fifty-nine comes after fifty-seven -- wait, wait, wait, where’s fifty-eight?
He notices a catalog is jammed behind the rest. He pulls it out and tenderly twists it back into shape then looks inside.
VINCENT (O.S.)
Adam?
ADAM
Hier sind Sie. I was right. You’ll thank me for this, Elizabeth.
A man peeks around the far end of the aisle -- VINCENT, 60, too precise.
VINCENT
(Veddy British)
Adam! I’ve been looking for you.
ADAM
Oh, Vincent, we’ll need to revisit the Shedel and find out what that seller’s trying -- .
VINCENT
Have you been down here all this time?
ADAM
Just a bit. Our meeting’s not till half-past three.
VINCENT
And it’s now four.
Adam looks at his watch.
ADAM
Oh. Sorry, sir. I’ll be right up.
VINCENT
Why’re you down here, anyway?
ADAM
Oh, um -- getting some information on the Liber Chronicarum and -- .
VINCENT
Elizabeth’s doing provenance on the Schedel, isn’t she?
ADAM
Yes, sir, but -- .
VINCENT
You’re helping her when there’s your own work to finish?
ADAM
Um, I...I’m done, sir. The Erasmus-Russworm. Just waiting for Hakim to review my provenance and then -- .
VINCENT
Then you’re free the rest of the week.
ADAM
Yes, sir. I’m ready for more -- .
VINCENT
Come on. Upstairs.
Adam starts down the aisle.
VINCENT (cont’d)
Oh, and leave the catalogue -- there’s a good lad.
Adam jolts and shoves it back in place...and puts more of them in order.
ADAM
Vincent, whoever does the shelving down here apparently knows neither the alphabet nor numeric sequence. The books are in deplorable -- .
VINCENT
Adam! Come!
ADAM
-- Yes, sir.
But he quickly switches the positions of two catalogs that are out of sequence.
--------------------
After this, he learns he's being sent to LA to pick up a recently discovered presentation copy of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland"...signed by Lewis Carroll.
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