The Relic (1997)
James Whitmore: Dr. Albert Frock
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Quotes
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[Dr. Green, Dr. Frock and Dr. Cuthbert discuss the mysterious crates that arrived from Dr. John Whitney's research in Brazil]
Dr. Albert Frock : No words from John yet, but these crates arrived this morning. They were supposed to be on a ship, except there was some mix-up in Brazil, and they never made it. They were sent by air freight. Here, here, take a look at this.
[holds up the relic to Dr. Green]
Dr. Albert Frock : The Kothoga.
Dr. Ann Cuthbert : Could be.
Margo Green : And what does this God specialize in?
Dr. Albert Frock : South American tribe, the Zenzera, long thought to be extinct - They made a deal with Satan to vanquish their enemies. So Kothoga was born - Son of Satan. You have that look again, Margo.
Margo Green : Why do we keep financing John Whitney's expeditions? As if superstition were the same thing as science.
Dr. Ann Cuthbert : Anthropologists are permitted to believe in myth. It's part of their charm. In any case, our superstition exhibit is excellent box office for this Museum, and that benefits you, as well.
Margo Green : Using superstition to bring people to the museum is like hiring topless ushers for the Bolshoi Ballet.
Dr. Albert Frock : Well if they did, I might go to the Ballet.
Dr. Ann Cuthbert : Do you really think the restoration department could do something with this?
Dr. Albert Frock : Certainly, - Possibly even for the opening.
Margo Green : What was in this other crate?
Dr. Albert Frock : Except for the packing leaves, it was empty.
Margo Green : Empty? Was there a packing list? There must have been something in here.
Dr. Albert Frock : Crates were nailed shut when they arrived.
Margo Green : [Dr. Green begins to notice a weird growth on the dozens of leaves] Strange.
Dr. Albert Frock : What?
Margo Green : Do you think these are eggs?
Dr. Albert Frock : Oh, no. More like fungus. Probably parasitical. Best not to take any chances.
Dr. Ann Cuthbert : Quite right. Let's see to having those leaves and crates incinerated.
[the two doctors leave the room when Dr. Green begins to think if she should study up on the mysterious growth]
Dr. Albert Frock : [from the distance out in the hallway] Of course you can, Margo.
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[Dr. Green takes Lt. D'Agosta to Dr. Frock for questions and answers]
Margo Green : [Dr. Green knocks on Dr. Frock's door] It's Margo.
Dr. Albert Frock : Oh, who have you brought me?
Lt. Vincent D'Agosta : Uh, a policeman. Lieutenant D'Agosta.
Dr. Albert Frock : Well, how goes the gradual extinction of the human race, Lieutenant?
Lt. Vincent D'Agosta : Uh, I'm doing what I can to keep it orderly.
[Lt. D'Agosta and Dr. Frock shake hands]
Margo Green : You and the Lieutenant are kindred spirits. He's very superstitious.
Lt. Vincent D'Agosta : Well, I don't know about very.
Dr. Albert Frock : Well, you must excuse Margo, Lieutenant. She believes that science must destroy myth, and as a consequence, she has very little patience with superstitious people like us. Margo, did I ever tell you about my experiences with the Kai tribe in Bechuanaland?
Margo Green : Yes, more than once.
Dr. Albert Frock : I haven't told him.
[Dr. Frock smiles at Lt. D'Agosta]
Dr. Albert Frock : The Kai tribe, Lieutenant, believed that headaches were caused by sorcery, and the kinfolk of the headache victim would identify the sorcerer, and then go off and murder him. Of course, the kinfolk of the sorcerer would feel they had to avenge his death, so they'd go and in turn kill the headache victim, and I'm sure you can imagine how it eventually all turned out.
Lt. Vincent D'Agosta : What's that?
Dr. Albert Frock : Well, it's a medical miracle. Everybody stopped having headaches.
[Lieutenant D'Agosta laughs]
Dr. Albert Frock : Lieutenant, what would a superstitious police officer possibly want with an old fossil like me?
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[Dr. Green continues to search a way out of the lab offices in the museum]
Dr. Albert Frock : Are you lost, Margo?
Margo Green : [continuing to roll Dr. Frock around in his wheelchair] Of course I'm lost.
Dr. Albert Frock : Just checking.
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[Lt. D'Agosta talks to Dr. Green and Dr. Frock about the Kothoga being real]
Lt. Vincent D'Agosta : Somebody want to tell me what in God's name that was?
Dr. Albert Frock : I think it's the Kothoga. John Whitney must've found it somewhere, somehow, and sent it back to the museum. For God's sake why wouldn't he give us warning?
Lt. Vincent D'Agosta : How big were those crates that John Whitney sent back?
Dr. Albert Frock : Not very big.
Lt. Vincent D'Agosta : Then how the hell did something like that fit inside one of them?
Margo Green : In those crates that Whitney sent back, the artifact was packed with a leaf specimen that carried a parasitic fungus. The fungus was loaded with hormones - animal hormones - that are produced in the thalamoid region of the human brain.
Lt. Vincent D'Agosta : You mean the hypothalamus.
Margo Green : I know this is crazy, but maybe this animal started out as something else - A chameleon, a lizard, or maybe even a dog. It ate those leaves, and is changing into whatever it is now... to what we just saw.
Dr. Albert Frock : You're not crazy, Margo. Don't you see, girl? It's the callisto effect. It's really true. The Kothoga myth was based on fact. The people of the Zenzera tribe, when they were threatened by an enemy, they must have fed some of those hormonal leaves to some animal, and it caused a riot in its D.N.A., and it was transformed into some horrific beast. But the beast needed those hormones to stay alive, so when it was big enough and deadly enough, they stopped feeding it.
Dr. Albert Frock : So it would have to find some other way to get the hormone.
Dr. Albert Frock : They're enemies. Yes, and when the enemies were dead and it had no more hormones, it would eventually die, and the Zenzera would come out from hiding.
Lt. Vincent D'Agosta : Well, we don't have time to wait for eventually, so here's my question, how the fuck do we kill that thing?
