The Firefly Lab transcript

The following is the full transcript of "The Firefly Lab", the eleventh chapter of The Last of Us Part I.

Transcript[]

The Hospital[]

[The cinematic "Find someone else" continues from the previous chapter. The scene opens to Joel Miller waking up on a bed in Saint Mary's Hospital, his bag and Ellie nowhere in sight. He looks up, seeing Marlene sat next to him on a chair. Ethan stands at the end of the bed, watching them.]

Marlene: Welcome to the Fireflies. Sorry about the… [Points to her head. Joel looks at Ethan.] They didn't know who you were.

Joel: [Looks back at Marlene] And Ellie?

Marlene: She's all right. They brought her back. [Joel relaxes, looking relieved.] You came all this way… How'd you do it?

Joel: It was her. [Clears throat] She fought like hell to get here. [Pauses] Maybe it was meant to be.

[Joel sits up on the bed as Marlene stands from her chair, walking towards the wall.]

Marlene: I lost most of my crew, crossing the country. I pretty much lost everything. [Turns to Joel] And then you show up and somehow we find you just in time to save her. Maybe it was meant to be.

Joel: Take me to her. [Sits on the edge of the bed.]

Marlene: You don't have to worry about her anymore. We'll take care of—

Joel: I worry. Just let me see her, please.

Marlene: [Pauses] You can't. She's being prepped for surgery.

Joel: The hell you mean, surgery? [Stands up.]

Marlene: The doctors tell me that the Cordyceps, the growth inside her, has somehow mutated. It's why she's immune. Once they remove it, they'll be able to reverse engineer a vaccine. A vaccine.

Joel: But it grows all over the brain.

Marlene: It does.

Joel: [Pauses] Find someone else.

Marlene: There is no one else.

Joel: [Inches towards Marlene] Listen, you are gonna show me where—

[Ethan comes forward, striking Joel in the leg and pushing him to the floor. He draws his pistol.]

Marlene: [To Ethan] Stop. [Ethan steps back and lowers his gun. Marlene stands next to him, looking down at Joel, who picks himself up to a kneeling position.] I get it. But whatever it is you think you're going through right now is nothing to what I have been through. I knew her since she was born. I promised her mother that I would look after her.

Joel: [Looks up at Marlene] Then why are you letting this happen?

Marlene: Because this isn't about me. Or even her. There is no other choice here.

[Joel snarls at Marlene. He then sits up.]

Joel: [Quietly] Yeah, you keep telling yourself that bullshit.

Marlene: [To Ethan] March him outta here. He tries anything, shoot him. [To Joel] Don't waste this gift, Joel.

[Marlene leaves the room. Joel remains sat on the ground as Ethan stands in front of him.]

Ethan: Get up. [Aims his pistol at Joel] I said get up. [Joel slowly gets to his feet.] Go on. Move.

[Joel walks to the door as Ethan trains his gun at him from behind. Joel slows down.]

Ethan: I said move. [He pushes Joel forwards. Joel turns his head.] Gimme an excuse.

Joel: [Pauses] Which way?

[Ethan gestures his gun to the left. Joel turns and walks that way as Ethan follows. Midway down the hall, Joel notices his backpack on a counter. He stops just in front of it.]

Ethan: What the fuck are you doin'? Keep walking. [Ethan shoves his pistol into Joel's back.] I said keep walking.

[Joel elbows the gun upwards as Ethan fires a shot. The bullet misses. Joel grabs him and shoves him against the wall. Joel takes the gun and hits him in the face with it. He then forces the gun into Ethan's abdomen as he holds him against the wall.]

Joel: Where is the operating room? [Ethan remains silent.] I ain't got time for this. [Joel shoots Ethan in the abdomen. Demanding] Where? [Joel fires again. Roaring] Where?

Ethan: [Struggling] Top floor. The far end.

[Joel lets him go. Ethan slumps to his knees and Joel shoots him in the head. Ethan collapses to the floor as Joel holsters the gun and proceeds to pick up his bag.]

Male Firefly 1: [From a distance] Gunshots! Search the floor!

Joel: Oh shit.

[The cinematic "Find someone else" ends. Joel hides behind a wall as a group of Firefly soldiers approach. The player now controls Joel. Two soldiers turn the hallway.]

Male Firefly 1: The smuggler, he's in here!

[Joel hides nearby. The soldiers approach Ethan's corpse.]

Male Firefly 1: Oh shit. He killed Ethan.

Male Firefly 2: What?

Male Firefly 1: Ethan's dead. [Kneels over his corpse.]

Male Firefly 2: [Into radio] We got a man down. The smuggler's escaped.

Male Firefly 3: [Over the radio] Locate the target and eliminate him. We'll search the other floors.

Male Firefly 2: Yes, sir. [To the other soldier] Search the floor. Find that smuggler and shoot him on sight.

[The two soldiers and their nearby squad begin patrolling the floor. Joel either takes them out or sneaks past, moving through the ward. He enters a hallway leading to the west wing and hides when he hears reinforcements running down the corridor.]

Male Firefly 1: Down this way. Stay alert!

[A group of three Fireflies run past and enter the ward. Their dialogue is based on Joel's actions.]

Male Firefly 1: [If Joel kills the guards in the ward.] Oh, dear God. It's a fucking massacre over here. Search every inch of this floor. Find this guy now!

Male Firefly 1: [If Joel stealthily makes his way past.] Hey, any sign of 'em?

Male Firefly 2: Nothing. I'm pretty sure he didn't get through.

Male Firefly 1: We'll post up here with you. Let's get this area locked down.

Male Firefly 2: Yes, sir.

[Joel moves from his hiding place and enters the west wing. Suddenly, another Firefly soldier bursts through a door to the stairwell.]

Male Firefly: What's going on down there? Did you hear what I— [Sees Joel] Oh shit! He's over here!

[Joel kills the soldier and enters the door to Stairwell B.]

Joel: Oh shit. [He turns around and locks the door the door by using a nearby chair. Firefly soldiers bang against the door but it stays shut.] There.

[Joel proceeds to ascend the stairwell to the sixth floor to the Fireflies' living quarters. The player is then prompted to press . Joel approaches the nearby window and peers out, where he sees the surgery wing's lights active.]

Joel: Yeah, that's it. [Breathes shakily] I'm comin', Ellie. [He backs away.]

[Meanwhile, numerous Fireflies enter the wing ahead and begin taking up defensive positions in the area.]

Male Firefly 1: They're not responding. Take up positions. No matter what, he doesn't get through here. Go!

[Joel enters the area and hides behind cover.]

Male Firefly 2: Who the hell is this guy?

Male Firefly 3: He brought the kid all the way from Pittsburgh, that's all I know. Marlene insisted on questioning him herself.

[Joel moves forward until he is spotted by one of the guards. One calls out.]

Male Firefly 4: He's in here with us! Don't let him get to the kid!

[Joel proceeds to either kill the Fireflies or sprints past them to the pediatrics door at the far end. He barricades the doors with a crate of surgical equipment.]

Joel: There… C'mon… That should buy me some time.

[Joel reaches the surgery prep room at the end of the hallway. He enters to see Ellie unconscious on the bed, with three surgeons around her.]

Joel: Sweet Jesus.

[The three doctors turn to face him. The head surgeon, Jerry Anderson, moves towards Joel.]

Kari: [To Jerry] Doctor?

Jerry: [To Joel] What're you doing in here? [Picks up a scalpel.] I won't let you take her. This is our future. Think of all the lives we'll save. [Joel moves forward] Don't come any closer. I mean it.

[Joel grimaces at the surgeon then walks forward, forcing the scalpel from his hand and uses it to stab him in the throat, killing him.]

Kari: No! You fucking animal!

Male doctor: Kari, shut the hell up!

Kari: [If Joel kills the other doctor first, she will cower in fear and begin sobbing.] Please, I don't wanna die! Oh, God… Oh, God…

Male doctor: [If Joel kills the nurse first, the doctor cowers.] Oh, Jesus. Oh, my God. Uh, just take the girl and leave, okay?

[Joel moves to Ellie on the operating table and disconnects the medical tubing.]

Joel: Come on, baby girl. I gotcha… I gotcha… [He pulls Ellie off the bed and starts carrying her. Fireflies move towards the door, their flashlights beaming into the room.] Oh shit. [He rushes through the emergency exit and runs away from the approaching Fireflies.] Get back!

Male Firefly 1: He's carrying her towards pediatrics! Get up here, now!

Male Firefly 2: Come on, man. We just want the girl.

[Numerous Fireflies begin cutting off the various exits as Joel runs through various rooms, searching for a way out.]

Joel: Shit.

Male Firefly 3: He's over here!

Joel: I'm getting you outta here, girl. [Pauses.] I got you. I got you.

Male Firefly 4: Cover the exits!

Joel: Come on.

[Joel turns a corner and finds Fireflies closing in from in front of him.]

Joel: Goddamnit, which way?

Male Firefly 5: You got nowhere to go.

[Joel runs through a locker room to the right.]

Male Firefly 6: Go around to the other side!

Joel: [To Ellie] We're okay. We're okay… We're okay. We'll get through this, okay? I got you… I got you.

[The Fireflies corner Joel in a long corridor.]

Male Firefly 7: This is your last chance. Drop her, now! [They force Joel towards an elevator at the end of the hall.]

Male Firefly 8: I got him in my sights.

Joel: I said get back!

[The Fireflies start shooting at Joel, bullets rushing past him as he makes it into the elevator safely.]

Joel: [Presses the ground floor button] C'mon, c'mon.

Male Firefly 9: Hey! Stop!

[The doors close just as the Fireflies reach the elevator. The lift starts descending.]

Joel: Oh, God.

[Joel leans against the back of the elevator, looking up before looking down at Ellie. The elevator then dings as it reaches the lowest level; the parking lot. The cinematic "You can't save her" begins. The elevator door opens, as Joel continues to carry an unconscious Ellie in his arms. He presses the emergency stop button.]

Joel: Okay, come on. Come on.

[He exits the elevator and goes to run away. However, Marlene is waiting outside. She draws her sidearm, aiming it at Joel, who comes to a standstill.]

Marlene: You can't save her. Even if you get out of here, then what? [Inches towards Joel] How long before she's torn to pieces by a pack of clickers? That is if she hasn't been raped and murdered first.

Joel: That ain't for you to decide.

Marlene: It's what she'd want. [Pauses] And you know it. Look… [She takes her aim off of Joel and puts her hands in the air.] You can still do the right thing here. She won't feel anything.

[Joel begins to think about her words. The scene cuts to Joel driving down a highway, initially from his perspective before the camera cuts to look at him. After a long pause, a groan is heard in the backseat. Joel looks in the rear-view mirror. The camera cuts to Ellie waking up.]

Ellie: What the hell am I wearing?

Joel: Just take it easy… drugs are still wearing off.

Ellie: [Rubs her eye] What happened?

Joel: We found the Fireflies. Turns out, there's a whole lot more like you, Ellie. People that are immune. It's dozens actually. Ain't done a damn bit of good neither. They've actually st—they've stopped looking for a cure. I'm taking us home. [Ellie rolls on her side, no longer facing Joel.] I'm sorry.

[As Joel speaks to Ellie, scenes from his confrontation with Marlene at the hospital flash onscreen. They reveal Joel shooting her in the abdomen with a hidden pistol. The scene cuts to black. It cuts back, where Joel lets out a breath, having just shot Marlene. She collapses, grunting in pain. The camera cuts to him placing Ellie in the backseat of a nearby SUV. He shuts the door, stalking back to Marlene, who is bleeding out on the ground. He stops just in front of her, as she raises her arm.]

Marlene: Wait! Let me go. Please.

Joel: You'd just come after her.

[Joel raises his pistol and shoots Marlene point blank in the head, killing her. The screen cuts to black as the shot rings out. The cinematic "You can't save her" ends.]