- Who could have deliberately released a rare and deadly African plague that is now spreading uncontrollably throughout America's largest urban areas? A lone determined doctor desperately and fearlessly searches for the truth, but she soon finds herself targeted for death as well. With time running out to save human kind, Dr. Marissa Blumenthal discovers that the strange disease may have actually been unleashed by the medical establishment itself.—Anonymous
- A strain of ebola, apparently transmitted by an infected African monkey, is starting to sweep across the country. Investigating unusual similarities between many of the victims, a young doctor discovers a conspiracy amongst senior hospital administrators and doctors, who don't seem to want her to stop the disease.—Cynan Rees <cynanrees@hotmail.com>
- The movie opens with "The virus is mankind's ultimate predator."
Zaire, Africa September 1976: Animals groaning in the background and monkeys in trees squawking and a disheveled man shuffling down the path, no shoes, filthy clothes, obviously ill. He stops and puts his hands on his head and they come away bloody. The scene shifts to a village where African women are doing chores. There is a sign above a building: Ebola River Clinic. The ill man shambles up to the village and collapses. A truck drives up with a Red Cross on the side. The men get out and put handkerchiefs to their noses. Villagers are laying all over the ground, dead, bloody.
Los Angelos, Present day: A man is rushed into the hospital and the doctor and nurse start to work on him. He starts coughing up blood.
Atlanta, Georgia. Centers for Diseases Control: Dr.Marissa Blumenthal (Nicollette Sheridan) is looking for Tarzan, a chimpanzee. Dr.Tad Shockley (Stephen Caffrey) walks in and takes Tarzan. (Tad is Marissa's former boyfriend). Marissa asks if he is going to the party later. Tad says he is too busy and doesn't want to hang out with her boyfriend and his stuffed shirt friends. Dr. Dubcheck (Dakin Matthews) and Dr. Holloway (William Atherton) walk in. They tell Marissa they need her to go to Los Angelos to help with a case of "something they can't diagnose." Dr. Holloway gives Marissa a key card to access the viral field lab. The doctors leave and Tad shows Marissa the Maximum Security Lab. Tad tells Marissa to strip. Marissa doesn't believe him and he says nothing goes in or out of the lab including clothes. But he was joking. They put on suits over their clothes. After being decked out in the hazmat suits, they enter the lab. They are hooked up to air hoses. He shows her the biohazard freezer with over 500 deadly viruses. Before they remove their hazmat suits, they are disinfected.
Later, Marissa is at her apartment. Tad shows up. He offers to drive her to the airport. He is dressed up and Marissa tells him she is glad he is going to the party after all. The party is at Dr. Ralph Harbuck's (William Devane) home. He greets Marissa with a kiss. Ralph seems surprised to see Tad at the party. Tad asks later why Marissa told him he was invited when it's obvious Ralph didn't know he was coming? Upstairs in a bedroom, Tad says "Is this the place you guys sack out?" and Marissa says "No we never use the bed. It's too conventional."
Tad and Marissa go downstairs to the party. Ralph introduces her to various doctors. Dr. Clayman (Barry Corbin) starts in attacking HMO's. Marissa argues with him. He leaves to get another drink and Marissa says "Oops- he is one of your partners." They talk some more and Ralph asks if she loves him. Tad watches them. Dr. Holloway talks to Tad, "She's going to LA to work on a case...Three months at the CDC and she gets a case." Tad says "It happens sometimes." Holloway says "Not since I've been here, but I'm not so well connected." Marissa just happens to be hobnobbing with an important man. Later Ralph comes upstairs and helps undress Marissa. They kiss....
Los Angelos, Ca: Marissa arrives at the hospital. A man lurks nearby and watches her. She asks for Dr. Newman, Chief of Staff. Marissa and Dr. Newman (Joe Minjares) are walking down the hall. She says she would like to examine the patient. "Patients" says Dr. Newman. "We have 7 now". The first patient, Dr. Roxford, was actually the founder of the hospital. The hospital is an HMO. Dr. Roxford came in with a severe headache, migraine intensity, malaise, then a skin rash, then a fever. Six other cases have come in since and are the same as Dr. Roxford's case. All patients are on the same floor as other patients. Marissa states that we need to move them to isolation. The man who was watching her (Brian Brophy) comes up and asks if it is true there is an epidemic. He is a TV reporter. He immediately goes on camera to report about the mysterious illness.
Marissa goes in to examine Dr. Roxford. Roxford was in Africa and was bitten by a monkey. He also has a head wound and was mugged. Marissa opens up his shirt and says "Oh My God." She's worried it is hemorrhagic fever. Patients are moved to isolation. Marissa does tests and takes blood samples. Dr. Roxford becomes comatose. Marissa finds a mark on his arm and no-one knows what it is. Marissa says they are going to have to sacrifice the monkey and get it's organs to CDC. Marissa decides to wait to kill the monkey and goes to take a nap. She is woken up by Dubcheck and Holloway. They killed the monkey and stated that Roxford had died. They are taking over for her and sending her to St. Louis.
Marissa arrives in St. Louis and is inundated with reporters. One dead in St. Louis and a dozen more sick. Harold Williams (Kurt Fuller), medical director greets her. Marissa views body of deceased patient. He has scabs on his face and a wound on his scalp. He was bleeding from every orifice. The deceased is Dr. Caprisky, who was on staff there. Marissa remarks that it's a strange coincidence as the patient who died in LA was also a doctor. The mark on the man's back is the same as the patient who died in LA. It looks like an injection. Williams yells at Marissa as the CDC doesn't know what the disease is. Marissa talks to Ralph. She asks how he knows where she is and now everyone knows she was fired. She tells him about the situation in St. Louis. While she is talking, a man is listening in a dark corner...
Dubcheck is speaking to a roomful of doctors. "Labs in Atlanta are 99% certain it is Ebola. Ebola is the deadliest virus known to mankind. Mortality rate is 90% and progression is extremely rapid. We first saw this in Zaire in 1976. There is no immunization and no treatment." The room erupts. Dr. Holloway says "Please calm down. We are giving you the facts because we need you." Edna Hopper (Judith McConnell), Dr. Caprisky's secretary, speaks up. She was constantly in contact with him. Dubcheck says we will test you. She says "I'm going to die aren't I" and leaves the meeting. Marissa runs after her and talks her down. She asks Edna about the wound on Caprisky's head and the welt on his shoulder. Edna says he was mugged two weeks ago. Marissa looks thoughtful and then observes a poster on the wall about inoculations. The poster shows a huge syringe.
Dr. Holloway tells Marissa to go to Pathology and get a sample of tissue from Dr. Caprisky and take it to Atlanta. She argues with him and Dubcheck comes up and tells them to keep voices down.
Marissa flies to Atlanta. Ralph talks to her over the phone. Marissa says something strange is going on. Both patients were mugged exactly 7 days before they came down with the virus and had the same welt that is not associated with the virus. Ralph says he has to go and will see her later.
Tad reviews lab results with Marissa. The results show the virus in LA and St. Louis is the same as the one in Zaire. How is that possible? Marissa says there is a strange coincidence- each patient has a welt that could be made with a syringe.
Later she is making supper. She hears a sound and looks outside. There is a man lurking outside. He watches her through the window. He has a crowbar and is trying to open the door when Ralph drives up. Marissa greets Ralph and the man disappears..
Sometime later, Marissa is working in the lab and Holloway comes in and says the Ebola strain has been contained. There have been no new cases. Holloway says he is going to transfer her to bacteriology. She protests. She says she believes he is doing this because of her relationship with Ralph. She goes to see Dr. Dubcheck. He says Congressman Markham demanded they streamline the virology department and she is just one of the transfers. Markham controls their appropriations. The transfer is effective immediately. Marissa is on the phone later venting to Ralph. "Something fishy is going on here." He tells her to be a team player.
Later she is talking to Tad and there has been another outbreak in Philadelphia. Marissa has a list of contributors to Congressman Markham. Several doctors on the list have access to the max lab.
Tad receives a phone call and while on the phone, Marissa steals some paperwork. She also steals his pass to the Max Lab. He finds it missing right after she leaves. She goes to the lab and breaks into the refrigerator to look for the Ebola. Then the alarm goes off and someone enters the lab. Marissa hides. The man finds her and tries to grab her. They fight. She manages to get out and get decontaminated. She gets out of her suit and exits.
Next day she is viewing a newspaper with her picture on the front page. "CDC employee sought in virus theft." She is staying in a hotel. Tad knocks on her door. "You want to tell me what is going on? They think you stole the vial of Ebola." She says" I didn't take it. It was already gone." Tad says whoever took it can't just walk around with it in their pocket. It has to be frozen and in a maximum containment center. And there are special filters... Marissa says what filters? Cartwright Engineering makes the filters. Marissa goes to the library to look up stockholders of Learnard Labs. She then calls Ralph. While waiting a a restaurant for him, the restaurant calls the police on her. Ralph meets her at the restaurant.
Marissa tells Ralph that whoever is spreading this virus has built a lab in Georgia and is funded by Leonard labs. Ralph tells her to go to the police. She says no, she needs to get proof. The police arrive and tell Ralph to keep his hands where he can see them. Marissa goes to her hotel and a man comes up the hall outside her door. Cue eerie music as the man goes after a maid who has keys dangling from her wrist. Suddenly the man is behind Marissa and attacking her. He tries to shoot her with the inoculation syringe but Marissa manages to knock it out of his hand and inoculate him instead. She wraps the syringe in a trash bag and runs. She takes the bag with the syringe to Tad and tells him to take it to the Max Lab. She says it is proof that she hasn't been the one spreading the virus. Tad says the virus has already spread to Atlanta. She runs away.
Tad gets on the phone. "It's me. She was just here. I think she's on her way to the Mapleton Clinic."
The Mapleton Clinic has been placed under quarantine. Protestors are in front with signs and police are everywhere. Marissa manages to get in to the clinic. She goes to the morgue and asks to see the body. The morgue attendant says he will tell Holloway she is here. Marissa examines the body for signs of the inoculation mark. The deceased also has a wound on the head like the other bodies. She takes Polaroid photos. Holloway comes to the morgue and Marissa hides in the refrigerator with the deceased bodies. The attendant closes the refrigerator door and Marissa tries to kick the door open, crawling over dead bodies. She runs down a dark hallway in the basement avoiding the security guards looking for her. She breaks a window to get out of the building.
Marissa is in a cab outside Jack Clayman's house and calls an ambulance. When the ambulance arrives, Marissa joins them and they run upstairs and try to examine Clayman. He says he's fine and the paramedics leave. Marissa confronts him and throws the Polaroid photos down on his desk.. "Why are you spreading a deadly disease across the country? Every clinic that was hit with the virus was an HMO. So you prove them to be unsafe and then you win? You will be directly responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent people."
Clayman says "We have the best doctors and best facilities here but we are shutting them down. WHY? Because they say every bum and immigrant on the street is entitled to care. The whole world is laughing at us. The HMO's are not the salvation of modern medicine."
"So you just set the most deadly virus known to man on the American people?" Marissa tries to make a call. Clayman pulls a gun on her. "Get out." She starts to leave and he shoots himself in the head. She goes to Ralph's house.. "Jack Clayman is dead- he just killed himself." Ralph goes to hug her and she says "Don't- I may be contaminated." She has a headache. Ralph says "You would have a rash by now if you were infected. You have no rash." Marissa says "I have to go to police." "Well you are in no shape to go tonight," says Ralph. "I'll get you something to help you sleep." Marissa turns on the shower. She then hears a car driving up and looks out the window. Dubcheck gets out. Marissa goes to see what he wants and overhears Ralph and Dubcheck talking....
Ralph says "Keep your voice down, She is upstairs asleep" Dubcheck "Did she kill him?" Ralph "No- he confessed and then killed himself." Dubcheck, "Confessed? About us?" Ralph "Do you think she would have come here if she knew I was involved?" Dubcheck, "She was supposed to be taken care of! If she lives, you go to jail for mass murder." He pulls out a gun. "Don't worry it'll be real quick- she won't feel a thing. Ralph says "Will you put that away? And go home? I'll take care of her.
Marissa calls Tad.
Ralph picks up a gun and starts loading bullets. He goes to the bathroom to check on Marissa and sees the shower running. Then he hears a noise. Marissa has opened a window and made it outside. Ralph calls after her.
Dubcheck goes after her. "I won't hurt you! I'm not a murderer. We were just trying to scare people back into their senses." Marissa hits him with a shovel. She runs. Ralph comes after her. He grabs her and pushes her to the ground. "We're not killers, we're doctors. It got out of hand is all." Dubcheck comes up and tries to kill Marissa and Ralph wrestles with him and shoots him. Marissa runs to the gate and hugs Tad. The police tell Ralph to stop and then shoot him. Marissa goes up to Ralph as he lays dying and he says he loves her. Tad takes her away.
Two Weeks Later.....Marissa arrives at the CDC and says hi to Tad, who is waiting for her. Tad says he feels stupid- "I'm the idiot that told Dubcheck you were at Mapleton Clinic. Marissa says "It's OK." Tad brings her to a reception outside the CDC. Holloway says containment worked and the virus has disappeared. He says Marissa was "truly heroic" and gives her back her Maximum Security Pass. They all go to have champagne and cake.
Scene cuts to jungle. Monkey screams.
"Ebola is a real virus. No one knows when it might reappear as it did in Zaire. Thousands of these viruses wait, hidden in the deep forests throughout the world. They are simply the earths' defense against the most dangerous of invaders..... Man."
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