Page 422 - SHERLOCK transcripts

421

(Magnussen lets out a short breathy laugh, shaking his head a little, then he lowers his eyes,
scratches the back of his head and chuckles for a few seconds. John’s mouth twists and he
shoots a brief glance towards Sherlock. Eventually Magnussen stops sniggering and looks down
to the laptop, patting it and grimacing a little.)
MAGNUSSEN: You know, I honestly expected something good.
SHERLOCK: Oh, I think you’ll find the contents of that laptop ...
MAGNUSSEN: ... include a GPS locator. By now, your brother will have noticed the theft, and
security services will be converging on this house. Having arrived ... (he looks down at the
laptop) ... they’ll find top secret information in my hands ... (he reaches forward and picks up
his glass from the table) ... and have every justification to search my vaults. They will discover
further information of this kind and I’ll be imprisoned. You will be exonerated, and restored to
your smelly little apartment to solve crimes with Mr and Mrs Psychopath.
(He looks at John, who holds his gaze, though his cheeks move as if he is gritting his teeth a
little. Only once Magnussen starts talking again does John cast a quick glance at Sherlock.)
MAGNUSSEN (lifting his glass closer to his mouth): Mycroft has been looking for this
opportunity for a long time. He’ll be a very, very proud big brother.
(He drinks, emptying the glass.)
SHERLOCK: The fact that you know it’s going to happen isn’t going to stop it.
(Offscreen, Magnussen puts his glass down on the table.)
MAGNUSSEN: Then why am I smiling?
(He looks up at Sherlock and smiles a little. Sherlock looks at him thoughtfully.)
MAGNUSSEN: Ask me.
JOHN (taking one step towards him): Why are you smiling?
MAGNUSSEN (looking down a little): Because Sherlock Holmes has made one enormous mistake
which will destroy the lives of everyone he loves ...
(His eyes are back on Sherlock again.)
MAGNUSSEN: ... and everything he holds dear.
(He stands up slowly.)
MAGNUSSEN: Let me show you the Appledore vaults.
(He leads the others across the room and through the open glass doors of the study we have
seen before. He walks across to the wooden doors at the side of the room and then turns back
to the others, putting a hand on the doors.)
MAGNUSSEN: The entrance to my vaults. This is where I keep you all.
(He turns and takes hold of the door handles, then pulls the doors open. We are looking from
inside the doors towards Magnussen and the other two as they look inside. Magnussen steps
slowly through the doors, looking all around at what we can’t yet see, while Sherlock and John
look uncertainly at what they can see. After a moment Magnussen slowly begins to turn around
and the perspective shifts to a view from behind the boys. Inside the doors is nothing more
than a small windowless room, painted white and brightly lit. It is no more than a few feet deep
and the ceiling is about eight feet high. There are no shelves, no library stacks, no filing
cabinets, no grotesque dolls, stuffed animals or sculptures. The only thing in the room is a
metal and leather low-backed executive chair. As Magnussen slowly continues to turn around,
Sherlock’s eyes quickly skim around the whiteness, then his eyes go back to Magnussen.)
JOHN: Okay – so where are the vaults, then?
MAGNUSSEN (looking at him): Vaults? What vaults? There are no vaults beneath this building.
(He sits down on the chair, then gestures around the room.)
MAGNUSSEN: They’re all in here.
(John frowns and blinks. Sherlock’s eyes are wide as if he is beginning to realise the truth.
Magnussen leans forward and slowly raises the fingers of his right hand to touch his temple.)
MAGNUSSEN: The Appledore vaults are my Mind Palace. You know about Mind Palaces, don’t
you, Sherlock?
(Sherlock swallows and then opens his mouth slightly.)
MAGNUSSEN: How to store information so you never forget it – by picturing it. I just sit here, I
close my eyes ... (he does so, slowly lowering his head) ... and down I go to my vaults.
(Inside his head, he opens his eyes and then walks down the wooden spiral staircase.)
MAGNUSSEN (sitting with his eyes closed in the white room): I can go anywhere inside my
vaults ...
(In his head, he walks through the library stacks, his fingers flickering towards the shelves.)
MAGNUSSEN: ... my memories.

Transcripts by Ariane DeVere (arianedevere@livejournal.com)